My Son Has a Cat for a Sidekick

Phoebe is my teenage son's sidekick. She loves nothing more than just hanging out with him while he does what he does. I walked into his room and found her watching him while he was watching The Sopranos on his laptop. The whole scene amuses me to no end.

A Decent Human Being

I love walking in to find my teenage son being sweet with one of the cats. It gives me reassurance that I am raising a pretty decent human being. Also, the world can use more cat guys.

My Cats Love My Son ... and His Stinky Socks

I love that my teenage son is a total cat man. He adores our three cats and they can't get enough of him. He always leaves his bedroom door closed (thankfully -- ugh), but if it happens to swing open, the cats race for his room.

The other night I couldn't find any of the kitties and then I saw he'd accidentally left his door open. I walked in to find Saffy lying square in the middle of his floor and Cosmo under his bed. I briefly scanned the room, but couldn't see Phoebe. I went into the kitchen and called the magic "treat" word and, lo and behold, she zoomed out of his room. No idea where she'd been hiding. Probably under the piles of dirty laundry. Cats love stinky teenage boy socks.

Last night Phoebe decided to join Ben on the sofa while he played a game on his phone.

"I love my brother. Especially his socks."

After a while, I noticed her little claws gripping his jeans.

Holding on for dear life! 

A Cat Girl From Way Back: My Silly Cat Pics From Days of Yore

Last night I was looking through some old photos that I hadn't seen in years and years and years. In the pile of pics were some real gems: photos of my childhood cats! Somehow I'd forgotten how cat-crazy my family was -- honestly, I was surprised that half our photos included at least one of us holding a cat! So I guess it's in the genes. Here are just a couple of fun ones.

So much early 80's goodness in this photo! First of all, I'm on the left wearing a Duran Duran shirt -- Seven and the Ragged Tiger, if I'm not mistaken -- and I'll take this moment to mention I had a Tiger Beat photo of John Taylor slid inside the plastic cover of my Trapper Keeper with the kittens on it. Remember that one? I found one online right here. They're calling it vintage. Oy. Also, our black male cat named Sidney was subjected to wearing my adoption doll clothes. Poor cat. My younger sister and her friend were there, too. With me as a role model, she had no chance of normalcy. None, whatsoever.

Here we are on Christmas morning. I think I was in 9th grade. My little sister was holding Skippy, who we called Sheepy because he was soft as a lamby. I'm holding our teeny tuxedo girl, Bobbi. My mom found her when she was just six weeks old. She'd been abandoned and Mom fed her with a dropper til she was old and strong enough to feed herself. Mom is still a good egg and my cat lady role model.

Here I am with Sheepy. He was awesome, floppy and put up with my crap like nobody's business. Also, please note the heavily-tinseled tree. That was back in the day when we loaded the silver stuff on the branches 'til they drooped and then spent a good month pulling strands of it out of cat butts. We've come a long way since then. Tinsel = bad.

Proof of Sheepy putting up with my crap. Also proof of my sweet asymmetrical haircut.

Christmas morning -- 8th grade. It was a making-cat-ears-with-my-fingers kind of exciting day. Note to my sister: You're welcome for cutting most of your candy-striped butt out of this shot.

That was the year Santa brought me my very first typewriter. It was seriously my Red Ryder of Christmas gifts. I mean look at it! It's ridiculously cool! The color was fabulous and probably matched the eye shadow I wore at the time. And it was electric ... and came with correction tape. At the time I was the news editor for my middle school paper, so this typewriter would go on to produce many an important article about school lunches and student council elections. Glory, glory hallelujah! My life would never be the same again.  

So these photos may explain a little bit about how I turned out the way I did. It's funny -- back then, I never would have guessed my penchant for pussycat humor and love of writing would eventually turn into a source of crazy passion and even income. But I also thought I'd probably marry John Taylor, so there's that.

Breakfast Cat Grows Impatient

Happy Anniversary to Two-in-a-Million!

Today is the 45th wedding anniversary of Harlan and Maureen Bailey and for nearly 19 years, I've enjoyed the privilege of being their one and only daughter-in-law. Some people can't stand to be around their in-laws and dread family gatherings, but I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. Truly, I couldn't ask for a better pair of second-parents.

* They welcomed me into their home when I moved from Florida to Minnesota... after only having met me a couple of times a few months earlier. If only they'd known how weird I am, they may have rescinded their invitation...

* They are generous beyond compare, in every imaginable way.

* They adore my children and want to spend time with them. Maureen has even mastered the tricky art of picking out clothes that Katie loves. And she always finds a good sale!

* Harlan can never talk about holding Katie for this first time without getting tears. This is also true for when he talks about the first time she said, "Papa."

* They are cat people. They love their grandcats and dote on them as every good grandparent should do. When Phoebe does something silly, I always want to call Maureen because I know she will laugh too.

* They are thoughtful. They remember everything, keep track of the events in our lives, and always ask about them. I feel loved.

* When we visit in the afternoon, they always have good snacks. And Harlan makes a mean pitcher of sangria.

* They love me like a daughter. In fact, Harlan often says that he had to send John to Florida in order for him to get a daughter. I feel happy when he says that.

* They are tolerant and forgiving. As far as family dynamics go, this is golden.

* They gave me my first sewing machine and it has brought me so much pleasure. It lasted almost 20 years and sewed its final stitch last month. They recently called and told me they want to buy me a new one. They did this because they love me and like to contribute to my happiness. That's just how they roll...

* They raised a son who is sensitive, generous, funny, tolerant, thoughtful, and loving. This alone has forever changed my life.

I could go on and on... I guess what I'm trying to say is that I am so grateful for their presence in my life. I know there are plenty of times when I didn't say it or show it, but I love and appreciate both of them more than they know. Happy Anniversary!