Thank you for all your kind words about Relic. We are all adjusting to the new normal. With three other cats, the house isn’t exactly empty, but there is a Relic-sized hole in it. (And he was a big boy).
Like for instance – my lap isn’t empty in the evenings (Lemmy and Rupert are still there), but there’s no one lurking behind my shoulder, asking me to make space, or put on a quilt so he can lay down.
He was there right until the end though.
We finished up block 14 together Saturday and Sunday night.
Now I have to do the last six blocks without him. I think I’m going to finish this one in honour of him – and it will be Relic’s garden.
Tiny Needle Tuesday has been preempted, because as you can guess by the title, we had to say goodbye to our dear sweet Relic.
You will recall that he had a small hiccup a few weeks back. He seemed to bounce back from it ok for a couple of days. Then he got a cold. He’s always been a little prone to them so I wasn’t too concerned. I took him for a bath with me every night and that seemed to clear it up. But then his eating slowed. We kept a close eye on him. He never really stopped eating, just wasn’t eating as much as he should. His weight was dropping more. And he was drinking a lot more water than before.
Saturday morning I decided it was time for another vet visit. He was dehydrated again, despite all the water he’d been drinking. Something that pointed to failing kidneys. The vet gave him some IV fluids and we brought him home again later that day, hoping for a miracle. But unlike last time, he didn’t improve.
But Sunday night it was very evident that it was his time. Monday morning, we got up early and held him while we waited to call the vet. He passed away in my lap about 10 minutes before the vet opened for the day.
While we are sad to lose him, we are glad to know he didn’t linger in pain. And we know he we gave him a good life.
And though I have put his birth year as 2014 – that’s actually just a guess. He may be much older. Most of you know the story of how he conned his way into our home.
I actually met Relic a couple years before we took him in.
It was back in 2015. He appeared behind the townhouse. He wouldn’t come near me then.
But me being me, I took pictures so happily have a record of it.
It wasn’t until the May 2017 that I saw him again.
He started coming around the yard for cat nip. It took me a few days to befriend him. Dave automatically gave me the “You can’t keep him speech” (we had Peno, Rupert and Burton at the time), all the while giving him the name that would stick.
So while I was trying to make friends enough to get him in a carrier to take him to the SPCA, Relic was busy sucking up to Dave to work his way into the house. By late September of that year, he’d worked his magic and Dave opened the back door and let him in… and the rest was history.
Rupert hated him, but about a year later they became fast friends
While we were still at the townhouse, we let him free roam (and I worried about him every day), but when we moved he was confined to the catio.
I don’t think he ever really forgave me for that
But he still got to get outside and enjoy the fresh air.
For the most part, he was a fat, happy, spoiled boy.
And the house is going to feel a little emptier for a good long while.
I’ve been doing a little work in the garden each day this week, mostly weeding, so I don’t have as much to tackle on the weekend.
I’ve been coming across dozens of these guys….
They aren’t a surprise at all – ’tis the season of the toad!
But I was a little shocked to uncover this little dude as I was moving bags of soil out of my garden wagon.
A Grey Tree Frog! You may recall I came across several in the garden last year. But not until mid-summer. This one had found a nice cozy spot down the side of the cart wedged against the bags of soil.
I tried to relocate him somewhere more suitable, but he wasn’t having it. He hopped right out of my hands and under the catio porch.
I suppose it was as safe a place as anywhere, but I hope he’s found a nice comfy tree since then.
So far, the seed snail method is a resounding success!
Everything has sprouted! Even the tomatoes! (though they are still tiny). And many of the seedlings are already getting true leaves.
I think the success is down to three things. First: The seed snail method insulates the seeds keeping them warmer so they germinate quicker. But also…. I’ve put these in my little portable green house which means not only are they keeping nice and warm in there, but they are staying moist, and getting MUCH more light than they would in the house.
Now I have to decide whether I’ll pot them on into bigger pots, or open the snails and add more soil so they have more room to grow. The internet is split on which is the best option. I can ponder it for another week or so before I have to do anything though.
The winter sow containers are doing well too. Like the snails, several of the plants are getting true leaves
The baby Lupins are just so cute!!!! And I’m excited to announce the Chinese Lanterns sprouted!
