Guest Blogger Leslie Goodwin, Author of Cat Skills, on Grieving

When Melissa first shared the sad news, I was stung with disbelief. Wasn’t Truffles healthy and happy only yesterday? She wasn’t old….was she? Then I thought of my own lost loves; Bubba who chased a squirrel for the first time in his life…straight into the road,  Maisie, who couldn’t beat a fatal disease and Runtie and Lucy…who I loved for almost 17 years.  

I drew strength from nurturing my old guys. They needed me more than ever. The hardest call I ever made was to my vet when Lucy’s cancer could no longer be ignored. Runt’s time was easier. But both times, I had some control in the final days.

The sudden loss of a young, healthy cat, though,  feels like being stabbed in the heart.  After the initial shock, a flood of emotions and questions with no answers torture us as we struggle to make sense of a senseless loss.  Yet, with time, and a little intervention by the Cat God….heart wounds do heal.

Melissa, this is for you and Tara and Truffles….The following is excerpted from my book, CAT SKILLS: Loving Care for Cats. Leslie Goodwin

Grieving

After losing a loved one, we're haunted by a terrifying thought: I'll never love or be loved as deeply again. We are burdened with regrets--baggage we lug along on our grief trip: Why did he have to get sick? Why didn't I see it coming? Why couldn't I have saved him? Why did I wait so long to put him down? Should I have waited longer?

We can invent dozens of woulda, coulda, shouldas that serve only as guides for the future but do nothing to change the past. Somehow, we forget the many happy years together and focus on a few difficult days, weeks, or months.

Loss can leave us feeling numb, paralyzed, broken beyond repair...yet deep inside flickers a pilot light of hope. Sadness is one color in a whole rainbow of emotions that are our privilege and burden as mere humans.

The challenge after loss is to banish regrets, reject fearful thoughts and stow that oppressive cargo. Relief comes from believing that love is perennial. The supply is never-ending. Love grows where it is planted and thrives where it is nurtured.

Fear not. When you are ready, the Cat God will be waiting to match you again with the perfect feline friend. You can never replace a loved one...but you can carry on a beautiful tradition with your new loved ones. 

This is part one of two. Copyright by Leslie Goodwin. Excerpted from CAT SKILLS: Loving Care for Cats by Leslie Goodwin..available on Amazon.com http://goo.gl/tqTpxx

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken.

If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.  C.S. Lewis

With Heartfelt Thanks...

It feels so wrong to start a blog post without writing "Hey everybody, it's Truffles!"

I hadn't planned on blogging this weekend, but I had to take a moment to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for the support I have received over this past week. The pain has been unimaginable, and I don't know what I would have done without the love, support, and sympathy from everyone who taken the time to write to me to say how much my precious little angel meant to them. Truly, if love could have saved her, she would have lived forever.

Truffles was so protective of me. If I wasn't in the room with her she would call out for me. Over the past year with my parents' illnesses she would comfort me. I have a feeling she's watching over me right now, worrying about me because I'm crying so much. She was the sweetest cat *ever* and I know that leaving me to face life without her broke her heart.

She will continue to be a HUGE part of this blog. I think writing about her is going to be the only way I'm going to get through this. I still have several of her interviews yet to run and pictures that haven't been seen. I want to share the incredible acts of kindness I've been shown and do more research into the horrible disease that took her from me way too soon.

My friend Leslie Goodwin, who wrote the wonderful book Cat Skills, will be guest posting for a couple days next week on the grieving process, in order to give me a little more time. I'm not ready to dive back in just yet.

I have no doubt that Tara sent Truffles to me, and I've asked Truffles to let me know who she chooses as her successor when she feels that I'm ready.

One thing is for sure...they will have some mighty big paws to fill.

*****************

I'm entering today's post in Athena's Caturday Art blog hop and the Sunday Selfies blog hop hosted by The Cat on My Head.

Book Review/Giveaway: Caught Read-Handed by Terrie Farley Moran

From the publisher: Happy to help her fellow bibliophiles, Sassy visits the local library with book donations for their annual fundraising sale. Unfortunately, the welcoming readers’ haven is in turmoil as an argument erupts between an ornery patron and new staff member, Tanya Lipscombe—also known as “Tanya Trouble.” She may lack people skills, but everyone is shocked when she’s later found murdered in her own hot tub.

The man last seen arguing with Tanya is soon arrested. But Alan Mersky, a veteran with PTSD, happens to be the brother of Sassy’s former boss—and he’s no murderer. Now it’s up to Sassy and Bridgy to clear Alan’s name and make sure the real killer gets booked.

The first book in Terrie Farley Moran's Read Em and Eat mystery series was one of my favorite debuts of 2014, and this second book in the series is an even bigger page-turner, if possible!

Featuring Sassy Cabot and Bridgy Mayfield, who bring Fort Myers Beach, Florida, residents plenty of sinful treats and killer reads at their bookstore café, Read ’Em and Eat. the book begins with Sassy making a donation to the library fund-raising book sale. At the library she witnesses a scene between a volunteer, "Tanya Trouble", and a man who bears a striking resemblance to Sassy's former boss George. A quick phone call to George reveals that the man is his brother Alan, who is suffering from PTSD following three tours in Iraq. Before long Tanya is found dead in her hot tub - her skull smashed in by a tree branch just like the ones Alan carries in his car to build huts in the woods. Sassy makes arrangements for George, his shy sister Regina, and his flamboyant wife O'Mally to come to town to clear their loved one's name.

