ho-ho-ho no

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

30 November 2014 - December is a frenetic month in my household, so I am enjoying this final day of quiet and calm.  Soon the shorter peep will pull out the boxes of glittery baubles and glam up the place.  I think the taller peep and I prefer the muted palette of the other eleven months, but we both also know that the shorter peep doesn't negotiate on this particular matter.  So we will keep to the periphery, and let her be stressed and happy.  The yuletide spirit is admittedly infectious, which means that I will not be able to resist batting a few of the low-hanging danglers...just to watch them spin and swing.  As a self-respecting cat I draw the line at wearing a red satin bow...even though I would look smashing.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Monotony looks desirable

in hindsight.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - spurrite, a creature of folklore that can handily be blamed for any mishap, such as a broken ornament

table talk

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

29 November 2014 - I hope that you invited a turkey to your recent feast.  And there is no need to point out that the thing to my left isn't a real turkey, as I already know that.  In truth it isn't even a fake one....I think its creator was aiming for wood duck...but the props are limited around my domicile, so we make do.  Being inclusive is almost a pejorative in some circles, a sign of weakness or some such nonsense, but I count myself as one who thinks the world needs all sorts...fur or feather, hare-brained or wise as owls.

 

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

The Golden Rule is not an endorsement of plutocracy.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrtake, to ingest for later rumination, to meow over one's chow

pretty ease with a cherry on top

Me-ow-my-oh!

 

Me-usings and Me-emories

27 November 2014 - When a lap isn't available, I can be quite flexible...although from her look, the shorter peep is thinking "silly".  A dry sink is not uncomfortable, a hard-knocks substitute for a a firm mattress, and might have served me as a lifeboat had it continued to rain.  I think it commendable that I will try new things, not be conventional in my approach to life.  We cats quickly bore of the same scenery, so I wander from room to room, looking for change...but dollars would also be appreciated.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

After a bed of nails,

the floor is quite pleasant.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - appurreciation, being thankful, subtle cat expressions of gratitude

rain, rain, go away

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

26 November 2014 - Lately the weather has been testing my patience.  If I can't occasionally escape the house (and the peeps), I get a bit frayed.  But for the past thirty-six hours there have been few dry moments, and my kind doesn't care for wet paws.  So here I huddle, slightly damp and technically outside.  Hopefully this brief exposure to fresh air will settle my anxiety, at least until the sun returns.  To keep my spirits up, I contemplate what Grumpy Cat would do.

 

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

A gloomy sky breeds

a glum disposition.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - downcat, feeling despondent and burdened by one's nine lives

listen & learn

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

25 November 2014 - Some of you may have already imagined a story, along the lines of:  "Once again the cat wishes to have a peep facilitate his exit from a place that just moments ago he asked to be."  The snarkier of my readership might even point out that this same cat, if he so desired, could easily let himself out through the parted doors.  But allow me to shed some light on the workings of a cat's brain:  every act must be weighted against the precedent that very action would set.  If today we negotiate doors unassisted, then tomorrow the peeps will allow us to continue fending for ourselves...and in a week's time we will find ourselves on the wrong side of a closed door...out in the cold, forgotten.  If you peeps had better memories, these daily lessons would not be necessary.

 

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

The motivations of another

can only be guessed at.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

 
Catty Corner

word of the day - purrompt, to remind a peep to refill the bowl, open a door, etc.; as an adjective, to do this thing immediately

code yellow

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

24 November 2014 - The shorter peep and I have in common a heightened awareness of our surroundings...not that hers is as refined, mind you.  When we enter a space, our eyes and ears (and in my case nose) are hypervigilant, and the senses remain on alert until we are certain that the risk level is minimal.   The peep and I proceed cautiously, scoping out the environs, muscles taut, processing the information at both rational and gut levels. One is never 100% safe, but there is a big difference in encountering a hungry lion and a sated lion.  "Fat and happy" is much prefered to "lean and mean", but only a fool awakens the sleeping variety.

