One of my favorite things is to come home and find Katy sitting in the window. Tonight, I came home to find both Katy and Mali amicably perched in the window. It was so cute! I wish I could have gotten a picture.

Of course, just like children, give them 10 minutes and they will be fighting! Again, I cannot tell who is starting it. I usually end up grabbing Mali, though. I think it is because she is the smaller of the two and easier to hold. I held onto her some while talking on the phone to a friend. We talked for about 20 minutes. She squirmed some at first, but I held her. By the time we were done she was dosing on my lap and Katy and settled in next to me. Ah, contentment . . . .

One of the things I’ve decided I like about cats is the purring. I’ve heard it before, but the last few days I’ve noticed that purring is really, almost a whole body thing. When my cats purr, there is this slight vibration that impacts all of them. It’s fully-embodied contentment. What would it be like to fully embody contentment in my life?

The next few days are long ones. Please pray for me as you think of it.

Have a great night and a wonderful Thursday.

Lots of times when I write, I have an idea or theme. Not so tonight. This might turn into one long ramble. I’m just warning you upfront!

The last few days have been kind of hard. Yesterday I had to be at work at 6:30AM. It was so hard to go in after being away for several days. To top it off I had a headache that was borderline migraine! Definitely no fun since my truly paying job is doing data entry. It’s hard to concentrate when your head is pounding. Actually, it made it kind of hard to see straight.

And then today there has just been drama. Sigh.

Katy and Mali are going in spurts in terms of getting along. I’ve caught them a few times napping near each other — very cute! Other times they chase each other. I can’t tell who is instigating it because it switches in terms of who is in front. A moment ago they were both balanced on the footboard and batting each other in the face with their paws. It didn’t seem malicious. There wasn’t any yowling like there was earlier . . . . I actually put Mali in the spare bathroom as kind of a timeout for a bit. Honestly, they are still getting use to each other, so if I’m not home for long periods, Mali goes in the bathroom. She seems to like to curl up in the sink. Having her in the bathroom gives Katy a break.

My friend Allison and her two girls got back in town last night. They brought a U-haul full of their stuff. So, yesterday after work I went and helped out a bit. It was good to see them.

Well, tomorrow is another early morning. I had better turn in. Good night!

Hope Floats. That was the title of a movie. The woman’s name was Hope. But I think it is an interesting idea. Hope floats. There is a buoyancy about hope that makes the hard things in life manageable.

I am thinking about taking a journey with hope over the next year. Maybe that’s part of the reason the kitten got a name that could mean hope. I’m thinking of writing weekly on hope — once a week. It would be a year’s worth of reflections on hope. I might do a whole other blog spot about it. Would you be interested in reading something like that? I would probably write once a week but then others could submit something to me during the weeks to be included as well. Would you be interested in sharing your reflections on hope?

I struggle with depression. I wonder if this focus on hope could be an inoculation against that. Depression robes you of hope. It is part of where it gets it’s power.

So, what do you think? A year of hope?

I’m working at a bookstore for a little extra holiday cash. The pay isn’t that great but we get discounts on everything. Guess where I am shopping for everyone for Christmas?

Anyway, last night I was reshelving and came across a Christian Baby Name book. I perused a bit and came across Amalia. (A-ma-leah) There are a couple possible meanings — “Work of God” and “Hope” I like both, so kitten is now Amalia but Mali for short. As promised, here are some pics:

Hey there? What are you doing? What is that thing?

Did you know there is another cat here? I’m camped out here to protect the food dish. Isn’t my coloring pretty?

I’m not as big as these pictures make me look. It’s all the angle. But I must say that Amy’s lap is very comfortable. I’m so glad she is home!

It’s been 3 days with Mali. Katy did a lot of hissing the first night. I kept Mali in the spare bathroom. The next day there was a lot of hissing from both of them and chasing. Katy is so much bigger than Mali that I was surprised that Mali went after her, but she did! But the antagonistic tendencies are about 50 to 50.

