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Showing posts sorted by relevance for query meia. Sort by date Show all posts

Sweet Meia

I feel like our hearts have been put through a test since last September. Not even being a year since we lost our beloved Baz and still not fully healed, we had another blow to our hearts. We let go of another one of our wonderful pets after almost 18 years.


Our sweet, loveable, little, Meia, left us on Thursday and we are all still emotionally numb. Last Friday I didn't really feel like posting for my "Five simple things" because most of the day we were all confused, hurt, and just lost. I felt like I kept hearing her little meow from under the bed and looking at her food bowls really broke my heart. The three of us took Friday off from everything and just used the day to grieve. The Mr. was able to go back to work on Saturday and keep his mind active, but The Bean and I really struggled. The Mr. said he took a few times throughout the day to excuse himself while he walked a hallway at work with tears in his eyes, or went to a back room at work to have a private moment to reflect on what great pets we've lost in less than a year and mourn for Meia.



  
Pets are such great companionship and Baz was all of our companions, but Meia was different. She was mainly my cat. She was Siamese/Persian and the runt of the litter she was born into. She was always so small and as The Mr. put it, "A forever kitten." I think that phrase defined her in a perfect way.



 
Meia was born in 2000 and came into our lives the same year in October. She was the only female in the bunch; With the other three being her brothers. My sister had lost her kitten, Max, a few months prior and had talked The Mr. and I into going with her to a pet store in Hot Springs, Arkansas, to find another kitty to help her get through her loss. We found the lucky foursome huddled in a corner of a cage at a pet shop in the local mall for $25 each. My sister talked The Mr. and I into taking two and she took the other two with the hopes that we could have them play together on random days and enjoy our kittens together. Unfortunately, after seperating the four they never bonded again together as a four and they were all really skittish in their behavior. Her two kittens, Cooper and Norman, became friends and our two kittens, Milo and Meia, became friends. Milo and Meia were colored the same, but were opposite in coloring. Milo was mostly dark gray with some white and Meia was mostly white with her dark gray ears and dark gray tail. She was definitely one of a kind in her coloring and personality.

Milo and Meia were such great cats over the next six years. They both would sit with me in our living room in Arkansas and eat cheese out of my hand and slowly they started trusting me and coming out slowly to socialize with us. We started letting them go outside more and Milo would climb trees, chase birds, and be a normal cat. Meia, on the other hand, never climbed a tree, was scared of birds, and would stay close to the porch and watch her brother play. She had moments where she would follow him through the woods, but shortly after she would come running back to the safety of the house. She wasn't a normal cat and we noticed as she got older in age, she always remained small like a kitten. Milo took care of her, though. Because of her being so tiny and not quite fully developed physically and mentally she needed him. He helped groom her, showed her where the food was, and also helped her in and out of the litter box from time to time. They were always together, running around together, and playing together, until Milo's kidney issues took him away from us in 2006. After Milo's passing Meia was lost. She didn't come out from under the bed for four days and she didn't know what to do after he was gone. It broke our hearts to see her grieving for him. I tried several attempts to get her to warm up to me and trust me again. I finally got her to come around after several days and she started opening up to me more, sleeping with me, and before long I became her person to help her get through life. 




She and I would sit together and just enjoy each other's company. She was such a great cat overall and over the years she started showing her great personality to The Mr. and The Bean. She would come into the kitchen when The Mr. was getting ready for work and talk to him while he made his lunch for the day. That is one thing Meia enjoyed, talking. She would sit and meow at us in different tones and tell us so many things.



She would sit in the windows waiting on all three of us, or one of us, when we left the house. She watched out for us and Baz. When we brought Hardy into the family she immediately showed him the first love. She loved other animals completely, but she thought dogs were great! She showed Baz and Hardy so much love throughout the years and they loved her in return. When Baz started getting sick she stuck by his side. She loved him and he loved her. She outlived all of her brothers in the end, with Milo passing first, then Norman passing in 2014, and Cooper following in 2016.

