Carolyn's Critters

Dear Winston,
You’ve actually been playing recently. Just like a real cat!
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Is this what Puffin used to call le sarcasm?
Winston

Dear Winston,
Very clever of you sweetie. I like that. Well, sort of. But also I was serous. You’ve really started playing more. I think Charlie has been very good for you!
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
What was I doing before?
Winston

Dear Winston,
You were a serious sort of cat.
Love, Carolyn 

Mom,
I’ve played games! I’ve always played the pillow game!
Winston

Dear Winston,
That’s true. I stand corrected. You’ve played Pillow Shuffle from the start. No one knocks pillows off the sofa faster than you do.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
And I’ve always played Whap Whap.
Winston

Dear Winston,
Fair enough, that’s another one. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
I whap your paw, you try to whap mine. And you usually miss!!!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
And get a scratch in the process. A game only a cat or a toddler would think of.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
See? I’ve played games!
Winston

Dear Winston,
And you are doing a lot more playing lately. I saw you bat a mousie just now. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
I like White Mousie.
Winston

Dear Winston,
I think maybe because she’s easier for you to see.  Being white against the dark floor.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Everyone likes White Mousie. She’s very popular.
Winston

Dear Winston,
So popular she’s lost her tail. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
I also do Zoomies with Charlie!!!!!!! That’s SO MUCH FUN!!!!! And we wrestle!!!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
You sure do! It’s wonderful to see you loosen up like this.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Yesterday I started a new game. Sorting the Papers on the Desk.
Winston

Dear Winston,
That certainly is a new one. I was fine with Sit in the Middle of the Papers on the Desk. But Sorting the Papers looks like it will result in some collateral damage. That’s a game we’ll want to modify.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
What does modify mean?
Winston

Dear Winston,
It means change. We’re going to change that game so it isn’t so much fun. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Wny would you want to do that? 
Winston

Dear Winston,
So you’ll leave the papers alone. Humans don’t like games that get our papers all torn and chewed upon.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
But it’s a fun game!!!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
Sorry. All the papers will go into a box on the desk.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
So now we can play Knock the Box Off the Desk!!!!!
Winston

– 

A note to our readers…

Please subscribe! It’s free, and with a subscription you’ll get these weekly posts delivered right to your In Box. You’ll find the subscription link at the top of the page (If you are reading this in an email, go to https://carolynscritters.blog/ to subscribe.)  When you do, Poppy, Winston, Charlie and Elsa will all raise their paws to salute you!

Dear Elsa, 
You sounded insane this morning.
Love, Carolyn

Mum,
What was this morning?
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
Another one of your early morning wakeups.
Love, Carolyn

Mum,
I was insane?
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
You were flying around extremely wildly. 
Love, Carolyn

Mum,
I was dancing!!!!!
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
Oh! Well then, that’s actually wonderful. A weird, ecstatic sort of dance, choreographed by a cat. 
Love, Carolyn

Mum,
I LOVE to dance.
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
Honey, you were batting at the wall!
Love, Carolyn

Mum,
That was part of the dance.
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
The wall? That’s an interesting choice. 
Love, Carolyn

Mum,
An early morning dance with wall scratches.
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
You were rolling around on my slippers, and then you  spun off chasing your tail.
Love, Carolyn 

Mum,
That was also part of the dance.
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
I’m proud to live with such a creative cat. Our Dancing Queen! Or maybe more appropriately our Dancing Princess. Can we title your dance Feline Bacchanalia?
Love, Carolyn

Mum,
It needs a name?
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
A work of art usually has a name of some sort. 
Love, Carolyn

Mum,
Will visitors want to see my dance?
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
Not if you’d rather they didn’t.
Love, Carolyn

Mum,
I’d still rather hide under the bed when visitors come over.
Love, Elsa

– 

A note to our readers…

Please subscribe! It’s free, and with a subscription you’ll get these weekly posts delivered right to your In Box. You’ll find the subscription link at the top of the page (If you are reading this in an email, go to https://carolynscritters.blog/ to subscribe.)  When you do, Poppy, Winston, Charlie and Elsa will all raise their paws to salute you!

