That Darn Cat

Thursday, November 28th (Wednesday back home) was a rough, rough day. 

It was hard holding myself together at school. The kids were so happy, and I wanted to be happy with them, but even the thought of being happy made me sick. How could I smile when I had lost one of my best friends? Now, it may seem like I'm being a bit melodramatic, he was a cat after all. But he spent 13 years with my family and it's hard to remember a time when he wasn't there. He lived in the milk house in the backyard, he traveled looong journeys up north where he wouldn't stop meowing, and he spent countless days on the screened-in porch on the shores of Lake Mich. He was family. 

The first night was full of tears, but afterwards I came to realize he had had a very full and dramatic life. And it made me smile looking at pictures and remembering his antics. As a tribute to this darling boy, I thought I'd share thirteen of my favorite memories of him. 

1. The first night we had him, we went out to the milk house where he and his sister, Angel, lived to show our Aunt and Uncle. Upon arrival, we realized that only Angel was present at our gathering. In desperation we began seeking high and low for the little Tumbleweed when we heard a mewing coming from somewhere near the door. The little rascal had pulled the insulation out of the wall and then had fallen down it (tumbled, if you will). Dad had to tear the wall open to get him out (he was NOT happy about it..). And we officially welcomed Tumbleweed and Angel into our family.

2. He was a brave cat. He would follow Marshall and I down the slide (on his own, mind you) and he even went sledding with us on the backyard (we would put him on our laps in an inflatable sled and go on our merry way!). Both kitties also enjoyed climbing up to the tree house with us (two-story tree house toooo high in the tree). I still think he should've been on America's Funniest Home Videos.

3. This summer, I was painting a bench for Aunt Christy and he kept walking through my purple paint until his paws were all purple and he left purple paw prints wherever he went. 

4. He always used to sit and sleep on the bird feeder outside the backdoor waiting for us to come out and see him. When he got overly desperate, he would climb the trellis and meow through the skylight until he got our attention. 

5. Burrito kitty. He was so good-natured he would let us swaddle him in a towel and hold him like a baby for hours. 

6. Trips up north when he would meow for 4 hours straight. (And the time we tranquilized him and he was loopy for hours and kept falling off things). Sitting on the screened-in porch with him reading books in the early morning, in the afternoon, and at night. 

7. When you would hold him like a baby and he would stretchhhh all the way to the ground if he could. 

8. When I would read outside and he thought his place was on top of my book. 

9. Watching river monsters together. 

10. The number of times we found him in other people's cars or houses... he was the friendly neighborhood cat. 

11. While at school and in Korea, I skyped him and talked to him on the phone. 

12. His good taste in beverages: we shared Biggby and beer numerous times. 

13. He was a dog stuck in a cat's body and would come when he was called even if he was in Montessori or in the far back yard. His purring could stop traffic. He was constantly purring and it was incredibly loud. I will miss his purring most. 

I love you, Tumbies.