victory is mine

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

28 Feb 2022 - For a few moments I feared that my friskiness had gotten me into trouble, but I executed a successful work-around (literally, snaking around that brace) and lived to strut.  Sometimes all that is needed to settle the anxiety is a straight-on look at the worst case scenario.  Here the most serious consequence is that I simply dismount... from a nontrivial height, but one that I've already tested and survived (true, I was spooked into the leap, so there wasn't much in the way of pre-assessment).  That realization was enough to allow me to try a second solution, and here I am, telling the tale.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

We are all amazing

(and often in a good way).

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - hypurrbolize, exaggerate (but I swear it's true)

silly buddy

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

27 Feb 2022 - You know you're looking at a happy beast (or an itchy one) if said is rolling around on its back, legs in the air.  I certainly have done it, for the former reason, and it also is a recognized position of vulnerability.  Despite that, there are moments that require acts of abandon.  For me glorious warm air goes right to my head and softens my caution.  I have recently discovered (or at least been caught doing it in public) that I can do a rollover.  It feels totally reckless and requires a bit more planning, lest one become airborne (as I almost did yesterday... but I intended to do that).

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

It is good to occasionally

engage in silliness.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrding-head, a feline doofus (a tempurrary state, I assure you)

be not brittle

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

26 Feb 2022 - I belong to the clean-plate club, at least when the dish contains treats.  What better way to break the morning's fast then by joining one's peep for some tasty grub?    We two have our routine, and the next thing to anticipate, my pump having been primed, is my bowl of kibble.  I don't mind the predictability of our early mornings:  someone else can have all the heart-jolting surprises.  I like a reassuring approach, one that feels comfortable to don and that encourages my skittish self-confidence.  The food-wolfing interspersed with perimeter survey that I observe in our feline interloper reminds me how much anxiety I have shed.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Assurance of one's basic needs

is one less worry.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - trepurrdatious, apprehensive (I call it wisely cautious)

that was intense

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

25 Feb 2022 - If cats have sap, mine has risen!  Nature is stirring, donning fresh and bright colors, giving me hope that the chill is over.  Certainly of late I have been living on my screened porch.  I don't even mind the sharp morning air when I know what is to follow.  The beeps around our domicile have erupted into chorus.  Although I don't understand the particulars, the overarching theme is joy.  I am tempted to add my voice to their hosannas, but it would probably shut down the performance.  My excitement is energy that threatens to burst its container... I'll catch you later, I've gotta dash.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Some days are just wonderful.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrky, animated and bouncy (as in off the walls)

the quiet meow

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

24 Feb 2022 - The peeps need to trim the shrubbery, so that I can better protect them from interlopers.  The bushes' close proximity to our domicile's outer walls and their towering height afford convenient perching spots for the resident beeps, and conceal the approach of larger creatures.  The former I rather like, since beeps are high on entertainment value (and low on threat value).  Yesterday a large dark thing was so brazen as to circle past the front entry, and klaxon its presence.  Something made it leave... and it wasn't I, as I regrouped back in my safe room.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Pick your battles.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - repurrmand, a cat's slap-on-the-wrist

wary traveler

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

23 Feb 2022 - Hiding in a shadowy corner when there is a loud whump doesn't imply guilt, just prudence.  Besides, if emergency vehicles are summoned, one should give them plenty of room to do their thing.  And if you're not one of the bigger creatures on the scene, you have to take care that no one unwittingly treads on your person.  So this out-of-the-way spot is ideal, allowing me to observe what is going on inside the domicile and outside as well.  In quieter moments I have been known to nap on this particular chair (the shorter peep probably has a documenting photo), and when the yellow alert is cancelled I may just do that.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

"To throw caution to the wind"

could be famous last words.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - catgey, reluctant due to caution or suspicion (a cat can never be too careful)

lickety spit

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

22 Feb 2022 - The shorter peep speaks wistfully of my flexibility, but for a cat I am nothing out of the ordinary.  If one must tongue-bathe, then by design one should be able to reach the hard parts... I suppose those that couldn't stay tidy were shunned by their kin and pruned from the family tree.  The end-result is a willowy spine, that easily shapes itself into a curve.  Its suppleness allows access to the abdomen area as well as the haunches, while a wet paw services the ears and face.  We cats are made for navel-gazing... the one complication being that we don't come with belly buttons.  

