beyond the galvanized pail

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

31 August 2017 - One's self-confidence and self-worth are really boosted when one has a space, even a small bit, that is uncontestedly one's own... to rule as one wishes, to set the rules, to outline the goals.  Outside that utopian sphere, one can be a regular bloke, part of the background, quiet as a meep.  I am fortunate to have such places to which I can retreat, when my peeps are crowding my face and controlling my boundaries.  It doesn't take long for my spirits to rejuvenate, for my pulse to quicken... and I am good to go, my old self again, ready for whatever life throws me (and at me).

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Going non-stop is

gonna kill ya.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrk up, to be revived (e.g., by the sound of a can-opener or the rattle of a treat bag)

cellophane rapport

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

29 August 2017 - The power of art is that it arises from life but helps us see it with fresh eyes.  My quasi-daily ramblings aren't faked... but then who would pontificate on the mundane except it was hoped relevant?  I gaze out my window, and perhaps feel sadness; certainly many of you have felt similarly.  Or sitting in a patch of sunshine, I sense suddenly my connection with everything...  yes, you nod in agreement. The causes may vary, but we all can relate to the emotions.  One would think that for all our commonality, we would be more attuned with one another.  The reality is wearying.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Beneath our facades,

we are so similar.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - coopurrate, to work toward the same end (if you insist, I'll supervise)

foreign object

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

28 August 2017 - For some of you Monday begins in a blur.  In contrast I am just too fast for the shorter peep.  Some of my haste is to minimize the chance that she will snap a picture of my stooping to exit through one of my "official" channels.  Trust me when I state that my use of them is the failure of my peeps to act in a timely fashion, and could be viewed as a personal protest... except they are oh-so happy when they out-wait me.  To be a successful remonstration the oppressors should experience public shame, or at the very least embarrassment.  Obviously I must refine my technique.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Finger-wagging, although 

ineffective, is quite gratifying.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - disapurrve, to take a dim view of peep behavior (as if they would notice)

my calling

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

27 August 2017 - To answer one of yesterday's questions:  the shorter peep has informed me that my pictures are not earning "one red cent", so I have reported to work this morning.  Sunday is typically a day of rest and quiet at our domicile, so the photo at right is an amalgam of business meeting pleasure.  Let you who have not slept at your desk cast the first stone.  Besides, some of my best ideas occur when my eyes are closed, and I am just trying to be open to creative possibilities.  (I also am hoping for my atypical weekend appearance to be credited time-and-a-half.)

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Do what you are

willing and able.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purroccupied, engrossed in thought (often mistaken, tsk tsk, for napping)

grinch charming

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

26 August 2017 - What am I gesticulating about, you might wonder?  Without an explanation, you will surely come to the wrong conclusion:  I have been caught in my morning bath... evidently nothing is sacred.  The shorter peep and her silver cube are a dangerous combination.  I don't exactly feel stalked, just continually watched, and who would like to be constantly under the microscope, with every yawn and scratch visually commented upon?  I am interesting and photogenic, but how many pictures of me does she need?  Is she selling the images to Modern Cat?  Am I producing an income for my peeps?  At the very least I should be told... I would report to work less often.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Don't wish for a pretty face.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrpossessing, attractive (not a big deal when you don't even have to try)

basket case

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

25 August 2017 - A conventional approach to a problem has been shamed by the mantra "think outside the box."  One is encouraged to take an oblique perspective, but how does one shift the mind into the proper orientation... turn one's head sideways?  I would like to offer my own view on the subject:  first, choose an atypical box, and familiarize yourself with its characteristics, its strengths, its purposes.  Then think away "inside" that box, where you and your gray matter are practiced and comfortable.  I wager the unusual context will give rise to similarly aligned ideas.  It is a theory,;  test it out.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

We're part of a

grand experiment.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - catpricious, given to sudden changes in behavior... "keep'em guessing"

what is scheduled after math?

