Typing With Wet Paws: Domestic Tornado Update Edition

July 30, 2026annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up, Storm Troopers. I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. If you’ve been following us here for a while, you probably noticed we haven’t been posting lately. Mama Anna is pretty busy at the moment, so she gave me the go ahead to talk about it. First of all, meet Jennifer:

Jennifer is currently chilling with Aunt Linda at the people vet, because that’s where Aunt Linda is going to be for a little while. Cats are not allowed in hospitals (rude) but plush ones are, so Jennifer is watching Aunt Linda and reporting back to me. If you’re wondering why her name is Jennifer, it’s because Mama Anna had a dream where I had kittens. One was a mini me calico girl. Mama Anna was super surprised that I had kittens, but I told her it was okay; we only had to keep Jennifer. Why Jennifer? I liked the name. So, this is Jennifer.

Mama Anna is kind of frazzled right now, because there are things to handle at the people vet and at home. Some of that involves getting things we have too much of to people who don’t have enough/any, which is kind of hard to do since Mama Anna does not drive (apparently visually impaired people should not be operating motor vehicles. Go figure.) So, she’s still here, and actually still writing, but there is a LOT going on and she is learning new things and missing Papa, and it’s kind of a lot.

We are safe and housed, and fed, so nobody worry about that. Some of our friends from the old country have already been over to help, which Mama Anna and I greatly appreciate. Aunt Mary and Uncle Brian (with Skye puppy!) were here on Sunday. Aunt Melva was here yesterday, and they talked writing stuff in between all of the practical things they did. There is a lot more room in Aunt Linda’s room, and that means I get to explore new things in the same familiar place. That’s kind of the cat dream, actually, so I am not complaining, but I will be happy when Aunt Linda comes home. The people vet is taking good care of her. Jennifer will be reporting in on a regular basis until she and Aunt Linda are home.

In the meantime, Mama Anna will be more present on social media as she can. DMs, comments and emails are always welcome. Local people, she wouldn’t hate a visit (nor would Aunt Linda) or help with local errands. Aunt Linda comes from a long line of tough old birds, so we figure this will get sorted and she’ll be back home when the people vet says okay. Mama Anna is shy about asking for help, but calico cats are not known for shyness.

We are also coming up on August. Papa’s birthday is on the fifteenth, which will be the first birthday of his since he went to Rainbow Bridge, and then the day after, the sixteenth, is eight months since he went. We will probably be in a blanket fort that weekend, which is okay. Life be like that sometime. I am reminding Mama Anna that sleep is important self care.

Okay, that’s everything that was in my notes, so I am going to go keep an eye on Mama Anna and guard the house when she visits Aunt Linda. So far, I have kept 100% of threats away, so that’s pretty good. How’s July been treating you?

illustrated image of a redheaded woman writing in a journal as her calico cat observes. — Headbonx! — *Storm*

Typing With Wet Paws: Sunday Snoozy Edition

June 8, 2026annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws It’s June, which means summer, which is not Mama Anna’s favorite season, but she is glad it’s here because the next season is fall, which is her favorite. This is also the month where we observe the six-month half-anniversary of Papa going to Rainbow Bridge. I miss him, and I am doing my best to make sure Mama Anna is okay.

Writing is going pretty well over here, which makes me feel confident we are on the right track. Part of that, apparently, is me doing my weekly blogging duty. Since Mama Anna lets me have free rein of her office chair, next to Koolio, when she is not using it, I figure I can manage that. She is also my treat dealer. I know where the treats are, but they are high and in a drawer and I don’t have thumbs. I do have dewclaws, but they are not the same thing.

Anyway, the point of this post is that Mama Anna wants to update the graphics on this site, and one of those things is my signature photo. Big Sister Skye had a picture of her walking away, with her big floofy tail. I like sleepy pictures (I am great at napping.) Also, I am a sleek girl, so if I have a picture of me walking away, you would see the :ahem: Eye of the Storm as we call it. Which picture do you like? For those wondering, I did wake up and eat the treats that were right next to my head a few seconds after she took the picture.

