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Typing With WetPaws: Welcome Back, Super Powers Edition

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Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. It has been a while, but that awful summertime is over, and Super Powers are returning. Happy New Year to all our Jewish and Messianic friends. The picture above these words was taken by Aunt Linda, as I was taking a much-needed nap in her window. Some of the fans are off now, and Mama Anna is even wearing a sweatshirt as she helps me write this. There are noises from the humans about a Big Wash, which means ALL of the bedding, including blankets. I know what this means. This means it is time to be cozy and cuddly and snuggly. I am all about all of that.

Another thing that lends itself to cozy and comfy is that Mama Anna is listening to something I find very interesting these days: creepypasta. I do not mean things like spaghetti with spiders in it, but a certain kind of story she listens to on You Tube. It’s usually first person, kind of scary, but she doesn’t find it scary; she finds it interesting, and even listens to it to help her sleep. Yes, she will be bringing this up with the special talking people vet. her favorite kinds of stories so far are those about things that happen in the deep woods, and also where the narrator works at a place with some strange rules to them. Maybe she will try to write one for one of her blogs.

Now that summer is basically over, and will be officially over next week, Mama Anna is feeling much more herself. That means much more like writing. She is still working on the reading thing, which she will also mention to the talking people vet but is pretty sure that will come in time. Probably also with a nice autumnal candle.

Photo by thevibrantmachine on Pexels.com

Some scents that she likes for this time of year are: cinnamon, clove, woodsmoke, tobacco, leather, wine, pumpkin, apple, coffee, fallen leaves, and that sort of thing. Aunt Linda wants to go to Yankee Candle, which Mama Anna is all for, even better if they can meet up with some friends who also like going to candle places. I mean the factory, but maybe Aunt Linda only means the small stores in the mall. That one is good, too. Mama Anna is also playing around with making her own candles with wax melts and wicks, but she is starting on that journey, so buying candles is still a good idea.

I, of course, am not allowed to investigate candles, no matter what fragrance they have. Something about fire. Blankets are much more fun, as they are fuzzy and soft, like me, and good for napping. I am extremely good at napping. When Mama Anna is at her keyboard, i am usually sleeping in her sock drawer right next to her desk. I let her know I want in my drawer by scratching the drawer below it. Mama Anna says that sets a precedent, but Papa says I’m cute, and this was a curb dresser, so it’s okay. It’s a good thing he’s cute.

Mama Anna’s schedule says it is now naptime, so I had better sign off now, as I am nap commissioner. I will let her update you all on writing and stuff in her own blogs. What are you currently reading?

Headbonks!

Typing With Wet Paws: Post-Papa’s Birthday Edition

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Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. this was an interesting week over here, and of course one week closer to fall, when Mama Anna’s superpowers come back. Tuesday was Papa’s birthday. He wanted cannoli for his cake (or ake substitute) and well remembers last time, when Aunt Linda contended she did not get her fair share of cannolis. Should I tell her that the bakery sells them all the time? She could get more. I don’t get any because I am a cat. I get crunchies and gushy food. Much better. Mama Anna had to show Papa a picture of what his birthday present will be, because it did not arrive in time. Aunt Linda had somehow not noted that it was shipping from overseas, but that is okay because it will be worth the wait.

I don’t know how to share the picture, so I will tell you what the present is. It is a tropical shirt with lots of flowers and pineapples and leaves, and best of all…ME. Naturally, it was hard for Mama Anna to pick from the pictures she took of me, because they are all good. With material like this, how could she get any duds, am I right? You know it.

could this work as my Halloween costume?

Anyway, Aunt Linda had a clear favorite picture, so they went with that one, and Papa LOVES the idea. He says he’s going to wear that shirt everywhere, all year long, and he even wants to more of them with different pictures. Some of them will be of Big Sister Skye, but that’s okay. I think it would be cool to hang out with her in a shirt pattern. Everybody wants something with both of our pictures on it together. Maybe even pajama pants. My only concern with clothing that has my picture on it is, how are my sheds going to show?

