The traffic going into London for the morning commute is insane.  The roads in London are impossible (and no GPS then).  Finding the cute little hotel in the Bloomsbury District would have been a challenge if we were awake and oriented; we were not. 
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When I first met him, I was living at the Villa Roma, a sweet little rose-pink courtyard apartment on a tree-lined street. Problem was, there was almost never a place to park. I might sit in front of my apartment for up to an hour waiting for someone to leave, then grab their spot.

One of the most telling things about him, and what just might have made me fall in love with him, was that early on he surprised me by renting me a parking spot in a lot just a half block from my apartment.

I married him.

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RetroFlash – 100 words

“Katie the kitten, a small tiger cat,
Is asleep in the hall, all curled in a hat.”

Thus began the little Golden Book seen in the Featured photo that David already owned when our neighbor’s cat had a litter of five kittens and we were gifted a cute little female. David was nearly two and named his new pet “Kate”. She was feisty and fun, very involved with the household and a wonderful companion for the children.

Dan reads to little David, holding his kitten

It was Jeffrey who absolutely adored her. His body stiffened in his high chair when she’d pass by. His first word was “kitty-cat”. He hounded her all day. He never let her out of his sight.

Patti visits when Jeffrey is a toddler; Kate is never far

Bedtime for Jeffrey

Kate lounges outside

We let her play outside. She was a good hunter and brought us the fruits of her hunt; birds, chipmunks. I found them, dead or alive, on my porch. She came when called by the shake of her treats box.

Napping together

She grew old and sick. Though we got her the best care we could, she died the night David came home for Spring Break, his freshman year at Stanford. She seemed to wait for his return. Jeffrey could not be consoled.

He wailed to me, “She was the only one in the family who never yelled at me. If I was unhappy, I would bury my face in her fur. What will I do now?” He felt a bit guilty that he was more grief-stricken by Kate’s death than by that of his beloved grandfather’s. I explained that he saw Kate more often and shouldn’t feel guilty about that.

I put together an album of photos of him with his cat, taken through the years, as a keepsake to remember her. At the very front was the Golden Book, “Katie the Kitten”, that had given his wondrous pet her name.

I love to shop local and support the small businesses that still exist in my community, but the first consideration is always parking.
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