Goodbye, Bing

Tuesday, we had to say goodbye to Bing. He was a wonderful cat, a very sweet boy and a huge pain in the butt - yet worth every minute. His health started declining rapidly a week ago. While he was not in any pain, his quality of life was gone, and he was unaware of his surroundings. This was one of the hardest moments of my life. I know that we made the right choice, but I hated so much to let him go.

*****

I found Bing on a cool fall evening almost 16 years ago. I was in a hurry - no, scratch that - I was in a HUGE hurry. I worked in a restaurant downtown, and we had some sort of PR gig at a hockey game. I was loading large steam table trays full of hot food into the back of my tiny car when I heard a series of pitiful 'mew's coming from a locked equipment area. I peered through the fence, and soon saw a small kitten with cartoonishly large feet. He came blinkingly out from under the fence and began to explain himself in loud tones. He was filthy, but looked to be fairly healthy and uninjured. I wasted long minutes explaining that I couldn't take him to a hockey game, but that I would be back for him later. His English was terrible, so it was hard to get my point across. He was determined to stick with me, and I was determined not to lose my job or squish him with my car.

I got back and finished up my  work night, then I went looking for the tiny kitty. He was easy to find. One word from me brought him running (and yelling). We had a talk about how my husband was not going to be a big fan of this idea. I told him that he would have to be a lap cat as my current cat was not up for that sort of thing, and it was the one thing that would possibly sway Don. He allowed (loudly) that he would give it a try. I scooped him up and dumped him in my car. He jumped out then ran back to yell at me some more. We repeated this cycle I don't even KNOW how many more times before I was able to jump in and slam the door with him on the inside. He promptly bonked his tiny head on the window so hard that he almost blacked out. He shook it off and yowled at me. We spent the 15 minute journey home discussing our current family (Rachel, Don, Missy the albino Siamese and Skippy the flying squirrel) and how he would fit in. He rode the entire way with his hind feet on my lap and his forefeet on my left arm. That was the last time that he willingly and compliantly rode in a car.

*****

I ate my lunch alone today. Just me and a wicker basket of laundry on the couch. 


I shifted and the basket creaked. 


I turned and stretched out my hand to welcome Bing. 


I dropped my hand and my eyes filled.

*****

As predicted, Don was not even a little bit amused that I was bringing home a kitten. "No. Take it back to where you found it." "I can't! It was living in a parking garage!"

He wore down fairly quickly. He has a good heart.

We gave the tiny kitty a bath in the sink and discovered that he was pale yellow with orange-ish 'points' like a Siamese cat. After an initial visit to the vet - the tiny kitty was a boy, approximately 6 - 7 months old and a Flame Point Siamese (a Siamese / Tabby mutt) - the kitty boy began to settle in. We named him Bing after Bing Crosby. It was the lead-up to the holiday season, after all, and Holiday Inn was already in heavy rotation on t.v.

Bing's first order of business was to sleep for several days straight. He would wake up to use the litter box and eat, then he would head back to our bed and sleep again. He had been with us for a few days before he even noticed the flying squirrel. As soon as he did, the rest of the world ceased to exist. He slept on top of Skippy's cage with his face pressed into the mesh. He sat next to the cage and pressed the top of his head into it as hard as he could - he really, really, really wanted to get in there.

*****

Every task today is marked by his absence. He was my shadow. My annoying, constantly underfoot shadow. I'll have to learn how to do everything without watching out for him.

*****

As was indicated by our very first encounter, Bing was a very vocal cat. He used his Siamese voice all. of. the. time. When asked what Bing says, Lily Ruth will giggle and answer 'Naw!' Lately, he had (I kid you not) mastered a new word - he would stalk down the hall very early in the morning yelling 'Hello!' It was creepy and highly funny.

He was adventurous and brave. He prowled a pretty large territory everywhere that we lived. He protested mightily every time that I decided to keep the cats indoors in order to prolong their lifespans. In the end, it was always easier just to let him do as he pleased.

*****

We buried Bing at The Homestead. Don dug the hole then brought him out. He held him as we always had - even though he hated to be held and protested mightily almost every time. He held him with love, and respect. We told him a few more times how much we loved and will miss him. We put pretty flowers over him. Walking away was a lot harder than I thought it would be.

*****

He was the worst lap cat ever.

He was sweet and gentle to my baby when she was tiny.

He loved to play Blanket Monster and to be scratched under his chin.

He was a mighty hunter and a dedicated sunbather.

He was my guy.

I love you, Bing. You will always be in my heart.

Have One!

Lily Ruth has two favorite games. Both require my supervision (heaven forfend I should attempt to read a book or surf the interwebs while she's in performance mode), but I am not allowed to participate except when commanded to do so. Her all-time favorite remains 'Mimis'. She rounds up all of her dolls and stuffed toys, puts them face down, covers them all up with blankets, and pats them (quite briskly) while muttering 'shh, shh, shh. Cose eyes. Go seep. Mimis'. Daddy and Mama are often dragged into this game as both sleepers and patters.

