Our pets are getting old. Penny is 15 and recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. That at least explains the late-night warbling, the reemergence of the bushy tail, and the interest after all these years in treats. Nalia is 8 and just had another major operation yesterday to remove another mass; this one from her sternum. (Tenzing is a spry 4.5 and trucking right along.) Not that we see any immediate likelihood, but we’ve always been worried that Penny and Nalia might pass on around the same time. These recent ailments are a reminder that this could happen, and that would be hard for all of us to bear. On the other hand, when Penny was around six or seven I used to think that she’d only be around three more years, and she’s already doubled that, so we’ve been lucky as it is.

When Nalia was young and she and Penny had not yet established a relationship of co-apathy, they would have tussles like the following (from 2003):

Unfortunately I didn’t snap a shot at the moment the paw of doom came down a-thwack on Nalia’s nose.