crisps with meow-o

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

31 Jan 2022 - Is that frost atop the table?  I knew that I had been cold recently, but that would, literally, be a new low.  By choosing my moments carefully, I have been able to dash onto the screened porch (yes, my portal eventually was opened), survey the surroundings for interlopers, and scurry back inside.  At least Mr. Sol has been putting in appearances, but it's rather like Sisyphus pushing a snowball uphill... although I appreciate the effort.  Perhaps today a bit more progress will be made.  I'll keep lifting my paw into the wind to check.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Life is full of surprises,

some good, some not so good.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - summeowry, suitably warm (or a cat's account of the shortcomings)

get a grip

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

30 Jan 2022 - If I can't locate my peeps, I check the office.  With their staying-at-home lifestyle, they have lost their already tenuous hold on place markers, so I am just as liable to find one of them at his station on the weekend as midweek.  The sun's constant rhythm of rising and setting keeps the concept of morning and night fresh in their minds... which means this time of day I am more likely to find the shorter one here, pecking away (while the taller one solves problems in his dreams).  Every room in our house has been meticulously charted and annotated, with comfortable spots and warm spots marked in my head accordingly.  Today I am a heat-seeking missile.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Ask your head, and

consult your heart.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - educatted, schooled in purrvival skills

whine not

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

29 Jan 2022 - My peeps sometimes try to make decisions for me, and I'm sure that their hearts are only concerned with my safety and well-being... BUT (and of course you knew there would be a "but") what sentient creature wants to be overlooked in the decision department?  I am sure that the conversation I just had with the shorter one was an explanation, and well thought out, however she is also aware that I don't comprende her language... so I'll label it a good-will gesture and continue to stare longingly onto my for-the-moment forbidden screened porch.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Is it possible to save

ourselves from ourselves?

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - dispurrate, essentially different, unalike (after all we aren't the same species)

thoroughly bred

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

28 Jan 2022 - I often scoot under furniture, for fun or safety, so a similar idea might occur to interlopers... which is why my patrol includes checking perches both above and below.  Sometimes I even find a misplaced toy or other less interesting inanimate objects, like a pencil or lint.  I typically drag the finds out, into the light of day, as a help to the cleaning staff and the lost&found department.  Occasionally I encounter the desiccated remains of an interloper, suggesting that my surveillance needs to be more frequent or more thorough.  Another possibility, even more concerning, is that my foe is wilier than my estimation.  All of these shortcomings need to be examined.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

"How am I doing?"

should be periodically asked.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - lapurrious, requiring effort and time (purrhaps why we have nine lives)

unreachable stars

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

27 Jan 2022 - I see beeps do it all the time, so how hard could it be?!  Just push off from this ledge, and fly... well, the last time I tried to soar, gravity won and I thudded on the floor below (I meant to do that).  But wouldn't it be an awesome addition to my patrolling skills?  The element of surprise can leave the adversary disarmed, if only for a few seconds... but that is all that is needed to turn the battle.  The next time I am sunning at the window, I'll take closer note of how exactly the beeps are managing to swoop through the air.  There is however the distinct possibility that cats can only dream about aerial acrobatics.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Not everything is doable.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

phrase of the day - like herding cats, frustratingly difficult to manage (so let me do my own thing)

uncommon ground

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

26 Jan 2022 - As thrones go, mine is very basic... but comfortable (and when needed, warmed by the shorter peep).  But what monarch in his right mind (and power does play with your head) would prefer ostentation to high regard?  Even without a crown (and no, that is not a hint), I am the resident king because my peeps say so.  Elevated without the need of an election, I am a benign ruler who asks little of his subjects, save for the occasional treat and head pat.  A pompous life would provoke hair loss, so I report to work daily.  A king who willingly earns his keep is a rare beast, but that describes cats perfectly.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Keep your head

out of the clouds.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrecious, out of the ordinary, remarkable (meow meow)

on what grounds

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

25 Jan 2022 - Cold-weather versions of plants are inadequate as a hiding place.  How can one possibly do recon work when there are no leaves to conceal one's presence?  Fortunately I'm among friends, so to blow my cover is no big deal... although the shorter peep did have words (fortunately incomprehensible to my ears) about my presence on this piece of furniture.  I've seen the taller peep lounge here, so I don't think it is an unsafe spot for hanging out.  From her facial expression and tone of voice I gather that I should be elsewhere... but the reason escapes me.  However there are better spots in this general area for conducting surveillance (and for napping)... so we can all be happy.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

