Goodness, the last four months have flown by with nary a post from me. It�s a good thing I don�t make a living as a blogger!

Let�s see, I ended up taking the beginner French class I mentioned way back when and that coupled with a full load at work led to a very busy fall pour moi. The class met five days a week (I didn�t realize that until it started!) and was immersion, so the teacher spoke only French. I learned a lot and LOVED it, but was very relieved when it was finished in early December. I started the next level class today, which is one month long and will again be five days a week, but this time for 2.5 hours a day! I hope I can manage it. I�m auditing, so it doesn�t matter how I actually �do� in the class. My goal is to learn as much French as I can while I have the opportunity (and it�s free).

My biggest news is that after roughly 20 years of thinking about adopting a pet, I finally did it! I brought home the sweet baby cat below on the Saturday before Christmas, named her Jubilee, and we spent the next 1.5 weeks cuddling and getting to know each other. She�s about seven months old and is a total lovey snuggle bunny. She likes to curl up on my chest or in my lap and take lengthy snoozes. She�s kind of like a dog � follows me around, comes running when I call her, likes to be in the same room with me (and on top of me, if possible, but that�s starting to change as she gets used to my house (our home!) and matures). I need to get her some better cat food. Does anyone have recommendations for some good natural brands? Also, I�m using a very basic litter box at the moment and wondering if I should invest in one of the newfangled kinds that turn and sift out the waste for easy removal. Any thoughts or are most people still old-school scoopers?

At the risk of sounding like the world�s cheapest person, I�ve always been a bit worried about the expense of owning a pet, but now that sweet Juby has settled into my life with her companionship and serious cuteness, I can see that any money spent on her will be a worthwhile investment! I know there are many people on this site who love their fur babies, so that was part of the inspiration of my choice. Thanks!