The last few months have been tough, but there were lots of good times too. I’ll focus on the good times—because when I write about them, I get to relish them, and it’s like I get to live them twice. So, anyway, here’s some cool stuff that’s happened since my last post back in April:

We found homes for all of Charlie’s kittens.

Fostering those four little boys was a great experience, one of the highlights of my life. For six happy weeks, the breezeway was crazy with kittens. One morning, I remember, I was sitting on the breezeway floor, criss-cross style, in my pajamas and slippers, and the crotch of my pajama pants was making a little hammock. Well, Jody, the smallest kitten, climbed into the little pocket of fabric and promptly fell asleep. Meanwhile, Pippin was under my left knee, Merry was under my right knee, and Penny was crawling up the back of my pajama shirt. 

“They’re having so much fun with me,” I said to Rob, “and I’m not even doing anything cool!”

“I know,” Rob said. “All you have to do is sit there and they’ll start having a party!”

The kittens brought a kind of magical enchantment to the breezeway and nearby patio, where they often romped and played. They seemed like little elves or pixies, always up to fun and mischief, always sneaking or pouncing or wrestling. They turned everything they encountered into a toy, into something fun, even the most boring thing, like a napkin. They were delighted by everything, interested in everything. What a wonderful way to view the world!

We gussied up the breezeway.

Inevitably, the breezeway suffered a bit of wear and tear from Charlie’s kittens, so, after they left, we did some refurbishing. First, we cleaned every surface. Then we painted the dismal gray floor a nice, warm brown. Next, we gave the metal furniture a fresh coat of white spray paint, and then, for the finishing touch, I redecorated the pie safe, removing some of the lesser knickknacks and filling in the empty spots with shells, pine cones, crystals, and other natural treasures. We found a deer’s antler in the backyard recently, so I put that on display in the pie safe, along with bits of old china that I’ve discovered over the years while digging in my planting beds. Less messy and less gray, the revamped breezeway is a huge improvement. I think it looks very cozy and inviting now, especially at night when the lamps are glowing and Charlie’s curled up on a blue-cushioned chair, fast asleep.

Carmen kept on Carmen-ing. Every single day.

Little Carmen is the funniest cat I’ve ever met. We’re so lucky to have her! Every night after work, we spend at least an hour doing “playtime” with her. This entails setting up a train of colorful cat tunnels and cheering as she races through the first two, then slides across the floor in the last one. It also involves flying her bird-shaped teaser toy around the room so she can leap into the air and try to catch it. Carmen is great at jumping. She can do airborne spins! Of course, we cheer for all her jumps just the way we do for her tunnel slides.

“You can tell she likes it when we cheer,” Rob said the other night. “She’s really motivated by cheers.”

So true.

We like to pretend that Carmen is the Princess of Quincy and that she presides over all the ribbon cuttings and grand openings in town. Recently we bought her a “princess bed,” a deluxe, cave-like cat bed that’s shaped like a giant pink flower. She also has her own special Squishmallows hairbrush with pink bristles and an adorable Squishmallows character (Amelie the Strawberry Milk) on the handle.

I first saw the Squishmallows brush two Sundays ago in the Aldi Finds aisle at our new Quincy Aldi. I thought it was so, so cute. Next to the hairbrushes were some Squishmallows waffle makers. You could make waffles in the shape of the same character that was on the hairbrush. 

I said to Rob, “I really want to get Carmen this brush, but I know you’ll say I’m buying her too much and she’s getting spoiled.”

“Carmen has plenty of brushes,” Rob said. 

“Well,” I said, “then maybe I could get her this waffle maker.”

“I’m surprised she doesn’t already have a waffle maker,” Rob chuckled. 

Ha!

Well, I thought about the brush for days, and I finally went back and got it last Thursday. I do not regret my purchase. Carmen loves getting brushed with her cute Squishmallows brush. She purrs and drools all the while.