Party favor

Yesterday the vet's office called to let me know Maggie's ashes were there to be picked up. I don't know why, and some of you will think this is silly, but I just couldn't let her be taken away and burned in a mass cremation. I thought she deserve slightly better than that. So, this afternoon I went out to get her cremains, expecting the ashes to be in a small box or a bag or an envelope or something. After all, she was a small cat, there couldn't be that much to pack up. What I received was unexpected:

Yep, they gift wrapped my cat. They even used pet themed tissue paper and a little gift tag shaped like a cat with Maggie's name on it too. Martha Stewart couldn't have done it better if she had cremated my cat. I was actually a little afraid to look inside. When I did, I found the container for her ashes was a bit less gaudy, but no less fancy. A cedar box with her name carved in it. Now, I have seen human cremains twice before in my life, and they did not come in boxes as nice as this. I think the box they put my grandfather in had previously held shoes. It was not meant to be displayed as a tchokche. Maggie's box is something we could put on the mantle. I can see it now: "Oh, what's in this box, Libby? It's lovely." "Well, thank you, it's the ashes of our dead cat." People already think I'm strange. I think that might push me into "over the edge crazy, she probably talks to plants" territory. Also, I don't want Maggie to be a conservation piece. She didn't like being around lots of people, and she hated sitting still. She may be gone, but I think she still would be pissed to know any part of her was trapped in a box, especially one that could easily be passed around a cocktail party.

So, I think I will stick to my original plan for Maggie's ashes, when I thought they would come in a plain brown wrapper. I am going to scatter them in the front garden, near the plant she loved to hide in and chew on. Evey time I look at it I will think of her.

Now I just need to find someone named Maggie who wants a really pretty jewelry box. But I will have to find new gift wrapping. The words "pet cremation service" on this one might give it away.