Brandy on the Aegean

My younger son, Jonathan, is doing a semester at Charles University in Prague in conjunction with his regualr studies at the University of Wisconsin. He's spending spring break in the Greek Islands. Wow! Talk about showing up the old man. The best I ever managed was Ft. Lauderdale and 200,000 drunken fools.

Jon and his mother picked out our recently expired cat, Brandy, at the SPCA. They did it as a surprise for me and Jon's older brother as an offering to cheer us up on our return from an unhappy road trip (the details of which shall remain witheld). On learning of Brandy's death, Jon emails the folowing:

"In the innercity ghettos, gang members pour out liquor
as a symbol of mourning. I poured out some cognac for
Brandy on the island of Ios, where Homer was buried,
according to legend. The sea water came up and washed
away the cognac and pulled it into the sea.

I definitely think about her, but I think about how
she changed me as a person. It's weird to think how a
cat can have such an incredible effect on a human, but
Brandy had the magic touch. Her spirit will always be
with me."

That was part of a birthday message to me, by the way. Far better than any material gift. Love ya, Jon!