Life and Our "New" Kittens

I've been positively terrible at blogging for, oh, what... a couple of years now?!?  So, 2013, our shower upstairs started leaking into our basement and caused a house overhaul that lasted for nearly a whole year.   I wanted to write posts on before and after.  I had so many grand plans that never happened.   Ellie and I will be talking about things we planned to do and then... life happened.  2014 looked like a great year to get back to "normal" (really, what is normal?).  Lot's to catch the blog up on from 2014, too.  We'll start with this:  May 9, 2014 we brought home these three, adorable, wonderful kittens.  

Sweet, wonderful family who gave us these kittens:  Please, forgive me for taking SO LONG to write any kitten posts!  This first picture is the babies in the laundry basket that we took them home in.  The oldest daughter of their family made the collars for them.  The dark kitten is the little girl, the other two are her brothers.  

The children whose cat was the Momma named them.  The girl was Juliet, the middle, pale colored boy named Scruffy, and the more orange brother was named Peaches.  The name Peaches did not last.  He is Wyatt's kitty, and that first day, he kept calling him Princess Peaches (like Mario Brothers!).  We had to keep reminding him that his kitten was a boy kitty.  

So, here I am with Thomas and I's kitten, pretty little Juliet.  Her name stuck, sort-of.  I started calling her Julieta (said like the Hispanic nurse says Juliet in the Clare Danes/Leonardo DiCaprio version of Romeo and Juliet), like Who-Lee-Etta.  That shortened to Julie (said Who-Lee).  She is also called Julie Bear, Little Bear, Saucy, Saucy Bear, Care Bear, Jetty, Jedi Jetta, and Jetta.  She loves attention.  She is a sweetheart.  She is very loved.  All the kittens are very loved!

Wyatt really wanted to name his kitten Muffin, like the cat I had growing up.  He ended up with a crazy long name:  Bobo Fluffy Peach Muffin Garfield.  Wyatt calls him Dr. Bo.  We all call him Fluffy, Fluffy-pants, Fuzzy, Handsome and Bobo.  He is longer haired than his brother and sister.  He is super tolerate of handling, and love of all sorts.  Here, the little guy is exploring the shelves of a tool box in the garage, which is the cats "bedroom".

Here is little Julie checking out the food and water dishes.

Here are the boys finding the cat food.  Scruffy is at the front of the picture.  He looks longer haired there than he does today.  He and Julie look like regular short haired cats today.  Scruffy's name stuck better than all the others.  Though he has some nicknames, too.  He is also called Handsome, Scruffle, Roo-roo, Scruffly-duffily-da, and Scruffy Pants.

Lots to things have been rearranged since I took these pictures. The boots no longer sit under the bench.  I need to get some new pictures loaded soon!

The children with the Momma cat said that the kittens had not been out doors until the day they met us to take them home (I believe I remember that correctly.  I apologize, if I am remembering wrong.).  We had to take off their collars soon after we go them home. The babies were getting their paws all stuck in them.  They would have soon grown out of them anyway.  We still have the collars, hanging up in the garage.

At first we didn't let the kittens out unless someone could watch them.  We always picked them up and brought them back to the house if they wandered off too far.  They learned really well where home is.  Now we can let them out, and they don't roam too far from home.  They have new collars.  We started off by making tags for them, and buying normal collars.  Those tags were way too noisy!  No stealth for the hunting kittens (and they are awesome hunters!).  We ordered collars that have their names and my phone number embroidered into the collar.  Now anyone who finds them will know they have a home, and they can be stealthy hunters, too. They have killed mice, rabbits, birds, shrews, bugs, and snakes!

I love this picture of the siblings in the sun.  I believe Thomas took it, it's his style, artsy.

I don't know how much yarn these little cuties used up.  I do know they are still played with lots!  I eventually got my laundry basket back.  They have all sorts of other cool places to sleep (even a kitty condo, as I have named it).

The picture above, was a day or two after we brought the babies home.  Thomas sent it to me while I was at work.  They played so hard, they all fell asleep together with their toys.  AW!

