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~ The adventures of Richard and Julie Lary

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Category Archives: Cat Diaries

Melancholy Weekend without Suki

29 Saturday Aug 2015

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cats, Julie Lary, Mount Vernon, rajalary, Suki

In 2010, I’d found a tiny black and white kitten while picking blackberries in Mount Vernon. We named it Suki, but from day one he was lethargic, and after a few weeks and many visits to the veterinarian, he was overtaken by feline infectious peritonitis.

We were devastated, many months later, we started noticing dead rodents and rabbits, strategically left in our front yard and by our vegetable garden. We also occasionally spied a young black and white cat dashing through our yard.

I was convinced it was Suki, reincarnated.

Slowly the cat became a regular visitor. Even though he was very feisty like a feral cat, he allowed up to pet him, and wasn’t opposed to coming into our house for food. Rich called him Mr. Mustache because of the white blob under his nose. I called him Suki.

At least a year passed, before we discovered Suki actually belonged to the person living in back of us. He was a barn cat from a farm in Burlington, Washington, and had been given the less-than-distinguished name of Kitty.

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Much of the time he lived outdoors, honing his hunting skills. Our neighbor to the east was convinced he was catching and killing the gophers in her yard. When my mother lived in our house, and had a bird feeder, Suki evidentially caught quite a few birds (not so good). We continued to receive his gifts of dead rats, moles, and mice. I’m sure he also swept his owner’s yard for vermin.

Every Friday, we’d arrive in Mount Vernon, to find him waiting by our garage or on our deck. During the warm months, he’d assist with gardening, walking among the plants, rolling in the dirt, and running between our legs until we pet him.

In the cold month, he’d happily come inside for several hours, wandering through the house or finding a warm place to sleep. His owner said he usually slept during the day, and was outside during the night.

Suki also enjoyed spending time with Lila, even though she would chase him. She’s wait at the sliding glass door until he arrived, and then admire him from on top of a counter. When outside, they’d be within a few feet of each other, exchanging glances, coyly flirting.

Sometimes, he’d spend the night in our house. Most times, he’d eat and run, dashing outside, and then running back to the open door hissing and pawing at Rich or me before he’d turn and leave for the night.

When outside, he was fairly docile, but inside, he’d angrily bat out our feet, hiss, and if you lowered your hand to pet him or pick of his dish, he’d slap with his claws extended. His owner reported the same behavior. He could be a perfect gentlemen in the house, and then turn into a wild animal, hissing, batting, and biting.

But, we adored him. We looked forward to seeing him every week, whether assisting us outside, rolling in catnip, assaulting a cat toy or sitting in our front window.

A month ago, I felt like he was slowing down, even though he was probably only four or five years old. Last week, he didn’t show up, and hasn’t been seen this week.

Often his owner would open his slide glass door, and Suki would race out, hop over the fence between our yards, dash across the grass, and scamper up the stairs to our deck. Many times, I’d stand outside, shout his name, and he’s show up a few minutes later.

Today, I’ve seen our neighbor open his sliding glass door, but no Suki rushes out. I’m heartbroken because I know he’s dead. Something has happened to him. I’m afraid to ask his owner because I already know the truth.

Suki, little Suki, the reincarnation of our deathly ill kitten is gone.

Lila keeps looking outside, but Suki isn’t going to come any more.

Animals in the Snow

29 Sunday Jan 2012

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Julie Lary, Lila Lary, rajalary

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Snow and more snow!
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Holiday Happenings

29 Tuesday Nov 2011

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Two Weeks of Frantic Cookie-Baking

This year, I was in denial the holidays were fast approaching. Instead of starting my holiday planning and work-back schedule the first week of October, I ended up frantically scrambling in early November to get everything done. Thankfully, within a week, I determined what cookies we were going to make, shopped for the ingredients, and then on Saturday, November 12th, spent six hours making the doughs.

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Holiday Cookies
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During the week, I made several confections, including two kinds of fudge, peanut brittle, mint bark, and rum balls. On Friday evening, November 18th, we drove up to Mount Vernon and started baking, completing fifteen batches of cookies by Saturday night.