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

24 August 2017 - Another morning, another opportunity to carry out my duties... don't I sound like an over-achiever?   Thankfully I don't suffer from this affliction.  I have my priorities, and work is nothing more than a means to an end, namely my afternoon (or whenever) siesta.  There are those who appear to be chained to their desks, and if that is not what makes them happy, I acknowledge their pain.  However I do not wish to alleviate their burden by taking more upon my shoulders.  This attitude doesn't make me cold-hearted, but rather a staunch adherent of cause-and-effect.  Choices should have ramifications, and those ramifications should impact the one who made, even passively, that choice.  To act otherwise is to be an enabler.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Try to be a quick learner.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - repurrcussion, what happens when hiding in a drum (under the bed is a better choice)

this is desiccated to the ones I love

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

23 August 2017 - Predators (and paparazzi) know that the local watering hole at dusk will draw thirsty creatures.  These twilight times of the day afford some safety from hunters with suboptimal night vision, but there is no sufficient camouflage for keen eyesight and sensitive nose.  Fortunately for me the only mammals larger than myself in the immediate area are peeps, so I am quite bold in my nightly walks.  And I also can watch the comings and goings of other small animals that, like me, just want a drink of water before retiring.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Our needs can be

our Achilles' heel.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - despurrate, having a great desire for (but we shan't beg)

it's a dozy

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

22 August 2017 - Yesterday's anticipation of ominous solar occlusion was largely a bust here in the hinterland.  I suspect I slept through the brief dimming that the shorter peep reported seeing, but I nonetheless think that I put the time to good use.  Talk of calamities, natural or peep-made, foretold by the heavens is just that - talk.  The beeps might be tricked into predawn song, but otherwise life cycles on.  I suppose if one didn't understand the phenomenon, one might remain inside one's cave, huddled with fearful others, and then later attempt to appease the offended god(s).  But, really, despite several steps backward, aren't we living in the modern age?

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Reason is an

under-utilized tool.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - nonpurreil, a matchless marvel... there are so many synonyms for my kind

bloke busted

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

21 August 2017 - I am glad to note that I'm not too old to learn:  who would have guessed that interlopers would dig a tunnel in an attempt to breach our walls?  The entry point is not far from the house foundation, and near a busy coming/going walkway.  Don't they think they are clever, to stage a break-in so close to our bustle of activity.  But I am on to them, and have the patience to quietly wait outside the burrow until they deem it safe to emerge.  And then they are mine... unless they are bigger, or meaner, than I.  Plan B is to notify the authorities, i.e., my peeps, and let them handle it.  Either way I am still #1 sentry.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Know your strengths

and weaknesses.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - spurrlunking, to investigate dark, cobwebby places in one's duty as house cat

so glad I could join you

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

20 August 2017 - My endurance paid off:  today is a lovely day.  Such a contrast to go from huddled inside, to dozing out on the deck.  And how quickly we are to forgive yesterday's poor showing when we are in such a positive mood, warm and untroubled.  Peeps are like that as well, I have noticed:  grousing when, literally or figuratively, under the weather, and all smiles when conditions improve in their favor.  I suppose it is difficult to not be locked in one's short-term outlook, when it is the long-term that will have the greater impact.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Be patient.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrleased, satisfied with the outcome (someone finally listened to me-ow)

undergo, or go under

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

19 August 2017 - Some love affairs end badly:  it seems my water fascination has brought us a foul day in the Maritimes.  What do you do when Mother Nature spits in your eye, ruffles your fur, and chills your core?  Certainly not a pig roast, which is scheduled for later today down by the harbor!  No, indeed, rather, driven by a growling stomach, you pull yourself from bed, take sustenance, and then tuck yourself back into a warm spot.  Bad times just have to be endured, and I am doing my best to stay optimistic.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

They say that yucky is

needed to appreciate pleasant.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - expurrience, to face (although I prefer to turn my back on it)

spring tonic

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

18 August 2017 - Like a moth to the flame, like Icarus to the sun, I am drawn to the water.  I have only my curiosity to blame for this fascination.  An adrenaline-junkie I certainly am not.  The problem with chemicals coursing through one's body is its interference with naps.  When afflicted with the urge to chase my tail ad infinitum, how can I transition into a snooze?  I promise to be careful as I scramble along the shore:  nobody wants wet paws less than me.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Everything should be on

a need-to-know basis.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - stimewlating, arousing interest, while not posing a threat to myself