Since human eyes are not as awesome as cat eyes in seeing detail, I should tell you that the print on the belly band in the picture above is from Mama Anna’s new “Neapolitan” Archer and Olive n notebook, but we properly refer to it by its right name, Calico. It has black pages, white pages, and kraft pages, which is close enough to orange. She says it is in honor of me. I appreciate the recognition. Mama Anna thinks she will probably use that as her first bullet journal of 2024.

Speaking of her planning, she found out that she does indeed already have the A5 calendar filler for next year’s catchall planner, so that fits right in with no-spend, which is pretty cool. This has been more of a well filling week than a writing week, but she is okay with that. Also, she smells like people vet again. She said it was something called a “physical” and the people vet wants to check on a couple of things to make sure everything is working as it should. I, of course, will be on hand to provide cuddles afterward. She might even be able to talk to a special talking kind of people vet to see if I can get a letter saying I am an essential worker in the industry of keeping Mama Anna operating at best capacity.

Right now, she is listening to one of her all-time favorite books, On the Jellicoe Road, on Audible. As usual, part of her is thinking about how elements of this would work in historical romance (there is romance, but it’s not the focus, and there are two timelines, one in the past, but only a generation ago from the present story.) It also gives her the taste for a historical romance set in Australia, because it’s a setting she likes a lot, but doesn’t see very often these days. Do you know of any? Leave titles, authors, and/or links in the comments.

Typing With Wet Paws: Awesomely August Edition

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Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. The weather has been much better over here, because summer is almost over. Mama Anna is of course very happy about this. She hasn’t been able to do a lot of August journal setup because of reasons, but she is looking forward to that in the coming week. She has to see the people vet again on Wednesday. I will expect cuddles after. For both of us.

Mama Anna and Aunt Linda went to the library and got a bunch of books. Pre-autumn is awesome for curling up under a blankey with a book and the hooman rubbing my belly. Right now, it is a rainy day. Papa is listening to the radio on his glowy box. He likes news and that sort of thing, while Mama Anna is more geared towards getting her fiction on, in both the reading and writing arenas.

The picture that was supposed to go here still hasn’t shown up on the glowy box, but it is in Mama Anna’s phone. She will figure it out later, because she got some super cute shots of me. Okay, all of my pictures are super cute, because, well, me.

Anyway, it’s definitely pre-fall around here, and not only because of the weather. Not going to lie, but that is nice. Papa has been a blanket burrito at night, and Mama Anna can get under her weighted blanket again, which is really nice. I can get on top of the weighted blanket when it is on top of her, which makes it even weightier, aka better. When it was still hot all the time, Mama Anna often lay down with an ice bottle (the opposite of a hot water bottle) and I found a new way to cuddle even with the heat. I hopped on top of the ice bottle, so it was cooling us both. Win.

Another thing that is awesome about the weather getting cooler is tea. Mama Anna loves tea. She says kitties don’t drink tea. I am not so sure about that, but she is the mama, and she has the thumbs, so I guess she knows a few things. Not everything, though. She is not a cat.

How is your August looking?

2024 Planning Already?

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Yes, already. We in the planning/journaling world do not take this kind of thing lightly, especially when stationery items seem to bloom all on their own in back-to-school displays. July is the midway mark on the calendar, after all, as evidenced by Christmas in July anything. Add to that the fact that it is July (duh) and I am, as the ancient Greeks say, “bad at summer,” which means a lot of summer days spent inside with my beloved journal stuff, and we arrive at interesting places. It’s kind of like that low hanging fruit thing, but with stationery.

l have already locked down two planners. The A6 traveler’s notebook I carry in my purse is definitely staying. I will be buying my monthly 2024 insert from Yellow Paper House, probably in pink The weekly calendar, I can make by myself in any A6 notebook, of which I have plenty. I can make my own horizontal layout, maybe throw in a quadrant or dashboard if I’m feeling frisky. I have the leather cover from Chic Sparrow already; love that, so that stays. I have a standard Bic four color pen in the attached pen loop for now but I think I want to upgrade. I have been wanting to use my fountain pens more, especially my favorite Writer’s Blood ink (dark red, very appropriate) I already have a couple of pens I might like to put there, so the only pen cost would be ink refills.

