chill blames

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

31 January 2019 - Imagine those vertical wiggles used in cartoons to indicate heat rising from a surface (too bad the shorter peep isn't more creative)... that would capture this snuggly moment lying upon my warmed towel.  My toasty spot is not so hot as to make me a mirage to your eyes, but just right, to quote Goldilocks (and I admire someone who knows her mind and insists that she get what she wants).  Based on today's chilly start, I predict that I won't be straying too far... not that lying around is a hardship to a seasoned cat.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Save your strength for

a better day.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrlar vortex, the natural revolution of peeps around their cats

may I burrow that?

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

30 January 2019 - In yesterday's chat I chided myself for being house-bound due to chilly temperatures.  Today is no better, yet I ventured out... briefly.  I mostly let my nose do the sleuthing, as I wasn't too keen on a full-perimeter patrol.  After a quick, but thorough, scan of the premises, I feel certain that we will survive the day (especially if the shorter peep keeps my bed heated).  Opportunists, being what they are, are undoubtedly snug in their lairs, plotting warmer exploits.  Tomorrow will offer me another chance to see Mr. Sol (he is sorely missed) and to thwart evil-doers.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Many are cold,

but few are frozen.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

aristocat of the day - Socks, President Clinton's cat (and I recommend them for cold paws)

trying to help

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

29 January 2019 - The shorter peep has promised warmer afternoons, and I hope that she can deliver.  Certainly mornings of late have not been inviting, and Sunday was a total wash-out, literally.  That I haven't been able to keep regular patrol hours is worrisome, but perhaps the element of randomness will keep the bad guys guessing.  I fully intend to get out there, and soon, to walk my beat, to sniff the smells, to oust the loiterers.  I have an obligation to this household to keep it safe, but I also wish to avoid pneumonia and frostbite.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

There's no sense

making yourself sick.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

aristocat of the day - Tom Quartz, President Teddy Roosevelt's cat (nothing like building your house upon a rock)

tough newbies

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

28 January 2019 - Survival skills are a good thing to have:  those that have 'em, duh, survive; and those that don't, rue the omission.  Animals who must make their own way aren't necessarily better at maneuvering through the minefield, but are benefiting from practice that those of us who are coddled lack. Knowing the nearest safe spot, the most reliable food source, are good pieces of information to possess, and I dare say that I would, in hard times, fare better than my peeps.  However, as their protector, I do hope that society doesn't capsize... because I really prefer the lap of luxury.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Hardscrabble isn't an

expert-level board game.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

aristocat of the day - Tiger, President Coolidge's cat (with street cred to burn)

purrsuasion

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

27 January 2019 - It is hard to admit (even harder to implement), but we alone are responsible for our happiness.  How much easier if we could expect a caring peep, a best friend, understanding family to keep us smiling and thinking cheery thoughts.  But on the other hand there is something very positive in knowing that we don't have to depend upon anyone else to raise our spirits, or even to recognize that we are in the dumps.  So today, with drippy stay-inside weather, I have found my own little garden and shall presently be snoozing green dreams.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Grin, and the world

might be convinced.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

aristocat of the day - Tom Kitten, President Kennedy's pet, and the first cat to have an obituary notice (since life should be a series of exclamation marks)

purr malarky

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

26 January 2019 - My advice is to not over-plan your Saturdays.  Weekend athletes just injure themselves:  their infrequent enthusiasm to be a jock results in aches and sprains.  The point of the weekend is to allow the mind and body to relax, to recover from the stress of the prior five days.  One can't do that if he/she is stalking the mall for bargains or decluttering the guest room or doing everything that didn't get done since the last Saturday:  "quit sweating the small stuff."  Here's a radical idea:  leave your phone in another room, and take a nap... hide if necessary.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Stop competing

with the ideal you.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

aristocat of the day - Misty Malarky Ying Yang, President Carter's cat (I bet his naps were undisturbed)

faux paw

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

25 January 2019 - You probably don't approve of public nail-filing or shared teeth flossing.  I understand, and you are entitled to that opinion.  However a torn cuticle is an annoyance that is hard to ignore, similarly for me a ready-to-shed claw sheath .  It catches on fabric, it clicks when I walk... it is an aggravation.  While my peeps were busy peering at their work screens, I though that a discrete and minimal pedicure could be indulged in without any fingers wagged.  I have no regrets in hindsight, in taking care of this personal matter on company time... I just wish that the shorter peep had remained focused on her monitor.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Don't be so quick to tsk.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

aristocat of the day - President Teddy Roosevelt's Slippers (ugly feet?)

