Wishing You Peace in the New Year!

Tabitha and Woody sharing  a cube.

 
This year has been a tumultuous one for all peoples everywhere. Because of that we want to focus on peace in the coming year.  Even the crystal ball in Times Square is highlighting peace this year.

Yoko and Chica peacefully napping.

There is a new "Let There Be Peace" Waterford crystal panel on the Times Square ball and they are inviting friends around the world to share their messages of peace.  Select messages will be included in the live toast during the New Year's Eve boradcast.

2013 Waterford crystal New Year's Eve ball

Share your message: Sentiments of peace can be shared until December 31st at 5 PM EST via one of three ways: 1. Tweet your message with hashtag #PeaceNYE 2. Post to Waterford’s Facebook page with hashtag #PeaceNYE 3. Post to Times Square’s Facebook page with hashtag #PeaceNYE

You can also write your wish on the confetti that will be dropped tonight in NYC by going to the Wishing Wall. 

Georgie resting on Sam

"Peace comes from being able to contribute the best that we have, and all that we are, toward creating a world that supports everyone. But it is also securing the space for others to contribute the best that they have and all that they are."

      -- Hafsat Abiola 

May peace by with you in 2013 and always!

Merry Christmas!

We got our tree in early December from a local Christmas tree farm.  This is a long tradition in Mom's family.  We set it up at home and let it be for a few days to let us kitties get used to it before  it gets all prettied up.

 Minnie is chief snoopervisor and likes to make sure the lights all work before they go on the tree.  "All systems go", she says!

Somehow Mom misplaced a box of holiday decorations and in it was our angel tree topper!!!  She had this fairy Santa with wings so I guess that will have to do this year.  Hope you like our smallish tree - we have a small home so it fits us.

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!!!  Have a wonderful holiday. We will post before the New Year so see ya next week.

Sweetpea Comforts Mom

Me, Sweetpea in Joey's window spot.

 Mom is still getting over losing her dear Joey but I am making sure she is loved at all times.  Maybe Joey told me or maybe not (I am not sayin') but I make sure she has a cuddly purring cat (me) next to her when she wakes up each day like Joey used to do and again when she goes to bed.  Joey sat next to Mom every night until Pop came in to go to sleep.

I even sit in the window in the sun like Joey did.  Now let me tell you, before, when Joey was here, I never came into the bedroom.  I liked to hang out in the living room, kitchen and even the porch on nice days.  Joey never kept me out of the bedroom - I just didn't go in there.

Me snoopervising.

I helped with the Christmas cards.  Mom likes to do them on the bed.  It was a rough job and I took a nap - that's allowed isn't' it?

I think I am helping cuz Mom is smiling more and more each day. 

Mom wants to thank each of you for all  the cards, comments and notes on Facebook about Joey.  She is still visiting you all to say thanks personally.  It helps her to heal and she treasures every one of you.  We hope to be blogging a bit more now.  Oh ...and thanks for the the ecards - Mom is slow in putting them up but we love them! 

Good-bye Joey - Nov. 1999 - Dec. 2012

From last Christmas

Joey passed away this morning snuggled in his spot on a chair in the bedroom.  My husband and I were with him and surrounded him with loving Reiki light, telling him how much he was loved. It seems he had many things going on with him besides the skin cancer - possibly lymphoma but there were no symptoms until too late.

Taken a few years back.

We put his body on the bed and brought the other cats in to say good-bye.  Ivy in particular took up a position on the bed next to Joey.  Yoko has been sitting with him these last few days snuggled close at all times.  He is buried in the woods on our land beside the cat house with a marker that says  "Your heart is pure, Your soul is free."

