One Two Three Butterflies, and a Farewell

This is a picture of three butterflies who entertained me on this morning, on the milkweed stand that's about half-way up Tow Hill. The top two are fritillaries; the bottom one is a monarch. So it was an all-orange-delight sort of morning in the milkweed patch!

I have another tale to tell, though, and this one's a sad one. I did mention that I met some friends for lunch on Friday. My friend Celia and her husband drove up from North Carolina. Celia and Wayne are the fur-peep-parents of Skeeter, the brother of my furry son, Dexter.

There were originally THREE tabby boys with white paws who were born on April 2, 2008, in Harrisburg, to a cat named JR who was owned by my big sister Barb: Dexter, Skeeter, and Bogie (Humphrey Bogart is his full name). 

Their original temporary names, by the way, were Wynken (Skeet), Blynken (Bogie), and Odd (Dexter); Odd was the golden one who didn't look like the other two. Yes, my sister had a sense of humor; they were named after the poem and song. :-)

My sister called them the Itty Bitty City Kitty Gang. She tried to talk me into taking TWO of them but I knew my husband and I would be outnumbered even by owning just ONE (and we were right!). Anyway, we adopted Dexter in early summer of 2008, and Celia adopted Skeeter. Bogie stayed with friends of Barb in Harrisburg.

Dexter lived with my husband and me for many happy years until he died of cancer in late October 2020. We miss him still, and you might be surprised at how many near-brushes with kitten and cat ownership we've had since then that haven't worked out. The truth is, our hearts were broken, well and good, with that last loss. And thank YOU, Facebook, for the nearly daily reminders of what a great cat Dexter was and how much we miss him!

Anyway, when Celia came on Friday, she had a sad tale to tell. Skeeter has not been doing well, and they had spoken with those in palliative care about next steps. Recent trips they had planned were a stressor on the cat; these are very people-oriented cats, and they DEMAND to be part of the family.

Celia and Wayne got home to discover that Skeeter had taken a down-turn. He went deaf several years ago. Recently, his eating was compromised. They discovered that over the weekend, Skeet may have suffered a stroke that frustrated him, confused him, and left him with very limited mobility. 

The decision was made to set a vet appointment on this afternoon. Sadly, it was the end of the line for dear Skeeter. By the end of the day, his earthly troubles were over and he was back in my big sister Barb's loving arms once again.

Here are two Blip-postings that show you beautiful Skeeter, for these were such gorgeous cats, like their mother. Here is the first one: Tell Me the Story Again. And here is the second one: Farewell to the Skeet! Before they had names, at one of their first vet visits, Dexter was identified as Least White on Toes, and Skeeter was Most White on Toes. That still makes me giggle.

I remember that Dexter's left front paw had "spats" and the one toe in the middle was black underneath. All of the others were pink. I used to pick him up and hold that one black toe to my heart. It was an identifying feature; I knew he was my boy. But I digress. I'm wandering through my memories again.

So we say farewell, for now, to a great cat, and we share our most sincere condolences with my friends, for we know how hard those first days are, especially. And we send our love, for it's all about love, isn't it? Whatever is broken in this big, bright, beautiful world, its one and only redemption, its one and only cure, its one and only hope . . . is LOVE. So here is a favorite love song for a send-off: Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, and Sting, with All for Love.