One's choices do

impact others.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - errcatic, irregular and, what is most annoying to cats, unpurrdictable

faux lather

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

24 Jan 2022 - This photo offers a different perspective on yesterday's shot:  feet tucked under rather than my bathing sprawl.  However there is a telling similarity between the two, namely my orientation to the Saharan wind.  I have seen pictures of a gathering of seaside beeps, all facing the same direction.  The shorter peep pointed out that their noses were into the wind, so that their feathers would not be ruffled (and skin exposed) by the gusts.  I on the other hand want that warmth directed toward my body, so my nose faces away.  Different goals warrant different strategies.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Just because others do it

is not a good reason.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - copycat, to mimic another's behavior (but we cats are the original)

the meower of all invention

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

23 Jan 2022 - Not exactly the lap of luxury, but one of the "hot" zones in our domicile can be found here... where the circle marks the spot.  From this angle I rather resemble the yin-yang symbol, and in my neutered state am the perfect blend of the two halves.  I can be found here only when 1) the day's sunshine is inadequate and 2) there is no lap readily available.  Its Saharan wind doesn't always blow, but I have discerned the sound that signals its presence... and can hightail it there on cue.  Self-preservation sometimes requires a creative and flexible mind. 

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Comfort is a huge motivator.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - inspurration, the stimulation for behaving in a certain way (can you scratch this ear now?)

risky business

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

22 Jan 2022 - I don't like jumping up from a meal to deal with potential danger.  It seemed rude to hurriedly leave the shorter peep without explanation (but that conversation isn't going to happen across species' lines).  You can see the cause of my concern:  a colorful something crouched on the porch floor, that definitely wasn't there during yesterday's final patrol.  There is no way to conceal my approach, as the terrain between it and my personal portal is without cover.  But I swallowed that concern, and pushed my way through.  As of this writing, I have cancelled the red alert and returned to my breakfast.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Smooth sailing requires some breeze.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purroblem, a setback, on a smaller scale than cat-astrophe

motionless detector

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

21 Jan 2021 - We cats don't get art, although we fare better with a still-life than an abstract.  I suppose this odd-smelling object is supposed to represent my species, at least the tail suggests that conclusion.  Its only function seems to be holding up the books... which my peeps have a considerable quantity of, so it may even be considered "useful".  If it weren't inert, I would feel sympathy for its boring existence.  Unable to face the opposite direction, to stretch on all fours, to stroll through our domicile, it hasn't much of a life... I certainly would not volunteer to take its place.  In all truth, even if it were sentient, I would not offer it a breather (for who would volunteer to relieve me?)

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Some problems don't have

easy solutions.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

monolith of the day - The Great Sphinx of Geezer, a statue memorializing the coexistence of cats and peeps

a mottled citizen

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

20 Jan 2022 - I have noticed differences outside my window:  splashes of color can be seen among the green and brown (yes, cats perceive more than black and white), perhaps responding to our sunny, temperate afternoons.  Mornings are still problematic, but I'm try to focus on the positive, what we have rather than what we don't.  Despite my adversarial relationship with beeps, I must admit that they aren't deterred by foul (fowl?) weather.  Through chill and blow they can be spotted in these bushes, sometimes skulking, sometimes taking the fight to the window.  I understand that being on the small side means you have to defend your space.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Nature always has spare change.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - meowtamorphosis, transformation into something completely different (kitten to senior cat?)

washed and wary

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

19 Jan 2022 - Mostly the walking of my beat is same-old, but occasionally I have to deal with a new situation.  Until the unknown is vetted I am on full alert, senses straining for information, muscles coiled for a spring to safety.  That these unidentified objects turn out to be inert, harmless, perhaps even laughable, doesn't alter how I approach my job.  Keeping my hide intact is certainly foremost in my mind, but the well-being of my peeps and our domicile also weigh in.  And obviously I lived to tell the tale, and to flick my tail in satisfaction.  It's all in a day's work, and a nap well earned.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Keep an eye on danger.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrudence, cautiousness (I just call it good sense)