Make a list. Adopt a cat.

Toronto, 2007

Today there is freezing rain. A lot of freezing rain. The buses were cancelled at Alyce's school, but there would have to be an enormous blizzard of epic proportions for me to keep Alyce home. Two or three days a week the house is quiet and I can actually feel my cells recharging. Shira usually naps for a couple of hours and all is right in the world again. So sorry snow day, it's not going to happen. 

But I can't ignore the freezing rain and snow. It's freezing outside and I'm dreaming of warm sun on my face. The Cats, too, are dreaming of the sun. They are also dreaming of life before we brought home Alyce and Shira. They're good sports about everything for the most part, including the fact that they are living in the (large, furnished) basement of my mum's house while we're here. The rest of us are above ground, but their claws aren't welcome in civilized society. They somehow manage downstairs, what with the couches on which to lounge, the toys to chase around, and our nightly visits. Matt usually watches the basketball game with at least one cat on his lap. Sadly, it usually isn't Hille, who seems to be suffering a bit of depression since we moved here. He's just not his old self.

On this dreary, opposite of Leap Day day, I offer you the following list I made last night in my journal.

Things I want to do but that aren't massively time-sensitive or vital to family security:

• Learn to use imovie and edit some video.
• Master a white bean soup recipe (mine are always just ok).
• Start a morning walk with Shira. We're up at 5:00 am anyway, and now that the light is coming back to the morning, I think we do it. I'll warm up some milk for the road to keep her hands and body warm, pack her into the stroller, and we're good to go.
• Update and organize photos from forever ago. I have a gift card for 70 free prints and I need to seize this opportunity to go through the piles and piles (both digital and hard copies) of photos I've taken in the last year.
• Eat more salads.
• Go on a road trip to visits some friends, just me and The Children.

Do you have such a list? Does it have a catchier title than mine?

P.S. Speaking of cats, just today I stumbled upon the blog of a Toronto photographer who is helping Toronto Cat Rescue, a wonderful volunteer, non-profit cat rescue organization. It was through TRC that we adopted all three of The Cats. Pomegranate, Hillel, and Lucy were all abandoned street kittens who were originally fostered by the kindness of volunteers. So head over there and read about how Sara Lynn Paige is helping out TRC (and check out her other beautiful, non-cat-related images, too).