Her new game is much funnier. She has become fixated on the cat. Just like any other cat, he spends most of his time ignoring the baby girl. She finds this fascinating since in her experience, no one is immune to her charms. He has even taken to strolling into whatever room she is currently occupying, making eye contact with her, then flopping down for a nap. She goes into hyper-drive. She starts gathering up her stacking cups and her plastic bead necklaces. She fills each cup to the brim with necklaces, and offers them individually to Bing. He ignores her. She reverently places each cup as close to him as physically possible (while cheerfully chirping 'here you go', 'thank you' or 'you're welcome') before retrieving the next one.

Sometimes, she feels like beads just aren't going to cut it. Then she breaks out the big guns - shoes and infant toys.

He ignores it all with the practiced demeanor of a benevolent dictator. When he's done acting patient and and adored, he walks away without a backward glance, leaving Lily Ruth in a tizzy of supplication. After he's gone, she tentatively pushes an offering or two toward the dog... who usually grunts in annoyance and lumbers off to see if the cat is on the trail of a snack.

Odd...

This has been a strange morning. Well, to be honest, it started out completely normal. It got strange around the time that Lily Ruth announced that she needed a diaper change.

I quickly realized that said diaper change was going to be one of those moments that not even a mother could love. I decided to do a moderate clean up followed by a bidet-type rinse under the bathtub faucet. To that end, I started the water so that it would be warm for my Darling's bum. While I ran the water, Lily Ruth came running in babbling and gesticulating wildly. The only thing that was clear was that I needed to follow her.

She bolted for the dining room with me in hot pursuit. We found Bing in Hunting Mode. I asked Lily Ruth what he was doing. She muttered something about 'bug'. I hauled the cat out from under the buffet, and prayed fervently that I wasn't about to come face-to-face with a giant mutant roach. I wasn't. It was a bird. That's right. A bird. In my house. Under my furniture. Oi.

I now had the triple task of reassuring the toddler, blocking the cat's access and catching the bird. As triple tasks go, it fell somewhere between 'piece of cake' and 'dammit'. I finally wrangled the bird into a corner, threw a dishtowel over it, and released it outside. It was then that I realized how said bird had gained access to our humble abode - I left the door to the garage open so that the damn cat could get back in. He bolted into the garage when I went out to empty the dryer. It's been pretty hot here, so I didn't want him to be trapped out there. He must have brought the bird back in with him :-/

Bing and I discussed why it's a bad idea to bring prey into the house. Well, actually I lectured him on why it's a bad idea to bring prey into the house, and he ignored me. Lily Ruth and I finally got around to that diaper change then finished our morning ablutions.

As I went about my normal 'we're leaving the house, let's restock the diaper bag' routine, I opened the door to the garage again. Bing bolted out there AGAIN. I rushed after him. Before I could grab him, he skittered up over Mt. Junkmore and hopped up on top of the extra fridge. From there it was a short leap into the attic crawlspace, and he was Gone, Daddy, Gone. I was stunned. I guess I now know where the bird came from...

Lily and I made a few half-hearted efforts at calling him back before we left. No luck. I left the door cracked again in case he made it back down.

--------------------------------

I started looking for Bing when we got home. I checked all of his favorite spots and the extra weird spots that I have found him in on occasion. No Bing. I went out into the garage and called for him. No Bing.

I made Little Missy some lunch, and we ate while watching and discussing Sesame Street. Then Lily Ruth went into her room for 'mimi's' (Spanish slang for sleep). Once she quieted down, I thought that I heard Bing. I began softly calling to him, and searching the closets for trap doors into the 'attic' (that's in air-quotes because our roof is so flat that we do not have an attic. Just a space barely large enough for the air conditioning ducts...). No trap doors. No Bing. I finally sucked it up and climbed up on top of the extra fridge so that I could poke my head up and see where he had gone. That was creepy and disheartening. Almost nowhere to go (unless you can squeeze like a cat), and lots of old rat poison trays. Fantastic.

Still no Bing. I have 'heard' him twice more and hefted myself up on the refrigerator once more. Now I'm freaked out and bruised up AND I still can't find my cat. This is no good, you guys.

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One hour later: HE'S BACK!!!! I was sacked out on my bed trying not to feel hysterical about my cat when I heard a noise that sounded an awful lot like a cat jumping down from the attic to the fridge... I raced to the garage, and THERE HE WAS! He's already back to doing what Bings do best:

I guess it's finally time to fix that hole leading into the 'attic', eh. Nothing like a 'my cat might be trapped, injured or eating rat poison' incident to jump start some long overdue home improvements...

Weekend Tidbits

I think that my mom and I might actually get our seeds into the ground today :-P We've been trying to coordinate this for two weeks, but life and extreme heat got in our way. The delay gave me time to get lots of fun seeds:

Cucumbers, heirloom melons (rainbow sherbet and moon & stars), zucchini (black beauty & Burpee's Fordhook), radishes (French breakfast & pink beauty) and patty pan squash. I'm very excited! Perhaps I'll draw a garden map for you once we get it planted...

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My old-guy cat has a bit of spark left in him yet...