In computer news, Mama Anna’s laptop caught a virus (she’ll be taking care of that ASAP) and her desktop is chugging along. The word she uses for it is “elderly.” This means that she is going to have to figure out how to turn Papa’s newest laptop into her newest laptop. That would have been easier if he had written down his password anywhere. Looks like Mama Anna is going to be on a first name basis with the computer guys at the computer store.

That’s about it for this week. What’s going on in your world?

Typing With Wet Paws: Mama Anna and the Piles of Doom Edition

May 16, 2026annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. Today makes five months since Papa went to Rainbow Bridge. We miss him, and we are finding our way. Some days are easier than others. I think this one is going to be okay.

That cake is from an outing earlier this week, one on which Mama Anna did not take me. Still salty about that. I love car rides. Something about cats not being allowed in diners, which I think is stupid. They probably have a decent seafood section on the menu, and I bet I could fit in a high chair. Anyway, sometimes there is cake. I don’t know if there will be cake today, but Mama Anna and Aunt Linda will be going to the groomer, so maybe.

Anyway, about the piles of doom. I am not allowed to post pictures of those. Mama Anna is not fond of them, and is working on sorting them all out into some semblance of order. She says physical clutter is mental clutter, and I don’t think she is too far off on that one. Suffice it to say that I get to investigate everything, and inspect anything going in or out of the house.

Here is a picture of me in my supervisory position, said position being on Mama Anna’s shoulder. Here, we are watching something on the small glowy box together. I love our girls’ movie nights. Mama Anna is learning to pace herself on this sort of thing. Right now, we are watching the new Night Court. After that, it will be Lord of the Flies. Our viewing habits have range. As far as I can tell, neither have any calico cats in them. In the latter, that is probably a good thing. I will count that as a win.

Anyway, back to the piles of doom. Those are what happen when life gets…lifey. Mama Anna figures that this is the week we bring Koolio out of retirement. That gives Mama Anna some extra comfort while going through said piles. Even more if she can listen to an audiobook while she does so. She likes that there are other things going on besides de-piling. Somehow, that makes it more palatable. Also, if I help by supervising from a distance, odds are high I will get treats. I send her love beams while she does her stuff, and remind her that this is all a reasonable reaction to a very unusual situation. Either she feels bad about the piles being there, or she feels good about having vanquished another one. All the while, she has story stuff going on in her head. Especially when she takes care of her notebooks and pens and stuff like that. I also take care of her pens, though that is usually by batting them around the floor, usually in the middle of the night. Sometimes I mix it up with parkour.

Here is a spread from one of Mama Anna’s journals. The bathtub picture is a postcard from a local art store and then the other pictures are from the stationery box that comes every month. This month’s theme is birds and foliage. I strongly approve of that theme. Maybe they finally listened to cats’ input.

What’s going on in your world?

Four Months

April 16, 2026annabowling Leave a comment

Today marks four months since Real Life Romance Hero passed. This is not going to be one of those upbeat posts, so I totally understand if you would prefer to catch the next one. This is an Anna post, not a Storm post, because she is a kitty, and I am feeling especially human today.

Grief is strange. One day, you’re dealing, then riding the ceiling fan of anxiety because tax times and you were not the one who did that, but then again, you were not the one who did a lot of things. The weight of partnership feels extra heavy when it isn’t there.

I am fine. Having a lot of thoughts, and this is where they want to go, so here they are. Today, Housemate and I got laundry down to the car before we hit a mutual NOPE and went to lunch and errands instead. Laundry can be tomorrow. Adulting things are depending on hearing stuff from professionals, but our apartment is nice and safe.

