From the entire staff of Artichoke Heart's House of Wayward Cats & Co. to all of you out there floating about in bits and bytes of electric flotsam and jetsam on the tides of the blogosphere!

It's a gorgeous, sunny day here in SoDak. The coffee is strong and fragrant, and the cats are either snoozing in the sun with their freshly slain crackly catnip toys, or obsessively fidoodling with their brand new rubber super balls. (They like to carry the super balls around in their mouths and then drop them on the hardwood floors and watch them bounce, heads nodding up and down in time to the balls, which makes them look like bobble-head cats, which I think is hilarious.) Dave Brubeck is washing through the bright light of the apartment. I'm getting ready to bake chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, and later on this afternoon I'll go have X-mas dinner with my friend E. and her family. Yesterday, there was a fabulous X-mas Eve party at my friend EB's house. In fact, the entire week will be filled with fun, and frolic, and friends. I love the wonderful incongruity of how, during the darkest week of the year, the lights and the feasting and the shimmer and the friends and the excess of festivus seems all the more delicious and bright.

In the meantime, Nobu, the kitten, would like to personally wish you a Happy Holiday Season by doing an exceedingly silly dance for you dressed up as an elf! (Shamelessly cadged from Corn Shake).

Happy holidays and new year,
Lee Ann. cheers!

That silly kitty! Happy holidays to you and the wayward ones, my dear. I hope that 2007 is happy, healthy, and filled with silliness and wonderment. xoxo

Thank you, Lee and Shelley! And happy (almost) new year to the both of you as well!