I'd like to buy a clue

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

30 Jun 2023 - During work breaks, I have been auditioning comfy spots.  There is no good reason to assume I've found the best napping cushion in the hinterland, so I continue the search... not that it is hard labor.  Even when the weather prohibits physically checking on my personal deck, I still must keep an eye on the two-if-by-sea interlopers.  And this chair, besides being comfortable and typically vacant, offers good sight lines toward the lake.  Since our arrival I've observed peeps out there in various sorts of water craft (but they're not my problem).

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

It is very likely that we

don't know what is going on.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - unmeowdful, generally unaware (but purrivately alert)

wet blanket

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

29 Jun 2023 - My sun room hasn't been living up to its name lately:  my choices have ranged from dark grey to light grey... but at least it isn't raining on my head.  Recent weather has not favored those outdoor sorts.  There have even been instances of percussive booms in accompaniment... I would think that I'm back in our southerly home, except many other factors nix that interpretation.  If I were to admit a bonus to all this wetness, it would be that the green surrounding our hinterland domicile is intense.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Water is essential to life...

but then there is drowning.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

phrase of the day - purrt upon, asked to do too much (I have a hard time with "meow thanks")

pay no attention

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

28 Jun 2023 - Recon work can be dangerous and always risky.  Will you be spotted by the opponent, even worse captured?  Will you have to admit to less than honorable actions?  Even with its negative possibilities, I am drawn into sleuthing, a victim of my own curiosity.  And sometimes I am rewarded with worthwhile intelligence and none the wiser.  And it is those successful missions that I choose to remember.  But the most aggravating outcome is undercover work that reveals the folly of its undertaking:  there were no treats up there, as hoped.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

It's easier to make a

decision when you work alone.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - optimeowst, a cat who is certain he'll always land on his feet

pleasantries

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

27 Jun 2023 - Other than treats, my meals are taken in the office... not a bagged lunch as much as a bowled one.  This space gladly receives Mr. Sol's brightness in the morning, if there is any to be had, with the sunlight shifting around to my window office later in the day.  Just as I file away favorite interloper hiding spots, I take careful notes as to warm spots.  Although it may not be a matter of life and death, it is the difference between being miserable and mellow.  And the former state makes my sentry responsibilities even more difficult.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Junk food won't sustain you.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

name of the day - Mittens, a moniker often given to cats by young peeps (also an article of clothing that I'm tempted to try)

cultured wars

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

27 Jun 2023 - I always approach this side of my deck with respect, as there is no love between me and water.  And this puddle is too wide to jump, and contains more than I can drink... so I keep my distance.  But the interlopers like to skirt its edge, and I must keep an eye on them.  Some of the allure is no doubt due to the feeder that the shorter peep keeps filled with seeds, some of which end up on the ground below:  there is a nearly steady stream of beeps flying in for a treat.  It is yet another example of the similarities between the watcher and the watched.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

All too often we resemble

the wild animals.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrlished, a roiling mix of civilized and feral

flying saucy

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

25 Jun 2023 - I am pleased to report that the hinterland is not without comfy cushions.  And evidently I am sufficiently warm... otherwise I would have moved myself into that bright patch of sunshine.  This positive outlook on my life must mean that I am over the horrible travel ordeal:  the less time spent thinking about that tribulation the better!  Word of my arrival has spread among the cheep population, and now there always seems to be one about, monitoring my presence and loudly chirping the intel back to its base.  As a species they are considerably more cheeky than the beeps I've encountered... and that makes them a fun interloper.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Looking on the bright side is

second only to being on the bright side.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - impurrtinent, demonstrating brazen behavior (that couldn't possibly be me)

of my discontent

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

24 Jun 2023 - Look at all that sunshine, and here I am, stuck on the wrong side of the door!  Mr. Sol's warmth is much appreciated, but what about all those interlopers just beyond the deck edge?  The enemy will quickly forget my fierce reputation if I'm relegated to pace inside my cage.  Eventually the door will be opened, and I'll be able to do a proper job.  But the waiting is an aggravation... maybe I should take myself to the sun room, and pretend that there is no lake-side flank to be defended.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

