Ode to Ollie ~ May 1991 - May 2008

17 years ago almost to the day, Ollie was born and joined my life or my life joined hers.

Named errantly a boy after Ollie's frozen custard stand outside Dekalb, IL truly a girl when heat unfurled all the furry that comes with a cat coming of age.

From Crawford's Dekalb to my Dekalb, to Palos to Bartlet, IL, to Fresno, CA, to Clovis, CA, to Seattle (Kirkland), WA, to Palos Hts, IL, to Boulder, CO, to Longmont, CO, to Naperville, IL, to rest once more.

17 years she walked with me, caused trouble, if trouble includes taking meat left unattended from the counter, waking you in the tired night, more tired once kids already disturbed the sacred quite, biting from time to time, once down to the ankle bone, provoked or unprovoked, who is to say?

She briefly had a brother, first week together she bit Max in the neck in CA and 17 stitches later he was back at home, a little more respectful of his older sister. I had to separate them later in Seattle.

She ran face first into big dogs, German Shepherds, Retrievers, she was 23-0-01 with Duchess the nasty cat in Boulder, pet to the Turks downstairs - she never tangled with big orange, not for his size, but what was in his quite eyes, psycho as she might have been, Ollie was not dumb.

And now as I type, I'm just starting to consider that she is really gone... she disappeared last weekend either dead in our house or out in the world at large... I like the latter... she stepped back into the mystery that precedes what I know of her... just weeks ago R. Nadim said quite sad, "what would our house be without Ollie?" Just nights ago T dreamt that Ollie was dead and now most likely she is.

I like to think she waited for the door to crack so she could slip back into the mystery, the before now, the before thyroid thirst, the before deaf days and rail thin body, food hard to keep down days.

17 years she invested in my life, seemingly without choice. She comforted me time and time again, she packed her bags and traversed the country as I searched for myself, Ollie always ready to settle into my lap, not sure what I was looking for, but ready to comfort me.

Rest well Ollie where ever your head rests tonight. Our house is emptier without you, my heart heavy at the loss of looking to the chair where you sat more and more, heavy, asleep yet lighter and lighter. Be well good friend. I hope I provided some comfort to you.

God's speed.

Tahoma (Ghost Mountain)