Ginger and I Are Just Friends

Ginger enjoying the golden sunshine glow from the sofa.  2/22/2026

I enjoy pondering things that don't really matter in the grand scheme of things.  I find it interesting to ruminate on language and word choice and how it shapes us and we shape it.  

Ginger loves this new crazy quilt that I got for my birthday.  My Grandma made the patchwork top and my mom quilted it.  5/17/2026

This is one of those things. 

"I wanna soak up the sun!"  8/2/2026

It makes me feel weird when people call me Ginger's "mom."

Ginger likes to shred paper.  Sometimes the bits of paper get stuck to her lips and teeth and she wanders around the house with them hanging out of her maw.  Like this.  5/5/2026

Or refer to me as a "CatMom."  

A sheltered, cozy nook between the couch and the heat vent.  2/22/2026

Or label Ginger as my "FurBaby."

Ginger on the back patio.  5/11/2026

I don't really like it.

I put this bag at the bottom of the stairs....and Ginger thought, "I could sit in that."  2/22/2026

Other people can do whatever they want and I am happy to go along with it.  If my friend tells me about her "granddog" I don't mind one single bit.  I get a sense of how much this individual loves that dog.  I might even use the phrase in follow up conversations with that person.  

Ginger has three water bowls inside.  And yet, she loves licking the bottom of the bathrub to slurp up the water left behind after a shower.  4/9/2026

It feels like nicknames or prefered names to me.  I don't care if your birth certificate says "James," if you call yourself Jim or Red or Pixie, that's A-OK with me.  Call people what they want to be called, that's always my motto.   So, similarly, if you call yourself a "cat mom," I am happy to call you that, too.

Matt and Ginger keeping me company in my sewing room.  5/9/2026

But I would not self-apply these phrases.  The parental nomenclature around pets has never resonated with me, personally.  

Matt and I after an "Alter Egos" costume party.  Matt is dressed up as his dad.  I am dressed up as my high school self.  Ginger, meanwhile, is dressed up as herself while tolerating our photo-op shenanigans.  4/26/2026

Ginger is my pal.  She is my snuggle buddy.  She is my roommate.  We're friends and companions.  I am her caretaker.  We love each other.  Deeply.  We're Besties.  BFFs!

Ginger on the rug, enjoying some sunbeams.  I thought the shadow was really cool.  4/8/2026

It is worth noting that I regularly use the word "baby" in reference to Ginger, as in "Ginger-Baby."  But... I use the word "baby" in reference to Matt, too.  It is a love-word, not a literal thing.  She is NOT my baby-baby.  

Ginger using my camp chair as a hammock.  8/15/2026

Technically, I am Ginger's "owner," but that's another label don't self-apply.  Same with "master," though that term has largely been used on dog-people and which has decidedly gone out of vouge--with good reason-- because of its racial legacy.

Ginger thought this new "nook" between the box fan and the wall was a great place to sit.  She's got the whole house to choose from, and she chose this.  So, I was giving her some grief for being such a silly goose. 5/29/2026

I get that pets take responsibility.  Keeping 'em alive and fed and clean and healthy and happy.  Paying for their food and doctor bills and toys.   I understand why this whole FurBaby thing happens.  I get it.  I really do.

Ginger patrolling the backyard.  5/11/2026

But.  Having a pet is really nothing like parenthood though, as far as I can tell.  I am not even convinced that it is "training wheels" for parenthood.

I'm not sure who love the garden/backyard more--Ginger or Matt?  It might be a tie.  5/11/2026

I mean, soooooooooooooooooooooo many other nuances aside, I can just put out a big bowl of food and water before saying "see ya" to Ginger for a long weekend.  Similarly, I know folks who kennel their dogs during the day or put them out in their yard while they're at work 9-5.  All of which would  be pretty... frowned upon... with kiddos.  And there are so many other similar examples.

Another angle on the shedded paper cling-on.  5/5/2026

Not to mention how little I have been saving for Ginger's college fund.  :)    

Ginger thought this was a gloriously golden place to clean her nails.  2/22/2026

Anyways, none of this linguistic msuing really matters, but, I think it is interesting.  Plus, I got to round up this great crop of cute cat pictures, right?