Dusty's Tribute to Montgomery Gawain FitzThomas

The musicians take a break; there are too many good things on
Fluffykits' lovely buffet, and playing and singing is harder work than
most non-musicians realize. A calm quiet settles over the Colisseum,
as the stars peek out overhead. Even the unremitting Roman traffic
seems, somehow, miles away.

Into this peace comes a soft, young alto voice, singing - slowly and a
capella - a classic Gershwin tune. At first, the young cat's voice is
slightly breathy, but, as she sings, she gains confidence, and what
could have been a jazzy love song becomes a moving ballad to a lost
family member:

There are many, many crazy things
That will keep me loving you.
And, with your permission,
May I list a few?

The way you wore your hat.
The way you sipped your tea.
The memory of all that...
No, they can't take that away from me.

The way your smile just beamed.
The way you sang off key.
The way you haunt my dreams.
No, they can't take that away from me.

We may never, never meet again on that bumpy road to love.
But I'll always, always keep the memory of...

The way you held your knife.
The way you danced 'til three.
The way you changed my life.
No, no, they can't take that away from me.

They can't take that away from me...

As she finishes, Dusty steps up to the microphone. She is wearing a
pleated linen dress, with an impressive wide brightly-jeweled gold
collar, and has added gold sandals and gold hoop earrings.

"My mentor Montgomery G. FitzThomas was a two-time-gold-medal winner in
the Cat Olympics, in the Speedbumps, or Trip-the-Human, event. He was
adopted as a FitzThomas even younger than I was, and served as personal
trainer for the great Speedbumps star Brendan H. FitzThomas until
Brendan's retirement. Although he was a very large cat (often joking
that all his mother ever told him about his ancestry was that there was
some cougar in it) Uncle Monty was widely known for his spectacular
sense of timing and his extremely tight-to-the-human-legs moves. The
flair with which he pulled off several impossible-looking near-trips,
without injuring either himself or the human involved, in the 1992
Olympics earned him a then-unprecedented score of 9.997.

"Uncle Monty parlayed his sports sponsorships into a modelling career -
if you've ever seen an ad featuring a grey tabby with no white feet,
that was Uncle Monty - and increased both sources of capital by canny
investing. Even before he retired from sports, he was something of an
international cat of mystery, always impeccably dressed and friends
with the most amazing collection of celebrities, noblecats, cats of
major cultural and technological achievement, and the ordinary cats who
quietly keep daily life going smoothly while no one notices. What
isn't widely known is that both he and Brendan (while not actually
agents of the Catmerica government) were willing, when asked, to use
their travels and their fame in the service of their country, to open
doors that might otherwise have been closed or to aid those who needed
it.

"Uncle Monty loved to play the piano, and loved the Great American
Songbook of the first half of the 20th Century. He would play
Gershwin, Berlin, or Kern, or Porter, or, well, really, anyone almost
any time, and his practicing is one of my first memories of my
One-True-Home.

"He had been ill for slightly more than two years, and knew the time
was coming even when he took me in and started training me for the US
jingle-ball soccer team. (I do, after all, come from the same town as
Landon Donovan.) But, although he can't be here to look after me, he
arranged for my education, and even for that of my canine brother,
Robbie.

"Montgomery Gawain FitzThomas is survived by me, by many cat friends,
by his humans, and by Robbie and several more distant human family
members. He was deeply loved, and will be deeply missed, by all of us."

On 10 Oct 2006 13:01:59 -0700, Elizabeth's nimble, little paws typed:
gennle snippy

"Montgomery Gawain FitzThomas is survived by me, by many cat friends,
by his humans, and by Robbie and several more distant human family
members. He was deeply loved, and will be deeply missed, by all of us."

Dusty,

Dat was a tuchink tribyoot to a remarkable cat. DIs kommunity will
trooly miss him...
--
Purrs,

Mme. Anaïs
10/10/2006 8:11:39 PM
anais_737+at+verizon+dot+net

that waza wonnerful tribut, Tiger smiling
Elizabeth wrote in message
oups.com...
The musicians take a break; there are too many good things on
Fluffykits' lovely buffet, and playing and singing is harder work than
most non-musicians realize. A calm quiet settles over the Colisseum,
as the stars peek out overhead. Even the unremitting Roman traffic
seems, somehow, miles away.

