Judd and Kristin spent last Thanksgiving weekend at his parents' home in West Virginia. Upon arrival, a tale was told about a friend whose headlights had found a tiny kitten wandering a country road at night, and the undernourished, ill orphan was in a cardboard box in the garage awaiting an unknown future. Judd and Kristin quickly accepted the situation as an inescapable responsibility.

So, Kona rode home in Kristin's lap, and that began a month of isolated, medical care until we were sure it was safe to introduce her to the other three. As expected, Heidi and Polly hissed and ignored, but Calvin quickly considered Kona his little sister and joined our task of showing the newest family member what our household was all about.

Throughout spring and summer, Kona grew to be Miss Curiosity, and, being so small, no crevice excaped her explorations. My favorite photo is of her looking and listening. All our pets are "indoor," so the windows are their world, and their monitoring goes on continually.

Kona has become unusually affectionate, and I am sure she appreciates the care we have provided. If I cup my hand on the sofa, Kona will nestle her little head in my palm and purr herself to sleep. Calvin and Kona are best friends, real buddies, but, mind you, there is a considerable size difference, so play often becomes rough enough to warrant time-out.

Now that you have met our complete cast of characters, you will know who is who and can follow the antics that will probably occupy this blog during the confining months between fall colors and spring blossoms.