This year’s sugar-extravaganza, much of which will be sent to friends and family, included:

Cookies

  • Chocolate chip
  • Chocolate cookies with white chips
  • Oatmeal with butterscotch chips (and white raisins)
  • Candy cane crisps
  • Exotic spice (pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, rose water, etc.)
  • Cinnamon pretzels
  • Snickerdoodle
  • Spritz, white and green with mint flavoring
  • Cappuccino thins
  • Ginger coins
  • Biscotti with dried mangoes
  • Sugar
  • Shortbread windows with jam

Confections

  • Seven layer bars
  • Fudge with peanuts
  • Rum balls
  • Macaroons
  • Peanut brittle
  • Mint bark
  • Dark chocolate fudge with dried cherries
  • Coffee caramel

Two Thankful Cats, One Undecided

On Wednesday afternoon — our motor home loaded with boxes of cookies, holiday gifts and cards, Thanksgiving appetizers, food for a few days, stack of magazines to read, and three cats — we headed south to Oregon. We’d originally planned to take four cats, but as Rich was getting in the motor home, Lunetta leapt out, scampered up the fence, and scurried under the back deck. A few minutes later, she appeared at the French doors, and we let her back in the house, realizing she’s a certified fruit loop, and taking her “camping” wasn’t a dumb idea.

The cats who ended up going were two of the three MusCATeers – Pu’Yi and Zephrya – along with Lila, who spent most of the trip in the bed over the cab, and growling at us and the other cats. Because she’s all white, I believe she’s a secret white supremacist and doesn’t like associating with cats-or-humans-of-other-colors. If Rich and I were albinos with pink eyes and white hair, she’d find us more appealing.

Torrential rain was falling as we left, adding to the pre-Thanksgiving rush. It took nearly five hours to drive to Chris (Rich’s son) and Shawnie’s house in Camas, Washington. It usually takes around three hours.

After eating dinner at Red Robin, one of Rich’s favorite restaurants, we went back to Chris and Shawnie’s house and watched Bad Lip Reading, George Bush bloopers, Frank Caliendo, and Gordie Brown videos on YouTube. Fun!

We spent a restful night sleeping in our motor home (parked near Chris’ house), and then headed to my mother’s house in Sherwood (southwest of Portland). With time a premium, we got my mother up-and-dressed, and all three of us jumped in her car and headed to southwest Portland to see my best friend and pseudo-sister, Wendy. We had a great visit; Wendy is an amazing woman… gregarious, confident, industrious, self-actualized, and beautiful!

A few hours later, we once again piled into the car to head to Shawnie’s parent’s house in Dayton (southwest of Sherwood) for Thanksgiving dinner. We had a wonderful dinner before returning to Sherwood.

Friday morning, we did some errand with my mother. In between, I checked my phone. A temporary agency called to say I’d been offered a three-month contract for a job I’d interviewed for earlier in the week.

I debated taking the position in light of awaiting the outcome of three recently interviews for contract position (through three different agencies), and an upcoming interview loop for a full-time position with an exceptional company in Woodinville. However, after debating the potential experience, the clout of the group, and the likelihood the position would be extended to twelve-months, I decided to accept.

Stay tuned for details about the position after I’ve started working!

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Traveling with Cats
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With a job offer under wing, we headed north to Skamokawa on the Columbia River. We found a nice spot at the RV park, and then pulled on some warm clothing to walk around the town, visit Redmen Hall, an old school and meeting house (beautiful inside), and bop into the general store for cookies and coffee. Later that evening, we made a second trip to the store for coffee… and a third trip in the morning for additional caffeine. Who needs Starbucks when you can fill our own cup with coffee and flavored creamers for $1.39?

Because we had planned to be back in Kirkland by Sunday afternoon, Rich had made plans to stay at Dash Point, just north of Tacoma, on Saturday. We arrived around 1 o’clock, made lunch, and then walked to the beach. Located on the Puget Sound, Dash Point State Park supposedly has 3,300 feet of shoreline. With high tide, it was more like a ten minute walk of accessible shoreline!

The rest of the day we spent reading, eating, and walking Lila and Pu’Yi… the later had earlier ran up to a large dog who turned out to blind. They merely sniffed each other, and then went their own ways.

With rain pelting down on Sunday morning, we drove straight home, only stopping for groceries. Once home, we unloaded and vacuumed the motor home. Rich then drove it to Mount Vernon, where it’s normally kept, and I stayed home to make doro wat, spinach and matzos kugel (recipe I found in a cookbook my mother just gave me), and potato salad (last of the potatoes from our garden). Yes, it’s a strange combination of foods.

Rachel and the Squirts

12 Tuesday Jul 2011

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Last week, Rachel finally showed us her “squirts.” We thought she had two babies, but they kept arrived on our back deck. One baby is smaller than the other three (she’s standing on the lower deck behind Rachel, the larger raccoon in the middle of the picture), but appears hRachel and the Squirtsealthy.

