perfect

5" x  7"
reserved

ten minutes till midnight, just arrived home from a party, and i'm just barely sqeezing this one in.  i've discovered that doing the painting-a-day project while traveling is neither ideal or convenient.  i had to sneak the computer upstairs in the dark so the barking burglar alarm of amy the golden lab wouldn't continue to wake the peaceful sleepers. now i sit in my old bedroom perch, with black cats snoozing on either side, and i'm content to spill my guts a moment more before i retire.

my dad's lady friend sarah has three cats:  broken, timmy, and elizabeth.  timmy and broken are both your "run of the mill" black rescue cats, as sarah says.  timmy is also the "town hussy", running around with all the neighbors.  elizabeth is my favorite;  i call her "fraidy cat".  she is afraid of everything: she won't go outside, hates abrupt movements, and gets intimidated by the other cats...  her eyes even look afraid.  yet she is the sweetest, most cuddliest thing ever, and slept right next to my head all night last night.  there is also a teeny grey-haired blue-eyed kitten with a broken leg in a cast, temporarily residing in the bathroom. sarah is a vet tech and took the baby home to give it the nurturing it needed to nurse its wound.  my old house has taken on a new spirit since my dad and sarah moved in with all their animals, and i love it.  after spending the evening at a party where the bar was open and the people were plenty, i must say, i'm relieved to be back in my room. i feel much more at home surrounded by this family of fuzzy, purring mammals.