scary cat

Shamus on view not

Me-usings and Me-emories

28 February 2021 - If you are wondering, no, I didn't sneak out of the house, disguised in an orange coat.  How did word of my presence escape these walls?  There are several of my sort in the neighborhood, interlopers even so, who stroll through our yard.  The kind interpretation is that it is an invitation to "come out and play".  The more realistic spin is that they are attempting a territory grab.  Should I happen to be in the screened enclosure during a visit, I watch with aggravation their swaggering hutzpah.  Fur-flinging fights between my kind is a fact, so for the interloper's sake I am glad we live in separate worlds.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Be selective with

the welcome mat.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - impurressive, evoking awe through size or skill (mostly the latter, in my case)

another fine mess

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

27 February 2021 - I enjoy sporting my tuxedo, but whose idea was it to surround the mouth with white?  Cats are fastidious creatures, and grooming is a scheduled part of our day... but white around the mouth??  Peeps have an entire hygiene arsenal to deal with the side-effects of eating, and I have my paw and my tongue!  Yet it appears, at least from this picture, that I am doing a decent job in clean-up.  It helps that truly messy foods, like chocolate ice cream and spaghetti sauce, are not on my menu (although I like the sound of "ice cream"), but even kibble when chomped and mixed with saliva can dribble and stain like gravy (I hope the description didn't make anyone queasy).  I suppose I could insist on a liquid diet slurped through a straw... however that would require my mastering another skill (and I'm already busy enough).

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

First impressions

are important.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - dappurr, smartly neat in appurrance (we've a reputation to maintain)

the clean-plate club

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

26 February 2021 - It is unfortunate (and my peeps would say fortunate) that I can't open this jar.  Although the shorter peep has many good qualities, the fact that she can unscrew this lid (and does) is one of her most useful traits.  Naturally at meal time we hang out together, for companionship and for the doling out of those treats.  She has arbitrarily decided the number of tidbits per meal I may have... which of course I find inadequate, but she is the keeper of the keys.  I might have more success convincing those two to eat four times a day.  Surely there is documentation recommending smaller but more frequent meals... and more frequent works for me.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Work hard, and

eat hardy.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

chef of the day - Purrla Deen, who isn't afraid of calories in large purrtions

reflective escape

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

25 February 2021 - There is no need to point out that I'm not on my towel.  I would consider doing so if it was in that patch of sunshine... my priorities are quite clear.    And do recognize that a picture represents a second of my twenty-four-hour day:  don't make any presumptions about this recent spate of "documentation" that shows me lying down "on the job".  Take note of those alert ears.  If any new or threatening sound registers, I will be elsewhere in the wink of an eye.  Whether I run toward the point of origin, or not, is an unconscious decision based on the processing of the auditory disturbance.  It really isn't smart to remain in the crosshairs while thinking the matter through.  I might plead guilty to relaxing, but the brain definitely isn't at rest.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Note that Rodin's

The Thinker is seated.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrfound, showing great insight (a regular me-ow sapient)

forever and ever

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

24 February 2021 - In an abode defined by geometry, this spot is one of the rare places a visitor will spot a circle.  The Möbius strip and the figure eight are both used as representations of infinity, but the circle is a less fancy version of that unending idea.  The concept of eternity is alluring but ungraspable in its uncountability.  It is fortunate that earth's inhabitants can't realize immortality... or the place would be trampled with occupants.  That we each have a season (and thankfully we aren't fruit flies) is a building block of the big picture, and I am happy to spend my allotted days as sentry for and sidekick of my peeps.  What goes around comes around.

clipped notes

                            Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Not all who walk in circles

are lacking purpose.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrpetual, constant, as in "you can count on me-ow"

"love that moves the sun"

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

23 February 2021 - Dante's Paradiso is, from a feline perspective, a boring account.  But actually experiencing paradise is beyond poetry.  Words fail to capture my utter contentment, lying out on the porch, wrapped in warm air, unmolested by life.  The backdrop is nice on the eyes, the soundtrack provided by pesky beeps is soothing to the ears... but both are just icing on a heavenly cakewalk of an existence.  The weather pattern lately has been unstable, oscillating between great and dismal.  However, I am confident that given time the ups and downs will dampen out, and I will be happily spending every work break out there... I haven't forgotten my responsibilities.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

"Purrsuit of happiness"

is a worthwhile goal.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

phrase of the day - golden purrachute, the guarantee of continued benefits should enjoyment be purrminated

over easy, with a side of bacon

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

22 February 2021 - Our bedroom isn't typically this sunny, but my peeps are busying themselves with some sort of project and the light is streaming in.   I very much appreciate these pools of warmth, and cast my vote to keep things in their present state... but mine could be the minority position.  Speaking of position, don't I look content in that picture?  Hind toes stretching, tail curled... yep, that is a happy cat, with no need to tuck appendages beneath/around the body.  At one point yesterday I actually had to move myself into the shadows, lest I overheat!  But I didn't abandon the frying pan until both sides were toasted.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

