keepsake box

it's been almost three months and we miss our precious madji, though it hurts less.

i didn't know what to do with her favorite toys so i created a keepsake box to store them in. my mom did something similar for us when we were kids and our sweet dog sparky was hit by a car.

creating this box really helped me through the grieving process. this may sound strange but john and i were upset when we no longer saw her hair around. i collected some from her brush and put it in the box. the box also holds her pictures and a few sympathy cards some kind souls sent us.

the silver plaque, paper and letter m were from my scrap-booking days. the box held a trader joe's christmas cookie gift (i made this soon after she passed on christmas eve). it's wrapped in rosin paper (saved from when we put hardwood floors in). the black design piece was from a pretty invitation john's sister sent us.

the box is stored in my desk, just a foot or two away from where she used to lay all day. physically she may gone, but she's still very much alive in our memory and in our hearts. *tear*=)

remembering our fur baby

we were with our sweet kitty when she took her final breaths. i put my face close to hers, stroked her head and told her how much i loved her. that night all i could think of was what she looked like after her soul left her body and how she seemed to be hurting before we brought her to the animal hospital. these thoughts brought me so much pain that my whole body was sore from crying.

knowing i had to do something before i sunk into a depression, i called my mom. she cried with me and reminded me of the funny things piggy used to do. (my mom and niece called her piggy. she had so many different nicknames.=). i found comfort in talking about her. then i started looking at her pictures and soon i was smiling through my tears. i'm so happy i took so many photos.

1999

john and i cherished each and every moment we had with our fur baby. our friends and family would get a little annoyed with us when we'd cut our visits short to get back home to our cat. we'd miss her when we were away too long and worried that she may be hungry or in need of some love.

when john suggested we watch our videos of her, i hesitated. i thought it would be too painful but instead it had the opposite effect. we laughed and cried watching her during her healthier days. it feels like she's still with us, just in a different, more peaceful form.

as i mentioned before in a little biggie bio, i found biggles (or should i say she found me) on the porch of a friend's house when i was about 17 years old. she was the friendliest cat, coming up to us teens and rubbing against our legs. the boys in the neighborhood were smitten with her and called her mrs. bigglesworth.

she was a chub of a cat, which led us kids to believe she was pregnant. when my dad heard this he let me bring her home. we brought her to the vet and it turned out she wasn't pregnant - but she did have worms! it's funny to think that i loved her so much already that i had no problem picking rice-like worms off her little tush and my bedroom floor. there was nothing i wouldn't do for her.

 biggie and my sister, krista circa 2001

but biggles didn't like me too much in the beginning. in fact, she stayed away from me as much as possible! she would lay on my dad, brother, sister and friends, but not me. i'd say to her, it was me who saved you, you ungrateful little...! she definitely made up for it in her later years, laying with me every chance she got.=)

biggie loved her new home. we had a nice big backyard where she'd roam and play safely. when she wanted to come in she'd hop up on our screen door and meow. once my brother made her a bed out of a box and a blanket and labeled it biggie's bed. to say she was spoiled would be an understatement!

when i moved out i left biggie with my father so she could still enjoy the outdoors. when her kidneys started to fail a little over two years ago and she became very needy, my dad knew it would be best for us to take care of her. john was not happy when i said a cat was coming to live with us, but it was only a matter of days before he fell in love with her, too. 

our home was like a retirement village for her. she got 'round the clock care and attention. she was the queen, which is why we called her ms. madji and the madj (/mahzh/). she'd take little trips outdoors where she'd sunbathe and munch on some grass. her favorite treat was coconut oil and she had her own jar. she played with toys i crocheted for her and had many comfy places to lay.

madj didn't like it when the attention wasn't on her. she'd sit on the computer keyboard when i was typing, break up our scrabble games, and lay on books that i was trying to read. in her early years, she'd walk across the keys when i played the piano and sit on my hands. (ok, maybe she thought i wasn't very good and just wanted me to stop playing.=)

i'm so grateful for the years we had with our sweet madji and all the fond memories we have of her. she was a very special kitty that will always hold a special place in our hearts.

a bittersweet farewell

just before midnight on christmas eve we had to put down our beloved baby grandma, miss madji (aka mrs. bigglesworth, biggie, biggles). her health started to decline last monday. she had chronic kidney disease and arthritis, and we did our best to keep her comfortable in her golden years.

madji was a happy, playful kitty. we noticed she wasn't going number two and thought she was just constipated, but it turned out to be a symptom of more serious issues. though most cats will go into hiding when they are ill, madj stayed by our side and even played a little and hopped up into bed with us on her final morning.

john and i thought she would get better, so it was a shock when the vet said there was nothing they could do to help her. although she was about 17 years old, we were devastated. we find comfort in knowing she is no longer suffering.

john never had a pet before and was never really fond of animals. that is until we took madji in two years ago, after my father could no longer give her the attention she needed. she would lay on john's chest each night before bed and wake us every morning. i would joke that he loved her more than me, but i was totally fine with that.=) they spent their days together and i believe this is why she held on so long. she was given so much love and attention, which proved to be her best medicine. we miss her terribly but feel so blessed to have had her in our lives.

