surprise, surprise...good stuff

January 22nd "Good Stuff"

*My dad had surgery yesterday. And everything went very well. Not that problems were expected, but it's nice to have that nerve-wracking worrying over with anyway. And as happy as I am that it's over with, and I'm sure he's even happier.

*This almost seems odd to put on a list of good things. But it's something good that comes from extremely sadness. Jason's Poor Kitties Memorial Fund. He started this in response to sadness. Neil Gaiman's sweet, beautiful cat Zoe is dying. And Bookfool, a woman with a heart of gold, has been left with that heart aching as she just lost a much-loved feline friend. While not everyone reacts to the loss of a furry loved one in the same way, for so many of us it's truly a loss that defies words. But Jason invited us to say a few words about kitties who have touched our own lives. I think I will just link to this post I wrote a few years ago...as I said, this kind of loss defies words, but I tried in that post to convey what one big, beautiful, affectionate feline baby meant to this family. Especially to one little boy. And you know, it's now been 3 1/2 years since Taco died, and he is still missed daily by every one of us.
While Jason has suggested a charity to donate to, I do hope he won't mind if I donate to our wonderful local shelter instead. Max has a new buddy now, Lucky. And while Lucky could never in a bazillion years replace Taco, he is a very special new friend. And without Lollypop Farm, who kept this sweet abandoned cat alive for several months just waiting for the right person to come and love him, Max wouldn't have this very special kitty in his life now. And neither would the rest of us.

*Rich. For more reasons than I could ever list.