| Author |
 Replies: 24 / Views: 3,588 |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
10029 Posts |
I am disabled and do a lot of sitting/writing/research. I had a wonderful lap warmer named Brookfield (Brookie), almost every hour of the day for the last 12 years (when I became disabled) to keep me company. She also was a great help when going through the chronic migraines which plague me. She normally was on the bed at night cuddled up to my side. She was the kind of cat that NOTHING bothered her. She was friendly and calm enough when it came time to clip her nails, she would simply lay on her back, I would spread her paws and take normal nail clippers to her while she just contently waited. She would lick me when I was done. Funny how a cat can become so dear to a person. Last summer she developed a lump - long story shortened - we had to put her down last week. The cancerous lump in her throat was slowly suffocating her more and more as it continued to grow. For 17 years old, she still ran around the house and played with my other cat, Puppy, like she was not his senior by eleven years. If it were not for the lousy lump and cancer, she acted like he would be around for a long time to come. Cannot bring myself to post a pic of her yet.
Besides this tragedy, I also have a rather large project. The National Insulator association has asked me to be their research and education advisor. So now I am trying to coordinate a " Red Book" type of reference online for glass insulators. Rather than mint marks, insulators have mold markers or date codes on them. So I am coordinating with some web programmers to set up an online reference/data collection system set up where every one of these will be listed for every type of glass insulator (North American for now). This is a massive project, but the power of the internet will make it possible to amass all the information needed. So rather than MM meaning "Mint Mark" as with coins, in my other hobby MM will now be "Mold Mark." People had started to try to collect all the MMs for a specific type of glass insulator with very little reference available as to how many there are. So the "Insulator Red Book" will fill a gap the hobby is trending towards. BTW - I did ask the people I am working with to try to come up with a "better" name for the project, but they liked "Project Red Book." I don't know the final name of the actual reference guide yet  I also am in the process of relocating to a different state! So packing, sorting, etc. (as health permits) is also something I have been trying to engage in. So I likely will continue not to be here daily as a very active participant. There is no way, however, I would, or ever could give up the coin hobby. Sometimes life and other hobby responsibilities get in the way of numismatics... I do miss being here as much as I used to.  Edited by Earle42
03/21/2019 5:15 pm
|
|
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United Kingdom
17890 Posts |
Hi Earle42, very sorry to hear about Brookie. I know what you're going through as my cat Felix passed away last year.
Best of luck with the insulator project! I've just been to New Zealand where I cycled along several hundred miles of disused railway lines that have been converted to cycle paths. I found a few insulators but they were rather uninspiring black Vulcanite ones. I have brought one home for a souvenir. I saw no glass insulators at all!
|
|
Pillar of the Community
 United States
6506 Posts |
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
So sad for you, nothing hurts as much as that  . Pain shared is pain lessened. Edited by TNG
03/21/2019 2:52 pm
|
|
Moderator
United States
56855 Posts |
Very sad to hear you lost such a good friend. I know how it feels. Best of luck to you. John1  |
|
Moderator
United States
187702 Posts |
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
9150 Posts |
Sorry to hear of your loss. |
|
Rest in Peace
United States
18456 Posts |
Sorry to here about Brookie . It's a sad thing when a favorite pet dies . I had a wonderful lap cat named Jynx who passed away last year .he had a lot of medical issues . Time heals all wounds . |
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
5393 Posts |
Cats are amazing creatures ! Sorry for your loss . Last year we had to put down our Beautiful Black Beauty , Sheba .
She developed cancer in the same area as your beloved .
Trouble is we still have her 18 year old male buddy and he still looks for her daily. I write this as he is laying on my IPad
making it rather amusing and difficult to write , to say the least .
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
 United States
10029 Posts |
I appreciate the encouragement from my CCF family. I know I could count on you standing by me in this time. As has been said, sharing grief helps. I see others have had to go through the same terrible thing in life. My condolences to you also. Our pets leave behind a big hole big hole in our hearts, but the memories are sweet. I am just waiting for time to make the joy of the memories overcome the main affect of the empty hole I now have inside.
