Day Two After Rosie

Terry took Rosie's cage outside Monday evening and hosed it off. We let it dry overnight and I carried it to the trailer Tuesday morning. The sofa table the cage sat on remains in the corner of the living room it has occupied for some time now. Pictures now occupy the space where Rosie's cage sat and the corner is very empty.

I find myself walking over to the table and realizing that I can't stick my head in the cage and waggle my face at Rosie as I used to do from time to time. She would chirp and sit there looking at me as if to way who the hell stuck this gigantic head in my house. Get it out, get it out.

Terry came home Monday evening with some food purchases from Country Mart. She said that one of the things she always did at Country Mart was pick up a sale paper. We don't do our "big" shopping at Country Mart, it is a store near where Terry works and she picks up odds and ends there because it is convenient. However, the sale paper was printed on paper that when unfolded happen to fit into the bottom of Rosie's cage without having to be folded, cut or altered in any way. Now the need for the sale paper is no more.

I have several pictures on my camera of Rosie the night before she died. She was so cute on Terry's lap. Little did we know. I haven't had the courage to download them yet. I will one of these days when time blunts the emotion.

I will keep turning over in my mind for some time the idea that we should have done something more. Our attitude with our pets over the years has been we will provide a loving home, and reasonable care, but they are after all a pet. When I first came to Arkansas I was adopted by a black cat I called "Bitcher." My deal with the cat was I would pet it, I would provide food and shelter and lavish affection on it, but that was all. His health was his business. After several years he left, I don't know if he died in the woods, or moved on to greener pastures. I searched for him, but not diligently. If he wanted to come home he knew where I was. I guess that sums up the attitude Terry and I have for our pets.

They become little family members. We spend time with them and treat them with love and affection. We are rewarded with love and affection. However, I cannot imagine me paying a lot of money for cancer treatment, Mattie and Blondie died of Cancer. I have paid for sewing up of lacerations, ear infections, neutering, and other normal care visits. I did pay for two surgical procedures on Mattie to stem the invasion of cancer, but eventually let her go naturally.

So I guess when the problem is beyond our comprehension we don't take the extra step a person might if it were a son or a daughter, or human family member. But for the time our pets are with us, they live the good life.