News from the Farmhouse...Late October 2024
"Look a Like" 2006- 7/18/2024
We've had a very beautiful and mild Autumn. Warm days still linger though evenings are chilly, and I'm still getting lettuce, celery, parsnips, raddichio, kale and collards from the small gardens. We have not fired up the woodstove yet but it's all ready to go and Phil's been gradually stacking wood in the barn when he has time.
On Oct. 1st we welcomed a new kitty into our home, a companion for our Chloe at last. Named "Rhubarb" at the Oklahoma shelter where he was brought as a stray, we've renamed him Reginald Von Rhubarb in honor of a character played by the late great Jackie Gleason. Rhubarb is 2 years old and full of beans. But Chloe has accepted him and even allows him to chase her around the house. At eight years old, Chloe is a bit dismayed at his rough housing but seems to tolerate the new "juvenile."
Though he's grey and white, he's the complete opposite of our late kitty Look-a-Like (a.k.a. Huey). I know I can never replace him, but Chloe needed a buddy and we're so happy she's accepted the newcomer. I dare say I would not be against adopting another male kitty should one who's a closer match to our Huey someday turn up!
Rhubarb is at times a bit skittish and we don't know how long he
was on the streets before being brought to a shelter in Oklahoma.
Our southern boy loves to be pet though he certainly has an independent streak. In a few days he'll make his debut at our vet clinic to be treated for tapeworm (the NH shelter assured me he had NO fleas or worms, however that wasn't the case) which would explain why he eats like a pig and poops like a horse.
I still miss Look-a-Like terribly and think of him every day. Though it's been more than three months since we lost him it seems like yesterday and at times it's really hard not to get choked up thinking about him.
Our sweet boy spent the last few weeks of his life mainly on my pillow on the bed. For months he'd been on meds for a bad heart and was doing well considering he was more than 17 years old. Huey loved to sleep on my head, a habit he learned from Wilburforce years ago. Like Wilburforce, Huey and I were best buddies and a more affectionate, trusting and sweet natured kitty you couldn't find. Unlike most cats, he loved to be with me and had the most adorable habits and sounds when he vocalized his feelings.
We're grateful to our vet for caring for him these last few months. It's been years since we've had to have a pet euthanized as most die here quietly at home. I had hoped for that for dear Huey but on his last trip to the vet for an exam and B12 shot he was found to have a large blockage in his intestine, an aggressive and inoperable tumor which explained why he vomited every day and couldn't poop well. We didn't want him to suffer nor did we want the nightmare of rushing him to an emergency vet over the weekend or late at night when his pain became unbearable. It was the kindest thing for him, but it broke my heart and I simply couldn't stay while the final injection was given. I held him in my arms all the way to the vet clinic, hugged and kissed him and held him again after they gave him the sedative shot. But I had to leave and go out to the car before that final goodbye. I'd been dreading that day for a long time. His passing left a big void in our lives and a wound on my heart that will never completely heal.
Chloe with her "daddy"
Huey and Chloe in happier times