Carolyn Holm

Hey Mom,
I have a new name for myself. You can call me Slim Shady.
Winston

Dear Winston,
That name has been taken. It’s the nickname of a famous rap singer.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
I know!!!! Eminem said I could use it too.
Winston

Dear Winston,
I kinda doubt that, sweetie.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
The name fits me perfectly, because I’m skinny and I’m dark!
Winston

Dear Winston,
Okay, That pretty much describes you. You have a slender hourglass figure and you are gorgeously dark.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
And glossy!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
And glossy! I’m proud of you for your grooming. You take really good care of your coat.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
I’m better at grooming than Puffin. The vet said he has been getting careless.
Winston

Dear Winston,
We need to cut that old guy some slack. Puffin is sixteen years old this month! So I’m helping him by brushing the two of you every day, Well, mostly Puffin, but I give you a token brush each time. 
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
With treats! But Puffin gets most of the treats.
Winston

Dear Winston,
He gets more because they are not just tasty, they are formulated to be good for skin and coat health. And he needs that. And he needs to be bribed with treats because when we first started the grooming, he was hissing and biting.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
Now he loves being groomed. But I still have a better coat. And I take better care of my feet than Puffin does. 
Winston

Dear Winston,
You do! You are impressive! Every day you carefully clean each foot, going over each claw, and between the toes. Puffin is terrible. He carries bits of litter around in his feet. Sometimes it’s so bad that I have to wash his feet in the sink. Which makes him furious, hissing and biting. He’s been a lot of fun lately.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Feet are important!!!!! I love my body parts!!!!! And I’ve got some weird body parts!!!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
Wait, what body parts are weird?
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
My ears! You said I’ve got airplane ears.
Winston

Dear Winston,
I was referring to the way your ears go to the side a lot of the time.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
And I’ve got a Wig Wag!!!!!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
That you do! That pouchy part hanging under your tummy called the Primordial Pouch. But I like to call it your Wig Wag because it swings back and forth when you trot. I think it’s hilarious.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
And my tail is disconnected. You said it has a life of its own!!!!!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
That it does. You can be stretched out looking perfectly relaxed, purring with your eyes closed and ears at a lazy “airplane ears” angle, and at the same time your tail is on another planet, twitching double time.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
I like that part of me is on another planet.
Winston

Dear Winston,
I’d like to see that planet.
Love, Carolyn

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A note to our readers…

Poppy, Winston, and Puffin are looking forward to sharing their weekly correspondence with you! Each week one of them is featured here, all based upon actual conversations. And yes, you can get the week’s post conveniently in your email every Friday by subscribing in the subscriber box at the top of this page. (If you are reading this in an email, go to blog.carolynholm.com to subscribe.) If you have already subscribed, multiple paws are raised to salute you!