the unsound barrier

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

29 November 2018 - Acute senses can be annoying for the lucky owner:  how to get a few moments of solid rest?  I can hear faint noises above me... and it seems too early for visitors prancing and pawing at our roof.  What should the sentry cat do in these circumstances?  I can't see or smell the culprit, but he is out there, gloating in the knowledge that there is no way for me to get to him.  The only recourse, since I can't shirk my duties, is to make certain that the shorter peep is aware of the intrusion and then to metaphorically put my paws in my ears.  An unsatisfying decision it is, when a quick chase is called for, but such are my limitations.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Damn the itch

you can't scratch.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - catmost, the greatest extent for a feline

safe mouse

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

28 November 2018 - "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!, "  said the fellow controlling the knobs and levers.  Here I am in my stealth mode, and I would appreciate it if you didn't give my hideout away.  I was hoping for invisibility, but more work is obviously needed.  One talent that we cats are born with is a quiet footfall, but what to do about my three-dimensional body?  I am, according to the shorter peep, already too thin.  If that is the only way that I can disappear into thin air, I would rather not.  Kibbles and I are still good friends.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Not everything

requires a comment.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrception, becoming aware of something through the whiskers

bias blinding

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

27 November 2018 - The shorter peep seems to have worked through her seasonal compulsion... at least the dragging out of boxes has ceased.  Perhaps her mania was prompted by the arrival of too-chilly-for-my-blood weather, although none of the things she has scattered/hung about are obvious sources of heat.  (And why hasn't an enterprising peep manufactured a light-up snowman that radiates thermal warmth?)  That sort of useful decoration I would endorse.  Anyway I won't complain overly long lest she attempt to tie a red bow around my neck.  My comment on that predilection:  anyone who wishes to dress up a furry friend should borrow a dim deep and leave us cats with our innate dignity.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Warm someone's heart

with a smile.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrtiality, a preference for the unlikely (e.g., the tropics without travel)

some old, some old

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

26 November 2018 - Cats love routine and more of the usual, so I was slightly put out yesterday afternoon when the shorter peep pulled out boxes and started changing our decor.  She has exhibited this behavior in the past, but it was quite a while ago (and I had hoped the malady was history).  I noticed the taller peep remained focused on his computer screen:  we all have our effective coping strategies.  After a few hours of dragging out and tromping up and down stairs, she wore herself out.  Then I knew it was relatively safe to emerge and assess the damage.  At my level most everything is recognizable... perhaps a few more baubles to bat around (but later, when she has rested).

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Boredom is actually

a lack of imagination.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrocedure, a sequence of actions which peeps should not deviate from

idle eyes

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

25 November 2018 - What can surpass a sunny Sunday afternoon?  I hear the peeps elsewhere in the house, but only because of my heightened senses:  I am blanketed by a satisfying quiet.  There is no television blaring in the background, no cheering from the couch sidelines, no lawnmower or leaf-blower whining outside.  If I really concentrated, I could probably hear the gold feeps gulping at the pond's surface.  Intermittently I am jolted from my relaxation by the ping of an acorn on our roof... which would legitimately be categorized as petty should it formalize into a complaint.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Not everything

needs to have a point.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purripheral, thought to be of minor importance (but they're wrong)

tom secret

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

24 November 2018 - We are entering that time of year when friends and family gather... I know because I am hiding much more frequently.  Of those peeps framed behind me, I did interact, minimally, with the older duo.  The two peep kits I have only heard (and I was secreted as far from their high-pitched squeals as was possible).  It won't bother me if I don't formally meet them until they have quietly settled into their peep-hood.... if I should live that long.  As an introvert I have no interest in amassing friends (and after twenty or so, aren't they really acquaintances?)... my two peeps are good and plenty company.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Respect the other's

personal space.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrivate, fond of the solitary life (with just a few exceptions)

pleasantly surmised

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

23 November 2018 - I am grateful for many things:  a comfortable bed (with heated towel when needed), a quiet place to call home, food whenever I want it (and even when I don't), a handy faucet to sate my thirst. two peeps who dote on me.  What else could I possibly wish for?  Being a few years younger would be nice (my peeps agree), but that isn't going to happen.  If I tally the results, I end up with "content"... which is very desirable (and fortuitous) if you are a cat.  How better to spend a frenzied Black Friday then by lounging about and purring?