 

Meia was more than a cat, she was our sweet, little, friend that showed her love for us the older she got. She saw the arrival of The Bean and watched him grow up. She traveled from Arkansas to Oregon, moved with us all four times. We were hoping to have a full 20 years with her and have her take the next steps in our life with us. I don't feel that 17 years and nine months is enough for her, or any animal, and having her poor, little heart fail her in the end just isn't fair. Meia was one of a kind and deserved a better end to her wonderful life. She and Baz are missed so much by everyone that knew them both completely. Our family Christmas pictures won't be the same without her and the 17 years she graced our social media accounts, text messages, and paper photographs. Her presence is missed so much by us and our hearts are broken knowing she is gone. Pets give us so much in their life and in the end, letting go is the hardest part.

 
Her last picture on the way to the veterinarian to be euthanized. I enjoyed her cuddling with me and spending these last moments by her side. With years of loyalty a pet gives it is our duty to repay them and be with them until their final heartbeat.

We'll be seeing you, Meia.
Thank you for 17 years of loyalty and love.

Baby Meierz (October 20, 2000 - August 9, 2018)

The source of this is unknown, but this gravesite of "Dewey" sums up a lot of how I feel about my sweet, little Meia.

“Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.” ― A.A. Milne

Five simple things

Hello.

We have had a rough week. Last Thursday we said goodbye to our little kitty, Meia, and it's left quite a hole in our hearts. Last Friday I didn't feel like posting a "Five simple things" because of this and since Thursday all of us have been in grief mode. On Tuesday we got to see our precious cat one last time before she was cremated and it was heartbreaking. The Bean grew up with Meia always around, just like Baz and it's been so hard for him. Meia has been with us for almost 18 years. She was the first pet, along with her brother, Milo, The Mr. and I had when we first moved in together. She's been our "relationship" pet all these years, saw the passing of her brother, saw the passing of three of our pets before her, saw the arrival of The Bean, moved with us to Oregon from Arkansas, and was our little house cat. I can't even begin to explain how much she meant to us and how much she will dearly, wholeheartedly, and terribly missed by all three of us. Having lost two of our longtime pets in less than a year is incredibly difficult to accept. They were amazing animals and they have definitely left a void in our lives. Please take a moment to read my blog post dedicated to our sweet Meia here.

Here are "Five simple things" that made my week.

1. These peas...


Things are coming along nicely.
"In order to live off a garden, you have to practically live in it." 
― "Kin" Hubbard, American humorist (1868-1930)

2. This cottonwood seed...


They are everywhere and almost like snow.

3. Some river floating...

Two weekends in a row now we have floated some of the area rivers including, the Willamette River and the Santiam River. This is the first summer that we have floated these rivers and we have been having a blast!


4. This lid and Klean Kanteen...

 
This Klean Kanteen came with a plastic lid, I ordered a stainless steel lid to use instead. The plastic lid will be sold in a future yard sale we have planned before summer ends. The Bean has been using this stainless steel water bottle for his water and I think it's been filled at least 100x this week alone. You can get the same one here.

5. Lastly, our missed Meia.

We are really missing her and her sweet personality. Please take a minute to read about what a great cat Meia was here, and here

Five Simple Things (May 20)

 Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. This View.

Love how it looks right now. When we are inside our home, or sitting in our backyard, for a moment we forget we live in the middle of a city.

2. This Moon.

This past Sunday was a full moon named Blood Moon -Super Flower/Full Milk. We had a decent view of it from our backyard, but through the telescope, the view can't be beat. Lunar Eclipse was also able to be seen on Sunday, but we here on the west coast didn't get a good view. Holding out for 2024 for the total solar eclipse that will happen once again, but a full lunar eclipse would be awesome to see. (On May 18, we also got a view on the Spring Triangle. It's a grouping of stars in the sky that literally form a long triangle. It's stars of Spica-Virgo, Arcturus-Bootes, and Regulus-Leo.

3. These Spots.
 
Anxiety affects everyone suffering with it a bit differently and sometimes it can affect the person with a completely different symptom. When I hear that anxiety is all in your head these are the moments that people don't see. I call these spots my cheetah spots. They pop out in high anxiety situations, but when and where those situations happen varies. It could be just going into a store, a classroom, work, or an appointment. It could be sitting in traffic, feeling overwhelmed with stress, or even lack of confidence to a particular situations, or person. Sometimes certain comments made towards me also have an affect. I used to avoid being social when these cheetah spots would appear. It upset people, especially "family" that we would not show up at a planned event. They took it personally, but what they didn't see was what was happened behind closed doors. These spots eventually fade after about an hour, but the physical response of high levels of anxiety aren't all in your head. It's a genuine condition that shouldn't be taken lightly by anyone. There are coping mechanisms like the necklace around my neck in this picture, but overall, it will always be present. And, the fact that I can control it even just a small bit, gives me comfort. Don't tell people their emotions, responses, or even mental health issues are all in their head. It does more long-term damage to that person than you realize. And, be kind. Not everything people are going through is about you.

