This Is Not My Cat

This is Pringles, our cat who is not ours, but lives in our house. I think Pringles has adopted us. Pringles actually belongs to the neighbors, and was Cody's (our dog's) best friend. Pringles and Cody would hang out all the time together, despite the species incompatibility. They would eat out of the same bowl, sleep in the same dogloo, and would even groom each other. It was the weirdest thing! They rarely fought, and if they did, Cody would always let the cat win.

After Cody died, Pringles wouldn't leave the dogloo. It was so sad to see the poor kitty in mourning for her best friend. We started taking food to Pringles and bringing the cat inside to stay warm. I am fiercely allergic to cats, so bringing the cat indoors was a big step for me, but my allergy meds seem to be keeping the sneezes away as long as I vacuum often.

During Christmas, Pringles stayed under the Christmas tree and the kids gave her lots of snuggles. I think we got a cat for Christmas. Oddly enough, the neighbors haven't come looking for her.

Today I am home sick with a house full of bored kids who were not expecting a snow day. I kind of wish they had gone to school, as I would do well to curl up in a ball in bed and not move. I feel awful! I really, honestly think that an angry colony of fire ants have taken up residence in my sinuses. Just being upright is not enjoyable. I am hoping the kids will play on the Wii, the husband will amuse himself with his engine project, and everyone will let me chill out (literally) in my room in peace with some hot tea, a vaporizer, and some rented movies. More likely, though, I'll be hounded with complaints of boredom, requests for snacks, and the occasional "honey, have you seen __insert item here___?" And I still have Mount Washmore waiting for attention in the laundry room, a bowl of mushy bananas that need to be baked into banana bread, and bills to pay. (Ugh... math with a headache? Not fair.)

Moms shouldn't be physically able to get sick.

One fish, two fish...

We have a new pet. Three, actually. This is a messed-up photo, but I kind of like the blurriness of the fish against the sharp detail of the bubbles and leaves.

This is "Goldie." We have really original names for pets and stuffed animals here. "Goldie," "Bear," "Dolly"... you get the idea.