Aim (my wife) has had a blog for some time, and several of our friends have blogs. I always sort of scoffed the idea, but as usual, after a while I got to thinking about it and realized that it was a good idea.
Where else could I rant about things and not bore my wife or kids? Where else could I say whatever I want without pissing people off or making them uncomfortable,l or worrying if they were even interested? If you don't like it, don't read the blog. Simple...I like it already.
By the way, what am I supposed to say on this my first entry?
The inspiration and need to write in my own blog came as I was reading one of my wife's entries about my cat, Riley, who died not to long before we moved from Panama City, Florida (Tyndall AFB), to Nellis AFB (Vegas Baby!). She had titled it "Goodbye Riley", and talked a little bit about the circumstances leading up to my having to take him into the vet and have him put to sleep.
That was the hardest thing that I've ever had to do. I have sat in de-briefing rooms with students (when I was an instructor at Tyndall), and told them that their careers as potential flying officers was over and felt bad, but when I took Riley to the vet, it was HARD.
I read Aim's post and got teary (again). Riley was the one cat in this life that I could have had. When Aim and I saw him at the pet store years ago in Vallejo, he came right up to us. When we came to pick him up a few days later, he ran right up to us again. I still remember the drive to our apartment after we picked him up. He sat in a box on Aim's lap, and just stared out the window, looking at things as we went home.
The next almost 12 years went by so fast. It was Riley that met me at the door of our apartment in Pensacola, the day I washed out, and sat with me on the couch, as I drank warm beer trying to figure out where I'd gone wrong.
When I came home at all the odd times that I do as a flyer, Riley was always up to come see me and say hi, no matter what.
I used to love to lay on the couch and watch football or whatever, because within about 1 minute, Riley would climb onto the couch with me and settle in.
The day I took him to the vet to end his pain, I sat in a chair holding him, not believing that I had to do this. Riley was the perfect cat. He was a cool gray color, he had an awesome personality, and he was HUGE for a cat.
The vet left us alone after she gave him a shot to put him to sleep, and it was the most transcendental experience of my life. He looked me right in the eye as he fell asleep, and purred until it just faded off. When she gave him the final shot, he died almost instantly. I've read a lot of stuff about people having these experiences with animals, and now I know what they mean. I like to think that Riley died with not only the person in this world who loved him the most, but feeling comfort and happiness.
I miss him everyday.
Where else could I rant about things and not bore my wife or kids? Where else could I say whatever I want without pissing people off or making them uncomfortable,l or worrying if they were even interested? If you don't like it, don't read the blog. Simple...I like it already.
By the way, what am I supposed to say on this my first entry?
The inspiration and need to write in my own blog came as I was reading one of my wife's entries about my cat, Riley, who died not to long before we moved from Panama City, Florida (Tyndall AFB), to Nellis AFB (Vegas Baby!). She had titled it "Goodbye Riley", and talked a little bit about the circumstances leading up to my having to take him into the vet and have him put to sleep.
That was the hardest thing that I've ever had to do. I have sat in de-briefing rooms with students (when I was an instructor at Tyndall), and told them that their careers as potential flying officers was over and felt bad, but when I took Riley to the vet, it was HARD.
I read Aim's post and got teary (again). Riley was the one cat in this life that I could have had. When Aim and I saw him at the pet store years ago in Vallejo, he came right up to us. When we came to pick him up a few days later, he ran right up to us again. I still remember the drive to our apartment after we picked him up. He sat in a box on Aim's lap, and just stared out the window, looking at things as we went home.
The next almost 12 years went by so fast. It was Riley that met me at the door of our apartment in Pensacola, the day I washed out, and sat with me on the couch, as I drank warm beer trying to figure out where I'd gone wrong.
When I came home at all the odd times that I do as a flyer, Riley was always up to come see me and say hi, no matter what.
I used to love to lay on the couch and watch football or whatever, because within about 1 minute, Riley would climb onto the couch with me and settle in.
The day I took him to the vet to end his pain, I sat in a chair holding him, not believing that I had to do this. Riley was the perfect cat. He was a cool gray color, he had an awesome personality, and he was HUGE for a cat.
The vet left us alone after she gave him a shot to put him to sleep, and it was the most transcendental experience of my life. He looked me right in the eye as he fell asleep, and purred until it just faded off. When she gave him the final shot, he died almost instantly. I've read a lot of stuff about people having these experiences with animals, and now I know what they mean. I like to think that Riley died with not only the person in this world who loved him the most, but feeling comfort and happiness.
I miss him everyday.