4. This Kitten.

Skylar and I visited the local animal shelter to donate a few things and walk through to see all of the animals up for adoption. I try to donate dog food around Baz's birthday and cat food around Meia's birthday. It's my way of giving back in such a way that makes me keep their memory alive and makes me feel good about helping out other animals. Meia's cat food donation has always been in the form of her favorite food, but Baz's donation has been random things he loved; soft foods and soft treats. These little kitties in this room were so playful and fun to watch. When I walk through the shelter at times I see small glimpses of Baz and Meia. I always tear up, but it's more of happy to see these small glimpses than tears of sadness. I miss them so terribly bad, but I do believe in spirits and I know they are watching me, love me, and are proud of me.

5. This Sleet.
 
 
Random bout of hail fell this week. We had been sitting outside and had just walked inside and we heard loud picking sounds hitting the windows. Weather lately is so confusing. Never know exactly what's going to happen here. Definitely didn't expect hail to fall during a 70 degree day.

Positive affirmations this week:

Have a nice weekend.

Christmas 2015 and New Year's 2016


Wow, what a great holiday season we've had!  I took so many pictures that it took me awhile to sort through them all.  This Christmas was spent at home this year and if you follow my blog you will remember where we were last Christmas.....

  
We were glad of the smiles and the laughs as we three opened our gifts from each other.  We always set a dollar amount to less than $50, but this year we lifted the amount to make it more fun.

  
We didn't get a chance to have a family photo for the year taken, but our last minute Christmas cards were a big hit anyway.  

We went with Minted this year and for every single tweak I made to the cards, Minted was right there to fix, walk me through, and change up every little detail.  I am so pleased with the way they turned out and everyone loved them, even without a family photo.  I've decided next year we will get an early start.

If you haven't had the time to send out holiday cards for Christmas, you will have time to do some for New Year's.  You can send holiday cards all through January before it's too late.  Check them out and see what they can do for you.



Our tree star stayed crooked the entire season, but instead of straightening it, we left it that way to give the tree more character.  It was perfect!

The strung cranberries looked great against the green of the tree.  I think next year we will string cranberries and popcorn and try to go with a more natural look for our real tree.

The cranberries are now hanging on a tree for the birds to enjoy.  A few blue jays and some starlings have already peaked at them and enjoyed the berries.


We strung fresh cranberries for a tree decor this year and had a blast with it.  We've decided to place the cranberry strings outside now for the birds to enjoy. 

We strung them on regular yarn in white.  The cranberries, as they were being strung, stained the white yarn to a pretty pink color.  I am wondering what they would do to an Easter egg now.  We shall find out in the spring.  
  
Our Christmas cards were placed on a homemade star this year.  It's made our of yard sticks.  I will show how to make a similar version on the blog soon.  

Skylar-Braden made little trees from washi tape and lined the wall with them opposite the Christmas tree.  


This ornament is one of the last things I received from my grandmother.  The red ball gets packed away each year with special care.  The gold bird was the first of my bird collection for my tree.  The two of these ornaments got front showing on the tree this year.  It was a very special thing to see on Christmas morning.

My bird collection grows each year.  While others are changing their tree decor each year, including a Memory Tree, I tend to keep the main tree in our house to just birds.  I have a "sort of" collection growing.  Each bird is purchased from Macy's when we go see Santa each year.  This year I chose a blue and white peacock to add to the tree.

See the birds from years before here (2014) (2013) (2012).

    
Our Christmas tree this year was a great one.  I think they just get better and better each year.  I love the way our house smells right now and I can't seem to part with her yet.  After the first of the year we normally take it down, but I think we might linger a bit until January 12.  Did you know that 25-30 million real Christmas trees are sold in the U.S. every year?  That it takes seven years to grow a Christmas tree, and that Christmas wasn't declared an official holiday in the U.S. until June 26, 1870. (source)

Christmas night was all set up for Santa Claus.  Skylar-Braden was pretty excited about the gifts he got this year and "Santa" even took the time to write his initials out in LEGOs.