Dear Poppy,
Let’s go for our walk now!
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
It’s too hot for a walk!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
You’re right, it’s really warm today. But we both need our walk.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Do we really?
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
You need your afternoon constitutional.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
My what?????
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Your poop walk.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Oh, ok. 
XOXO Poppy 

Dear Poppy,
And you have one job – ONE JOB – and that job is to take me for a walk every day.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
You don’t poop on your walk.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
No, thank heavens it has never come to that. But I need the exercise!
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Can’t you go by yourself?
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
You need the exercise too! And you love the walks! You’ll remember that as soon as you see your leash.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
That’s my leash! We’re going for a walk!!!!!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
See? Works every time. 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Are we going to walk past the house with the barky little dog?
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
I think not, sweetie. Let’s skip him today, ok? I was thinking we could walk over to the Avenue. I’ve got a birthday card I want to drop at the post office. 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
I love the Avenue! Ed at the antique store gives me treats!!!!!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
He sure does. You are a shameless beggar. 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
He says I’m a sweet little dog.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
You’ve got Ed wrapped around your little finger.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
And then the bookstore!!!!! We HAVE to go into the bookstore!!!!!!!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Yep, more dog treats there. See, getting your daily workout has its compensation.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Do we need more coffee beans? I love to stop at the coffee store!!!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Nope, we don’t need coffee beans today sweetie. So, sorry, no treats from the coffee store folks. You’ll just have to survive on the goodies from Ed and the book store crew.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
I don’t know why Jim the homeless guy doesn’t give me treats. He loves me!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
He’s hoping that we will give him treats.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
You do! You always put something in his cup.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Everyone needs treats.
Love, Carolyn

– 

A note to our readers…

Please subscribe! It’s free, and with a subscription you’ll get these weekly posts delivered right to your In Box. (You’ll find the subscription link at the top of the page at carolynscritters)  When you do, Poppy, Winston, Charlie and Elsa will all raise their paws to salute you!

Hey Charlie,
I’ve got a lap that needs a cat!
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Can’t. Busy now.
Charlie

Charlie,
You’re staring at the ceiling. How busy is that?
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Something moved. A dot. A dot on the ceiling. Moved. Moved again.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
It’s probably just a gnat. Glad we’ve got you here to take care of gnats. It’s gone now. Come sit on my lap!
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Can’t now. Still busy. Now I need to check the dining room window.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
You do like to work the windows. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
The dining room window is the best. It looks out on the bird feeder. The Titmouse is out there now. And the Chickadees will be right back.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
I’m glad someone is keeping track.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
The House Sparrows just showed up! And the feeder needs more seeds.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
Thank you sweetie, I’ll get on it. And it’s House Finches, not Sparrows.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Ok, Finches. Like anyone cares. Anyway, the kitchen window is the best. It has the cat tree right there to sit on. And a view of the sidewalk. The neighbor with the obnoxious little barky dog just walked by.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
If Poppy weren’t napping she’d have a fit.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
WAIT!!!!!!! Is that a FLY? YES!!! There’s a fly in the house!!!
Charlie

Ok Charlie,
STOP!!!!
Carolyn 

Mom
I’m on it!!!
Charlie

Charlie 
NO NO NO!!!!!!!!
Carolyn 

Hey Mom,
Nice job! We got it!!! No need for all that yelling.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
I wish you’d just give me a moment to get out the fly swatter. This is the second time a lamp went over while you careen through the room after a bug.
Love, Carolyn

– 

A note to our readers…

Please subscribe! It’s free, and with a subscription you’ll get these weekly posts delivered right to your In Box. (You’ll find the subscription link at the top of the page at carolynscritters)  When you do, Poppy, Winston, Charlie and Elsa will all raise their paws to salute you!

Mom,
I hate to say it, but I think you are bear crazy.
Winston

Dear Winston,
Usually when someone says they “hate to say it,” it generally means they are dying to say it.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Now I’m confused.
Winston

Dear Winston,
I’m sorry. So, I’m bear crazy? What do you mean by that? 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
You think about bears all the time.
Winston

Dear Winston,
No I don’t.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
Yes you do. You keep saying that Charlie likes to poke the bear.
Winston

Dear Winston,
That’s true. He does. He loves to give you a hard time.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Me? So I’m the bear????
Winston

Dear Winston,
Yes sweetie. Well, okay, not literally. I forget how literal you all are. But you are the big guy that he likes to bug. Poke you, and then run like crazy. So that’s what poke the bear means. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
He doesn’t really poke. More like he swats me.
Winston

Dear Winston,
Literal. All of you.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
You also say “loaded for bear” when I come looking for Elsa. You say that. You say “Here comes Winston, loaded for bear.”
Winston

