Honestly, I’ve had enough of all these end-of-the-year rituals, lists, overviews, whatever. Paraphrasing Niels, it’s just a countdown to an arbitrarily chosen time. What is the point, really?
Anywhooo… despite being fed up with all this, the end of the year is a moment of reflection, a time to look back, a time to look forward.
Looking back, 2013 was the year when we had to say goodbye to Noukie, way too soon, way too soon. This photo is in honour of her life, our most special cat, our friend, our support. We miss you.
As for looking forward: in 2014 we will be moving house, leaving behind lots of memories. I plan to do some photography related to that, trying to catch parts of those memories, the essence of this place, triggers to evoke memories. That’ll be my first (own) assignment for the new year.
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:-/ Hard to believe it’s been nine freakin’ months since our cats have left us, Jacco! Nine months!
I wonder if that will be easier for you, being in a new place? Or, will be for me, when I move sometime in the next month or two? Still to this day, I look at a spot in my place, and it makes me think of her.
The strange little things… in the past month, relaxing some evening, I watched an old American TV show called ‘Cheers’, and it’s theme song, is just this catchy number that you can’t help singing to, and it apparently must have been the first time I have watched an episode of the show since she has gone, because as soon as I started singing along with it, I thought of Li’l Girl, and how whenever I would sing and or whistle, and if she was lying with me (which she almost always was, either on my chest, in my lap, or beside me), I don’t know what it was, but she would always get in my face! 😀 Meow and purr… I don’t know if she was intrigued by the music emanating from my mouth, or liked it, or what, but she would always just get up and stick her face right in front of mine, which always cracked me up and made me laugh each and every time! And her not here to do that this past month, you can believe it brought a sting of tears to my eyes! The little things that pop up out of nowhere.
My older brother, on Christmas, he asked if I had gotten another cat yet, to which I replied no, and that I most likely never will. Have you thought of getting another one, Jacco? After my first cat, Kitty, died in 1996, I ended up getting Li’l Girl, impulsively, six months later… and had her up till nine months ago. Not this time… I really don’t think I will ever get another one… if I do, it won’t be for a long, long while.
I don’t recall if I ever asked you this, but what did you do with her after she passed? When I move early this new year, it will be away from here, and this area entirely… away from where I buried her up in the foothills. That actually will be kinda hard and tough for me to do, to move away from being near her, like I am leaving her. Which, to me, really is silly to think that… but, still a part of me does and will feel that way.
Anyway… to, Noukie, and Li’l Girl
Jeff,
I think it will be hard leaving the old place behind, but it will get easier in the new place. Just guessing here, though. Cheers, yes, I know that one, “where everybody knows your name”. Sorry, evoking your memory again. These are the sudden, often unexpected moments when one realises the loss. We too have those moments.
It’ll be eight months the day after tomorrow, so a little longer for you. We thought about burying her in the backyard, but there has been -for years and years- a possibility that we would be moving house. With that now becoming reality, I’m glad we didn’t opt for the backyard. Instead, she was cremated, her ashes scattered across a field. We have had plans to visit the place, but have gotten cold feet just as many times. We’d rather sit and talk, sharing memories of her, looking at photos, rather than visiting that field.
And yes, we are thinking of getting another cat. We still have one, and she always liked to be close to Noukie. There’s never a replacement for Noukie, but it might (might…) be nice to have two cats again, so they can sleep, play and sometimes have a bit of a fight together. Not too much luck yet: we had reserved a very nice kitten at the animal shelter, but it wasn’t to be: she didn’t make it past the first few months, she is no more. We have never seen her in real life, only a photo remains. This makes us a bit more reluctant for now, maybe it just isn’t to be.
Moving further away, as you will do, will be hard, I can imagine. We’re only moving 1-2 miles, so no big issue there.
To Li’l Girl and Noukie.