the final curtain call

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

15 May 2019 - Beware the ides of May?  Today I "shuffled off this mortal coil."  And the verb is so apt:  for the past handful of days I have struggled to retain some dignity as my body failed, when even my vocalizations had lost their soothing, mellow sound... sounding even to my ears shrill and unhappy.  It was time to say goodbye, to cease the struggle.  I trust Bastet to guide me to my next life and my next family.  And I do hope that my two peeps will remember me fondly... as I do them.  It was a good fifteen years.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Do the best that you can.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - meowlancholy, a feeling of sadness, soothed by treats and quiet

frailing all else

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

14 May 2019 - I can't speak for all my fellow felines, but I certainly am a creature of habit.  Though my legs will no longer spring me to a countertop, I still have the desire to be up there.  Fortunately, after years of training, I can communicate fairly well with my peeps, so should I desire faucet water, it happens.  This morning, who can say why, I wanted to rest in one of my dresser beds:  voila, here I am!  Cats are by nature independent sorts, so my having to seek assistance is an irritant... probably to both parties.  But despite the means, I am enjoying the end result.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

What are friends for?!

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - sub purr, not up to snuff (or sniff), genteelly indisposed

role call

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

13 May 2019 - Mondays are superlative for calling in sick.  I am conflicted however in this decision, because what happens when the office manager is away?  Possibly the peeps (and meeps) will play.  But I will trust them to carry on as if I were looking over their work.  I am fairly certain that my image has been internalized by them, so in absentia just might not be noticed... for a while anyway.  My ego is both flattered and bruised that I might not need to be physically present.  I am choosing to label this an experiment, conclusions to be drawn later.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

We can only be

responsible for ourselves.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - impurrtant, having purrfound effect on a peep's success and well-being

bed bidden

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

12 May 2019 - Despite my less-than-optimal health, I can still assume my spot on the back porch.  It is therapeutic and otherwise useful to keep one eye upon this lush corner of Mother Nature.  I hope two of my legacies to my peeps are my steadfastness to the job and my devotion to them.  You must forgive the elderly when they turn to look back upon their lives.  Mine has been an enjoyable stay, with perhaps one too many arduous trips to the hinterland.  Unfortunately (or not) I chose two who do not love the heat as much as I do... but otherwise we are kindred spirits.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Life is an adventure.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrly, incapable of not much more than an occasional hum

seal of purroval

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

11 May 2019 - Saturday mornings are quiet at the office.  Typically the shorter peep is the first one in... although I wouldn't swear that she is actually on company time, and the taller peep is off somewhere in his stretchy shorts.  There really isn't much for me to "manage", so I often do my thinking elsewhere.  Today I am not one-hundred percent, so I am foregoing the stairs and doing my "work" remotely.  That is the nice thing about wearing a suit:  you can say things, like "I am taking a long lunch" or "I am meeting the partners at the watering hole", and the voice need not rise at the end of the statement.  It is good to be king.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Just make the act convincing.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrsuade, to wrap the peep around one's paw

you're invited

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

10 May 2019 - Before the metal screen was placed atop the pond, I had been observed swatting at the feep.  It wasn't maliciousness on my part, just another instance of being fascinated by things that move.  And there definitely was positive reinforcement, as they moved even more after my intervention.  But now I just observe their simple lives, swimming in circles and figure-eights.  I am very glad that my own sphere is much larger and mostly delimited by myself.  Strolling through our yard is often the highlight of my waking day.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Exercise the body

and the mind.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purradisal, being in your purrfect spot

