"Hey, Lady," said Molly the Cat, "Be still, please." Our Molly has a new morning pattern. She likes to sleep on my legs while I eat my breakfast as I read The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes . She seems to like my choice. She rubs her face on the book before she settles into her sleepy pose.

Rrrrrrrr-umble. . .BANG! Thunder! I didn't see it, but I did hear the thunderstorm sometime after midnight. I was quite happy not to see the flashes. FLASH! It has been raining. Glorious, glorious rain. And, if the weather guys are correct, it will continue to rain until Thursday. Knock on wood. During a not-raining lull this morning, Molly the Cat and I ventured into the backyard to see how things are holding up. Our raggedy back fence heartily stood up to yesterday's wind. Whhhheeeeeeeewwwwwh. . . Molly was busy sniffing out what she probably hoped would be wild animals while I shot photos. We are so different from the Mama who would've swept as many leaves as she could before she decided it was too muddy and cold to be outside. By the way, did you find Molly among all that green stuff? In the photo up there, that is. Yes, the path was once clear and free of leaves.  :-) And, look, here. A rosebud! The Mama's spirit continues to shine in her rose bus

"No, thank you. Zabaglione is not for me," said Molly the Cat. Very politely too. Missy waited patiently by her little table. That's one of the ways she lets us know that she's ready for a meal. Yup. Our darling spoiled feline has a table, which is actually a small cheese board, placed sweetly upon a placemat. Molly likes to keep a few of her balls nearby. Zort, as Pinky of "Pinky and the Brain" would say. It's the letter Z at ABC Wednesday . Another end of a round, thank you very much ABCW team. Want to join in and/or check out the other Z participants?  Click here then. 

By golly! Miss Molly, whatever are you doing? As always, Molly the Cat ignored my question. I watched her jump into the pot, sniff as she turned 360 degrees inside it, then climbed so daintily out of it. Molly the cat and I were doing our morning round of the front yard. I was curious to see how well the plants fared in this morning's frost. A few plants in the shade sported soft ice similar to what's in a shaved-ice cone. What was Molly curious about? I saw two dove feathers near the tree, which means that a neighborhood cat successfully caught himself a bird that morning. Molly may have picked up his scent. She looked to have lost it a few feet from the flower pots. Life is good that I can start my day like this. I'm linking up today with All Seasons , a meme hosted by Jesh at Artworks from Jeshstg. Click here to join or  to check out other participants.

"You're a sweet cat," the Husband said. "I am not," said Molly the Cat. "Yes, you are." "I am not." "A very sweet kitty cat." "I am not! I'm a lion!"     "I'm a tiger!" "I'm a panther!"   "M-m-m-o-w-w-w-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r!" "So there, Mister the Husband." Missy Molly by Golly and I are performing the letter P for ABC Wednesday . Giggle. Purrrrrrr.  Click here to visit more ABCW participants. Thank you, ABCW team!

The cues for this week are: 1) Starts with L   2) Week's Favorite   3) Critter Looky there, it's our critter, Molly the Cat. She was completely in zen lick, lick, licking herself clean and pretty.  How could that not be my favorite photo of the week? Friday's Hunt is a weekly meme hosted by Teresa at Eden Hills . To check out other participants, please click here . If you'd like to join, you can until Sunday evening.

Almost every morning that I start off the day at the computer, Molly the Cat saunters into the office. She acts nonchalantly, ignoring me at first. She goes around the room, rubbing her body against the doorway, the chair legs, and whatever else may be in her path. Then she stops beside my chair. I know what's coming next. Jump! Molly struts back and forth before me. She doesn't care if she has interrupted my writing, my scrolling, my whatever-I-am-doing on the computer. "Come on, Molly. Let me click this link." I reach under her body to the keyboard. "Just don't step on the keyboard." Ha! She will if she wants. Purrrrrrrrrrrrrr. She rubs her head on the edge of the printer, along the pencils in the cup, the umbrella plant that stretches toward the desk, and everything else she wants to mark. Like she hasn't already. Molly also wants me to pet and hug her to her heart's content. Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Okey-dokey with me. Most mornings.

