Saying Good-bye

Today was a rough day in our little Mario world.  We lost our dear Koopa Troopa 1.  Our poor little kitty was getting old and over the past couple of weeks, seemed to go downhill fast.  Over the weekend, she stopped grooming herself, stopped using her litter box, stopped eating and drinking, and couldn't move her back legs well.  I took her to the vet today, who confirmed that KT1 was, indeed, very sick.  So sick, in fact, that her little kidneys were failing her. 

Koopa Troopa 1 was a tough cat.  We adopted her from the shelter when Bowser and I were first married.  I had a bond with her from the very beginning.  We walked into the shelter and there were so many cats looking for a home, but she caught my eye and I knew she was meant to be mine. She was a great mouser and within a week of having her at home, we had no more mice bothering us. Since I didn't have a job at the time, KT1 and I spent all of our time together.  There was one particular incident when KT1 was drinking out of my water glass one night and Bowser convinced me that I should not drink after her because I would catch the Plague.  (Really, it is a long story, involving no sleep for me and an almost 3 a.m. emergency call to the vet to check for the Plague.)

Once we brought Mario home, KT1 seemed a little ticked off that she wasn't getting my undivided attention all the time.  But, over time, she and Mario became good friends.  She was the first to elicit crazy baby giggles from Mario when he was about 6 months old.  He thought she was the greatest thing since a fresh bottle, and she didn't seem to think he was too bad either. 

She came with us when we moved into our new house.  When Mario was diagnosed with a severe cat allergy, I sent her to live with a friend for about a year and a half.  Once our friend couldn't take care of her anymore, we decided Mario could get allergy shots and Koopa Troopa 1 came home to stay.  Luigi came along eventually, and then Peach.  Each of them loved her from the beginning, and she loved having a snuggly crib to sleep in during the day. 

KT1 would patiently wait for me on the couch every night and then follow me up the stairs when I went to bed.  She would curl up at me feet while I dozed off.  Sometime in the night, I would feel a warm, soft, little paw tapping on my arm, asking to be pet.  If I didn't wake up when she patted my arm, she would move up and pat and lick my face til I rubbed her ears and we would both fall back to sleep. 

Almost three years ago, Koopa Troopa 2 came to live with us.  I'll admit, KT1 was not happy at first.  She was set in her ways.  She didn't want a new little kitten coming in and messing up her good thing.  After one fight, though, KT2 learned her place and she and the old kitty became friends. 

It was only recently that she started to seem different.  Over the past few days, I knew she was sick.  I knew she was hurting.  I would pick her up and hold her and she would lie in my arms, struggling to even purr.  Today I wrapped her in a baby blanket, took her to the vet and had to make the incredibly difficult and heart-wrenching decision to let her go.  I held her the entire time, petting her and scratching her on the ears, like she loved so much.  I told her I was sorry and that it was going to be ok.  I told her she was the best cat ever.  And then she was gone. 

The Goombas all cried with me a while when I told them.  We talked about how she was with Jesus and the angels now, with all the other angel kitties and puppies.  We asked Jesus to take special care of her.  At dinner tonight we told funny stories and our favorite things about our Koopa Troopa 1.  Koopa Troopa 2 has been wandering around, looking for her friend.  I am sitting on the couch, writing this blog, missing my soft, purring kitty, who would normally be sitting somewhere close by. 

I am trying right now not to doubt my decision.  She was in great pain.  I could see in her big, green eyes that she was hurting.  I know it was best for her, I just can't seem to make my heart believe it. 

Cheers, my dear Benni.  I miss you so much already.  I love you and I will meet you someday on the Rainbow Bridge.

Love,
Daisy

All By Myself...

Last Saturday, Bowser took all of the Goombas on a Jeeping trip in the mountains.  Yes, you read that correctly... ALL. THREE. GOOMBAS.  Do any of you have any idea what this meant for Daisy?  That's right!  It meant nearly nine straight hours of ME time!  Just me.  All alone.  With no one to take care of but myself.  Needless to say, I was just a little excited.  I mean, everyone knows I love my dearest Goombas, but alone time is hard to come by, so I will take it whenever I can.  Especially when it is a full day!