The other locked in planner thingy is my writing planner. That’s going to be my A5 pink Carpe Diem six ring binder. What goes inside it is still under consideration. I may keep the same Agenda 52 dividers, as the monthly calendar does not begin on the back of the divider, which I absolutely love. Then again, I may make my own, because I have a lot of cardstock that could make awesome dividers, and several different options for tabs. We will see what transpires. The actual inserts, I will either buy from Agenda 52, horizontal spread, or print my own,

Then I will add my own flair – vellum, acetate, assorted decorative items, and definitely pink sticky notes. After that, sections for active projects, with timetables, outline, etc. If the planner is prety and feels like me, I am more likely to use it. Not t hat it is the thing that makes me do what I do, but it does make it pretty and fun.

I am not at all sure what I will be using for the household catchall planner, but most likely it will either be me redating an existing planner that I already own, or maybe grab a super pretty planner that I won’t need to decorate much and can keep functional. Right now I have my morning and evening brain dump/mental health check in stuff in two separate disc bound planners. I would like to streamline that, and it may all end up in a good old-fashioned bullet journal. I like the idea of having all of that in one place. Not sure if I want to keep all of my trackers in such a thing, but I do know that each project I work on in the coming year gets its own notebook where everything lives, and No Where Else, because that way, we do not lose entire manuscripts when the publisher needs them in four weeks, Anna.

Since I am now a few days into the new regimen with updated pharmaceuticals and lifestyle changes, I like looking forward. I have books to write, both with Melva and on my own, and maybe even more beyond that. I feel like making media content and planning it out before I actually hit the publish button, or even boot the computer.

So, that’s this week. It’s hot, it’s humid. I’m in front of a fan, in a fetching white t-shirt dress, staying nicely hydrated, and doing quite well with the reading, which is a very nice new development. A little Bertrice Small, a little Maeve Binchy, a little YA. Seems to be working. What are you reading, or planning, or planning on reading?

as always, Anna

Typing With Wet Paws: Mama Anna Smells Like People Vet Edition

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Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. This week, it’s Mama Anna who smells like people vet, but she did not have to stay at the people vet and there is no cone of shame involved. She does still have a brace on her owie paw, but that was not why she went to the people vet. This visit was to check her medicine, and the people vet did want to make some changes. So far, they seem to be working okay. She will go back to the people vet ina few weeks to check on that. I have been keeping a close eye on Mama Anna, making sure I can tell her when she needs to chill or lay down or stuff like that. It usually ends with me getting belly rubs, so count that as a job benefit.

Aunt Linda hugged me.
That is all.

Mama Anna was feeling so much better today, in fact, that she went to the trash place three whole times, and rearranged a corner of the kitchen. She is hoping to turn it into a planning center/writing desk (handwriting, though we both know that she will still be doing a lot of her handwriting on the bed.) Sahe did try to put the kneeling chair back in place but it is too low for her desk, so she went back to using the folding stool, which is exactly the right height and give back support. Aunt Linda has been shopping online for pink office chairs. Aunt Linda loves shopping online. The kneeling chair will probably go into storage. Papa hates it, but then again he doesn’t have to sit in it, so there. This kneeling chair was the first piece of furniture Mama Anna ever bought with her own money and she got it because somebody she loved had one and let her try it and she loved it, so she got her own. So, sentimental value.

Here is a better picture of me than the one above. Mama Anna wants to start taking and sharing more picturs again, and what better subject than me? Granted, I am not aways cooperative, but then again, I am a cat. It comes with the territory. It’s all worth it, though, for results like this.

