He was precious, he was loud, I let him boss me around.  Words sung about someone I lost within the last couple years. A being who was so special to be. We shared such a strong bond even though he couldn’t speak English or any language at all for that matter. He did talk a lot, I don’t know what he was trying to say exactly, though I could guess. I wish I spoke meow. 

Kronos came into my life in 2015. I had been wanting a cat. Twice I had dreamed that I opened my front door and a cat came in and then that exact thing happened in real life. I’ve got a psychic thing going with them apparently. Growing up I had Mayble. She got a song of course (It's called Pyramid). 

I didn’t hold back my love for Kronos when he came into my life. I was obsessed, and probably slightly pathetic— yes, I am a crazy cat lady.  I first met Kronos when going over to my now ex-boyfriend Jeff’s house for the first time. He sat on me as we sunbathed together. He mostly was an outside yard cat at a house in Shoreline.  He meowed very often and loudly. Doors had to remain shut and he had to be watched so he wouldn’t do anything naughty. 

I ended up adopting Kronos as my own when Jeff moved in. He had to transition from being mostly outside to inside only. I lived in an apartment building on the second floor with no balcony. I enjoyed buying him a Christmas bow tie and a laser pointer and cat iPad app he played once. I took him to the vet which I think was pretty expensive. Turns out he had fleas and an infection from the fleas. That was why he had no hair on his belly. I definitely doted on him. I tried out all kinds of cat food, seeing which he liked best. We settled on primarily pouches of “My BFF” (my affiliate link if you want to try: https://amzn.to/3t5EJKs) They were a mess but he loved them so that’s what he got. Jeff and I broke up. My bond with Kronos strengthened. Over time, his hair grew back on his stomach and he became more and more demanding. A guy I dated after Jeff would joke about how Kronos was a rags to riches story and the cat who had forgotten where he came from. 

I considered Kronos a rescue cat since he needed a lot more care than he was getting. Jeff had also rescued him— from a worse situation. Kronos was the cat of a drug dealer in Seattle who neglected him. He had fallen out of a window as a kitten. He was left in bathrooms alone. It hurts my heart to think of him like that as a cute kitten. I wish I could have seen what he looked like as a tiny kitten. I never got to. Because of all the trauma he had growing up (I think this is why anyways), Kronos had a peeing problem. He would pee on mattresses, couches, towels, and rugs. It was very stressful and at the worst of times I considered finding somewhere else for him to live. Once, I even went to a pet adoption place to talk to them but I didn’t make it in the door. I started balling as soon as I got out of the truck. There was no way I could part with him. 

I moved from the apartment I had alone to one with a friend. It was an upgrade for Kronos. He now had a huge balcony to “parade” on that overlooked the 99 bridge. I was living there when the ride the duck accident happened. I had never seen so many 1st responders in my life. We lived there for about a year then went north to live with a new friend when things went south. In between places I took Kronos in my car a lot since I was avoiding my place. He came and spent the night with me at my friends in Gig Harbor. We were there on Valentine’s Day when did this photo shoot(my friend Natalie took the pictures). 

The place I had Kronos in the Licton Springs neighborhood of Seattle was another upgrade for him. We had a yard and he went outside a lot but would sleep in my room on a window shelf. I loved waking up and looking up at him. His peeing troubles happened there. We had to get rid of a couch and I had to wash rugs a lot. My roommate was, not surprisingly, pissed (pun intended). I had told her about his problem before moving in and I bought new couches but it was still very frustrating. I ended up transitioning him to sleeping outside which was tough. He meowed so loud and for so long trying to get back in for a couple weeks then was good. He had a heated cat house with a front and back door on a raised bed with another bed underneath it. I called them his summer and winter homes. 

