Remembering Smokey

Three years ago today my Smokey died. He was very sick with Feline Infectious Peritonitis and it is not treatable. Knowing when it is time is the hardest decision for everyone who owns a pet. He was eight years old and he was the best cat anyone could ever want. He and his siblings, a litter of five, came to my backyard when they were a few months old and one thing lead to another and before winter set in Smokey and his sisters Ebony and Seally were living in the house. All of the other kittens were solid black with short hair and he had long fluffy grey and white hair. He had a dark smudge on his nose but he was still a very beautiful cat.


This is the first picture I have of Smokey. He was still living outside and was really stealing my heart about now.

I don't know why this picture won't enlarge, but it is a picture of Smokey and Ebony on a bale of straw on the front porch. I bought the straw to keep them warm for the winter. Behind the straw is a small dog house that I hoped they would live in for the winter. Ya, Right. Smokey would let me pose him on quilts and I took pictures of him.

This pose was way over the top with the quilted teddy bear and the quilts in the chair etc. He was always so cooperative and didn't mind.


Smokey was not only a smart cat, he was trained and he could anticipate my every move. When I was out in the evening at a quilt meeting, he knew when I was about to get home even before my car was coming down the street and he would wait at the front door for me . He would wait until I came in and he would greet me like a dog. He also knew when I was going to head up the stairs and he would race in front of me and beat me to the top of the stairs. He even knocked me over a few times.
He liked to sleep circular in the cat furniture.

He would sometimes fight to stay awake to watch me when I was hand quilting in my quilt room. He would yawn and his eyes would get like slits and he wouldn't go to sleep. I think he just enjoyed watching me and listening to me talk to him.

Smokey had beautiful olive green eyes. This is one of my favorite pictures of him.
This is another one of my favorite pictures.

Smokey, Ebony and Seally sleeping in the window. This was their favorite place to sleep during the day.
Smokey loved to lay on the bed when I was changing the sheets. He would also come and greet me in the mornings when I was getting ready for work. I would call to him from the top of the stairs and he would meow back and I would say do you want a hug and he would coming running up the stairs. I would give him a hug and then he would jump on the bed and sit and watch me put on my makeup and do my hair and then he knew it was time to go back downstairs.
This picture was taken after he had life saving surgery at MSU Vet Clinic. His intestines had telescoped and the surgery saved his life. He died from a disease totally unrelated to the intestinal problem.

Another picture that won't enlarge. I was working on getting quilts ready for a quilt show and had them folded and piled on the cutting table in my quilt room. I had just picked up the pink quilt from John, my machine quilting friend, and I left it on the table. When I returned, Smokey had made himself at home and thought the quilt was a bed for him. He loved quilts and he thought that all quilts were made for him to lay and sleep on.

This is one of the last pictures of Smokey. He was very ill when this picture was taken. You can see it in his eyes. He always thought that every box was for him. He would jump and sit inside every box I ever brought home. Even when he was very ill and weak, he still managed to jump in this box.

Smokey a very special cat, I miss him every day. I made this quilt of Smokey before he became ill.

Lisa and I took a walk this evening at the Tollgate Pond. We didn't see the green heron but we did see that there are dozens of gold fish (carp) in the highest pond and it looks like they are stuck there until it rains and/or the pump gets replaced. On the way back we saw a Blanding's Turtle. There is a turtle nesting area at the pond that is protected by a wire fencing and a wood frame. The turtle we saw was about 18 to 20 inches in length from the head to the tail. It was a big turtle. It had dug four or five holes possibly to lay eggs. The turtle watched us for a while and then headed back down the hill and into the lower pond.
This is a picture of a Blanding's Turtle, but not the one we saw.

Okay, to brighten things up a bit, I have some really wonderful news about my oldest nephew Carl. Carl was in a track meet today. He is finishing first grade this year. Carl won the 200 yard dash. He came from behind at the very end and won the race. GO CARL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stay tuned for dyed fabric later this week. I promise.........