It's hard to believe another year is drawing to a close. You all have
been a constant for me, I do read just about every day.  Many purrs
for the grieving hearts, and welcome to all the new furries that are
being adopted.

As for my two owners, Pippin turned 10 a few weeks ago. He has been
staying inside much more the past few months, probably a combination
of colder weather and his nemesis, the grey cat from up the street. At
any rate, he shows no sign of getting "old".  For Christmas, I had DD1
help pick out toys for the cats' stockings, and on Christmas day, I
put the toys into a large shoebox into which I had cut a number of paw
size holes.  Pippin had the lid off in about 5 seconds, and regularly
plays with his new toys.  He continues to be a pesky reminder that a
meal is expected right now, although he appears to have learned, at
least, to wait until I get out of bed in the morning before starting
the yowls of doom.  He is also quite tolerant of DD2's attempts to pet
him and pull his tail. No blood drawn so far.  He has also taught her
how to meow.

Mithu is approaching 9 in February.  He is still his sweet goofy
self.  He has gotten locked in the garage twice over the past month, a
combination of his curiosity and our not noticing that he got out.  He
has graduated a new cat slave in DD1.  He regularly visits her room
and hops onto her bed for cuddles.  She still tries to pick him up
more often then he'd like, but she's learning about that too. I
overheard her telling her cousin on a recent visit that "when he walks
away, it means he wants to be left alone."  He goes in for a dental
cleaning in a few weeks, his first in a while. He's had issues with
anesthesia in the past, so I'm a little apprehensive about that.

Anyway, best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous new year for
you all and your owners.

Cheers and hugs,
Caroline S.