simple gifts

We are missing Penny terribly and we wonder if the cat can tell. Although cats aren’t famous for their compassion, it seems Missy is sensitive to our sorrow, for she has stepped-up her gift-giving. In the past she has brought us daily gifts of pine cones and chunks of bark, shoving them under the closed bedroom doors or leaving them in the hallway for us to find (occasionally by stepping on them in the middle of the night). But since we have lost Penny, she has been bringing us nice, big, and live, earthworms.

Yesterday we adopted two parakeets from a friend who is moving out of state. You can imagine the excitement that has created for Missy. I suspect she is thinking, “I knew those worms would pay off!” or perhaps, “Trade a dog for two birds? Works for me!”