Meet the Family

Just because we haven't posted many pet pictures lately:

This is Cassie, who has a hard time relaxing. (The quilt underneath her, by the way, is the work of our church quilt ladies.)

Here's Gertie. Gertie loves her sissie, and Mamas, and her sister Mollie.

For awhile we feared that Gertie was the canine equivalent of those Eastern European orphans with attachment disorder -- that her appalling upbringing had left her incapable of bonding with us or with Cassie. But Gertie has grown to be an incredibly loving dog -- every morning she explodes into our faces with kisses and doggie "petting" with her paws. Our vet and groomer both say she has one of the sweetest dispositions of any dog they've ever dealt with. Now -- if we can only wean her from her love of chewing shoes and electronics.

And finally...below you will see Miss Mollie, also known as The Mollinator. Fellow Traveler has shared a life with Mollie for at least a decade. When I first met Mollie, she was a quiet, stealthy little ghost of a cat who very rarely made public appearances in the common rooms of our home. Now she hangs with us whenever we're together. She has also discovered her voice; formerly silent, she now converses with us in a variety of chirps and meows. Gertie, especially, loves Mollie; in unguarded moments we wil find them sharing a nose-smooch.

We love our girls. They bring so much joy, and humor, and affection to our lives -- and to one another's. We are blessed to have them in our lives.