So, the baskets were our egg baskets.  We don't have all of these baskets anymore, but while we did, the kittens thought they were a great place to cuddle and nap. That is Scruffy and Julie in the baskets.

Sleepy little Bobo with gloves, in a shelf that used to have shoes.

I was so worried about running over one of the kittens with a vehicle.  This is why:  

When I was about four, or five, years old, I had more than one kitten that got under my Dad's car, or under the lawn mower... and I didn't have a kitten that lived till my brother's cat, Tiger, had babies (That was Muffin.  He was the runt of the litter, but lived from me being 5 years old until I was 21 years old).  But more about my nervousness and worry about running over these little ones.  They were sleeping on the bench above their food dishes.  Ellie was watching them. I started up my SUV and they woke up.  I didn't realize the garage door wasn't all the way up yet.  In my hurry to get out of the garage before the kittens got active, I ran into the garage door... and damaged the door, which had to have a panel replaced.  Ugh...  I should have bought this pet carrier before we brought the kittens home.   We began putting them in the carrier every time someone went in and out of the garage. Now they are over a year old, and unless we need them to stay in the garage, they are free to come and go when the garage door is opened.  They learned to stay away from the vehicles when they are running.  When the vehicles are not running, the cats love to play on them and sleep on them.  

These are pictures from when the kittens first started climbing trees.  I really enjoyed seeing them figure that out.  They are so smart.  Scruffy is on the tree in the above picture, with Julie watching from below.  Wyatt has his back-up chicken coop next to the deck.  The blue gloves are for handling yucky things, like chicken business.

Wyatt told me that the babies ripped off his glove here.

Both boys up the tree!

The kittens were very curious about the chickens.  Thankfully, they don't do anything more than watch them, or sometimes scare/surprise the them like our cat, Butter, used to do.  That is Bobo on top of the little coop. That was a temporary coop for chickens that were not big enough to integrate with the older flock yet.

I caught Scruffy mid-jump onto the tree above.  Below, the boys practice fighting, with Julie looking on. She is a fighter, too, though.

Cute Julie Bear.  All the kittens are so unique.  They have their own personality.  I didn't realize how different cats could be.  I've never had more than one cat at a time for a long period of time.  Julie meows, but is not as talkie as her brother, Bobo.  She mostly meows when she doesn't think she's getting enough attention.  She is the littlest of the cats, but still a fierce hunter.  You should see her handle a snake!  She loves to lick people when she is loving on them.  Julie knows she belongs to me and Thomas; we are not allowed to pet the boys more than we pet her, or she gets totally jealous.  She enjoys being cuddled in your arms like a little baby.

Sweet Scruffy Boy.

Told you Julie fights, too!

Handsome Fluffy Pants (aka Bobo).  He is the talkiest kitty I've ever known.  He has a happy meow, a "pet me" meow, a "pay attention to me" meow, a "let me in, or come and see me" meow, a "pick me up" meow, and more.  He paws at the door to the kitten for attention.    He has made slick spot on the door where he paws.  He is the neediest kitty I have ever known, and the most loving.  He is the quickest to purr, and the loudest!  If you are not giving him enough attention, he will jump up on your leg!  He loves hiding under maxi skirts.  He attacks and bites skirts, and he claws jeans.  You can hold Bobo any way you want.  He just likes to be held.

Spoiled me, with the automatic litter box.  That was originally my parents (Thank you, Mom and Dad!!!).  We used the litter box for our old cat, Butter.  The kittens were surprised when the litter box scooped and dumped all on it's own, but they got used to the box right away.  Thank you God for that one!  Bobo is the neatest in the box.  He will even jump in and cover up things if his brother, or sister, has not covered up their business well.

