When I awoke this morning and visited Facebook, the first thing I saw was that a special person and friend, that was a long time part of the Cat Blogosphere, one of the first bloggers we met back in 2009, Pattie Kleinke (aka TW or "The Woman", as her kitty CK also known as Cathy Keisha), called her, had passed after a long battle with cancer.
My heart sunk to my stomach. I honestly thought she would win the battle. I prayed she would.
Pattie's blog (or CK's blog, Stunning Keisha, I linked to it in the post below) was one of my favorites. Edgy, funny, often times poignant (especially when Pattie would post "Pop's" 911 post yearly), was loved by many. TW always "told it like it was" through the voice of Stunning Keisha. As my dear friend Layla Morgan Wilde of Cat Wisdom 101 said today "it's the end of the cat blogging era."
In honor of TW's memory......I wanted to share a post that I did on December 26th 2019. I wanted to share a happy memory of TW......it's heart breaking enough that she is gone.....but I think she would want to be honored with a smile and a few laughs. The post mostly mentions CK, but since CK shared the same snarky (as well as sensitive) personality as TW, it's purrfectly appropriate. Enjoy!
Hi my furiends!! It's Cody pawing out the blog today! Well the long wait is OVER!!!! Today is the day that I am going to reveal the most pawesome gifts that I received from the incredibly STUNNING (and brilliant and kind), Cathy Keisha and TW (who we call "Mom").
Mom, Dakota and I opened our gifts on Christmas (oh yes we did!) because I thought it was appropriate to blog about it on Thursday, which happens to be Boxing Day and National Thank You Note Day! (Technically a hand-written note should be written, but we think a blog post is equally as good in this case!) It's the purrfect day to express our immense gratitude!
Ok my furiends, sit back and relax while I show you all of the goodies!
As you know, when the box arrived we all were so excited!
CK and TW had some lovely cards that I was excited to read:
But I just couldn't control my excitement and I wanted to see what was in that box!
When I peeked inside I found a beautiful kitty bag
Inside that adorable bag were wonderfully wrapped presents!!
Ok so I opened a few before Mom took the photo! Give me a break, I was excited!
CK has known me for my entire ten years of blogging, (she has been blogging ten years too and if you aren't familiar with her blog it is named after HER! It is Stunning Keisha and you MUST visit!) CK is a kitty with a lot of street smarts and general life smarts. She is insightful and she writes quite well. Her intelligence just shines through her blog posts and she would never admit it, but she is also a sensitive kitty. Caring too. I knew since CK has known me so long, she would pick out gifts that would make me purr! She most definitely made me purr!
There were some little toys that I could swat around, a few of them were from the fabulous Catlady Box, and one of them had "World's Cutest Kitty" printed on it. Yep, that would be ME!!!
There was also a cool Tipsy Nip Pickle (I had one many years ago but could no longer find it, so I was thrilled to get another one!) but I think my FAVORITE gift of all came from Meowijuana!!! It was their Catnip Spliff with catnip and valerian root and I went NUTS when Mom let me open it!!!
When it comes to Meowijuana I don't mess around, that's for sure!!! Mom said she was so happy because I don't play as much as I used to, and when she opened that toy I played like a kitten! In fact, all of that playing gave me the munchies. Thankfully CK had me covered!!! She had gotten me Party Mix too! (That CK thought of EVERYTHING!! But then again, that's how she rolls!!)
I had so many fun toys and I am so grateful!!
After all of that playing and eating it dawned on me that I hadn't opened EVERYTHING yet! I went back to scope out the box
Sure enough, I had missed two presents! There was one for Mom and one for Dakota too! Wait til you see what Mom got! OMC!!
That is NOT a rug but it is quite large! You know what that is? It's a GORGEOUS scarf from Cat Lady Box!!!! Mom nearly died! She LOVES IT!! The photos don't do it justice, it's even prettier in pawson!
The colors are just beautiful, it is like artwork on a scarf!!!! Mom is just so excited and practically cried when she opened it. Mom thought it was sooo thoughtful of CK and TW to give her such a beautiful scarf. She is crazy about it!
Speaking of thoughtful, there was even an adorably wrapped present for Dakota!!!
