White Cat in Autumn Grove...

With far, far too many profound emotions and words to say, and not nearly enough time or space to reveal them... I remain silent, content instead to feel these emotions swirling inside me, after having spent this past Halloween down at the remote camp site at Daves Hollow with our small group of dear friends. These are the times that mean the most to me, deeply and spiritually, celebrating the true meaning of All Hallow's Eve.

While there on Halloween night, I finally got the chance to scatter some of Yeti's ashes during the evening, keeping the rest to put in a special urn I have at home on my desk.

I constantly thought about how terribly I missed my tiny white cat with the vivid green eyes - my funny, smart, extremely vocal constant companion of over 17 years - as we were on our way home. It's a truly lovely drive in breathtakingly beautiful country, and the day was one of those that makes you feel so very alive: a vibrant autumn offering that was crisp and chilly yet sunny, with puffy clouds stippled against the sky like marshmallows melting in a hot cup of blue curacao. Yeti was an unrepentant sun worshipper, and used to go with me for walks in the sun on days like this, where she'd stop and position herself for maximum ray absorption. To say the realization of this first autumn without her was painful is certainly an understatement, and I kept fighting tears as we drove on.

Mark and I decided to stop at a small antique store near Fayetteville that we'd passed by on many occasions and always swore we'd go in and have a little walkabout one of these days. As we pulled up, I saw an incredibly vivid grove of trees that absolutely burst in fall foliage colors. Red fire, orange fire, burnished gold and bronze, evergreen, all framed by a huge sleeping craggy brown oak. Seeing stuff like that always makes my heart and soul sing; no better way to describe it.  

I got my camera out to snap off a few photos, and as I looked again, I noticed it: a tiny white cat sitting in the sun.

Perhaps she just dropped in to say hello to Mom...