By the Numbers- Deleted Scenes and Bloopers

A few last minute additions to my weekend list of numerical notes from this year:

Almost 15: When mentioning the assorted passings among friends and colleagues in the past year, I started by saying it did not include any "in the family or in the closest circle of friends." That was incorrect: Zoey, our longest-standing furkitty, came to the end of her journey with us in May, a mere month before her 15th birthday.  She was the first of our two finds through a onetime coworker of Eleanor's: their daughter, who almost a decade later would bring Pepper into our lives, had adopted a pregnant mamacat just before she littered, and her mom invited us to have the pick of the litter. My eyes were drawn to some orange ones among the lumps (this before that color was ruined in 2015), but Emily was fixed on the little black runt you see in the userpic. She entered a home with two large dogs and two older cats, all of whom she learned to live with.  We were watching Edie Falco's Nurse Jackie series at the time, and her coworker Zoey (played by Merritt Wever) quickly became our favorite from its cast , so the name got transferred. 

ZoZo quickly got the puppies in line, barely tolerated the shy boy Tazzer, and stayed out of Evil Cat's way for the duration of her miserable life with us.  When Pepper arrived, she too quivered in fear of the black ball of fluff, but when the kittens came four years ago, Zoey was tolerant of their playfulness, even refereeing one of the boyz's hockey games:
 

Watch on YouTube

A few months after we lost Boz from that pair, in the spring of 2021, Jack arrived. He was the only one among the eight other furbabies she actively disliked, never passing him without a hiss of Queenly domination. On the other hand, or just as often other side or leg, she was my near-constant companion, especially at human sleepytime. Perhaps that's why Jack has never bonded with me the way he has with Eleanor, Boz's surviving bro, and even the dog; in his mind, I'm still hers and therefore off limits.

Zoey survived a cancer scare with flying colors several years earlier, and her final days were short as some combination of illness and age took her.  From around the day of her passing, I chose to share this photo and these words:

Zoey gave us one more sleep.

 

Finally picked a spot in the hallway. The purrs stopped. The eyes dimmed.  She knew it was time and so did we.

Just before 5 this morning the little life still there curled into Eleanor's arms and she said goodnight and thank you.

Just before 15 years with us. Just before 5 years we never expected to have with her.

She rests. We are at peace.

How I'll remember her, and how I'll miss her when I sit here.  From just this past August. Lying peacefully, blepping tongue, totally in the way and knowing we both loved it.



I still occasionally see her shadow in random corners, think she's trying to sneak out the back door for some air and grass munching when the dog goes in or out, mistake a fan coming on for her purr.  Six months gone but never to be forgotten.

12, 22, 25:  Those are not three of the numbers of Lost. They're why you can bury this BS about a third term for You Know Who.  This piece is one of the various things I've read about it. It's scary if possible. Those Numbers say it's not.

Start with 22, the two-term limit amendment. Some Constitutional ::koff:: scholars are saying it only refers to two CONSECUTIVE terms, a clever weaving of whole cloth to DQ Obama, who would clean the old man's clock.  It's not in there. Fuggetabutit.

Then they say, "but he could run as Don Junior's VP, and the cokeheaded spawn would quit as soon as the Bible is back in the Chief Justice's robe and he'd be Prez again!" Nothing in the 22nd prevents that, true, but the older 12th Amendment keeps the Orange Shitdemon off the ballot in the first place: "But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States."

The 25th only comes into play if the inaugurated president dies, is removed or goes (more) out of his nut. That one might actually get us somewhere.

Finally, speaking of Presidents,

39: Sunday brought word of the death of Jimmy Carter at the age of 100.  He is the only once or future President I have ever shared a roof with, unless Tricky Dick happened to be home when I took the White House tour in 1973. Large roof it was, too- the fairly new Nassau Coliseum, where I attended a Carter rally during his 1976 campaign. Almost 50 years later, that now-near-abandoned sports venue would be desecrated by a multiply convicted felon campaigning in a state even His Dear Leadership couldn't win due to the fucking price of eggs.  Carter brought four years of decency, diplomacy and democracy to a world that would abandon most of those precepts in the 40 years since Reagan's minions conspired with Iran to hold Americans hostage just a leetle longer. 

By making it alive to late December, Jimmy did extract one significant bit of revenge on MAGA-land. By federal law, flags must remain at half-staff for 30 days, which will include January 20th.  I'd still be fine replacing the 50 stars with a flipped bird, but it'll do.

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As for the blooper, I missed my mark on this one. My much-loved post from about this time yesterday:

For all the shit this year has brought so many people, I appear to be ending mine with a little bit of good Kar-ma. That’s karma with a K.

A couple of weeks ago, my check engine light came on. That was also a minor victory at the time because I had gotten the car inspected a week before. I took the car to AutoZone and found that the code meant a door in the emissions system was stuck open. Not a big part, but buried pretty deep and probably several hundred to fix.

It just went out on his own. It is windy AF around here today and I’m wondering if whatever blew it open has now blown it shut again.

I’ll take whatever good karma I can into the new year 🙂

Fucker came back on as I drove to work this morning:P

Bye, 2024. Show yourself out.
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