Scruffy getting ready to pounce.  I love when I find one of the cats all scrunched down in the grass ready to hunt.  Scruffy is the most timid with people, but fierce with animals, even with our "new" puppy (that's a story for another post).  He hated to have his face touched at first.  Ellie worked with him, and he is her kitty.  He doesn't mind her touching his face at all now.  He loves her so much.  If I come out and he thinks I am Ellie, then he realizes I am not, you can tell he is disappointed.  He still doesn't like his face, or head, touched as much as petting the rest of him.  Don't surprise him, and pet his head when he is unaware; he will walk away from you.  But if he wants some pets, he will rub up your legs, and sometimes wrap his arms around your legs.  He occasionally love-bites.  Scruffy likes to be held with his head against your shoulder.

Thomas loves that Scruffy follows him around when he is outside working.  He does just like our old cat, Butter, used to do. Thomas loves his companionship.  

This was just too cute, with Scruffy's arms all wrapped around the basket!

Julie and Fluffy taking a nap, but Scruffy wants to play!

The kitties all come in at night to sleep. They come in and out during the day to eat, drink, nap, and get pets and cuddles.  They have been in the house far more than our old cat.  Sometimes we let them in just to play with and love on them.  Our old cat just had a path from door to door when he wanted in or out.  These babies are spoiled and loved, and they know it.

Sometimes one of us will look out at the kitties and just say, "Awww!".  Then someone else will ask what they are doing.  And the other will say, "Just being cute."  They manage to do that even just sitting, or sleeping. They make me smile, and sigh.  They are such stress relievers.  People thought we were a little crazy to get three kittens.  Sometimes I thought we were a little crazy to get three kittens.  I am so glad we did though.  I am thankful to the family who gave them to us, to my husband who insisted these were the kittens for us (even though we had to travel over an hour away to pick them up), and thankful that God blessed us with these sweet kitties to care for.

I have plans for more kitty posts in the near future.  I'll also be posting on the movie War Room from the Kendrick Brothers and Provident Films.  I was able to attend a pre-screening of the movie, and I can't say enough good about this movie.

The Song Movie Review

Earlier this month, I was privileged to attend a pre-screening of The Song.  The Song will be in theaters September 26, 2014.  I was both excited and nervous to see a movie based on the life of King Solomon.  As you can probably guess from the movie poster below, this is no movie like The Ten Commandments, or even The Son of God.  In books, I would call this a Biblical Allegory, but I'm not sure if movies use those terms.  So, I like the way Marklessgirl calls the movie "a modern Biblical re-telling of Solomon's life". (click on the green highlighting to read a review from a  teen's point of view)

Poster is a free download from thesongmovie.com

I was very excited after seeing the movie trailer, which you can watch at thesongmovie.com.  I don't remember ever seeing a romantic drama based on a Bible history, filled with music.  In case you didn't know, I love music! (I must say, I'm a sucker for a musical.  BUT this is NOT a musical.)  Two of the greatest songwriters in the Bible, as far as I'm concerned, are King David, and his son, King Solomon.  So, the writers did an amazing job adapting their story to modern days, and making them Country music singers, and songwriters.  I was a little worried that the music would be cheesy, or I don't know, just not all that good. My worries were for naught, the music was amazing!  Even if you are not a Country music fan, you will still enjoy the music.  You can download a free copy of the title track from the movie in "The Store" at thesongmovie.com, and see for yourself.  I cannot wait until the whole movie soundtrack is available.  I am really enjoying listening to The Song download, and remembering the movie.

My nervousness about seeing the movie was in how much of the King David story would be in the movie, and how that would be done.  I have to tell you, just the right amount of the Kind David story was included to give the Solomon character background for his story.  Also, if you are familiar with Kind David's story, I must tell you that the scandalous parts were done tactfully and tastefully.  The viewer is not left guessing what's going on off the screen, but you could watch the movie with your children, and not need to cover their eyes.  I will say that if your kids are still reading a children's Bible, they are probably not ready for this movie.  The viewer must be prepared for the drugs, alcohol, adultery, a wedding night, and a happily married couple.  The most naked you see is naked shoulders, and there is only one kiss, but there is plenty of romance.  I loved that there was only one kiss in the movie, and I found out after the movie that the actor who played Jed, Alan Powell (lead singer of Anthem Lights), was kissing his real-life wife, thanks to lighting and camera angles, just like Kirk Cameron did in the Fireproof movie (SO COOL!!).