Now that we are over the Fourth of July hump, it is now time (I am told. For some reason, the hoomans decline to take me shopping with them) for stores to have allll the back-to-school supplies. Mama Anna is not in school, but she is a writer, so she really does need the pens and paper and all those sorts of things. Some of them, I might possibly make off with and put in one of my hoards. Mama Anna found a thing that belongs to Papa that is Not For Kitties in one of my stashes. She took it back and told Papa he has to put those things in a better place now because I am smart and nimble and stuff like that. He agreed that is a very good idea. I did not have any adverse effects, and it was a reminder to both parents to always check my special places if something goes missing. It’s not Borrowers. It’s me.

Mama Anna is working on her reading/media tracker. She read Circle of Friends, by Maeve Binchy, and then a YA thriller this past week. Now she is reading The Lilac Bus, also by Maeve Binchy, and is deciding between two YA books. She is probably going to toss a historical romance into that mix sometime this weekend. She very much likes staying inside when the weather is the way it is these days, and one hand holding the book means one hand is free to rub my belly. If she listens to an audiobook, she can use both hands.

What are ou reading this weekend?

Low-Hanging Fruit Day

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Today is a low hanging fruit sort of day. It’s the middle of July, for one thing. For another, I have a doctor appointment tomorrow (routine, no worries) and my anxiety did not sign up for that, so is kicking a fuss. Fortunately, that’s what the appointment is about, so that is for the good. Put together soupy air (seriously, folks, I have seen air fish, that’s how humid it is around here in NY state) anxiety and the regular stuff that comes with carrying out both writing and domestic warrior queen duties in such an environment, this is one of the days when it’s time to focus on the easy stuff, call that good enough and then flop back in front of the fan. This will include cuddles from feline companion, because Storm needs her cuddles regardless of weather.

the coolest of cats
(seriously, at the point where fans converge)

Reading wise, things are looking up.

Circle of Friends, Maeve Binchy

Oh my mercy, I loved this one. Five stars on GR, review incoming, and definitely a book that I want to write about in a future post. I class this as historical fiction (Ireland in 1957\8) with romantic elements (there are relationships, some HEAs, some other outcomes, but the focus is on the, well, friends.) Up next is another Binchy, The Lilac Bus. My other current read is Don’t Let in the Cold, by Keely Parrack.

YA thrillers usually work very well for me, and this one has a blizzard setting, so no surprise that I am zooming through this one. I am always up for a blizzard, especially when I am dealing with air fish in the here and now. I’ll be back to this one when the adulting for the day is done.

For today, the writing low-hanging fruit is obviously this blog. Next up is a character interview because I absolutely can get back on the historical romance horse, which I prefer to actually do than whinge about it being haaaaaaaard. (Which is definitely worth mentioning at tomorrow’s appointment.) My favorite kind of research is talking to people, and that includes my own characters. This is, at its core, “dude, what’s going on?” mode and it’s kind of one of my favorite parts. Getting out of my characters’ way is also some tasty low-hanging fruit.

Dinner gets to be some mix of a) there are two other adults in the house, b) we have plenty of non-oven-needing food, and c) we live in a city with delivery options. There’s also d) there are food place right there in walking distance. In other words, some variation of I Am Not Cooking. That’s always one of my summer favorites.

What’s your low-hanging fruit for the day?

as always, Anna

Typing With Wet Paws: In Da Fan Club Edition

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Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. We are one day away from the middle of July, and that is fine by me. Summer is not the best season for those of us with built in fur coats, but no worries, my hoomans have this handled. Long before there was a me, (aka the Dark Ages) Papa was already a dab hand at creating fan networks so that air flow connects with air flow. Mama Anna put a banker’s box (it is full of vintage historical romance novels), thanks to Aunt Mary) in the perfect spot for me to catch that sweet spot. Sometimes, she puts an ice cube in my water bowl. That’s a fun treat.

What is not so fun is that my cardboard house got smushed. Papa was involved in that, but it was not really his fault. It was dark and there may have been cat toys on the floor where cat toys are normally not. The hardwood floor was clean, and therefore slippery for bare feet, and, well, they owe me a new cardboard house. Considering that Mama Anna’s pink office chair is done being a chair (Aunt Nicole says it’s not fixable) odds are good that a big enough box will be coming our way fairly soon. I should point out that I highly customized the pink leather of that chair, with my very own claws, too. One of a kind, right there, but no matter. I am up to customizing a new one.

