Thursday After Tuesday

Posted on 07/08/2018 by Andrew Reynolds

Heather and I returned from a wonderful vacation last Saturday night.  We took the river cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam with Viking River Cruises.  Can’t say enough how much we enjoyed the trip and the luxury on board ship.  Excellent food, top rate service, interesting sights, and every day a new port and adventure.  We saw Budapest, attended a concert in Vienna, cruised the Wachau Valley, went to Salzburg, had a fun meal in the Ratskeller in Munich, saw Courtroom 600 in Nuremberg, had an adventure finding a pharmacy open on a Sunday in Bamberg, walked the small town of Wertheim, saw the cathedral in Cologne, and visited Dutch windmills at Kinderdijk.

I took close to 600 pictures and Heather even more.  We took daily notes and bought guide books of the bigger sites we saw so we’d have a chance a remember all that we learned on our visit.  All through the trip I made an effort to be able to report later on the good stuff we discovered.

Today I had intended to post a fun little summary of our trip and do the work of outlining my July posts about the trip.  But …

Last Saturday was a travel day and we returned home late. Spotty and Socks kitties were at home, having stayed there with friend dropping by daily to feed them.  Bella and Boots were still at the Kitty Hotel.  We felt that two of the cats would do better on their own at home, while the other two needed more supervision. 

We rose Sunday morning to discover that the washing machine had a major leak and we were off to the Laundromat.  I picked up the two kitties from the hotel and they were fussy and needy for a few days.  On Tuesday Heather discovered that Spotty Kitty had a wound on her hind end and we spent part of Tuesday evening at the vet’s getting the abscess treated.  It’s likely that Spotty got in a fight with a local cat a few days before we got home.

Of course, all the kitties were fussy and upset at our long absence and interruption to their routine.  Cats like routine and don’t do well when that is interrupted.  By Wednesday things were mostly back to normal with the cats and Heather had purchased a new washing machine that we hope will be delivered next week.

Then Thursday happened.

Heather called me at the office midday and I knew something was wrong – she never calls me at work and I knew something horrible had happened before I answered that call.

Our beautiful kitty, Bella, had died.  Here is what I posted for our Facebook Friends that day:

Goodbye Bella

It was four years ago that Bella kitty and her three siblings came into our house.  Over those years she made her way into our lives and hearts.

Today she was hit by a car and died.

If there is a rainbow bridge, Bella is now in that green meadow waiting for us.

Today in this place, there is an empty bowl, a red blanket without an owner, the memory of a face that will never again appear in the kitchen, and a kitty bed with fresh roses placed with care.

We called her Bella, Bella Kitty, Bella the Belly, or sometimes just Belly.

There is no way to write today of all that she meant to us.  The tears flow too freely to see the screen to write.  The heart aches too much at the thought of the hole that has just been torn open.

Back in May I wrote a post titled, Contrast, that title has been on my mind again this week.  The joy and excitement of our once in a life time trip will forever be balanced by a homecoming that has left a hole in our hearts.

And yet life goes on – two memories will live with us forever, the wonderful European river cruise and the life of our dear little Bella.

Peace,

Andrew

About Andrew Reynolds

Born in California Did the school thing studying electronics, computers, release engineering and literary criticism. I worked in the high tech world doing software release engineering and am now retired. Then I got prostate cancer. Now I am a blogger and work in my wood shop doing scroll saw work and marquetry.
This entry was posted in General, Kitties, Travel and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

51 Responses to Thursday After Tuesday

  1. Chris Sarantopoulos says:
    07/30/2018 at 12:55 am

    I’m sorry to hear about Bella. It’s always very hard when a beloved pet dies. It’s been 3 years since our cat, Bruno, died, but we still miss him and often recall his playfulness.

    Liked by 4 people

  2. CJ Hartwell says:
    07/15/2018 at 11:43 am

    I’m so very, very sorry. Losing a pet is always difficult, but especially when they’re young.

    Liked by 3 people

  3. G. J. Jolly says:
    07/15/2018 at 5:26 am

    It’s so hard losing a pet. I am so sorry for your loss.

    Liked by 4 people

  4. coastalmom says:
    07/13/2018 at 9:02 am

    So sorry about your kitty! I love your writings. If I can’t go, your photos & stories take me there!

    Liked by 3 people

  5. LuAnn says:
    07/12/2018 at 2:14 pm

    Your cruise sound wonderful Andrew. So sorry that such a wonderful adventure was followed by the loss of your Bella. So sorry to hear this.

    Liked by 4 people

  6. Baydreamer says:
    07/11/2018 at 3:55 pm

    Thanks for sharing about your wonderful trip, but I’m so sorry to hear about Bella. It’s so hard losing a pet, so there are no words, except to remember the time you had with her. Take care…

    Liked by 3 people

  7. aginggracefullymyass says:
    07/10/2018 at 7:40 pm

    I’m so very sorry Andrew. But Bella crossed that rainbow bridge knowing that she was dearly, dearly loved. I know you will miss her… Virtual healing hugs of comfort for you and Heather.

