We call Jack the family cat, but really he's my cat. That's not by my design; it's by his. Since I was the one who managed to talk him out of the basement corner he crept into the first day we adopted him, he decided I would be the one he meows at for food, sits on in the middle of the night and nips at for attention. I'm also the only one he will tolerate grooming him, washing him, treating him for fleas and clipping his nails.

Aren't pets wonderful?

If you have a family pet, take him/her to the First Congregational Church on Main Street in Williamstown this Saturday, May 31, 10 a.m. for a special Blessing of the Animals. All animals are invited but must be on leads or crated; children may bring a favorite stuffed animal. A short service and blessing by the Rev. Mark Longhurst will take place in the Sanctuary, with music. Larger animals must stay outside but any housebroken animal is encouraged to be brought inside for the service.  After the service, there will be a recessional back outdoors, with refreshments for all.

I will not be bringing Jack to be blessed, because I will be in the woods of Richmond at a Girl Scout camping event trying to avoid other animals, namely bears. I had a dream someone would get mauled by a bear at this event, so I have been the butt of my fellow Girl Scout leaders' jokes this week. (Of course, the person who I dreamed was mauled was my former pest control guy who was, oddly, portraying a Verizon guy in my dream. Not sure what my subconscious was telling me there.) 

I mentioned to one of those leaders that she is terrified of ticks, and then we proceeded to argue about what was more dangerous, a tick or a bear. I told her bears kills people (though rarely) and she said ticks do, too, though I argued that deaths from Lyme disease are also rare. She said bears generally run away from people while ticks latch on to people, but I said I would rather remove a tick than a bear from my skin. And so it went ...

In any case, if I emerge unscathed from the woods bear- and tick-free, I will spring into June prepared for a summer of family fun. Make sure to check out this column next week for a family summer preview!

Oh, and lest you think I actually don't love Jack, in addition to everything else only I am allowed to do for him, I am also the only one he will cuddle with. And there really isn't anything sweeter than a warm kitty curled up at your side.

Rebecca Dravis is the community editor at iBerkshires. She can be reached at rdravis@iberkshires.com.