Patience Kitty

"To make a difference in the life of another..."
Patience was not a social cat. After she came to live with us she spent the first month upstairs, hiding under the futon. Gradually she came step-by-step down the stairs, and came to be a member of our family. Quiet, wanting to be left unprovoked by other furry family members, she chose Jim's lap as her place. In her way, she changed his life, allowing him to know, through her friendship, feline companionship.
Today, Patience completed her work. In Jim's lap, where she had given and received great love, Patience went ahead to bask in the warmth of the sun, where she is whole. And God, who loved her before we knew her and allowed us the gift of her unique friendship, must surely have welcomed her into his arms, saying, "Well done, good and faithful Patience."

Flying!

St. Thomas! What better way to spend a morning than para sailing!! Jim and I boarded a small boat along with about 10 others. Each pair of us climbed onto the back, where we were hooked into the support bars and straps. After a thumbs up the boat accelerated and we had lift off!
It was so lovely to be up above the blue sea with only the sound of the wind. About half way through our "flight" we were lowered for a quick dunk in the ocean, then lifted off once more for a final time before we were brought back in, landing (amazingly gently) on the back of the boat.
To Jim's and my amazement, we shared this experience with a retired nuclear submarine commander. He was very modest and had some great stories. And they DO say "Dive, dive" when the sub descends. (He corrected me when I asked if they said "dive, dive, dive" when descending; apparently the 3 dive sequence is for coming back up.) He said that in a severe sea condition the water is relatively calm below, but he was under hurricane conditions once and at 400 feet below the surface they were rocking and rolling. We had a wonderful day.

Old San Juan

We left Miami on Saturday, January 24 on a warm sunny late afternoon. Sunday was a day at sea. No ports of call, no where to go. It was the perfect way to detoxify and relax. It was hot and sunny with few clouds but a nice breeze. The hundreds of lounge chairs on the decks were occupied by 9AM and stayed that way till evening as all of us basked in sun and warmth. We sailed on through the night and into Monday. Our first port of call was in Puerto Rico (...and EVERY time I heard that name, immediately my mind took off with "...my heart's devotion. Let it sink back in the ocean!", having listened to West Side Story once or twice.) We docked at 5PM and were free to wander, with warnings to be back on board by midnight or start swimming.
Neither Jim nor I had ever visited this country set in the Caribbean Sea. We trolled around old San Juan, where the streets were still cobblestone and very hilly. It rained off and on as we walked, so we would duck in under an overhanging porch to wait out the shower. All along each street there were colorfully painted entrances to private residences, some very nice and some tattered. We walked by Castillo de San Cristóbal, a Spanish fort built by the Spaniards in the 18th century to protect against land based attacks on the city of San Juan. We were told that after dark every night, thousands of feral cats, who live in the fort, come out and sit on the rocks surrounding it. Had we not been back on the ship when we were told of this, we probably would have stayed to watch their eyes glow in the night. We popped into a small local pub for a light dinner, where the menu was in Spanish and the food was great. (No Whopper at the local Burger King for us, although I do admit to being slightly hesitant at first. I don't think the place was FDA inspected, but did turn out to be clean and was filled with both locals and tourists the whole time we were there.)
As darkness fell, we walked back to the ship for a good night's sleep and plans for adventure the next day at St. Thomas.

Jessie Day

One year ago today, Jessie came home to live at the Sheffield cottage, bringing with him his sweet and lovable personality. Jim and I have thought of him every day and still miss him very much. But we want his legacy to be a happy one and, in his memory, we hope for good things for other animals. So, we ask our friends and family to do something special today for an animal. Give your cat an extra treat, or your dog a big hug. We will be donating to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, where research to prevent and cure feline infectious peritonitis is going on, funded mostly through contributions. We would be honored and grateful if any of you would want to donate any amount to a shelter, or to Cornell. Here is the link: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/oppsupp.htm

Jessie lives on in our hearts and in our memory.

Ernie the wild boy

The little piece of kitten fuzz seen last autumn in my blog has grown into a long, lean kitty. We figure that he's a teen in cat years. He doesn't roll his eyes or say things like "duh", (or at least we haven't seen him do these things...)but he is finding ways to show his age. While his cat brothers Sam and Ollie and sister Annie still like to play and wrestle with him, he has to push the envelope past when the other cat has had enough. It's not uncommon for Sam to run from the room with Ernie in hot pursuit, or to hear Annie growl with increasing volume when Ernie doesn't take her more subtle hints that he should GO AWAY. But just like any kid who is growing up, Ernie still has a little boy inside who wants his human Dad and Mom to pet and cuddle him and let him sleep on our laps. He spends every night lying all stretched out by our legs and doesn't seem to even notice when we shift position- he's like a rag doll, plopping wherever he ends up. Around 4:30 every morning he wakes up and makes an attempt to be petted, sticking his head under my hand and biting my fingers if he gets no response. Usually I can bury my hands in the blankets and he'll give up after a few minutes, going back to lie down at our feet, no doubt rolling his eyes and mumbling some teenage comments under his breath.

Leaving Miami

Just before sunset on January 24, we sailed from port in Miami. Jim and I were out on the top deck enjoying the sun and the prospect of total abandon of all responsibility for the upcoming days. The previous year had been full- weddings, birth, and deaths. Such is the circle of life for each of us. We just felt a little too much like we were running in circles- or a marathon, sometimes. I can't think of a vacation more welcomed than this one.

Birthday Celebration

For many years I have planned to celebrate my 50th birthday big. To me, a cruise is very big- all you could ask for in relaxation. So, on January 24, Jim and I flew from home for Miami, where we boarded the ship Carnival Liberty. We cast off at around 5PM, heading south to the beautiful Caribbean Sea. Upon entering out stateroom, I discovered streamers and signs shouting "Happy BD" in bright red, blue and yellow. Jim had planned this prior to our arrival. As noted in the photo, even before seeing our room, a priority for me was having one of those drinks with the little paper umbrella- synonymous for "Yeehaa- VACATION!" And so we were off for a week of R&R, reading books, visiting ports of call, and having more drinks with little paper umbrellas.