snappy chat

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

30 Jun 2021 - Well, it is raining again, so my screened porch is wet and its plants are dripping.  With very sparing amounts of water, I keep myself immaculate, so I am averse to a full dunking.  It's true that I could find a dry corner out there, but in protest I am keeping inside while Mother Nature storms and stomps.  Once my perimeter checks have been made, there is little for me to do (and I'm not in the mood for fun).  Perhaps I will practice my harrumph vocalization,  It would be very satisfying to express my frustration to the peeps... not that they could alter the weather, for they are likewise sequestered beneath our roof.  Maybe when I awake from my nap, the sun will be shining?

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

The hand you're dealt

can be a smack in the head.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - peppurry, irritable and out of sorts (not out of doors)

meowry-go-round

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

29 Jun 2021 - I have something of a dilemma:  I definitely am happy being head (and only) meep catcher, but sometimes I wish for a play mate.  My two peeps are long past their youth and its signature vigor and silliness, however they do occasionally join my frolics.  Mostly I can count on them in a game of purrsuit, where they have to merely suggest, with a few advancing steps and gesticulating arms, a chase and I supply the rest.  The shorter one is willing to fetch a tossed toy, but I grow tired of that diversion quickly.  The rest of the fun is left to my imagination.  So if I am leaping at a leaf or running from "nothing", it is more than it appears to be.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

There's a reason big cats

pace in their cages.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrsonality, that hard-to-capture-in-words essence of a cat

it's alive

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

28 Jun 2021 - Finally a dry day!  My time on the screened porch has been seriously curtailed by all the recent wetness, but Mr. Sol has once again befriended us.  I realize that rain is necessary, but is it asking too much  that it "never fall 'til after sundown"?  If only I were King Arthur (and this were Camelot).... But banish those drippy thoughts, because today has great promise, and I don't wish to waste another minute reliving the past when the present is luring me outside.  It is likewise my wish that you enjoy Monday's offerings:  at least give it a go.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Mindful living

requires thought.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - appurrised, informed and up to speed (my favorite purrt)

sleepy heads-up

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

27 Jun 2021 - Was it something you said, or something I ate??  Neither as it turns out... just me sucking in enough air to wake up from my nap.  And I must add that it was a nice nap, interrupted by a cube-carrying shorter peep.  Well, she did attempt to not disturb me, but her execution of stealth needs more practice.  In fact, approaching without being detected by my ears might be beyond peep ability, so I won't hold a grudge.  Besides it was time to restart my morning, and her remorse was amenable to a gratifying brush, further stimulating me into consciousness.  I recommend the occasional (or not) sluggish start to the day... absolutely no sense in rushing to the big sleep.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Make the most

of the journey.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - slumpurr, rest for the weary meowser

hot on the trail

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

26 Jun 2021 - Our abode is great for chases:  there are stairs to zip up and down, large circles for overtaking the pursuer, busy corners that offer hiding spots as well as skidding opportunities.  Such amusement can be had, without accumulating any sand between one's toes.  And I have yet to encounter anything so scary that a duck (not the quack-quack sort) under the bed wouldn't handle the situation.  These things must be weighed when one tips the scale at eight pounds.  And youngsters, whether feline or peep, are bursting with energy.  Without a permitted way to burn up some calories, there is a cat-astrophe waiting to happen.  Now, is it my turn to be it?

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

You're never too old

to have fun.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrdemonium, mayhem orchestrated (and starring) a cat

a dry sense of humor

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

25 Jun 2021 - The weather of late has been something to behold!  Water sheeting down the roof windows, waterfalling from gutter to porch floor, accompanied by house-rattling thunder claps.  Chapter one of my life was spent out in the elements, so a storm doesn't send me scurrying under the bed.  But no cat, alright, 0.1% of us felines, willingly dunks himself for the fun of it.  So I am happy to watch the torrent from a handy window ledge.  My choice to remain dry means that I will miss out on the wet-earth smell, that peculiar ozone aftermath, the cooling of the air.  Every choice has its repercussions, and these I can live without.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Wanting it all

is just greedy.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

slogan of the day - "Choosy meowers choose cliffs", we cats purrfer the high (and dry) ground

a dull blade

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

24 June 2021 - It is hard to clock into work after a satisfying meal.  Both the shorter peep and I feel no need to rush our breakfasts just to get the day started.  There is little so urgent to spoil our digestion (and the remainder of the morning).  It is true that beeps are early risers, but our summer heat saps energy from the interlopers as well as the house sentry.  Without the occasional pause, how can one examine one's life?  Have my priorities shifted?  Certainly not the headliners, since the list is topped with basic needs.  Am I satisfied with the path I'm on?  I'm purring, aren't I?

