I was a kid addicted to books and reading thanks to my parents and grandparents who were always yanking me up into their laps and tossing out amusing voices and expressions while turning the slabs of colorful dead tree in front of my glazed eyes. I was up for a good story anytime, anywhere, just let me grab a belt to wrap around my upper arm and off we go.

One of the most memorable books from my childhood was Two Kittens, a story about a couple of felines doing various things around the house in an anthropomorphic sort of way. I don’t recall everything that they did in the book, but I do recall that this was one particular story read often by my grandmother and her ability to meow and bring the characters to life in her own way was unsurpassed — at least, to an adoring grandson.

In this image, yours truly sits and has a thumb lollipop while my grandma reads me the book. Note the picture of myself, several years younger, in the background, as well as the beautiful green-and-gold armchair that we’re sitting in. Add in the overly-thick brown frames of my grandma’s glasses and we have a late 70s/early 80s scene in the making.