Labor of Love

I've taken yet another break from UFO knitting to knit an emergency project. You see, our beloved cat, Rocky, is dying. (He is the black and white cat in the photo)

He's approaching his 20th birthday and failing rapidly due to progressive kidney disease. He is to the point where he is barely able to walk from his favorite sleeping spot to the food and water dishes we moved a mere 4 feet from his nook. He has lost nearly half his body weight and, with the bitter cold arctic weather that's finally hit Minnesota, I decided he needed this kitty bed to make him comfortable in his last days.

So I was on a mission yesterday. I downloaded the pattern at 3 pm, cast on at 3:15 and cast off at 11:45 pm. I spent a little time transferring daughters to and from dance and taking care of various family members as needed but the bulk of my time was spent knocking out this sweet little project. It is in the washer as we speak and I will break the cardinal rule of fabric fulling and toss it in the dryer to speed the drying process. He will have a finished cat bed today to warm his faithful, loving bones.

It is a sad time for my family, especially my husband and myself because we picked up Rocky on our somewhat belated honeymoon. We estimate he was born around the time we were married and he's been with us nearly our whole married life. He was our first baby and our forever baby. Now he's going ahead to help the Lord prepare a place for us. Just another reminder that this world is NOT our home and that we will have much to look forward to when we finally get to Heaven. Having Rocky greet me at the door, purring and jumping into my arms will be the perfect way to say, "Welcome HOME!"