Princess Pea

Zoe beside me on the couch.

I skyped with my husband this morning. (Are skyped and skyping words?) It was awesome. I felt much closer to him than when talking on the phone. It is also much more personal. Some of Jeff’s facial expressions were evident that I don’t hear over the phone. I really like it, and we are going to Skype on a regular basis.

In a way, I’m glad that we waited a few days to start Skyping. It made it more special and a big boost right now, since I miss Jeff so much. It’s easier to connect when you can see each others’ faces. I also got to see where he is sleeping and show him my new swimsuit. He was trying to make me try it on, but I don’t think so. At my age, you can PTSD from trying on a swimsuit.

On another note, both of my pets are showing visible signs that this separation affects them too. Zoe my dog is right by my side almost constantly which isn’t a huge change, but she sleeps near Jeff’s pillow now instead of the end of the bed. She is afraid of the computer when Jeff’s voice comes out of it and wouldn’t respond to Jeff calling her. However, she did get up and go sit by the door waiting for him to come in the door. So when Jeff would say her name, she perked up and looked at the door. It was kind of sad and I think we should leave her alone, so we don’t psychologically scar her.

Princess Pea, my cat, is much more affectionate than usual and has started sleeping on my pillow right above my head at night. She then wakes me up at 5:30 am by grooming herself and my hair. It’s cute but annoying. Princess has also been sitting on my lap and chest more in the last couple of days. She then gets annoyed at me when I move or breathe.

Both of them also seem to know that I can’t get mad at them right now. I’ve caught Princess on the table repeatedly and she just looks at me and meows. Seriously, how does she know I’m not going to make her get down. I think they sense the emotions in me and miss Jeff. They can’t really express themselves the same way, and I think want the extra attention as reassurance that everything is okay.

Then last night, I had a chicken burrito for dinner. I still had about half of it left and got up to use the bathroom thinking I would finish it later. I forgot about it for a few minutes. Zoe came exploding into the bedroom and was rubbing her face all over the bed. I thought she might have something in her eye, so I checked but nothing I could see. So I walked into the living room, saw the empty plate and started to put it into the dishwasher. Then I remembered, “hey wait a minute, you ate my burrito!!”

On our walk this morning, Zoe had a large and uncomfortable poop. I did not feel even remotely sorry for her only me. I had to put it in the baggy and be reminded that it was my burrito causing her discomfort.

Talk to you soon,

Nannette Ree