Throughout the day, I was keenly aware of what time it was, and what was happening at that time on that day, the one when RLRH died. There was a quiet voice in my head, in one of those compassionately impartial tv presenter tones: this is the time we went into the conference room. This is when the Catholic priest came for RLRH’s sacrament. This is when the non-denominational chaplain came to be there for me. This is when I told the team I wanted to touch him as long as possible, look at him as long as possible, because this would be the last time. Somebody kept pointing out the bereavement tray, which was bags of snacks, and all I could think of was “my husband is dying; why would I want potato chips?” I did hold his hand until the end, and I remember the gap between the actual death and the official time of death. We had the opportunity to stay in the room for up to four hours, but I wanted to be with him, not it (the body.)

When we walked home that night, it was dark. Today, at that time, it was light, and temperature was in the seventies, if not eighties. There was sweat. The contrast is/was big. RLRH loved spring. I am more of a fall/winter girl. Housemate and I have been discussing when to turn on Koolio, our air conditioner, now adorned with a handlebar moustache sticker. I had joked about putting googly eyes on Koolio, to which RLRH was opposed. I told him he’d said nothing about handlebar moustaches. I could put the googly eyes on now, but I don’t think I will.

So, where does this go from here? I don’t know. I wanted to write about this, and so, I did. Evening is here now, so time for a scented bath, a good book, and then kitty belly rubs. New day tomorrow, bringing laundry and writing. The day after that, improv class. Also getting back to social media. I am now on Tik Tok as anna_log_writes, and would love to connect.

How was your day?

Typing With Wet Paws: February Snowstorm Edition

February 24, 2026annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. We have had a big snowstorm here in New York (we live in a city, but not that city) which made it an especially good weekend to stay home. Normally, this would be Mama Anna’s time to blog, but she says I owe her, so I am taking this spot for now. That’s fine. I am at no loss for words.

Mama Anna has been taking care of business around here. Part of that was getting Papa’s phone ready for its next adventure. No surprise, most of the pictures were of me. Mama Anna also found a digital camera with a full memory card. She hasn’t looked at those images yet, but that’s probably mostly me as well. Right now, her plan is to get a new card and use the camera herself, probably also mostly for pictures of me. I do not blame her. They both have excellent taste in subjects for photography.

Watching Mama Anna work on stuff around here is super fun. The other day, she found some ribbons she had given Papa to choose from (for wearing something around his neck; he didn’t like chains) and that meant we got to PLAY. I smacked that ribbon. I chewed that ribbon. I showed it what-for and showed it what’s what. We are going to do that again.

Aunt Linda is doing some research on the kinds of people food she and Mama Anna might like to buy and make. They will also be donating the wrong kinds of cat food they got by mistake. One of the nice things about living in a city is that there are humans who make it possible for us to get things we don’t need to humans and kitties who do. I want to go on record that the wrong cat foods taste fine, but I am not a pate girl. Also, turkey is no bueno for my tumtum. Enough said on that.

Back when the humans lived in their first NY apartment, when Skye was the kitty, their downstairs neighbors were a troupe of steppers. That doesn’t just mean humans who walk. It means the humans perform rhythmic movements and sounds. It also means they had to practice a lot because they did that for monies and to compete with other humans who perform the same thing. By the time they moved, my human’s (okay, Skye’s then; I wasn’t born yet) had learned some of their routines.

I mention this because with Mama Anna working on her first standup set in a very long time, she is practicing it. At some point, I will probably be able to learn the whole thing. This is not a complaint, only an observation. We cats are great at recognizing patterns. I am keeping a very close eye on all the things she is doing, be it environment stuff, writing, journals, or anything else. I am also strongly interested in the food thing. Cat food has to be in there somewhere.

Typing With Wet Paws: Hello, January Edition

January 10, 2026annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws.

this is probably a Greatest Hits picture, but I have been busy

Things are taking on a new rhythm around here. I am Mama Anna’s number one emotional support since Papa had to go to Rainbow Bridge early. Big Sister Skye and Big Brother Ginger are surely giving him lots of purrs and headbonks. His side of the bed is now my side of the bed, and I am absolutely on top of all incoming mail. Literally. I like sitting on stuff.