Last weekend, we observed how the babies get into our yard from the neighbor’s (we think they split their time between living under our neighbor’s shed and under our lower deck). They climb on our wisteria trellis, which is attached to our fence. They use the trellis like a ladder.

On Sunday afternoon, we saw three of the babies in one of our trees. They were practicing their climbing skills. The fourth baby was on the fence and must have jumped (or fallen) off the fence because Rachel abandoned the three babies in the tree to investigate.

Rich’s newest staff member

26 Tuesday Apr 2011

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Lila mortified by “straining” kitty in the background

WordPress is so cool! There’s a nifty window that allows me to create quick posts… like Twitter. But, it’s better than Twitter because all of my posts… including my lengthy articles are in one place.

Letter to Suki

16 Thursday Sep 2010

Posted by rajalary in Cat Diaries

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September 15, 2010

Dear Suki,

You went to kitty heaven an hour or so ago. I am overwhelmed with sadness, sprinkled with relief that you pass away quietly in a safe and loving environment, the Banfield Pet Hospital. We desperately wanted you to live, but realize you were very ill with many issues that couldn’t be solved with love, hope, and miracle drugs.

I chose your name because in Japanese “suki” means beloved or “like.” It is the shortened version of “daisuki,” meaning “to like a lot.” A cute way of saying you like something is “suki suki.” The moment I saw your heart-shaped face, large eyes, and striking black-and-white markings I thought of a Japanese caricature like Hello Kitty.

We loved you very much because you brought us not only tremendous happiness, but entertained us with your antic, gentleness, and fighting spirit. When you looked at us with your huge amber eyes, we felt as if you were bestowing your love and gratitude, which made us love you even more.

At night, you slept between us, your warm body pressed against one of ours. As you grew healthier, you started to bond with the other cats, snuggling up to Pu’Yi, rubbing noses with Zephrya, batting toys down the hallway with Gracie Lint, and even sharing the futon with Goldakevtch.

Until today, we thought you were a little girl. To us, you will always be a darling, little girl that touched our hearts and will forever be missing.

With deep love and thankfulness for the time we had together.

Rich and Julie

(Last night, we printed this letter in pretty, green cursive font and then placed it in an elegant beaded canister along with her fuzzy green toy. I’d purchased the canister the day Rich initially brought her to the vet and we thought we’d have to put her to sleep. I was hopeful that I’d never have to use it…)

Advanced Tax Preparers

01 Monday Mar 2010

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On Sunday, the cats helped Rich do our taxes. They were very proud of their work. We hold down papers Me no recycle

How our Family Room Walls Got Holey

21 Sunday Feb 2010

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Two walls in our family room now have three-inch holes in the drywall every few feet. Why? Escape routes for mice? No. The latest in wall design? No. Holes in which to insert a mirror and see whether a small Russian Blue cat is wedged in the wall? Yes.

On Thursday morning, around 6:15, I put Garcie in the papasan chair in our family room. A little over an hour later, Rich went downstairs to bring Gracie upstairs for breakfast. She was nowhere to be found. Throughout the day, every hour or so, he’d look for her, hoping that she’d emerge from her hiding spot. No luck.

Upset with Rich’s ability to find the little rascal, I left work early to search every inch of the house, including tipping over our sofas and bed, checking in all the cupboards, looking behind bookshelves and on top of the books, and crawling around on my back to see if there were any holes in the walls (under cupboards and kitchen appliances. No luck.

After an hour of searching, I was frantic. When Rich commented that she could have jumped on top of our stacked washer and dryer, pushed up the plastic over the florescent fixture then climbed into the attic, my angst turned to hysteria. I was convinced that she’d fallen down a wall and was trapped with no way to climb back up.

Rich decided to do an experiment where he placed a piece of drywall along side Pu’Yi then used a stud locator to see whether the instrument could detect the presence of a body, just as it does for a piece of wood. It worked, which gave me some hope that we could definitively determine if Gracie was trapped in a wall.

The problem was that the findings were inconclusive and I was horrified by the idea of Gracie being trapped in a wall and slowly starving to death. Rich decided to ease my torment by drilled holes in the wall then use a mirror to see if the cat was there.

No luck. Devastated, I took two sleeping pills then climbed under the covers. Rich joined me. As soon as we settled down, we heard some noises, but decided not to investigate. Around 3 a.m. Rich nudged me awake. Gracie was on top of the dresser. As soon as we sat up, she jumped on the floor and darted out of the bedroom.

In our birthday suits we followed her down the hallway. I spotted her on top of a corner cabinet in our living room. Earlier, we had both looked behind the cabinet several times, including opening the cabinet doors.

