Farewell to Billy Bob

Our beloved cat Billy Bob was put to sleep this afternoon. He had been slowly failing for several months (we see in retrospect), and reached the critical point on Saturday (two days ago). We took him into the Burnet Road Animal Hospital (where he has many fans), but the treatment he was given did not improve his condition. We had the choice of having him die at home, slowly and inevitably, over the next 48 hours, or ending his suffering quickly. We have chosen the latter.

We will miss him; he was an intelligent, gregarious feline who loved people, scorned dogs, and had his own unique way of doing things. If there is a life beyond this, we know that he is reunited with Richard Beck, who befriended and named Billy Bob in his kittenhood. Mr. Beck was in his 90's when he passed away (just a week before his wife's death), and Billy Bob came to us shortly afterwards.

This cool little dude-cat received pats from many of the neighborhood joggers every evening, and was known to make daily rounds of several back gardens besides our own. We were privileged, however, to be the family that he chose as his own.

Peace to his spirit, wherever it may be.

Visiting Germany

We returned from our visit to Germany a few days ago, and I must say that our daughter and new son-in-law, plus all his assorted family members, did their very best to make us feel welcome. A long Sunday afternoon spent driving through the beautiful country of the Weinstrasse, a couple of dinners in the new apartment, plus lots of walking and exploring on our own, kept us busy.

Several of the other family members who made the trip were traveling outside the U.S. for the first time, and I hope that they enjoyed themselves, and have recovered from the "culture shock" of not having ice cubes automatically served in their soft drinks--even on a hot day!

More later...