Clara's Rainbow Bridge

Having a house full of cats (or any pets), as we know, can have its ups and downs. We always cherish the ups of being a pet owner. The unconditional love we get from our pets at the end of a rough day is all we need to feel like all is right. Clara was exceptional in that department. The love she had for us and how she showed it was enough to annoy Gene, enough for me to cuddle her more! She loved to give "facials" - they may have been rough, but they also managed to erase some stress!

A little background on Clara - she was Jasper's litter sister. Both were bottle-fed as they were found in a dumpster with no mom in sight. Early on, Clara was diagnosed with some neurological issues (a head shake that eventually went away) and a life expectancy of 3 years or so. She was always a little off with her mannerisms, interactions with the other cats, and occasionally got lost in a room. But we loved her nonetheless. She didn't deal with any BS from the other cats - never hesitating to hiss or throw down a few paw hits.

While she loved both Gene and me, she clearly loved one of us more. When "mom" shows up after work, she would get overexcited, ready to give a facial and hunker down for some cuddling. As much as she loved me, she never hesitated to give me a smackdown for trying to brush her or cut her nails. She was diagnosed with diabetes last year - no big deal, we are well-versed in diabetes in cats now. But she decided she was over getting her medicine each morning, and so when we tested her again, her sugars were in an "okay" range to stop the medicine fight. Yes, it's absolutely insane that a cat manages to dictate what they will put up with. Otherwise, she is as healthy as a 17-year-old cat can be.

Fast forward - we see she's lost some weight, but not enough to be overly concerned. At

some point, she decides that she is going to ruffle the feathers in the cat lounging areas. Clara was solely a 1st-floor cat - all her comforts and needs taken care of. Which is fine - Vera (who clearly loves her father more than me) dominates the 2nd floor, where she has all her comforts and needs taken care of. Clara decides she's taking over the second floor - 90% of the time, pushing Vera to be downstairs now.

The last week or so, Clara decided her time to cross the rainbow bridge was coming. She slowed down, becoming lethargic, weak, and not interested in food or water. The weakness led to muscle loss, which she didn't have a great amount of to start with. (She was truly the lazy cat - much preferring snoozing to anything else). When she walked down the stairs, her back legs must have given out, and she tumbled/slid down the last few steps. She managed to shake that off and get back upstairs to Gene's office, where she lay in front of the water bowl, not drinking. No interest in food.

I came home from one of my pet sitting jobs to check up on her and said, "I feel like it's her time. She has decided it's time; her will to keep living is gone." Crying the entire time and hurting that we are at the start of the rainbow bridge, I know for sure this is her saying it's

time when I'm able to trim all of her nails and she doesn't fight. When I sit down, she doesn't give me a facial. The next morning, we head to the vet's office. I've braced myself for the worst outcome. Dr. B does the exam and says exactly what I said: that Clara has decided it's her time. It still breaks my heart to hear it, even though I knew that's what was happening.

Clara crossed the rainbow bridge today (October 28, 2023) to join her siblings: Jasper, Peppermint, Rollie, Rudy, Pita. While our hearts are breaking at yet another rainbow bridge crossing, we are trying to find peace & solace in knowing she went on her terms with no pain or suffering.

Till our tails cross,

Melanie

#lovecatsandeverything #purrfectdozen #clara #rainbowbridge #petlife #blogger #catblog

Empower Yourself with a Women's Retreat to Reset Refocus and Recharge

For the last few years—I'm not putting an exact number to it, because it's been a while—I've been working on myself. Lots of therapy, journaling, assessing my life & re-assessing, seeing a therapist, and most recently attending a one-day women's retreat. The people closest to me have noticed the work, have been affected by the work I've done, and helped me to get where I am today. The journey has not been all easy—if it was—everyone would be doing it, and the results wouldn't be the same. I've lost friendships, found a better me, and am enjoying my life a lot more!

One of my good friends, Barbara, told me about a one-day women's retreat that she had gone to and asked if I would be interested in going to the next one. Absolutely! I seldom pass up something where I can meet new people and have the added benefit of seeing a friend and get to work on myself.

What exactly did this one-day retreat entail? First, there's a breakfast and lunch included, which is always great. What are some potential things that we would go over? Stress, relationships, the "negative voice" in our heads, gratitude, goals, vulnerability, and empathy & how each of those things impacts us, how to manage them, and how to lift ourselves and others up! By the end of the day, we walk away with new connections, relaxed, feeling positive, and ready to tackle whatever thing is weighing on our shoulders currently.

One of the great things about this one-day seminar is that it's a judgment-free and safe zone. Believe it or not, most people don't have that kind of space in their lives. Listening to other people talk about situations or crossroads they are at, we all connect because we have been, currently are, or will be in a situation similar to what someone else is going through. It raises your morale and self-esteem to hear and be with people who are supportive, understanding, and non-judgmental.