When I moved from there with my current boyfriend, we got a daylight basement apartment close by. This was where Kronos really came into his own. He patrolled the area and was adorable doing it. Lots of people walked by our front door and would pet him. My neighbors loved him and were happy to look after him while we vacationed. Some neighbors met him, then me. It was four-plex. I know he loved it there, but the next place was even better.  After 10 months, we moved to our Northgate townhouse. Kronos had his OWN yard. The first few nights there Kronos would wake us up at 4am. He had figured out where our bedroom window was and would meow up at us. It was cute but also annoying. He loved running and walking around the yard. We asked our neighbor to watch him when we were in Texas and the Caribbean. When we came back she had upgraded his cat house. He had an extra roof, a raised wooden platform, and another blanket. Our neighbor loved animals and would feed the raccoons which we had often as visitors. They never bothered Kronos, he didn’t seem to notice them really. They would be right next to each other and he wouldn’t even acknowledge them. One raccoon came in our house even and took some snacks. 

Kronos did not care about hunting. I saw him think about going after a bird for about 4 seconds total. He would get playful sometimes. He liked to be chased which was so cute.  I loved how vocal he was. He meowed a ton. I captured some on video and included them in the music video for the song I wrote for him called “Miss Him the Most”. He was such a deep loving soul and so sweet. He knew when I was having hard time and needed cuddled—which he did especially one New Year’s Day while I binge-watched Christmas movies with a massive hangover. As my life improved and I quit drinking and smoking, so did Kronos’s. We shared so many ups and downs and I’m so grateful to have had him as a companion. Kronos was the most human-like pet I’ve ever encountered. He was precious and unique like a snowflake. I’m not even gonna try. I know I never will replace that guy. He is the one I miss the most.    

When Kronos started to die, I did my best to help him get better. Any food I could get him, twice daily saline injections, anything. I don’t know how old he was. I thought I would have more time. I didn’t. The end was so painful. I cried myself to sleep. I wanted to die it hurt so bad to lose him. He made one last move with us, saw the new place— the creek, the animals, and that was it. We buried him in the pasture. I made “Miss Him the Most” during this time. It was very helpful to deal with the trauma and pain, I hope it means something to you too. Listen and Buy :Miss Him the Most Watch: https://youtu.be/zUPj2E12_K0

FOR RELEASE January 3th 2021 

Singer/Songwriter Abby London’s first song of 2022 is titled Miss Him the Most. It’s available everywhere January 7th. 

“I had to put this out to close a chapter of my life and open a new one.” Says Abby. She wrote the song to honor Kronos, a long hair black cat she sort of rescued from an ex-boyfriend named Jeff in 2014. Abby first met Kronos when going over to Jeff’s house for the first time. She had an instant connection with Kronos as he plopped right on her and they shared a sun bathing session. Jeff moved in with Abby and brought Kronos along and had Abby officially adopt him. He needed a lot of care. Abby got him fixed up, the hair missing from his belly grew back, he got fancy cat food, and lots of attention It was a real rags to riches story. 

Kronos moved with Abby over 5 times, he was her buddy as she got sober, changed jobs, went to college, gained and lost friends, and switched from a minivan to multiple cars. Abby London sings about this in the song, ‘been with him through 7 cars, 6 boyfriends, being done with bars, happy, healthy, sick, and sad.’  “I went through so much with him,” says Abby. “I remember one New Year’s Day, I laid in bed with a horrible hangover binge-watching Christmas movies and he cuddled with me. He was a huge comfort and support. He put up with a lot from me in those times.” Abby put up with a lot from him too. Kronos was far from perfect. In step with the drug culture that is encouraged in Seattle, Kronos had first been a pet of a drug dealer and left in locked bathrooms. He had fallen out of a window as a kitten as well. No matter how hard Abby tried, she could not break his habit of peeing on beds, towels, rugs, and couches.  Obviously, this caused some stress for quite a few people, but, the good outweighed the bad. 

Kronos had an old soul and a deep human-like understanding. Abby developed a very strong bond with him and he with her. He was very vocal– he meowed a lot, and had a huge personality. When he passed, Abby was very sad for a long time. This song helped her to deal with the pain. “There needs to be more songs about pets”, says Abby. “They are so special and need more tributes people can relate to. Mine combines joy and sadness.” 

Please enjoy this simple piano and vocal song, and music video(in chronological order)- https://youtu.be/zUPj2E12_K0 

Piano and vocals by Abby London, mixing by Jakael Tristam, mastering by Rachel Field at Resonat Sound.   

