I adopted my long-haired gray cat, Button, last year, after the death of his original owner, now affectionately referred to in the Triple L family as First Mama. He was twenty years old when he came to bide a while with this outfit, and frankly, I didn’t expect him to last long. I also hesitated to take him in at first, mostly because–well–he was twenty, for heaven’s sake, and I had lost two kitties and my beloved Yorkie in the previous year, and I figured more pet-grief was about the last thing I needed. Fortunately, though, I came to my senses, realizing that this wasn’t about me feeling sad at some point (boo-hoo, sucks to be me, NOT), it was about an elderly cat, confused and missing someone he loved, in need of a warm and welcoming home. And so it was that Button, aka Buttingo and just plain ‘Tingo’, joined the family. He proved to be a stately gentleman who assumed he was entitled to the best of everything, and soon enough, we all agreed–so he’d trained us all handily to do his bidding. 🙂 I can’t count the times he made us laugh, or touched our hearts, or dug his claws into our thighs because he wanted up, and did not take ‘no’ for an answer. Alas, time and a nasty respiratory infection finally caught up with our beloved visitor, and yesterday, we had to say ‘good-bye’. Yes, there were tears, and there will be more, I know, but there is no tragedy here–Button was cherished all his long life, unlike so many of God’s creatures, and, as my old daddy would have said, he cut a mighty wide swath, that cat. He was a gift, the kind one accepts and eventually releases, with gratitude. I’m so glad I knew Button, and I’m at peace, knowing he’s with First Mama again.
On a happier note, there are winners in our ongoing win-an-autographed-book contest–to enter, simply comment, and you’re in. Winners are selected at random, notified, and announced here on the blog. Congratulations to Kelly Driver and Prairie. How great is that name, ‘Prairie’?? There’s a story there, I’ll bet, and if we’re lucky, we might get to read it in the comment section. 🙂 If you didn’t win, no worries whatsoever. There’s a new round underway now.
The weather in the Northwest is Winter Wonderland Run Amok–snow, snow and more snow. I’m essentially homebound, which is fine, because I have my writing, my pets and my new furnace to keep me warm. 🙂
About Linda
The daughter of a town marshal, Linda Lael Miller is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than 100 historical and contemporary novels, most of which reflect her love of the West.
Raised in Northport, Washington, Linda pursued her wanderlust, living in London and Arizona and traveling the world before returning to the state of her birth to settle down on a horse property outside Spokane.
