A good friend of ours, Carole Sharp, passed away a few days before Christmas - finally succumbing to the cancer she'd been fighting for some time. Just a year younger than I am, she went far too soon - and we miss her vibrant personality very much even though we didn't see each other often. She'll always be with me, though, through this beautiful ceramic cat she gave me many Christmases ago - right after she learned I'd started collecting fake cats because our allergies prevented us from having a real one. This majestic specimen has ruled the top of my bedroom dresser ever since we moved here - and there it will stay just as she stays in my heart.