There have been more changes in the furry children in my life. Boone, my old man at 17, crossed over the rainbow bridge last spring (May 2023). I’m pretty sure his furfriends Cooper and Adidas were waiting for him. He also passed quietly in his sleep on his bed in my office. And yes, I miss all the critters who have gone before.
I introduced Jake and Loki some time ago. The newest member, and he’s been hanging around for almost a year now, is Pistol Pete (named for OSU’s mascot). Pete started out as a “feral TNR” but not part of the Front Porch Gang. Over the winter, LG fixed the cat door into the garage and Pete became bold enough to hang out there on cold or rainy days. He eventually took the giant leap over the threshhold and spends each night and a good deal of the day inside. He likes the new arrangement in my office, utilizing the “porch,” “veranda,” and “house” portions of the cat tree that sits at the end of my desk and butts up against the window where he can birdwatch. He also judges the quality of my work, as you can see in this picture. And, yeah, he is totally an orange cat but he hordes the one brain cell. Y’all have met the other two current members of the pack. Jake came into our lives about a month after Cooper passed so he’s going on his fifth year with us. He’s a rescue with a long story. We’re his fifth (and FINAL!) family. He is my service dog and goes everywhere with us. He’s half Newfoundland/half Great Pyrenees and all Good Boy! His mini-me, Loki, is the demon cat of mishchief and mayhem. Loki came from one of the proch ferals and appeared half-drowned in a rainstorm when he was about six weeks old. Jake was in residence and Deeders was still around. You can tell from the pictures the big difference in Loki between arrival and now! FYI, they all three get along just fine. It took some adjustment but Jake is mellow and Loki is learning how to cat from Pete.
Here’s Jake and Loki for your viewing pleasure.
Working dog Jake
Jake making a happy face.
I’m da editor cat now. Get to work!
Don’t you wish you were glamorous like me?
And just for the memories, here are some of my favorite pics of all the James Gang Critter Pack. 😉
Don’t you wanna play wif me, big goggeh?
Office workers.–Boone, Loki & Jake
Cooper, the black and white dog, was a full-blooded Newfoundland. He was an absolute goof ball. The black dog is Boone and he’s half-Newf, half-Golden Retriever. He just wants to be everybody’s friend. Despite the fact each of them weighed over 100 pounds, they were utterly and completely pwned by my 12-pound cat, Adidas. Deeders loveed my office because she had a window on the world and coul keep the yard safe from marauding critters–like birds, squirrels, dogs, and any cat dumb enough to invade.
These were my original writing companions. And the only reason I got any exercise at all! More pics just for fun:
Silver James 