Some of that stuff is stuff Papa ordered before, well, you know. These are so far surprises for Mama Anna and Aunt Linda, because he didn’t talk to either one of them about any incoming packages. No, they are not holiday gifts. The first one to arrive was an incense burner. Nobody can figure out why he ordered that because asthma. Mama Anna is not sure if incense and cats are a good mix. She has wax melts anyway.

Another thing that came was a sweater. At first, Mama Anna thought that a big, chunky sweater would be like a nice present from Papa, but then she had Aunt Linda check the fiber content. Aunt Linda knows basically everything about fibers. As suspected, it was a wool blend. Mama Anna is allergic to wool. Back in the package it goes, so it can keep somebody else warm.

The third thing I want to mention today is something Mama Anna found that was a secret, and is very much a gift from Papa. It is no secret around here how much Mama Anna loves journaling. Papa had made some noises about asking her to help him set up a journal like hers, but we all thought that did not happen…until Mama Anna found a small black fabric book. Hm. No words on the cover, nothing to tell her what it was, so she looked inside. Guess what? Papa had started a commonplace book, which is a type of journal where humans can keep lists of stuff they think is interesting, bits of ephemera and stuff.

Papa only wrote on a few pages, and his first list was creative ways to express irritation. Mama Anna says I am not allowed to post that kind of language, but she says it was like hearing him, and she laughed. She will pick up the book from where he left off and put in some pictures and memories, because they have the same sense of humor and had a lot of fun together. I suggest some pictures of Papa and me, because we love each other a lot. I was technically not allowed on his desk, but we all know how rules like that play out:

Not every day is easy around here, but finding things like I talked about today make things more…well, Papa-y. Mama Anna and I are getting plenty of cuddles, and I help her watch stuff on her glowy boxes, preferably while she gives me belly rubs. Belly rubs benefit both of us.

Anyway, that’s pretty much it around here this week. Okay, there was the time Mama Anna caught me trying to climb the dresser drawers to get to the drawer where my treats are. She was less than impressed by that, but if I can get my own treats, that’s one thing off her plate, and on mine (literally.)

Typing With Wet Paws: Papa’s Birthday Eve Edition

August 14, 2025annabowling Leave a comment

Tails Up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. We are still in the cat days of August, which are mostly me lying in front of our air conditioner, Koolio, during the day and doing most of my cat stuff at night. Mama Anna had her special talking vet appointment yesterday, and tomorrow is Papa’s birthday. We are going to do whatever he wants, which will probably be at home, because he is a homebody. That must be where I get it. He will probably ask Mama Anna and Aunt Linda to go get cannoli, because he likes that better than cake (which is still good.) I think the Italian side of the family must approve.

this is about what I look like during the days

Mama Anna is chugging along with the writing stuff. When the sun is on her desk chair, she can go to the soft office, which is the big bed. She got a lap desk she can pop on the big bed and work with her laptop from there. It also works for writing longhand, which is where she does the most of her composing. I like to be on hand (or paw) to supervise and inspire.

Since my “days” begin at night, one of my favorite parts is when Mama Anna comes to bed after her bath and watches an old English tv show on her tablet. It’s like The Walking Dead but in the 1970s in England, and there are no zombies, but lots of farm animals. Obviously, she likes it a lot, and it inspires her to do more world building and character lore development for her medieval post-apocalyptic stories. Zombies aren’t a problem in this show, or in her books, but questions like “crap, where are we going to get salt?” and “oh no, the sheep ate the wrong grass; does anybody know what we do now?” are super big deals. Mama. Anna. Loves. It.

