It was an eventful day for us. We put Minnie down and ended her journey to the end of life. A month ago, she was fine. It happens quickly.

We both felt good about getting to our vet; it was time. Minnie was barely alive.

We are both pretty worn out; the retreat seems a while ago.

I wrote about the Ravens and Maria’s beautiful fiber painting, which she sold today. I have a lot of thoughts about my Raven experience over the past few ways; I’ll be posting about it in the morning. I still have some work to do on it.

We both agreed tonight that we should get another barn cat. The first thing Minnie did when she came was clear the barn of the rats running around. Barn cats are essential to the health of a farm and a barn.

And Maria is very much a cat person and would like to have another cat to get to know. When she arrived, Minnie was a feral barn cat; Maria melted her down over time. The same thing happened with Flo, the first cat I fell in love with.

But the truth is, I’m not a cat person, as much as I loved Minnie. Maria is. She needs and wants a cat; I’d like it too. Minnie won my heart.

We have contacted two organizations, and there will be plenty of cats to choose from when we are ready, which we are not currently.

We need some time to digest the loss of Minnie, a central figure on the farm and in our marriage and relationship. We don’t need any advice, recommendations, suggestions, contacts, or other advice.

This process is private and personal and will take a few weeks, and we are not ready to move on it yet. I just wanted to let everybody know.

We will talk to several cat rescue groups in the area to see what’s available and decide what we want. The first talk will be this week. We will take some time for this. Thanks for your kind words, support, understanding, and patience.

All are much appreciated. Have a good night, and please stay dry and safe wherever you are.