Good ricotta? I think it is made from sheep, because that's the artisanal stuff we bought at the independent, natural goodness supermarket in Santa Cruz last week. I forget that cow's milk isn't the only source for cheese until I eat cheese that's made from other animals. Maybe if I'd been more careful, I could've found the good ricotta made from cow. For breakfast I ate a peanut butter-ricotta-honey sandwich. As I chewed, I thought of sheep, their wool, their face, and their hooves. I recalled the Warner Brothers cartoon in which the wolf wore sheep's clothing to get closer to the sheep. The sheepdog always beat the wolf at his game. Of course. The funniest part about the cartoon was the end when both the sheepdog and wolf clocked out of their work shift and said, "See you tomorrow." Molly the Cat came mewing to see what I had for breakfast. She likes cheese, too. I gave her a pinch of the ricotta from my sandwich.  Sniff, sniff. She w

Molly the Cat is six years old today. According to her adoption paperwork, that is. Molly doesn't like cake. But, we do. So, the Husband drove to the bakery to buy a slice each of chocolate cake and lemon cake for him and me to share. What's a birthday without cake, right? Molly got an extra pouch of chicken breast and beef mix. She licked her plate clean after eating both pouches. She's a big girl now, our sweet Molly. I'm hooking up with Seasons , a meme hosted by blogger and artist Jesh. Click here to check other Seasons participants.

Molly the Cat is missing. She scrambled out the front door this morning in front of two guys hauling out a TV console. I saw her slip out and run into the bushes. I didn't think much of it because she knows to stay in the front yard, so I vacuumed where the console once was. When I was done vacuuming, I heard a lot of ugly noise going on outside. The two guys were  hauling junk from the backyard and throwing stuff into a truck. Oh-oh. Molly had to be freaking out, so I went outside to bring her in. She was no where to be found. Front yard. Back yard. Inside. I've gone around the block several times for the last three hours calling her name. I've managed to not blubber until now. I hope Molly comes home on her own. UPDATE:  Bellissima! Molly the Cat has been found! I decided to look under the Mama's bed one more time. Yup! There Molly was, lying tucked snugly beneath it.  The Husband had looked under there a few hours earlier and found nothing.   So, som

Last night, Molly the Cat plopped in front of me and stretched as far as she could. "You will do no more computer work," Molly said, thumping her tail on the keyboard whenever I reached for it. "None what so ever." The Husband and I were gone the whole day, playing with friends at the coast. It was a kayaking adventure, perfect for the hot summer day. Not to worry, the Husband and Gerry the Pacemaker stayed ashore. Once the Husband can handle it, I have plans for us to go kayaking. Molly the Cat simply has to get used to us going out, and I have to get used to her cutting me off from the computer on those going-out days. Today, I'm linking up at Seasons , a weekly meme hosted by Jeanette of St Germain's Blog. Click here to join in (which is open until Wednesday) or to read other posts.

"Those shoes were tough to tap dance in," said the resting Molly the Cat. "The lady won't know who took them."

Molly the Cat and the Mama got a set of killer wheels the other day. Neither responded well to their portable travel wheelchair. Of course, who really wants to use such a chair much else actually own it. "You think the cat will like that?" asked the Mama when she saw what new tool we brought into the house to help her get around safely. The day before it was a bedside commode, and the day before that a walker. Each purchased just in time for its suddenly urgent need. When the Mama was too tired to inch her way forward any further, she sighed and allowed herself to sit in the chair and be glided to the other room. Settling on her couch, she said, "Give the cat a turn." I think Molly the Cat sighed too when she sat on the seat. She allowed herself to ride for a few feet. The killer wheels came into the house only two days ago, but it seems more like weeks. Sigh. In my imagination, I see the Mama, the Husband, and I charging out of the house and down the sidewalks

When Molly the Cat and I opened the curtains in the living room this morning, the first thing we noticed was the puddle of water on the patio. "Look, Molly! It rained during the night." Noticing the white petals in the puddle, I glanced up at the apple tree. "Apple blossoms!" Molly the Cat looked out the window, posed in her So are we going outside to explore further stance. She didn't seem as pleased about the apple blossoms as the Mama and the Husband did when I told them. It may be a good year for apples from that tree, which the Mama planted from seeds 28 years ago. I'm hooking up with Seasons , a new weekly meme hosted by Jeanette at St Germain's Blog. Click here to check out other participants.

