Funky Mama

Funky Mama died this month. She was between about 16-17 years old. Cynthia brought her home from the farm when Funky was just a kitten. Over the years, Funky had kittens and then was spayed so she would not have any more kittens. She lived a long happy life, we think. Always had food and a nice warm place to sleep. Throughout her life, she was teased tremendously by Tonie's two kittens, Roman and Bernice. Eventually we had to let the kittens go because of the allergic reactions to their presence. WE simply could not let Funky go because she was getting older so we kept her. Then Cynthia got married and her husband is allergic to cats. We had to cover the couches, make sure Cyn's bedroom was as clean as possible, and generally take steps to lessen the allergic reaction for Kyle. We even thought of putting them up in a hotel because we felt so bad for him. BUT, we kept Funky because she was getting old. WE also kept Kyle, too. :)

In the recent years, Funky has gone through several dogs. First there was Peanuts, cockapoo, who really got along with her. Peanuts knew not to tease her or chase her. Then came Buster, miniature schnauzer, who had a difficult time controlling himself at first and tried to chase her. Buster did eventually learn that he could chase every cat he saw BUT Funky. Then came Vinny, Robbie's miniature pincher. Vinny never did learn that he should not chase funky but Vinny was smaller than Funky and did not dare push his luck too much. Then came Simon, our Yorkshire Terrier, who tried to sneak in a chase while we were not looking. Simon and Funky just tolerated each other, Simon giving her a wide berth. Then came Mikey, miniature pincher and Vinny's younger brother. Mikey has tried to play with Funky on many occasions and we are thankful that Funky was declawed. Otherwise, Mikey would have had ribbons for ears. Despite all the dogs she had to deal with, Funky ruled the house. She even took over Simon's bed. Towards the end, she became much more comfortable in being petted by Robb and Me. She would eat from Robb's fingertips, and purr really loud when Robb held her. We did not know what was wrong although I kept watch on her food dish which was not emptying. Funky generally came and got us to show her the food dish and to have us watch her eat. She did not do that and we wondered where she was. It was way too quiet and she had not come to get us. We found her asleep in the front room. She kept quiet. Then when we got home after work, Robb saw her lose her balance as she tried to walk into the bedroom. We all panicked and picked her up. We watched her but it did not look good. Of course we had to let everyone in the family know. The next day I missed work so I could try to get her to eat but she would not. That night, she passed away sometime between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. when Robb saw her and told me that she had passed. I often wonder if there is a heaven for animals and whether they are part of our lives after this life. I guess we will have to see. Now we have Simon at home. I wonder if he misses Funky or even wonders what happened to the cat that lived in the house and used his bed.

What a way to start of the New Year

The governor for the State of Idaho gave his address and presented his budget for the next fiscal year. Not good news. He has recommended that the Idaho Human Rights Commission be phased out over the next three years with a 25% reduction in funding each year. If the Commission can generate funds on its own without relying on the general budget, then it can exist. But, if it cannot, which it cannot, it will have to close its offices unless another plan comes into play that will keep the Commission going. I never thought I would see the day!!! Essentially, the Commission has been given a life span of three more years. Unfortunately for me, this is one year short of early retirement. I don't know what will happen but I will hang on for the long haul.

On to other things, I do have blessings in my life. First, I have a job for the time being. I have my kids and my husband for whom I am very thankful. I have Jackson who is adding joy to our family with each new day. We have a home and cars, albeit old ones, to drive us back and forth. We have food on our shelves and heat for our home. I have been blessed when many are seeking these basic things in their lives. The economy is so bad that unemployment has sky rocketed - - people have lost their homes, families, and all sorts of disruption has occurred. For Robb and I, we are very thankful to have what we do have.

Somehow this begins to sound like the Book of Mormon over again. The turmoil in the world is great with wars going one in various places. Our nephew, Kendall, is now serving in Afghanistan, a hot bed of warfare. We hope he remains safe and will return home safely when his turn is over. He is with the Marines. News reports come every day of some fatality that has occurred. We keep our fingers crossed and pray he returns safely.

The war on terror is still raging on. The latest incident was when a person attempted to blow up a flight coming into Detroit. The incident was stopped and everyone was safe but this man got past airport security. We never know when our turn will come, whether we will fall on the way to work, in our homes, or in a public place. I guess the lesson is to prepare and always be prepared to meet Heavenly Father at any point in our life. We have to remain vigilant in all that we do.

Robb has started tax season again and he is gone long hours. I spend evenings by myself and keeping myself busy writing posts and other things. It is difficult to prepare meals when Robb works so late. Often times he comes home and eats very little and goes directly to bed. Well, so much for the "wonderful" outlook on my work and life.