He cracked Lily Ruth up when we walked out the front door and saw him hanging out in the tree.

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I haven't been able to get a picture of my baby girl smiling in FOREVER because she has decided that she hates the camera. I am sooooo thrilled to have this one!!!

Sweet goofy grin, playful glint in her eyes. Love it!

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I'm not taking any pictures of it yet, but the pool is on the mend! Daddy Don has been working his patootie off trying to remedy almost 2 years of near-neglect. We will be swimming again soon!

In other swimming news, Miss Diana starts her swim lesson season next week. Lily Ruth needs a brush up on her skills and it's time for her to learn some new ones. Last year it was pool survival skills and learning to love the water. This is the year that she'll actually learn to swim. I won't be in the water with her this year :-( She'll be in the big kid class, and will have to sit on the step and wait her turn - this ought to to be good!

Expect the Unexpected

Sometimes, you're just having a regular day, then BAM


you're stuck in the dishwasher


and because you're so fabulous, the paparazzi have followed you, and are snapping the whole thing for the tabloids


and just as you can taste freedom, the rack starts to slide, and you're practically trapped... o.k. fine, you're not trapped, but it was sort-of touch and go for a few moments there.

Gotta stay on your toes around here.

My Day, by Rachel

Today's Recipe: Brussels Sprouts with White Beans

This is how yesterday went...
3:30 - woke up in a panic because I thought Don was late getting up
4:40 - Don actually gets up and (noisily) gets ready
5:00 - I ask in a grunty, sleepy voice for Don to bring the baby to me and demand that he change her first
5:15 - Bing starts yowling in the living room, and I ignore him
6:00 - more cat yowling - still ignoring
7:50 - Lily Ruth starts waking up, but is mostly asleep, so I keep my eyes closed
8:20 - we're both awake and I realize that I have a TON of things to do before my bi-weekly housekeeper gets here
8:40 - I have managed to get Lily Ruth nursed and am dressing her (still in my pjs - better than the time I was still in my bra) when Janie arrives
8:45 - I am a whirling dervish of activity as I tidy the hideous mess left from the weekend so that Janie can clean when I realize that IT SMELLS LIKE POOP IN MY HOUSE - and when I say smells like poop, I mean REALLY smells, This is when I discover that there is CAT POOOOOOOOOO on the sofa - and when I say cat poo on the sofa, I mean lots of it... a big puddle (that's right, PUDDLE)... next to the pee...
9:30 - I put Lily down for her nap (again - Janie got her up the first time - 'she was crying, Mama') and head for the pet supply store. Their options are sorely limited, but I grab a 'NEW' oxy-clean product and race home
9:50 - I nurse Lily and put her down AGAIN ('She was crying, Mama' - I think Janie just wants to hold Lily) then douse the entire sofa in harsh, stinky chemicals. Note: IT STILL SMELLS LIKE POOP, but now it smells like poop and chemicals and is soaking wet.

May I add that it was kind of downhill from there? Well it kind of was. I mean, nothing overtly bad happened, but it is so very hard to recover from early morning furniture poop. Add in the fact that Bing felt so bad that he refused treats (and you know that Bing NEVER refuses treats), and you are left with no one to blame. I mean, he tried to tell me that he felt bad, and I chose sleep.

*sigh* At least the Christmas tree is up and decorated! And it is lovely. Now I just have to wash the tree 'skirt', find a tree topper and place the other decorations around the house... easy-peasy...



And Lily Ruth and I had a good time at Central Market. And I finished 3 more pairs of baby leg warmers during Lily's afternoon nap. And I made a yummy dinner that included my favorite winter vegetable dish - in fact, I shall share it with you now!

Brussels Sprouts with Beans:
1 bag (1 Lb?) fresh Brussels Sprouts
4-6 slices of bacon
1 can white beans (I like Progresso's Cannellini)
broth
Parmesean cheese

cook the bacon in a good sized skillet. while the bacon cooks, cut the ends off the sprouts, remove any yucky outer leaves and halve each sprout. when the bacon is done, remove it from the pan, turn the burner to medium and add the sprouts to the drippings - if you think that there is too much grease, drain some! I put the sprouts in cut-side-down first to brown them, but if you aren't as OCD as me, then just throw 'em in. turn the sprouts after about 5 minutes (or when they are nicely browned on that side) and add a bit of broth (I've used all kinds, it doesn't matter) to cover the bottom of the pan - you are going to let them simmer/steam, but you don't want them boiled, and you can always add more, but it's hard to take it out if you add too much. while the sprouts cook, drain and rinse the beans, and chop the bacon into bits. when the sprouts start to turn bright green, add the beans and bacon, mix and cook until heated through. top with Parmesean cheese, and serve immediately. this would make 4 reasonable side dish portions, but around here, it serves 2 pig-people and leaves enough for me to have lunch.



By the way - Bing felt better by mid-afternoon, and even wanted treats...



BUT, my couch still REEKS of poop and chemicals. We had to drag the futon into the back room to watch t.v. on. Sad, yet we did it... and I would do it again. In fact, I may have to.