Callie

Callie
Callie, New London, WI

Back when I was a teenager we had a cat that gave birth to a litter of kittens and then got really sick. Her kidneys failed and we had to make a decision of whether to try to save her or have her put down. It was an especially hard decision knowing that she had a whole litter of kittens to take care of, but in the end it didn’t look good and euthanasia seemed like the best option.

Callie Moving to WaupacaTo care for the kittens we had to buy formula and tiny bottles. My brother and I set our alarm clocks for every few hours and took turns feeding each of them for weeks. Until they were old enough to eat watered down food and then real food. When the kittens were big enough we gave them away, but kept one calico kitten for ourselves. Appropriately, we named her Callie.

Callie lived with my parents for the past 17 years. Over the weekend my parents had realized they hadn’t seen her for a while, which isn’t that odd. She had a warmly insulated house outside where she lived and my parents’ house is on a large plot of land with a woods and a pond and lots of hiding places. Callie and their other cat Bailey have the run of the land, as does the dog, Dakoda. They all spend a lot of time both inside and outside.

I just found out this morning that when my dad found Callie on Sunday it looked as though she was soundly sleeping in her cat house, like normal, except that she had actually passed on to kitty heaven sometime in her sleep. I’m saddened because we had her around for so long, but I know that she had a long, long life. Almost 20 years old! Still, when my mom sent these photos of her and our dog Max who passed on a couple years ago, they brought a tear to my eye. Callie was kind of a major grouch and a loner, so I didn’t think I’d miss her really, but when I think about how long she was in our family… I think there’s also a special bond because we had to be adopted mother to her when her own kitty mom died when she was a few days old.

RIP Callie & Max. At least they are back together now.

Callie & Max
Callie & Max, New London, WI

Time on the Truck Floor

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Jim Croce Cassette, Waupaca, WI

On Saturday night my dad and Stephanie and I went back to the old house to grab a few things that were left behind earlier in the day and to get Max & Callie. When I got into my dad’s truck something hit my foot and when I looked down it was Jim Croce’s Time in a Bottle, Greatest Love Songs.

Side 1, Track 1:
If I could save time in a bottle the first thing that I’d like to do is to save every day till eternity passes away just to spend them with you.

I can’t tell you how many times this opening line made me want to bash my head against the dash when I was a little kid riding around in the car. I’ve since grown to appreciate Jim Croce’s music and songwriting, but back then he was just some old dead guy my dad liked who sang boring songs and even Leroy Brown, the baddest man in the whole damn town, wasn’t cool. Now I know that Leroy is from Chicago’s south side and is meaner than a junkyard dog, and I’m all right with him. I actually really like the song, I’ll Have to Say I Love You in a Song, which unfortch was released after Jim Croce died in 1973.

I also remember a lot about the Croces from when I lived in San Diego. I remember hearing a story about how Jim & Ingrid moved to San Diego to settle down and concentrate on their family (in Normal Heights, no less), but Jim just had to go out and do one last tour.. then they’d be all set. And it was on that tour that he died in a plane crash. Ingrid now has a popular restaurant in the Gaslamp District. I could also remember hearing a lot of his son, AJ Croce.. I think he might play at the restaurant.

Still, as a kind of inside joke, my brother and I just have to look at each other and in a soft voice sing “if i could save time in a bottle….” to make the other one roll their eyes and laugh. And then want to bash our heads on the dashboard.

Move to Waupaca

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Jessica, Waupaca, WI

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Callie, New London, WI

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Dad & Stephanie, New London, WI

This weekend my parents moved from New London, WI to Waupaca, WI. They’ve got a bigger house now, more rooms, an additional fireplace, a few more acres, and a pond. The detached garage is huge, with a ton of space for all the stuff my dad’s always tinkering with.. woodworking and whatever else used to go on in our old basement and garage. The garage also is heated and has cable tv and an 8-track and sink and so many amenities that we’re calling it “dad’s apartment”. I wonder if my parents will ever see each other any more!

The photos above – Jess is turning into a rock star with some glasses she found in one of the packed boxes and a hat that my Aunt Sue crocheted for her.

Of the animals that moved, Callie is the one seeming to have the hardest time with it. She’s about 14 years old and has only ever lived at the old house, where she was indoor/outdoor, but mostly outdoor. So it’s all new to her. Bailey (cat) is younger and seems to be fine so far.. and Max (dog), who’s also really old and hasn’t known another home, seems to be ok. He barked for the whole night, but I think he was just disoriented. He should be ok after a while and he’s got a nice indoor/outdoor dog run connected to dad’s apartment that I think he’ll like.