 

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Freedom and safety are at

opposite ends of the spectrum.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrcarious, risky, uncertain, like a cat atop a fence rail in dim deep territory

I need you to focus

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

 

23 November 2014 - What this picture can only hint at is the thought waves emanating from my head.  "Yes, I want you to open this door now, right now....alright, alright, please."  And the suggestion was finally received and acted upon.  Sometimes I think that the slow up-take of peeps is a conscious decision to be perverse, but I am probably over-thinking.  How could such fumbling bumblers be deliberate?  It is more likely my bad luck to choose a path that they are obstructing.  Peeps are such easy scapegoats that I am almost too embarrassed to point the paw...but the only other option, which isn't an option, is to blame myself.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Low expectations don't disappoint and occasionally surprise.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - recatcitrant, self-willed, disinclined to recognize authority or follow guidelines

hanging fire

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

22 November 2014  - Even though there has not been much said about this problem lately, please don't assume that the issue has improved:  I still have to cool my heels frequently, waiting  for a peep to catch up or catch on.  Our domicile could be on fire, and still one of them would forget something and run back upstairs to fetch it.  I am aware that the phrase "herding cats" is used to indicate a frustrating, even futile, task.  But the underlying difficulty is a wrong-headed notion that we felines will behave like pack animals.  Nope, it isn't going to happen...we aren't wired that way.  But when we smell smoke, no committee vote is needed:  each individual will quickly make his way to the exit...to wait for the peeps.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Which is ruder?

To make someone wait,

or to proceed without.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

play of the day - Waiting for Godot, Beckett's tragicomedy in which nothing much happens...and the significance of that has been discussed/debated ever since.

expurrtise

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

21 November 2014 - We cats could totally get into being consulted on important or weighty matters.  You probably have heard of the wise-man-on-the-mountain archetype.  Hanging out in a lofty retreat has its appeal, but I really am too much of a hermit to entertain strangers with their questions.  Besides, one so revered, who is sought for help or advice,  shouldn't burst out laughing when the query is so preposterous, so idiotic, so you've-got-to-be-kidding.  So on second thought we cats aren't sufficiently "sensitive" to others' feelings to be hired for this job.  Besides the power would undoubtedly go to our heads.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

If wisdom is admired, why do

"wiseacre" and "wise guy" exist?

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

quote of the day -
Hagar asks the Wise Man, "What's the secret to a long life, O Wise One?"
The Wise One answers:, "The secret to a long life is - don't smoke, don't drink, and don't overeat."
Then the Wise One continues, "But the secret to HAPPINESS is an entirely different matter!!!"

brrrrother, can you spare some rime?

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

20 November 2014 - Is it obvious to you why I freeze in the winter?  All that volume and natural light are perfect for a sunny, warm day:  heat rises, so we residents can joyfully inhabit the cooler, denser, heavier layers of air at the bottom.  But when the outside temperatures plummet we must abandon these lower levels and ascend the stairs in search of the moist, warm air.  The hitch in this plan is that the stairs end thirty feet below the roof's ridge, so we are still way short of the warmest spot in the house.  Can you appreciate how frustrating it is to know that my goal is unreachable?  I get goose bumps just thinking about it.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

There are times when being in

the hot seat has appeal.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - furosty, seemingly reserved and unfriendly, when in actuality the poor creature is simply cold

rank and file away

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

19 November 2014 - After perusing the past handful of photographs, I felt that this particular shot, although not otherwise note-worthy, does document that I can stand on my own four feet.  The shorter peep has a fondness for a cat in her lap, especially when there is a chill in the air, and so her bias appears in the blog pictures:  me asleep in the office, me asleep on the porch, me asleep wherever.  But how exactly do I get from point A to point B??  Well, yes, occasionally I am kindly transported, but mostly I have to hoof it just like any other member of the herd.  Just remember that you aren't privy to every minute of my day.

 

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Don't forget the destination

of the cattle car.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purroletariat, the vast majority of the felidae family that support themselves by cunning and wits

gnashed hopes

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

18 November 2014 - Today I am peering into the tropical jungle, ears trained for the slightest rustle of leaves, eyes keen for a trembling palmetto frond.  The wild cat never knows when his next meal will be served, and can only hope that the feasts outnumber the famines.  Hunger pushes one to take risks, and that despair can be one's undoing.  I must walk a careful line.  But the chilling howls of wild dogs keep me focused.  I may disparage the individual dim deep, but no one in his right mind provokes a mob.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Someone who leaps without looking doesn't need a retirement plan.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - cataclysm, a swift and violent event involving claws and incisors

top cat and tales

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

17 November 2014 - Stretched out along a fallen tree on the edge of a tropical forest, the panther surveys the savanna.  In the far distance an insignificant creature grazes, unaware that it is being observed.  Its movement is tracked by the big cat's predatory eyes, but the interest is only one of sport, an exercise to keep the senses active and the brain sharp.  The panther has just eaten its fill of kibble, and is happily digesting its morning meal.  Further involvement can be left to the imagination.

 

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

It is good to be alpha.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrowl, to move about with great stealth...only the uninitiated would dare call it "pussyfooting"