I started planning about a week ahead of time what I was going to do with myself all day long.  I have so many projects to get done, this would be the perfect day for a lot of them.  My To Do List looked like this:

~Scrub all bathrooms til the sparkle (We have 3 1/2)
~Finish laundry and put it all away (instead of leaving it all in baskets in my bedroom)
~Clean kitchen and go through cabinets to purge any unused items
~Start sorting stuff for garage sale
~Dust and clean the ceiling fans
~Make myself a healthy lunch
~Sort out the mess of shoes in the laundry room and get rid of everything that is too small for the Goombas
~Have a nice meal ready for Bowser and the Goombas when they got home


Here is what actually happened:

~Cleaned the downstairs bathroom floor because it smelled like peepee and I really couldn't put it off any longer
~Watched Legally Blonde
~Watched Legally Blonde 2
~Went to Good Times and got a large greasy burger with an extra large order of wild fries and dipping sauce (all with a Diet Coke, of course)
~Watched Sweet Home Alabama
~Texted some friends
~Called the Zaz and the Pop
~Took a long, hot, uninterrupted shower
~Took a nap
~Ordered take-out for when everyone got home for dinner

 And, let me tell ya, it was AWESOME.  I'm already looking forward to their next Jeeping trip.

Cheers!
~Daisy

Catching Up

Holy Cow, has it really been a month since I have written???  My sincerest apologies, dear readers, for leaving you hanging on the edge of your seats, worried about what might or might not be happening here in Mario-Land!  Things have been very busy and I have not had much extra time on my hands for writing.  But, worry not!  We are still here.  We are all still alive and kicking.  And I have managed, somehow, to hang on to my last shreds of sanity.  Barely. 

So, let's catch up a bit, shall we?

Let's start with Mario.  My back-talking, whining, argumentive monster darling angel.  Really, someone should have warned me.  He is 9 years old and suddenly knows everything about everything.  Bowser and I are no longer "awesome" parents.  We have now transformed into "mean and stupid" parents.  I thought the toddler years were rough.  I have a feeling I will be begging for those days back before long.  Don't get me wrong.  Mario is still a sweet, loving kid.  IF he wakes up on the right side of the bed.

Luigi is happy just being his off-beat self.  He has recently taken up wearing princess dresses and glass slippers.  When Mario teased him about it one day, Luigi simply said, "You are just mad that you aren't as pretty as me!" And then he stomped off to add a necklace to his ensemble.  His birthday is coming soon and he wants a Chuck E. Cheese-Pirate-Hot Wheels-Rapunzel party.  I'll have to see what I can do about that. 

Peach is getting girly-er by the minute.  The other day, as I was cleaning out my jewelry box, she picked up an old necklace of mine.  "Pretty!" she said.  "It is pretty, isn't it?" I replied.  Then she said, "I think I should have some diamonds now.  But not like these.  I want big ones that are real."  Lord save the man that marries her.  She is going to be quite a handful. 

After I broke the dryer recently (by accident, I swear!), Bowser made me sit and listen to a lecture on why we don't put soccer socks with the shin guards still in them into the dryer.  Who knew that it could jam up the drum and knock it off it's track, blowing out the heating element, breaking the belt, and sending a blah, blah, blah circuit through the blah, blah, blah that can burn an actual hole in the side wall of your dryer?  I certainly did not know that.  But, now I do.  And I am choosing to share this bit of information with you as my public service announcement for the day.  Shin guards and dryers do not make good friends. 

Also, on my little writing hiatus, I had sinus surgery.  Ok, Moms, here is the deal...  If you really need a few days off, schedule some kind of invasive medical procedure.  Seriously.  I had four whole days of laying around with a bloody nose, sleeping on and off, and being catered to, while MY mommy came and took care of me.  It was kind of glorious.  Until Zaza had to leave.  But now, hopefully no more sinus infections.  At least not for a while. 

Now summer is just around the corner (aak!) and we are finishing up with the end of school madness.  Concerts, art shows, last minute fund-raisers, etc.  When did life get so busy?

I promise not to leave again for so long.  I have been wondering why I seemed to be wandering down the crazy side of the street lately, and then I realized...  I haven't been finding the funny!  So, I'm back baby!  Thanks for sticking with me!

Cheers!
~Daisy