Last week was one of those weeks—nothing serious, thank goodness, but with some decidedly unpleasant moments.  We all have them, I know, and mine involved a trip to the dentist. I expect I could stop right here, and most readers would be able to sympathize. I won’t go into graphic details except to note I had a very difficult extraction that left me with a swollen face and an aching jaw. (Three more teeth to go, and then I’ll have an upper plate.)

To add to the fun, I had a Covid vaccine on Thursday. I was expecting a blah day on Friday, but my jaw was still bothering me so much that it masked whatever effect I might have had from the vaccine. I guess that comes under the category of “it’s an ill wind that blows no good.”

However the week ended on a much happier note: on Saturday, Dee adopted two cats from the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society. They are two years old, brother and sister, and obviously part Maine coon cat. The large one is the male, and Dee has named him Kai. The smaller one is his sister, and Dee has called her Fern.

Two sweeter cats you will never find, and Dee asked, “How could anyone give them up?”

“You don’t know the story,” I said. “So you can’t know the reason.”

But boy did we luck out with these two love bugs, who cuddle and purr on our laps. We were supposed to keep them isolated in a room for two weeks, but on the first day, Kai staged an escape, his sister followed, and that was that. They immediately became part of the household.

Dee, a cat whisperer, is in her element. Although Fern and Kai have bonded with all of us, Dee is the clear favorite. When a scary delivery truck pulled into our driveway, Fern bolted and hid under Dee’s bed until it was safe to come out.

The Humane Shelter can be a sad place with so many animals in cages waiting for a home, but it can also be a joyous place. As I was waiting for Dee to fill out the adoption paperwork, a mother with two adorable daughters came in looking for a small dog to take home.

“Come with me,” said one of the staff, and he led them to a room out back. I couldn’t see what happened next, but I sure could hear.

“Oh,” the little girls cried in piping voices, “you are so cute! You are so cute!”

I heard joyous barking, and I could imagine the scramble of paws as the little dog danced in the glow of their affection.

The man came out, leaving the mother and daughters alone with the dog, and we smiled at each other. I had tears in my eyes as I listened to the continuing happy commotion.

Sometimes, every once in a while, sad stories have a happy ending, and there were at least two that day at the Humane Society.