It is hard to admit that

some things aren't possible.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrvented, kept from accomplishing the task (there is always overtime)

hold fast

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

23 Jun 2023 - It isn't on the scale of tectonic-plate movement, but the ground does shift and move when I'm sleeping with the peeps.  At first I found the instability unnerving, and I would dash off until things settled... and that is still largely true.  But small tremors I've learned are not threatening, and I ride them out.  And "ride" is a good term, like managing high seas in a small boat (not that I would ever willingly leave dry land).  The disruption to my grooming efforts is annoying, but not so much that I'd give up my comfy perch.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

I suppose a state of equilibrium

is too much to ask.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - spurrdy, solid, not likely to give way (the boring life for me)

to be young and restless

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

22 Jun 2023 - What to do when you rise earlier than the rest of the household?  Pester or persevere seem to be the only options, and I'm not the whiny sort... so I find ways to occupy my time until the shorter peep emerges from slumber.  I walk my rounds and make sure to greet the sun (life is so much nicer when Mr. Sol puts in an appearance), sometimes returning to bed for a fifteen-minute snooze.  Alas, there is no personal portal here in the hinterland: access to my sun room must wait for peep assistance.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Supposedly boredom

stimulates the creative mind.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - uniformeowty, remaining the same (which is a good thing until it isn't)

a thing of value

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

21 Jun 2023 - One of the concerns of a conscientious office manager is employee morale, so often my rounds are just an excuse to check in with the staff, gauge how they are doing.  In other businesses it might be grounds for dismissal to hop in a worker's lap but here such familiar behavior is encouraged as it has been found to increase peep endorphins, i.e., their happiness.  And a happy peep spreads the good vibes to those around her, which includes me.  Yet again we see that altruism has its self-serving component.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Everyone wishes to

feel appreciated.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

celebrity of the day - St. Gertrude, the patron saint of cats (we all need someone rooting for us)

good cheer

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

20 Jun 2023 - If the morning starts well, then I am hopeful for the rest of the day... and, for the first time since we arrived in this hinterland, I awoke to a full-bore Mr. Sol (thank you, Bastet).  His dazzling effect has yet to reach my personal sun porch, but I am there to greet his arrival.  It was quite nippy overnight, so warming my bones, and our domicile interior, will take time and demand my patience.  But there is no stormy grey cloud above my head, as I am buoyed by the positive possibilities.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Sometimes one must

wait for the turning tide.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purromising, inspiring optimism about the future (not that a cat-astrophe can't happen)

of service

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

19 Jun 2023 - After taking a number of purrsonal days, I now feel up to my office managerial duties.  As you can see, my cubby hole has a fine view, with good afternoon sun when Mr. Sol obliges us.  Besides job assurance, those of us who work in the software-development area are the benefactors of all that heat generated by amassed electronics.  The shorter peep tells me that this present-day bonus is peanuts compared to the early days of computing, when the beastly machines demanded their own air-conditioning.  So much for the good ol' days....

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Sometimes progress moves

in the right direction.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - instrumeowntal, serving as a way to achieve a goal (that would be staying warm)

feast or famine

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

18 Jun 2023 - See what I mean about the recovery of old neural pathways:  this favorite hinterland window ledge is high above the floor, inaccessible except by a leap of faith... and I remembered!  Today there is  only a slight brightness behind me, but when Mr. Sol is at full strength I can bake myself here until the desired level of doneness is reached... oooh, I can't wait for that day to arrive.  Meanwhile I am surviving by taking a peep lap whenever one is offered, and by burning fat reserves from better times.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Huddling with friends is

beneficial to all.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

phrase of the day - fly in the oinkmeow, unfavorable condition that impacts a cat's well-being