Rita on the banks of the Ohio Canal Yesterday, I was deeply saddened to learn that the Lovely Rita is gone. She was at least fifteen years old, a ripe old age for canines, but it still made my heart ache. All day, as I ran errands with my sister (the vet for Schatzi’s thyroid [...]

With all this kitten talk, I realize I have never filled you in on what became of the Lovely Rita. In preparation for the long trip from There to Here, I took her to the vet. Dr. Jill said she wouldn’t recommend putting a dog of Rita’s vintage and dignity through the horrors of being [...]

Quince This past week, I had the pleasure of Quince’s company while her owner was in Spain, the poor thing. Quince is the beautiful mother of my beautiful kittens. My neighbor took her in as a pregnant stray who was a kitten herself – barely 9 months old. She was essentially a pregnant homeless teenager, [...]

The kitten formerly known as Dennis Well, it’s just been one thing after another since I got back from Detroit. One thing: The $350 vet bill. Rita lives to sniff things, and it looked like she might have sniffed the wrong thing. She and my kind neighbor Charlie were enjoying each other’s company while I [...]

I was making dinner last night (green curry chicken, grapefruit salad with toasted coconut and fresh mint, and jasmine rice from my well-worn copy of Quick and Easy Thai*) when Mister showed up. He was not alone, having the fire alarm inspector as his small but efficient entourage. As I opened the door to let [...]

Gratuitous kitten photo which has nothing to do with this post. I wonder if Rita is getting senile, or is possibly protesting the recent arrival of the kittens to her Queendom and is letting me know that she objects. Lately, she’s taken to peering in the bathroom door and staring at me when I’m in [...]

Everything was fine in Rita’s Queendom. She had trained the people pretty well. They didn’t take her out quite as often as she’d like, but with age comes wisdom, so Rita knew that this is what happens when you’ve been living with someone for a while. Other than that, though, she loved her comfortable bed, [...]

The new kittens, of course, have provided an excellent excuse for shopping. They require many accessories and necessities, so in preparation for their imminent arrival, I decided to go and pick up a few things. My aversion to public transit being a matter of public knowledge, I took a cab to the store. I gave [...]

Rita takes a break from all that admiration. One’s public can be so exhausting. I came home from sharing lovely Rita’s loveliness with her adoring public* to find that both my sisters had called in my absence. Again! It’s pretty cool to know that two people in two different countries are thinking of you at [...]

The Great Dog Rescue Adventure led to the Great Cat Conundrum. I was cautiously backing the giant dog-rescuing car through the slightly creepy (and very narrow) passageway, on my way to return said car to the rental agency, when my neighbor Patricia approached with a little cat in her arms. “Whose cat is that?” I [...]

First things first: happy 65th birthday to the great Brian Wilson! Now for the less festive part of our program: I got up really, really early, had a cold bath and hot coffee*, and went to have a mammogram. Ask any girl, and she’ll tell you that these are not for the faint of heart [...]

If you count Rita. And I always do, even though she was just an innocent bystander in this latest adventure. A friend of a friend had rescued two dogs from a bad situation (I didn’t ask for the details; it’s against my happy bunny policy of remaining as ignorant of ickiness as possible) and needed [...]

Yes, Virginia, there really is a hell. And it’s right upstairs! The thing about my upstairs neighbors is that they are just so generous. Even if it’s 9:00 on a Sunday morning – and a Sunday dedicated to God and Moms (does it get any more sacred than that?) – they are delighted to share [...]

My blog turns six today! Hope Mike doesn’t think I have to start doing chores now! Rita has been celebrating the upcoming blogiversary, or possibly the fashionably late arrival of Spring, with extreme naughtiness. If she had a dog house, she’d be in it. On Thursday, I arrived home to discover the contents of the [...]

The two old ladies are alive and well, you’ll be glad to hear. And thanks to all of you for checking up on us, especially those who recognized the Oates quote and feared the ominous worst. I haven’t pulled an Oates (and would never be noble enough to do so), but there has been nothing [...]

2006 was the Year of the Dog* in Chinese astrology. It was also the Year of the Dog for Suzy. Round about February, I started taking care of Rita (or possibly the other way around) more or less full-time. As time went on, I became more and more enamored of her, and my blog became [...]

If I ran the world, Santa would look just like this. As I drove to my friend’s house on Christmas Eve, I was filled with anxiety and apprehension. I soon learned that I should have paid more attention to this internal warning system. After the long, rainy drive (though uneventful, with no mistaken OnStar calls [...]

Really, isn’t a day without weirdness…well, someone’s life other than mine? Still in possession of all my blood (fun fact: despite the recent spate of bloodletting, I still have no idea what kind of blood I have), I took Rita for a walk. I expected the construction workers to admire her (and me), but I [...]