February 2026
Hello friends,
It's been a hard winter around here, even given the general background of fascism and horror that the US is living through at the moment. At the end of January, we lost our sweet Wimsey cat, after surgery complications. He was old and had FIV, and had slowly been failing, so we don't fault the vets involved, but it was still a huge shock and blow.
And immediately afterwards, I got on a plane to Oregon to help my mom get ready for a house move later this year. I won't lie, I thought about cancelling. But in the end, I'm glad I went. It was fun and emotional to sort through all the different little pieces of our lives and family history. I took a lot of picture of pictures, so I can look through them and remember. (Plus, we had a lovely day on the coast.)
We also lost a family friend and long time member of our church community recently. Although his health was also failing and we were able to say goodbye, it brought back so much emotion from the loss of my godfather last summer, as well as missing David himself. It's hard. It's always hard to lose someone who's been a part of your life for so long, whether it's your godfather, or your cat, or someone who radiated joy every time he saw you.
Although we're still grieving Wimsey a lot, we decided that the house being empty of cats wasn't helping. We didn't expect to fall in love with the first cats we met, but we did! Bear and Mouse are eight months old siblings. They have been living with us for a little over two weeks now and they're delightful. We were hoping for a bonded pair, and for at least one snuggle bug and we got thm: Bear loves to sleep on our legs and Mouse loves pets (when she's in the mood). We already love them so much.
*
If you've been around for a while, you probably have seen photos of Wimsey, because I have taken a lot over the eleven years that we lived together. He was my cat from the moment he stepped out of the carrier at a rescue center where my friend Anna worked at the time. We frequently had arguments, because we were both stubborn beings and sometimes he missed being a street cat and expressed his opinion about being stuck inside very forcefully. One time, he deliberately kept sitting on my knitting; when I dumped him onto the floor, he jumped right back onto the table and plopped down on the yarn again.
He was also a lap cat through and through. When it was too hot to sit on laps, he would lie next to us and stretch out his paws so they touched our legs. He loved to sleep in weird positions, with all four paws in the air, or with his head tucked into the corner of an armchair.
One of his great joys in life was shredding paper, including a check that my Nana sent to help with wedding expenses. He loved catnip but was terrified of some catnip bubbles I tried once. He liked to look out of the window and meow when he saw me coming home. He loved the water you drain from a can of chickpeas–but only chickpeas, no other canned beans.
When R came into the picture, I wasn't sure how it would go, but they were instantly best buddies. The first time R and I held hands, Wimsey put his paw on top, which we always joke was a sign of his approval. I don't really believe in pets as children, but I do believe they're part of a family and he was ours. He was my best cat, and I'll probably always miss him.
*
Winter is finally on the way out and spring is finally coming. It's been a hard winter for weather too, with a major snowstorm and some very cold days (and nights). But now the days are getting longer and the warmth is returning. With it come the first signs of spring. We've already had a few snowdrops and dwarf irises blooming, although a sudden cold snap cut them short for now. Crocuses and daffodils are starting to poke their green leaves above ground. Garlic planted last fall is sprouting. Even the cold days don't hold the same bitter strength.
Indoors, I have the first pepper seeds planted and coming up, along with some leeks and bunching onions that I'm hoping will sprout soon. This will be the fourth garden I plant in this house and every year I learn something new and unexpected.
February Children's Graphic Novels
Books I’m personally excited about are marked with a **
I Survived the California Wildfires, 2018 by Lauren Tarshis | 2/3
Camp Monster by Kate Messner | 2/3
Mighty by Judd Winick | 2/3
Unicorn Secrets: Another Phoebe and Her Unicorn Adventure by Dana Simpson | 2/10
Pokemon: Scarlet and Violet, Vol. 04 by Hidenori Kusaka | 2/10
Litterbox Time Machine by Rich Moyer | 2/17
Sew Much Trouble by John Patrick Green | 2/17
Lair of the Owl King by Susie Yi | 2/24 **
Spells Like Trouble by Scout Underhill | 2/24
Other things
A very neat vocal reconstruction of the progression of English
Want to learn more about the US and Canadian women's hockey teams? I've got you covered
Wishing you a light in the dark places,
Maureen