Far more interesting weekend than I thought it would be (which is not to say my weekend was all that interesting), but that’s not as important as posting this picture as quickly as possible:

Yes, that is my dog and my cat (now named Calliope; pronounced “Kuh-lie-oh-pee,” not—as I like to tease my sister—”Cali(fornia)-(h)ope”) both sleeping on the same dog bed. It seems we lucked out a second time, and (once again) have two really sweet pets.

For kicks, here are my two previous pets: Cricket (dog) and Maxi (cat). [We didn’t get to choose their names, which was probably a blessing for them.]

   

Cricket was an adorable West Highland White Terrier with a perennially dirty muzzle; she was about a foot tall at the shoulder, and absolutely loved food. Rather than going “miles and miles in the ice and snow” (as a dog book described the breed), Cricket was a lazy dog who loved to sit on your lap and go for car rides. Maxi was a huge cat (no idea what mix of breeds)—she was a good sixteen or seventeen pounds, in her prime—who was the most gentle soul in the world. (She’s the only cat whose belly I’ve ever dared to rub.) When I took naps on the couch, many years ago, I’d frequently have the dog curled up on my belly and the cat lying down over the couch’s back. When they were younger, Cricket and Maxi would take turns chasing each other around the house; it was quite the sight.

We had some other pets over the years, but they were always “adopted” from neighboring houses…. Paws, the black cat with white (you guessed it) paws, who started out mean as all heck, but soon became a big softy, was one. Another was Thunder, the three-legged tabby who would walk with me when I took Cricket for walks and who learned—on her own—how to turn on lights and open doors. She only had three legs, but she’s probably the brightest animal I’ve known. And humans are animals, too. (haha! Just kidding—kind of.)