getting lucky

No, I have not decided to try to garner an "X" rating for my blog.

Lucky just happens to be the name of the newest member of our happy little family.

See, Maxwell, despite all parental desires to keep him from growing up, seems determined to hit that six-year-old mark. Yes, this he shall do come Wednesday. And well, let's face it, turning 6 deserves a really special present, doesn't it? (And for logistical reasons, Max got to open his special present a few days early.)



What kid wouldn't be thrilled with a cat toy, right? Yeah, it didn't fool him for a second either. After he opened his mouse-on-a-string, it was off to the Lollypop Farm, the local animal shelter. They are so wonderful there, as we learned back when we adopted Baker. They take infinite care to make sure that pet and family are a good match. After talking about your family--kids, other pets, special needs, etc.--they help steer you to the animals who would most likely mesh well into their new family. Max, of course, was the one who got to choose which cats he wanted to meet. (They have little "meet-and-greet" rooms where they bring in the cat or dog to interact with their potential adopters.) Max immediately fell in love with Lucky. The woman thought he might be a good match, so she brought him in, and Max's dream came true. Lucky was immediately as taken with Max as Max was with Lucky. In fact, Lucky was so instantly comfortable with all of us that we knew it was meant to be! The woman said she fully expected to have to bring in five or six cats before finding one that would be even half as receptive as Lucky was. Face it, being plunged into a little room with 5 complete strangers must be unnerving. But you'd have never known it to see Lucky. He rubbed up against all of us, rolled over playfully on the floor, and let all the kids hold him.




You know those times in life that you just have to think, "What on Earth did I do to get so lucky?!!" Well, this is definitely one of those times! (And there was no pun intended...it just seems hard to avoid.)















As for Aldo and Baker, the jury's still out. Lucky is to stay quarantined in our room for 4 or 5 days before mingling. Both for "getting used to" purposes and because he's recovering from a case of kitty pink eye. They do, of course, know of one another's existence, but how the face-to-face will go remains to be seen.

So, if I were listing the good stuff for today, I would definitely have to top that list with a sweet, undeniably affectionate, playful bundle of black and white fur, who in no time stole the hearts of this family.