This is a seriously cute cat. Tim took this picture this past weekend while we were visiting my parents in Virginia. The little fella pictured is JJ, short for Joey Junior. (Joey Senior was an orange marmalade cat that we Bennetch kids grew up with.) Between playing with JJ and moms' other critters, hanging out with the folks, and visiting the pretty little town of Staunton, Tim and I had a great time. Not only was it just super nice to feel at home and loved by your folks, but it was fabulous to get out of NY for a while, too! It was bizarre to drive into a state, go to pump some gas, and all of the sudden - notice that everyone is smiling at you! (Instead of the usual glares of "inconvenienced" and generally angry people we encounter here daily...) I love the fact that priorities are different in various places, but I want to make sure that I can, at least, retire in a place that has the same set of values that I hold dear - such as friendliness and customer service!

Ohh! And as a side note, we got to visit the Blackfriar Playhouse in Staunton, VA which is always a treat. They were doing All's Well that Ends Well, my least favorite Shakespearean play, but they really did an amazing job of it. If anyone is ever in the area, I would highly recommend seeing ANYTHING there! (This is unpaid advertising...)