moments I am missing

please click on photo to see this scene up close.

These are the irreplaceable moments in life. Sometimes you see them and sometimes they go by unnoticed. I am glad I have a picture of this one to remind me of the happy memories our kitty Sylvia gave us while she was with us.
Last night as we talked about another day without Sylvia, I mentioned how I found different moments through out the day harder to bear, pulling into the driveway being one of them. Sylvia was always there waiting for us. She would see us driving down the block and would dart across the yard to greet us. I told my son and husband I realized now that Sylvia is gone, it's as if a bright light is missing. We all agreed how much we all looked forward to seeing her everyday, her presence just seemed to make life a little brighter.

Today I am missing Sylvia the most. In her younger days she used to stay outside all night. This last year she had been coming in at night when I would let Priscilla out for her last pee. The last two nights just as Priscilla was going out the door, she hesitated as if she was waiting for Sylvia to come inside. That was their little ritual. Priscilla would let Sylvia into the house before she would go out to pee. She loved to sniff Sylvia as she entered the house and it always amazed me that Sylvia would let her. In fact she seemed to saunter in slowly as if she was saying, "Sniff away little Priscilla, take your time, no need to rush."
But last night Priscilla looked out into the night hesitating, like she was confused, her world had gone awry and she wasn't able to figure it out.
This morning I let Priscilla out at 6AM. Usually Sylvia and she would go out the door together. As I opened the door it was like being met with a huge gaping hole. Even though our son was sleeping upstairs, my husband was getting ready for work, Priscilla was standing beside me and the birds and squirrels were busy doing their morning thing, everything seemed completely empty. It was as if a bright light was indeed missing.

happy anniversary to me!

I can't believe it has been one year today since I started blogging. I wanted to post something special today to commemorate the occasion so I will leave you with a post about my favorite animals, nudge one & nudge two, my faithful loyal companions.
The way they act, you would think these two are sisters. They love each other very much, but like some sisters I know, they seem to watch each others every move as if to make sure the other one stays in line. Priscilla, the dog, seems to think it's her duty to make sure I let Sylvia, the cat, inside whenever she hears her outside the door. She will bark at the door until I let the cat in and then promptly trot away as if she is thinking, yes, my job is done- your welcome very much.
Priscilla also thinks it's her job to get me to fill up Sylvia's food dish. If I am upstairs she cries until I come down and when I ask her what she wants, she darts her eyes to the cabinet where the cat food is kept and then over to the cat, doing this several times until I get the hint. I kid you not, this is exactly what she does. I know, it's unbelievable, right?
Between the two of them, Sylvia mostly keeps Priscilla in line. She does this by making sure Priscilla doesn't chase any squirrels. If Sylvia catches her chasing the squirrels, she dashes across the yard like a cougar & swipes at her a few times just to let her know those squirrels are not negotiable, at least not unless she isn't too busy sunning herself on the patio.
Sylvia also likes to lie in wait behind the ottoman until innocent Priscilla happens to stroll by only to be jumped over and around by Sylvia the cougar. This sudden movement by Sylvia causes quite the ruckus with lots of very nervous barking and then playful leaping and more half hearted swipes on Sylvia's part. Priscilla seems stunned every time.
Like humans, these two require a lot of attention. As you can see by this photo, they give me a lot of attention too. This is their favorite spot to sit and look at me from. I have never been more stared at in all my life. Notice how they hang out by their food dish & the door. How convenient.
I hope you enjoy visiting here as much as I enjoy posting here. Thank you for reading & leaving your interesting comments. They always make my day. Until next time, Love,
Lily
PS If you enlarge this photo, you can see the contrast in personalities by noticing the look in their eyes.

Sylvia is very patient.

When she saw me coming over to her I could tell she was hoping I would pet her. She starts doing all these flips and rolls and acting really cute as if to say, "pet me, scratch my chin, scratch behind my ears, please." Then Priscilla has to barge in and Sylvia has to make a decision,"Do I want to deal with this one now?"
That is why I think she is so patient because Sylvia totally puts up with her. Well, for the most part anyway. Like the other night when she was up on her hind legs fighting with both paws as Priscilla cowered in the corner, no that wasn't good. I literally had to pull her off of Priscilla. Still, I have to give her credit. I'm pretty sure Sylvia could make mincemeat out of Priss if she truly wanted too.

Sylvia seems to understand Priscilla's nosiness.

Maybe in Sylvia's mind she feels she needs to set boundaries thinking that somehow Priscilla will relent. I think Priscilla instinctively knows when to back off, though I would never underestimate her cunning ways.
Most of the time they peacefully co-exist.

the good news...

is that I lost 2 pounds. I'm not going to be getting all excited over this because everything depends on how I do the next three days, including today. I was very surprised when I got on the scale this morning because other than walking Priscilla, I didn't get to exercise yesterday. I also only journaled half of my days food intake which included 4 milk chocolate malt balls. Yes, my will was very weak. Though I was keeping track in my head as far as what food I ate, I just couldn't seem to write it down.
Anyway, today I have a better plan that will include a nice long run as well as some possible weight lifting (thanks to Kitty's encouragement) after dinner in the privacy of my living room.

Our cat Sylvia, isn't she pretty?