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Kelly E Schultz, photographer

~ Artist, photographer, cat lover

Kelly E Schultz, photographer

Category Archives: Celebrations

Meyer Malone

08 Thursday Sep 2016

Posted by Kelly E Schultz, photographer in Celebrations, Life

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Tags

cats, celebration, Grey Cat, life, Lumpy, Maggie, Meyer, meyer malone, molly malone, Travis McGee, White cat

Mourning 2

Meyer Malone 1999-2016

The day I’ve been dreading for the last several years has finally arrived. This morning, my beloved cat named Meyer Malone, died. He’s gone. My heart is broken.

Meyer was frankly the best cat in the world. He was spoilt rotten, mischevious, adorable, regal, demanding and my little boy. He was 17 years old and had a full life filled with love. He certainly received more kisses than my husband does!

Meyer came into our lives six months after my mother passed away in 1999. I don’t know if adopting him was a coping mechanism for my grief or a planned addition to our family, as we all ready had a cat named Molly Malone. Regardless of the circumstances, we adopted another tiny white kitten who had the same mother as Molly, but was a year younger. We called him her ‘Mini Me’ and named him Meyer.

People often ask us how we came up with the name Meyer, but anyone who is familiar with John D MacDonald’s Travis McGee novels should recognize it. Like his namesake, he became a legend.

Meyer had a large personality and a million nicknames. My favorite one for him was Boo, but he also answered to Short Stack, Little B and for unknown reasons Marvin. Meyer lived with his sister Molly until she suddenly passed away on Boxing Day.

Molly’s death was a surprise. She was in good health and was only six when she died. We found her curled up near the Christmas tree. Our vet said she must have had a heart condition that was undiagnosed and likely died in her sleep.

When she died, I was worried about Meyer. He had never been an only cat before and was only five years old. We didn’t know how to handle our own grief, let along his, and ended up adopting another adult female cat in February.

I will never forgive myself for how I introduced Meyer to the new cat we named Maggie. We thought a face to face introduction would be best but I didn’t anticipate Meyer mistaking Maggie for Molly. He saw a large fluffy white cat in front of him and happily trotted over to her, probably to say ‘Where have you been?’ However, at the last moment, he realized Maggie was not Molly and ran away and hid. It was the first time he broke my heart.

Maggie and Meyer eventually worked things out and became brother and sister. They endured two moves together and even though Meyer never snuggled with Maggie like he did with Molly, they would sleep near each other and sometimes even touch each other whilst sleeping.

Maggie was a beautiful long haired white cat with gorgeous green eyes. We think she was seven when we adopted her and she lived with him until she, too, suddenly died at home in 2013, following an infection. Once again, Meyer lost a sister and once again he was an only cat.

This time, Chuck and I thought long and hard about adopting another cat. Meyer was 14 years old and even though he still acted like a kitten at times, we weren’t sure if he could handle a kitten. We sensed he was lonely but we couldn’t tell if he was happy. In the end we decided to keep our hearts open and if another cat found us, we would consider adopting it. But I was adamant that I would not adopt another white male cat. Meyer was an original and I thought having a Mini Me of him would be disrespectful to his uniqueness. My husband was just as adamant that we would only have white cats. So we agreed that if we adopted another white cat, it would be a She.

A few months passed and we found ourselves at a local shelter. Chuck was looking at and older male white cat (that I already decided we wouldn’t adopt because he was a He and was White and was Older than Dirt). Thankfully, someone had already adopted the elder gentleman but just hadn’t taken him to his new home. Chuck was ready to leave when I spied a white cat with grey markings on its forehead. Closer inspection revealed the cat as a five year old He with the unfortunate name of Snowflake.

Chuck asked if I wanted to adopt Snowflake but not before pointing out that he was a He and was White. I said, no he’s Grey and he’s coming home with us. On the way home, we renamed him Travis McGee and to this day, I still refer to him as our Grey Cat.

