Melanie and the Mermaids

Our cat Melanie is 15 years old. Summer is not her favorite time of year. Usually you can find her in places where she tried to stay cool - in front of a fan, in the sink or the bathtub (the porcelain must be cooler for her).

This morning, I found her in the bathtub. Marina had taken a shower last night, so her mermaid toys were still in there. It made for a funny picture.

I can't help but wonder if Melanie thought of herself as the "Mermaid Hunter" as she lounged next to the seemingly helpless mermaids.

Monjer

A few days ago, Marina said, "Monjer," to me. She seemed very proud of herself.

"I don't know what that is," I replied.

"It's French," she said smiling.

Then the light bulb went off. "Bonjour?" I asked her.

"No, monjer. I learned in singing class."

"Do you mean 'hello' in French?"

"Yes, monjer!"

No matter how hard I tried, she would not accept that the correct pronunciation was not "monjer."

But I shouldn't complain. She has learned something!

Cleaning up

So, I've been working with Marina on picking up after herself. Not an easy task. But a princess can't be a slob. Lately I've been feeling like a broken record that no one is listening to. Then I opened the refrigerator and saw this:

I don't know if it's my constant nagging or the fact that sometimes her food sits out for too long before she decides to eat it. But this is progress, isn't it?