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Other distinctive breed-specific personality features of the Maine Coon:

Fondness for water
It is widely believed by cat experts that Maine Coons are a natural breed derived from selection in a sea-faring environment. Cats were frequently kept about trading vessels as pest control, and may have done some disembarking into fairly harsh climates, breeding, and returning shipboard. The thinking is that this eventually resulted in a domesticated but hardy breed of cat largely unafraid of water and possessed of a fine, silky coat of water resistant fur, the result of breeding between European longhairs and domestic North American shorthairs. The Maine Coon's unusual response to water is another distinctive feature of the breed.

My Maine Coon (Zoë) does not have any interest in swimming, but loves to play in water. She bats at the stream of water coming out of the sink tap, and will happily sit on the very edge of my bath…

A bombshell is a woman-shaped natural phenomenon not covered under the terms of most insurance policies. The return of the bombshell as an ideal and lifestyle choice was officially heralded in The Bombshell Manual of Style by Laren Stover, although rockabilly, swing, and retrogoth kitties have been keeping the faith for years. Classic examples include:

• Marilyn Monroe
• Jane Russell
• Mae West
• Dorothy Dandridge

Grief is weird. The Portland scene continues to be weird.

I don't know how much I want to go into the memorial. There were some words spoken that were fairly effective, and if you're looking for a good set of them to begin trying to understand, these seemed to suit quite well. The most effective words may not be posted, and oddly, I'm okay with that. The world needs less things capable of making me sob in semi-public.

What can I…