sitting pretty

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

31 Jan 2023 - Laps are always nice, but when the temperatures creep up to toasty, even I don't need additional heat.  Yet I don't want to give up on companionship, so this comfy perch is perfect for those times when the shorter peep is there, gazing at whatever it is she finds enthralling.  I can keep one eye on her, and in appreciation she occasionally gives me a pat.  Yes, my days are enviable:  what could possibly improve in the next life?

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Sometimes we are given

more than we deserve.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - fortucat, favored by good luck (thank you, Bastet)

lionhearted

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

30 Jan 2023 - Keep'em guessin'!  I normally walk a wide circle around this contraption:  the taller peep sits on it periodically and makes it whir.  It is my experience that avoidance of moving parts is a smart move, but for some reason, left unexplored, I decided to check the apparatus out.  My derring-do was bolstered by the shorter peep sitting nearby... what could happen?  The answer is nothing much, and eventually I got comfortable enough to take a brief snooze.  The shorter peep exclaimed that I was getting brave in my old age... I think she was joking.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Sometimes we amaze ourselves.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrlucky, showing courage (I wouldn't go so far as to say fearless)

whaddya mean?!

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

29 Jan 2023 - It may look as if I'm trying to hide my eyes, a cat's version of a sleep mask, but truthfully I'm attempting to hoard my warm exhalations.  My heated breaths won't make much of a dent in the room's ambient temperature, but when directed against my body feels quite toasty... a very desirable outcome when one is having to endure chilly weather.  I thought we were supposed to enjoy Mr. Sol's company yesterday, but that was a major disappointment.  The shorter peep has promised today will be better, but it has begun as did yesterday... harrumph.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

That you can't believe

everything you hear complicates things.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - enigmeowtic, difficat to understand, mysterious

excess capacity

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

28 Jan 2023 - As the sole cat of the household, I am seldom alone.  When Mr. Sol graces us, I have my shadow as a never-failing companion.  Never interrupting my thoughts, always agreeable to follow my lead, he is an ideal mate.  And if I truly want my solitude, I wait for nightfall and ditch him to the darkness.  Even then there is usually a peep in the household, but neither of them hound me (shudder that thought):  we all have our spaces, and pleasantly meet/greet when a lap or head pat is required.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Each of us reaches a

point of too much.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrfusion, an abundance of something (but enough is enough)

unsatisfactory report

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

27 Jan 2023 - I hate cold weather!  My body temperature hovers just above shivering, and my fur does weird things.  Only a slicking down with the tongue renders me presentable... and that is very temporary.  Soon I am back to looking shabby, in need of a bath.  And then there is the danger of sparks!  I much prefer warm, juicy air, when one can sprawl for a nap without having to first tuck all the extremities next to the body.  The shorter one promises me that our winter will soon end, but while I'm impatiently waiting I could freeze.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Real power is having

control of the thermostat.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - remeownstrate, to voice forceful complaints (not that Bastet is listening)

om, my

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

26 Jan 2023 - I am a happy cat when the weather permits me to hang out on my screened porch.  It isn't just the amenities of being outside, fresh air, nature's conversations, an idyllic view, but a certain liberation experienced when out in a vast space that appeals as well.  To be shown as the small creatures that we are is humbling, but also hooks us into the web of all life.  That doesn't however mean that I'll give the interlopers any breaks... we each have our role to play in the universal story.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Walk outdoors, and

stretch your possibilities.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

phrase of the day - jeu d'espurr, a cat's entertaining display of wit and cleverness

let's make ideal

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

25 Jan 2023 - Nature doesn't favor straight lines, so the terminus of my left ear is clearly not something I was born with.  But like all physical flaws, one learns to live with them, even forget they are there.  To have that ear scratched feels just as wonderful as on the other side.  And frankly, other than a dim recollection of how I came to have it, I wouldn't know it differed.  I can't discern a diminishing in my left-side hearing, and what else is an ear good for?  Bearing jewelry, holding up glasses, keeping hair tucked... nope, just not a cat's thing.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

We are all far from perfect.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - supurrlative, having all the desirable qualities (with just a meowdicum of ego)

sovereign state

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

24 Jan 2023 - Being the only feline in my household (an arrangement with which I am quite content) means that I have to look out for myself:  am I getting enough rest (hey, no snickering)?  am I eating healthily (other than an occasional leep supplement, I have little control over this matter)?  is my body in good repair?  My young age can handle a lot of abuse, but I prefer to take the long view.  I want to be rousting the interlopers for many more years, and firmly intend to give my peeps no reason to introduce a second member of my kind into our happy family.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

There is no need to

argue with yourself.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - supurreme, possessing ultimate purrer

what did you expect?

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

23 Jan 2023 - The shorter peep informs me that I seem to have fallen into a pattern (horrors):  she has observed me repeatedly gazing out into the bigger world.  My response is this posture is largely due to my job responsibilities:  having dispatched the interlopers inside our walls, I now must keep an eye on those outside our walls... lest they come in.  I don't believe there is anything wistful about my hanging out at the portals... I am still much aware that my current life is far easier than my prior one.  However, being predictable isn't good... even so, random is harder than it sounds.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Evaluating your actions from

a distance can be revealing.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - formeowlaic, following a script (not what a cat wants)

is that a threat?

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

22 Jan 2023 - If there is any sunshine to enjoy at all, this window delivers the golden goods.  Lest I give the impression that my day is solely about meeting my needs (it may be the truth but it isn't the impression I wish to give), this ledge is only one of two with views of our southerly flank... so of course I must frequent it in search of interlopers.  And during my tenure I've seen all sorts (and sizes) of things saunter/soar past, including my two peeps who use this approach to enter our domicile.  It's the local corridor:  "Show your hall pass!"

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

The familiar can still

be a hazard.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - dangpurrous, risky, possibly harmful (be ready to skedaddle)

let there be light

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

21 Jan 2023 - Mr. Sol always approaches our house from this vantage, so I enjoy watching his arrival.  The interlopers begin to foment in the early hours, another reason I should be at my post.  From this elevation I can see the far ends of my domain, often unnoticed by anything encroaching on foot.  If I had an opposable thumb and was able to extend a paw through this portal, I could drop rocks on their sluggish heads... wouldn't that surprise them?!... and perhaps even teach them to look up.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Lessons continue

throughout life.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

vocation of the day - purrsonal trainer, one who purrods another to get a move on

there's no need to fear

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

20 Jan 2023 - A crazed beep at this portal isn't anything new, but today at breakfast a darker one showed up, easily twice as big as our usual culprit.  It kept me so busy, that I was only to able to grab a few of my morning treats... not good for the digestion to eat and run, but that's the fine print of my job.  At least the shorter peep could focus on other things.  If this assault follows script, the interloper will eventually grow tired of its for-naught attempts and retreat into the understory... to resupply its spent energy, to strategize the next battle.  I'll be waiting.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

The little guy in a contest isn't

necessarily the one who should win.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - statpurr, a cat's purrfessional reputation earned by hard work

to be more specific

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

19 Jan 2023 - I am not of a size to take on large interlopers, but the problem with the smaller version is that there are so many places they can hide.  If you weigh a fraction of an ounce and conceal yourself under a bed pillow, for example, you won't be given away by a tell-tale lump.  Only if movement is detected, a slight shift in the material, would anyone be the wiser.  But  a cat's eyes are keen, so a twitch would be noticed, sometimes even when there isn't one.  And once noticed, the thing must be investigated, the interloper routed (or the oops revealed).  That is my job.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

We are constantly

bombarded by minutia.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - technicatities, the small details that keep a feline awake