I met Lily in my sister's veterinary office, and it was love at first sight for both of them. However, it took a month or so before Lily could make the move by car, plane, and elevator to her new digs in the city.

Instant best buddies upon arrival, Lily and I played daily games of Chase and Hide and Seek. Lily is proficient at batting practice and an expert at Dad's invented Blanket Game. While The Mother Kitty is the staring champ, Lily is a close second with her unprecedented dilated eye tricks. Currently studying the phases of the sun and moon, she spends her days researching the changing lights, shadows, and sounds throughout the apartment.

Lily loves jigsaw puzzles and brainteasers, movies, and music. She used to love hosting social events and parties until a rare distant earthquake shook her up and left her with post-traumatic stress. Now, she prefers the quiet, routine life, chronicling the endless outdoor activities of the bustling city from the vantage points of her window seats. Like Mark Twain, she plans to have her radical findings published 100 years after her death.

Though she hates computers, she helps me sort my markers and scan the illustrations. But she's really all about the breaks, often sabotaging blog posts and stealing sketchbooks to get her way. Her idols include Martha Stewart, Joan Crawford, Marilyn Monroe, Rosie Perez, and Amelia Earhart, and she takes after all of them depending on the day.