Tribute to Indy

 As some of you may have heard from my mother-in-law, the other week ago we lost our 16 (or older--every time my husband speaks of him he seems to add a year haha) cat, Indiana Jones, or more commonly known as Indy.  Mr. Fox and I had gone to the great State Fair one Sunday and that night we noticed our cat hadn't been waiting at the door as he often does when he's been out all day.  I had seen him outside the day before, as had my husband, so things seemed ok; he had been eating and acting pretty normal and--we came home super late and sometimes he has been known to stay out all night.  Monday was labor day and so we were home most of the day and didn't see Indy at all.  At this I started to feel concerned--it wasn't like him to not be pestering us for dinner or to come inside.  That evening I didn't see him and asked Mr. Fox if he'd seen any sight of our feline friend as well.  Tuesday it stormed and still no sight of Indy.  By now we had really seriously begun to wonder.  Our cat wasn't young anymore and he was set in his ways like an old man--we wondered if he'd gone off to find a quiet place to rest his last.  The next day our sad suspicion was confirmed.  We couldn't find him anywhere and worried if he did go off to die that he ran off to the woods in back and that we'd never find his old body. It turns up my husband while poking around found his poor body under the deck; he looked peaceful like he just knew his time had come and he went out there to rest.  We buried him in the pet graveyard in our backyard.  We'll miss you, Old Guy, from your silent chattering (he couldn't really meow) to your demands for dinnertime.  He was the first cat I've ever had.

   Speaking of cats, I have just finished this 8"x 10" acrylic painting for a co-worker that I have started months ago that he commissioned me to do.  He has a cat he is very fond of too named Raven.  I had a lot of fun with this but it was frustrating too--I wanted it to come out well!  I spent hours on it and though I usually love working with black this time it was a huge challenge to me.  I'm pretty happy with the end result though!  If anyone has any pointers for me I'd be happy to hear!

Lastly I want to introduce you to... well... she is nameless as of now (as is a male black cat not pictured) but I got her and another kitty as a surprise to my husband yesterday!  He had never lived without a kitty around before and though he was handling it well, I missed having a cat around.  I saw our local SPCA had a "special" going on where you could name the adoption fee for an adult cat right now since they had so many that need homes.  I snuck off to the shelter yesterday after work, hoping Mr. Fox would forget I had a shorter shift and not notice.  I planned originally to just get one (though was open to the possibility of two because Mr. Fox had spoken of getting two at once before) and ended up leaving with two sweet adult kitties!  I managed to get them for $30 for the pair and they had been strays before so they never had a real home before so this was a good deal for them.  So far they are adjusting really well despite our dog's curiosity.  You may wonder how I broke the news to Mr. Fox?  Well, he had noticed my absence and so called me while I was filling out adoption applications--but I managed to stay mum about it.  When I got home I told him he had to get on his shoes and help me get something out of the car.  I guess he briefly--very briefly wondered if it was kitties but figured it must be groceries or something I found free by the side of the curb instead.  He had the cutest grin when he saw the carriers and he's been quite happy with his surprise!  Now the task is naming them! 

I have to run now dear friends, but thanks for reading and have a blessed day! :)