Jinkee Comes the the Bridge

 

I have realized that I will be attending the arrival of all cats who Pocket knew on the mortal side. I don't mind. I appreciate cats for the fascinating creatures, and I admire their devotion to their mom. When word spread that Jinkee, a beautiful, sweet, funny, and caring therapy cat who took outstanding care of her Momma Jen, was arriving, I knew we would attend. I didn't realize how we would be arriving. 

As we were walking to kitty land, I heard a sound entirely foreign in our section of the Bridge: An engine. Since no one is ever in a hurry here, we don't get tired and have an eternity to reach our destination cars aren't needed. But those that live here can still have them. They are pretty popular on the human side but not as much here. 

We saw the red truck off in the distance. A dozen dogs were happily chasing the vehicle. I realized the exhaust was firing out treats. The truck stopped next to us, and the door was open. Enzo, proudly sitting in the driver's seat, asked us if we would going to greet Jinkee, and when I answered in the affirmative, he told us to climb inside. 

I asked Enzo why he was going, and he said that Jinkee was a member of his garage, and he vowed to greet each arriving member. He asked me if the red tie he was wearing was too much, and I told him he looked fashionable and I was sure Jinkee would appreciate it. 

Jinkee, a therapy cat, had an extremely tight bond with her mom. The kind inspires others and causes the dark angels to drive them apart. They gave Jinkee cancer, but she bravely fought it to stay with her beloved mom. But it took its toll on Jinkee, and after a six-month battle, Momma Jen took all the pain from Jinkee, absorbed it into herself, and sent her heart kitty to the Bridge. 

The dogs had stopped chasing us when we reached kitty land. Most of the cats ignored us, but some young ones followed, and Enzo set one exhaust to send our cat treats. When Jinkee crossed, she looked like a new cat as all the pain had been wiped away. She was sworn in as an Angel and greeted by her mom's cats, who had proceeded her. Then Enzo, with Pocket and I in tow, stepped up to greet her. 

He gave the little cat a huge hug, and she purred. "I have an angel clinic at the Garage," Enzo told her. "You can learn how to visit your mom as an angel, appear as a ghost, the signal here that you are there, and take over bodies like birds and butterflies to visit her mom," Pocket added that the new line of flying creatures was arriving, and with spring in the air, we could all visit our moms soon. Enzo ensured her Momma Jen would be on the lookout for her. When we went to leave, Jinkee asked us to stay for the meal. We obliged, and even though I am not a fan of fish, I enjoyed it. The best part was the kitty who lay next to me and purred.

Jinkee's adjusting to being an angel will be easier because of her friend Enzo. The two of them are very good at making even the worst of circumstances better. 

Friday Fill-Ins

 

River is filling in the blanks left by Four Legged Furballs and 15andmeowing. Click the above picture if you want to join.

My answers are in red!

 

1. Time flies when you're got to pee and are stuck home along.

2.Mom making me breakfast takes forever.

3. Fighting my siblings to latch on to a nipple is my earliest memory.

4. Is it weird that I scoot on the rug barking like a choochoo whistle?

Have a great weekend

River Song

 

 

Poetry Thursday

 

  Two SPOILED CATS,

Angel Sammy and Teddy find such inspiring photos for us

Here is today's inspiration

Go west young man, that is what they said. 

Life is easy  you can't help but get ahead

The river bottoms are filled with gold

In a land that is never cold

I sold all I had and headed out west

A land where I would surely be blessed

Now I sleep on the floor with roommates numbering ten

For money I muck the pig pen

And each day I hit the river to pan

While I eat my shoe like Charlie Chaplin

How I wish I was back east

Where brown soup and moldy bread seemed like a feast

Instead of being stuck out west

Panning each day on a fruitless quest

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Beat This Caption

  

 

I just peed to say I love you

Bertie Designs the Perfect Pup

 

 

 

 

When Bertie realized his long song was finally ending, he made an unprecedented request of the angels watching over him. He didn't just want a new puppy to help his mom with his transition, but he wanted it built to his specifications.

Upon receiving his unique request, I was assigned the case. I usually would instantly approve any proposal from a good friend like Bertie, but this could have legal ramifications for centuries. Puppy eugenic with cross-breeding, which produces short-lived dogs, is a hot button is an issue at the Bridge, and I decided to hold a trial to make an informed decision.

