Badges of Honor
Childless Cat Ladies Unite!
“There you are,” the Proprietress said with genuine warmth in her voice. I’d stopped by Buttons and Bows on my way to the Farmer’s Market held each Saturday at the other end of town. When I didn’t see her in the front of the store, I’d ventured back behind the counter and into the back room that did triple duty as a storeroom, meeting space, and design studio. I found her hunched over her drawing board with an ink pen in her hand. “Whatcha working on?” I asked.
“Oh, I’ve been thinking about what I can do to help the Harris campaign. The whole Childless Cat Lady thing pushed a lot of buttons for a lot of women, including me, so I thought I’d do something to help celebrate us all. Come see what I came up with.”
Taped to her drawing board was a black and white square with the sketch of a handsome black cat in a circle. Arched above the circle were the words, “Childless Cat Ladies Society” and beneath it the word, Member. On either side were smaller squares with the names of states instead of the word Member below them.
“I like it,” I said, “especially the way you added the names of states.”
“Oh good,” the Proprietress said. “I wanted to make it easy to customize and affordable. I want it to feel like a badge of honor.”
“That’s exactly what it feels like,” I said. “Does the cat have a name?”
“Oh yes. That’s ISBN. She was rescued from a dumpster by my friend Becka, the owner of the used bookstore - Purrfect Books - down the road. Becka devotes a whole section of her store to cat books.”
“Hah, that’s great,” I said. “I’ll stop by on my way to the market.”
“Tell Becka I said hi, and ask her what she thinks of the design, will you?” the Proprietress asked, handing me a copy of the design she’d printed.
“Will do. By the way, is the Smart and Sassy Club still meeting this Tuesday?”
“Sure why not?”
“Oh it’s Harris-Trump debate night, that’s all.”
“All the more reason to meet, don’t you think? We can eat popcorn and chocolate, watch Kamala take the orange one down, and celebrate afterwards.”
“Okay, the Cadre and I will be here!” I said with a laugh. “See you soon.”
Hello Fabulous Folks,
Jena here. I’m the writer and cat lover behind the Pass Along Songs Substack and I’d like to invite you to:
Share your own Childless Cat Ladies stories. I’ll be featuring a story with each Buttons and Bows piece with a goal of helping build a community of strong, like-minded women. DM me to learn more.
Stop by the Buttons and Bows Boutique to see both the Childless Cat Ladies and other designs I’m creating:
If you are taking part in the writing sessions for the Harris-Walz campaign, consider using these postcards I designed. If you need larger quantities, let me know.
Become a paid subscriber to this Substack. Even Childless Cat Ladies gotta eat ;-)
Finally, take a look at these sassy, fashionable, and inspiring women:
https://fb.watch/uidLjcSCgv/
Much love and hugs,
Jena
How about the childless cat guys? Just askin’ for a friend.
Love the design! How fun to watch with a group. ♥