Into this peace comes a soft, young alto voice, singing - slowly and a
capella - a classic Gershwin tune. At first, the young cat's voice is
slightly breathy, but, as she sings, she gains confidence, and what
could have been a jazzy love song becomes a moving ballad to a lost
family member:

There are many, many crazy things
That will keep me loving you.
And, with your permission,
May I list a few?

The way you wore your hat.
The way you sipped your tea.
The memory of all that...
No, they can't take that away from me.

The way your smile just beamed.
The way you sang off key.
The way you haunt my dreams.
No, they can't take that away from me.

We may never, never meet again on that bumpy road to love.
But I'll always, always keep the memory of...

The way you held your knife.
The way you danced 'til three.
The way you changed my life.
No, no, they can't take that away from me.

They can't take that away from me...

As she finishes, Dusty steps up to the microphone. She is wearing a
pleated linen dress, with an impressive wide brightly-jeweled gold
collar, and has added gold sandals and gold hoop earrings.

"My mentor Montgomery G. FitzThomas was a two-time-gold-medal winner in
the Cat Olympics, in the Speedbumps, or Trip-the-Human, event. He was
adopted as a FitzThomas even younger than I was, and served as personal
trainer for the great Speedbumps star Brendan H. FitzThomas until
Brendan's retirement. Although he was a very large cat (often joking
that all his mother ever told him about his ancestry was that there was
some cougar in it) Uncle Monty was widely known for his spectacular
sense of timing and his extremely tight-to-the-human-legs moves. The
flair with which he pulled off several impossible-looking near-trips,
without injuring either himself or the human involved, in the 1992
Olympics earned him a then-unprecedented score of 9.997.

"Uncle Monty parlayed his sports sponsorships into a modelling career -
if you've ever seen an ad featuring a grey tabby with no white feet,
that was Uncle Monty - and increased both sources of capital by canny
investing. Even before he retired from sports, he was something of an
international cat of mystery, always impeccably dressed and friends
with the most amazing collection of celebrities, noblecats, cats of
major cultural and technological achievement, and the ordinary cats who
quietly keep daily life going smoothly while no one notices. What
isn't widely known is that both he and Brendan (while not actually
agents of the Catmerica government) were willing, when asked, to use
their travels and their fame in the service of their country, to open
doors that might otherwise have been closed or to aid those who needed
it.

"Uncle Monty loved to play the piano, and loved the Great American
Songbook of the first half of the 20th Century. He would play
Gershwin, Berlin, or Kern, or Porter, or, well, really, anyone almost
any time, and his practicing is one of my first memories of my
One-True-Home.

"He had been ill for slightly more than two years, and knew the time
was coming even when he took me in and started training me for the US
jingle-ball soccer team. (I do, after all, come from the same town as
Landon Donovan.) But, although he can't be here to look after me, he
arranged for my education, and even for that of my canine brother,
Robbie.

"Montgomery Gawain FitzThomas is survived by me, by many cat friends,
by his humans, and by Robbie and several more distant human family
members. He was deeply loved, and will be deeply missed, by all of us."

B snippity snip 8

There are many, many crazy things
That will keep me loving you.
And, with your permission,
May I list a few?

B snip8

Yu shur did lizt sumzany an innureztin tingz!
--
Pitö.önya

Dat waz a furry speecal tryboot an a beutiful ballad.

Snowflake, Booker, and Chappy

Elizabeth wrote:

The musicians take a break; there are too many good things on
Fluffykits' lovely buffet, and playing and singing is harder work than
most non-musicians realize. A calm quiet settles over the Colisseum,
as the stars peek out overhead. Even the unremitting Roman traffic
seems, somehow, miles away.



....gently shredded...

Dat wuz a wunderful tribewt tu a wunderful cat, Dusty. We will not cee
hiz like agin, especiallee not inna speedbump category.
Ralph for his clowder

Elizabeth wrote:
8 respectful snip of most of Dusty's moving tribute....

"Montgomery Gawain FitzThomas is survived by me, by many cat friends,
by his humans, and by Robbie and several more distant human family
members. He was deeply loved, and will be deeply missed, by all of us."

