My husband and I are thinking of visiting my family and friends in the US next month. Perhaps we'll go around Easter. My father turns 80 years old soon after. It would be nice to be there for those events. Before I told my sister, she wrote that she planned to do very little for his big birthday. Typical of my sister and brother! If we go, perhaps either Easter or my dad's birthday could be bumped up a notch in terms of festivities. I've not seen any of them for over a year. I barely saw Dad without a mask on (and vice versa) for over two. When I left the US, the pandemic was so bad that I had to yell goodbye to him through a closed window. After we return to Europe, we may head to France after a brief rest in CZ.

The other day, I told Hubby that I feel a bit deprived of affection. It's not that he gives me none, but I still need more. I have convinced him that our next pet (after we move) should be a cat and not a parrot. I love parrots, dearly, but cats were always a better personality match for me. Cats are a bit less work, for sure, under normal circumstances. I did acknowledge some of the negatives of cat ownership, but still think they are the least compared to other pets. Some reasons we wouldn't adopted now include our upcoming travel plans, the stress that would surround a move, and that this place is too close to a busy road and there are stray cats everywhere here. That or people just let them out all of the time. Though I know the negatives of letting a pet cat outside unleased, I'm not opposed to it on occasion, depending on the circumstances. Initially Hubby was just saying I need to make some friends here. Yes, I do, but they wouldn't give me the extra physical affection a cat would. I want more kisses and cuddling. I won't cheat on him! After 23 years of hubby's choice of pets, it's time for mine. He's never had a cat to really know about them. I have. I lost mine when I was at university...30 years ago.