Nobody but nobody really owns a cat.(The Last Laugh)

If reports are correct that people with pets have overall better health--both physically and emotionally--than those who don't, I'll soon once again be among the more healthy ones.

Now that my crazy travelling month of October is over and the kitchen remodeling is almost complete, I'm ready to share it with a new pet. Not that it could replace Dickens, but a pet is a good excuse not to be caught talking to yourself.

Why wait until after the construction is complete? First, there's the comings and goings of many workers, who may or may not leave the door open. And then there's the unfortunate time we were installing a new bathtub, and didn't realize the cat was behind the new drywall until she complained ...

A cat or a dog?

Some make a clear distinction between those who truly love cats and those who feel the same way about dogs. As a Gemini, I have strong feelings both ways. Over a lifetime I've had three of each, unconsciously alternating between dogs and cats, starting with a blacker cocker spaniel named Tony in my childhood.

Considering a successor for Dickens, I thought about whether a dog or cat would better fit my current lifestyle. I came up with some obvious advantages of dogs:

* There's usually more to pet.