Dear J,

Today, everyone in the house has anxiety medication available in case of emergency. I took Penny in for a routine vet visit yesterday; my sweet friend pretended to be feral. She made a long string of awful noises towards our vet; after an unsuccessful attempt on her part to chomp on poor Dr. Hudson’s hand, he asked was it okay if maybe we (meaning Paul and I) clipped her claws at home? And maybe next time we brought her in we could slip her some anti-anxiety meds a couple hours before the visit?

A day later, and I don’t think Penny has quite forgiven me yet. Bright Side Department: Moving Day will be easier for Penny if she’s on Kitty Quaaludes.

P and I still need to source two sets of nightstands, a queen sized headboard, and steamer trunk. But that’s pretty much it! I’ve really enjoyed the home design process, and sourcing stuff wasn’t so bad, but actually spending large sums of money (I discovered) makes me mildly queasy. Don’t get me wrong, we didn’t go wild… our Eames chair is a reproduction, about $6K less than the official version, and the Womb Chair cost essentially the same amount.

But still something in me cringes, watching those bank balance numbers shrink.

Still recovering from my fall the other day. I can make a fist with my left hand, which is progress. Not much grip strength, though. No video games for at least another week. My right shoulder is still wonky; I suspect that one is going to take a long time to resolve itself. In my college years, I went on a hiking trip with friends; we wound up going down a mountain in the dark, and in the process I messed my knees. Took years for the pain to go away, and I was a whippersnapper back then.

I can’t complain, though. Despite our family’s history of troubles and woe, I feel like I must be one of the luckiest people to ever walk the planet.

I mean, I have you in my life. Not to mention Penny and P.

Love,

C/