I have not lost a pet I was close to since I was a kid. I have another cat named Puppy (I named the dog Kitty) which seems to have been a little mystified for a couple of days. He treated Brookie like she was the head of the house. The only real difference I have seen in him is he no longer goes into hiding when napping. The way the two of them used to romp around here and groom each other, I thought he would be acting more strange.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
 United States
2362 Posts |
Sorry to hear that Brookie passed on. I know the initial empty feeling of losing a dear pet. Years ago a young pregnant cat showed up at our doorstep and we took her in. It was soon obvious to us that she was also abused then abandoned. Cleo spent 11 great years with us. Then she developed kidney disease and I had finally had to put her down.
At first my thoughts were the sad thoughts of losing her but in time my thoughts are the happy thoughts of all the enjoyment she brought us.
Member ANA and EAC "You got to lose to know how to win". Dream On by Aerosmith |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3540 Posts |
Tough to say goodbye to our four legged buddies. They really do become part of our lives.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
Especially, if for whatever reason, you happen to be mostly housebound.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
I hope that you are starting to be OK Earle, Those first days and weeks are hard. You'll be OK.
After Wheezydog died, I was devastated. A few years later I got Little Boy and now it's been 8 years.
Love em both, sang to Wheezy and now I sing to Little Boy all the time. Someday, we will be able to meet our pets in Heaven. I believe it anyway. It makes it easier to bear and it just doesn't make much sense if it doesn't come true.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
10029 Posts |
Quote:
Especially, if for whatever reason, you happen to be mostly housebound. I am disabled with POTS and have been now for 10 years or so. Mine is severe enough its incapacitating with chronic migraines, vertigo, and whenever I change from sitting to standing my blood pressure drops 30 to 40 points (same when straining my diaphragm in any way including even laughing!). My system also doesn't make enough of some of the natural chemicals we all take for granted (like serotonin which is why I have the migraines) so, for example, I am on anti-depression meds to compensate. Knowing the depression is just a lack of chemicals also makes it a lot easier to deal, but, as you can imagine, a setback like this makes a disruption in my normal impetus to do much except vegetate with a good movie! Quote:
I hope that you are starting to be OK Earle, Those first days and weeks are hard. You'll be OK. Thanks for the concern. My other cat, Puppy, seems now to be taking over as the head cat and is spending more time on my lap than he ever did. He and I are both adjusting. I had a friend come down to see me from Pittsburgh this last weekend and he treated me to a 1st class steam train ride on the Strasburg, PA RR. It was a great diversion and a lot of fun as its a true-to-period setup in every detail. After that we spent some time on our insulator hobby. He recently also has started a serious (understatement!) currency collection. So he brought several nice items for me to drool over - ever see a 1928 series $500.00 graded as a 64? Wow! Tomorrow my wife returns from a mission trip to TX with school students. So life will be a little more back to normal. I think my interests will return with typical routine returning. Pets in Heaven... As a good friend once said, the Earth was first created with animals and it was God's pattern of a perfect world. So although the Bible does not mention pets in Heaven, if animals were a main part of a perfect world (well, perfect until Adam and Eve brought the curse of sin on Creation!), then how could there not be animals in a perfect Heaven? I like his way of thinking :) How much squash could a Sasquatch squash if a Sasquatch would squash squash? Download and read: Grading the graders Costly TPG ineptitude and No FG Kennedy halveshttps://ln5.sync.com/dl/7ca91bdd0/w...i3b-rbj9fir2 |
|
Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
901 Posts |
Best wishes to you Earle, I'm an animal lover myself, ex-racing Greyhounds we love. We've had cats in the past too, best regards.
|
| |
Replies: 24 / Views: 3,588 |
Posted 03/21/2019 2:47 pm
