Welcome, Emily!

Hi everyone,

Mom heard Emily singing on our back porch a few cool, rainy nights in a row. She likes old-school ballads and Motown and tried to lure Mom's attention with some Billie Holiday and Tina Turner. Eventually, she made her way into our garage, where she met Tyrone and Walter, discovered the warm bed in there that neither of them were using, and claimed it for herself.

Emily and Walter, communing with nature

Emily loves hanging around her big brothers now, especially Walter who enjoys teaching her the ways of the world. (Tyrone does too but in short spurts because his tolerance for kittens is limited. He asked me the other day, "Where are all of these other cats coming from anyway?")

One thing Walter hasn't been able to discipline yet is Emily's mealtime manners. She loves to eat, and every time is like the first and only time. When she's finishes licking her bowl clean, she interrupts Walter and Tyrone to "help" make their dishes spotless too.

Tyrone and Walter put up with Emily's intrusive eating habits because she says she's researching the different flavors that each ingredient provides. Emily dreams of becoming a great chef someday – "like that rat in Ratatouille," she says – and Walter and Tyrone are eager taste her imaginative culinary creations.

Emily, testing out experimental gardening strategies

For now, though, Emily is enjoying the exploratory phase, watching a lot of cooking shows on PBS and FoodTV. (She is dying to compete on the Great British Baking Show.)  Daily, she explores the variances among dry and wet cat food and the occasional fresh seafood treats. She also enjoys long conversations with Mom, learning her gardening tips and tricks for growing the freshest vegetables.

Emily is, at first, shy among strangers but warms up to most almost immediately. She learns and remembers the unique traits and talents of each friend she makes. She loves a good conversation about anything and everything, except gossip, and she aims to earn a hearty laugh every day.

She watches all of the late night talk shows and also has a passion for fashion. So, while she can tell you the latest news of the day or quip a topical joke on demand, she can also show you what she learned to make from Project Runway last week. I told her that Mom has a sewing machine in the basement and expect that Tyrone and Walter will be roaming in the yard in custom-made outfits any day now.

Emily, sitting pretty

Emily's current heroes are Julia Child, Joan Rivers, Ellen DeGeneres, Seth Meyers, Gilda Radner, Alexander McQueen, Betsy Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Marvin Gaye, and India Arie. Walter has turned her on to Bob Marley and Shaggy, but she all about Billie Eilish and Harry Styles right now.

A voracious reader of books and magazines, Emily knows a little about a lot of things. It's great because, at this young age, she is still trying to find her path in life. For now, she is the poster child for being as curious as a cat, but I imagine that she'll be a star someday at doing whatever she chooses. Then, we'll all be able to say we knew her way back when.

Welcome to the family, Emily!