Shortly after Bella came to live here, I realized she had a unique talent. While I knew she liked to cuddle, what I did not know was how she liked to accomplish this. I used to have a recliner in my office. If I was sitting in the recliner, Bella would jump up; walk up the center of my torso, until she was almost at my shoulder. She would then turn around a couple of times (presumably to make sure she was perfectly aligned), and then plop down (always on the right side) so her head was nestled into the crux of my arm and her back end was at my elbow. Once, when my sister was visiting, I called her into my office quickly so she could witness this rite. It was hysterical and purely untaught by me; she did this on her own! This was by far her favorite position! And it was perfect for my right hand as I could easily reach her tummy. She often fell asleep here and loved to have her belly rubbed here.

 

In the beginning I would not allow Bella on the furniture without me; after all the furniture was new, and some of it is leather. I did not want to be mad at her if it was scratched. Of course, this did not last and I finally relented. One of her favorite spots was on the ottoman in the family room. In the past year or so, her back and hips started to bother her, and the ottoman seemed to have the right level of firmness to support her little body. Keeping this in mind, I also purchased an "egg crate" bed for her which she also enjoyed.

So, as previously mentioned, you know she liked to sit, perched on my left knee looking out the car window. What I have never mentioned is how she would occasionally look back at me, and gently throw herself onto my chest and nuzzle, and then return to her perch gazing out the window.  In the beginning, I did buy a car seat for her, as she had a bad habit in those early days, of walking (over me) while I was driving! The car seat lasted a couple of months, and then we took a 6 hour car trip to LA. Oh well, the car seat has had a comfortable and neat spot in the trunk for the past 3+ years.

Whenever we could not physically cuddle, Bella would most certainly be close-by. Or, if the weather was nice, I would open the front door, and she would sit and watch the world go by while I cleaned the kitchen or started a load of laundry. She liked spending time there, waiting for her boyfriend "Blake" to walk-by, or watch the neighbor kids walking home from school. She had two other favorite locations in the kitchen, under the dishwasher door when it was open (she would crawl under) or under one of the dining room chairs watching me.  She was my little shadow.