The Passing of Greats and a Crab

I need to report the loss of Crabicus, Meg, and C.C, beloved pets and family members.

Crabicus

Well, Crabicus was a rogue visitor who came home from a play date when my daughter was in kindergarten and decided to stay for a decade. Really both hermit and crab in every sense of these words, so it was hard to get to know him. I did feel a kindredness in spirit, in his penchant for pinching anything that got too close, to retreat to solitude when overstimulated by life, to startle easily, and in the end to cast off his shell and reveal his true naked self. He's buried under a shrub in the front yard, offering some nutrition to the local bugs and bushes. It's as much from life and death as he or anyone could hope for, except, of course, his freedom which was snatched from him as a little crablet, a truth that must have haunted him and helps explain the blood he drew on occasion when I moved him while cleaning the crabitat.

C.C.

Losing two dogs within a few months of one another has been much harder on everyone, especially our one lonely Golden Retriever. She won't go outside alone and even went as far as trying to befriend a stray cat yesterday that seemed to be scouting for a birthing spot in the dark reaches of our storage shed. Zeus revealed the cat's plan by standing by the shed, wagging her tail and refusing to budge. Since we've had two litters of strays born in our yard already, I had to shoe the cat away and shut the shed. I saw the cat this morning walking across my garden court and it gave me that look of disdain that only cats have mastered. Our two adopted strays are indoor kitties, so Zeus has no furry outdoor playmates. We're looking into new puppy options.

Meg

Meg was thirteen and had a compulsion to eat inappropriate things. The aftercare from surgery--to remove what was blocking her digestive tract--at the vet was terrible and she was septic beyond recovery by the time we picked her  up. We found a better vet, but C.C. suffered liver failure and even the new vet, who we all think is exceptional, couldn't do anything for her. We are heart-broken.

the censored penis (enlarged so you can see it)

And this week Maurice Sendak died, my favorite picture book author of all time (sorry Doctor Suess). I read In the Night Kitchen countless times to both my children, a delight of words and images. Also one of the most banned books because Mickey displays frontal nudity. I believe his tiny pen-tick of a penis may be the smallest amount of ink to cause censorship in the long stupid history of book censorship.

Zeus and Bigfoot

I'm hoping this is the last of the losses for a while. I try to think of loss like how a garden wanes, every plant or bloom that fades and dies makes room for another. Crabicus may already be a flower. A Hallmark sympathy card sentiment, but a small comfort none the less.