The Pinky & The Brain.

They might live in my house.

My husband and I chuckled as we thought through our critters' New Year's Resolutions.

Clearly, the cat wants to take over the world. It's nice that she's realizing cuteness> judgment, although I may need to watch for manipulative intent there, too. I'll report back on that later. I don't have any parenting experience, but understanding the basics of positive reinforcement got me that far, at least.

As we discussed the New Year's Resolutions, I remembered a TV show from my childhood, "Pinky and the Brain."

Ahh, the after-school shows with their bizarrely entertaining plots. My husband and I nostalgically compared notes on our favorite after-school programming and some of the consequences of watching them before our chores were taken care of. Pre-chore television was not received well by either of our parents.

As we sat there, we realized Bessie & Wanda are sort of like Pinky & the Brain. If you have been following our saga at all, you can probably guess who the one with all the schemes is. Much like Pinky, the cat constantly seems to be cooking up some sort of plan to serve herself. She might have a chance at it if she had thumbs. There are likely even moments when she would lament her own captivity to you, leaving out the parts of the story that compel you to believe she had something to do with it.

We have come to terms with whether she wants to be outside or not when the temps are cold and sharp. This year, when presented with the option to brave the cold, she often recoils with a disapproving expression and a tiny wrinkled nose as soon as the cold air hits her face. I agree, but generally seem less surprised that winter is cold.

Wanda, much like Pinky, is mostly along for the ride. She will be taking the ride at a high rate of speed with an overabundance of wackiness and gusto. She brings that on her own. She's not as dim-witted as Pinky, but she has her moments. The cat seems to carry a soft spot for her, but I don't think it's one of respectful admiration. It's more like an appreciation for the care when she was young and vulnerable, while keeping the relationship well intact should a need for it arise.

However, there are moments when the cat was clearly not prepared for Wanda simply existing. I think my favorite is when Wanda sits down near her, wagging her tail. In Wanda's watchful excitement about whatever is happening, she unknowingly and accidentally whacks the cat upside the face with each swing. It doesn't last long, but somehow, there is always enough time for me to appreciate the cat's look of offense and surprise that needs a moment to age properly before she decides to walk away.

Maybe that's why she randomly whops Wanda in the face for seemingly no reason.

Tails from the Front Porch

January was quick and slow at the same time. Most of my focus this last month has been on life's less flashy and entertaining things. I got my house in order again (that was a long time coming). I tried to maintain a good attitude and some consistency in working on my diet and doing some weight lifting. Weight lifting is definitely the celery of movement: really valuable but no fun at all. I wish it could just be an excuse to eat peanut butter, but unfortunately, that doesn’t always work out the way I want it to.

Below are the blog posts from the last month.

Are You Spiritually Hangry? Some days, I just wake up on the wrong side of the bed. Attempts at recovery and bribery with coffee aren’t always successful. It turns out some days, I’m just spiritually hangry. Are you?

The Potential Rebellion of Being My True Self: We should all endeavor to be the truest version of what God created us to be, but that doesn’t always feel like our true self in the way society often means.