Reading is kind of not happening right now, which she is not liking, but the Talking Vet gave her some tips that she will try. That happens sometimes. She has plenty of books, so that is not the problem. My suggestion is to keep watching stuff and give me belly rubs.

We have Papa’s presents ready to go, and he gets to pick what dinner will be. Yes, I will be getting a special treat as well, because I always do on holidays. Usually, we share a can of people tuna.

What’s up for your weekend?

Typing With Wet Paws; Sunday Funday Edition

July 20, 2025annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. I am blogging on Sunday this week because we finally got a break in the heat, and there was a while earlier when it was me-ing outside. That is Mama Anna’s favorite kind of summer weather. Papa is working a long shift today, which is nice for him, because he likes his job, but it does leave me without my Papa for such a long time that I do have to mention it. I will spend a decent amount of time on the Papa spot in the big bed, so he remembers where home is.

Since Papa is out hunting for cool stuff (that’s what working is, right?) we are having a chill girls’ day in with me, Mama, and Aunt Linda. Mama Anna is spending part of the day helping me with my blog post, and part of it playing Sims (one of her Sims families now has a calico cat, so that makes the game that much more fun) and part of it taking naps.

This has been an interesting week on the home front. Nobody likes heat, but Koolio takes care of that. Earlier this week, Papa had to do some stuff at the people vet. No cone of shame, but he does have to take some pills. He is brave. He doesn’t even have to hide them in tuna or anything. I am proud of him. Mama Anna picked up a low grade virus that she gets sometimes when stressed, but that is also under control. I have been working hard on nursing duties (the health worker kind, not the kittens-eating kind) which seem to be working because the humans are getting better. Aunt Linda appears to be fine.

I am still in love with the orange Ulta bag. The humans agree I get to keep it until it gets too worn or gross, at which point, Mama Anna and Aunt Linda obviously have to go to Ulta again. I wonder if they make pet beds. I bet they would be awesome. Mama Anna should show the picture of me on the bag to the Ulta people. I bet they’d love it. I pick it over some other beds when given options. Aunt Linda got me a canvas pouch with a calico cat on it, so the humans can keep my daily dose of treats in one place that is obvious in case a cat sitter or somebody needs to know where my stuff is. They can probably put the catnip there, too. There’s also a spare toy. Speaking of which, Mama Anna got me a laser pointer (that is safe for kitties) that has different options for the shapes I can chase. Variety is a good thing.

This is me on top of Mama Anna’s Kindle and one of her composition notebooks. I love this time of year, because Mama Anna gets super happy about school and office supplies going on sale. I, of course, have to inspect all new arrivals and make sure they smell right. That means like us. In about a week, we will be moving into the end of July and then it will be August, which is Papa’s Birthday season, and also shifts, at least for Mama Anna, from summer to pre-fall, and pre-fall is Super Powers Prep Time.

This is also the anniversary of the time I tried, without permission, to be an outdoor cat. Spoiler alert; I am not one. Many thanks to Mama Anna, Papa, and Aunt Linda for spending all that time looking for me and making sure I got home safe. I am never going outside again. I am an indoor cat for sure. Koolio, heaters, fans, comforters, electronic devices, toys, beds, Ulta bags, all that good stuff. Also treats. There are zero treats in the wild.

How is your weekend going?

Typing With Wet Paws: Sads, Happies, and the Sweetest Spot Edition

May 10, 2025annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. We have some sad news first, and then will move on to happy stuff. I am sorry to say that Papa’s mama went to Rainbow Bridge right after Easter (I did not get to meet her, but Mama Anna and I are big fans of her work – Papa.) and then earlier this week, one of Mama Anna’s and Aunt Melva’s dearest writing friends, M.P. Barker, had also gone to Rainbow Bridge. Mama Anna and Aunt Linda will be going back to the Old Country to celebrate Aunt M.P.’s life on Monday. Mama Anna will probably be pretty soggy for a few days after that. Also needing naps.

