A good while back (hard to believe how long we've been at this) we wrote here about the Cat Warning System, a system of lights that we and our neighbor had devised to keep our cats from meeting outside for mortal combat. Recently there was a breach of security -- our guy escaped without his light being on, and he put another hurtin' on the victim down the street -- and now even worse news: the neighbor cat is on his last legs. Not due to his battle wounds, but due to internal failings. To say that his outdoor days are over is an understatement.

And so the CWS is officially retired, but I can't say it feels the least bit good. Having lost a feline friend last Christmas (that's her remains in the plain wooden box on my desk), I know that it's a rough time over there.

I'm sure that there is some profound parallel here to world affairs, but it's not coming to me so readily. Maybe during a long winter's nap, I'll see the lesson that I'm supposed to be taught. Meanwhile, that remote switch we've been using for Ralphie's light should come in handy for the lights on the Christmas tree.