Dear Winston,
That’s an old expression. “Loaded” referred to bullets. It meant someone had their gun ready to shoot a bear. I guess you’d need special ammunition for an animal as big as a bear.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
What????? That sounds TERRIBLE!!!!! Why would anyone even have a gun????? Why would anyone even want to shoot a bear????? The thought of it makes me need to hide!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
Calm down, sweetie, I agree. I don’t want to shoot a bear! It’s just an expression to point out how scary you look when you come looking for Elsa.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
She’s scary herself. Have you heard her growl?
Winston

Dear Winston,
I hear it all the time, when you two face off under the bed.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
And now tell me what teddy bears are. Because you said Charlie is just a sweet teddy bear.
Winston

Dear Winston,
They are cuddly plushy toys. Everyone loves teddy bears! So that was just a nice thing for me to say about him.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
That may be, but when he knocked over the vase of flowers this morning, you yelled that he was the Worst Cat Ever.
Winston

Dear Winston,
That incident got water all over the dining table. And then he went on to eviscerate the roses. That bouquet was my garden’s first lovely blooms of the season. So annoying.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
He loves to play with plants!
Winston

Dear Winston,
I’ll need to give up on flower bouquets inside the house until Charlie grows out of his adolescence. Assuming he ever does.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
So maybe we need to have a real bear come visit, to give Charlie a scare! Poppy says real bears are TERRIFYING!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
She knows first hand, doesn’t she. From when we had a bear break-in at the cabin a couple of years ago.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Poppy says you were as scary as the bear was.
Winston 

Dear Winston,
I was. I’m proud of that incident. My friend and I banged on pots and roared at the bear when she tried to come through the kitchen window. Poppy was mightily impressed.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
Poppy said she stood behind the two of you, in silent solidarity, so the bear would know that there was a fierce dog standing guard there. 
Winston

Dear Winston,
Yeah, I’m not sure the bear was thinking that. But she stared at the three of us, and then backed her way out the window. And walked off trying to look nonchalant. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Poppy says that’s something for all of us to keep in mind. 
Winston

Dear Winston,
That we should yell at any bear who tries to come in? 
Love, Carolyn 

Mom,
That that we should never EVER cross you.
Winston

Dear Winston,
She should tell Charlie that. Next time he’s eying a vase full of roses.
Love, Carolyn

– 
A note to our readers…
Please subscribe! It’s free, and with a subscription you’ll get these weekly posts delivered right to your In Box. (You’ll find the subscription link at the top of the page at carolynscritters)  When you do, Poppy, Winston, Charlie and Elsa will all raise their paws to salute you!

Dear Elsa,
You were playing with your ball track at 4:30 in the morning. 4:30.
Love, Carolyn

Mum,
And you took it away from me and put it in the closet!
Elsa

Dear Elsa
Why do you think I did that?
Love, Carolyn

Mum,
I don’t know!!!!  I need to practice! I’m getting really good!!!!!
Elsa

Dear Elsa,
Maybe you could reschedule your practice. To daytime. When folks are awake.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
4:30 is a great time to be awake!
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
Maybe for a cat. Not for humans. You woke me up.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
You were probably already awake. 
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
Not at that hour, sweetie.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
But the game is so exciting!!!! The balls go really fast and bump into each other!!!!
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
I know what the game does. I could hear it. You must have been playing that noisy game for at least twenty minutes. Which is actually pretty impressive. For a cat, twenty minutes is a really long time for anything other than a nap.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
What do you mean, for a cat?
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
Cats have short attention spans. But you clearly have a lot of focus on that game.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
I’m much better at it than Charlie is. He doesn’t even know how to whack the ball.
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
I don’t think he cares. 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
And Winston doesn’t even look at the track. 
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
He didn’t even bother to wake up when you were making that racket. But he has other skills.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
Like…?
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
Okay. Well. He can be a sweet lap cat.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
Seriously? That’s all? He’s so lame. 
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
He’s pretty good at spooking you.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
He’s really big. So when he comes looking for me, I’m smart to hide.
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
Fair enough.
Love, Carolyn

– 
A note to our readers…

Please subscribe! It’s free, and with a subscription you’ll get these weekly posts delivered right to your In Box. (You’ll find the subscription link at the top of the page at carolynscritters)  When you do, Poppy, Winston, Charlie and Elsa will all raise their paws to salute you!