Dakota kept staring at it because he couldn't believe that he was lucky enough to receive a gift!! Boy oh boy, CK and TW said they had never bought a dog a gift before, but wow did they ever pick a good one!
It's the cutest stuffed Beaver from a place we never knew existed. It is from AKC Select (we know AKC obviously, but we never knew there was a line of toys! Leave it to a smart kitty like CK to figure that one out!) It is so cute and it squeaks!
It is just the cutest!!! Mom tried to get some good pictures but Dakota has a tendency of taking off the second he senses Mom wants to take photos of him. A super cool thing that happened was a few hours after Mom took photos, Dakota went over to the beaver on his own and started running around the room with it. That made Mom and Dad soooo happy! CK and TW Dakota LOVES IT! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
So there you go my furiends! Mom, Dakota and I cannot thank CK and TW enough for their incredibly thoughtful and generous gifts!!! They are just the best! Taking part in Secret Paws is ALWAYS fun, but it is extra fun when your Secret Paws is a kitty and human that you have been furiends with for 10 years and have admired just as long. CK is one of my first blogging furiends and it just made this extra, extra special. They touched my furry heart and Mom is just over the moon! Dakota too!
Love you CK and TW!!!!!!!! Thanks for making us so happy!!!
WE MOST CERTAINLY DO LOVE YOU TW AND CK.
TW, YOU WILL BE DEEPLY, DEEPLY MISSED
AND YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.
I was heartbroken when I read about it on Facebook. I don't do social media but Ivor uses my account and told me. I don't remember if we discovered CK or she discovered us but I know it was many years ago, probably 3 or 4 after we started blogging. About 2 years ago I had a comment from CK asking about my cancer treatment "asking for a friend". I immediately knew she was referring to TW and emailed her. She knew I had already been battling cancer for a few years and wanted advice which I gave her to the best of my ability. I will miss her hugely as will her real life friends and family and her internet friends.
ReplyDelete(((hugs)))) she will definitely be missed and never forgotten.
DeleteWhat a lovely flash back to honor the memory of Pattie. We didn't know her, but she sounds like a lovely lady.
ReplyDeleteWe, too, are gutted by Pattie's passing. She touched so many lives around the world! We were honored and blessed to have been her friends, first through blogging, and then in real life. We will miss and remember her always, and are thinking lots about CK and Pop. XO
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful post that shows Pattie's generous spirit. She will not be forgotten. XO
ReplyDeletethank you. She was extremely generous and had such a soft side under that snarky exterior lol!!
DeleteSuch wonderful memories you have shared ~ of someone most special in your life. Today, we along with many others are sharing in your sadness and offer condolences as you feel her loss so strongly and personally. Pattie brought a light into our world, it will shine on in our hearts as we remember all she so willingly gave of herself. May she rest well now.
ReplyDelete(((hugs)))) you have such a beautiful way with words, thank you! xoxo
DeleteI'm heartbroken, I too had hoped things would be different. I don't have as long a history with Pattie as others do but I was so impressed with her humor, artistry, love for CK, and her kindness. She will be remembered.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice memory of CK & TW - and of Cody & Dakota.
ReplyDeleteEven though we knew how sick she was, it still doesn't seem possible. Such a heartbreaking loss. She will never, ever be forgotten.
ReplyDeletePattie was indeed special to so many of us and that was a most wonderful tribute.
ReplyDeleteIt is a sad day for pet lovers everywhere
ReplyDeletePattie, through CK, was creative, funny, witty and sometimes snarky (but in a good way). She will be missed by so many.
ReplyDeleteWe're gonna miss her a lot.
ReplyDeletePattie (TW) will be so missed. It's wonderful that you have all these photos and memories of her. I'm hoping her blog is archived somehow.
ReplyDeleteThat is heart-breaking. I have followed Stunning Keisha for years. Condolences to her family. xxx
ReplyDeleteSuch very sad news and what a nice tribute from you.
ReplyDeleteIt was SO sad to hear about TW's passing. She will be fondly remembered forever.
ReplyDeleteLoved your tribute to such a wonderful Soul💗Soft Pawkisses for all of you🐾😽💞
ReplyDelete