Longtime readers will remember the February 2004 entry "extracurricular eating," which until today stood alone as the oddest event we've ever dealt with while attempting to 'parent' our very large, very STUPID six-year-old cats.

Have I mentioned lately that they're STUPID?

There is silence, scented with bergamot, and a cup of tea that more than one friend has told me whose leaves smell "more like a big sweaty guy named Earl than some proper English tea called Earl Grey."

In the past month, the angle of the sun has changed enough that the guest bedroom now sees bright slats of midafternoon light. For the sixth autumn straight, the cats have made it a point to sunbathe and drowse amidst the motes. They doze in tangles of brotherly paws and tails, kitty-snoring into each others' ears amidst the fresh-folded laundry.

I'd just like to note that if you search for "cat abuse" on answers.com, domesticat.net is the fourth result.If you like, see the original post. It contains a truly graphic photo (which you can click on to get an even larger version of the graphic abuse they undergo here at this house).

Yes. Abused severely. I suppose someone should rescue them and … uh … ok, I'm out of ideas here … anyone want two obscenely large cats? They're friendly, really, except when they're not.

…and if you're patient, you'll end up with a scarf.Scarf #2 in the Make Harry Potter Scarves For Friends project is now done. Silly me forgot to take a photo of scarf #1, which was a Slytherin scarf that was a stealth birthday present for a friend, in that "You just thought I was making this for someone else, didn't you?" kind of way I'm so bad at.

Update, 28 June 2005, Wesley's Slytherin scarf. … thanks, Mary, for the photo.

Only in our house would the phrase "you should move the snarling beast" be greeted with such equanimity. Or, better said, boredom. It is, after all, just our nickname for the vacuum cleaner.

Better. Much better.

My white cell count has dropped to 8,000, which is back down to within normal ranges. My chest x-rays are much clearer than they were last week, and my sounds & volume are much better than they were before. We did one last breathing treatment with albuterol, and he instructed me to go home and rest.

The strength of the antibiotic I'm on right now is causing … uh … issues, but this was anticipated. I don't have to return for another follow-up treatment unless I am still wheezing by Thursday.