I love that the movie shows how timeless the Bible is.  I like how the writers use the Bible verse,  Ecclesiastes 1:9 '"There is nothing new under the sun."  The wise words of King Solomon are so true.  I don't think someone who is not familiar with the verses that are being woven into the the songs, the narration, and the overall history being shared, would even realize this was based on books of the Bible.  The movie is rich with quotes from the books of the Bible written by Solomon:  Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs), and made me want to read them all with fresh new eyes (like after I read a Biblical Allegory book).  I thought it was so cool how the writers brought in the aspects of Solomon asking God for wisdom and building the temple into modern day (just wait till you see how they do that!). 

For those that aren't familiar with those books of the Bible, the movie is not at all preachy.  This is real life, as I said, the Bible is timeless.  In the movie, King David's character is David King, a Country Music Star.  The Solomon character is Jed King, who ends up being a Country Music Star.  Jed's wife is named Rose.  I could so relate to Rose in the movie when she is tired, and feels used and unloved.  I wanted to yell at her (like people yell at soap operas), because I had been there, and I know now how a wife should act and react... and she was not doing what she should just then.  I felt bad for Jed, because he was just a man, the way God designed him, that wanted to pour out his love on his wife.

This movie is a feast for the eyes:  the imagery, the costuming, the hair (where are the pictures, so I can pin them to Pinterest???), the contrast between the two women in Jed's life.  The picture that the cameras gave us of the relationships were beautiful.  There was the father & son relationship, first between David and Jed, and later between Jed and his son, Ray.  The courtship of Jed and Rose was also beautiful to watch.

With the beauty and the drama, there were also some laughs mixed in.  When Jed and Rose first meet, they have a pretty funny conversation.  Shortly after, Jed performs an even funnier impromptu song.  And isn't there always a laugh to be had when a young man is asking permission to date a man's daughter, a man who has plenty of hunting "trophies" on his walls?!

The Song is a great date movie!  The Song is even a great family movie.  I hope that people who watch this movie will come away realizing that the Bible really does have direction and answers for all of life's problems.  Life really hasn't changed that much.  What we wear, and our technology are different, but as the Larry Norman song says: "Nothing really changes, everything remains the same."  

For me, a wife, I hope that all the wives out there will watch this and be thankful for their husbands.  I hope that she will realize that no matter how frustrating, or annoying, or whatever thing her husband might have done lately to drive her crazy, that there are women out there that are literally waiting for an opportunity to ruin her marriage (even if you think your husband is not desirable as when you first met).  We have a copy of the movie poster hung up on the way to our laundry room.  Whenever I pass the poster, I am reminded to appreciate my own husband.

Add The Song to your calendar on September 26th now, so you won't forget. 

SPOILER WARNING for those who don't want to know the ending: 

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There is a happy ending.  I adore happy endings.  And I really hope they tack on the bonus scene that we got to see after the credits.  I thought that was the perfect ending.

In Memory of our Butter Kitty

I'm so behind on these posts, but some are just hard to write.  Pets become so much a part of our lives.  This is the story of Butter, our cat.

Ellie and I were playing on her swing-set in August of 2001, when the neighbor ladies from either side of our house were visiting with each other.  The neighbor lady to the south of us told us (well, probably really me, because Ellie was not quite a year old yet) that two kittens had been abandoned at the tennis courts in town, and she thought they were de-clawed.  Being de-clawed did not thrill me, and thankfully, they were not de-clawed.  I didn't want to have a cat indoors, and really couldn't, because Thomas is allergic (turns out, I am the only one in the family that is not allergic).  The lady to the north of us pointed out that we were the only family in the neighborhood that did not have cats.  That really didn't bother me with a toddler to take care of, and a part-time job, and a husband, and a dog that was just barely a year old.  I grew up having a cat, from age 5 to age 21, so the thought was tempting.  The neighbors urged me on, and Thomas was at the tennis courts playing tennis.  So, Ellie and I loaded up to go see kittens.