"oh, no" sapient

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

9 May 2019 - The only personal downside to summer is that my lap-time is minimized.  When my body temperature is already pleasantly toasty, I can only handle raising it a few degrees before I think "enough of a good thing."  Even so I try to spend a few minutes in the morning and evening with the shorter peep, and when I have to bail I don't stray far, e.g., next to her keyboard.  I recognize the importance of both togetherness and self-preservation... it is a balancing act, and very satisfying when done well.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Some things

shouldn't be delayed.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrspicacious, understanding why one purrspires

stale meat

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

8 May 2019 - I got this one covered.  Clearly I have the size advantage, however this hairless creature has a surprising leap which always makes me pause... and so it often lives another day.  Typically I hear far more of these basso singers than I actually encounter, and usually in the dark of the night.  This fellow was caught by the porch light, and tried to remain immobile... I guess it knows that we cats are drawn to anything that moves.  A feline stare can be unnerving (it is a true talent), and we sat thus, seemingly in deadlock.  But I did fulfill my job expectations, and eventually hurried the interloper along.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

To outlast is a strength.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrogress, making headway (sometimes by twitching the tail)

has anyone seen the remote?

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

7 May 2019 - My eyes are very fond of the color green, in all its many hues.  Far too much of our community has been denuded and paved over, all the better to build strip malls and parking lots.  But our little piece of earth is still untamed, despite the taller peep's struggles to eradicate the wild grapevine.  I think that he has realized he will never win... Mother Nature is ancient and wily.  But I appreciate the reciprocity of our situation:  we may not be able to push through the growth to our neighbor's yard, but then neither can he.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Take time for solitude.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrdah, the practice of living on the purriphery, away from all the peep feet

old shoo

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

6 May 2019 - I think my peeps have gotten the message... at least the blasted omen of travel has been put away, for the time being.  I suppose that I should be grateful that their plans didn't include me, but then that notion starts to rub the wrong way:  why didn't my needs get due consideration??  I am too much the gentleman to vent my frustrations on the hired "sitter", who left behind a note saying, "he is such a sweet boy."  Indeed I am.  However being appreciated by a quasi-stranger is not compensation for being left behind by your there-for-the-long-haul peeps.  (I feel so much better now.)

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

If it needs to be said,

say it.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purretense, an act calculated to hide the truth (peeps are so obvious)

insistence is futile

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

3 Mary 2019 - TBIF?  My work life is sufficiently pleasant that I don't need to mark the progression of the days.  Besides, my peeps are as likely to show up at the office on a Sunday as a Tuesday, so "weekend" is just a loose concept in these parts.  I rather like the ability to take a day off when needed, rather than being constrained to wait until the much-anticipated Friday afternoon.  And as office manager, I can lead with an ever-so-light hand upon the reins.  Weekday, weekend, morning, night... I am not a stickler as long as the job gets done.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

"Whatever" works for me.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrclaim, to show importance through feline song

20/20 visionary

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

2 May 2019 - Whether or not we are cubicle dwellers, everyone should spend time outside everyday.  The fresh air, the dose of vitamin D, the calming vista all help balance out the hours spent indoors where our focus is drawn inwards.  The four-walls view favors short-term thinking and acting, but out among trees that are octogenarians, or older, we can't help but admit there is a larger picture and that we are just a few pixels in one corner.  Don't however underestimate those few pixels, for peeps can be a destructive force when their emotions rule.  History documents their take-no-prisoners, scorch-the-earth tendencies... which is all the more reason for calmer heads.

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Look beyond your nose.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrcipient, having a good understanding of things, fur-seeing

tressed to impress

Me-ow-my-oh!

Me-usings and Me-emories

1 May 2019 - What is black and white, and read all-over?  Well, that certainly isn't my on-line journal.  I can count my readership on two paws (and I appreciate each of you).  That wasn't the case two months ago, but Google's power players changed the handling of their blog cookies (one can no longer simply grab one off the platter and go), and my western Europe base disappeared!  I didn't really make the acquaintance of peeps in Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, and Great Britain... but somehow they found me... all of which I find humbling.   Now my sphere is North America, still a much vaster area than I ever wish to visit (no offense intended).

methodology of the meow-stro

 

 

 

Today's Catechism 

(for the self-taught)

Who knows the extent

of one's influence?

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrestigious, inspiring respect and admiration (I try)