Evenfall Woodworks

Today, as I try to write this, Monday June 29, was a tough sad day. I had to say goodbye to a well-loved friend, and one of the coolest spirits I have ever known.

Boomer. 1997 – 6-29-2009

A cancerous abdominal tumor began growing in his abdomen last September.

Tumors ending in the word carcinoma are bad. These cancers, they always take their host. This one got my buddy. I have lost too many loved ones to cancer.

Mine is a garage shop, nice when it is warm to open up garage door, and let it have a breeze, but not so easy when you have a cat with the wanderlust for the front lawn and points beyond. It’s all about the adventure, you know?

He came to me four and a half years ago, sort of a rescue. He and his adopted brother were not able to go with his family on a 3 year Naval deployment to Japan. He belonged to my wife at the time’s brother, who is a really great guy, and though we had two cats already, two became four.

I was not originally ok with becoming the caretaker to 4 cats, but I sorta like cats, and it didn’t take them long to grow on me…

For reasons that don’t matter now, four over time became two again, and one of the remaining two was this ol’ enigmatic guy, Boomer.

Boomer was named for Boomer Esiason the football quarterback most noably of Cincinatti Bengal fame and color commentator for the NFL. Boomer was a name that fit him, he was one big cat. Not fat, just big, and in the 20 lb range. He had swagger, but he was more about love and attention than about being tough. Just don’t be a stray cat in his backyard.

If you were ever a visitor, you remember Boomers constant attention. He loved you all, and he wanted you to love him too. He was just a force of love to be reckoned with, and you might as well just love him, because he was pretty nice that way, and heck, you-know-you-just-want-to-pet-him…

Boomer’s antics included attention, more attention, pet me, and rub my belly. Scratch my ears and mind if I help you with that? I want to go out and roll on the concrete, pet me some more, Uh, is that ice cream you are eating? and “I’m just going to lay down right behind where you are standing or where you’ll be working so you will notice me.” As you can imagine, he was very effective at getting his needs met.

Water was something you needed to have plenty of, and where it was accessible to him. Food too, but water for Boom was a biggie. There were a couple places to drink, but in the kitchen, a favorite dish, it was not to be let to get empty or it would migrate out to where you were sure to see it needed attended to. He was often found lying on the kitchen floor, front legs straddling his water dish, very happy about this arrangement indeed. He loved you more for fresher water, even if the dish was not empty. More leg rubbin for you.

Access was something Boomer enjoyed. He was let in and out as he liked. Too big to jump, he had the entire fenced back yard. But that is not all. Closed doors in my house have a spring loaded wall protector attached to the back of every door. Cats, being pretty smart, but without opposable thumbs learn that if you make enough noise with these, a human, with opposable thumbs will come and open the offending door. Can you imagine the boing… boing-ng-ng…? Yeah… In Boom’s mind, one offending closed door in particular lead to the shop.

I have always had reservations about pets in a woodworking shop. I am not saying this to create controversy, it isn’t about ethics, I was just worried about my little buddy’s health, you know, dust, and startling noises. I never wish to startle an animal, or have them breathing dusts that I myself would take protective measures with. I want them to live long happy lives.

Too, Cats tend to make their own choices for themselves, and unless you enjoy a constant battle of saying no to a being that does not share your sentiment, you pretty much just let kitties to what they like. Despite my early concerns, ol’ Boom, he wanted nothing to do with any of this, He wanted out in the shop with me, and like Cats do, he was great at timing the door as it opens.

As it turned out, Boom, when I felt I was doing things that were not too noisy or dusty, or was working with the door closed, could be the shop kitty. Interestingly, if I thought he might not want to be in there for some reason, he was usually amenable to this, and sometimes I would try to do all I could without needing to ask him to leave for a bit. It usually worked out pretty well for us both.

So when Boomer’s Dad was in the shop, Boomer spent many a happy hour. When Boomer’s Dad was not in the shop, sometimes Boomer didn’t want to come in, so he stayed in the shop, and since my office is next to the shop, I could hear if he wanted in. I’d look in on him, he would be happily laying somewhere, I’d ask if he wanted in and often he would rather just be in the shop, thanks. I never knew what Boomer built out there while I was not with him, he always said he was not good enough at woodworking for me to see his work. He sure loved it out there.

Well the 3 years came and went, and the thought was Boom would go back to his Family. I am not clear on the whole story, but it was not looking like his family was going to be able to take him where they were being stationed next. Pets are a tough situation with military families and so my ex offered to keep him. So Boom wound up staying with me.

Boomer was fine with this arrangement. More shop time for him, and well he was pretty fond of his routine. He liked being my shadow, and I came to like it too. He was a good talker of sorts, understtod a lot of what I wanted or was saying. With a knowing look and poignant flicks of the tail we had some fun conversations. I am going to miss those conversations. Those fun opportunities to hang out with my buddy, Boomer.

One of the finest spirits I ever had the chance to know, and before he left, I reminded him that he was welcome here always. He taught me a lot if you can imagine that. I hope he felt the last few years were a blast, they were for me. God Bless you Boom.

Going to take some getting used to being without a shadow. A big cat that leaves a big hole.