the trouble with rebels

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

24 January 2019 - My peeps tell their friends that I am quite vocal... well, sometimes one has to be in order to communicate the most basic ideas.  My two are so easily distracted:  just when I think that one is following me, I look back and discover that she has wandered off task and is putting away a stack of dishes or throwing something into the clothes hamper or all manner of can't-it-wait stuff.  I think it a commendable show of forbearance on my part that I don't swipe their ankles more often.  But somehow we do end up in the same place, on the same page... although I have had to wait for hours (certainly minutes) before getting some faucet water.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Don't squander

another's patience.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - catboodle, the number of peeps required for cat maintenance

what natters

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

23 January 2019 - I don't deny that I have a cushy life:  peep attention (any more and I would lose my self-respect), plentiful food, soft bed (warmed when the temperatures drop), an undemanding job.  But my story isn't that different from any other cat lucky enough to have a stable home life (and I don't mean existence in a barn).  Each of us without a warranted complaint should acknowledge the great disparity that separates us from those who scavenge for shelter and sustenance... and be gracious and grateful.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Don't be a whiner.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

anecdote of the day - When asked if her husband had any hobbies, Mary Todd Lincoln was reported to have answered: “cats.”

minion own business

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

22 January 2019 - The morning following a three-day weekend can be jolting to the senses.  My advice is to ease back into office flow slowly, perhaps attend a meeting (and sit in the back) or organize your in/out trays (while working a crossword puzzle) or gather project data (so as to gather work gossip).  While idling at your desk, should the "boss" pop by, inquire about his holiday activities and offer to get her a coffee.  I am not suggesting that you resort to obsequious behavior, however it is a known fact that WD-40 can free a dolt, er bolt, from a stuck place and will silence those annoying chair squeaks.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

It's all busy work.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - sick-cat-phant, one of my kind (very rare, "sick cat" indeed) that fawns over a peep

no one likes a meanie

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

21 January 2019 - Optimists are often the butt of jokes, deemed at best naive (at worst pathetic).  But I see nothing wrong-headed about expecting more, perhaps even believing one deserves more.  If you don't see your own worth, don't expect the world to set you correct.  Should the taller peep present me with his breakfast bowl, I am grateful and take my fill... but I don't conclude that that is it for today's largesse.  One of my jobs, self-appointed, is to stretch my peeps' generosity, to exercise their big-heartedness.  The world will one day thank me.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Charity begins here.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - mewnificent, very generous with meows of encouragement

union parked

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

20 January 2019 - In a crisis we curl into a ball, attempting to shield our vulnerable (and vital) areas from attack.  But thankfully the majority of our days are not spent in high alert, and that is when we realize the amazing totality that defines us.  A cat without whiskers would feel emasculated, regardless of gender.  In the picture one can only see my white bristles, but there are (and why not?) a few black ones as well (and also several <gasp> split ends).  And those paws, deceptively simple in appearance  yet our carrier from point to point, capable of delicate probing, affectionate kneading, and warning swipes.  The world awaits our entrance (when I am ready to get down).

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

We are more than the

sum of individual parts.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - syndicat, an amalgamation that supports the living of our nine lives

air loom

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

19 January 2019 - I wonder if a statue will be erected somewhere in the house to commemorate my years of selfless service.  I never met the fella that inspired the monument behind me, and I suspect that some artistic liberties were taken (although my job would be easier if I could fly), but how satisfying to know that one's work is appreciated.  From his perch overlooking the floors below, and a window view of our driveway approach, this concrete sentinel must have preceded me in guard duty.  That my job has been relatively easy since day one would imply that he knew his stuff.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Leave a meaningful

legacy.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - benecattion, a generous gift of one's time and talents (and talons if necessary)