Dear Evan

Dear Evan,

I want to walk down the beach with you. Down so far that we become miniatures, and lost in the gentle spray. I want to walk with you even when we are the only ones on the beach, and I want to enjoy the feel of your hand in mine with each step.

You'll pull me closer when you notice my hand get cold (as it always does, no matter what), and I won't mind. We'll talk of nothing and everything, and then, when we're so small you almost can't see us any more, we'll gently disappear. Into the sand, the mist, the delicate shapes and colors of the water. The sounds of the birds muffled in the fog.

That's where I'd like to be with you. Let's go take a walk.

Jessica

Wordless Weekend

Chee

We called him Chee, and I think it suits him.

What a distinguished profile!

I'll admit, I was a little worried at first. A lot of why we chose to get Chee is because Mouse seemed a little lonely and bored. We wanted her to have a partner in crime, someone to play fight with, sleep with, and pounce on from time to time. But cats are totally unpredictable, and there was no way to know for sure that Mouse and Chee would get along. We had high hopes, of course, but no guarantees.

Since we're responsible and we like to be prepared, and we're relatively new to cat-owning, we did a lot of internet research. The consensus on introducing cats to each other seemed to be that the best way to do it = slowly. So we prepared a room for Chee (my tiny office space), with a litter box, food and water bowls, a scratching area, and a little bed for him. And we kept him in there for almost three days (with frequent visits, yeah, of course, we're not heartless in the face of cuteness) while he proceeded to tell us that he was increasingly unhappy and missed his family.

I don't know if you've ever heard a kitten cry as loud as he can, but let's just say it's pretty loud. Kind of like the shriek of a bald eagle, actually.

Mouse, on the other hand, was quite suspicious. She hissed and growled outside the door of the office, and yet seemed unable to stop herself from coming back to sniff again and again.


Finally, and accidentally (oops! didn't close the door fast enough), they met. And they've pretty much been inseparable since. Chee is delighted to have another cat to be with (people are a little further down the totem pole for him so far), and Mouse has willingly taken on the mantle of mama cat, cleaning him, attacking him gently, and running to him any time he cries.

Getting a bath from Mouse. 

Faster than a speeding bullet!

He's a tiny little lump right now, weighs hardly more than a box of pasta, and yet I keep forgetting that because his personality is so darn big!  

Finally time for a nap.

His eyes are bluish now but they'll go green soon enough.

I love that little spot on his nose. 

So I think you could say that it's all turned out pretty well.

Troublemaker

Both of them are, actually.

Some news!

Bet you can't guess what it is!

Safari West, the Third and Final Installment

After four days of wild animal posts you might be over it. I get it. But I have to admit I'm still totally enamoured with these shots, and more, with the memories that go with them. I might not have mentioned it before, but we spent the evening after dinner on our porch, a stone's throw away from the giraffe enclosure, playing poker until the wee hours of the morning.

Now if you don't remember me as a huge poker player that would most likely be because I'm not.  When I was in college we played a few times for nickels and dimes. Sometimes we would graduate to the outrageousness of quarters. I'm afraid that this training created a less-than-stellar poker player, one who accepted losses without much gnashing of teeth. Either that or I've just never been very competitive.

So it will come as no surprise to hear that I lost the game early. (There were 14 of us playing, and I think I was first to go out. Not perhaps my finest moment.)

But Evan managed to get second place. So at least I can pick my men, even if I can't play my cards.

All right, down to business. Here are the last of the safari photos.