Last night when I worked at the bookstore, I put Mali back in the bathroom. I let her out when I got home and then couldn’t find her before going to bed. So, she was out all night. Mali and Katy seem to have come to some understanding in the night. There hasn’t been any hissing this morning and they shared me when I was stretched out on couch earlier. As I write, they are both curled up next to me. My hope is that they become friends and keep each other good company when I am gone!

Well, Thanksgiving was an experience. As you might remember, I was invited to some friends’ house. Joe is American — born and raised. Debbie is from Argentina but moved here when she was 8. Raquel is 4 and Lucas is almost 3. They are completely bilingual.

Joe is the domestic of the house. He planned on cooking Vietnamese for Thanksgiving. I guess it has to do with growing up and people completely gorging themselves on the traditional feast. But he sliced his finger open on an olive oil bottle that turned out to be already leaky when he bought it. He had to have emergency surgery to attach the ligament on Wed. (Hearing about it gave me the willies). Anyway, Debbie and I ended up cooking under Joe’s supervision. We had Lemon Grass Chicken, spring rolls (meat, noodles, peppers, and lettuce wrapped in rice paper), Egg Drop Soup, tea, almond cookies, etc. I couldn’t make a stitch of it again to save my life. I just followed directions.

Debbie’s mom was in from Houston. Joe’s parents and brother came from somewhere else in IL. I heard stories of about how Debbie and Joe met and Joe’s dramatic cousin Erin.

Instead of calling it Thanksgiving, Joe taught the children to call it (in Spanish) “Day of the dead turkey.”

So, it was all together unlike any Thanksgiving I’ve ever experienced before!

I’ve been thinking about it for a bit — getting a second cat. I come home and Katy will be waiting for me in the window. I always feel like she is lonely when I’m not here. Perhaps, I’m projecting my own penchant for loneliness on her.

Monday night I stopped by the Humane Society. I was just going to look. I fell in love with a 6 month old Tabby kitten. There is a 24 hour waiting period and then they were closed on Tuesday. I got the call today that I could have her. I brought her home late this afternoon — to Katy’s dismay.

Some of you probably remember my stories from Ike (dog) and Gertrude’s (cat) visit. So what was I thinking? Well, I use to have another cat, Callie. Katy pestered Callie, but they seemed to get along. I wanted that again for her.

Gertrude was a fairly aggressive cat. I particularly picked this kitten because of her age and small stature so that she wouldn’t be a threat. Katy has stayed in the room with her, but has done quite a bit of hissing. I actually see this as an improvement. With Gertrude, Katy hid under the dresser and didn’t come out and backed down about everything.

But they are getting a break from each other for the night. I hated to do it, but I put new baby in the guest bathroom with food and water and a comfy bed. Eventually, I’ll let her roam as well, but for now I want to supervise. Katy is relieved and sitting on my legs as I type.

But new baby doesn’t have a name . . . . Any suggestions? The name at humane society was Mandalyn. It’s pretty, I’m just not sold yet. So, over the next several days, send me names. If you know what they mean, let me know that too. She’s tabby and white.

She’s already learned her first lesson. I was making a pie for tomorrow. The oven was on. She jumped on it and promptly got down. It was warm, but not burning. But I don’t think she liked it.

Pictures to come — hopefully tomorrow.

My birthday is coming up Dec. 15th in case you all are wondering. Chocolate is always appreciated.

I’m at that age in life where you don’t ask women how old they are. Hee Hee. The problem is, I don’t look that age. In fact, a recent survey of folks I’ve just met at my new part-time seasonal job selling books, has placed my age quite low. Mouths are dropping to learn that I am turning 39 in a couple short weeks. The guesses are shy by 15 years!

Hmm, the secret to my age defying what-ever . . . . I have no clue. But I will have to think on it. Maybe there is a secret worth millions buried in my psyche!

I’m headed to a friend’s home for Thanksgiving. They invited me about a month ago. I’m just getting to know them, so this will be a chance to get to know them even better. They are an interesting family. Joe is American. Debbie is from Argentina. Their children, Lucas and Raquel, are completely bilingual. (I’m always so proud of myself when I hear Debbie interacting with them and can follow the gist of the conversation — just the broad picture, not the  specifics!)