Dear Mom,
Winston and I were wondering what’s going on with the Best title.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
The what title?
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
The Best Cat Ever title. 
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Oh good grief, we’re not rehashing that one again, are we?
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Charlie has been going around saying he’s the Best Cat Ever.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Oh he is, for sure.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Winston and I told him he can’t be the Best Cat Ever because Winston has held the title since Mia passed.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Wait, I didn’t ever say that about Puffin?
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Puffin always claimed that you said he was the Best, but Mia told him we didn’t believe him.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Mia was probably just trying to give Puffin a hard time.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
He had it coming. But it’s confusing, because you say that about every cat. How can EVERY cat be the Best Cat Ever?
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Not every cat. Just the cats in our family. Who have all been awesome. Mia was definitely the Best Cat Ever. But so was Puffin. And so is Winston. And Charlie and Elsa.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Now that I think about it, and don’t tell him I said this, but Winston is off the rails crazy. I don’t know if he really qualifies. And Elsa is so shy she spends all her time under the bed. So that leaves Charlie. 
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Leaves Charlie…for what?
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Charlie is normal. Wonderfully normal. Maybe he’s the Most Normal Cat Ever.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
That’s high praise from a dog.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
I’m still the Best Dog Ever, right?
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
No worries. That title is yours forever.
Love, Carolyn

– 

A note to our readers…
Please subscribe! It’s free, and with a subscription you’ll get these weekly posts delivered right to your In Box. (You’ll find the subscription link at the top of the page at carolynscritters)  When you do, Poppy, Winston, Charlie and Elsa will all raise their paws to salute you!

Dear Winston,
I’ve been thinking about an interesting wrinkle in the relationships between you cats.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
A wrinkle??????? There’s a wrinkle???????
Winston

Dear Winston,
That’s just an expression, sweetie. I’ve been thinking about the interesting fact that cats are both predator and prey. Cats are predators that go after birds and rodents. And at the same time cats are the prey of larger predators. Like coyotes. 
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
This is what you think about?
Winston

Dear Winston,
Well, sometimes. Because here’s what’s interesting. Remember how much Puffin loved his evening game – the prey on a wand?
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
He LOVED that game!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
He insisted we had to play it every evening. And he loved it because he was way over on the Predator end of the cat Predator/Prey spectrum.
Love, Carolyn 

Mom,
And this is interesting?
Winston

Dear Winston,
Hang on. It gets better. Because you, on the other hand, have always been way over on the Prey end.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
I am?
Winston

Dear Winston,
Definitely. Which is ironic, because you have such a Puma vibe. But it’s partly because your vision is so poor. You never showed any interest in the wand toy. Or any toys for that matter. I don’t think you could see them well enough. But it’s more than that. You are spooky. Always looking over your shoulder. You jump at the slightest noise. If I sneeze you fly out of the room. That’s prey behavior. Even in the litter box you and Puffin were at opposite ends of the spectrum.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
That should be private.
Winston

Dear Winston,
Not when I’m the one who cleans it. So here’s what I noticed. You completely cover your stuff. That’s smart Prey behavior. Hide any trace of yourself. But sometimes Puffin would leave a giant turd there, without bothering to cover it. Arrogant Predator behavior that marks the territory as his.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
Sometimes I covered his stuff for him. But wait a minute. This is creepy. How do you know who does what? Do you spy on us?
Winston

Dear Winston,
Because Puffin always used the box facing out, and you always use it facing in. So that’s how you leave your stuff.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
You are really weird. 
Winston

Dear Winston,
Stay with me. It gets better. What I’m finding really interesting here is that when the kittens became part of our household, something very important and very transformational happened. You became a Predator! For the first time in your life! The day that little Elsa ducked away when she saw you coming, a switch in your brain flipped. From Prey to Predator. And you’ve been acting the Predator with her ever since.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
It’s not like I’m going to EAT her!
Winston

Dear Winston,
Thank heavens for that. And seriously, nobody is accusing you of that. It’s predator cosplay! And it’s clear you are having a blast with your new-found self. So, no wonder it’s so hard to change the dynamic between the two of you. It’s such a heady new feeling. And you are having so much fun. 
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
It IS fun!!!!! And it’s not just me. Charlie thinks so too! He plays that same game with Elsa! He chases her and they mix it up. And she screams and growls at him.
Winston

