My World With Words

August 3, 2026August 3, 2026

Information? Get Me Long Distance…

I learned something interesting the other day when I was on the phone with AT&T trying to correct a problem. They don’t consider phone calls outside of your area code to be long distance. In other words, when I call from Arkansas to my mom in Minnesota, it’s a local call. It’s only when I call out of the country that it’s long distance.

Which makes sense, but let’s face it, the idea of long distance is deeply ingrained in me. Let’s do the nostalgia thing. Remember when calling Grandma on Christmas was a treat because she lived 2,000 miles away and calling any other time was simply too expensive? That’s the way it was in my family.

Now things are different. I have relatives all over the country. Until he died, my dad lived in California. My mom still lives in Minnesota and my brother’s in New York. I don’t think twice about calling my mom every day and letting the call go as long as it goes. I used to talk to my dad every Sunday for up to two hours. My brother and I talk frequently and the calls go long.

But I still think of calling them as calling long distance. Frankly, they are long distance. It’s not like I can get in my car and drive over to visit them. Well, I used to drive up to Minnesota to visit my mom, but my car is older now and has a lot of miles on it. I’m nervous about the thought of driving it alone 650 miles each way.

But I digress. Technology is changing everything, including the way we express ourselves. So now I need to re-think the term “long distance” and get with the times. (Isn’t “get with the times” an older expression?) It makes me wonder what other terminology has changed, making my use of it outdated.

Yep, get me information…

August 1, 2026

Mimi Hiding–Sort Of

This photo popped up in my phone this past week. It’s from three years ago and I just love it. It’s hard to get photos of Mimi when she’s looking as sweet as I know she can be, and this is one of them. I think this was a favorite hiding spot of hers, until I rearranged the room and she found another (that I’m not privy to–I don’t know where she goes when she hides).

So forgive the nostalgia. I’m glad the photos app on my phone recycles pictures, otherwise, I don’t know how I’d access all of them. I save what I remember to save, but there are always some that slip through.

Image Credits: Cesar Cat © Belinda O; Paws in Heart © Bigstock Photos; Heart in Cat © Елена Кутузова–stock.adobe.com

July 25, 2026July 25, 2026

Mimi My Little Bean

Mimi looks pretty solemn here, but that’s just her resting face. I swear she smiles when we’re snuggling. She’s my little bean. I started calling her that when, unbeknownst to me, she slipped out the door to my apartment. I didn’t realize she was gone until I heard some frantic scratching at that door. When I opened it and saw her standing there, her eyes big as saucers, I exclaimed, “Mimi! My little bean!” I don’t know where that came from, but it stuck.

Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.

Image Credits: Cesar Cat © Belinda O; Paws in Heart © Bigstock Photos; Cat and bowl © Muksuda–stock.adobe.com

July 15, 2026July 2, 2026

Walter and Mimi are 14 today!

Happiest of birthdays to my sweet babies! I think technically they’re considered “geriatric cats,” but to me they are still kitties. They share a birthday with our also sweet feline blogging buddy Parker, who is 13 today (a teenager!). You can catch posts by Parker’s mom here.

July 11, 2026

Walter’s on Alert (again)

Walter was sitting near the scratching post, an area I’m no longer allowed in for more than a few minutes, waiting for supper when an unidentified noise caught his attention. Was it something outside, or the rustle of the paper Mimi was playing with? Probably not the latter since she’d playing in there for a good fifteen minutes, and he’d pretty much lost interest.

I’m guessing it was a momentary distraction. It’s almost suppertime and they’re both pretty intent on getting fed soon. I’d better finish up this post.