Hank has been sleeping on the bed lately.  It used to be rare, but it’s becoming more frequent, so much so that I expect it.  It used to be that he’d sleep on the bed for only a few minutes before getting bored and getting up to explore.  Now he comes to bed almost at the same time as the rest of the family and stays there for most of the night.  He doesn’t waste time circling or nesting.  He  jumps up then plops down at his usual place, up against your legs.  I think this new relaxed Hank is a result of him getting older.  I miss the craziness but love the extra time with him.  I bet he likes it, too.  The rush of youth is fun, but what’s the point if you don’t slow down enough to enjoy it?

How many times have you been hanging out, watching TV on the couch, when you realize you want to grab a beer but can’t because you have an anchor on your lap?  In any other situation, it would be unacceptable to ask someone else in the room to get you that beer.  However, in this scenario, all you have to do is point at the cat on your lap and say you’d get it yourself if you could.  That person is likely to nod his or her head in total understanding.  Even worse is the bed shrinking effect when one of them decides to sleep in the middle.  Even so, I will let my legs go numb and wait until my side starts to ache before moving them.  Maybe if it happened more often, I would be concerned with my own comfort.  As it is, if anyone gets too close I put my hand up and say, “Don’t disturb the cat!”.