This time, we kept the cats separate for several days and when they finally met each other, Meyer wasn’t impressed. But he was willing to share the house because he was the Best Cat in the World.

Travis and Meyer were hilarious together. Meyer was a small cat and when Travis realized that he had a forever home with food whenever he wanted it, he gained weight. So much weight that I gave him the nickname Lumpy. Meyer and Lumpy would fight at times but I think they generally liked each other. They had a very full three years together until today.

Meyer is gone. My sweet little boy passed away this morning with me and Chuck comforting him. He just turned 17 and this year we noticed that he was developing blindness and deafness. In the last couple of weeks, he lost a lot of weight and was becoming wobbly on his legs. In the end, he couldn’t support himself. I hope he didn’t suffer too much. I hope he realized how much he was loved.

Meyer was my constant companion for 17 years. I realized today that our relationship was the second longest continuous relationship I’ve had besides my relationship with Chuck (sorry, Dad and Bob – father and brother relationships don’t count). Sure, I’ve known people longer than I’ve had Meyer, but I saw him every day of his life. Our longest separation was when I moved ahead down to Nashville, and that was only for three weeks.

We had so much fun together. Almost every morning I asked him why he never learned how to make coffee and he was always willing to taste my food, especially if it was dessert. He didn’t really like traditional cat treats and preferred potato chips instead. He didn’t mind water and would often let his tail dip into my bath water while he balanced on the tub edge. He loved watching hockey and baseball and Modern Family. He even licensed out his name to Chuck when Chuck started Malone Entertainment back in Buffalo. Until about last year, he would always greet us at the door when we came home. The past few months, he always seemed happy to see us when we came home, even if it meant our entrance woke him up.

He had an adventurous life for an indoor cat. I remember the time he got stuck under the stairs, the time he got stuck behind a server, the time he caught a mouse only to let it escape inside our townhouse. The times he would climb up on top of the bookcases (which was forbidden, by the way) to sit next to Buddha. The times he would sit by me whilst I read and the times he walked over the keyboard whilst I wrote. He lived in NC, NY and TN two separate times. He tolerated trips in his carrier only if he could sing along to the radio. He loved boxes and laying on top of Wegmans shopping bags. Oh, and he jumped on Luke Bryan’s lap the first time he met him which surprised everyone because Meyer usually took time to warm up to men.

I believe that Meyer is now playing with his sisters in Heaven while my Mom and Chuck’s Mom share a pot of tea. In a few days, he’ll join his sisters on the Cat Shelf and will permanently sit between Molly and Buddha. In the meantime, Lumpy will be getting extra hugs and kisses, which I’m sure overjoys him.

Our home and lives are a little bit emptier now. The Malone era is over. Lumpy will be an only cat for the time being and we have no idea what to expect with that. We likely will eventually adopt another cat because we’ve always had two ever since 1998. But not a He. And not a solid white cat. Meyer was one of a kind.

I love you, my sweet boy. Thank you for a wonderful 17 years. I hope you enjoyed your time with me as much as I’ve enjoyed my time with you.

molly-and-meyer-jpg

Molly and Meyer (as a kitten)

moonlight-molly-and-meyer-jpg

Molly and Meyer

maggie-sleeping-2-psd

Maggie

Lumpy

Travis ‘Lumpy’ McGee aka the Grey Cat

 

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Yummy Weekend

17 Saturday Jan 2015

Posted by Kelly E Schultz, photographer in Celebrations

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

anniversary, celebration

Earlier this month, I mapped out the twelve 2015 Yummy Day celebrations that my husband and I decided on.  Each potential ‘dates’ were written on a piece of paper and placed in a container (currently a Ziploc container but I hope to upgrade to much nicer Yummy Day Jar).  On the first few days of the month, we draw a date to celebrate on the weekend closest to the 17th or 21st of each month.