In other news, I have told Mama Anna, in no uncertain terms, that A) she needs a new desk, because hers is too small. I need to be lying on her desk, not merely near it, like in my drawer, and B) This whole no way into the front master bedroom window thing is not going to work. I Want. In. That. Window. I am the kitty. I need to see what is going on outside my home, and that window is my, well, window on it. The printer table has got to move. I don’t know where Mama Anna should put it, but I need my window.

One way Mama Anna has thought of to get around this is to squish the kitchen table into the corner and do some of her work there. Neither Papa nor Aunt Linda like eating at that table because A) they are introverts, and B) the kitchen is, hm, cozy. They want to eat in their own rooms and they outnumber Mama Anna, so she is not going to fight that kind of thing. It also means a whole table for her own purposes, which might end up fixing that on the desk issue for me. I can totally get on that table, especially if there are empty chairs nearby. Bloop, bloop, there I am, on the same surface as Mama Anna. That’s because I am her mews, and because I need to be as close to her as I can be. Even on summer nights, I want my cuddles. She is okay with that because I smell really good. Also, she loves me.

How are you staying cool this summer?

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Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. I don’t know exactly h ow much there is for me to say here, because Mama Anna actually posted yesterday (go, Mama Anna!) but of course I always bring the cat’s eye view.

First of all, the big question is probably how is Mama Anna adjusting to having a phone? Well, I can tell you. It means she can take many more pictures, mostly of me. Sometimes also of stationery. Sometimes both of us at the same time, but there does still seem to be a time delay between when she takes the picture with the phone and when it shows up on Amazon photos for her to use here. She’ll figure it out.

She has not yet found Tik Tok. She knows what it is, but right now, Facebook reels and Instagram are filling that space, and really, do any of us want her confused with any more technology than she already handles. There is a reason she gravitates to pens and paper. Well, that and the fact that I can interact more with physical things. Then again now that I have figured out how to walk across her keyboard and even sit on it when I am Really Serious about there having been Enough Keyboard Time and I am in need of belly rubs.

Speaking of which, my belly rub count is going up, up, UP this weekend. Papa has Saturday and Sunday off, which means he will be home all day, while Mama Anna is home all day, and now we do the math. Papa has two hands. Mama Anna has two hands. Maybe one and a half because of the brace, but it doesn’t impact her belly rub ability, so that means there will be four hands available to rub my belly at any given time over 48 hours. At 12 hours per hand, that’s only four shifts, so no reason for my belly to go unrubbed for even a minute. Well, there is my window time, my nap time, my parkour time, my under-the-bed time, my inside my “house” in the bedroom time, etc. so they get plenty of breaks.

Mama Anna has the house to herself today. Correction: WE have the house to OURSELVES. Let’s remember who is the big draw around here. I reminded Mama Anna that Feline Friday was a thing back in Big Sister Skye’s day, and sticking to that would be great for consistency. Surprisingly, she did not argue with me on that. After we get done with this blog, it will be time to put away yesterday’s laundry (Aunt Linda is the one who actually does the washing, but whoever wears the clothes has to put them away. That means all I have to do is lie around and look pretty.) At some point, there will be dinner. I don’t think anybody wants to cook-cook, because A) it is hot out, B) everybody is having a pretty full day, and C) we live in a city, so delivery options are endless. The humans always make sure I get a bag or box to play with, and they serve me crunchies at the same time because families eat together. I taught them that.

Speaking of which, it is almost dinner time…what are you eating?

New Phone, Who’s This?

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I got a new phone earlier this week. I don’t think I’ve had a phone for, ummm, well, years now. Too many emergency phone calls interrupted by emergency phone calls, all culminating with me reacting to a phone call from a friend by screaming, throwing the phone straight up in the air and running out of the room. That is not an exaggeration. I have a witness. Anyway, that was the exact moment that I decided I didn’t want to have a phone anymore, and so I did not. Computers were fine and are fine. E-readers and later, tablets, were and are fine. Phones, not so much, because reasons. Fast forward to the way this family started June, and okay, yes, phones are back on the menu, mostly as tablet junior, and texting over phone calls.

