For some unknown reason, the cat has decided the only place to sleep  when I'm at the computer is in the file tray on my desk. She used to sleep on the printer, but I moved it. And then she decided the top of a plastic box holding various paper stock was the perfect place for a nap.

I really can't complain; she only weighs a few pounds and can't hurt the papers she lays on. But Tabby can't simply jump to the floor when she decides it's time to get up. No, she has to leisurely stroll across the desk -- and the keyboard and whatever else seems to be in her way.

My faithful Sheltie Maggie keeps watch outside the office door. Since my office is at the top of the stairs on the second floor, it puts her in an ideal position in case someone -- say a critic of my books -- comes to get me. It also enables her to catch every noise in the neighborhood. She raises an alarm when she hears something suspicious. If I had a dollar for every time I've shouted, "Maggie, it's just the neighbors!" at her, I could afford a wonderful island vacation far away from Kentucky's chill.

I realize I should be grateful for my companions, since otherwise I'd rattle around this house all alone. But between Tabby's snoring and Maggie's barks to be alert, I find myself wondering how I ever thought I'd be lonely when my kids were grown and gone. At least they knew how to amuse themselves with TVs, stereos and video games when I was trying to work!

I missed all of you -- but I'm back! In order to keep on pounding away on the keyboard, I had surgery on my hand and arm which kept me away for a time.

But now I'm back in full force, and looking forward to seeing people again at one of the book signings I'm participating in. Check out my calendar page to see where I'll be.

Cat

That's right. The South Shore Quilt Festival (in beautiful South Shore, Kentucky) begins today and I have been invited to bring my books and come on down.
I love getting to talk to people I don't see very often and I adore meeting my readers. But as the festival grew nearer, I realized I have not had a funnel cake all summer, despite putting in long hours in my Lions club hamburger wagon at the county fair.
So if you drop by the Quilt Festival, look me up.
And if I'm not at my table under the UK canopy, you can probably find me buying a funnel cake.
So what's YOUR favorite festival food?

Okay, in that old song, the guy is singing about meeting a girl. My joy is far more mundane.
I have a new computer.
(Imagine me dancing and singing Oh, yes, I have a new computer!)
Like letting an old dog live out his last days in a sunny place on the porch, I have taken pity on my poor 1998 IBM computer with its honking big case and floppy drive and invested in a brand new PC.
Yes, my name is Cat and I am a PC.
This new machine lets me do wonderful things the other one didn't, like updating my website here at my own desk rather than imposing on others with more modern operating systems.
It's soooooo fast opening the Internet, and hey, it looks cool, too.
I suppose, a few years from now, I'll be doing a little happy dance when the next computer comes along. But until then I predict many days of heavenly work here with my brand new love -- heck, I might just start sleeping next to it at night, too.