RIP Jimmy

Today we said farewell to Jimmy, my longtime painting buddy. I’m really going to miss him...he was such a special little cat. If you've read this blog for any length of time, you're probably already familiar with how much Jimmy meant to me. 

For years, he would come into my hobby space and either a) demand to be picked up and held or b) jump up into my lap himself. Once he lost the use of his back legs 2 years ago, he'd still come downstairs to squawk at me (he didn't meow like most cats) and tell me it was time to finish up. He definitely had a large personality!

Saying goodbye to Jimmy was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. It, however, was time and he let us know that he was ready. At least and Bogey are reunited at the Rainbow Bridge now. 🌈

Meanwhile, it seems that Gizmo has now assumed Jimmy's hobby-related duties. 😸

"Go West (again), young man..."

So I'm still working out the final details, but it looks like I'm heading back to the West Coast for a few months. I've just accepted a temporary assignment at Fort Vancouver NHS in Vancouver, WA  starting in mid-February. I'm super excited and can't wait! 

For those who may not know, I was born and raised in the Los Angeles area and only moved to Washington, DC in 2013. After 8 years, it'll be super nice to at least be in the same time zone as the rest of my family. 

Given the relatively short turnaround time (just over two weeks) I'm understandably a little stressed. There are so many things to get sorted out! Thankfully, this is only going to be a for 3-4 months so I can pack relatively light. Really the biggest things I'm taking are my painting supplies (you know, the priorities), work clothes, and maybe a few books (I'm thinking maybe the A Song of Ice and Fire series). And cat supplies.

Because yes, you can bet that Jimmy is coming with me too. I'll be sad to be away from Teresa and Gizmo for so long, but it'll be nice to at least have my painting buddy with me. 

Why yes, Jimmy does have a little ranger hat.

Black Cat Appreciation Day

Happy Black Cat Appreciation Day!

I've mentioned this before in a few previous posts, but our black cat Jimmy loves going down into the basement while I'm working on miniatures. He'll either demand to be picked up and held, or squawk at me late in the evening and tell me that it's time for bed. It's been like this for two and a half years now.

Jimmy!

Jimmy's little routine has become a bit of a ritual and is now an expected part of hobby time. He did it again this evening without fail. I wouldn't trade this quirky little cat for anything!  

Bogey!

Gizmo! He's got quite a story & you can see it on Instagram at @GizmoOneLung.

We have two other cats, Bogey (who we adopted with Jimmy almost three years ago) and Gizmo (who we got just over a year ago). They'll both venture down into the basement but they don't really try to get my attention the way that Jimmy does.

Just another interesting part of working on miniatures in this house!