Anna Carrasco Bowling's Blog, page 16

Typing With Wet Paws: …And We’re Back Edition

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this, at long last, is Typing With Wet Paws. Mama Anna and I have both been doing a bunch of thins since last I blogged, but I won’t try to cover it all. I probably should mention that there was an Incident last week with the gushy food bowl.

Normally, my area has my water bowl, which is always full (full disclosure, I have two water bowls. One is in Aunt Linda’s room, near my cat tree) and my dry food bowl, which is for crunchies. I tell my humans when I want crunchies, and then they give me some. When the humans eat, I ask for crunchies because families eat at the same time. Mama Anna said that I was going to be the cat who ate on a strict schedule. The humans had to feed Big Sister Skye little bits through the whole day. Well, I do eat on a schedule – mine. Some would argue that this is more in keeping with what is called the “raw cat.”

me, in raw cat mode

Anyway, last week was a holiday for a lot of humans (actually a lot of different holidays for different types of humans. For our family, it was Easter.) I get treats on holidays. This week, it was one of my favorites, to share people tuna with Papa. He puts some in my gushy food dish and I eat it while he eats his, which is sometimes in a sandwich or something. These are treats only; I don’t get them every day, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make suggestions.

Mama Anna talked to the people vet recently, and the people vet helped her figure out how to sleep better. It seems to be working. Still, I found out that me pushing my gushy food bowl around the hardwood floor in the middle of the night can kick through all of that. I figured it was worth a shot, because it works when I ask her to refill my water bowl. It does not work with tuna. Hmph.

I should probably say something about what Mama Anna is doing, since this is technically her blog. She would like to be doing more reading. Writing is going well, though. She has some research to do into things for Her Last First Kiss, and is still giving the side eye to A Heart Most Errant. She has no idea who the heroine of the second book should be, but she is laying groundwork for the first of the pirate books, so maybe that is next. Personally, I think the pirate book should have an awesome ship’s cat in it. I am at the ready in case she needs a model. What do you think of this pose?

please appreciate my assorted flavor toe beans

Headbonks!

Storm

4/21/22

No catchy title this time, because there is literally nobody but me stopping me from playing Sims 4 24/7. This is one of those places where just because you can doesn’t mean that you should (and I hate using “you” like that, but “one” feels too formal, so will deal with it for the moment.) Moderation is the key here, because my first grade teacher really was onto something and as I did far, far better when I brought Barbie dolls for free play period, having a Sims save open, into which I can dip occasionally to let my brain cook the actual fiction when I’m not looking, actually does work.

Another thing that helps is having voices on in the background while I work. Lately, I have been listening to true crime on YouTube when not actually composing new pages, but it’s good for the admin/social media stuff. Am I retaining much of it? Nope. Am I paying attention? Ehhhh….occasionally? Lately, I have been picking by the voice of the narrator. Seems to be working. It’s the sound of the voice, not the words it is saying, similar to channels I listen to when going to sleep. Thought I hated when my mom used to tell me that once I got started doing a thing, I’d want to keep doing it, I now know she was right. Smart woman. She had it pegged super early on; guess first grade was a landmark.

Anyway, what I originally wanted to say was that writing fiction is a funny thing. One minute, I’m talking how romance novels were when I first discovered he genre, which leads to figuring out that my current historical hero had ADHD, though of course nobody knew that in 1784, which leads to blabbering a verbal sludge about the WIP, which then leads to The Thing that was holding the whole MS captive, and then I’m researching Catherine the Great (of Russia) and making a chart so that I can have a ready reference of how far and fast one can travel by coach.

I have also had words with Storm about blogging with regularity. We’d both like to do better with that. I am not entirely sure why I stopped taking pictures (and sharing them) and maybe it doesn’t matter. Maybe what matters is picking the picture taking device and starting again.

“Pictures, Mama Anna. Now. Preferably of me.”

Cats are always appropriate. Please ignore her disgruntled expression. She’s usually much more chipper than that, and extremely invested in my writing. The more of it I finish, the more I can sell, and the more I sell, the more catnip I can buy. Isn’t that what’s most important? It’s all about the catnip. Oh, and butting on the big girl panties and doing scary things like making time for journaling and buddy-watching This is Us with friends who are similarly not okay with the Kate and Toby split. Like most things, it feels easier if I can talk about it. You have been warned.

This also applies to Sims

How’s it going where you are?