A secondary story involves a green anaconda loose in the bay, putting the lives of resident pets in danger. While chef Miguel wants the snake killed in order to protect his beloved kitty Bow, others in town want the intruder relocated. This sets up some humorous scenes involving Bridgy's aunt Ophelia.

I've never been tempted to visit Florida...it's climate is just not for me...but I enjoy spending a little time in Fort Myers Beach through the pages of this series!

*******************

About the author: Short-listed twice for The Best American Mystery Stories, Terrie Farley Moran is delighted to introduce mystery fans to the Read ’Em and Eat café and bookstore, which debuted with Well Read, Then Dead. The only thing Terrie enjoys more than wrangling mystery plots into submission is playing games and reading stories with any or all of her grandchildren.

Author Links:
Webpage: http://terriefarleymoran.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terrie.moran.9
Blog: www.womenofmystery.net
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/23186092-terrie-moran

Purchase Links:
Amazon
B&N

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review/Giveaway: Dead Men Don't Eat Cookies by Virginia Lowell

From the publisher: Olivia’s mom, Ellie, is always cooking up new schemes, but her latest idea has Livie and Maddie especially excited. Ellie’s converting an old boarding house into an arts and crafts school—one that, of course, houses a kitchen for those interested in baking. But right as renovations start, the workers discover a pile of bones buried within the boarding house’s walls, evidence of a long forgotten crime.

A silver necklace with a cookie cutter charm is found within the remains, convincing one of the workers that the bones are the remains of her father, who’s been missing for over five years. Of course, Livie and Maddie can’t resist the allure of investigating. But they’re about to discover that digging up the secrets of the past can be deadly dangerous…

Virginia Lowell's Cookie Cutter Shop mystery series is one of those cozies that instantly makes you feel like you're catching up with old friends the moment you start reading. I sit back and imagine sharing a cup of coffee and plate of cookies with Livie and Maddie while we catch up on Chatterley Heights gossip.

In this sixth book in the series, a pile of bones is found in the walls of the old boarding house Olivia's mom is renovating. A silver necklace with a cookie cutter charm is found with the bones, leading Alicia, a teenager working on site, to believe it's her missing father. The police put the renovation project on hold while they investigate, so Livie and Maddie decide to do a little sleuthing of their own. Before long another shocking discovery is made which leads the ladies even further into Chatterley Heights history involving a collection of very valuable antique cookie cutters. With blogger Binnie causing trouble at every turn, and an elderly actress determined to turn the mystery into a play, Livie and Maddie soon find themselves up to their elbows in cookie dough and trouble!

Grab some coffee and cookies and settle in with a charming mystery that will have you guessing until the very end!

Giveaway: Leave a comment by noon eastern on Friday, July 17th for your chance to win a paperback copy of Dead Men Don't Eat Cookies. (US entries only, please.)

Forever Young, My Precious Truffles

This is the hardest blog post I've ever had to write. 

Just hours after I finished writing my tribute to Tara on the two year anniversary of her passing, Truffles joined her. She had a saddle thrombus, a blood clot at the base of her aorta. Nothing could be done to save her.

It just doesn't seem possible...two years to the day, almost to the hour, that Tara died. I've often wondered which is worse...a long illness or sudden death. Now I know. I just feel like the entire world has stopped.

The next couple of days we'll be running pre-scheduled book reviews. Next week I will continue to pay tribute to my beautiful, precious little angel.

Remembering Tara...Two Years at the Bridge

Losing them wouldn't be so hard to take

If heaven wasn't so far away.

June 2015 CatLadyBox Review

I've been hesitant to jump on the subscription box bandwagon. I'm not a huge fan of surprises, so I haven't been crazy about the idea of paying for something upfront, having no idea what I was going to end up with.

That all changed when I heard about my friend Dorian Wagner's brilliant idea of a CatLadyBox. It's a surefire thing that I will love *anything* cat-related and I eagerly signed up. When an email arrived with my FedEx tracking number, I stalked it on a daily basis.

On Friday morning this happened:

Truffles was super excited too!

Check out the adorable artwork on the card created by Artist BZTAT. The back of the card contains info about all of the featured items in the box:

What was in the box? A super cute Living in the Meow Canvas Tote. Living in the Meow partners with organizations like the Cat Town Cafe to increase rescue adoptions through donations and merchandise sales. And, all of their products are made in the USA.

"Crazy Cat Lady" Hand-Stamped Aluminum Cuff created exclusively for CatLadyBox  by DesignsbyMarlayna. It's lightweight and easily adjustable (which is a really good thing because my wrist is super small and bracelets usually fall right off!)

"Black Cat" Artisan Perfume Mini Spritzer Bottle by Wylde Ivy. I am generally not a fan of perfume at all. Being around someone who wears too much irritates my allergies and gives me a headache. That being said, I *adore* the scent of Black Cat so much that I'm probably going to end up buying a full-size bottle. It's unique scent is simply spell-binding, just like a black cat!

Subscriptions cost $34.99 a month, but you can get an even better deal if you prepay for 3 or 6 months. Also available is the Crazy CatLadyBox, which includes a couple surprises for your kitty! (I'm a terrible cat mom and didn't order that one for Truffles, but in my defense she has some other packages coming soon!)

To say that I'm thrilled with my first CatLadyBox would be an understatement. I'm already counting down the days until the July box lands on my doorstep.

Disclosure: I'm not being compensated in any way for this review. I am a proud CatLadyBox subscriber!