The Circle of Life

We are all very sad today because Dr. Small's cute cat, Bear, the big, fat, fluffy, mischievous black cat that always made us laugh when we went to her house, died :-( They had to have him put to sleep because he developed an infection that has been plaguing him for several weeks, and the vet said that there was nothing they could do for him, and he was in a lot of pain. Poor Bear. He was so cute!! He was one of the funniest cats I've ever met. He would romp around the house, jumping on things, and then he was always trying to escape outside. He had even figured out how the door knob worked, and if he'd had thumbs, he could have opened the door. Dr. Small and Mr. Riccio are very sad, and it was especially hard for them to break the news to their two kids who are away at school. I remember that when Aly and I spent our first night in Charleston at the Small/Riccio home (because we couldn't move into our apartment yet), I was really sad and homesick. But big, fluffy Bear was really nice to me and helped me feel better by making me laugh. Luckily Dr. Small and Mr. Riccio still have three other cats, a dog, and the two horses to keep them company.

On a happier note, there was a birth today! My best buddy Angie who lives in Pennsylvania gave birth to little Benjamin Lee Atkinson at 4:45 this morning!!! He was 7 lbs. 6 oz. HOORAY! He wasn't due until May, so he was a little early and will have to be in the hospital until his lungs get a little stronger, but he and Angie seem to be doing well. I wish I could be there to see him! But hopefully I can go visit them sometime soon--and I'm sure there will be pictures here before too long. It sounds like Angie and her husband Matt must have come to an agreement on the name. Matt, the biggest Civil War buff I know (and I do know a few) was pulling for Robert Edward Lee Atkinson, or States Rights Atkinson (there was really a Confederate general named States Rights Gist!), but Angie liked the named Benjamin, so it sounds like they came to a happy agreement with Benjamin Lee. Since Angie, like me, loves the Happy Bunny cartoon, I thought it would be appropriate to send the baby the pictured Happy Bunny onesie. Isn't it funny? It says, "If it's so good you eat it." Ha ha. There were some other funny ones, but this one was my favorite. I talked with Matt on the phone this evening, and he said that everyone seems to be doing well, so that is good news. Babies make life fun!