Anna

Rainy Afternoon Rambles

Raining off and on over here, as best I can tell. Today was the day when my new sleep medication figured out what it was supposed to do, so let’s say I am very well rested today. I hear birdsong and the sound of wheels on wet pavement, and a quick look outside tells me it has indeed rained. It’s been a hot while since I blogged. That happens sometimes. The best way to get back into it is to jump in there and start blabbering, so here we are.

Okay. First of all, I am still not ready for Kate and Toy’s split on This is Us. They are one of my ships. These things take time Shoot, it took me what, a couple of years to watch the Highlander TV series finale. Either the right time will roll around or it won’t. Either way, there is always fanfic if it turns out that’s what I need. I do plan to watch the rest of the farewell season, but don’t necessarily need a front row seat for everything. Has anybody else had an experience like that with a beloved series, book or TV?

Second, I am pretty much listening to “Don’t Tell Anyone,” by Semler, on repeat:

“I want to know your story like I wrote the page” — them’s powerful words for a writer. Also “Don’t tell them that I swore this wouldn’t be my life.” Also, the tune is as catchy as a cold at a daycare center. I mean that in the very best way.

Wait, wait, wait, did I just hear thunder? Because I think I just heard thunder. Thunderstorms are my number one favorite spring/summer weather. I am absolutely here for it if so.

So Wondrous Free
Maryhelen Clague

Oh man oh man oh man, this book. This hit me in the feels and my history loving heart. I was but a wee princess in Westchester County, NY during the Bicentennial, so a historical romance set in that era and place is one thousand percent going to catch my attention. Also, it was part of the giant birthday haul from my friend, Mary, who knows me and my historical romance reading tastes. For those who only know the modern flavor of historical romance, I might shelve this in historical fiction with romantic elements, and it works very well that way too. I don’t recall any on page snugglies, but our heroine, Nabby, must choose between two dashing men, one Patriot, one Loyalist, during a freaking revolution. More of that, please. I want to make there be more of that.

Then there’s Sims. Sims, for me, is the current-day equivalent of my first-grade teacher noting that my schoolwork was MUCH better if I brought dolls to play with during free play time. I never thought I would get as into it as I am, not only playing the game, but creating my own Sims, with tons of custom content, mods, and even learning how to make my own custom content. Not sure how that is going to turn out, but I am looking forward to finding out. It seems to be doing well for my writing, so a-Simming I will go. Picture editing is next, because I love taking screenshots. Does anybody have any experiences with Lightroom? I’ve been curious. I’m already down the ReShade rabbit hole. May as well go all in on the visuals, though the next step does seem to mean ponying up for photo editing software. I’d use it, though, soooo….we shall see.

One more thing. There is now a window open, and there is fresh air coming through that window onto my skin as I sit here in a white t-shirt stolen from Real Life Romance Hero’s stash. Yep. It’s spring.

Anna

Typing With Wet Paws: Dresser Climbing 101 Edition

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. It’s been a big week around here, and for a few reasons. First of all, I have been having the BEST time with Aunt Linda’s new mattress. It is something called Memory Foam, and it’s super fun to play on. It is a bit of a challenge because Aunt Linda is on vacation this week, and she picked the best place in the world to go: here, as in our home. It’s pretty great. The mattress also came with a big, long box, which I have thoroughly investigated. It is so long, as a matter of fact, that the humans have to store it upright until it goes to recycling, but rest assured, I have been all the way down to the end of it and back out and it was awesome. 10/10, would explore again.

Chilling on my cat tree

You’re probably wondering about the dresser climbing. I am getting to that. In doing so, I will have to talk about Mama Anna’s writing. She will probably like that. Cool. So, anyway, my house, aka big cardboard box, is next to Mama Anna’s desk, and in front of Mama Anna and Papa’s dresser. They keep people clothes in it (and catnip in the third drawer.) Well. For a while now I have been letting Mama Anna know that I would like some catnip, please, by scratching at the drawer where she keeps that catnip. She is usually pretty quick on the uptake.

Where she might be lagging a tiny tad is that I also have another agenda: I want to get to the top of the dresser. Mama Anna says that she and Papa keep things that are Not For Kitties up there, but I am not discouraged. A couple of nights ago, Mama Anna was playing Sims, and Papa was playing his game. I saw my chance. By the time she noticed what I was doing, I had all four paws (plus my tail) off the box (of my house)and was headed upward, reaching for the next drawer up.