At the end of that week, though, there is happy stuff. Aunt Mary’s son, Uncle Andy and his wife, Aunt Leah, are expecting their first person-kitten in July. This weekend, they are having a special getting ready for the new addition party, and Mama Anna and Aunt Linda will be going to that. Papa will be staying here with me, which I appreciate. They may also get to meet Cousin Skye (who is a dog, and different from Big Sister Skye, so I will be sure to say Cousin Skye or Big Sister Skye, to make sure you know who I mean.) but that may also wait until another visit because the getting ready for baby party is probably going to take the whole time.

Mama Anna does not do summer well, so that kind of visit is going to have to happen before the middle of June or after the end of August. In between there, Mama Anna will be home with Koolio (the correct spelling, as the label on the remote in Mama Anna’s desk drawer reminded me. I think the other spelling refers to an entertainer.)

The exciting thing about today is that today is Aunt Linda’s birthday. She wanted to stay at home and order in Mexican food. The humans seemed to like theirs, and from what I managed to get (only smells, unfortunately) from sticking my face in Mama Anna’s quesadilla. Apparently, that is not allowed. I was only trying to join the celebration.

This weekend is also the Tulip Festival here in Albany, NY, USA. We live very close to the park where it is, and the humans plan on going tomorrow, but I will be staying home. First, I am not allowed outside, and second, there are A LOT OF PEOPLE there. The humans will bring home any interesting smells or maybe stuff from vendors. Come on, locally grown catnip!

This is a picture Aunt Linda took of me, when she thought I looked especially long.

This spot on her bed is mine, mine, mine. Not hers, and not Mama Anna’s to sit on when she visits. If you are a cat, you will understand this is where all the good human-y smells are kept. The mattress is also super soft, and the pillows are nice. Aunt Linda has a few new pillows, which I always make sure to scent as soon as possible, by which I mean make them me-scented.

Anyway, that’s what’s going on around here. Mama Anna thinks that the best way to honor Aunt Michele is to keep writing. Aunt Michele was the first in-person writing friend Mama Anna had, and the one to introduce her to Aunt Melva. In turn, Mama Anna was introduced to Aunt Michele by another writer friend, because writers know writers and that is an awesome thing.

Typing With Wet Paws: Emotional Support Cat Diaries Edition

March 23, 2025annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. I meant to post yesterday, because it was Caturday, and I am a cat, but before that, I am an emotional support cat, and i had to be on duty.

On Friday, Mama Anna had to go do a grown-up people thing that can be scary for her, (and has to go back and do it again because paperwork) so Saturday was all for rest and giving kitty belly rubs. I am a big proponent of belly rub therapy. That would be her rubbing my belly, though sometimes I do make biscuits on her person, so it evens out. Anyway, she’s fine, just super tired because anxiety is exhausting.

My job in times like that is to make sure she gets some rest. That’s not always the easiest task. Thankfully, she can be easily distracted with extreme cuteness (me) as well as tea, art, zombie shows, romance novels, stationery, and the like. Aunt Linda got us Italian food from our favorite local place, and I stuck close to Mama Anna while she played Sims. The family she is playing right now has a dog, but not a cat. Yet. She has them running a really tiny farm on their trailer lot.

Most of my emotional support duties are sticking really close to her, summoning Papa or Aunt Linda if I need reinforcements, and letting her know when it is Enough Computer and Time For Bed. For that, I tell her by sproinging onto her desk from out of nowhere (I am a ninja cat) and giving her a LOOK. I will keep doing that as much as needed, and if I have to yell, I will yell.

every delivery comes with a free cat bed

I will be on duty again on Thursday this week, because Mama Anna has her next appointment with Therapy Dude. It will be over video phone. There is a nonzero chance that I will video bomb the session and introduce myself. I am not normally allowed on the kitchen table, but I am willing to take the chance if I am needed.

How is your weekend going?

Typing With Wet Nails

for the love of romance

love