The hearing was held in Bertie's dreams. He had imagined a British court from the 19th century. It was impressive, although I didn't have the heart to tell Bertie he looked silly in his powdered wig. Representing the Parties that don't Like Change was Mitch, an all-white bulldog. Bertie gave the opening statement.

"It is our duty as dogs to take care of our parents, and that responsibility does not end when we transition. Under the current laws, after we pass, if our parent needs a puppy, we would interview hundreds of them until we find the right one. It is an arduous process that takes us away from our grieving parents, and sometimes because of time limitations, we have to settle for one that isn't perfect. But by creating one, we can meet all our parent's needs without having to stop watching over them. It is a much-needed solution. Also, we must care for our parents, which is how I am caring for mine."

Like a good boy, Bertie sat. Mitch made a less than convincing argument based on the fact that a puppy had never been built to specifications before, and it was a dangerous precedent. I disagreed. I ruled that we would build the puppy Bertie wanted, but only a new angel could make such a request, and people, who always take things too far, were barred from doing it.

Emboldened by my ruling, Bertie sat with the puppy designers and first said the pup would have to match his breed, be white and fluffy, with darling black ears, and markings, with a touch of trim around the eyes. He would have to be a good boy, listen to his momma, but have, like Bertie, an adventurous spirit and a love to walk. Once it was designed before Bertie went to the Bridge, his predecessor Hamish visited his mom's dreams and whispered to her that her next child was waiting for her.

Bertie waited until the pup he created, named Nobby, was born and had lived a few weeks before Bertie went to the Bride. He neither wanted his mom to wait long for a new pup nor have his presence in their house take away attention from his replacement, so he remained until a week ago to come to the Bridge.

His timing was perfect, as his mom was not dog-less for no more than a week, still a nightmare, but not an endless one. Now Nobby has all the tools he needs to help his new mom. He will still get coaching from Bertie, but the new angels trust his brother to be the perfect next dog.

And new angels looking for a puppy for their mom have a new avenue to pursue.

Junior, the Prodigal Son, Comes Home to the Bridge

I first met Luca, Junior, and their guardian Angel Fred in 2008. I don’t know if life was simpler, but it sure feels like it. 

 

They were from Argentina. It was fantastic to learn about life in another country, especially with opposing seasons. Everyone loved these fun, intelligent, and handsome dogs and looked forward to barking at them daily. 

 

One day Mama Maria posted that she would not be as active on social media because the government monitored what citizens posted. At that time, a government caring about what their people commented on seemed foreign. As I said, it was a simpler time. 

 

The most contact I had with them were infrequent Facebook posts, which is like throwing a stick in a fast-moving river and hoping all your friends see it. More often than not, it gets lost in the tide. 

 

Luca joined us in 2016. Junior stayed to care for his mom and help his sister dogs become accustomed to how their mom wanted things. Junior stretched his life to 14 years, quite an achievement considering his breed. But this week, his heartbeats expired, and he went to the Bridge, lessening the dogs remaining from our original dog social network group by one. 

 

His mom knew her best friend, who helped guide her through the loss of a husband, a dog, the pandemic age, and many other tragedies that plague the days of our lives; had his quality of life fallen to an unacceptable level for Luca. His mom helped him to the Bridge, taking on all his pain and suffering to set him free. It is the kindest and bravest act a parent can perform for their baby. 

 

What made the reunion between Luca and Junior sweeter than most was that Luca was Junior’s birth dad, and, unlike most pups, Junior got to grow up with his father. They were more like brothers and best friends than son and father, but something about sharing the same blood makes a bond sweeter. When Junior crossed the Bridge, Luca greeted him with the words all off children want to hear: You made me proud. Then they began playing like they were young again—another gift from the Bridge. 

 

Then Junior met all the dogs he had lost contact with: Tommy, Hattie, Leo, Hobo, Lily, etc. They had a welcoming party worthy of a returning prodigal son.  

 

Junior left his mom in the capable paws of his sisters, but the recovery will be hard. Once she is recovered, her three angels will tackle a more challenging task: Making sure all dogs have the freedom to bark no matter what country they reside in because friends should never have to wait until their Bridge day to catch up with beloved companions.