As I mentioned yesterday, Midnight was dead when we woke up yesterday. Bob (Whom I have not mentioned before, but I will soon) came over and dug a hole for me to bury her in, since I was relatively incapacitated.

Midnight was not my favorite cat, but I hated to see her go. She had a little tiny head and a great big fat body. We acquired her in the summer of 1986, the day after we got Cowboy. Tyler found her, a six-week-old kitten, high in a tree in the park by the creek. Matt came by and was able to climb up the tree and get her. She was a mess - dehydrated, eyes swollen, skinny as a rail.

Although she and cowboy were of the same age, they were never buddies. In fact, they were sworn enemies. They would constantly irritate each other, and they would have the claws out in the resulting fights. They would come out about even, though. Cowboy probably initiated the majority of their tiffs.

Midnight did not stay skinny long. She was constantly at the food dish, and she would seek, stalk and kill other edibles, unlike the rest of the cats I've had. Most of them thought that mice were curious little things, and birds even curiouser. Not Midnight... they were food, and she would have them. Fat as she was, she could run and jump and stalk with the best of them.

Her walk was normally a waddle, and rather comical. But we all like clowns that laugh at themselves, and when you would laugh at Midnight you would get a hiss, a sneer and a threatening claws-at-the-ready paw.

Her last days were rather peaceful. She would lay on the couch and sleep, ignoring Cowboy and the un-named one when they tried to rouse her. She didn't complain, and didn't seem to be in pain.

She didn't seem to be eating much, but she would go outside occasionally. Karen and I would sit beside her on the couch and stroke her, and she would purr contententedly and stretch, just like she always did.

I was really surprised to find her dead. Cowboy was afflicted similarly earlier this year and came out of it, and I thought that she would too. Well, damn, she didn't.

So... we are down to two cats now, or rather one and a half. We will still give the little one away if we can.

It is strange to not have a lot of cats around, though.

Karen and I have spent a pretty lazy day... watched a football game, and Lacee came over and promptly took a nap, and Karen joined her. I got a couple of pictures of them, together and separately. They should be pretty good.

Dr. Allen, the Radiologist who did my angiogram, called yesterday and kinda suggested that I not go back to work until Monday night, which idea I wholly agreed with. So, I'm off again tonight. Karen and I went for a walk today and my legs got tired, but not painful like before. I'm gonna need to build them up so I can walk regularly. It was cold out and was spitting snow/ice when we were walking, and that has continued throughout the day. No accumulations, though. And now the north wind is picking up, and it sounds cold. I need to take Lacee home shortly, so I will find out how cold it really is.

More tomorrow...