One of the most endearing things about my husband is that he refuses to go to bed without me. That means if I’m not ready to go to bed when he is, usually because I’m reading (okay, always because I’m reading), then he gets horizontal on the couch, puts a cloth napkin over his face to block the light, and “rests his eyes” until I’m ready for bed. This is very, very sweet and I appreciate it. On the down side, the last thing he does before bed every night, on the nights we go at the same time, is clean out the kitty litter… He doesn’t do this before resting his eyes, however. That means that when I wake him up, I mean tell him the resting period is over and it’s time to go to bed, he stumbles off to the bedroom and is out cold before I get there….thus leaving me to empty the cat box. So the question each night is not, “Do I want to keep reading?” (because the answer is usually yes), but “Is the book good enough to warrant me facing that odoriferous box?” Two nights in a row the answer has been yes. Last night I was deep into The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (loved it!) and tonight I’m luxuriating in the world of Princess Mia, the latest in The Princess Diaries. As I cleaned out the cat box (just before writing this) I had to ask a question that I find myself facing whenever this happens. Do you think cats that have a pet door so they can go outside at any time really need a cat box, or are they just spoiled? I guess I’ll go rest my eyes and ponder it.

Sleep tight!