A year ago today Chloe slipped down the icy stairs in front of our house in Nantes and bruised her backside. Later in the day, she was relating the experience to her cousin Stephanie, seen in this photo from a year ago, who was in the midst of her visit.

Really, though, why I included this photo today was because of that patch of sunlight at the top of it and the person in it. That’s Melinda! Upon exiting the house and noticing the sun patch, Melinda darted across the street to soak it up, ice on the stairs be damned! This is her regular modus operandi when it comes to spotting sunlight. She’ll zigzag across streets to be in the sunlight.

Melinda’s got one of those sun simulator lamps that she basks in each morning. I think a better plan each year would be for her to fly south for the winter.