Today, I say good-bye, God-speed.
I thank you for your love.
I thank you for choosing me.
I thank you for the joy I have experienced through you.
I thank you for the depth of your old soul as I looked in your eyes.
I thank you for your funny belly that swayed from side to side when you walked.
I thank you for the pleasure of watching you hop sideways when you were happy.
I thank you for your rumbley, growl like purr which you shared with me even your last night on earth.
I thank you for your compassion -  welcoming without pause, any new cat I took in.
I thank you for all your sweet quirky traits that I have come to love.
I thank you for your loyalty - for always forgiving any squabbles and loving the other cats anyway.
I thank you for your companionship.
I thank you for your endlessly generous spirit.
I thank you for sharing your life with me.
I thank you for trusting me.
I thank you for the lessons learned by virtue of our having been in each other's lives.
I thank you for the knowing that even though I am now saying good-bye and letting you go, in this paradox of life, that having let you go, you will  nevertheless be with me always.
I love you.  Go in peace Joey, my love.

Adapted from Saying Good-bye by Elizabeth Severino

Thank you all for your emotional support, donations and kind words during his brief illness.  You have helped more than you will ever know.  I will take a break for blogging for a bit but will be back when my heart is lighter.

Finally Friday with Joey (and Goodbye Judi)

It's me Joey. I have had a really rough week.  I stopped eating much of anything on Sunday last and Mom could not figure out why.  I also vomited bile and foam so she thought it was my CRF and tried giving me more fluids, slippery elm and aloe juice to help my tummy.  We got to the vet  after the weekend and it seems I had some poop in my intestine - constipated is the word, right?

Mom tried all kinds of things, pumpkin, butter, Laxatone but nothing worked and I was still not eating unless she force fed me a watery gruel of baby food or cat food.  Finally she gave me an enema. That was not fun but the poo came out and I did feel better and ate.

But by supper I was not eating again!  The holistic vet has sent Mom some new homeopathic remedies to give me to help me feel better.  I hope they work cuz no one seems to know what is going on.

I am such a good boy and let Mom feed me - if you ever have to force feed a cat - this site is a good one for showing how to do it.  Please keep purring for me cuz I want to stay here for a bit longer with Mom and Pop and the cats.  I know Mom won't give up on me!



We want to say goodbye to our wonderful blogger friend Judibug (of SASS blog) who left this world on Nov. 28, 2012 after a long battle with cancer.  We will miss you and will think of you whenever we see a ladybug! Sending lots of purrs to your family, friends and beloved cats you left behind. A new world awaits you.

"While we are mourning the loss of our friend, others are rejoicing to meet him behind the veil". -                                                                                                     -John Taylor

Wordless Wednesday - Mom Makes the Best Pillow

Wordless Wednesday

Thanksgiving and Joey's Gotcha Day

Welcome one and all to our annual Thanksgiving/Joey's 11th Gotcha Day celebration!!!  CB has him down for the 25th but we do it on Thanksgiving each year.

This year is a very special one since our beloved Joey has been diagnosed with skin cancer and chronic renal failure.  We hope that with treatment he will be around for a long time to come.  We are enjoying each day that we have with him and giving him lots of extra love, special foods and anything he wants, really!

Joey when he was still living outdoors.

In honor of  his 13th year (since he is a feral, we really don't know what day or month he was born other than in fall 1999) we are going to list 13 things that we are so very grateful for about Joey.

1.)  We are grateful for his sweet loving nature.  He gets along with all the other cats and will not fight even when provoked.  He will just walk away.

2.) We are very thankful for his cancer - if it hadn't been for his skin lump, we might not have done blood tests that told us he had chronic renal failure!  We might have lost him to that without even knowing what was wrong since he showed no symptoms of any kidney issues.

3.) We are appreciative of his homeopathic cancer vet - Dr Loops.  So far Joey's lump is shrinking and he is acting more like himself and being more social. Other than his CRF, he has no other symptoms.  So far, so good.

4.) We love his loud numbly purr.  You can't help but hear him.  If he even thinks you are gonna pet him , the motor revs up ad the purr gets going.  It wakes Pop up when he sneaks on the bed with Mom!  She has to keep telling Joey to be quiet and not purr - like that will happen!

