Farewell, Oreo

I have made a few changes to this post. I was never happy with the last line of the limerick. I fought with it for two days, then gave up and posted what I had. Then, of course, a better line came to me today. I have also added a few other cats that Oreo probably knew from his blogging days that are at the Bridge with him now.

This is a really hard farewell post for me. I started reading Oreo's blog in September of 2006, right after I discovered kitty blogging. In those days there weren't nearly as many kitties blogging. I would go to Max's blog, then go down his blogroll. I could visit all the kitties every day. I fell in love with Oreo right away. He was such a sweetie and so very funny. The notebook I write all my limericks in has Oreo's picture on the front. I have a hoodie that proclaims me a proud member of Oreo's Posse. Oreo and I became good buddies and he and his Mom, Heather, kept encouraging me to start my own blog. I didn't know what I would blog about, because I don't have a cat. Eventually, I came up with the idea of Kitty Limericks. Without Oreo and Heather encouraging me so much, this blog wouldn't exist. Oreo was the first kitty that I wrote limericks about. He got two because I couldn't decide which one I liked better. I treasure Oreo's comments, especially the one he made on my limerick for Little Pink Pig, where he said he was laughing so hard he couldn't breathe. When Oreo's blogging tapered off, then stopped, I kept hoping that he would come back some day because I missed him so much. Now he has gone to the Rainbow Bridge and I really miss him. I know that he is having a great time there and I am sure that he has met up with Buzzerbee and Meep and Larry and Bonnie Underfoot and Norton and Trixie and Ayla the Grump and all of our other friends there.

                                           Oreo went to the Bridge on a cloud.
                                           Now he's running and playing and laughing out loud.
                                                    He looks down below,
                                                    Sees us weeping so,
                                           And says, "Don't weep for me.  I'm with my old crowd."