We are on a new adventure—the Mama, Molly the Cat, the Husband, and I. The Mama's body is failing. Thank goodness, her spirit is not. She's stubborn. That's a positive. Yesterday afternoon, she faced reality. She fell! "You need to use the walker," I exclaimed. "No! The dead people used it," she said, referring to the walker gathering dust in the garage. She used it once upon a time when she was healing from a broken hip. Somewhere along the line she let a friend borrowed it, which his wife returned after he died. "We will get you another one," I said. It was 5 o'clock in the afternoon. Fortunately, for us, we found a bare-basic walker, without the sparkles and whistles, at the pharmacy. Thankfully for us,  the Mama allowed herself to use the walker. I loved that at one point, as she slowly made her way down the hallway, she stamped her feet and scolded her legs for not working with her. Last night, Molly the Cat gave the M

Tweeeet! Tweeeeeet! Translation:  Hurry, hurry! Get away, get away! Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp! Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp! Chirp, chirp, chirrrrrrrrrrp! Translation: What was that? What does she want? I'm hungry!   Molly the Cat smiles. Lips smack. Tail swishes. Translation: Mmmmmmmmmmmm.  Molly settles in the wet grass, beneath the bird feeder. She watches the feeder swing back and forth and listens to the rustling of leaves as the little birds make their way up the tree. Not to worry little birds. Molly the Cat loves to stalk you, crouch low, and pounce towards the tree. That's it though. She has no idea that she's supposed to catch you.  She's merely getting her jollies for the morning. Tweeet, tweet, chirpppp, chirrp, tweet! Swishhhhhhh! Molly the Cat and I are linking up with ABC Wednesday , hosted by Roger Green and the ABCW team. Click here to check out what other participants are writing about the letter J and/or to participat

One of the things Molly the Cat likes to check out when she goes out to the backyard is a bucket full of water that sits next to the patio. I wonder if she sees what I see in the bucket. Today I'm participating in Our World Tuesday . Click here to join in and/or to see what's going in other parts of the world.

Today I'm participating in the Friday's Hunt , a new weekly meme hosted by Teresa of Eden Hills . You have until Sunday to hook up. Click here to join and/or to check out the participants. It's trés fun! Now, on with my finds. Starting with B That's the Mama's tiny banana grove in August. It didn't get as full as usual last year because of the drought. The grove usually yields two to five banana blossoms, which the Mama sometimes harvest for us to eat. Sometimes tiny bananas grow, but the cool weather sets in before they can ripen. Here's what the banana grove looks like today. I pruned the dried tops of the banana stalks (Are they called trunks?) last week. They'll grow back by Spring. Hopefully. This is the first year I pruned the grove without the Mama's instructions. Week's Favorite Molly the Cat yawned just as I snapped the camera. I think she did it on purpose. She doesn't care for me taking photos of her. I wonder

I didn't notice the good-luck jade plants growing next to the Mama's red rose bush by the patio until I started playing with this photo in Photoshop. Now, why did I think the jade plant in the front yard is the only one sporting white flowers? Silly me. The red rose was what caught my eye the other morning when Molly the Cat and I went out to stalk a squirrel we saw tiptoeing along the fence. A bird distracted Molly from the squirrel. Not good hunters are we. Which is just as well. After all, what would we do with the squirrel had we caught it.  Fortunate squirrel. From the Husband, the Mama, Molly the Cat, and Me, Su- sieee! Mac:     Happy Holidays!

See Molly the Cat. See her sleep. She sleeps on what once was the Mama's favorite chair to sit when she read the newspaper or her novels and biographies. The once-upon-a-time favorite chair of the Mama's is now one of Molly's favorite places to nap. I don't think the Mama cares that Molly has taken over her chair. There's no more daily paper to read. We stopped it because it cost over $80 a month for mostly advertisements and selected pieces of old news. We still get the weekly local paper, which the Mama reads on the sofa between watcher her favorite games on television. Maybe the Mama will reclaim her chair from Molly if she decides to read her books when the weather gets too cold and wet to go outside. We shall see.