They are still super small, but I’ve never been able to get them to even germinate before so I’m counting this one as a win.
These little guys have sprouted in the squash bed…. only I didn’t plant any seeds there yet! I guess they are left from last year, but I don’t remember leaving any squash to rot and leave seeds.. so it’s a bit of a mystery.
But, with all these success, I went and started a pile more seeds in my little containers I bought last year.
I also did up several large pots with all my Cosmos seeds. When they are a decent size, they will get split up and spread throughout the garden beds.
There’s more planting to come though… I have a load more annuals to plant… and of course, my veg. But that won’t be for a couple more weeks.
I’ve got a very small start on a new sock project. Ever since I bought it, I’ve been itching to cast on with my Sanderson Felici.
I don’t like to break up the striping sequence when so I’ve started with a solid black for the ribbing on the cuff and will use it for heels and toes as well. I really wish Knit Picks sold coordinating solids for just this purpose (none of the Stroll colours match). My black is much darker than the one in the Felici – which is really more of a dark grey. But I work with what I’ve got!
I did get a little time with the tiny needle this weekend
I got a decent start on Block 14. There’s just six blocks left and I’d love to have them done by the end of May. But if I want to do that, I really have to get that tiny needle working overtime!
Friday morning, just before 10 am, Dave and I hit the road. Our destination…
That big shining city… Toronto!
Dave grew up in Mississauga, a stone’s throw from TO, and I grew up in Hamilton, just a little further down the highway. And we both commuted to various parts of it over our working careers until we moved here.
While Toronto has its delights… driving to and from and around it is not one of them. According to Google Maps, driving to the downtown from our current house should take just under 3 hours. In practice… unless you’re driving at 3 am… that is not happening. It’s much, much longer.
So… I decided to book us a hotel room for the night, and we could take transit a good chunk of the way (through the worst parts of the driving – basically Hamilton to Toronto). First, we drove to the furthest outpost of the GO train (2 hour drive) just outside Hamilton. We took the GO into Union station (1 hour peaceful train ride) and then had a 20 minute subway ride to our hotel.
Only, we got into Union about 2 hours early because I wanted to play the tourist.
Despite living so close to it… I have never been up to the top of this bad boy
The CN tower. I figured now was finally my chance. Only… it wasn’t…
As we were walking to the tower from Union, I was reminded of another attraction right at the base of the tower – Ripley’s Aquarium. I had been with Mom and the girls back in 2017, but Dave had never been. So I decided we could go to the aquarium first, and THEN go up the tower.
My pictures aren’t the best. You can’t use flash, and while my phone works well in low light, the place was packed. You have to move quickly to get near enough to the exhibits to get a picture.
My favourite part of the aquarium are the sharks.
I know they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I find them absolutely fascinating!
Though the rays are a close second.
I could sit and watch them all day.
This guy…
A Long-Comb Sawfish, was pretty cool too.
This guy has a face only a mother could love.
I think he was Dave’s favourite. (It’s a type of Grouper if I am remembering correctly)
The seahorses were pretty friendly, they swarmed the glass when I stepped up to take their picture.
There were so many different things to see… it’s hard to show it all here.
I really recommended stopping in if you’re ever in the city.
Of course, after all that excitement… neither of us has the energy to do the Tower. We were both starving and wanted to get some food and get to the hotel before heading out to the wedding event that evening. I figured I could hit the Tower the next day before we left the city.
We took the subway to our hotel, got some food, rested and then hopped another subway to the event. We had a wonderful time and were back safe in our hotel bed by midnight!
But unfortunately, I failed to factor a couple things in when planning out our big city adventure. And that was walking… and not just walking, but subways mean stairs…. lots and lots of stairs (and throughout the weekend there were four subway trips). While I wore flat shoes, my feet still objected with several blisters. And those stairs… they did a number on my thighs. Saturday morning, by the time we got off the subway in the downtown, I knew there was no way I was going to be able to do the Tower. So… we hopped on our GO train and began the long journey back to the car.
My date with the Tower is just going to have to wait, I guess.
Wandering Cat Studio 