Calvin

When Jeff moved in thirteen years ago he brought two cats with him.  I'm allergic to cats (and dogs, and pretty much everything I touch!).  They make me itch.  But the problem didn't develop until a few years after I had lived with the cats, so we went about minimizing my contact with them as much as possible.  Rikki, who passed away a few years ago, was sweet, gentle, and well-behaved;  Calvin - let's just say Calvin was not.  But Calvin has mellowed in his old age, and as much as it seems that one of his life's goals is to do the opposite of what I want, the two of us have come to an understanding.  I take care of him while Jeff is in Maryland, and he actually listens to me now - most of the time.  He's always been quite the character with a mind of his own, and though age has slowed him down, he still has those qualities.  He's pretty frail now, and each visit to the vet we worry will be his last.  Today was one of those days.  Jeff had to take him in, and he had prepared himself for the worst.  But Calvin is like Timex - he takes a licking and keeps on ticking.  And fortunately, he got to come home again.  Some things will be easier when Calvin's gone - like me trying to avoid his cat hair.  But the house will definitely feel more empty without His Ornery Highness prowling around.  For now, though, he's home, happy, and sleeping in his favorite chair.  I found God today in my arch-nemesis Calvin beating the odds once again.