Aby-a-Day: June’s over? Julying! (Fashion Friday Flashback)

Four years ago, I posted about how Canadian-born Jacoby tended to get a little confused about what to wear the first few days of July.

To prove this point, I dressed him up in an Uncle Sam hat along with a maple leaf bandanna and Team Canada sweater.

He was such a legend at posing with outfits on.

And his eyes…so expressive!

And then…someone came and photobombed our little modelling session. Jake knew it immediately.

“Tessie’s right behind me, ruining my photo, isn’t she..?”

“Tessie, do you mind? I’m kinda doing a thing here.”

“Right. Let’s get back to the posing.” I’m just sorry I never found a Sweden jersey for him to pose in.

Aby-a-Day – 28 Juni: Unlikely bedfellows (Friday Flashback)

Jacoby used to love sleeping underneath the comforters, especially in cold weather.

One afternoon, five days before Jake died, I came upon the sweetest scene ever. Lorelai had joined Jake on the bed, and was cuddling with the part of his that wasn’t under the quilt.

They hadn’t been the closest of cats, and, of course, we didn’t know Jake was going to die within the week. It was so sweet to see them close.

Aby-a-Day – 21 Juni: Who wore it best? (Fashion Friday Flashback)

Glad Midsommar, allihopa! It’s all downhill from here…

Today is the greatest Swedish holiday apart from Jul, the day when we get the longest day and the latest sunset, and in a country known for winter, this is a big deal. When I posted about Midsommar last year, I included photos of Jacoby wearing the traditional flower crown.

I recently found the floral crown again (it had fallen behind some books) this spring. I was thinking Jake could model it again, perhaps outside…but obviously that can’t happen. So I decided to try it on everyone else, and see who, potentially, could be my next hat model. I started with Angel.

After all, Angel does have hat wearing experience.

She wasn’t in the mood today…

<

…this is the best I could get from her.

So, Alfred, how are you at wearing a flower crown? You are a native born Swede, after all…this should be natural for you!

Er…Where are you going?

Oh, you think the top of the balcony tree is a better background?

You may be right. Okay, give me looking off into the distance.

Great! Now give me sensitive and thoughtful.

Awesome! And now…give me the money shot!

Perfect!

Okay. Let’s try the other Swedish Aby. Lorelai, your turn.

Once again, without the crazy eyes?

Okay…better. But let’s keep going…

Demure…demure is good…or it would be if you weren’t so frowny.

<

There you go! That’s perfect!

And, now…let’s see how the Polish contestant does. Here you go, Izaak.

Oooookay…could you sit up, please?

And could you lose the attitude?

That’s a little better…keep going…

…better…

Okay Zak, now you just look like a Tribble with flowers.

And…yeah, I think that’s the best we’re gonna get from you today. Thank you!

So, who wore the Midsommer flower crown best?

Aby-a-Day – 14 Juni: All Angel’s birthdays (Flashback Friday)

As you saw from Wednesday’s post, Angel turned 12 this year. When we got her from Purebreds Plus Rescue, they didn’t know her birthday, so I chose 11 June as the day she could have been born on. Last year, I got confirmation that she was most likely actually born on 4 July 2007, but my dad’s birthday is the 4th of July, so I just keep celebrating on 11 June. She was a year and three (or two) months old when I adopted her, so we missed her first birthday…but here is a photo of me with her on her second birthday.

Angel on her 3rd birthday…still not used to those candles.

Here is Angel and me on Angel’s 4th birthday.

Angel’s 5th birthday fell on a Monday, so we celebrated with Hipstamatic photos.

Look how proud Angel looks to be 6 years old!

Angel’s 7th birthday was her first in our new apartment, and she had her cake on the window seat.

Angel couldn’t wait to eat her 8th birthday cake! I’m surprised she didn’t singe her whiskers!

Her 9th birthday was our last in Boston. She seemed a little intimidated by all the candles.

So, of course, Angel’s 10th birthday was her first in Sweden.

Last year’s birthday…I can’t remember what was going on with the candles. Either her birthday took us by surprise, so we used whatever oddball candles we had…or I was just matching the colours. And now she is 12…that’s a pretty incredible accomplishment.

Aby-a-Day – 7 Juni: “A stove is just a source of heat” (Friday Flashback)

Last year, I mentioned how much Jacoby loved to sit in our cast-iron frying pan.

He also enjoyed lying on the stove itself, especially in winter when the oven was on.

It’s funny I never really noticed it before, but none of the other cats really hangs out on top of the stove. The younger cats prefer to sit in front of the microwave on the counter opposite the stove, and Angel stays on the floor.

But the stove was Jake’s domain. He liked the stove back in Boston, too, but since it was a gas stove with uncomfortable grills, he couldn’t really lie on it.

Our stove in Sweden is a smooth, glass-top electric stove. I’m not sure why no cat has claimed it in Jake’s absence. Perhaps it will become more popular again in winter.

But for now, the stove remains Jake’s place…and I miss him every time I go into the kitchen and see the empty stove.

Aby-a-Day – 31 Maj: A date that will live in infamy (Friday Flashback)

This time of year is always special to me because my birthday is tomorrow, but for the past three years, the 31st of May is special, too; it’s the day the movers came to pack up all my belongings to be sent to Sweden…

…And it’s the day I was granted my temporary Swedish residency permit. I got the email first thing in the morning, but I had to wait for the Swedish Embassy to open their phones at 11 am before I could find out what the decision actually was.

The movers arrived fairly early with their boxes, bubble wrap and tape and got right to work.

As you can see, Angel was unfazed by all the activity.

Tessie watched for a while, and then retired to the bedroom, where it was quieter.

Jacoby was his usual, bulletproof self.

He even went out in the hallway to help the movers do their job!

They did a very thorough job. This is my bicycle, all wrapped up.

The movers didn’t seem to mind Jake helping at all. They were just amused.

Jake took his supervisory position very seriously, as you can see.

He made sure the movers marked all the boxes correctly…

…noted down properly on the list…

…and he made sure they didn’t leave anything behind. Jake was such a good helper!

Unfortunately, Jake couldn’t help us when were were finished at the apartment and moved over to the storage unit. Too bad, too; he would have enjoyed helping to pack up the floor-to-ceiling cat tree!

Aby-a-Day – 24 Maj: “Scattered pictures…of the smiles we left behind” (Friday Flashback)

As I posted earlier this month, the Memories that Facebook shows you can be bittersweet. Lately, they’ve been showing me a lot of Jacoby memories. It started with this one, of Strollercat on the way to a cat show in Göteborg in 2017.

I never actually posted these photos here, as this was during the blog’s hiatus.

This is another photo that popped up, I think as one of Björn’s Memories. I called it “Conversations on a train.”

Then there is this one I posted whilst we were at that cat show.

I found this photo of Jake crashed out in the hotel room after the first day of the show was over whilst I was looking for the other ones from this week’s Memories. I had forgotten it…but it is SO Jake.

This is the Memory that came up yesterday…

…another one I forgot about that is such a classic Jake moment. I found Angel sunning herself in a little square of sunshine in the kitchen.

The square was just the right size for one little cat loaf.

And then…along came Jake.

And he decided that he wanted the sun square. I wasn’t able to capture what happened next.

And this last one is the most bittersweet of all, from five years ago Wednesday. Jake loved riding on the front of his stroller on our way home from our therapy visits. I posted the photos here in the blog at the time, but I only posted the video to Facebook. Apologies for the vertical video…I forgot to turn the camera sideways.