Memories Linger

Memories are something that no one can take away. I have vivid memories starting around two years old. One of my best memories was from July 5, 1981. I was a few months shy of five years old, but there I was at my Uncle Jack's house playing catch with him in the backyard.

I can remember feeling so much joy in that one simple act. Playing catch with my uncle may have only lasted a few minutes, maybe less, but at that age, it seemed like an eternity. I was in complete bliss.

I imagine that we were at some type of barbecue, since it was the day after the fourth of July. I also remember that I chose not to watch my favorite movie that had just started on cable, The Blues Brothers (which I had all of the dialogue memorized by that time). Instead, I went out in my aunt and uncle's backyard to play catch.

My uncle saw how much I enjoyed playing with the baseball, so he inscribed it for me. He spelled my first name out on the sweet spot and underneath he wrote, "FROM UNCLE JACK 7-5-81". I still have that ball today and whenever I want a quick smile, I'll pull that ball out and reminisce.

My Uncle Jack passed away on Wednesday in Florida. He was in the middle of playing golf, so I can take comfort that he was doing something he loved in his last moments.

I didn't see him very much over the years. My dad's side of the family only gets together for weddings and funerals, mainly. I did get to visit him when I got my driver's license. He sold me my first auto insurance policy. He shook my hand and offered his congratulations.

It's those little moments that I will always remember. If this blog is lacking in the new post department over the next few days, now you know why. This weekend my mission is to find a ball holder for that ball.

A Sad Loss Today

The death of a pet can be a time of sadness and reflection. Our family experienced that today, as we put our cat Fireball to sleep. In recent months, he was plagued by thyroid issues. He would eat and eat and lose weight. We tried medication to control the thyroid issue. While it worked, to a degree, it left Fireball weak and the process aged him rapidly.

Before the medical issues, he was a playful, energetic cat. We rarely called him by Fireball though. Because of an early flatulence issue, as a kitten, we sometimes called him Stinkbomb. Mostly, we called him Dumbo. He was not exactly the smartest of animals, but he was lovable and he was ours. He reminded me of Runt, the dimwitted dog, from Animaniacs.

We brought Fireball and Bugsy into our home in June 1994. We had recently lost a brother and sister pair of cats. The sister, who was 20, died in 1993. The brother died at 21, in 1994. We originally went to the Animal Welfare to pick out one cat. Fireball and Bugsy were the final two choices. We couldn't decide, so we ended up adopting both.

They were quite a pair together. Busgy was the Alpha. She was also the runt of her litter. Bugsy would figure out things around the house that no other cat prior to her ever did. We had to install latches on closet shutter doors because she figured out a way to open them.

Bugsy and Fireball would play, run and wrestle together. Bugsy even helped one of our family cats choose a permanent home with me. She drove my cat, Bitsy, into my arms, due to her tyrannical ways. Bugsy would even slap our Terrier/Chow mix dog in the mouth repeatedly. It was Bugsy's house and Fireball was along for the ride.

We had to put Bugsy down a few years ago. She had tumors between her heart and lungs. Even if we had caught it earlier, there wasn't much we could do about it. It was hard to do, but it was the right thing to do. Bugsy kept the pain hidden so well, that by the time she let on, it was far beyond help.

Fireball would go on searching for his partner in crime for months after. You could tell that there was a void in him, which could never be filled again. Soon, he was back to a more normal behavior... for him at least. He was now king of the castle. He didn't want that. He just wanted his playmate back.

In the past month, Fireball got worse and worse. His medication wasn't working like it used to and he was becoming a shell of himself. Last night, all he was focused on was finding a way to get to food. Food, other than his normal food that is. By this time, he was skin and bones. He had an appointment to see the vet on Friday. We were hoping for some good news, but we all knew that it would never come.

Fireball passed away at the vet's office shortly before noon today. On top of his recent bouts with thyroid issues, his kidneys were now failing. The good news was that he didn't really feel any of that pain. He was too focused on the hunger associated with his thyroid condition. One of the hardest things to do as a pet owner is to make the decision to put them to sleep. We always let the vet make the recommendation. In the end, the decision is ours, but we like to hear all the facts in the case before making that.

I know that the time was right for Fireball to be put to sleep. That doesn't make it any less painful. Fireball, you will be missed.