It is Wednesday, and we are posting on time. Today, I just wanted to tell you about how happy I get when Mom holds me. She had told me about a cat she had named Homer. He was a 22 pound marmalade tabby with a big white belly. He liked to be held like a baby with his belly up so she could rub it. If she tried that with me, she might need to call the EMT’s for emergency medical attention when I shredded her hands! I would consider such a position totally undignified.

Mom also told me about a cat Dad inherited named Segia. She was a great dog-cat who liked to help Dad work on cars. She did not want to be held. She preferred draping herself across shoulders. From that position, she could easily groom the back of his head. I’ll leave such actions to my sister Sophia, although she hasn’t been doing that since she has been sick.

For me, the perfect position for being held is with my front feet on her shoulder, my nose pressed into her ear, and my back feet resting on her stomach or on any part of her that sticks out from there. She is better for that then Dad. Below you can see a picture of how handsome I am while she is holding me. We do often have words when she wants to put me down, but I am quick to ask her to pick me up again. I think it is in my contract that she must hold me as much as I want to be held. I may need to find an attorney to make certain those details are followed.

Our house sits on a large lot near the edge of our small town. Mom says the house is too close to the street with a small front yard, but a very big back yard. Unless Mom puts me on a walking leash, I really go beyond our play area between the back door and the screened patio. Missy, the dog, gets to make the long loop in the far back yard. She likes to brag about the things she discovers there. Sophia and I try to just ignore her when she goes on about it. She has told us about the baby chickens that come under the fence between our back yard and the neighbor’s yard. The neighbor has a lot of chickens of all sizes. They make a lot of noise. The little ones seem to think there are more interesting bugs to find in our yard rather than their own. Missy loves to chase those chicks, but they are faster than she is.

Today I managed to slip outside while Mom was making trips to and from the car to bring in the groceries. She didn’t notice me, which means I got to lay outside in the shade on the sidewalk to the screened patio all by myself. It was a very peaceful place to hang out. Imagine my surprise when a full grown chicken hopped over the fence and started to check out the bugs in our play area! I’ve watch birds from the windows, but I’d never seen a chicken before. I decided it would be more fun to study it, rather than chase it like Missy. We happily shared the play area until Mom came outside looking for me. The chicken took off in a flash and flew back over the fence. Fun time.

Besides our beloved camper van, Mom and Dad have a second car for every day use. It is a yellow Kia Soul. They explained that they love it, because it is fun to drive, the right size for most things, and they can almost always find it in a parking lot. Last night they learned that may be a little harder to identify it in our small town of 1,675 people. A new couple moved to town, and they also drive a yellow Kia Soul! Mom took a picture after she parked next to them last night.