Carolyn Holm

Dear Winston,
Why don’t you ever let me carry you? When I pick you up, half the time you fly off in a wild panic and I get slashed! And yesterday you took off and ripped my sweatshirt with your hind claw. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
It was an accident.
Winston

Dear Winston,
I saw news footage of a woman fleeing the Los Angeles wildfire, carrying a cat. And that sweet cat LET her. In all that terrifying chaos. And I remember when the Ukraine war began, and folks were fleeing Kyiv, there was news footage of a train platform, and in the crowd several people there were carrying cats. In the middle of all that chaos. And the cats were calmly going along with it! You would never allow that. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Wildfire? War? What are cats even DOING there?????
Winston

Dear Winston,
Maybe cats are so smart that they evaluate the situation, decide it’s dire, and say “Looks like she’s got a handle on this, I’ll just let her take care of the two of us.”
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
We should go find a train platform to see what I will do!
Winston

Dear Winston,
You’d struggle, jump down, and go tearing off in a zoomie, yelling “Let ’er rrrrrrrrip!!!!!”
Love, Carolyn 

Mom
I like the word rip. Yelling “run” just isn’t the same.
Winston 

Dear Winston,
That’s interesting. Running around the house. Ripping around the house. I see what you’re saying! Ripping has more ring to it. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Today I’m doing a lot of ripping!!! I’m getting all Rippery!!!!!!!
Winston

Winston,
Rippery? I don’t think that’s a word. So, good for you, you made up a new word! I like that!
Carolyn

Hey Mom,
I got all rippery on the sofa!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
Yep, a whole lot of zoomies have been going on today.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Not that kind of rippery!!! A different kind of rip.
Winston

Dear Winston,
Like the rip in my sweatshirt?
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Possibly.
Winston

Dear Winston,
Okay. What have you gotten into? What have you torn?
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Don’t worry, Poppy said it was ok!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
You’re getting permission from Poppy now?
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
It’s a long story. I was ripping around the house and I jumped Puffin. He didn’t care for that. He said some rude things. 
Winston

Dear Winston,
As is his wont. 
Love, Carolyn 

Mom,
His what? 
Winston

Dear Winston,
Bugging Puffin is kind of like playing with fire. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
He growled and whacked me. I said WOO HOO!!!!!! and ripped off!
Winston

Dear Winston,
That does sound like fun. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
That was when I found there was a whole new game on the sofa. And Poppy said it was allowed.
Winston

Dear Winston,
So it was you who shredded the newspaper.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
No, first I hid under it. Then I made it rustle. And THEN I shredded it. And it was the COMICS!!!!! I love the comics!!!!! 
Winston

Dear Winston,
We all do. It’s the first thing I read every morning. So that I can get my day started on the right foot.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Now I’m confused. You read the comics with your feet?
Winston

Dear Winston,
No sweetie. Never mind. Anyway, I’m glad we had this conversation or I might have blamed Poppy for the shredded paper mess.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
She doesn’t even know how to play with paper. She just sat there and watched while I got all rippery. And then she barked at me.
Winston

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