Jek gave me permission to reprint this e-mail that he and Tarn sent to family and friends, and, I think Jek and Tarn consider the MR Community as family as well……

Dear friends and family,

Thursday we said goodbye to Holstein (aka Bein Bein), our beloved feline family member of almost 12 years. Holstein came with our house, but as an outdoor cat not particularly interested in people. Our early attempts at vet care didn’t help endear her to us, but after a year or so she decided that winter nights were best spent indoors. We fashioned a bell on the front doorknob, and she trained us to let her out when she rang it. Always a purring, loving cat, she mellowed over the years, finally becoming a lap-cat who enjoyed the cat brush and even direct application of a vacuum. Holstein had a knack for stumping the vet with various ailments, dealing with each new challenge as if it were a mountain to conquer. Everyone at the vet was always happy to see her, and her doctor called her the sweetest cat in the practice. She still loved to go outside, and she’d routinely sharpen her claws as if she we about to go on a big hunt, though typically she’d just end up on the front porch surveying her land, keeping an eye on those chirping birds. Those of you who knew Holstein may have been lucky enough to have her “kiss” you by nudging her face into yours, usually followed by a scratchy tongue attack on your cheek. We love you Holstein.

 Mournfully,

As far as the Global Warming crap, I agree, it’s mis-named….. It should be called “Global Climatic Change” because most of World is experiencing more of the weather that they normally get, and, in some cases, complete reversal of the “Norm”….. In Oklahoma, we’re already getting Burn Ban Warnings…. We ended 2011 in an “Extreme Drought”, and, so far in 2012, we’ve had about two snowflakes of moisture….  As soon as everything burns to the ground, we will be an official “Desert”…..

Bottom Line: Don’t become a ground level statue if you can’t stand the attention…..

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So-o-o, a big HAPPY NEW YEAR’S to everyone, even if it’s not New Year’s where you are yet……

Also, according to the National News, we have Terrorism to worry about….. I heard that a man was arrested in Seattle who was planning an attack on a military training facility over the 4th…. So-o-o, we have to also add that to the normal worries of having explosive devices in the hands of many Morons for this particular Holiday….

Maybe it’s just me, but, the 4th of July just isn’t what it used to be…… Happy “Independence Day”……

She trained her human protégées well, and in return let them take her for walks in the snow, watch her sit under the rosebushes on the sun deck, and would never leave a lap unwarmed….. She will be missed but never forgotten…… So-o-o, pour yourself a bowl of milk and grab one of your favorite treats and give one last toast to Rainy Cat – One of the Best from the Great Northwest……

RIP Rainy Cat (~1997-2011)

If 6 were 9, you’d Hear My Train a Comin’ round the Red House located All Along The Watchtower guarded by a Foxey Lady and a VooDoo Child shrouded in a Purple Haze…..

If I don’t see you in this world……..

The Sun is out though today, but, it is definitely bumper car city out there….. AND, the best part (yeah, right) is more is predicted to be on the way….. I’m now wondering if Thanksgiving will be celebrated in here in Seattle instead of on the Columbia river in Skamokawa as is traditional, and, one of the main reasons I came all the way to the Great White North for in the first place (I guess the “White” should have been a hint to me…eh?)…. …Still, I’m having a great time and would love to live here as opposed to Oklahoma…..