Dear Winston,
She is quite a screamer, isn’t she! But when they aren’t playing like that, they can quietly hang out next to each other. But because of your constant stalking, she ducks away from you when you come into the room. Every time. Instead of being part of the household, she barely leaves the bedroom, and she still spends a lot of time under the bed. I wish we could make your game just an occasional thing. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
But it’s so much fun.
Winston

Dear Winston,
And anything as fun as that is not going to stop any time soon. Fortunately though we’re seeing some progress. I notice now that when you chase her under the bed, she stops there and growls at you, and since the chase is over, you walk away. Not an ideal situation, but progress.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
She’s a sassy girl.
Winston

Dear Winston,
Thank heavens she is. So hopefully she’ll learn to stand her ground and growl at you in the first place, instead of flinching and running.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
But the chase is SO MUCH FUN!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
And there’s always the possibility that she’s beginning to think it’s fun too.
Love, Carolyn 

– 

A note to our readers…

Please subscribe! It’s free, and with a subscription you’ll get these weekly posts delivered right to your In Box. (You’ll find the subscription link at the top of the page at carolynscritters)  When you do, Poppy, Winston, Charlie and Elsa will all raise their paws to salute you!

Dear Elsa,
You’ve been playing with my laptop again.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
Maybe.
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
I know it’s you. You’re the only one who clicks on Enable Dictation. Every time.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
I had to go on the internets to see Rackarkatten.
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
What is that?
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
Not what, who.
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
Ok, who is Rackarkatten?
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
She’s my HERO!!!!!!!!!
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
Are we talking about a cat?
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
Not just any cat, a famous cat! Her name means Rascal Cat. She lives in Sweden and she’s really fast! 
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
A wild cat? Like a cheetah, or an ocelot?
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
No! She’s a regular cat!!!! A great big fluffy Siberian. And she loves to race.
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
She races with other cats?
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
No!!! She races with her person on the country roads around their house! His name is Magnus. She wins every time.
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
A man and a cat race around the Swedish countryside?
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
Yes!!!!! It started when Magnus took her for walks. Then she found she likes to run. And then, she discovered she likes to race!!!!! 
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
Ok, I had to look that up and I found her on the internet! She’s seventeen years old and semi-retired now, but she’s still impressive!
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
She is!!!!! She’s my hero!!!  You should start calling me Elsakatten.
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
She’s a competitive lass, just like you! And I like that she’s a big floof, and one would assume that this is a cat who would prefer a fireside nap, but instead she’s a killer competitor on the raceway! 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
She wins every time! Even in the snow.
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
Magnus shovels out a track for her.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
I’m really fast too! I’m as fast as the wind!!!!!
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
You are, and with thundering feet. I don’t know how such a dainty girl can make such a racket on my wooden floors.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
That’s what it takes to be a winner just like Rackarkatten!
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
You do have a “bring it on” sort of winner vibe when you’re growling at Winston under the bed. I Just wish that weren’t at 4:30 in the morning. You are a bit of a rascal, so maybe we’ll start calling you RackarElsa.
Love, Carolyn

– 

A note to our readers…

Please subscribe! It’s free, and with a subscription you’ll get these weekly posts delivered right to your In Box. (You’ll find the subscription link at the top of the page at carolynscritters)  When you do, Poppy, Winston, Charlie and Elsa will all raise their paws to salute you!

Mom,
I love this little horse!!!!!
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
It’s sweet isn’t it! I got it for a friend’s child. 
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
You usually give teddy bears to kids.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
Not always. When I got this I was thinking about Chinese New Year – it’s the Year of the Horse.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Horses have their own year?
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
Yes they do, and this year it’s extra special – it’s a Fire Horse!
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Wow! Fun!!!!! Does it burst into flame?
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
That would NOT be fun. And no, the name just means its an especially dynamic, high energy year. Which happens every sixty years.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
I think you should give this horse to me.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
We might as well call it yours. You keep grabbing it by a leg and hauling it away to a hiding place.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
When will they have a Year of the Cat?
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
Sorry, the Chinese don’t have a year of the cat. They honor dogs, monkeys, pigs, even rats. I love that they appreciate rats.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Rats?????
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
They say rats represent curiosity, intelligence and wit. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Cats are all those things!!!!!
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
I totally agree. I don’t know why they don’t have a Year of the Cat.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
We need to get cats added to the list!!! We have members of our family who are Chinese. Maybe they can make it happen.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
I’ll let you be the one to bring that up.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
??????????
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
Okay, let’s go see where you’ve hidden that little horse.
Love, Carolyn

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