The Naming of the Cat

There is a song from the musical "Cats" called "The Addressing of the Cats," which serves as the perfect inspiration for my blog title, because of the events of the past couple of days. The cat that has been hanging out at our doorstep that (a) I made the mistake of feeding several days ago, and (b) Gary made the mistake of petting two nights ago, is still here! In fact - the kitty cat was at the door to greet us last night when we returned from Charlotte. We took a cold stance, and vowed not to feed the cat here at Christmas, but the cat fed itself on scraps from a discarded Arby's bag (Gary's half-eaten sandwich). I told the kids that since the cat seemingly is here to stay, we should go ahead and name it. Maddie wants to name it (still don't know if it's a boy or girl....will send Gary out this morning to check) "Melody," after her best friend from school. I suggested "Jellicle," since that is a gender-neutral name. Beau wants to name it "Jellicle Cat," so I suggested "Jellicle Melody." I'm sure there will be further cat updates in future blogs.....

Last night was the much-anticipated "Nutcracker" in Charlotte. They did not have the Trepak!!!! In fact, I exchanged some pointed words with a "stage mother" who was working the gift booth in the lobby, about the absence of, in my opinion, the best part of the whole ballet! She said they don't do that anymore. I said, "Well, it's hard to find good male dancers who can do the jumps and splits." "WELL! We have excellent male dancers who can do anything!" It's curious, the absence of the Trepak in all these Nutcracker performances. Is it a political statement against Russia? Who knows! The Charlotte version replaced the Trepak with the "Candy Canes." Pah!!!! We had a great time, but actually discovered that our local International Ballet version in Greenville is a superior version.