If you are interested in seeing what it's all about, join us at the next women's retreat! Each one is different, and let's face it, we are never done working on ourselves. Register for the next retreat at www.liftingyourvoice.com.

Till our tails cross again,

Mel

#liftingyourvoice #lovecatsandeverything #womensretreat #selfcare #mindfulness #loveyourself #blogger

Embracing Spontaneity: The Joy of Vacations with No Set Plans

Mel & Babs flying a kit on a windy day.

You read that title right - the queen of plans went on vacation with no set plans for each day. Shocker - I survived and am tempted to have another vacation go the same way. For someone who likes to know what I am doing each day right down to the time, a vacation with no set plans had me on edge. Full disclosure - Gene and I spent about an hour 2 weeks before vacation looking up things we might want to do. It included most of the usual touristy things, addresses, hours, and costs. Did we even use that? Nope!

We left earlier than initially planned to start the drive (but also later than I originally wanted). For no other reason than I wanted to take advantage of the empty highway and avoid some traffic on Saturday. We had a mostly pleasant drive, talking about politics and other topics I consider to be taboo to talk about in public. Stopping around 1 a.m., we checked into a hotel, with just over 3 hours left to drive the next morning. Day one of vacation with no set alarm - how nice!

We meander the rest of the way, stopping for groceries and alcohol as we get into town where our rental is located. Day 1, we have sun and it's hot - perfect beach weather. We get settled in the house, walk to the pier and beach, and just enjoy a lazy night.

Red Flags most of the week!

As the week kicks off, our weather turns to less than ideal—windy (gale force!), rainy, cloudy, and cool. As the person who runs hot all the time, I was thrilled with this! Everyone else—not so much. Babs was there solely for the sun, Steve wanted to get some good fishing in, and let's face it—sun always makes vacation better!

Walking the beach each day was something I was determined to do—and I managed to do it despite the wacky weather. The ocean was pretty angry most days—no swimming, as the red flags were out most of the week. That didn't stop me from getting my feet wet, and maybe up to my hips! The water was still warm—I couldn't resist. Some days the water was up to the lifeguard's chair (pretty close to the dunes!).

Making the best of the weather, we did some shopping and talked with shop owners. Wheeling and dealing discounts wherever possible—70% off sounds good to our wallets! We chatted with one shop worker, Beatrice, who told us her love story and got Babs crying. She will find her love one day—you're never too old for true love!

Twilight at the pier

We attempted to climb two lighthouses, but that darn wacky weather stopped those plans. At the first lighthouse, as soon as we went to climb up, it started lightning—no climbing until that stopped. The second lighthouse we wanted to see, I figured, would be better—it is a low one that's only like two stories high, sitting closer to the water. We should be able to at least get in the main house. Just kidding! I forgot about the hurricane that wreaked havoc in NC a few weeks before. The road to the lighthouse was covered with a few feet of sand—no way we were getting to that lighthouse. Instead, we took video of the crazy wind blowing sand off the dunes before heading back to the house.

On the news that night, a truck moving a mobile home closed the bridge down. The wind blew the mobile home off the truck. The bridge is a few miles long, going directly over the ocean—no land to the left or right. We are lucky that didn't happen when we were out driving!

Angry ocean at night

We visited the Wright Brothers National Park, climbed around on a metal plane, and just enjoyed another windy, cloudy day. (That was on our list of potential things to do!) The craziest thing we did this vacation was buy a YETI bucket. What in the world possessed us to do that? Vacation brain, and it's the prettiest blue! We used that to go crabbing. Gene used to vacation in NC with his family as a kid, so he had a spot they used to go to. We tried there, although we didn't have much luck catching keepers. I did manage to throw my chicken leg line completely into the water twice. The first time I made Gene fish it out with our newly purchased net. The second time I tossed it too far to get it back. I'm definitely not a great crabber!

Somehow, at the end of the week, I caught the sunset and a sunrise—pretty hard since we didn't have a full week of them! Even though sunsets and sunrises were scarce, I got lots of shells! We even managed to scope out some hot surfers when the sun started to peek out!

sunrise on the last day of vacation

While we had no set plans, and I figured that would give me anxiety all week, I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't get crazy anxious. Instead, I finished a book, painted my nails, finished a craft project, started another one, wrote some blog posts, and just relaxed!

10/10 would do another no-plans vacation. However, it won't be for another 5+ years if Gene has his way. What's your perfect way to vacation? Do you have a favorite vacation spot? Let me know in the comments!

Til our tails cross again,

Mel

#purrfectdozen #vacation #beachlife #beach #noplans