and they call it "monkey business"

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

30 November 2017 - One can't live in a hidey-hole forever, so I have cautiously emerged.... and just in time for breakfast!  I am relieved that the household is still recognizable, just with more stuff that I can bat around and/or knock over... well, perhaps true when I was a kit.  We cats are true suckers when it comes to dangly things, and if they are just above stretched-height, we are challenged to make them swing.  You peeps should understand, having coined the phrase "be all that you can be."  My species has lots to aspire to in the mischief department.  Even the threat of a naughty-and-nice list doesn't impact our trajectory.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Much fun can be had

with an empty box.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrankster, one purrone to high jinks (and high jumps)

gilding the willy-nilly

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

29 November 2017 - The shorter peep is up to something.  It all feels vaguely familiar:  first she hauls everything out of a closet, one whose twisty maze I enjoy exploring.  From the chaos of boxes and bags she pulls desired objects... I would help her if there was a discernible pattern to her choices.  She then goes about the house, placing these objects.  What was wrong with the items removed to make way for the new, I can't fathom.  Hours pass as she goes about her busy-ness.  Lest I get swept up in these redecorating efforts, I find a space that has low visibility and requires the bending of peep knees to actually spot.  Don't let her know that you've seen me.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

When things are going well,

expect change.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purregnable, vulnerable to harm (don't worry, I have been spayed)

time peace

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

28 November 2017 - The shorter peep and I are morning people; however don't confuse us with dairy farmers... there are no cows for us to milk, so we wait for the sun to make an appearance before leaving the warm bed.  There are many things to like about these early-day moments:  the quiet, the newness, the sharp light, but I suspect none of these things would get us up were it not that our eyes just naturally pop open at this hour, long before the same occurs to the taller peep... although truthfully, in describing his awakening, "pop" suggests far more energy and enthusiasm than we witness.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

We each tick to our own clock.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrompt, punctual, as well as purrodding someone into action

free hugger

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

27 November 2017 - Cats don't willingly dress up.  Wearing bandanas around our necks or donning knitted sweaters is something we leave to the dim-deeps of the world.  We just don't have the necessary disposition... I suppose our over-sized pride won't tolerate looking foolish.  However on chilly mornings I am not above sharing warmth with my shorter peep.  Without heated floors my paws resemble ice cubes, so I am happy to thaw them out in a convenient lap.  I don't linger overly long, because I have a full day's schedule, patrols to walk, corners to visit, scents to identify.  But we shouldn't neglect our personal well-being:  five minutes can be spared by even the busiest sort.  And if you choose wisely, your gain can benefit more than just yourself.  I think it is an honest observation that my peep is happier because of my visit.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

It is easier to get along

when the thermometer dips.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

god of the day - Vulcat, ancient and often overlooked deity in Roman mythology, epithet "fire stroker"

me worry?

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

26 November 2017 - The living room has been rearranged, the dining table is set mid-afternoon... methinks that my peeps are expecting more peeps.  I don't particularly like the implications, but I know the drill:  find an out-of-the-way spot and wait until the noise subsides.  Sometimes these strangers seek me out, want to say "hi"...  it is flattering to think that I am on someone else's radar screen, at the same time I get anxious when in those crosshairs.  What if the "hi" is a cover for nefarious deeds?  So I'll just have to suffer the notion that I am unfriendly... really I am just being careful.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Remember that germs

are passed in close contact.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purroblematic, distressing and traumatic... neither of which is good for a cat

rash-test dummy

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

25 November 2017 - Standing next to my peeps, I look so small, but the scale factor is even more drastic for the beep and me.  Can you spot the tiny fellow on the outside of the window ledge?  He must not be able to see me, or he wouldn't be hanging out this close to his natural enemy.  With every such encounter I take an automatic swat at him.  Although some part of my brain knows that we are separated by a pane of glass, it isn't as insistent as my hard-wired instincts.  I really wish that he would find another spot to sit, as these pointless reactions just make me look silly.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Try telling King Kong

size doesn't matter.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - catulant, grumpy... not that it happens very often (and is entirely warranted)

purrty please

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

24 November 2017 - "I can't read your mind."  Actually I think my thoughts are, in this instance, quite clear.  What is in doubt is whether or not my peeps will oblige me.  We have a give-and-take relationship:  sometimes I need their help, often they need my assistance.  And it is the generous sort of friendship where tallies are not kept, nor grudges held.  We do differ in one matter:  my peeps try to look out for my well-being, to make wise decisions on my behalf.  I on the other hand think that life is all about learning from ill-conceived actions:  it is up to you to look before you leap.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Kindness, like blame,

