Letting Go

     Today I have to do the most difficult part of our move. I have to adopt out our kitties. I am heart broken. I have been putting this off for as long as I can because the thought of saying good bye to them makes me so sad I just have not been able to face it. 

     It is funny how cats can drive you crazy sometimes and you think how easy life would be without the responsibility of animals to care for. But when the time comes that you actually have to follow through with letting them go an empty space begins to form in your heart. 

MER MERS- Almost 15 years old

     This sweet little girl has been a part of my life for almost 15 years. She was a gift from my ex-husband the summer before we married. Her mama was a stray Siamese cat that hung out at my ex's shop and she had a litter of 5 kittens. Mer Mers was the runt of the litter. She was a tiny, fuzzy, poof ball when I got her. She was so tiny when I brought her home that I would put her in my shirt pocket while I walked around my apartment because I was afraid I would lose her. She was perfectly happy all snuggled in my pocket, watching what I was doing. She used to snuggle up into my underarm at night to sleep. We named her Mer Mers because she used to make this little happy sound when was sleeping that sounded like merrr merrr. When the babies came along she would snuggle right next to them like she was their Mama. She seemed to want to protect them. As they grew into toddlers and started pulling her tail she was so tolerant and never got angry but would just walk away. 

     Needless to say, with all the snuggly love that I gave her she has turned into a really cuddly, loving cat. She will stare into your eyes and you can feel the love in her heart. She would sit on your lap all day long if you let her. She loves kids and small dogs too. At this age though she needs to be an only child. She gets annoyed with our 2 year old cat when he tries to play with her. She is old now. Which makes her slow and she can not hear well anymore either. She has to take thyroid medication once a day. I just crush it up into some wet food for her. She is really quiet and easy to have around. Every once in a while she will get crazy and run around playing, but it isn't often anymore. She is still really tiny and now with the thyroid trouble she is skinny and fragile. 

     I am looking for someone that needs a companion to sit on their lap. Someone that has a lot of love to give her during the last years of her life. I am also really hoping that someone would share custody with me. So when I am home in Bend for my 2 weeks we can have her at our place and then when I am in Alaska for two weeks you would have her with you. That would be the ideal situation for her too as I can not imagine how stressed she would be not having us in her life after so many years with us.

JACK- Almost 2 years old

     And then there is Jack our 2 year old. We adopted him from the Humane Society thinking that it would help Mer Mers to have a friend around while we were at work. We had just moved into our current house and she was feeling out of sorts and sort of acting strange. We went to the Humane Society and picked out different cats to bring into the play room with us. We didn't connect with any of them so we decided to try another day. As we were walking out my oldest daughter Claire begged us to look at just one more cat. His name was Jack and he was really sweet. The funny thing was that both my fiance and I had noticed that he was the only cat in a cage that was facing out and watching everyone walk by his cage. All the other cats had their backs turned or were not interested in the people around them. When we went up to his cage he looked us in the eyes just like Mer Mers does. We brought him into the play room and he immediately connected with us. Playing and loving on the girls. Jumped up to sit next to my fiance. We were done for. We put in a request to adopt him and brought him home the next day. 

     We did a slow introduction with Mer Mers and they get along okay. She is just too old to tolerate a kitten anymore. Jack is full of energy yet he loves his naps. He has his own kitty bed that is near the fireplace and when you are wondering where he is you can usually find him there. He loves to go outside and watch the birds. He does hunt too. We have had a couple of birds make it inside and one or two mice. He would love to have a companion to play with I think. He tried so hard with our old lady, but to no avail. He also is quite cuddly and love to snuggle up with us when we are watching TV at night. He would make a family very happy. He is really sweet and cute too. 

     Well, that is my sadness today. I hope that I can find good homes for both of our lovely kitties. They deserve the best. If you live in the area and are interested or know of someone who is please leave me a comment and I will get back to you. We move into our new place March 31st so I need the new homes sorted out by then. Now off to do some more packing and crying.

The Outhouse in Alaska

     I thought it would be fun to share some pictures of our outhouse in Alaska. People have preconceived notions about outhouses. I know I did. So one of the biggest changes that Mr. MM made for me was making a nice outhouse. We house our generator in here so it is always warm. Yes, even the toilet seat. For some reason I did not get a photo of the inside once it was finished. So picture a nice counter top over the barrel with a rounded edge on it. And a toilet seat attached to the counter. It is pretty comfy really. I have a toilet paper holder attached to the wall. We keep a box of Charmin wipes out there and Clorox clean-ups to wipe the counter and seat down. We put cat litter deodorant down in the hole so it doesn't smell bad like most outhouses you use. This summer I am going to paint the inside of the door, and possibly the walls, with chalkboard paint so everyone can sign the door or leave funny little sayings. I am also going to leave a little book with funny sayings or inspirational quotes in there for quick reading. 

During the Building Process.

Summer View

Winter View

Morning View from the Outhouse Window

Afternoon View From the Outhouse

Moon In the Door

Where the Outhouse is Located Near the Cabin

     Eventually the cabin will be shingled with white trim also. But first we want to have a wrap around deck put in. The stairs are temporary until the deck is in. Eventually the windows will be replaced with larger ones and the door will be painted the same blue at the roof. It is going to be such a nice looking, cozy little place when we are done with it. It is quite the slow project but it sure is fun planning the improvements. 

     That is our little 4 wheel truck that gets us into the cabin during the summer. We have to park up at a gravel parking lot with our regular truck and switch to this heavy duty 4 wheel truck to get in to the cabin because the trails are pretty rutted and sometimes muddy. It is actually easier to get to the cabin by snow mobile in the winter. 

    Well, I hope you enjoyed this little peak of where we spend some time when we are in Alaska. I will be flying back up there April 23rd for another 2 week adventure. I wish everyone could see Alaska atleast once in their lifetime. It is even more beautiful and majestic than I ever imagined. I am so blessed that Mr. MM chose me to share it with him.