The kittens were friendly and playful.  The orange one looked just like my cat, Muffin, when he was a kitten.  Oh, I wanted to take him home and love him.  Thomas was fine with that, as long as we took both kittens.  That surprised me!  I really thought he would say "no, cats".  What he said was, "We can take both home, or neither one home."  Well, I couldn't leave that little orange ball of sweetness.  Ellie thought they were wonderful, too.  Thomas said something about the white and gray one, I thought he said he was going to call it Spider.  I completely heard him wrong, but the name stuck.  I named the orange one Butter.  

Ellie learned how to pet them the right direction, and be gentle with them.  She was so young, I know she doesn't remember being taught, but she learned well.  The kittens never scratched her, or got upset with her.

This picture is of the kittens in our garage, shortly after we brought them home, with a makeshift litter box (cardboard box and oil dry), and I don't know where we got the wet cat food and plastic bowl.  The kittens later had their own food bowls, a real litter box, and dry kitten chow.

August 13, 2001

Having kittens and a toddler (baby, really still) was challenging.  I really had no idea how to have outdoor kitties and make them realize where their home was.  We kept them in the garage for a bit, in our white shed for a short time, but mostly they were outside.  Our dog, at first, thought they were something to destroy.  We found her shaking them.  She would chase them up a tree.  We were forever running outside to rescue them from our own dog!

They also roamed to the neighbors.  The same ones who told us we needed cats apparently had many visits from our kitties.  We didn't find out until years later, but the neighbors to the north of us had a cat door, and our cats liked to use the door and follow their cats in the house.  I would not have a cat door, living out in the country like we do.  I would be afraid of what might walk in someday... like a skunk, or something!  The neighbor to the south of us said her husband would always chase them off.  She didn't mind them hanging in the yard, or garage with their cat, but I was glad her husband chased them off.  Seriously!  Send them home, or let us know to come and get them.

A couple of our neighbors admired Spider.  She was super friendly, cuddly, and you can see her long hair.  She had bright blue eyes.  She was gorgeous!  One day she never came home.  I have a strong feeling she became a house cat.  We took the cats to the vet and had them fixed and given their shots.

Ellie, just over a year and a half old, with Butter.  June 28, 2002

So, we still had a Butter kitty.  He was friendly, but mostly liked to sit in Thomas's lap (the one who is allergic).  He was a great mouser!  And we needed one of those.  I can't stand mice.  They creep me out.  And out here in the country, there are plenty of mice, looking for a meal and a bed.  Butter loved to leave us presents of his kills on the deck, in the garage, on the porch... oh, how he loved us.

Once, Wyatt accidentally shut the cat's tail in my car door. The cat was on the roof of the car, and Wyatt didn't know his tail was in the door.  The cat clawed Wyatt's head, because he was trying to grab onto something... he was hanging by his tail.  Butter was fine, his tail was fine.  Wyatt was scared, and I was worried about what might be on the cat's claws that dug into the skin on Wyatt's head.  Wyatt turned out to be fine, too.

Eventually, the neighbors told us about our cat coming in their house.  The husband said our cat was feral , because he fought with their cats.  The wife said that the cat wants to be a house cat, because they would come home and find him curled up on one of their beds.  Butter was obviously not feral, he was super friendly to people (he even put up with little children petting him when he was old).  We couldn't make him a house cat because of allergies, and he loved the outdoors.  To smooth things over with the neighbors, for a while we kept Butter in the garage during the day and only let him out in the evening.  Their cats were out during the day, and put up at night, because they were de-clawed.  Butter really learned where his home was while he was "stuck" in the garage.  I don't think he ever spent too much time at the neighbors after that, though I know he still wandered the neighborhood and hunted in the fields.