Not going to lie, June was a wild ride: Real Life Romance Hero’s accident and recovery, me getting shingles up and down both arms right after he got released (all better now, no scarring even) and the hand brace he picked up for me the day of the accident (this man has his priorities) as well as the family dynamics things that go on when the status quo shifts as much as it did. Thankfulluy, we seem to be on a more even keel.

I have always loved “Closing Time,” by Semisonic and when I saw it used in a Facebook post by a top tier favorite author, I knew I wanted to use it as my first quote in my first Archer and Olive journal. Forget the perfection of paralysis, because enough of that. Which means start throwing stuff on the pages. This works well for things beyond journaling. One of the things that I did on zero energy and low mobility days was to watch lots and lots of YouTube. Ditto IG reels on days when attention span was a thing of a moment. Gives a gal ideas, that does. Maybe I could start making some of my own.

BookTube is always a wonderful source of entertainment, and I have noticed an interesting lack of people talking about the historical romances that I love best, both to read and write, and well, I can talk about that. I can talk at length about stationery and planning/journaling, about the TV shows I have watched, am watching, or am following by recap because I think the streaming services are breeding. I can talk about a lot of things, really, and I do like a few “lifestyle” vloggers, not the kind showing off name brand thus and so, but the “okay, today we’re doing a thing I was going to do anyway, and you get to hang out with me” kind. I could probably do that.

Melva and I have agreed that it is about high time to make use of the website that we actually own and could turn it into a decent resource for both of our readers. (Bonus points if you caught the double ententrde; it was intentional. As a joke.) This means new content: gulp: and of course, as here, consistent content. Which of course means that I get to justify one of the spare planners waiting to be called to duty as a content planner.

Jury is still out on whether I want to do anything with my Sims doings, but this feels like enough for one day’s blog. I want some down time before I help Storm figure out her blog for the week.

As always, Anna

Typing With Wet Paws: Hello, Summer Edition

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Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. It has been very interesting over here since we last had a chance to visit. Papa smelled a lot like people vet and has had to check in with his people vet a couple of times. No cone of shame, but Mama Anna is going to have to give him some pills, and he is getting a lot of rest. He hopes to get back to his usual activities soon, which means Mama Anna can as well.

photo by Aunt Linda

Here is a picture of me sleeping on Aunt Linda’s phone. I thought that would keep her from taking my picture, but I forgot about her tablet. Mama Anna was on the other side of me, and she was originally in the picture, but she is also the one who edited it, so make of that what you will. You can probably see one of her notebooks peeking out around the edge of this picture.

There is a lot of pen and paper stuff going on around here, of which I highly approve, because I get to sit and/or sleep on a wide variety of paper products. Even though Papa does not have to wear a cone of shame, Mama Anna does have a thing on her hand called a brace, because she went that hard on things like writing, typing and using a computer mouse. In short, she makes ouch sounds when she uses her thumb unless she has the brace on. Then it’s okay and she can do the things she wants. She can even rub my belly with it, so that’s good.

Summer is not the favorite season for anybody around here, but then again, we are in a pretty good place right now. I mean that physically as well as metaphorically. We have some really cool (see what I did there?) fans that come out and into full use this time of year. I like the big square one aimed at Mama Anna’s and Papa’s bed. If I flop exactly right, I can get the real breeze and the breeze from the fan flowing through my belly fur at the same time. That’s the dream.

Mama Anna and Aunt Melva are working on their very first newsletter, which they will have on their melvaandanna.com website. There are exciting things afoot there, and they are 100% working on a new contemporary romance series. Aunt Melva is also working on some things on her own, that are different from what she writes with Mama Anna. Mama Anna is also planning out what she wants to do with her historicals; not just in the “x would be fun someday” way but in the “I will have this done by this time” thing. Since this means that she will require close su-purr-vision, I had best make sure I am in top shape for the task.

Headbonks!