…… in only 3 days.

The critter hasn’t been seen, or left any evidence of his partying, since the slamming of the flue.

Raccoon – 0. Me – 1.

But we have now exchanged a wild, perhaps rabid, party animal, for a teeny, non-partying, but totally whiney new critter.
Here he is:

He’s six weeks old, his name is Cass, and no, he’s not mine. Son #2 completely ignored my protestations and brought him home.
Now guess who’s stuck kitten-sitting while he’s at school?!
It’s a good thing this little guy is cute. Because his high-pitched meows/whines could drive you stark raving mad.
Fortunately, Son #2 is graduating from school in just a few days. So I’m guessing that he’ll be here a couple of more months while he takes his test for his license, finds a job, makes some money …… and moves out.
Until then, little Cass fits pretty well under an upside down laundry basket. 🙂

In other news …… a family is moving into my house tomorrow. They’re leasing it for a year, and have paid 6 months up front.
So there you go.
Hopefully the house will hold together and I won’t have to fix anything.
Or become a slum lord.
But I’m certainly not above that. 🙂

I worked out with the trainer yesterday and planned to take a nap at some point during the day, but never found the time.
I went out to lunch with some lovely ladies from the neighborhood and had a nice time.
Then I came home to hang with a yowling kitty who misses his mom and his siblings.
Poor guy.

I got up early today to go play 3 sets of tennis in the east Texas heat. In spite of the humidity and hellish heat, it felt good to be out there.
Afterward I came home to …… you guessed it …… kitten sit.
I really wanted to take a nap.
But I had to leave again to go meet the tenants at the house and turn over the keys.
As I pulled up to the house I had to take a minute or three, to gather myself together so that I wouldn’t cry. I was full to overflowing.
While I’m happy to be out of that house, it is the house where Jim and I did the majority of the raising of our children.
And watching someone else take over was almost more than I could handle.
But I kept myself busy by checking all of the keys with all of the doors (almost every stinking door in that place — and there are MANY — has a different key from the others). The two real estate agents seemed to keep them busy discussing all things rental-related, so I got all of the keys lined up.
And didn’t cry.
Until I drove away.

It’s always something.
Always.
And it always will be.
No, I don’t spend my days, weeks or even months mired in grief anymore.
Thank God.

But every once in a while something happens, some wave sneaks in out of nowhere and soaks me to the skin, knocking me off balance.
I no longer fall, or get sucked in to the under tow, but the pain is still there.
And will always be there.

I love him.
More than ever.
I miss him.
Way more than ever.

But I’m thankful for him, for our life, our marriage, our children …… and for my life now.
And I’ll miss him every day of my life.