Missing

Nellie has been "walk-about" since Saturday. One, two, three. . . going on four. . . days. We are all fighting back occasional tears because we know that she may not come back. Her doctor removed a cancerous tumor in June and said that it would likely return.

This summer, she was in the front of the house or in the garage every day enjoying the warmth of the sun and high temperatures. She rested a lot and came in occasionally to sit on my lap at night. She watched us come and go and would barely move out of the way when we pulled in the driveway.

By the weekend, we will need to hold a memorial service for her if she does not appear.

I will miss her green eyes, the way she chased and fetched her little green ball when she was young, her quiet purr, and her still way of nestling down on my chest for a good snuggle. She was feisty and fussy, but she was loyal. She was a fierce hunter in her day catching a rabbit on my feet when we first met her and be-heading many a mole or lizard. She moved from Nashville, to Tunica, to Sewanee, to West Point, and to two houses in Jackson. She survived two big dogs, an Uncle Jerry, two babies, and a black cat.

I hope Maggie (our beloved, big, black German shepherd) will greet her with a wagging tail and a wet nose as she always did, and I hope Nellie will swat her back as she always did and give a little hiss of a smile to see her again. After that, she can jump in Uncle Jerry's lap for a nice nap.