For more information about Abby London, please visit www.abbylondonmusic.com

Last April I found out about something I’ve never even heard of when my doctor told me I had it. If you know about my diet, you know I’ve been working on fixing leaky gut for years. It can be very restrictive or not as much depending on how well I’ve been doing with my supplement regiment and testing.

So… when I got the news that I had SIBO despite my hard work my diet was going to get more restrictive I was very upset. I was now not to eat any fruit, garlic, onion, condiments, fermented food, alcohol (well no big deal there), sugar (I was already doing that so whatever), no dairy or gluten (those are easy), and only certain vegetables. I’d have to download an app to check which vegetables I could and couldn’t eat as well as starches and grains and I could only eat small amounts of those grains. It was a lot to take in.

I do like getting rules about what I can eat, following them is like solving a puzzle to me. I was starting to get over it and look towards the future of what I could have and focus on that. I had forwarded my boyfriend the new food selection. When I saw him he seemed more upset than I was! It was not helpful and pulled me out of my positive, moving forward venture. I scheduled an appointment with my doctor so he could ask her the questions I didn’t have answers for.

The next day I got online and did a couple grocery orders of things I could have so that I knew I had options. I found brands that made salsa and seasonings for what’s called a FODMAP diet. It’s where you don’t eat any foods with any types of sugar which was essentially what my SIBO diet was. I also had to order treatment supplements from my doctor which were not cheap(neither was the test). SIBO stands for small intestine bacterial overgrowth. Basically their were bad bacterial in my small intestine and I had to stop eating anything they could feed off of. I was highly motivated to fix my problem.

I did not stray from the diet or supplements.

After 3 weeks I felt a little better and had lost a few pounds. I was unfortunately one of those people who gained weight during the lockdowns. A liver cleanse last January had knocked off 7 pounds taking me to 132. I was still bloated and just not where I wanted to be which was 117. This was one of the reasons I got the SIBO test. The other was that I was having bladder pain. After checking to see my bladder was fine, the SIBO test was the next thing my doctor suspected and she was right.

I kept up with the diet. It got easier. I continued to lose weight. I got to my target weight of 117 which felt amazing. I had resigned myself to just being overweight and thought there was nothing I could do about it. I wasn’t overeating and I was exercising(not that much, but some), and the weight just wouldn’t got away—until I did this. Besides looking better, I felt way better too. I was falling asleep faster and waking up less groggy. Those a-holes in my small intestine must have been getting in the way of my gut/brain connection because once I started treating this I could “trust my gut”. I knew what the right decisions to make were and I didn’t spend time debating in my head about what to do or feeling confused. I keep going with the diet and I surpassed my weightless expectations! I was wearing cute shorts I hadn’t been able to fit into for awhile and crop tops. I was 10 pounds lighter than my goal weight.

This whole experience was a huge reminder to keep digging if I can’t figure out what is going on until I have a solution. It also showed me to mention things to my doctor no matter how insignificant they are. If I hadn’t casually mentioned I was having bladder pain, I never would have figured all this out. I’m so grateful for my functional medicine doctor and also to myself for doing this work. 

Here are some before and after pictures of my stomach. The first ones are embarrassing but I wanted to show you guys anyways.

I’ve started a new habit that has improved my life greatly. I’m feeling calmer, more in control of my mind and body, able to think clearer, and more sure of myself.  I don’t worry as much, and I don’t worry about the effects of what I’m doing. I can keep doing this and the world will go on. Answers can wait. Conversations and messages too. I think what I’m doing will inspire others and perhaps already has. When I told one friend about it, his eyes lit up and he told me, “That’s a great idea”. 

What is it? Well, I’m doing tech breaks 4 times a week. On three weekdays I go without using tech for the first 2 hours of the day and on one weekend day I go for 4 hours without using tech. A couple of the most striking benefits is that I don’t feel like I need to get on my phone or computer as much for the rest of the day and when I do use devices, I am more intentional and regulated with my use. I’ll stick to the reason I got on my device and my to-do list way better than if I wake up and go straight to checking email, the windows I left open, random scrolling, or in search of my dopamine hits via notifications. 

