Hi.

I just thought I'd mention that the new pet poll---Do you have a problem keeping pets off countertops?---is difficult to answer.

I have four cats. Two think they have to be involved with everything I do, from typing this message to making dinner to putting laundry into the washer. They are almost always on a countertop. One cat will get up there now and then, but only if there's something really interesting going on, or if she feels she must be petted NOW. The fourth cat gets up there about once a year, but usually can't be bothered to do something so childish, and would prefer to lie in her sunny spot.

And the other complication is that my HUSBAND would prefer that the cats not be up there at all, but my daughter and I almost never make them get down. I swore to the hubby that I always wash the countertops before doing any food prep, and that if he ever finds a cat hair, then I'll try harder to keep the two busybodies down. So far, so good. And he's given up trying to make the kitties get down. He knows when he's lost a battle.