Mama Anna told me “NO” and she was so loud that Papa and Aunt Linda came to see what I was doing. Pap was kind of proud of me, but he still didn’t want me to be on top of the dresser because of the Not For Kitties things. (they are things like medicine to help Papa stop smoking)

So flash forward a couple of days later, when Mama Anna has her weekly chat with Aunt Mary. One rthing you need to know about Aunt Mary (besides that she has excellent taste in kittycats and gives the best special mouse toy presents) is that she is very smart when it comes to historical research, as in the stuff that really did happen. She and Mama Anna talked for almost double their regular time this week, part of that being Mama Anna blabbering about one of her historical manuscripts to Aunt Mary, and then

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Mama Anna was telling Aunt Mary that she was debating one of two ways to have a Thing happen in this particular book. Since it is a Thing in a time period Aunt Mary is familiar with, they had a lot to say about this. In the middle of it, Mama Anna stopped because IDEA. If Character left a Thing that was happening Right Then to go make sure Another Character was okay (she wasn’t) then it is obviously a Day Things Can Happen, so Character and Other Character can do a Thing, too. Aha. Then it was a bunch fo names and dates and family trees. I can’t make sense of much of it, but I know Mama Anna was really super happy about it, and she made a LOT of notes afterwards. Now Aunt Mary is her historical research consultant. Aunt Mary gets to name the occasional supporting character as thanks for her work.

It was also during this long chat that Aunt Mary snitched to Mama Anna when she saw my ears and paws come into frame, aka preparation for ascent on Mt. Dresser. So now I have another pair of eyes on me. No matter. They all have to sleep sometime. Where’s your favorite napping spot?

Headbonks!

Storm

Strange Connections

First of all, I may possibly have Irish blood. I think. My birth mother’s last name could be of English or Irish origin, so we can be fairly sure it’s some sort of British Isles or thereabouts in my bio-ancestry. This has very little to do with today’s blog, except for the fact that A) it’s a starting point for me to blabber, B) I remember being at the house of MJK, well, she was nine, like me, so it was her parents’ home. It was a Victorian house with three stories and a wraparound porch and a triple (or quadruple?) garage that used to be a stable. They still called it the barn. No horses, only cars and a lawnmower, I remember being disappointed about that, even though we were in the middle of a lovely town in Westchester County.

MJK and I went to CCD together (after school religious classes for Catholic kids in public school) The Catholic school was closer to the K family’s house than to mine, so there were times Mama MJK would pick us both up and my mom would come get me from there. Also, my mom and Mama MJK got along well, so they probably considered it convenient that their kids got along, too. As for MJK’s little brother, SK, eh, he was a couple years younger, an energetic lad. All of this comes to mind because I was there on March 17th that year, and we thought it was absolutely hysterical that the weather for the St. Patrick’s Day parade in NYC (I have a lot of initials in this post) did not fit with the season as we saw it. Snow. I remember seeing women holding some sort of banner, in shiny green leotards and I am going to guess pantyhose/nude tights.

We must have seen it on TV or in the newspaper, and I want to say it was the Big Thing for that afternoon. It’s funny the things that stay with us. Right now, I am reading The Woman Behind the Attic, by Andrew Neiderman (aka the VC Andrews ghostwrite. for the last few decades)

Official VC Andrews Biography

While I can’t say I am a fan of the ghostwritten books, the true Andrews canon has a special place in my heart. I remember it being passed around the halls of my school when the books first came out, and even though Foxworth Hall from the Dollenganger series (Jacobean mansion) or Whitefern, from My Sweet Audrina, probably have extremely little with the house I lived in when MJK and I went to CCD together, my brain insists on slotting rooms from that house into those stories. The attic ofr the Flowers in the Attic fame, will always first call to mind my father’s art studio which was also my playroom, and not an attic at all, but the window that looked out on the woods beyond somehow melded with the window on the cover of the book. Don’t ask me how this happens. I don’t make the rules.

For Whitefern, I will need to reread Audrina to remember what the house looked like, but the stairs, on which Important Things Happen will always be the L-shaped stairs from the second story of my childhood home (where the studio/playroom was.) I have no idea how my brain connected those things, as I was several years out of that house when I read those books, but it’s in there, and in there deep. like the memory f being in that kitchen on that day, and the sting of witch hazel on my scraped knee (not the same day, I don’t think, but that same room) or the fun memory games MJK’s dad would incorporate into her birthday parties. The staircase going up all three stories also inserted itself in my reading of Diana Gabaldon’s comments in her Outlander companion, about here being an hombre at the door.

Long story short, writer’s minds are messy places. Aladdin’s caves. There’s also the fact that one of my research rabbit holes is rebooted or spun-off TV shows and their lore. Who knows where that will end up? Wherever it is, I look forward to the journey.

