Hi everyone, It may be Robert Downey, Jr.'s fault that I like Charlie Chaplin so much. Did you see his performance in Chaplin ? He s...

Hi everyone, The Kitties are always full of great ideas, like naps. This winter, as a fought off a series of annoying colds, I curled righ...

When I get home, Lily always greets me at the door for a friendly conversation. For everyone else, though, she sharpens her claws. Don't...

Hi everyone, I'm still here! The cold winter weather has plagued me with a series of colds and turned me into a bear, so the Kitties a...

Hi everyone, I bought John Waters's latest book, Carsick , this summer while he was book touring and stopped in D.C. for a conversat...

Hi everyone, I'd been down and out with a cold for practically the entire month of December, so I'm a little late in wishing you h...

Hi everyone, At the end of October, I took the train up to New York for a three-day Broadway Extravaganza. I saw four fantastic shows! ...

Hi everyone, Photo credit:  ©  Kat Villacorta A few weeks ago, I caught Cyndi Lauper on " Front and Center " on PBS. This ...

They never get tired of this stuff. (Illustration Friday: November 7, 2014)

Norman really loves his Halloween costume this year. No one is sure when he's planning to take it off. (Illustration Friday: October...

Hi everyone, Set in Florida in the early 1900s, Zora Neale Hurston's 1937 novel  Their Eyes Were Watching God   shares Janie Crawfor...

You should always listen to your elders. (Illustration Friday: October 3, 2013)

During those long nights in the sewer, Tyrone wished for a better home for himself and his family. I can tell you now because it came true. ...

Hi everyone, As I did for summer, I've updated the Melissa's Kitties banner this season to include our newest kitty Tyrone. (He...

Hi everyone, The cover that got her noticed, 1943 Last month, we lost one of the world's great ladies, Lauren Bacall, who is prob...

[ What is Johnny Kitties?  See  Johnny Kitties: Celebrating Johnny Depp  for all the details.] What fascinated me more than anything ...

This happens every time we watch The Wizard of Oz at my sister's house. (Illustration Friday: August 8, 2014) For all of you wh...

Hi everyone, I just finished this one recently... Tyrone made his way to the top, of course. He's a climber. (Illustration Friday:...

When I read the news about Robin Williams on Monday, I had two reactions: First, this must be wrong. Second, this must be about a different...

An enthusiastic helper, Tyrone adds some flair to Simon's latest contraption. While their project in the garage remains a mystery, this ...