Condolences to you and also congratulations on your ever-evolving work (and drawing!).

funny thing about these 2 girls: they both behaved as if they lived in a one cat household. Toby (medium haired tortie, looked like a small lion) made overtures towards friendship but Bathsheba (medium/long haired grey beauty with a floofy tail) would have none of it. Sheba was the first in the household, so she set the tone.

I’d considered the girls to be my husband’s cats, which is why he took them both when we parted. we’d both cared for them, but DWm lavished them with praise and did all of the grooming (Bathsheba had a tendency towards mats, even with regular brushing. Toby just loved to be brushed!).

I didn’t realize until he’d moved with them to NC that the girls and I also had special bonds. I still laugh when I think of how Toby protected her turf from a much larger and energetic dog. True, he was chained in the next yard, but she looked fully prepared to stand her ground if he broke loose. Sheba loved to climb trees and, fortunately, was able to get down and back into the house. Toby I called our “pocket cat,” I could hold her comfortably on my forearm. Sheba was long in body as well as fur; with her front paws over my shoulder her rear paws would be at my waist. When I held Sheba this way she and I would touch noses and give each other cat kisses.

ah, the memories that animals leave behind . . .

At about that time, a friend of mine in Ontario(I’m im MA) was in a coma with complications of diabetes and kidney failure and expected to die. We both belong to the same pet-related mailing lists, which is how I know her.

Shan woke up the day Rudy was put to sleep. She said she felt/dreamed/whatever that an Airedale and an orange and white cat were walking around on her bed encouraging her. There’s only one Airedale on the list, and he’s fine. He also does search and rescue work with his human. We’re all certain the cat was Rudy checking on her on his way to where-ever he went.

Shan is phobic about cats after being mauled by a vicious cat as a child. BUt when she thought there was a cat on her bed she wasn’t scared at all, knowing how kind and loving Rudy was to all humans.

They said she’d never be well enough to go home and would spend the rest of her life in a nursing home. When she elarned that, she somehow got well enough to go hime, because she couldn’t bear to never se eher dogs again.

And as for the name Julia, mny greatgrandfather had the following Julias in his life:

His mother, his first wife, his second wife’s sister, and his own sister. He only had one daughter and she was *not* named Julia. His sister was nicknamed Dolly which used to be the female equivalent of Junior for a child with the same name as a parent.

or demand, screech, yowl, or whatever vocalisation you prefer.

I’m so happy for Fun Home’s success and best of luck with the new memoir!

Funny you should mention Prairie Home Companion. A old folkie friend of mine in the 80s used to listen to it religiously. At the time, I thought the musical guests on his show were just a notch above Lawrence Welk–I thought they were incredibly hokey.

Somehow in the last 10 years I have become a regular listener, and the music, while sometimes not as cutting edge as one might be used to,no longer seems hokey. It just seems good.

Also, I have come to really appreciate the historical focus Keillor brings to each show, depending on which city he is broadcasting from. I have learned to see each locality as having something special that keeps every town, USA from being the same Walmart/McDonalds experience.

And what I love the most is the way the show presents really traditional, even conventional local cultural stuff (like a state fair or someone’s granddaughter singing a patriotic song) side by side with truly hilarious political satire of the current situation in Washington. And one hears the same audience that applauded enthusiastically for the patriotic granddaughter also laughing hilariously at a put-on of the President. Kind of restores one’s faith in the whole concept of “Middle America.”

I’m not aware of the show ever having been broadcast from Baltimore but I know he could really make some hay here.

Perhaps someday Alison will be broadcasting from each place she tours. (Well, she’s already “broadcasting” graphics, and text, and video. It’s just a short hop to speech!)

Speaking of tours, I see from the NEXT thread that Alison is on her way to France. I look forward to the (vicarious) sights!

I do want to come chew on Alison’s masking tape, sit on her lap and weigh down her arm. I’m quite adept at smearing ink and I’m also capable of prowling around in a haughty stealthful manner. I don’t believe I’d fit in the box on the desk.

So, has anyone drawn up the volunteer schedule? Do we need to organize a meeting and a potluck to dialogue and gain consensus on how to approach this cat temping position?

Let me know.
Thanks
Aunt Soozie
ps…for the potluck I think we should go vegan, let’s defer to the most limited of our group so as not to exclude anyone…except for the cats, they can have meat, right?