This morning is cold again. It started last night, and is expected to continue for a few more days. Mom likes to nestle on the sofa in front of the fireplace. She usually has a warm cup of tea and one of her projects. I join her because right now, I think she needs extra snuggles, but not due to the cold. A delivery man came yesterday with a box. Mom had to write on his phone before he handed her the box. There is a big label on the box that Mom told me says “Cremated Remains.” Inside was a small plastic box tied with a blue ribbon. Under the ribbon was some paperwork and a Thank You card. Mom got tears in her eyes when she read the card. She put the paperwork back under the ribbon and took the box to the shelves in the dining room. She said that she didn’t want me to test my gravity experiments on that box. She is afraid that it might break. She added that when it gets a little warmer, she will carefully pack it into the van. When we travel north to Washington, she plans to make a detour trip to where she and Dad had their cabin. She always talks about the cabin with a smile. I’m not sure how much I will like going there, but I know it is what she says was their “happy place.” She said that when we get there, she will open that box of Dad’s ashes. I think she may need extra snuggles after that stop. For now, Miko and I will take turns giving her snuggles on this cold day. We both love her, and this is the only way we can let her know we understand. We both miss Dad as well.

Our house has three doors. Mom and Dad installed the one at the very back of the house that goes to the back deck. It normally only get used in the summer when Mom wants to sit in the shade there to read or if she wants to use the BBQ grill. Dad is the one who picked out the grill, but he stopped doing the grilling years ago. Mom like to grill salmon and veggies on it, but I digress.

The other back door is one that gets used a lot. It goes out to the carport. Mom also uses it when she takes Missy for a walk in the back yard, or to put Miko or me on our leads. It is also the one I use to slip past Mom for an unsupervised walk-about. I did that yesterday. The temperature was warmer than it had been in days. Mom had said she would take us out, but she hadn’t done it. I was tired of waiting so I slipped out when she opened the door to take some things out to the blue shed. She had spent most of the morning out there rearranging things. She had taken the L-shaped sofa that she built out there. That was when she put the living room chairs in the family room, but I digress again.

Because she tried to catch me, I ran under that back deck knowing that she couldn’t reach me there. I waited until she had made her trip to and from the blue shed. She went in the house trusting that I’d come to the door when I was ready to come in. The problem I have is that the door I went out is solid at the bottom. The storm door there has a window that goes to the bottom, but not the main door. When I was ready to come in, I sat on the step, but she didn’t see me. One of the OCs (Outside Cat) told me that is where he likes to sit, and that I needed to move on.

I ran to the front porch. The other OCs also sit there, but today it was empty. I went to the door there. Both the storm door and the main door have a full panel of glass. I stood on my back legs to scratch at the glass. Mom didn’t see me at first, but Missy did and barked at me. That, of course, called Mom to the door. I was really happy to have her let me back into the house. She picked me up so I could give her hugs and kisses. I knew she would forgive me for my walk-about because she loves me. I love her too. I also love that we have a door where she can see me before one of the OCs decides to beat me up!

Mom and I did not make a post on Wednesday. She decided it was time for a camping trip at the beach. She packed the van; loaded Miko, Missy, and me; and pulled out of our driveway early. I didn’t like the start of this trip because it was foggy out. I don’t like to look out the window, but when Miko complained I knew it was bad. The fog turned into a misty rain for most of the day. It cleared up when we got to our first stop for the night, Lake Corpus Christi State Park. It was a nice place to spend the night, because there was a wooden post just outside the sliding door. Miko liked to sit on it, and I sharpened my claws.

It felt strange to not have Dad sleeping in the second bunk. Missy claimed it for her own. I tried to give Mom extra kisses, because I knew that she was sad without Dad. In the morning mom drove all the way to the beach. She took Missy for a very short walk. The silly dog didn’t like the sound of the waves any more than I did. Miko wanted to know if we should play in the sand, and I told her “Absolutely not!” I felt bad that Mom had to take her beach walks alone for the four days we were there. We all got out at our campsite, because it was far enough away from the waves. They were just too loud.

On our way home, we spent the night at a winery. There was a car parked right next to us until after dark, so we didn’t get out to play until morning. We heard a dog barking outside the van during the night. Missy of course had to bark at him. With dawn, Mom checked that it was okay for us to be out, when she took Missy for her morning walk. Miko and I were busy sniffing the grass when they got back from the short walk. I could hear the coffee pot starting to perk, when I saw a great big white dog that looked like a wolf heading our direction. Miko and I ran for the van door. Mom said it was a Great Pyrenees, but I still thought it looked like a wolf. I guess the dog was guarding the winery overnight. We were all happy when Mom closed the door, and got us ready to leave. It felt really good to get home.