should be spread around.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - pampurr, to treat one's feline nicely (and well-deservedly)

moral compuss

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

22 November 2017 - I wish my peeps thought I warranted my own doorbell... nothing special, no lyrical carillon required, but mounted at a height of eight inches... clearly installed for my use.  My time could be better spent than peering through the bedroom window, hoping someone will pass by and see me... and let me in the back door.  Those of you who have entered our house through this portal might, at this point, raise a hand so as to interject that there already is a cat door in place, clearly installed for my use.  I can't deny your observation, but what is missing from the story (and it is a key point) is that cats don't enjoy pushing with their heads.  We can do it, but it isn't our favorite thing.  Affectionate butting with our noggins is in another compartment of our brains, and cat doors do not belong there.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Sometimes one must draw

a line in the Florida sand.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrincipled, honorable and upstanding (while gazing forlornly through the screen)

preoccupied zone

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

21 November2017 - I think that the shorter peep was trying to nix my 2017 deal with St. Nick, but her trigger finger wasn't fast enough.  Hypothetically speaking, just seconds before this picture was taken, I was dangling through the pool screen, checking the length of my forearm versus the water level (I was short an inch).  Why I would do such an incriminating thing, I can't (or won't) say... I was simply struck with the idea.  As they say, measure twice, cut once; so I, hypothetically speaking, tried the maneuver a second time (yep, short again).  "Hypothetically speaking", because if there isn't a photo, ahem, it didn't happen.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Don't fixate on the

near-misses of life.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - kittydid, a largish grass-chomper suspected of small-scale wreckage

with it... oops, her

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

20 November 2017 - I don't have the papers to show that I am an educated cat, but I do have a few smarts:  if the ambient temperature is too chilly for my taste, I find a warm spot to inhabit, i.e., a peep lap.  It is a mutually beneficial arrangement, although with a naturally lower body temperature, my peeps are on the winning side.  But that is just how the hot-from-the-oven cookie crumbles.  It is a fact that dim deeps run a slightly higher body temperature than do we felines.  Even so, I am not so cold that I would curl up next to a slobbering heater.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Don't let fashion

undermine warmth.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

phrase of the day - phat cat, the cool dude in the fur coat

the meower of invention

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

19 November 2017 - Blogs can't avoid the presence of "me".  I try very hard to opine on subjects that appeal to more than myself, to make myself a conduit of relevance.  Fortunately we all have more in common than the ever-underscored differences, so I am hopeful that my attempts are occasionally successful.  The need for shelter and sustenance, the wanting of attention and usefulness, surely we can relate to those things.  And I am just a tuxedo cat, no star on Hollywood Boulevard, no citing in Who's Who.  I don't claim profundity, just ordinary experiences sharpened by numerous hours of reflection (and you thought I was napping).

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Stand outside yourself

for a change.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrlific, creative (of high jinks) and productive (of hair balls)

keep under one's cat

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

18 November 2017 - Secluded corners are a favorite spot of mine.  Not only do they offer a respite from noise and foot traffic, but sometimes they are overlooked.  When I am in stealth mode, or perhaps just feeling more introverted than usual, I seek out a niche that offers concealment.  With my coloring night is my best disguise, but I can also blend with heavy shadows.  The trick of course is not to draw attention to oneself through movement or sound.  Whereas my peeps might say that "I am one with the peace lily", I find the words, like an unwanted pill, get stuck on my tongue.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Sometimes forthright is

what is called for.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

phrase of the day - concealed catry, the practice of retracting one's claws when in public... unless threatened

nosy purrker

Me-ow-my-oh

Me-usings and Me-emories

17 November 2017 - I am not getting gray around the muzzle:  I was born with white whiskers (not these in the picture, since every few months I shed one).  Why, on a mostly black cat, they are white, I can't say.  But I admit liking the contrasr.  Against the dark background my facial hair certainly stands out... and calls attention to my asymmetrical nose blaze.  And why should the pattern of my fur be symmetrical?  My markings are definitely too predictable to be random, but my left side is not a perfect reflection of my right half.  Would perfection make me easier to spot (not a good thing), easier to dislike (also not conducive to a long life)?   And did you ever notice that it is far easier to ask questions, than to answer them?

methodology of the meow-stro

  

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Choose friends who

won't give you gray hair.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purr-rying, inquisitive (and why should curiosity kill the cat?)