How about you?

Anna

Typing With Wet Paws: Boxing Weekend Edition

Tails up, Storm Troppers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. While it is true that December 26th is called Boxing Day in some countries, this is Boxing Weekend, because we got new boxes here. Aunt Linda ordered a new mattress that comes rolled in a box, and new stuff to go with it. That means boxes for me! My big box “house” is still holding up, so I probably can’t keep the biggest box for more than until trash day, but that’s okay. Did I mention that Mama Anna put a paper bag inside my house box? Well, she did. It’s amazing. Very crinkly.

Oh right. I’m supposed to talk about Mama Anna here. That’s part of the deal. Okay. I can do that. She’s doing pretty well, actually. Not that she has figured out how to get the pictures from the tablet with the good camera into her feed but she’s working on that. Also, Papa is studying how to take better pictures, and I am a very willing model. He brings out my best side, which is all of them. I’m gorgeous.

don’t worry, I have photoshoots scheduled soon

But anyway, back to the writing. Mama Anna has gotten bolder in her journal stuff, and she thinks she’s found a super fun way to prep her journal pages to make her want to spend more time with them. Personally, I like lying on them. Or on her pen case if she leaves it open. That’s fun, too. She should be looking at me, anyway.

As long as we are on the topic of stationery, she has new sticky notes. Some of them are bright, and those are for the contemporary books she writes with Aunt Melva. They are having a lot of fun with Queen of Hearts, and are even planning a wedding that will go in that book. It also gives Mama Anna a chance to create her very own historic site, that may or may not have some similarities to a place she has been in real life. Also, she will get to add to it, and cannot promise that it won’t show up in a historical some day when it would just be a house because the history would be happening right then. Also, it would have cats. Lots of cats. She’d need them because of all the mice. Mmmmm, mice.

obviously not mine: I am a cat

The other sticky notes re shades of dusty pink and purple and that kind of thing. Those are for the historicals, and they fit in the pink sticky note holder Mama Anna got on clearance. She is super into her desk aethetics. This may include rescuing her secretary desk from stuff jail when Aunt Linda is on vacation at the end of the month, and this may also include her rocking chair. That chair has a history, as it is older than Mama Anna, and I am told that Grandma Erma (I have to wait for Rainbow Bridge to meet her) rocked Mama Anna in that chair, so if Mama Anna rocks me in that chair (I love being in her lap) then the tradition continues to the next generation. Mama Anna is very much set on getting that chair or the likes of it into the apartment, because he needs a dedicated reading (and cat lap giving) place that is not her office chair or her bed (it is also Papa’s bed, and he doesn’t care for a big reading light in his face when he is trying to sleep. He already has a cat climbing all over him, so I don’t blame him on cutting down on distractions. Yes, I am that cat.) I have already put in a request for a cushion on the seat, because I want to sleep in it when she is not using it.

The one thing the humans are concerned about is that the rocking chair appears in Big Sister Skye’s notes to me as ‘the green chair of evil.” Which means that was where she made her um, litterbox. Because she had special paws and could not climb into a litterbox. Aunt Linda says that is why there is Febreze. I’m not worried. I am 100% on my litterboxes (I have two of them; it’s awesome.) NO need to deviate now, amirite? Of course I am.

Okay, that’s about it for this week, especially as Mama Anna has to pick up groceries and library books and let’s be real, probably more stationery. I wonder if any of it will come in a box.

Headbonks!

Typing With Wet Paws: Confused Cell Phone Edition

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. This week, hold onto your seats, because I am going to go right into talking about Mama Anna. Shocking, I know, but this is a good one.

If you have been following us for any length of time, you will be familiar with Mama Anna’s weekly chats with Aunt Mary, over the glowy box. Most of this time, Papa is getting ready for work when these calls begin. If Papa is going to be home that day, then Mama Anna takes the call in Aunt Linda’s room, because they talk. A lot. Papa says they have one setting: loud. That is what happens when two extroverted humans get together. They get very excited about some of the things they talk about, which can vary widely. This one time, though, Papa was getting ready for work, and his cell phone got very confused.

Thing is, when Mama Anna and Aunt Mary talk, their topics move around from history to historical romance to baking to fashion and makeup and organization and upcoming family events and other things. Well. Papa’s phone has a voice thingy on it, because he likes to talk to his phone and tell it to do things instead of pushing buttons. This normally works very well, but when Mama Anna and Aunt Mary are throwing around a lot of different names and dates and questions and stuff, the phone doesn’t know what to do and tries to look up a bunch of stuff at once. Papa had to go to work, so he did take the phone out of the room so it could get some peace, but he didn’t get a chance to tell her until later. She and Aunt Mary thought it was pretty funny.

