It's another lovely day in the frozen north. The weather is a little chilly (it's around 19 degrees right now), but the hope of Spring is in the air. Well, we did get another inch or so of snow last night, but still...the HOPE of Spring is still in the air. The kids are relaxing and enjoying the last few days of their Spring Break, Ashley is curled up in slumber on a dining room chair, and Tink is sitting between me and the computer screen, looking at me with that lazy eye and preparing to climb onto my shoulder to catch a few winks. Tink is an unusual cat. Therapy might be in order. She "talks" to you and carries on serious conversations. When you call her name, she answers with the cat equivalent of "Huh?" She plays fetch with little fur covered mice when she is in the mood. When she isn't, she rips the heads off of the mice and hides them around the house. It's kind of like living with a furry little Mafia boss. She is in love with a squirrel. (The FAT squirrel who tore up my bird feeder the other day and is now on MY hit list!) When she is tired, her left eye droops half shut, and she crawls on my shoulder for a little nap. She hides her head in my hair and purrs sleepily until her nose starts to run. OK, it's not her most attractive moment, but it is endearing in a weird sort of way. Only Tink can pull it off. She also finds great joy in tormenting me in unusual ways. Lately, she has been jumping up on the kitchen counter and sitting on my kitchen sink. This apparently provides the best view of her boyfriend in the back yard. I've opened other windows, and provided seating for her, but this is boring, because she doesn't get any attention from those. Yelling and putting her down have no effect. I've started turning the water on and shooting her with the spray nozzle to scare her off. Now it's become a game. She jumps up on the kitchen counter and looks at me. She waits until I turn the water on and grab the nozzle, and she is off. She has to get around the corner before I shoot her. Sometimes she wins, sometimes not. Then yesterday, Jess told me that Tink comes into her bathroom sometimes when she is washing her face. Jess has been getting her wet, because she seems to enjoy it. Wait a minute! She enjoys getting wet? Are you kidding me? The cat has trained me to spray her with water whenever she likes, and I have taught her nothing. Cat - 1. Human - 0. Why am I not surprised?

Anyway, if you are interested in visiting glorious Alaska, or just want to check out what is here, the new Anchorage Visitors Guide is up and running. For your copy, go to this site and fill in your info! http://www.anchorage.net/454.cfm They will mail it to your front door and it's completely free.