Wow. I was just hopping through my favorite journals, the way I do every morning, when I happened on this entry over in Marel Trout's journal. These are some of the nicest things anyone has ever said about Raspberry World! In public, even! Thanks, Marel.

As you no doubt realize if you're a regular reader of Raspberry World, Marel Trout keeps one of my favorite journal sites. And at Marel's place, you really get your money's worth (although, of course, it's free to get in). She has four journals on that site. The Chickenloaf Papers is her personal journal from July 1998 to April 2001, and The Compost Heap is her garden journal from around the same period. Earlier this year, she consolidated those two journals into one: The Ceaseless Torture of Adulthood! And finally, one of Marel's cats keeps a journal as well: Gracie's World.

Marel and I have some things in common, especially the tendency to become obsessed with a particular musical genre and do a full excavation of its roots, influences, and descendants. (For proof, look for her journal entries on ska.) We both have more than a passing interest in unusual fingernail polish and compilation tapes. And she takes some of the best cat pictures you'll find online. Ziggy is one of her favorite models, although she likes to call him Pia.

She has also captured rare photographic footage of Beeby Fzark.