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From The Innkeepers

May 2021

May 2021 Saying Goodbye- The Wonderful and Amazing Einstein

It is with lingering sadness that I write these words about our and the Inn’s beloved pet Einstein the cat.  He was with us for 14 of our 18 years here.  He was slowing down in the last few years, as many of you know.  He was not as actively engaged in the hospitality and welcoming aspects of the Inn- preferring to keep more to himself rather than jumping up onto the laps of people who were rocking out on the front porch, or following people down the woodland trails.  In his younger years he loved being near people and being in the center of things.  Yet he continued, even as he aged, to endear himself into hearts, sneak into the dining room occasionally to beg for a morsel especially if salmon was on the menu, or to station himself in the corner of the hallway outside our apartment door.  From that vantage point he could still observe what was going on, and still feel a part of life here.  He stopped going outside entirely this winter, but on a few of the prematurely warm days in March he ventured out onto the back deck for a few minutes at a time to smell the fresh air and listen to the birds sing.  His favorite activity, especially in the last year when we were in lockdown and it was just the four of us here, was to go looking for Sharon and to beg her to give him what she called his “spa treatment” which was a rubdown with a Burt’s Bees solution for cats with an itchy dry coat.  The spa also served his favorite treat called Licky’s- think a viscous lickable gravy-like treat that tasted like salmon, tuna, or chicken.  But in the last month of his life, he spent more hours each day sleeping on our couch or in our laps than doing anything else.  On Easter Sunday he began crying sounds of distress, so we knew his time with us was coming to an end.  We took turns with him on our laps for the next 30 hours until we could get a vet appointment to help him on his way.  He died with us surrounding him at 5:30 on April 5.

  

 Sometimes non- pet owners don’t understand all the fuss or that an animal companion can be as important as another human being in a person’s life.  Those of you who have experienced the love of a pet, know this to be true.   Memory is a powerful healing force.  So, we remember, and we grieve, but we also celebrate the awesome gift of the bonding of one spirit to another, whether it be with the spirit of the natural world, or our animal friends, or our fellow human beings.  Enjoy the photo slideshow of Einstein’s life on the Event page of the website showing memories of happier days.

 

In Peace,

Marcia, Pat and Sharon