With a flashlight in hand, Rich peeked behind the cabinet and this time, noticed an itty-bitty tail. The cabinet has a small, open space that is only accessible from the back. There’s no doubt that Gracie had been hiding there all day… and had no intention of coming out.

After Rich pulling her out from her hiding space, we put her in bed with us and closed the bedroom door. We weren’t going to chance having her disappear once again!

The picture above was taken this morning. Pu’Yi likes young women. I’m not sure that Gracie is necessarily amore with an older man.

Meet Gracie

15 Monday Feb 2010

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I’ve been tormenting Rich for months about getting another cat since I feel he’s unduly influenced the cats who now refer to me as “the pesky person who leaves in the morning and returns at night.” Because Rich works from home, he has a monopoly on the cats’ affections (and demands).

While I wanted another cat, I knew it was unrealistic with our already having six sets of beady yellow, green and blue eyes. Nevertheless, I’m always on the lookout for a cat (or kitten) in need. Last Saturday, we went to the PetSmart in Burlington (next to Mount Vernon) to purchase bird food. S.P.O.T. (Saving Pets One at a Time) was having an adoption event.

In one of the cages was a small Russian Blue cat. I’d had a Russian Blue as a child whose name was Celina so I recognized the breed immediately. The cat that was up for adoption was exquisite with deep blue-gray fur, silver muzzle, round golden eyes, slender body, and angular face.

I trotted over to Rich to “test” the idea of getting another cat and he was surprisingly amenable. His first comment was, “It’s so gray.”

“And,” I probed.

An older man – Dick Willson — was eager to answer our questions about the cat because he and his wife were its foster parents. They’d named the cat Sassy. She was one of four kittens that were dropped off by the owner. According to Dick, the kittens were very feisty and he had to handle them with welder gloves. Under his care, they became very loving animals. 

After we both held Sassy, we decided to adopt her! Rich, however, decided to rename her Gracie because “she’s so gray.”

Her first few days have been a bit traumatic. First, she had to be in the car from Mount Vernon to Kirkland; also in the car was Zephyra and Jujube who we took to Mount Vernon on Friday night. And once home, Gracie met the rest of the pride: Pu’Yi, Lunetta, Ariel Anne, and Goldakevtch.

Saturday morning, we decided to lock her downstairs in the family and laundry room with Pu’Yi and Goldakevtch so she could explore without Jujube pestering her. We went downstairs a few hours later and she was nowhere to be found, but I’d heard shuffling sounds from behind the bar refrigerator. We pulled it out and there was a small hole in the wall…

Happily, Rich was able to use a small saw to quickly cut a hole in the drywall to extract her. While he patched up the wall, I put her in a Papasan chair with Pu’Yi, who softly hissed then consented to snuggling with her. Pu’Yi likes young women!

It’s going to take another week or so until Gracie is comfortable around all of the cats. Fortunately, the old ladies – Ariel Anne and Goldakevtch – and Pu’Yi are used to other cats. Zephyra is very mellow. Lunetta is afraid of her own shadow so she’ll snarl at anything that even looks at her. And Jujube… half the time he’s scared of Gracie and other half he thinks she’s a play toy.

My Little Angel

02 Monday Nov 2009

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This year, Pu’Yi, my wonderful silver-point Siamese puppy-cat wanted to participate in Halloween. The obvious costume was an angel. Here he is with his wings. PuYi sprouts wings

When it got dark outside, I put him on a leash and sat on our front steps with a bowl of candy waiting for tricker-treaters. I could hear some children’s voices, but none appeared. So we waited and WAITED!

After 15 minutes, it started to drizzle, which turned into a rain. Pu’Yi wasn’t pleased and I was concerned that his wings would start to fall apart… even though they were made from white duck feather.

Of course, Pu’Yi was thrilled to go back into the house and more pressing, remove his wings. He spent the rest of the night avoiding me until bedtime, when he and the rest of the cats got to roam the house because Rich was away in Vancouver, Washington helping his son, Chris move.PuYi sprouts wings_2

Usually, the cats are locked in our family room because Rich can’t sleep with them walking over him or sleeping on his feet.

If you’re curious, Pu’Yi is the only cat I’d "dare" put wings on. Rich’s wild boy Jujube would have run frantically through the house until the wings ripped or fell off. Ariel, Goldakevtch, and Lunetta would have gnawed and scratched, making it impossible to tie on the wings. And little Zephyra would have been too squirmy. She’s a very tolerant and sweet cat, but doesn’t like to be held and her fur is so soft that she easily slips out of one’s hands.

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