It was not a cat-less vacation.

Lest you think I was "sans" cat for my week away, this was not the case. Stop number one and number three were in Youngstown, Ohio, where April and Perry live. They are allowed to maintain a home for the comfort and convenience of Clark (shown left) and Carly (shown right). Both are rescue cats. Clark is about 10 years old and Carly is about 3. Carly came last year after another cat they had, named Jenny, passed away.

Both are reasonably social cats. Carly has really soft fur and she's gray with flecks of tan. It reminded me of my late Penney. Clark is a lovely half striped half white with coarser fur but no fear about anyone new. He enjoys leaping into their games to find out what's going on on top of the table.

And then there is Faux. Faux is Carole's Maine Coon. When I got there and entered the house, he was looking at me from the entry to the basement. I said, "Hi Faux." and wonder of wonders, he came running. I am always amazed that I can be away from him for months, a year even, and he remembers me.

I slept on a mattress in the living room because I didn't fit on the sofa. It was warm and cozy and I slept like a rock. It also didn't hurt that I had a foot warmer. He loves that blanket. It's been in the family for years. Carole's original cat, Half-Pint, used it as her blanket. Faux has taken it over.

Whenever we returned from some place, we knew where to find Faux, curled up on the blanket. Carole quipped, "You want grandma (who?) to stay so you can sleep on the mattress on the blanket."

So, in addition to it being a delightful visit with my daughter and son-in-law, I had fun with Faux. I think any vacation is a success when there is a cat wanting ear scratches.

Beverage: water

Deb