New Kitty on the Block

Occupants in our home must step softly these days. Great precautions are needed against sudden movements of any kind. Dangling of keys is ill-advised and woe unto him who dares roll a ball or attempt to read the newspaper. You see, our house has been overtaken by a wild animal. A crazy-eyed beast that thinks nothing of pouncing on an unsuspecting hand or scurrying from room-to-room at warp speed. This ferocious entity sleeps most of the day, but once the sun sets and the witching hour begins, it awakens with an appetite for destruction.

Or at least minor mayhem.

We've named her Meiko and she assures you she is as tough a little kitty as there ever was. If you don't believe her, just dangle some string and watch the carnage ensue!

I've chronicled in this blog the sad tale of losing our cat Smores just after Christmas. The loss came suddenly and left a void in our family. April spent the past few months pining for a new cat, and after restraining herself for an impressive amount of time, she finally broke down and brought little Meiko home from the pound last week. I was a little nervous at first. There are only a small number of cats on the planet that don't send my allergies into overdrive. Meiko, however, is among the proud few that I am not allergic to. So a minor crisis in my marriage was avoided. (phew!)

Meiko is nine months old and full of spunk. She has beautiful black and white fur and bright green eyes. I'd love to post a picture of her, but I am extremely and humiliatingly inept with computers. The mere fact that I can post on this blog at all is a tribute to how "idiot proof" it truly is. I have no Earthly idea how to use digital cameras, and I couldn't begin to wonder how people post pictures on blogs. I take solace in the fact that renowned author Robert Fulghum admits a similar ineptness with computers. Being a renowned author, however, Fulghum employs an "assistant" to handle such matters and his website is world-class. My only "assistant" at the moment is Meiko, and each time I hand her my brilliant notes to transcribe, she just sits on top of them and purrs.

So our family is back to a fearsome-foursome once again. We've got April, our shining beacon of light (beautiful, successful, currently pursuing a doctorate degree); Michael, our future Oscar winner (accurately portrays all emotions on cue, just proudly completed his first session of preschool, huge Speedracer fan); our husky dog Kiki (cancer survivor, family guardian angel); Meiko, our new bundle of joy (expert pouncer and weaver of exotic kitty stories); and then there's me (expert diaper changer, video game addict, occasionally horrifies audiences with long-winded lounge acts).

Smores remains ever-present in our hearts and souls. Gone but never forgotten.

I'll leave you today with some sound advice. If you ever find yourself entering the Ward castle, make sure you refrain from dropping on all fours and mimicking a spider with your fingers. The ensuing pouncing could get ugly.

Be good kiddies!

- Dave