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

A good first impression makes

second impressions possible.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - spurruce, to freshen and make attractive (but it helps to have good bones)

steady eddy

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

21 Feb 2022 - I have irrefutable evidence that my kind is flagrantly trespassing (and eating my kibble).  Sadly my warnings did not disrupt its meal, but I draw the line around our domicile:  I reign supreme inside these walls, and so it shall remain (as long as I have anything to say in the matter).  Once the bowl was licked, it trotted away.  I was glad to see it go, but I fear that it will return... especially if the shorter peep persists in offering it food.  I fully understand the privations of a stray life and the hopes pinned on friendly hand-outs (it wasn't that long ago I was scrounging for my livelihood)... but this spot is claimed by me-ow-moi.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Equilibrium is an elusive state.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - impurrtial, fair and just (at least from a cat's viewpoint)

dedicated to the one I love

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

20 Feb 2022 - The things I must do to maintain body heat!  Sometimes I feel like a hairy chunk of meat on a spit, turning before the fire... but it works, and we cats are very practical creatures.  That very same trait gets us labeled as disloyal by an unsympathetic observer, but when hypothermia threatens, devotion takes a back seat.  So a peep lap might be passed over for a sunny spot on the carpet... both will eventually (and all too soon) move, but at least I can predict where Mr. Sol will be next.  And the decision doesn't change the fact that I really like peep laps... I'm just trying to optimize warmth.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Forget trying to please everybody.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - steadfatcatness, resolutely firm (at least in the area of purrsonal well-being)

I second the notion

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

19 Feb 2022 - I just love a job that allows me to keep watch while plopped on the porch in a pool of sunshine... so choose your profession carefully.  Yesterday couldn't have been better:  hot, dry, and lots of interloper entertainment.  It almost made me forget the cause of my recent kvetching (almost).  Such weather buoys my hope that this wretched spate of cold has been jettisoned for tropical balminess.  The best thing I can say about chilly temperatures is that it underscores my affection for summertime.  Who cares if my favorite season brings humidity and bugs... certainly not I.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Life is never perfect.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - unpurrsassable, can't be improved upon (the cat's meow)

that was intense

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

18 Feb 2022 - To be a cat worth his stuff is to be detail-oriented:  to spot something new in the view, something that has shifted or otherwise changed.  The forest of Arden would never have crept up to our domicile without my sounding the alarm.  Clearly one of my kind needed to be on duty that day (and the bard lived with cats, so duh).  For most of my patrol I simply need to stay aware, no goofing off or day-dreaming, but once further investigation is needed, my muscles tense and my eyes bore holes.  The transformation is quite noticeable, and signals that our well-being is in good paws.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

It's not safe or interesting to

sleepwalk through life.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrcing, to see into the heart of the matter, sharp-eyed

inheritance

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

17 Feb 2022 - Although I primarily like peep chairs as places to nap, they also offer a vantage point for observing the local fauna.  And every now and then I do glimpse a spotted feep, quietly making its way through the brush as part of a family group.  I can't recall my "earlier" days... obviously I had a mother (and a here-today-gone-tomorrow father) that I probably resemble, or not.  A litter of kits can be widely different in coloration, but as I said I can't pull up those memories.  Much more satisfying (and reliable) is a family of your own choosing, where food and affection bind more strongly than blood.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Don't lose to the tribe

your sense of self.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrthright, the natural purrivilege one is born with

foe is me

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

16 Feb 2022 - We aren't destined to be friends,  but I can still admire the cat-beep's imitation mewling... and he is a sharp dresser with that minimalist palette.  I can't imagine he has any opinion of my kind except of the dangerous variety.  But that is what is expected as one moves along the food chain, so I don't take it personally.  With this impenetrable pane of glass separating us, I can only bluff an attack and threaten dire consequences... which means that he and other beeps are regular visitors to my window.  I find their appearances entertaining and exciting, even if the outcome is fixed.  My healthy imagination sweeps me into battle mode, and fun antics ensue.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Always remember that the "enemy"

looks a lot like you.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - adpurrsary, one's natural opponent (Sylvester's Tweety)