It is time to say good-bye:

Friday morning dawned dark, cloudy and cold.

I had been expecting him to leave for the past week.

I was preparing myself.

I saw him and went over to touch him.

He lifted his head and stared at me with blank eyes.

My heart broke.

I left for work with a heavy heart.

As the sun came up I heard the birds singing.

Were they singing for him?

The sun finally came out.

The sky was blue with puffy clouds.

Were they beautiful for him?

The temperature warmed up.

The sun felt warm and a bunny hopped past,

on his way to the field,

Was he chasing a shadow?

The wind started to blow.

Swirling the dust and moving the clouds.

Had you already gone?

Were these all signs?

I did not know.

Was this to be the day?

My heart is heavy because I do not want to say goodbye,

even though I know I must.

I got home and you were still here.
One more day.
One more night.
One more hug and a kiss good bye!

Today, I sat waiting for Simon at the vets,
(getting his drain tubes removed)
I said a prayer for you.
I heard a bird singing.
I looked and then I saw him.
He was sitting by my car,
Singing and looking intently at my car.
I knew then he was telling me you had left.

It is never easy.

It is so very hard.

We had 16 1/2 good years together.

He was my companion, my baby, and my joy.

But today, I must say goodbye.

R.I.P.

Pepper

8-24-1994 to 2-5-2011

Pepper began life with a sister, on rough gravel between two stacks of Lumber on a warm August day back in 1994.  I brought them both home and bottle fed them.  His sister found a wonderful home, and, I had not intentions of keeping Pepper. #1:  Rick said NO MORE pets. (Honestly I had good intentions.) and #2: he was rather a homely child. But he grew on me, and I found I could not part with him.  Pepper grew into a handsome cat, with an attitude that I will never find again. He fit the descriptions of a Burmese and a Chartreuse but really never knew what he was. I don't even know what his mother looked like.

Pepper loved to get dressed up. He had a dresser drawer full of clothes. He wore 9 month size, and we did a lot of shopping at Goodwill for his wardrobe.

Pepper rarely purred. When he was a baby and drank from his bottle it was always a growl. This tended to carry on into his teenage years, and he would growl and hiss fiercely. The kids would bring home their friends, and with Pepper's attitude, he chased more than one teenage boy out of my house.

Pepper intimidated everyone he came in contact with, but never me.

I loved his growling and hissing.

It was who he was.

Pepper got to go all sorts of places.

He went on all our camping trips. He loved to explore new areas.

He adapted well to a halter and leash.

Pepper also loved to go shopping. He had a special shopping bag he would ride in. Kids always saw him in the cart, but parents/adults rarely ever did.

Pepper blended in well. He loved to help me sew. Mostly get in the way, but it was comforting to have him there.

Pepper loved to be arm weights when the son got into weight training.

Tipping the scales at 25 lbs, he held up his end of the training.

Pepper never left the yard. He did not climb fences, nor would he go through the holes or cracks.

He was totally content to hang out at home.

I think his excursions to town and on trips satisfied his rambling nature.

No matter what I had going on, Pepper just had to be in the middle of things, Helping out.

His favorite past time though, was sleeping. He was not very energetic, and sleeping 20 hours a day suited him quite well.

He was not picky about where he slept.

Pepper also loved the water. I called him my water baby.

Whenever he heard water running, he was right there.

We would race to see who got in the shower first!

He wouldn't be in there long, just enough to get wet, climb out and spend an hour licking all the water off.

The sprinklers were a source of pure joy for him.

As he got older though, he found an assistant to help lick all the water off.

Which, of whom, was only to happy to oblige.

Pepper rarely ever drank standing water. It always had to be moving water for him to drink.

So every morning and every evening, this was our ritual.

(The following pictures were taken 2-1-2011 and 2-2-2011)

He was handsome to the end.

The bottom two were taken

Back in 1995

Pepper was not a snuggler. But I showed him early on, when we would go on excursions,

that "I" was the safe place. I tried to never let anything scare him, and he learned to trust me.

I could take him anywhere, and he trusted that I would keep him safe.

I no longer can keep him safe.

Pepper was on loan to me,

and it is now time

 for him to return to God.

Thank you, Lord

for allowing me 16 1/2 wonderful years with Pepper.

He is now yours once again.