Baz spent most of the Christmas day laying in front of the fireplace.  He seems to have commandeered that spot now.  And this year we made Baz, PITA(Hardy), and little Meia some paw print ornaments.

The paw print ornament above is of our 15-year-old Persian. Siamese kitty, Meia.  You can make these too with just some white polymer clay and your oven.  Just roll out the clay, smash into a disk, and press their paw into the clay.  Lots of treats may be needed for them to hold still enough to get a good impression.  It took us three attempts with Meia, and twice with PITA.  Baz didn't care as long as he was being loved on.  Bake them in the oven at 250 degrees for about 20 minutes.

We decorated the house this year too.  We have been slowly adding something to the decor each year and this year Skylar-Braden was able to help out more and have fun with it.  He and the Mr. had a good time putting lights in random places and it was nice for me to hear them laughing and enjoying it, while I was in the house staying warm.  


Loving my Christmas wreath and Father Christmas.  Father Christmas was found at a local antique store here and the wreath was purchased at the Trantham Tree Farm.  The sleds and candy canes were added by me.


  
Isn't he amazing?  Such a wonderful addition to our Christmas decor each year.  I am so pleased I found him.

And I can't help but mention the cutest door gift from our sweet neighbors.  


These wonderful Christmas treats come from the neighbors down the street that always spend time with Skylar-Braden.  Jim, the Mr., and Skylar-Braden all share an interest in HO Scale Trains.  They attend train shows together a lot and have such a great time with it. We just love that they are great neighbors and thought of us at Christmas time. 

Meanwhile, we baked and iced sugar cookies on Christmas Eve and we enjoyed them well into Christmas morning.




  



We opened gifts from Arkansas on December 28.  I love when gifts come from home.

  

We spent the New Year's Day eating black-eyed peas and writing down our resolutions for the 2016 year.  We are resolution-writing people and we always write our resolutions on tiny pieces of paper and insert them into clear/clear colored bulbs.  We have been doing this since 2013 and it's always a great way to remind us of our resolutions and stay on long-term ones. And as Lady Carnarvon said, "I don’t think I want to start New Year weighed down by more rules but think instead what I could do better. Enthusiasm, ideas, reflection and action. And I am, like many others here in the UK, looking forward to Spring and no rain!"  Of course, we aren't in the UK, but here in Oregon, we are looking forward to a Spring with no rain too! 





Unfortunately, we didn't make it to midnight this year.  Skylar-Braden went to bed at 10:00 p.m. and the Mr. and I followed at 11:00 p.m.  We did get woken up at midnight by the sound of fireworks and people banging pots and pans here in the city.  They lasted about an hour and we just laid in bed listening to the fanfare.  We weren't too upset by the noise though because New Years only happens once a year.  

The last few days have been a crazy mix of snow flurries and ice here in the Willamette Valley.  Here we got a bit of a mix.


..........But in Portland, it was a different story.

It was a slick mess for them. (Photo source)

The town we live in has a tree lighting ceremony, but there's always so many people and we tend to get a perfect view of the tree being lit from our own backyard.  After the ceremony died down we took a walk down to the park, where the tree is, and shot some nice pictures of the town's Christmas tree.

The fire department is the one that brings out their ladder truck and strings the Christmas lights each year.  It's always fun to see them perched on the huge white ladder getting things ready for the holidays.

The star on top of the tree is always so bright.  We can see it from the upstairs of our townhouse and it shines through the fog during this time of year.

I received a new camera for Christmas from the Mr.  I really enjoy the black and white setting a lot.  It gives the photos an entirely different view.

Christmas night I received a neat message from Skylar-Braden.  He is a huge Star Wars fan and wrote out:  "Love you Lots" in Star Wars lettering.
Hope your Christmas and New Year was great!




Check out this wonderful video of the animals enjoying the snowfall at the Oregon Zoo.


Snowy scenes from earlier today, starring Mikhail and the harbor seals.
Posted by Oregon Zoo on Sunday, January 3, 2016