    Liked by 3 people

  8. mitchteemley says:
    07/10/2018 at 4:15 pm

    Welcome home, my friend. And sympathy for the loss of your dear companion Bella. Make that empathy. I’m owned by a cat and can feel your loss.

    Liked by 2 people

  9. Itching for Hitching says:
    07/10/2018 at 3:54 pm

    So sorry to hear of your loss. They may be just cats to others but to those of us who understand them they are the best of companions and a part of the family.

    Liked by 3 people

  10. Diane Henders says:
    07/10/2018 at 10:26 am

    Oh, no, how awful. Poor Bella; and poor you and Heather. My heart aches for you.

    Liked by 3 people

  11. kritsayvonne says:
    07/09/2018 at 1:46 pm

    At first I was excited to read your post as we too have just returned from a wonderful river trip and particularly enjoyed Budapest, Bratislava, and a concert in Vienna. Then I reached the sad part. A pet is never just an animal but part of the family. Best wishes, X

    Liked by 4 people

  12. artistpath says:
    07/09/2018 at 1:42 pm

    So sorry for your loss, Andrew. I still mourn the loss of our cat that passed while we were on vacation years ago. They forever hold a special place in our hearts♥

    Liked by 2 people

  13. dorannrule says:
    07/09/2018 at 12:50 pm

    I am so sorry about your dear Bella. Losing a beloved creature from our lives is the most painful thing. I have been there and my heart goes out to you and Heather for your loss.

    Liked by 3 people

  14. Allan G. Smorra says:
    07/09/2018 at 7:19 am

    I’m sorry to hear about your loss, Andrew. It is never easy to lose a pet. They are time capsules of our lives.
    Ω

    Liked by 2 people

  15. Jacqui Murray says:
    07/09/2018 at 7:18 am

    I am broken-hearted for you, Andrew. I have followed you and the exploits of all of your cats for years, know the love and respect with which you treat your cats, how you cherish each as a unique family member. I am so sad for your loss.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Relax... says:
    07/09/2018 at 6:01 am

    Andrew, I’m sorry to hear of your loss, and its residual shock. The contrasts are mind-boggling. On what I hoped wouldn’t be the last day of life for one of our fur-kids, and while waiting for my husband to clear our the back of his van, if I turned my head to the left, I could watch my first ever hummingbird up close, a jewel green, something I’d longed forever to see, now busily attracted by the bee balm flowers that perfect July Sunday morning in bright sun. If I turned it to the right, I saw our only dog ever, laying on the side yard’s lawn, incapable of ambulating because of pain, and bleeding from somewhere we ultimately couldn’t fix. I forced myself to look to the right, all my attention to the right. We did not come back with him. Hummingbirds seem overrated since then. Your Bella had a good life. Our JJ had a good life. We can at least know that.

    Liked by 4 people

  17. Mama's Empty Nest says:
    07/09/2018 at 5:52 am

    Aw, so sad. Living in the country as we do, this is how we lost most of our cats except for our last kitty. She was terrified of the road and cars and we were glad of it.

    Liked by 2 people

  18. timsablog says:
    07/09/2018 at 12:08 am

    This is where we need something other than “like” button. Life’s ups and downs in one post.

    Liked by 4 people

  19. Ray V. says:
    07/08/2018 at 10:16 pm

    Not much wisdom to impart, so I’ll simply send virtual hugs.

    Liked by 3 people

  20. lifelessons says:
    07/08/2018 at 9:03 pm

    Aw, so sad. It was a year ago that my four kittens were dumped on my doorstep. I’ve lost two cats here in the past 17 years and lost three in the 14 years I lived in the Redwoods of CA. , but so far so good for these four. It is the price they pay for freedom. My 17 year old cat stays inside by choice, but I don’t want to keep the young cats inside all the time. I suppose I will face what you are going through now in the future. Hope not, but part of loving animals and people is losing them and the good parts of pets outweigh the sad parts. Still, so sorry you’ve lost your Bella.

    Liked by 3 people

  21. cindy knoke says:
    07/08/2018 at 8:14 pm

    I am so sorry.

    Liked by 3 people

  22. davidprosser says:
    07/08/2018 at 8:07 pm

    I’m sorry for your loss Andrew, it’s obvious what all your cats mean to you.
    Hugs

    Liked by 3 people

  23. Pied Type says:
    07/08/2018 at 7:55 pm

    Andrew, I’m so very sorry to hear about Bella. I’ve had kitties all my life and I know how excruciating it is to lose one. But how wonderful to have had them in our lives.

    Liked by 3 people

Comments are closed.