Nashville SkylineFor January, we drew ‘Be a Tourist in our own town’, which is Nashville.  Because the weather has been a little screwy, I was a bit apprehensive of playing tourist in freezing temperatures, but my fears are for naught.  This weekend, the temperature is going to soar to the upper 50s and there is a familiar looking yellow orb in the sky that hasn’t been seen for two weeks.  It’s going to be a beautiful weekend!

One of Nashville’s favorite tourist areas is Lower Broadway downtown.  This is where all the honkey tonks, tourist shops, karaoke bars and chain restaurants are located.   It is a place we know well, but usually avoid unless we’re covering an event. This weekend, we’re going there ‘on purpose’ and will patronize the hot spots that include Tootsies Orchid Lounge, The Stage, and Robert’s Western World.  We’ll browse the shops that tempt tourist with cowboy boots, sparkly belt buckles and cowboy hats.  We may even tour the Ryman and go on a carriage ride.

I will be armed with my camera to capture all the moments and will share our adventure in a coming post.

Have a great weekend!

The Benefits of Having a New Year’s Day Birthday

05 Monday Jan 2015

Posted by Kelly E Schultz, photographer in Celebrations

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

birthday, celebration

January 1st is my birthday.  Having a birthday on January 1st is pretty special, too.  Everyone celebrates with you whether they know it’s your birthday or not.  You always have the day off and sometimes, like this year, your birthday celebrations get extended through the weekend.  And, it starts on New Year’s Eve, too.

Yes, it’s good to be a New Year’s Day baby but there are disadvantages as well.  For instance, as a child, I rarely was able to have a birthday party on my actual birthday. I don’t know if my friends parents were always hungover from the night before but I remember my Mom explaining to me that my birthday party had to be scheduled for later in the week because my friends had ‘plans’ with their family on January 1st.  Whatever. Losers.  When I was able to have my birthday party on the 1st, I couldn’t have it at Chuck E Cheese’s or McDonald’s like my friends did, because restaurants were closed.  That meant no birthday song serenades by complete strangers or no free birthday cake.  Having a January 1st birthday sucked as a child because everyone just wanted to stay home, nurse their hangovers and watch football.

But as an adult, boy does Time make up for it, as noted above.  I’m usually pretty quiet around strangers but not in the last week of December.  I’ll strike up a conversation with them just to casually mention that January 1st is my birthday.  I crave the attention that I didn’t get as a child.  If I could get away with it, I’d wear a crown, have rose petals thrown in my path and proudly sing out ‘It’s my birthday!’ to every person who crosses my path.

The best benefit of having a New Year’s Day birthday is that I’m exempt from making a New Year’s resolution.  Don’t believe me?  Here’s some examples:

‘I resolve to eat better in the New Year.’  Can’t, because it’s my birthday and I deserve cake.

‘I resolve to exercise more in the New Year.’  Nope, unless lifting a fork full of birthday cake counts as exercising.

‘I resolve to limit my intake of ice cream in the New Year.’  I can have two scoops of ice cream because it’s my birthday.  (Besides, ice cream is a good source of calcium and Vitamin D).

‘I’m giving up coffee in the New Year.’  Now that’s just crazy talk, birthday or not.

I know what you’re thinking ~ I’m just making excuses.  It’s not true, though, because I do want to exercise more in the New Year and I do want to eat well.  Just not on my birthday.  But now my birthday is officially over and everyone is heading back to whatever passes as normalcy in their lives, I resolve to make this the best year I can. And eat plenty of ice cream.

Official 2015 Yummy Dates

02 Friday Jan 2015

Posted by Kelly E Schultz, photographer in Celebrations

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

celebration

A few days ago, I wrote that Chuck and I are relaunching Yummy Days.  Here are the 12 Days of 2015 (note, we live in Nashville):

~ Go on a General Jackson cruise.  The General Jackson is a showboat that cruises the Cumberland River from the Opryland Hotel to downtown Nashville and back.  The cruise usually include a dinner and a show ~ the perfect date.  I hope we pick this in the summer!

~  Stay at a downtown hotel, go on a carriage ride and to dinner.

