Well, this is it Monroe County. This will be my last column for at least a while anyway.

I will start my maternity leave next week, and hopefully, will have a baby by next weekend.

I can’t believe the time is finally here. I’m a little freaked out but more excited than anything.

I don’t know yet if I will be back as a reporter here at The Advocate & Democrat. Thankfully I work for good people who are willing to give me some time to decide whether I have what it takes to be a stay-at-home mom.

As crazy as it sounds, I think it might be easier to wrestle with the School Board and cover murders and drug busts than it will be to be a full-time mother…

While I’m at home, I will be reading this paper online and keeping up with all of the goings on in Monroe County – so Dean Williams don’t go to wheeling and dealing just yet!

(Hmmm, this would be a good place for a plug – if you haven’t checked out our new Web site, you should check it out – www.advocateand democrat.com.)

But never fear Monroe County, I cannot in good conscious leave you, even for a few weeks, without at least one final cat and dog story.

As some of you know, I have two inside cats and four sometimes inside, sometimes outside dogs. Recently, I’ve been letting my oldest dog, Jerry Lee, come in when I get home from work.

(He’s the only one I’ve actually groomed lately. I haven’t had a chance to shave the dogs yet so due to the high shed volume, they are living outside most of the time, with their own swimming pool of course).

Anyway, one of my cats, Bitsy, just will not tolerate a dog in the house. The other cat, Alex, is very interested but not sure if he should be afraid or not. He seems to be particularly interested in Jerry Lee, perhaps because they are both white?

One night this week, Jerry Lee and I were both piled up on the couch under the ceiling fan watching television and eating popcorn. I could see Alex out of the corner of my eye, sneaking around the living room, peeking out from behind chairs and couches and ducking back out of sight every time he thought Jerry was going to make a move.

But Jerry Lee, was as still as midnight.

Eventually, Alex made his way to the front of the couch, where he belly crawled past Jerry Lee’s face to his back feet, which were hanging ever so slightly over the front edge of the couch. Alex reached one little white paw up and tapped one of Jerry’s feet.

No reaction.

Alex crawled a little further down in front of the couch and when he was sure he was outside Jerry’s reach, he rose into a crouch. He jumped up onto the couch.

Nothing.

Alex looked at me, then turned his attention back to the resting dog. The cat got down low on the couch and inched closer to Jerry’s back legs and tail. He reached out a little paw and touched one hind leg.

Jerry slowly raised his head, opened one eye, looked at Alex and then turned to me, as if to say, “What is wrong with this stupid cat?”

Alex froze. However, once Jerry laid his head back down, it was as if Alex realized this was not his enemy.

Alex flopped over onto his back on the couch, as he lies every night, and propped his head up on Jerry Lee’s back leg.

And there we laid, the four of us – me and the little boy I’ve been hauling around in my belly, the dog and the cat. It was crowded but somehow it felt just right to all of us.

melissa.kinton@advocateand democrat.com | 337-7101