The Animals of Our Lives

Cole / "Coles Mine"

Our Coles Mine is one of two kittens Brad adopted from my friend Buffy. If ever there was a runt, it wasn't Cole. She's your typical dominant huntress: after eating a moth, she misses it and searches the walls for new prey. Occasionally (and with hesitation) she'll accept affection. This is why we were so surprised when Cole opened up to Halle, allowing her to not only squawk around her but pet her, pull her tail, and rock her in the rocking chair to "Rockabye Baby". She may seem unsocial, but that's only because she's "on the clock" at all times, keeping the house in check with her constant wakeful surveillance. 

Calla / "Calla Leetz"

If ever there were a "toy cat" to rival a "toy poodle", it would be named Calla. And she would eat ice cream. Yes, blogosphere, ahem, we have a bowl licker. When Halle toddles nearby, her terrified eyes grow exponentially larger, anime-style. She'll run like the dickens from Halle but after bedtime, when Brad indulges in a big bowl of Neapolitan or Black Cherry ice cream, Calla patinetly watches from the corner until she gets the chance to polish off the rest of it. Oh, and she meows like a twelve year old boy whose voice cracks. She's always walking the line between pathetic and adorable with me.

Olive 

What can I say, she's a dog that belongs to a breed that has been overestimated. Olive, whose theme song is Led Zeppelin's "All of My Love" or "Olive My Love" depending on your ear, is a boxer mix who is submissive to her feline housemates. It's kind of humiliating to watch, actually. She gets them back, though. Sometimes she wanders into Brad's study and eats their food. Brad definitely gets angry when this happens, but deep down I cheer for her, just a little bit, in getting the last word with those mean ol' cats.

Since I'm a little bit biased about the animals here, and because Olive is so much more submissive to Halle, here's some cuddly Olive-as-a-pillow photos!

Last but certainly not least is Ah-Ah, the Bear. Halle named him herself and they're best friends. When I showed her this picture and asked her who it was, she exclaimed, "Oh! It's Ah-Ah!"

Videos coming tomorrow!!!