We live relatively close to downtown, but there is something romantic about staying at a  nice hotel to get away.  Downtown Nashville has many spectacular hotels with dining options are too many to mention and what could be more romantic than ending the evening in a carriage ride?

~  Go on a Ghost Tour

This just sounds like fun!

~  Take a day trip to Lynchburg

Jack Daniels.  Done!

~  Stay at the Opryland Hotel

Chuck and I met whilst working at the Opryland Hotel.  The hotel has three conservatories with paths and many restaurants.  It will be a treat to stay where we met.

~  Take a class together

An art, cooking class, or a dancing class.  We’re never too old to try something new

~  Go to a local sporting event then to drinks

Nashville is home to the Tennessee Titans, the Nashville Predators and the Nashville Sounds (AAA baseball).  I hope we pick this during hockey season when the Preds play Toronto or the Maple Leafs (or any other Canadian team)

~  Go to dinner and a show – but not for work

This may seem like a strange date for us as we cover shows, but this date can in no way be work related.  We don’t normally cover musical theatre or the ballet (what is WRONG with us?!) so I think it’s a safe bet that we’ll spend the evening at TPAC

~  Go on a Nashville tour

Explore our own city – the Parthenon, the tourist traps on lower Broadway, the Hermitage.  You know, be a tourist!

~  Weekend trip to Atlanta

IKEA here I come!  Plus, be a tourist in Atlanta

~  See Rock City

Tennessee has probably hundreds of painted barns that simply say ‘See Rock City’.    OK

~  Pub/Restaurant Crawl

With the many dining options in town, it would be fun to sample something at a few different places

So there you have it.  The official 12 Yummy Days of 2015

The Return of Yummy Days

29 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by Kelly E Schultz, photographer in Celebrations

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Tags

anniversary, celebration

Yesterday, I started my new blog and expressed my excitement for the coming New Year.  One thing that I’m very excited about is the return of Yummy Days.

Earlier this month,  my husband and I celebrated our 20th anniversary of when we started dating.  December 21st has always been recognized as our ‘official’ anniversary even though we actually got married on May 17th.  For several years, we would have a monthly anniversary celebration, usually on either the 17th or the 21st of the month, whichever was closest to the weekend.  We called these celebrations ‘Yummy Days’.   Yummy days would be basically a fun date night. We would go out to dinner at a new restaurant or go to a movie or simply hang out and not worry about the world.  Unfortunately, we got out of the habit of celebrating yummy days a few years ago.  Life got in the way or we got busy, and suddenly a beloved tradition was lost.

No more, I say.  Starting in the New Year we are reintroducing Yummy Days. By New Year’s Eve, both of us will dream up with six date activities and place our dates in a jar.  At the beginning of each month we’ll draw a date from the jar to celebrate that month.   We’re still thinking of date ideas but I’m so excited that Yummy Days are coming back.

Prepping for the New Year

28 Sunday Dec 2014

Posted by Kelly E Schultz, photographer in Celebrations

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Tags

beginning, new year, welcome

Winter Sky 2

As 2014 winds down, I’m prepping for the New Year. In 2015, I am relaunching my 365 Days of Awesomeness photography project and am introducing my blog.  I’m very excited about the coming year and am anxious to ‘start fresh’.

2014 was a rough year for me.  Sure it had a lot of highs but also a fair share of lows.  Often, the highs were immediately followed by a low so it made for a mentally exhausting year.  In these last days, I’m thankful for my experiences but am also a little battle scarred.

I plan one using this site to share my thoughts on photography, cooking, travel, cats,and anything else that strikes my fancy.

Welcome to my world!

This image was captured in Buffalo after a first snow in 2010. Trees are one of my favorite subjects to photograph, when I’m not covering concerts.

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©Kelly E Schultz, photographer All images and content, unless otherwise noted, on this site is property of Kelly E Schultz, photographer. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of material and photographs without express and written permission is strictly prohibited.

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