I came into the bedroom the other day and there was Penny, my cat, curled up on the bed in a patch of sunshine. She seems to prefer sunshine as a place to spend her nap time. This summer has been quite hot and during the first days of the first heat wave I was concerned for Penny. I was away from the house most of the day and felt that the build=up of heat might be too much for her. About the second day of ninety-plus weather I came home to find Penny on the shelf where I keep a collection of plants— quite contentedly sleeping in a patch of sunshine.

Sunshine suits Penny, for she is a little patch of sunshine herself. She is bright and cheerful, even-tempered and affectionate. She takes life as it comes and doesn’t get too excited about anything. She likes people and is always ready to make herself available for their homage and adoration. But she prefers one or two guests at a time. When, on occasion, too many congregate at my house, she doesn’t make a fuss about it, but simply disappears to return when the multitude has left and the number of visitors has returned to what she considers an acceptable level.

I have been pleased to note that there does not seem to be a conceited bone in her body. Though I have informed her numerous times that she has a blog site named for her, pictures of her appear on it, and there is a definite possibility that she will, at some time in the future, become very famous, she takes it in stride and has not shown the least tendency to exhibit excessive vanity, egotism or pride. As long as she has adequate portions of tuna made available at appropriate times and has a suitable collection of soft chairs or couches to rest upon, she is satisfied.

I have been told and have sometimes noted that animals have a tendency to acquire the characteristics of people with whom they spend a great deal of time. I wonder if the reverse is true and that a person is likely to acquire characteristics of an animal. If that is the case, it would be all right with me. I wouldn’t mind having some of the calm, quiet, cheerful and accepting love of life that is Penny’s.