The last photo was taken at the old house. It’s a tree that my dad and Stephanie planted together.. when she was really young? I’m not sure when it was planted. They’ll have to plant a new tree at the new house. Also, Steph is holding the last tomato we found in the garden at the old house.

New London, WI


This is Max bolting out to the front from the back yard. A minute later he’s wheezing like an old man with asthma.


Max


Max


Max


Mom & Dad’s Backyard


Mom & Dad’s Backyard


This is the field across the street from my parents’ house. It’s empty now, but there used to be a big tree with a swing we used to play on. The trees used to be short and sparse enough that you could see the other houses in the subdivision. Not any more.


Max trying to look ferocious


Dad & Max in the backyard


Backyard


Backyard


Tiger Lilies


Tiger Lilies


When we were younger this house was up on stilts and there was a trap door in the bottom of it with a ladder going down to the ground. I’m not sure when it was brought down, but now it’s like a tiny little house with flowers growing around it. I don’t think anyone uses it any more. Except maybe wasps… I remember wasps liked to make their nests in the roof of it.


Flowers


The willow has been my favorite tree in the yard from the day that we moved to this house.


Look Alert, Max


Max


Stephanie & Bailey – Bailey used to live with Stephanie and my brother’s family til he decided it was cool to pee all around the whole house. He didn’t take to any of the suggestions the vet had to retrain him or modify his behavior. At their wits end, they decided that it was best for Bailey to live at my parents’ house. He spends most of his time outside running around the yard. He seems happy. My mom said he catches birds even. Not bad for a cat that spent most of its life indoors.


Wheelbarrow -I don’t know why my parents even have this wood. After me and my brother moved out they got a new fireplace. One that you just press a button to light. Maybe this is just for the firepit in the backyard now.


Pine Cones


We used to climb this tree.


Stephanie & Bailey


Crotchety Callie


Green Pepper


Unripe Tomato

After the scrimmage in Green Bay, we went to my parents’ house outside of New London (Bean City), about a 45 minute drive. We stayed overnight there and spent the morning around the house before driving back to Milwaukee to get some lunch and see Amanda off to work.

I took a bunch of photos of the outside of my parents’ house (I meant to take some of the inside too but forgot) mostly because it looks so different than when I lived there. When we moved in the grass was dry and rusty and there were barely any trees or bushes or anything. Then my dad did his best Johnny Appleseed imitation and here’s what we have now, about 17 years later. The outside of the house isn’t all that changed. A few years ago my mom worked with an interior designer to redo the inside of the house too. So now my brother and my bedrooms are an office/music room and a spare bedroom and all of the other rooms look much more put together than when we lived there. I’m sure part of that is because there aren’t any kids in the house any more.

A secondary reason for taking a lot of photographs is because my parents are toying around with the idea of moving to Waupaca, where my mom now works and where many of their friends and favorite restaurants and stuff are. And even though I live a lot closer to them now, than I have in the past, not having a car makes it hard to get to New London, about a 3 – 3 1/2 hour drive from Chicago. So who knows when the next time I’ll be back.

And on a sad note, our poor Max and Callie are getting so old! I remember when we got Max, a springer spaniel mix, for my dad for Christmas. We went and picked him out of the litter and kept him a secret at my aunt’s house. When my family came over to celebrate the holiday we tried to talk loud over any barks from the back room and then gave Max to my dad, wrapped up in a box. Callie is the sole survivor of a string of about 100 cats (it seems) like we had. They just kept having babies and babies and more babies. Now there’s just Callie. Recently, my brother’s cat Bailey, after having many many many accidents all over their house and refusing to be retrained, went to go live at my parents. Outside. He seems to love it and I’m sure he’s giving those old geezers, Maxie and Callie, a good work out. Max seems to have some problems with his back legs, maybe arthritis. But at one point I was across the street in the empty field (where’d the tree with the tree swing go!?!) and Max came bolting out running from the back of the house to come by me. But it was all show.. after he stopped running he was wheezing like an old man with asthma! That guy needs a doggie inhaler. Still it was nice to see he’s still got some spirit in him.

Staying at Mom & Dad’s With Stephanie


Santa Stephie.


Dad on the phone.


Max and Callie want to come in from the cold.


Stephie with her headphones on listening to her music.


Steph’s reflection as she took a photo out of the front window.


Stephie gets some art sets as a gift from Nancy.


Steph writing a thank you note to Nancy.


Stephie being silly by the Christmas tree.


Me being silly by the Christmas tree.


Me and Stephie are both silly girls.


Can’t you just hear her whining “Aunt Shell, can I have the camera!?”


Mom in the car on the drive to Milwaukee.


Stephie asleep in the car on the ride to Milwaukee.