and multiply by two.  Throw in two extra cats and a stray daughter, and that's why the nest that was supposed to be empty this week after Vanessa and Ian got married is suddenly more crowded than ever! 

Not that I'm complaining.  I love having Valerie back home for a few months while she transitions from one chapter in her life to another. I just wish that her dog, Sammi (no, not named for me, alas!) would teach Angel a few good habits instead of the other way around.  I'm very sad to say that Angel is a bad influence. A very bad influence. 

My new son-in-law and a couple friends came by one weekend to install a brand new 8-foot fence for me. We hoped that 8 feet of chain link would be enough to keep Angel under control.  They finished installing the fence, and before I could get home 30 minutes later, Angel had already managed to escape.  I wasn't sure how, so Valerie and I spent an afternoon lashing down every possible escape route.  Surely, we told ourselves when we finished, this would keep Angel in the yard. 

Long story short, it didn't work.  Yesterday, as I stood in the front yard and watched Angel sail over 8 feet of chain link, I figured out why. I've also decided to concede the fight.  There is no way to contain this dog. 

If she is a dog. 

Which I'm beginning to doubt . . .