I loved to drive home and see his green eyes shining in the dark.  He would crouch down in the grass, like he was going to stalk the car.  He made me smile.  Then, he would run and follow us home to get in the garage for the night.

Butter was a tough cat.  He did get into fights.  He killed snakes, salamanders, birds, rats, rabbits, and mice. He even killed a possum once.  You can see one of his ears is floppy.  He got hurt, and that is the way it healed.

As I said in the post in Memory of our Libby dog, the dog and cat became best friends after a few years.  The hung out together, cuddled together, and the cat would even "massage" (with claws!) the dog's back.  Butter even taught Libby to clean her paws with her tongue like a cat.  They were totally best friends.

He looks like a tough character, doesn't he?  But he had a soft heart for Libby and his family.  He knew just when you needed a leg rub, or time to pet him and relax.

I made this bench for Ellie's room many years ago. Eventually, the best place for the bench was in the garage as a place to store rubber boots, and sit to put them on and off.  Butter decided the bench was his bed.  He slept there nearly every night after I put the bench there.  He was funny, too.  He kind of adapted to our schedule in later years.  He would hunt and run around during the day.  Many times in the last few years, he would want in and out all day long.  He learned that if he snuck in the door to the kitchen and waited by the patio door, we would let him out there.  Also, if he meowed outside the patio door (or snuck in there), we would let him through the kitchen out into the garage.  He was a smart kitty.

I think Butter was lonesome after Libby died.  I know my childhood cat, Muffin, didn't last too many years after our dog, Duke, died.  Butter seemed to be looking for Libby, and had a questioning, almost mournful meow at times.

Butter appeared to decide that he needed to take over the job of dog, as well as his role of cat.  He would follow us out to the barn when we did chores, or put the animals up at night.  He was right on your heels, just like a dog would be.  You can see in the picture below that he took on the job of babysitter/guard.

I don't know if age, a broken heart, or being overworked took it's toll on our cat, but I went through the garage to the basement on Monday night, January 13th, and Butter was there on the bench.  He lifted up his head to look at me.  I usually apologized for turning on the light and interrupting him.  The next morning, Thomas woke me up to tell me that our cat died.  Thomas found the cat on the floor, near the front of my Envoy.  Wyatt and I buried him that day.

In Memory of our Libby Puppy

We moved into our house in June of 2000.  We celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary the next month.  We were expecting our first child (born November 2000).  We were not looking for a dog to add to all our 1sts, but on August 25, 2000, we stopped at Walmart and someone had these adorable puppies in the back of their pick up truck, giving them away.

I gave her a pair of Thomas's underwear, so she would know her master's scent.

They said she was 3/4 lab and 1/4 chow.  Thomas watched them and this one was smart!  She went in a corner to pee, away from everyone, and away from where she was posing her cuteness.  I looked inside her mouth.  My Dad always said that good dogs, smart dogs, have black on the roof of their mouths.  Oh, we fell in love.  Our sweet Libby came home with us.

This is me with Libby, in our garage, on a scrap from our new bedroom carpet.

There was just a small dog pen at the house we bought.  Later that fall, Thomas (with help) built a larger fenced yard on our acreage for Libby to have as her own space.  The first night she slept in the dog pen, she found the little holes and escaped.  In the morning, we woke to her her whining under our bedroom window, clear on the other side of the house!  How did she know where we were?

Libby sat on my lap, and snuggled my growing stomach when she was so little and new.

The same morning, I put Libby back in her pen, but I accidentally locked myself out of the house.  We had no hide-a-key, or keyed entry.  I had to carry the puppy down to the neighbors in my pajamas, and ask to use the phone.  My brother came down and got me back in the house.  I can't remember if my parents had a key at the time, or he used his locksmithing skills.  He also helped me cover up the holes in the fence, so the puppy would not escape so easily the next time.

This is Ellie at age 1 year old with our Libby.

