When you move to a new town people don’t know you yet, the slang and favorite restaurants are different, and you feel very much a stranger. But if you are patient, you come to love the unique pleasures the new town has to offer. As an author, beginning a new series is like that. For…
My cat Foxy is small, but fiercely independent. She knows what she likes when she likes it. For this afternoon nap, she chose to sleep crossways in this cat basket with one ear completely covered, even though, clearly, the right way to do it was just the opposite. But who is to say which might…
My cat Foxy has a corkscrew for a spine. I tried to figure out why she was doing this maneuver and finally concluded she chose this position because it felt good. In addition to the yoga pose Downward Dog, perhaps we need one called Curly Cat. The child is in me still…and sometimes not so…
My cat Foxy can sleep anywhere. I, who must have darkness, a comfy bed, and absolute quiet, am very envious! I read the statistics about what sleep deprivation does to us as a nation. I’m convinced if we each got fifteen more minutes of sleep a day, the world would be a better place. I…
Leaf is a BIG cat, and barely fits into this bathroom sink. But Leaf is also an intelligent cat. He knows after a meal, I’ll come here to brush my teeth, so he dashes into the bathroom and curls up here. He understands he’ll get scritches and soft words to coax him to leave. His…
The platter was small. The ceramic was hard and unbalanced. But my friend, Mackie, knew this bowl would make a perfect nest. Who cared if it was hard? He has enough fur to line it himself. Who cared if it was tippy? A mere walk in the park for a determined cat with four sure feet…
It was a western facing window in the afternoon. You can tell that by the sunflowers turning their faces toward the sun just as little Ellf was. Mac, on the other hand, was staring drowsily at the photographer, me. The two found comfort in the warm sun and in the closeness of each other. That…
Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons. ~Ruth Ann Schabacker Because my weekdays are filled with to-do lists and have-to’s, I cultivate a sense of slowing down on the weekends. The walks I take are longer. The pauses to talk to my cats are more frequent. I smell the air like…
I am reminded that there is both joy and sorrow in Mother’s Day. Joy, for the present family connections. Sorrow and regret for mothers who are no longer with us. But it also occurs to me that the primary attributes that we celebrate in mothers: care taking, love, empathy for others, are present in all…
I started the walk before dawn, collecting clouds as I went. Wispy ones darted in and out of the red rock formations; others nestled in puddles after midnight rains. The pine needles had felted into heavy mats that softened the ground beneath my feet. They created soft nests for windfalls of storm-blown pine cones. The…