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Don't wing it

without a flight plan.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - torpurr, a state of physical inactivity (while the meow mind plots)

In Shamus we trust

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

23 Jun 2021 - My job takes me all sorts of places.  If an interloper climbs the screen or scurries up a porch beam, I must follow.  Otherwise, if word got out that I only patrolled the first thirty inches of air space, mayhem would ensue.  Who wants to be taunted by a leep, weighing next to nothing, just above one's head?  No, I roust all unwanted visitors, smaller than a breadbox, from our premises.  Consistency is the message I wish whispered behind my back.  By being predictable I can actually take an occasional afternoon off (especially tempting if it is raining), and the trespassers are none the wiser.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Be reliable, and

your friends will thank you.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - repurrtation, the public standing of a cat

arresting development

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

22 Jun 2021 - Blending in with this carpet is a challenge, but I try to make do with stealth.  Meep #1 is trying to hide deep in the curtain folds, while Meep #2 is under my control (as in tail trapped under paw).  But while batting 500 is awesome in baseball, to me it means that half of the prize is still out there.  So before I can celebrate, i.e., knock Meep #2 about the floor, I must pursue the one that got away.  Ideally the hunt is a battle between predator and prey, without the cheers and heckles of an audience.  But I live with two peeps, who at any moment might stroll through the field of action... and in this case, did.  A rematch has been scheduled for another day.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

One's workplace should

be a sanctum sanctorum.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - appurrhend, take into custody (until bored or distracted)

out on a whim

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

21 Jun 2021 - All creatures love their freedom, to go where they want, to do what they want.  My desires are rather pedestrian, but I do take advantage of my abode's offerings.  This spot on the bed was during cold weather my favorite place, one where heated towels could be expected.  Then the screened porch became my hang-out of choice, and the comfy bed was, at least during the day, neglected.  It really isn't an attempt to rectify the inequity... being less predictable is more my intent.  So yesterday both peeps exclaimed "look at that" (or equivalent) when they encountered me keeping company with Meep:  evidently I was successful.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Periodically shuffling the deck

keeps the game interesting.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrculiar, odd (but a cat sees nothing strange about that)

wild card

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

20 June 2021 - The royalty of the jungle silently steals through the forest, pausing occasionally to sniff the air and listen for movement.  Sometimes an urge to pounce brings to mind my ancestors... I may not well disguise this sudden ferocity because often the shorter peep removes her fingers (or toes) from reach.  But my toy meep is always available for a trouncing.  I have been known to carry it long distances (back to the lair?), before the mood is expended.  Fortunately there is now a backup meep, should I forget where exactly I dropped the original.  Eventually, and days could pass if the stashing place is particularly obscure, one of the peeps will espy, or step on, the lost toy and return it to its home... ready for its next adventure.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

The imagination should

be exercised as well.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

phrase of the day - purrers of attraction, qualities that make a cat interesting and distinctive

a happy medium

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

19 Jun 2021 - I just love the long days of summer.  The shorter peep tells me that much farther north, the sunlight is almost constant.  I like that idea, but realize that six months later, the dead of winter would certainly kill me.  Life is a compromise, no news there.  One can try to minimize dissatisfaction, by either being a stubborn negotiator or by being easy to please... and which you are is largely determined by personality.  I admit to being a softie:  confrontation, unless with a minuscule interloper, just isn't my style... besides, I have better things to do, like relax on the porch.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Both arguing and purring

consume calories.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

Latin of the day - meowdus vivendi, a cat-peep arrangement allowing peaceful coexistence

on whose authority

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

18 Jun 2021 - Unless fear is a motivator, we cats don't make snap decisions... which strangely enough seems to irritate peeps.  The shorter peep has actually remarked that it takes three minutes for me to make up my mind, a rather unkind observation even if accurate.  This push for us to rush into action seems counter to their "look before you leap" advice, but then peeps are not the epitome of rational.  The feline independent streak means that we ignore snide on-lookers, and think through our options:  chair, screened porch, window ledge, kibble bowl.  Making the list, and then weighing pros and cons of each item, takes time... and if that should rile the peeps, forgive my smirk.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Do your own thing.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - unhampurred, not encumbered by purr pressure