5.) We are thankful for his funny sideways hop when he gets excited or happy about something - just like kittens do when they are happy!

Joey with his bandage/bandana

6.) We love his tiny face and huge big golden eyes - he looks so intense when he looks right at you.  He makes eye contact whenever you speak to him.

7.) We love how he loves to help Mom make the bed - hiding under the covers and making her work so hard!!! heehee

8.) We are grateful for how easy going he is - he never makes a problem when he has to go the the vet.  Not even when they have to take blood or give him fluids.  He just lets everyone do the procedures and is happy to help.

9.)We love his big droopy belly that swings from side to side when he walks. He is small but all his weight goes in his belly - always has.  When he was still outside, people thought he was a pregnant girl cat - NOT! 

10.) We love the tiny ear tufts at the end of his ears and the way his left ear has a nick in it - probably from a fight long ago.

11.)We adore how he likes to make a Joey sandwich - snuggled between two ladycats.

Minnie and Joey wrestling years ago.

12.)We are grateful that Joey's litter mate Minnie is still with us and can be with her brother.  Only two other cats from that feral group are still alive now - Sweetpea and Ivy.  Ivy and Joey have grown very close and snuggle often together.

13.) Most importantly, we are very thankful that we took Joey in on impulse that Thanksgiving Day 11 years ago.  He had been in yet another fight and  had an abscess. He came into the enclosed porch willingly but then freaked out and hid behind the freezer all day. It took most of the morning to get him out and into a safe place. Not what Mom had planned during all the dinner preparations!

Enough about Joey - let's get this party going.  Since you all must be chock full of turkey, we are going simple with cake and ice cream to celebrate today! Help yourself, put your feet up and kick back in one of many snuggle spots throughout the house!  Just chill and enjoy the mellowness like our  Joey!

Thank you for stopping by to help us celebrate our Joey.  We do appreciate each and every one of you and hope to be friends for many years to come!  This party will be running for a few days so those of you that are busy on Thursday can still visit!  Happy Thanksgiving from all of us Cats of Wildcat Woods!

This and That Monday with Darby

 Hey ya'll!  It's me Darby today to fill you in on the happenings here at Wildcat Woods.  I have the most important job in the house - snoopervising the computer activities.  My spot is on the chair in front of the computer.  Whoever sits in it, gets me next to them.  If I think they have spent way too much time on the 'puter, I put my paw on their arm and tell them it is time for me!  I have to check out everything that goes on the blog and all 'puter activities.  Wish I could figure out how to do it myself and then I could have even more fun!

We have a special day coming up later this week - Joey's Gotcha Day!  He was gotted on Thanksgiving and we celebrate it on that day every year.  He was diagnosed with skin cancer and chronic renal failure a couple of months ago so he is getting lots of extra attention these days and he loves it.   I will let him say more on Thursday so do come back  - we are throwing a BIG  party!

Since Joey's treatment is ongoing plus other issues with Chica and Yoko, Mom has decided to set up her own holiday auction to raise more green papers.  See our sale blog on the sidebar or in the pages.  Lots of fun stuff.

On a very sad note our friend Huffle from Huffle Mawson, Explorer Cat ran off to the Bridge suddenly today of liver failure while his folks were away.  They have not posted to the blog yet but you can stop by to leave  comforting words.  Sweet dreams Huffle and we will see you again one day soon.

Happy World Kindness Day - Nov 13

Today we are celebrating World Kindness Day  - it is very easy to do - just do a small act of kindness for any being.  It all counts!

Be nice to your brothers and sisters

Today we are going to

Feed the birds (even the pesty squirrels)
Send a card to a friend who lives far away
Donate some pet food for Meals on Wheels - they provide food for pets also
Leave a good book somewhere for another person to find and enjoy

Hang out with our neighbor cat jack

These are just some easy simple ways to be kind.  Can you think of other ways?  I bet your humans do kind things all the time cuz they adopted you guys!

