I'm taking a moment out of knitting to talk about my cats .. my pets .. those things that are reputed to lower ones blood pressure and bring companionship in a peaceful, undemanding way. I hate them.

One of them, the dumb beautiful one, hid under the Christmas tree long enough to completely remove the fibers from a small section of carpeting.

The other one is smart but evil. In the past he has brought into the yard several dead baby bunnies. One baby bunny was saved from him and he whined as it hopped away into the woods while he was forced to watch from the grasping hands of my son. He has (in the past .. not now) left kitty dropping in the wrong place. He is dishonest and purrs when he's being held and is trying to throw the holder off guard so he can jump away and run. I'm sure there are other way he is evil but he BIGGEST WAY is that last night, he was on my bed and I was there petting him. Unprovoked, he put his ears back and looked at me hard. I could see his pupils dilate. Blacker and blacker they grew til .. POUNCE .. he jumped at my head and surrounded it with his evil kitty arms. I had a scratch on one temple.

After I chased with him around spraying him with water, I allowed him to make it to the door where he waited to be let it.

"You can go out all right," I said, "but you're not walking out. I'm putting you out." I lifted him and shoved him out the door. Then I had fantasties of having both cats declawed ... or ... not even having cats. Might as well have a rottweiller.