Papa’s phone did not have the same kind of problem when Mama Anna talked to Aunt Melva, because A) they usually keep their talk to the books they are currently writing together, but B) Mama Anna wears headphones, so Papa’s phone doesn’t hear Aunt Melva. Also C) Aunt Melva is not loud. I am sure Papa’s phone was thankful for the rest.

Oh. I also had a fun moment during this week’s chat with Aunt Mary, that I got to meet (virtually) my fur cousin, Aiden. He is a Golden Retriever, and Aunt Mary put him on the video call, and we looked at each other. I don’t know his side of the story, but I was all set to play. maybe one day we will. He looks like a fun guy. I bet he likes toys.

Anyway, that was the highlight of our week. Mama Anna is doing okay on the writing thing, which is pretty nice. She could be reading more, because that is prime belly rub time for me, an essential component, but we are working on that. Maybe you can recommend a good book she might like to read while rubbing my belly. Drop recommendations in the comments.

Headbonks!

Storm

Is This Thing On? aka signs of life

:taps mic: Is this thing on? Okay. Hi, or hi again. I have been pill-bugging (has nothing to do with unauthorized medication, but rather emulating a pillbug insect, aka laying low) Those who have taken Depression and/or Anxiety 101, you’ll recognize this. Anyhoo, hi. Today’s task is to write a blog entry, so here we are. It’s a cold, slightly cloudy day here in NY’s Capitol Region, though because it is now March, it is also pre-spring. I am normally a fall and winter gal, but I am quite happy to say buh-bye to this past winter. This is a fancy way of saying that I am in spring cleaning mode.

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For today, that means putting away laundry and making some sense of my writing area, which, like Real Life Romance Hero’s office area, is in our bedroom. I am also eyeing a corner for a potential comfy chair because I sorely miss having a comfy reading chair, and one of my big goals for this spring is to get back to a normal reading and writing routine. Melva and I are moving forward with Queen of Hearts, having a lovely time of it, and she gave me a much-needed kick in the pants for the historical romance side of things during our chat this week.

Some of the things that have been swimming round my mind as of late:

I miss Romantic Times magazine. The O.G. version, before it was RT Book Reviews, preferably in the newsprint era, tabloid size era a plus. I never made it to their annual conventions, but oh the pictures they shared for those of us who weren’t able to be there in person. I’m talking themed parties, sometimes controversial costumes, writers and readers mingling at will. It’s been said that if RWA conferences were university, RT conventions were Spring Break. I will have to take others’ word on that. I remember DM’ing my friend, Trish, who had been there, to ask if it was really true, that the founder had announced that it was all done-zo at the conference itself. Sadly, it was. Speaking of those RWA (Romance Writers of America) which while still a controversial organization on the national level, the local chapter meetings were a place where, once a month, I could get up close and in person with other career-focused romance writers. The romance part is important, as is the career focused part. Put them both together and it’s community. My local chapter voted some months ago to dissolve, and now I feel…floaty. I know there are also other organizations available for those missing that kind of company, though I am still finding out where those might be. Suggestions for online resources gratefully accepted, and DMs are open. This is the time of year that I would normally be getting ready for the New England RWA conference, the place where Melva and I conceived of the Love by the Book series because we were early for breakfast . We are currently writing book number three in that series, and have tentative plans for future books as well as other projects. Conferences are also a place where one could network and find others in one’s own subgenre, aka Extroverted Romance Writer Christmas, and not going to lie, the swag is a huge plus. Though I am delighted to know that the coveted purple pens in Hannah Howell’s swag contributions are Pentel RSVP, easily available and come in a lot of colors. It’s a good thing I love planning. Not only does it go along with the nitty gritty (pun intended) of making one’s home tidy and aesthetically appealing, but in getting all of those too-lng ignored projects in order and prioritized and researched and all of that good stuff. It’s also good that I am a blabbermouth. A very extrovert thing that I do is that talking and thinking happen often at the same time, as in thinking something through means talking it through, so I will probably be doing more blabbering, either here or on You Tube, but that’s another day.

For today, it’s this post, listening to things I’ve meant to listen to for some time now (my YT to be watched list is mighty) and then spiffy-fying my space. There will probably also be tea.

How’s your week going?

Anna

Typing With Wet Paws: February Snow Day Edition

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws.

what are you doing this fine snow day? Can I help?