Have fun being kind today!

Fly Free Herman

Our dear friend Herman from Herman's Hideaway has left for the Bridge.  He had FIV and Feline Leukemia. His Mom said he just fell asleep and woke up at the Bridge this morning..  We wish he did not leave so soon but what a lovely way to go.

We will miss him very much but he has a good life with his Mom and his friends and family will greet him at the Rainbow Bridge.

Please so by to see his Mom.  His Gotcha Day was coming up soon too.

Albert on Wordless Wednesday

Squashies Makes her Journey to the Bridge Today

Our dear sweet friend Squashies from TK Furrever Home is crossing over today at noon.  She has fought very hard but cannot stay with her Mom Dee any longer.  It is time..  Please do stop by and say goodbye to her.

Time to Say Good-bye

As we lay our hands upon you, 

Before your final rest,

Our hearts surround to love you

And thank you for your best.

Our home you watched and treasured,

Our lives you truly blessed.

Lessening now your burdens,

We tend your tired bones.

Let us be your pillow,

Then wings to take you home.

Listen for God's calling,

Sweet promises of peace,

Old friend, leap to Heaven,

Suffering released!

    -Annie Dougherty

 

Fly free sweet girl.  We will meet again.

Dona Nobis Pacem - BlogBlast for Peace 2012

Today, Nov. 4, 2012 is BlogBlast for Peace - an online event begun in 2006 by Mimi Lenox.  We are proud to say that this is our third year taking part.  Each one of us has the capability to bring peace into the world and it begins with ourselves.

“World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.”

― Dalai Lama XIV

"Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances."
- Mahatma Gandhi

"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without."
- Buddha

"The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us."
- Black Elk

May peace be with you.

Weekend Wanderings - Church Street

First off - it is not Snowball's Gotcha Day - the CB calendar is incorrect - his Gotcha Day was in September and we had a party then for him.

Now that you are here tho - welcome to the bean's weekend wanderings post - this week it is Church Street in Asheville NC.  This street has hosted several congregations since the mid 19th century!  This first building is not a church but sits at the head of Church Street.  The scroll around the building is pretty cool with faces and leaves - bignify to see better.

The Central United Methodist Church met in a frame building beginning in 1837, but the current building was not erected until 1902. Designed by Richard H. Hunt of Tennessee and built by James Madison Westall, the imposing limestone church presents Romanesque Revival style massing and forms, but the detailing more closely reflects the Gothic Revival style. 

In 1884, the leaders of First Presbyterian Church commissioned a new building to serve the growing congregation and to provide space for the increasing number of tourists who visited Asheville each summer. The Gothic Revival style brick nave and tower feature deep-corbelled cornices, hood-molded windows and blind arcading at the eaves. Built at a cost of $8,000, the new church could accommodate 600 worshipers. As the congregation has continued to grow steadily, so has the church building been renovated and enlarged over the years.

Huge tree in front of the Methodist Church

Trinity Episcopal Church stands on the southeastern corner of Church and Aston streets. Nationally known architect Bertram Goodhue of the New York-based firm of Cram, Goodhue and Ferguson designed the building in 1912. The Tudor Gothic Revival style brick building with granite trim features a simple, gable-roofed sanctuary with transepts and a short corner tower. The interior opens to an attractive hammer beam ceiling and panel tracery fills the stained glass windows  (info from http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/asheville/chu.htm)

Have a great weekend ya'll!

The Zombies Are Coming.....

The zombies are coming

said tiny Sweetpea.

The zombies are coming.

They're coming for me!

Oh what shall I do?

Oh where shall I go?

I see one right now,

outside the window!

With a crash and a bang,

she was inside!

I looked here and there

but there was no place to hide!

She  grabbed me tightly 

with her bony claw.

I felt her teeth sink deeply

into my paw.

The zombies are coming

said tiny Sweetpea.

The zombies are coming.

Only this time, it's ME,
Zombie Sweetpea!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!