What is the Perfume Project?

This blog is a constantly evolving forum for thoughts on perfume, perfume-making, plants (especially orchids and flora of the Pacific Northwest) and life in general. It started out chronicling the adventures of Olympic Orchids Perfumes, established in July 2010, and has expanded in other directions. A big part of the blog is thinking about the ongoing process of learning and experimentation that leads to new perfumes, the exploration of perfumery materials, the theory and practice of perfume making, the challenges of marketing perfumes and other fragrance products, and random observations on philosophy and society. Spam comments will be marked as such and deleted; any comments that go beyond the boundaries of civil discourse will also be deleted. I am grateful to all of you, the readers, who contribute to the blog by commenting and making this a truly interactive perfume project.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

IN MEMORIAM: ROSY


Our beloved cat, Rosy, died Tuesday night. He had been with us for fourteen years, coming to us as a full-grown adult shortly after we moved into the house where we live now, so we don’t know how old he was. Rosy was a member of the family, the most sensitive and loving cat I’ve ever known, but also the toughest. He could walk among closely spaced perfume bottles or orchid plants without ever touching them, jump more than 6 feet in the air to get to the upper shelf of the closet where he liked to sleep, purr like a machine almost 24 hours a day, wake me in the morning with a gentle tap of his paw on my face, stand his ground against a 40-pound raccoon, and love and be loved by everyone he came in contact with, whether human or animal.

We’ve spent the last two days crying for his loss, but are thankful that he’s now released from whatever pain he suffered for the past two weeks. We knew that he was ready to move on, and we had to respect his decision. This Thanksgiving I’m grateful that I had the privilege of knowing Rosy for so many years and experiencing a unique type of feather-light and unconditional love.  

12 comments:

  1. Oh, I am so sorry about the loss of your beloved Rosy. He sounded like the best boy cat. He is up at the Rainbow Bridge, walking with swag and tail held high, sending you his love and gratitude for taking such good care of him. (And probably looking for someone to open the canned food.) xo

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  2. I'm very sorry to hear Rosy is gone. I wish you comfort and peace.

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  3. What a marvelous friend! I'm so sorry for your loss.

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  4. We are so sorry to hear about your loss. Your pictures of Rosy are beautiful. Thank you for sharing them with us. Gail and Brad

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  5. I'm so sorry for your loss! Pets become our family members and only other people who have those furry relatives know how it hurts to lose them.
    I'm glad that Rosy was in your life for many years and hope that your pain will subside with time but the great memories will stay forever.

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  6. Many thanks to everyone for your kind words of sympathy. Right now we're adjusting to not seeing Rosy all the time, inside the house and outside. I'm sure that with time we'll come to appreciate all of the good memories that we have.

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  7. Isn't it strange and wonderful when you "see" your departed pet out of the corner of your eye or feel him curl next to you in bed? I always think that it is my pet's way of reaching out his paw to say everything is okay.

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    1. Taffy, yes, when I'm sleeping I keep imagining he's there on the bed in his usual place, and I keep looking for him when I come in the driveway.

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  8. I am so sorry for your loss. It saddens me greatly when a cherished pet passes away. May warm memories comfort you during this difficult time.

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  9. I'm very sorry to hear that. Losing a pet is a loss many people don't understand.
    My heart aches as my little dog (who is btw 16 years old) is now very sick and we will have to take her to the vet so she won't suffer anymore but making the decision was very difficult and doing the actual thing will be even more difficult.

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    1. Ines, I'm so sorry to hear about your little dog. Making the decision to let your pet go is extremely painful, but at some point we have to listen to them and hear them say that they're suffering in this body and ready to move on. Just grieve as much as you need to. It takes a while to process the loss of a beloved family member. My thoughts are with you as you go through the process of saying goodbye to your dog.

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