Max is four years old today! Happy Birthday, Max!
I tried to take a picture of him yesterday, but even during the daytime there is something weird about the lighting in my living room. I had to set my camera to a low-light setting just to get a non-blurry picture. So Max’s fourth birthday portrait is sort of a soft and dark glamor shot.
Denis had a party last night because his birthday was on Wednesday. One of the guests was a three-year-old who LOVED Max. Max hissed at him several times, but he was not deterred. It looked like Max would never warm up to the boy, but then the boy played with the Hex Bugs. Max could not resist.
I have been trying to get a picture of a yawning cat ever since I had Ned. Either I don’t have my camera, or the light is too low.
As I was on my way downstairs, Max was sitting in a spot of sun that was coming through the skylight. I was trying to take a picture of him, but my camera kept focusing on the bannister instead of him.
Then suddenly, he got up to stretch and yawn! Now was my chance!
Dang. I had my camera. The light wasn’t too low. But now my timing was off. I’ll keep trying. Can you make a cat yawn by showing him pictures of other cats yawning?
A couple of days ago, I got a package in the mail from Beth. That’s weird, I thought, Why would Beth be sending me a package?
So I opened it. Inside, it said: “Happy Birthday!” Oops! I opened a Birthday present early. But Yay! I opened a Birthday present early! Inside were some lovely new pieces of art from Tara for my refrigerator, and a giant blanket. I had told Beth that when I share a blanket with Max on the couch, my feet always end up sticking out because it’s too small. Well, this new blanket is really big. And soft. Max loves it.
And as requested, here’s a picture of the artwork:
Happy New Year! Woo hoo!
My trip to Baltimore could hardly be any more trouble-free than it was. I left Lincoln at 1pm Central Time, and arrived in Baltimore at 5:30pm Central Time. My flights were smooth, my seats were good, I slept, I read. My layover was only 35 minutes, and I was worried I would have trouble making the connecting flight, but I didn’t. Not only was I at the gate on time, but I had time to use the bathroom. Excellent! When I got to Baltimore, my suitcase was the fifth bag to come down the chute at baggage claim. I can’t believe how easily the trip went.
When I got home, Max was sitting on the couch looking all cute.
And I did the most brilliant thing for a New Year’s eve celebration: I went to bed early. You know, some superstitions say that whatever you do on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day is what will happen all year. I guess this will be a Year Of Rest. Nice.
Happy Birthday, Lauren! Your birthday is on a Saturday! Woo hoo! May your day be sparkly!
I got a letter from Nebraska yesterday. It was from Tara and Tim. They sent some pictures. But they were not for me. They were for Max. Beth said that Tara (who has her mothers memory) remembered that I said Max likes glitter paint. So she and Tim made him new creations. I laid them next to him on the couch, and he did what he does with glitter paint. He smelled it.
Thanks, Tara and Tim! Max loves your paintings. I will keep them on the floor a while so he can smell them some more, then I’ll hang them up so I can enjoy them a little too. 