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

At the root of strife

is ambition.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - satiscat-tion, the feline state of well-being

sly in the family home

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

22 November 2018 - In full sunlight this corner is not the best place for unnoticed observing.  Once the day has progressed to shadows and then darkness, I can sit here, certain that my surveillance is secure.  But even midday I like this spot for its elevated overview of the sinkhole and our driveway, the routes foes and friends might use to approach our domicile.  Now that I am not a contender in the 100-yard dash, I must rely more on my wiles to get the job done.  Although I have never played chess, my impression is the victor is one who can think the most steps ahead and build a strategy upon that information.  That is my plan as well.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Victory is never

permanent.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - catculating, shrewd and determined (our minds are mostly made up)

silly shallying

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

20 November 2018 - Nothing puts pause in one's morning like a major thoroughfare closed to traffic.  I realize that we cats are the butt of peep jokes when it comes to our indecisiveness:  do I want to be in or out, on the other side or right here?  Some of this fence-sitting is due to our need for assistance, and how slowly it arrives.  If we were truly perched on a fence, we could hop down in whichever direction that we wished, knowing that the reversal was entirely in our control.  There would be no issue if there was no door or, next best, only an open door.  Both of these scenarios are peep decisions... so one could, in a quiet and nonjudgmental voice, opine that this aggravation is entirely a peep's doing.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Some days are not

worth the bother.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - equivocatting, dithering (or as I prefer to put it:  weighing all my options)

cuppa whoa

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

19 November 2018 - I admit that I am a cautious creature... but that doesn't mean that I am unwilling to try new things.  My peeps often arrive in the office with a cup of hot, dark liquid.  Typically they drink all of it, and do not grimace during its consumption... so I have ruled out poison and medicine.  I was curious if I might like the taste as well, so when the shorter peep extended her cup to me, I took an exploratory whiff.  Whatever it is, it is not something that I am familiar with.  Since it didn't smell even faintly related to yogurt or my kibbles, I politely declined her offer.  After all I have known them to ingest peculiar stuff.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Trying everything once

isn't necessarily a good idea.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - catfeine, a natural pick-me-up from living with felines

I'm in the riddle of something here

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

18 November 2018 - Bastet must have heard my grousing (sorry 'bout that), for today was just perfect for sprawling on the screened porch.  And I have learned that perfection is uncommon, so I spent quality time out there, soaking up the heat and relaxing in the Sunday quiet.  My peeps disappeared for a few hours in the middle of the day, giving me the house to myself.  I know how to enjoy my own company:  no idle chit-chat, no elevator-music pablum, just moi appreciating the universe's marvelous mystery.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Be quiet, and

learn a thing or two.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrplexed, causing one to scratch one's head (and not because of a flea)

dark humor?

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

17 November 2018 - Yesterday I didn't use the words "thoughtful and kind" for sentimental reasons:  beneath that towel is a heating pad to keep my old bones warm.  I wholeheartedly approve of its usage, but rue the fact that it is needed.  What happened to those hot days we, okay, okay, I was enjoying?  It would be a well-paying bit of ingenuity to figure out how to store the sun's heat for those times when it is sorely missed.  The only thing worse than a shortage of warmth would be a shortage of sunlight... and I understand that the extreme northern latitudes pass their winters (miserably I would add) in dominant darkness.  No thank you, absolutely and positively not for me.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

I second the motion:

"Let there be light."

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - mewlancholy, that feeling of depurression upon the return of winter

the why in the road

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

16 November 2018 - I should be gathering evidence for an abuse case:  for the last five days my peeps, normally a very kind and thoughtful pair, have tried to turn me into a hunchback (note the red arrow in the accompanying picture).  The process (and I certainly didn't agree to any of this) begins with a prick, perhaps a momentary 3 on the pain scale.  Then there is a weird feeling of liquids running down my shoulder and into my leg.  I have tried licking my fur but it is dry:  evidently they are siphoning the fluids under my skin.  The result is a sloshy sensation and a squishy lump that eventually disappears.  The rest of my day is completely normal, so I am very confused as to what is going on.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Questions should have

satisfying answers.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

disorder of the day - Meowchhausen syndrome, when a peep puts a cat through medical treatment