Congratulations Anne!!!

That is a ridiculously cute photo!

Oh my gosh, so cute!

So...what you're saying, basically, is that you have a Jack Russell and a beagle in cat suits? Okay then. They're really cute!

I have been loving the brotherly love story of Finn and Eddie since you first told it -- literally ever since; it's one of my go-to smile and feel my heart lighten stories that I've kept in a side pocket of my brain for easy access whenever the world starts to crush me. I start to get wrecked; I pull Finn and Eddie out, unfold them, smooth out the creases, and my heart unclenches; I fold them up again very carefully and tuck them back into that pocket for safekeeping.

Laura, I didn’t know that! I’d love to chat with you a little more about your experience.

Anytime, of course. Profile addy good. The short version is that DH and I met in college and both got Accounting BS degrees. When we graduated I convinced him that what he really wanted to do was open a computer store with me instead of doing accounting. In 1987 accounting was all people did with computers and the background helped with doing business with business managers and owners. Also, it gave us a confidence we might not have had otherwise. So although we didn't do accounting for other people it was a great foundation for a business future. And since we are still in business and still married all these years later it worked out.

Thank you, everyone!

JZ, I cannot tell you how happy that makes me. When things are stress at work, I'll sneak a peek at a picture of my cuddleboys, and it really does help.

Anne, have you read the Jenny and the Cat Club stories by Esther Averill? Your boys remind me of Edward Brandywine and Checkers.

No, I haven't read those! Thank you for the recommendation!

This year has been very arc-like for me. It started pretty low--ita's death was awful and months of unemployment had left me pretty unhappy.

Then in April I landed a job doing pretty much what I wanted to do, at a top notch university. Since I started I've gotten a completely unexpected raise (only 3%, but it beats a kick in the pants). I've learned that my coworkers are smart, fun, interesting people who respect my skills and work. I'm learning tons of new things, getting back on top of my unemployment-induced budget issues, and looking forward to what next year might bring.

And now I'm sad that Ginger won't be able to look forward to that, too.

Work aside, there are so many fascinating, scary, promising, worrisome, interesting things coming up. The whole election thing has me tired already, but I love the thought that Sanders is becoming such a prominent voice. I'm going to work on a visual perception course over the next month or so, and I can't wait to learn more about that. I'm looking forward to my niece's wedding in the spring, to reading more with fewer headaches now that I'm given in and gotten bifocals, to a new Star Wars movie, to a day trip for shopping and pirogies with my buds, to new books my favorite authors have scheduled over the next few months, and to so much more. But I'm also worried about rising xenophobia in the US, about climate change and (I hope I'm wrong) the unlikeliness of the Paris conference achieving anything, about gun violence, about the odds of my middle aged body developing major problems, and about my friends who are still dealing with cancer. It's a mix. I guess it can't all be fandom and Penzey's spice shop visits with the buds, but I'm hoping the good will outweigh the bad--for me and for all of you.