The End of a Gnarly Era

It is with both regret and relief that I must report Charlie the Gnarly has been reassigned to a new, but very loving, family. This decision was not one that we came to lightly. Charlie came into our lives a few years ago when we were in need of a "real" pet, one that would engage with us and balance out Julius and Oliver's distaste for (or, at least, ambivalence about) human-feline social interaction. As the videos and pictures that have appeared on this blog indicate, we definitely got what we were looking for when Charlie arrived. He waltzed through our apartment that first night like he owned the place, not intimidated in the least by Julius and Oliver's hisses of protest. Eventually, they even became playmates, although we remain unsure of how mutual the relationships were. Charlie's full name quickly became "Charlie the Gnarly Shadowfax Underfoot Solomon, " a moniker lovingly bestowed because, at the time, we were in the throes of a Lord of the Rings trilogy marathon and because we always seemed to be tripping over Charlie, who was very content to place himself directly in our path no matter how many times it meant we stepped on his tail. Unfortunately, once Maddy arrived it became clear that Charlie's future with us was compromised. To his credit, he was always enormously patient with her. Unlike our other cats, who bolt from the room if she even looks in their direction, Charlie likes to be nearby. He would often place himself right next to her, and would generally tolerate her shrieks of delight and even a clumsy "pat" if she endeavored to explore her furry friend. This was all well and good before Maddy became mobile, but now...forget it. There have been at least three incidents when we either weren't paying close enough attention or were otherwise too slow to intervene and Maddy grabbed Charlie and was consequently scratched, once on the face a mere millimeter or so away from her eye. Also, the endearing quality he had of always being underfoot became a nuisance and a safety hazard as we tried to move around the apartment with Maddy in our arms. And so it was with conflicted hearts that we began looking for a new family for Charlie. We were committed to keeping him as long as necessary if it meant finding the right fit, which happily we seem to have done. Charlie is now living with a wonderful woman, her husband, their older sons (approaching college-age), and their dog. It is a trial living arrangement, but one that seems to be working and will hopefully stick. Charlie is going to be much happier in a house with people that can give him the attention and love he so craves. But we will definitely miss him and his antics. What a character! It's really a bittersweet loss.

These have been a very busy past few weeks. Things have pretty much returned to normal in our house, although Ethan continues to struggle with the sensory effects of his current MS attack. Nevertheless, he is back at work and I've been filling my days with Maddy, tutoring, and a new project: The Brainiac Maniac Tutoring Company. This venture is an exciting way for me to join forces with other educators to offer services to families with students in need of some assistance. The concept is still developing, but basically I am trying to create a teaching collaborative whereby I refer tutoring jobs to colleagues, compensating them for their time and efforts and keeping a small percentage for myself for administrating the collaborative. I think there is a lot of potential here, and I am very excited to see where it takes us. I have been exceedingly busy, though, developing a website and seeking out qualified individuals interested in joining the operation. I have interviews scheduled for this coming week, and am starting to advertise our services in the area. I am actually hoping that the business will grow from referrals and recommendations, but it will take a bit of time to get it off the ground. Nevertheless, a very promising adventure!

We are in the midst of visits with Maddy's paternal grandparents; Savta was here with us on Friday and Saturday, and today we saw Grandpa Marshall and Mary. It's so fun to watch Maddy interact with this side of our family, and now that she's older it's even more essential that these visits happen on a regular basis. As our family is our greatest gift and our relationships a top priority, ensuring that we all remain close and in frequent contact is a goal that Ethan and I are very committed to.

It's hard to believe that I've been blogging now for almost a year, and harder still to believe all the changes that have taken place during twelve months. One of the benefits of taking the time to write these entries is that they are records of the moments and milestones, reflections and ruminations, that make up our lives. The days may pass by slowly, but the months really fly. I am so looking forward to seeing what the coming year will bring!