"Elizabeth" wrote:

[snipt wiff respect]

"Montgomery Gawain FitzThomas is survived by me, by many cat friends,
by his humans, and by Robbie and several more distant human family
members. He was deeply loved, and will be deeply missed, by all of us."

sniffle A furry moofing Tribyoot indeed.

Mietze
--
Remove the first m to reply

Tribute Respectfully snipped

Dusty youze gave a wonderful tribute to a spectacular cat of many
accomplishments. Heze will truly be missed by all.

Puddi Cat


--
Remove "spam" from addy to reply

Yur uncle wuz a furry sofistikated gentlekat, and we will all miss him. But
weze glad to hav yoo heer to remind ussez uv him.

Rebecca

"Elizabeth" wrote in message
oups.com...
The musicians take a break; there are too many good things on
Fluffykits' lovely buffet, and playing and singing is harder work than
most non-musicians realize. A calm quiet settles over the Colisseum,
as the stars peek out overhead. Even the unremitting Roman traffic
seems, somehow, miles away.

Into this peace comes a soft, young alto voice, singing - slowly and a
capella - a classic Gershwin tune. At first, the young cat's voice is
slightly breathy, but, as she sings, she gains confidence, and what
could have been a jazzy love song becomes a moving ballad to a lost
family member:

There are many, many crazy things
That will keep me loving you.
And, with your permission,
May I list a few?

The way you wore your hat.
The way you sipped your tea.
The memory of all that...
No, they can't take that away from me.

The way your smile just beamed.
The way you sang off key.
The way you haunt my dreams.
No, they can't take that away from me.

We may never, never meet again on that bumpy road to love.
But I'll always, always keep the memory of...

The way you held your knife.
The way you danced 'til three.
The way you changed my life.
No, no, they can't take that away from me.

They can't take that away from me...

As she finishes, Dusty steps up to the microphone. She is wearing a
pleated linen dress, with an impressive wide brightly-jeweled gold
collar, and has added gold sandals and gold hoop earrings.

"My mentor Montgomery G. FitzThomas was a two-time-gold-medal winner in
the Cat Olympics, in the Speedbumps, or Trip-the-Human, event. He was
adopted as a FitzThomas even younger than I was, and served as personal
trainer for the great Speedbumps star Brendan H. FitzThomas until
Brendan's retirement. Although he was a very large cat (often joking
that all his mother ever told him about his ancestry was that there was
some cougar in it) Uncle Monty was widely known for his spectacular
sense of timing and his extremely tight-to-the-human-legs moves. The
flair with which he pulled off several impossible-looking near-trips,
without injuring either himself or the human involved, in the 1992
Olympics earned him a then-unprecedented score of 9.997.

"Uncle Monty parlayed his sports sponsorships into a modelling career -
if you've ever seen an ad featuring a grey tabby with no white feet,
that was Uncle Monty - and increased both sources of capital by canny
investing. Even before he retired from sports, he was something of an
international cat of mystery, always impeccably dressed and friends
with the most amazing collection of celebrities, noblecats, cats of
major cultural and technological achievement, and the ordinary cats who
quietly keep daily life going smoothly while no one notices. What
isn't widely known is that both he and Brendan (while not actually
agents of the Catmerica government) were willing, when asked, to use
their travels and their fame in the service of their country, to open
doors that might otherwise have been closed or to aid those who needed
it.

"Uncle Monty loved to play the piano, and loved the Great American
Songbook of the first half of the 20th Century. He would play
Gershwin, Berlin, or Kern, or Porter, or, well, really, anyone almost
any time, and his practicing is one of my first memories of my
One-True-Home.

"He had been ill for slightly more than two years, and knew the time
was coming even when he took me in and started training me for the US
jingle-ball soccer team. (I do, after all, come from the same town as
Landon Donovan.) But, although he can't be here to look after me, he
arranged for my education, and even for that of my canine brother,
Robbie.

"Montgomery Gawain FitzThomas is survived by me, by many cat friends,
by his humans, and by Robbie and several more distant human family
members. He was deeply loved, and will be deeply missed, by all of us."