Homeschooling grandchildren

Our granddaughter Sophia homeschooling our Japanese Bobtail cat Toshi.

My wife Carolyn and I are homeschooling  our grandchildren Sophia and Dominic while our daughter Audrey works from home. For now, her husband, can work at his place of employment. Carolyn and I have a large studio in our home, which is where we teach our grandchildren. My role now is helping with art projects. Carolyn teaches math and English. My role will expand to teaching history. My career as an illustrator included many assignments for text book publishers.
John Dyess

 

Remembering our cat Yukai- August 3,2000 to February 20,2017

Japanese Bobtail cat Kuniyoshi Yukai-Kami

I have attached the words my wife Carolyn said about our pet cat Yukai, after her death on Monday. She had sent this sad news plus photos of Yukai to her friends, that also have Japanese Bobtails.

Hi all,
I am really sad to report the loss of my 16 yr. old mi-ke to squamous cell carcinoma. She was a sweet and loving girl. She didn’t take too well to the show hall although she endured 2 shows as a youngster. She was one of Bruce Spurling’s Kuniyoshi babies. Kuniyoshi Yukai-Kami (Yukai). She was my snuggle buddy and loved napping with me. She was brave to the end carrying on with eating, washing and talking like she didn’t have this terrible huge ulcer on her chin. We had it removed in Dec. but it came right back and she was being treated with a chemo pill. She was poised and dignified always. She loved meal time and was known to steal a pork chop off of the table. She was a talker up to the end even though her voice was getting weaker. Loved so much, my Yukai, good-bye.

Carolyn Dyess

Yukai sitting on the light-box as I draw. She was a kitten then and enjoyed the warmth of the light-box .

Yukai laying on a heating pad, on our bed,with her best friend and half brother Neko. Neko died about three years ago.

Yukai was shy, and preferred being with my wife,myself and her Japanese Bobtail cat friends, Neko and Toshi. She was always sweet and affectionate. I will miss  her being with us. John

Neko and his animal friends

Neko with his half sister Yukai

Neko was three years old when we brought his half sister Yukai into our family in the year 2000. Neko immediately bounded with her and they were good friends for almost thirteen years. Yukai was with Neko every day for almost thirteen years. We had two additional cats, Honeybear and Ginger, for part of this time. Honeybear died about eight years ago and Ginger died about two years ago. Neko and Yukai had a special friendship and sometimes were a mirror image of each other. They slept tougher,watched birds and squirrels, eating at a dish of birdseed, outside of our sunroom and sat together around our house.. They were always indoor cats as were all of our cats ,except Rusty, who came to my door in 1979. Since Neko died Yukai has been looking for him around our house. This is very sad for me to witness.

Rusty,Neko,Ginger and Honeybear together in 1998

When Neko came to our home in 1998 he became the youngest member of the cat pack. Rusty was the leader of the pack and was about twenty years old when Neko joined the pack. Rusty is on the floor,Neko is in the first level of the scratching tree,next to Rusty,Ginger is above Neko and Honeybear is on the top level.Neko was accepted into the pack and ,I think, learned a lot from Rusty.

Our good friend Neko wearing a bow tie. His sister Yukai is behind him.

Neko was a good friend that was tolerant of the silliness of his human friends. These Neko posts were a celebration of his life and a celebration of humans that love animals and of animals that love  humans.Good by old friend.