The two hours on weekdays goes by pretty quickly. I’m finding myself picking up the house, writing music, practicing singing, playing piano songs, getting ready for the day(sometimes I wait awhile), going on walks, cooking breakfast(sometimes I wait awhile to do that too), or reading a book.  At first, I sometimes feel like it’s going to be a long two hours but sometimes I’ll end up going even longer. When I do check my phone, sometimes I have hardly any messages and others times I have a few which could have easily waited those couple hours to be replied to. Keeping in mind that the next day I can go straight to my devices is helpful. I also give myself the freedom to switch the days I do it around or make exceptions if I have a monthly meeting. 

Going the 4 hours on a weekend day is a bit more challenging. I find myself wanting to look up answers to questions and things to do more often especially when not at home. I’ll have a bit of anxiety going that long I noticed. I am aware and honest with myself about the fact that I definitely have phone and computer addiction. So I’m working on it. I know it’s unhealthy. My mind craving those little bits of excitement like a slot machine, keeping my body in positions that cause tightness and discomfort that lead to pain, and feeling like the world will not be able to go on if I don’t reply to someone right away. 

This morning I picked up, had a cup of tea and read a story from the big book, went on a walk, cooked breakfast, sang a little, then ate and typed this. It going to be a great day. I’m using technology to improve my life and it’s not using me.

WITH HER NEW SINGLE “BUSHES,” SINGER/SONGWRITER ABBY LONDON DEMONSTRATES WHY SHE’S HIGHLY TOUTED AS BEING THE INDEPENDENT ARTSIT CAPTURING REAL-LIFE EMOTIONS 

FOR RELEASE week of September 20th 

You know the feeling.  You know the situation.  At some point in your life, you’ve encountered a couple consisting of two people who simply shouldn’t be together, and yet they can’t stay apart.  It’s the far less starry-eyed side of a relationship, and all the emotion is captured in the poignant new song “Bushes” from singer/songwriter Abby London. 

“Maybe it was you and someone else.  Maybe it’s the kind of relationship you’re in now,” London says.  “Breaking up is hard. It hurts, and it means if you want to move on and be with someone new, you have to revel who you are all over again. Emotionally, that can be an exhausting feeling.  So, perhaps you’ve stayed somewhere you don’t really belong to avoid all that.” 

The song calls that place “the bushes.” 

London is the narrator in “Bushes”—a pop-driven keyboard heavy track with lots of harmonies. London takes us through the feelings of co-dependence, hurt, anger and the hopelessness of ending or continuing the relationship. 

The highlight of the track in the fast rap-like singing in the bridge that begins over video game sounds sung from the guy’s point of view, and the follow-up section is sung from the girl’s perspective. The guy’s part showcases his cruelty when he says the girl needs to bring along a friend when she comes to his parties so she doesn’t annoy him. The girl sings of how she can’t stop trying to be with him, but also how she can’t forgive him. So, it continues – the pushing, the pulling, the fighting, the elation, the frustration, the longing and being unable to control emotions. 

“Bushes” is the follow up to London’s earlier summer release “Anxiety,” which analyzed the relationship between shopping choices and anxiety. Both are in the same vein of introspective pop. It was recorded in Magnolia and produced by Abby London and Jakael Tristam(sound engineer) who both played musical parts. The mastering was done by Rachel Field of Resonat Mastering. 

London will be performing her scripted show and promoting “Bushes” on September 25th in Kenmore, Washington. The new music video—Out Tuesday September 28th—  features London following a couple around a fair, hanging out with the Grim Reaper, and has a twist at the end.   

Visit www.abbylondonmusic.com to purchase tickets for the upcoming show, listen to the song and to see the music video. “Bushes” will also be available on all streaming platforms. 

About Abby London 

Abby London self produces live shows that artfully combine keyboard, guitar, video, dance, costumes, comedy, drama and special guest actors and musicians into an immersive audience experience. Her songs are introspective and political.  She has been played on local radio stations and indie podcasts.  She has been interviewed by radio talk show hosts, podcasters, bloggers, and KOMO TV.