Saying Goodbye to Livey

Right after bringing Livey home.

Nearly five years I covered a murder on the east side of Springfield, Illinois. While shooting video of the home at the center of the incident, I noticed a tortoiseshell cat in the fenced-in backyard.  Moments later that cat jumped the fence and was at my feet, in the middle of Livingston Street, talking to me with a raspy meow.  She was emaciated, her meow weak. I was told she belonged to the murder victim, who clearly had not cared for her, and that earlier in the year she gave birth to a litter of kittens, all of them died.

It was a sad story, she was a sweet and persistent cat, and after she welcomed my cradling her (I was testing to see how she would respond to my affection), I was sold. I set the flea-infested cat on the passenger seat of my station vehicle, held her in place with one hand, and drove north to the Animal Protect League.  Once there, I told them to fix her up (spay, shots, all that fun stuff) and I would be back to welcome 'Rawr Rawr' (her initial name based on her raspy meows) into my home.

Livey's first night in my home was spent on my screened-in back porch.

A few days later, after realizing her name wasn't practical and was very hard to say, I changed her name to Livey, as in Livingston, the street where we met.

That was the beginning of the next four and a half years.  Livey, the third cat my home, moved from Springfield to my mom's old house in the Chicago burbs, to an apt in Chicago, and finally here to Indianapolis with me.

The cute duo.

My potbellied kitty, who for years ate until the point of throwing up, who was known to attack our other female cat, had her flaws, but was such a gift.  She's was the type of cat who would rub her nose against you if you make a smooching sound, who would take her petite paws and set them on your face whenever given a chance, who the veterinary staff all knew as a super sweet cat, one who defied the typical temperament of tortie cats.  She eventually made up half of what Spencer and I referred to as the 'cute duo'.  She and Harriette were always idling together in the house, Harry munching on her ears, Livey calmly standing by.

Two years ago Livey started showing signs of sickness, primarily diarrhea.  The vet recommended steroids, which then caused diabetes, and which this past week got to the point that we felt it was necessary to put her down.  On top of using our home as her personal bathroom, Livey had lost 50% of her weight, her back legs were starting to give out due to diabetic neuropathy.  The decision to let her go wasn't easy and was coupled with a lot of tears and uncertainty.

At the vet we cried, we cuddled, and took lots of photos.  Spencer, wanting to give Livey a final treat, even bit a dog treat in half so it was small enough for her to tackle.  Her final moments were calm, and it was surprisingly peaceful how the initial sedative hit her and she slowly lay her head down.  They put her in a cardboard coffin, taped fresh flowers from their garden to the top of it (which they told me they don't normally do), and puffy faced and worn out, we went on our way.

That was last night.  Today, upon their suggestion, we buried Livey in our neighbors' yard.  It made sense as we rent and have a tiny green space whereas they have a big, beautiful fenced-in yard where two of their cats are already buried.

Right now there's a part of me that mourns her, a part of that says 'it's just a cat', and a part of me actually celebrating the freedom Spencer and I now have (no more cleaning up her endless messes, or taking her with us on every trip out of town because she would destroy our home if left alone for days).

That's all.  Just wanted to make note of her and what she has meant to not just me, but Spencer, the last few years.  Little Livey. We'll miss her.

A Very DIY Christmas

Haven't blogged in a while.  I blame wedding planning and Christmas.  That said, before the holiday gets away from us any further, I need to share the DIY madness which was our family Christmas this year.  First though, the family photos...

Kelly Family Christmas in Champaign, Dec. 28

Forman Family Christmas in Wood Dale, Dec. 25

Now to the craftiness of everyone I know and love (including myself). What's so great about it: everyone created something different.  

From top left to bottom right below:  

• A jar of the handmade cashew butter Spencer's sister, Ashley, created.  Super delicious.  I've been eating it by the spoonful.   
• One of the chalkboard signs Spencer and I created for family.  We bought the wood at a craft store, along with some chalkboard paint, chalk pens, and twine.  Suprisingly looks just like it did on Pinterest:)
• A small purse I made for Allison.  I made a similar one for Ashley.  The most impressive piece to this, they're lined and I did both of them in one afternoon (albeit an afternoon of much swearing, but it didn't take nearly as long as I expected.)
• One of my gifts from Spencer.  A dishtowel with Harriette's mug ironed on the front.  We've since learned this can not be used as a hot pad....the Christmas tree image on the other side of this is already pretty melted.

• The stocking I made Spencer (he chose the cat fabric) so he'd have one that matches the hand-sewn stockings Allison made for our family years ago.
• Amy's new business venture turned Christmas gift: Rosemary foaming soap and two flavors of chap stick (mint and mango), all of which I've been using daily.

 

• Allison showing Amy two of the three shirts she designed for her with paint and contact paper, the blue design specifically made because it reminds her of a shirt our mom bought for Amy years ago.  
• Spencer modeling the potholder and oven mitt Allison created for us.  Hand sewn.  Really nice quality. Adorable.  Looks great in our kitchen. 

• The creative and thoughtful Christmas cards Spencer made with construction paper the morning of Christmas Eve. The first for his mother, who uses multiple emojis in every email; the second for his friend Randy who loves Dr. Who; and the third for me, his snowboarding fiance.   

• And I'm really proud of this one: Spencer's first sewing project.  We forgot to actually take a photo of it, but here's a picture of his mom putting it to use.  It's a cloth bookmark (with interface) that has a piece of elastic sewn into it (and he reinforced it!) so you can wrap it around the book and securely keep your place.