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We used to have a big, beautiful, fat and fluffy white cat.

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He was a long haired Japanese bob tail Manx that I let the neighborhood children name when we lived in North Carolina.

They were sweet kids, if not terribly original… hence the name Mr. White.

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Mr, White made the move back to Maine with us and lived a very long (24 years!) and happy life. He’s buried under a tree on our property and thanks to my mother…who loved to brush him and keep his coat silky smooth… parts of him are still with us.

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Yes, I know it’s bizarre… but the coffee table drawer in our living room that holds Lord Dudley Mountcatten’s leash and toys also contains balls of Mr White’s fur rolled into balls by my mother.

It was a running joke that he shed so much fur she could make a pillow with it one day. Or a blanket. Or a hat.

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Clearly she was on to something.

I know I should toss those old fur balls. It’s not like I’m going to knit cat hair socks or a scarf, but for some reason I just can’t bring myself to do it. Weird as it is, they make me smile.

How about you…

What weird thing can’t you bring yourself to throw out?

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