Goodbye Matty
It's been a rough couple of years for Barnacle pets. First our cat Pawtucket, then our dog Tella, and today Paw's littermate Matty.
Fermat was born in June 1989. My former wife and I acquired she and Paw shortly after we moved to Redmond from Pittsburgh. I was never really a cat person, but I wasn't quite ready for the responsibility of a dog so I allowed myself to be talked into it. We chose Matty, as she was quickly nicknamed, because she was the loudest of the litter (Paw was the quietest). This was a distinction she apparently felt compelled to maintain. Matty was the loudest cat I or anyone I know ever met.
Aside from her brother, Matty outlived three dogs, one marriage, and a dozen homes. She spent some time on the coast, living at my cabin in Hansville. She shared a house with my friend Jonathan. And eventually, of course, she was forced to reside with my wife Sara. Sara and Matty never really got along. It was not without reason that Sara called herself "the evil kitty stepmother". But detente was eventually reached, in part because Matty was so needy she couldn't be choosy about who was petting her.
Matty's neediness rivalled her volume. She liked her food, but what she really craved was love. She clearly had an aching void inside her that needed to be filled, and especially once Pawtucket was gone that seldom happened. She began somewhat of a downward spiral, lost one eye last year, and new health problems emerged. Her quality of life was at such a low that saying goodbye to her was the humane thing to do. The kids said goodbye and then went up for naps, and a nice lady came by to administer some good narcotics. It seems like a nice way to go. Goodbye, Matty.The (Re)fun(ds) Never Stop!
Did a little financial housekeeping this morning. Turns out we incorrectly charged a half-dozen customers shipping when we promised free shipping. I took care of refunding them, using a feature I had built into our store engine but then completely forgotten about. I thanked myself profusely for my foresight. I accepted my thanks very modestly.
This Unshelved strip
can be shared with this link.