Yesterday, I found out for sure that the holiday meal is going to be a mix of Vietnamese food and Korean food. (No roots on either side to account for this.) Joe is cooking and he likes to experiment. Can’t say that I’ve ever had Vietnamese or Korean food. Though I did have a Korean roommate for awhile. She made something called Kim Chi. (I think that is the spelling.) It’s basically fermented cabbage. Supposedly it ranges from bland to spicy. I admit to never trying it. The smell was very strong, and it always left me with a bit of a headache. Sigh. I think I have a sensitive nose. I don’t like the smell of alcohol either. As a result, I’ve never even really dabbled in it.

I must admit to being slightly disappointed about not having turkey and the fixings. It’s the only time of the year I get it! But I do like Chinese food. Debbie tells me Vietnamese food is better than Chinese food . . . .

But the food isn’t really what the holiday is about. It is about being thankful. And I am thankful for the mutifaceted way in which I’m going to celebrate this holiday. I’m thankful for friends to share it with. I’m thankful to God for his mercy to me this year.

And I’m bringing dessert. I know everyone thinks pumpkin, but growing up we always had apple pie. My mom said it was her biggest craving when she was carrying me and my sister. I’m bringing apple pie and ice cream.

And my chiropractor promised to save me a plate of turkey. She said her mom will love the idea.

Have a great Thanksgiving no matter where you have it — with new or old traditions or a blend of both!

I’ve known that it was coming. How could I not know that the Christmas season is upon us? Still, I was surprised to find this past week that some stations had already begun to only play Christmas music. Another woman and I at work were dismayed by this. We finally found another station that wasn’t already playing the holiday music. It’s not that we are Scrooges. It’s just that Thanksgiving isn’t until next week . . . . And honestly, I just don’t like a lot of Christmas music. The same songs get played over and over and over. Granted, there are different renditions. But how many renditions of White Christmas are there?

The talk at work has been how “earlier and earlier” Christmas comes each year. The Christmas decorations showed up in some local stores this year before Halloween. It’s true. It does seem earlier and earlier. I think it is a ploy to get us to spend more and more money!

When I was in elementary school, the church we went to had a Christmas play. It was called, “Christmas in July.” I still remember one of the songs. “Christmas in July. There’s no reason why we can’t have a turkey and some mistletoe . . . .) The song was a bit frivolous. But the point of the play was that Christ’s message, coming should permeate every season of year and every season of our life.

One of the commercials on the radio talked about the after holiday shopping and looking for that one specific item and having another shopper grab the last one right before your eyes. The advice is to take a deep breath and close your eyes and then visualize beating the person to a pulp. (It’s an awful commercial but says a lot about our society.)

Sometimes I wonder if our society has a harder time portraying Christian values during the Christmas season . . . .

Christmas in July. There’s really no reason why — as long as it is Christ centered. The mania that is associated with the Christmas season, well, I’d just as soon skip that.

So, the question is, how can I portray Christ now and even in July?

Katy is not allowed on the counter or the table. I’m not naive enough to think that she never gets up there. I’ve come home to find her on top of the cabinets above the refrigerator. This necessitates jumping to the counter first! The problem is that she has become incorrigible about it even when I am home. It is particularly a problem at the table when I am eating. Tonight I came home and fixed a light dinner. As I was eating, she hunkered down to pounce from the floor to the table. I put my arm out to block her and she lost her balance and took a tumble. (It’s a myth that they always land on their feet! Sometimes the fall isn’t far enough — luckily — to flip around.) I know she needs the discipline and that she wasn’t seriously hurt, but I still felt awful! It gave me pause.

She’s getting some extra cuddles. If only she could keep those pretty paws where they belong! Sigh. Any thoughts?

I am totally attached to my little one. She watches for me at the window. She greets me at the door. She snuggles with me at night and generally follows me about. I love her. In fact, that is her nickname at times, “Love.” Isn’t it amazing how attached we can become to our pets?