So, Annabelle asked me, this is really May 20? Liza Doolittle Day?

 Yes, Missy, I told her. I know you've been preparing for this all month. Are you ready for today? Yes! Annabelle stated, we are all set. We are going toi spend the day dressed in our Ascot costumes, and, once you put on … Continue reading 124. MAY 20 →

Because getting out and about to shop can be an ordeal, I’ve been ordering in bulk and having things delivered. Instead of carting home heavy items, I can pick them up in the lobby, and - by hook or crook or begging one of the strong younger men ion the building for help - get … Continue reading 123. AND SOMETIMES ZEPPO →

Annabelle’s scream could be heard all over the apartment. I was on the bathroom floor playing with a tray of dirty litter as I cleaned up their daily waste. Annabelle? I called. What’s wrong? There was silence. A good minute of silence before I could hear her sobs. God, I thought, what’s happened now? Thatch … Continue reading 122. THE WIND GROWS COLDER →

Okay, Val said to me, it’s repaired. This is the third time this week. What’s going on here? Val, I really don’t know, I answered. This week, three days this week, when I walk in from my radiation treatments, I walk in to find the window broken and glass all over the floor. I’ve asked, … Continue reading 121. THREE STRIKES →

I am so angry at you! Annabelle told me when I walked in from my trip to the mailroom. She was on the computer again. Me? What did I do now? I asked her as I unloaded the packages from the bag on my walker. Oh, look, Annabelle! I've got your new issue of Backstage. … Continue reading 120. WILLOW →

Annabelle, is Thatch okay? I asked. Has he said anything? I had noticed that he had been acting strangely the past couple of days. He usually spent his days helping Annabelle with her career or working on their musical, playing with Stella, or finding ways to amuse himself in his spare time. For the past … Continue reading 119. THE RED DEATH →

C’mon, babies! It’s time for our soap! I lay on my bed. I had just changed channels from the court shows to our favorite soap opera. Three cats leaped onto my bed. Stella lay down beside me and promptly fell asleep. Thatch, settled on my other side, set his front paws onto my belly, and … Continue reading 118. SOAP BREAK →

There had been something afoot since Annabelle, Stella, Thatch, and I had visited this year’s Christmas Tree Lane after Thanksgiving. As the cats clamored for me to buy them this or that, I had to turn down their requests with some embarrassment. I did not want to admit to them that my funds were dwindling … Continue reading 117. HARD CANDY CHRISTMAS →

Oh, no! I heard Annabelle scream. I was washing up their dishes after dinner, but her scream cut through the sound of the running water and the dim sound of the CBS news on the television. Such a drama queen, I thought. I wonder what Thatch or Stella did to piss her off. Daddy! Daddy! … Continue reading 116. REQUIEM FOR STEVE →

Okay, babies I called, are you ready? In a minute! Annabelle called from the bathroom. October 30 had been a flurry of activity as she, Thatch, and Stella had tried on costumes, changed their minds, despaired, and now it was time for me to take them out to trick or treat around the building. I … Continue reading 115. TRICK OR GIN →