Bambi, whose picture is in this blog posting, is one of my three cats. When I went to an animal rescue center to adopt a pet, I had decided before entering the rescue center to choose a cat that would meet my needs (a female cat that was not aggressive and that would get along with both of my other cats, including one who was seriously ill). If there were two or more cats who were both appropriate, then I would choose the one who had been there the longest. 
Two cats were appropriate, so I chose Bambi because she had been there for six months. I was actually even worried that Bambi would be put to sleep or get really sick if no one offered her a home. She was super scared of people, skinny, and definitely not eating enough. She had been in a hoarding situation, so she actually was very nice to other cats.
In my home, she was--and still is--very sweet to my other cats (licking them, not being aggressive, not demanding her own space, etc.). While she's still scared of people, she's not scared of me. She has a really nice, deep purr and is very happy to be alive in a peaceful, quiet home with lots of good cat food. 
I really love to support animal rescue sites, in addition to adopting animals that are in need of a forever home.

The picture in this post shows me at my table at AutumnFest 2018. As someone who has done a lot of author events, as well as having written four novels and one book of poetry, I'm today asking myself what I really want to say. Unhidden Pilgrims does have a lot of content about free speech. Banking on Dreams shows connections between dreams and reality. Mayflower Dreams connects us to our history. Roger Williams in an Elevator has a lot of ideas about different kinds of freedom, including the freedom to worship God. Holidays Amaze connects to many of these same ideas through its use of different poems. These poems are also showing some of the many amazing aspects of life's mazes, holidays, and celebrations. With my past writing experiences, I often have found out what I'm trying to say after I have begun, have partially finished, or have completely finished writing the novel, poem, article, story, or blog post. The writing process can be highly creative because it actually helps me to figure out what I'm trying to say while I'm trying to say it. Through my writing experiences, I've learned a lot about myself, my life, my dreams, my reality, my history, my love of freedom, my thankfulness to God, and my world.

On this freedom blog and in my novels, I completely love being able to say what I want to say. I also love being able to censor myself, rather than to have someone else censor my writing. Freedom of speech and freedom of censorship are both wonderful freedoms.

​Another great part of being a writer is to have my ideas published. Here is an excerpt from page x ​of the "Preface" of my newly-released novel ​Unhidden Pilgrims: "People in the twenty-first century exercise freedom and censorship through such mediums as printed writing, the internet, social media, dialogue, body language, home decoration, clothing, possessions, codes, abbreviations, computer software, images, and symbols. These methods of speaking to others are visible in many sections of Unhidden Pilgrims. Both hidden and unhidden elements of modern and historic communication are displayed by the characters in this novel" (Petit x).