First of all, hi. It’s a snow day today. Mama Anna would be home anyway, but Aunt Linda did not want to drive on those roads (can’t blame her) and Papa ‘s work told him they won’t need him until early evening, if at all. He works in a restaurant, and we don’t know if it will open for dinner at all, because it is still snowing. There’s like a lot of snow. Like this much.

Humans not going out there today.

Basically we are all chilling here, warm and cozy. Two years ago, we were on the road, but now we are very happy to stay put and hang out with each other. For me, that means I get to nap with various humans (in my own family) and convince them to help me play with toys, and if they are very, very good, I might help them nap. My reach goal is to nap with both Papa and Mama Anna at the same time. Bonus points if I can get in the middle of them, because that is super snuggly.

Some of you have noticed that Mama Anna has not blogged herself very much recently, and wanted to know if she is okay. She is She did want to post something herself yesterday, because it was a really good day, but then there was a sneak attack by a very meaty lasagna and a very good book (which she is buddy reading with Aunt Mary) and boom, snoozy evening. She regrets nothing. She had a really good writing day on Tuesday, and sent off a very important scene in Queen of Hearts, the contemporary she is now writing with Aunt Melva (it is their third manuscript together) and will spend some of today concentrating on historical romance projects, because that’s an area for improvement, and, frankly, it is high time. The edits for A Heart Most Errant have celebrated a birthday, which she didn’t want to happen, and there’s a whole other bunch of stuff she would like to get to doing. The only way to do that is just pick one and do it, while making sure she has what she needs to do that thing.

Thankfully, she has me. I am her mews and purr-sonal assistant (I often help her by purring, especially when sitting on her.) I plan on making the best of this time to get her on the right track, not only getting enough sleep but reading and of course writing. There may also be some Simming involved, especially if she picks up a new pack this weekend, of which there has been talk. Go figure that Mama Anna’s favorite computer game is basically writing but with images. Whatever works, amirite?

Anyway, that’s about it for togday. There is some primo relaxing to be done here, and I had better get to it. i am the pro, after all.

Headbonks!

Storm

Typing With Wet Paws: Birthday-ish Edition

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome and this is Typing With Wet Paws. This is a special week because it is the week we celebrate my birthday…ish. I was very young when I was born, and as Mama D, my first mom, said, I was born in “a house with a LOT of cats.” Anyway, nobody bothered to write down what day I was actually born and I can’t read calendars anyway (talk to me when they come out with catlendars) so we figure out what day we observe my birthday by figuring out the general vicinity. Where the humans finally landed was February 14th.

photo by Mama Anna

Mama D said I was two when Mama Anna and the rest of the fam met me, but Mama D also told Mama Anna about some super teenage-y behaviors I exhibited that didn’t add up to grownup lady cats. Also, I kept growing. If you look at pictures from when the fam first met me, and then pictures of me later, you can see I am bigger. So, by best guesses, February 14th seemed like the best fit. One, it’s Valentine’s Day, and two, it was also the observed birthday of Big Sister Skye, whose real birthday nobody knew, because Skye was born wild, and there are exactly zero calendars out there. I am happy to share my observed birthday with Big Sister Skye. It makes the day doubly special. Okay, triply, because of the whole Valentine thing. I get lots of cuddles and lots of love every day, but more on my birthday. I got gushy food from Papa (he is my gushy food guy) and belly rubs from Mama Anna. Aunt Linda tried to pick me up but that’s okay. I know she loves me. I hang out with her sometimes, and not only because my cat tree is in her room. I have a water bowl in there, too. Also a litterbox.

I should probably talk about Mama Anna at some point. She is crushing her Goodreads Challenge, being two books ahead of schedule, with eleven books read out of her goal of seventy-five. She is rethinking her reading journal setup, as she’s not sure she wants to have it start in the middle of a notebook she started to use for other things. Purr-sonally, I don’t care. I’ll sit on any of them.

Writing-wise, she is working on the very first love scene in her current book with Aunt Melva, Queen of Hearts. Writing love scenes is apparently a thing with romance writing humans (though some do not include such scenes and that is okay) and they are very concerned with getting them right. I would not know, as I am a maiden lady cat. I suppose there might be something Mama Anna might want to write a blog post about writing love scenes in contemporary versus historical romances. Also writing solo versus with a partner. Once again, I do not purr-sonally care. I can easily headbonk Mama Anna during any of those. Trust me, Storm Troopers, I do.

Headbonks!

Storm