It's the little pleasures

that count.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrosperity, the state of thriving (thank you, Bastet)

eternal spring

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

21 February 2021 - I swear that I saw something move.  Did you see it too?  Narrowing my pupils and slightly crossing my eyes really helps me focus on the tiny details... and it is the details that can get you.  The shorter peep enjoys "fooling" me:  she will slide her hand beneath my blanket and wiggle her fingers.  I know that the observed bobbing and sidling is of her doing, but nonetheless it is fun to playact otherwise... and sometimes my brain, drenched in chemicals, slips from pretend to real.  At that moment I no longer see her, so narrowed is my perception, and adrenaline kicks in.  The speed and accuracy of my pounce are no longer play but a pivotal strike, the one that can win, or lose, the battle.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Survival isn't for sissies.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrtend, to engage in a bit of make-believe (don't try to bluff Fluffy)

morning loss

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

20 February 2021 - Cats are fond of mornings... which is why we are early-risers... no sense wasting a good thing.  I have tried convincing the taller peep of its merits, but he is dubious (and also a sound sleeper).  So I rouse the shorter peep, who is amenable to helping me greet the day.  There is little need for conversation, just two friends breaking their overnight fast, noting the sharp light, listening to the beeps.  It is an experience that can't adequately be described in words, and a feeling that can't be transplanted into the doubters... which is too bad.  Morning creatures would love to have more believers in their camp, but we realize the unlikelihood of that happening.  So we enjoy one another's company while quietly preparing ourselves for the decline of the day, acknowledging its parallel to growing older (not that I'm worried).

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Life is too short.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - catrition, the state of feline remorse (but we get over it)

playing the fool

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

19 February 2021 - I suspect you and your inner voice have had disagreements, perhaps even an argument.  When you are the only cat in the house (and I like it that way), you can come to fisticuffs.  If it isn't the tail that is being sassy, it is a hind leg that wants to kick the head.  I can only ignore so much abuse, and then it becomes necessary to rein in the unruly.  Obviously the shorter peep finds my actions amusing, and if she were doing the same thing I would question her sanity.  But of course it all makes sense (and is very satisfying) when I'm rolling around, chewing on my foot.  These pesky appendages quickly learn their lesson, and I can resume a decorum that won't incite eye-rolling.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Don't let the onlookers

run your life.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - mooncat, a foolish feline (but that's just your opinion)

wary bones

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

18 February 2021 - Even around my peeps I can be shy, or more kindly spun, kittenish.  You can imagine how out-going the occasional house guest finds me!  On the other hand I do terrify interlopers (but then I do pick my battles).  Despite my black-and-white coloring, I am more complicated than that... as are most.  I think this photograph captures more of my derring-do spirit than my natural reserve, although objectivity is difficult for me-centric cats.  And this snippet of time excludes what happened before (nail-sharpening) and what happened after (an ascent).  Without the entire sequence one is guessing at what actually transpired.  And as to the underlying motive?  That, my friends, is all guesswork.  Self-analysis isn't a cat thing.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

"Why?" can be

a rabbit hole.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrivate, not choosing to reveal to others, mostly for the sake of purrtection

American idle

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

17 February 2021 - Mr. Sun can be quite the tease:  here one day in abundance, the next hiding behind clouds.  But when we are so lucky, soaking up the warmth is a glorious pastime.  This west-facing spot has many things to recommend it, as it is favored by beeps and provides good surveillance of the side yard.  But I would be lying not to admit that without these assets I would still enjoy perching on the window sill.  In a future remodeling I would request that the ledge be expanded to seat-width.  That way both the peeps and myself can recline here and doze in the bright light.  But on second thought, at the present width, I don't have to share with anyone else... so maybe I should leave things as they are.  I wish you a relaxing hump day, wherever you park it.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Do what you have to do.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - luxpurriate, take self-indulgent delight (purrly because I'm worth it)

unusual suspects

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

16 February 2021 - Shearing is typically done in the spring, once the danger of freezing temperatures is past.  I would like to believe that our winter is behind us... but who can say?  However I have had this haircut since Bastet opened my eyes.  (Unfortunately that auspicious date has been lost.)  I lack fur on my lower sides, upper legs (not including paws), and belly.  From afar I appear to be a three-colored tuxedo, when actually it is my skin showing through the silky down.  It is a strange genetic mutation, and in its full glory I would be hairless (and really miserable in winter).  But other than causing a justified dislike for the cold, my "condition" is seemingly benign... and you have to admit, it is a "look".

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

It's all about playing

the hand that you're dealt.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - unpurrcedented, never known before (obviously an exaggeration but cats are known for their high-purr-bole)