Libby was a wonderful dog!  She was so friendly, loving, gentle, and protective of her family.  You can see her licking Ellie in the above picture.  This was before we knew that Ellie was allergic to dogs.  When we found out that Ellie was allergic, Libby knew, too. She never tried to lick Ellie anymore.  She stayed a distance away from Ellie at all times, but she would follow her and lay at a distance watching the children play.  I knew she would never let anyone, or any animal near the kids.  She was the best babysitter (I watched them from the window in the kitchen while I did dishes).

This is Libby with Thomas and Ellie in June of 2002, we were expecting Wyatt at this time.

She was on the small side of large dogs, but I loved having her around.  I felt very safe with her here.

This is a little out of order, we rescued these kittens in  August of 2001.

These kittens were a challenge.  We rescued them from the local tennis courts.  Someone had dumped them off.  The yellow one, we named Butter, and the white and gray one was named Spider.  At first, Libby thought that she needed to kill them, tree them... they were not supposed to be in her territory.  I think that more than a year passed before we did not have to watch carefully.  Spider cat disappeared, but Butter is still with us.  The dog and cat eventually became the best of friends.  We often found them snuggled together, as you will see in the pictures to come.

This is a picture we took for Wyatt to send to his pen pals.  I couldn't find any old pictures with Wyatt and Libby, but this is a nice one.

Wyatt was kind of afraid of Libby when he was little.  He grew up with a sister allergic to dogs, so any dogs were a little bit scary for him.  He knew that Sister could not be around them, so the whole thing was a bit strange to him.  When the kids got older, I assigned them chores, Ellie had to feed and water the cat, Wyatt had to feed and water the dog.  That is when Libby really came to be his dog (still the family's, but he came to like to pet her, and love on her).  Wyatt got over his fear of dogs, with my help, and he really came to love Libby.

After we got the pony, we would check on Libby on our way back from putting the pony in her stall for the night.  If she needed food, or water, we would get her some. Whether she needed food or water, we would pet her and tell her what a good dog she was, how we loved her, and get her a treat.

Butter (the cat) is curled up on Libby's back.  I have pictures somewhere of Butter  kneading  Libby's back. Libby also learned to clean her face with her paws like a cat.

Our poor old girl in the snow that didn't want to quit this winter.

Thomas found tumors growing on Libby's throat this last year.  She got very thin this last winter.

Thomas made Libby come inside when the weather was really bad.  Butter curled up with his longtime friend.

When the snow was at it's worst, Thomas made Libby come and stay in the garage.  She was part Chow, so she used to love to play in the snow, and even lay in the snow.  Her winter coat would get so thick and warm.  She just really enjoyed the cold weather.  We used to say we'd brush a whole dog off of her once warm weather came and she was shedding.  Libby just didn't feel so well this winter.  I prayed that God let her live until the ground was not frozen and we could bury her on our land.

Two old friends.  The last week together.

Libby was with us until Monday, April 29, 2013.  Thomas knew she wasn't doing very well that weekend before. He considered having her put down, but then prayed that God give us however much time he wanted us to have with Libby.  He told Libby that it was okay for her to leave us.  She got up and barked off the neighbor's dogs one last time while Thomas was working in the front yard.

That Monday, Thomas came home early from work to do some work at the house.  As he drove up our gravel road, he saw Libby lift up her head from the ditch across from our driveway.  One of our neighbors came up to help Thomas with his project.  When the neighbor left, Thomas went over to check on Libby, she was still there.  Well, her body was there.  Whatever spirit a dog has, was gone.  

Thomas came in the house to tell us.  He said, that we all had to hurry, there was something he needed to show us.  I was expecting to see a snake, or some other animal.  The Wyatt and I were not expecting to see our dog dead.  Ellie had a feeling that Libby was dead.

Wyatt helped Thomas and I dig her grave.  The ground was so wet and muddy, the going was slow and difficult, but the ground was not frozen, like I prayed.  We got her body buried.  The same helpful neighbor's dog died a week later.  He made a really neat sign with his dog's name on it. Thomas asked him to make us one, too, and he did.

Libby was such a good dog.  We are thankful for the time God gave us with her.