pooped

after tonight's kitchen marathon, i feel like this:

biggles snoozing on some recipe books

there are fruit roll-ups, herb pizza crusts, and sweet and savory flax crackers all drying in the dehydrator, plus a big batch of chickpeas cooling on the stove. there's also a huge sloppy mess that's just going to have to wait 'til tomorrow. my cozy bed is calling.

stay tuned for the finished products!

my saturday

in june i did a post of what a weekday may look like for me (which can be found here). i thought it would be fun to document a weekend day, so let's begin.

 good morning, morning glory

(these volunteers came up from plants in the 2009 garden!)

madj woke me up at 5:30 for her first breakfast. i fell back asleep and she let me go 'til 9:30, when she wanted her second breakfast.

after feeding the madj, i made coffee and admired the 26 pounds of peaches i picked yesterday (some soft ones are in the fridge). most will be used for peach jam and my favorite, peach and pepper jam.

then i sipped my small cup of coffee diluted with water (for the IC) while perusing some blogs and peach jam recipes. i could spend hours reading blogs and recipes, but i had some things to do in the garden.

first i weeded a bit and harvested some herbs.

 oregano

 spearmint

 coriander seeds

 sage

a lunch break was needed, and a smoothie was made with ripe bananas that i keep stocked in the freezer.

this sweet smoothie consisted of banana, peach, cucumber, collard greens, beets, parsley, mint and vanilla bean. 

after lunch, the herbs were rinsed and spread out on a dish towel to dry.

then the greens were placed upside down in brown bags to dry out a few weeks, and the coriander seeds were placed in mason jars.

while looking for a place to put the jars, i finally got fed up with the mess called my spice cabinet.

 before

 after

(we'll see how long this lasts!)

when i was done cleaning out the cabinet, i took a mid-afternoon rest out on the porch in a cozy papason with farmer boy and carrot cake super cookies.

farmer boy is the third book of the charming little house series by laura ingalls wilder. our local library has the whole set. farmer boy is based on the young life of laura's husband, almanzo. these books were written for children but are enjoyable for adults interested in pioneer times.

the carrot cake super cookies are super tasty and nutritious. if you can't read the ingredients on the package, they include unsulphured coconut, sprouted sesame seeds, carrots, dates, and nutmeg - all organic. i'm going to try to make these when we harvest our carrots.

speaking of, check out this atomic red carrot i picked yesterday. it's the largest one we've grown in our raised beds!

after my rest, john and i did some chores, like dishes, vacuuming, changing the cat litter, and other crap. to keep my IC symptoms in check, i made some plantain tea. reading jane's blog post about plantain and finding it growing like crazy in my own yard was truly a blessing!

dinner was take-out of non animal-friendly food, so we won't talk about it here! as i mentioned before, i do my best, but sometimes convenience and old habits get the best of me. in my defense, i did suggest leftovers for dinner, but john said it's a holiday weekend and everyone else is having good stuff and wha wha wha. of course i could have had something different, but what can i say, i'm weak!

while we were waiting for dinner to be delivered, sammy came to say hi. sammy is an outdoor cat that eats and sleeps at a neighbor's house.

he's very friendly, but biggles wants nothing to do with him. she hisses when he comes to the door. i think she hears us when we talk about adopting another cat, and she's showing us how she feels about that!

after dinner, i did some more fall planting at the community garden. beets, kale, spinach and lettuce seeds were sown. broccoli and kale transplants that were started on our windowsill went into the ground. seeds that were planted in the previous weeks are coming up and growing nicely.

brandy the garden's mascot was there. isn't she sweet?!

so now i'm here typing, sipping a glass of live-a-little organic white wine. i really shouldn't be drinking wine on account of the IC, but it's a holiday weekend and everyone else is having good stuff and wha wha wha!=)

this week i...

enjoyed cooler days with the trio in the "treehouse"...

the cat goes down the slide!

...took lots of wagon walks...

 

my childhood friend's chickies, bubby and evolet

and their gymnast cat, oscar

...finally let the munchkins explore my "white car"...

 oscar included

...ate lots of tasty salads with raw eggplant bacon...

 green leaf lettuce, tomato, cucumber, green onion and eggplant bacon with leftover nacho cheeze made with white bell pepper and cashews

 

 green leaf lettuce, heirloom cherry tomatoes, cooked quinoa, and raw eggplant bacon with extra-virgin olive oil, himalayan salt and pepper

...was rustled out of dreamworld each morning by this lil' piggy...

new nickname, claws

...started the last book of the lovable anne of green gables series...

  my mom gifted me with the collection=)

...henna'd my gray hairs

and received my new specs in the mail.

plastic aunt jemima head-wrap

...made rawlmond joys and peanut butter cups

yummy

and took photos only with my cell, just because. 

complete the sentence, if you'd like...

this week i __________.