The little grey one is, but the others are total love bugs. I set up beds for them next to the house, and they greet me at the door every morning. My cat loves to go out and play with them. It does feel like I'm running a restaurant for French cats, but I don't mind.

The same thing happened to me about a year ago. But the red truck in my scenario was their feral mom. They're still around, all fixed and all chunky.

Beautiful pic, and welcome to France.

I'm re-reading my dad's letters home from the war. Here he is somewhere in Germany, April 1945. He was not impressed by the dissembling Nazi losers he saw on his way to Berlin.

I'd only lived in the countryside for a few months when I witnessed a cat scare the hind part off a lizard. The tail kept wagging like so. This city slicker had never even seen a lizard before let alone whatever this was. I thought I was tripping.

Please pardon the unsolicited advice, but I'd like to pass on the wisdom of a friend's grandma. When she saw me suffering over some onions, she told me to fill my mouth with water while cutting. I'm not sure why it works, but I've not shed a tear over an onion since that day.

I discovered it recently and my first thought was the BBC was having a stroke.

That is such a good idea. I just re-read FGT, and was so charmed that I ordered her cookbook and her new collection of stories. There will be some serious cooking going on while I read her stories.

I've just learned that Fannie Flagg published a new book last month, so am looking forward to some supremely cosy reading.

It's no wonder that criticism is getting gutted at outlets right now, because understanding how to process art on more than a surface level is antithetical to the monolithic "my way is the right way" edict of our current fascist regime. There's no room for interpretation or nuance. And that sucks.

A year later, and these little ones live next to my house. They're all fixed, vaccinated, and healthy. I don't see their mom anymore, but all her babies are thriving.

*Chef's kiss* for the alt text.

Monsieur Fanon?