Love & Tabletop Key

Dear John,

 

I think the animals love me. When I got home Jethro was barking and trying to come through the door as usual, his new kitty was right behind him running toward me and squeaking, and Hunter and Abby were right behind her. I don't know what they were up to when the garage door went up. But they greeted me with great enthusiasm.

 

Tomorrow I'll be in LaGrange in the morning for training, and in the afternoon I'll take the new kitten to the vet. Tomorrow night I will know gender for certain, so I'll have a name - this is getting linguistically complex. She (provisionally) has been asleep in my lap since I came home and fed her. She's eating me out of house and home, and she's still skin and bones. The eye infection is better, probably due to improved nutrition. She still needs antibiotic ointment for her eyes, and she'll need tummy medicine and to be checked for parasites - her stools are runny and she can't completely control them. And none of this is in the least surprising.

 

Jen and Elyssa came by today - Elyssa is just home from six weeks in Florida. She's eight years old now - can you believe it? Her birthday party will be Sunday afternoon. She's so big! I picked her up this morning and realized that I probably shouldn't do that anymore - she's too big and my back is too old! Thank you for being sure I was there for her birth. You did all the financing and trip-planning, and drove all the way to Detroit to meet my flight home. Cell reception was so bad that I could only call you from one rock on Tabletop Key. When we made that last trip to the Keys before you died, it made me happy to take you to that rock and show it to you. I feel very sentimental about that rock.

 

Do you get reception from that rock now? I can't call you from here, I know. But if I went back to Tabletop Key and called you from there, could I talk to you? It would be worth the trip.

 

Missing your voice,

Joan.