the black guard

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

31 Jul 2023 - It is a good day that begins with sunshine.  If I haven't pulled an all-nighter, I will sit with Mr. Sol until the shorter peep stirs.  Although my silhouette might suggest that I've dozed off in the golden warmth, I am actually looking out the portal at a cheep-meep scurrying past.  Interlopers favor the quiet times of the day, when eyes aren't trained on their mischief.  But it's my job (and I'm very secure in it) to be the all-seeing sentry, and to break up suspicious gatherings before trouble brews.  So don't begrudge my occasional nap... it is needed.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Nine-to-five is not the

schedule of a ne'er-do-well.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - rascatly, disposed to deceive (could be said of me or the purrpetrators)

express on

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

30 Jul 2023 - The shorter peep tried to catch me in a compromising position, but I was too quick (I probably don't need to say something so obvious).  When you are on the small size, and in my line of work, you need sprightly skills.  Who knows how fast I'll be out of the blocks when I'm a senior cat, but that is in the far future:  right now I have loads of energy and an impishness that sometimes can't be contained.  I probably shouldn't infer, from my two peep examples, that the peep species isn't a cracking group (unless one counts knee noises), wily but not the swiftest... but you still have to keep an eye on 'em.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

There is great joy in living.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - expurrditious, done with speed and efficiency (I'm being obvious again)

come to order

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

29 Jul 2023 - My personal sun room and deck aren't truly domicile antipodes, but they certainly offer different viewpoints.  When I have decided that the threat by sea is low, I can trot to this area and measure the threat by land, to be more precise, by forest.  There is a niggling in my brain of at least one recorded instance of a great wood advancing up a hill,,, I wasn't there, but the thought does rattle my complacency:  don't assume all is well, even if that is how it appears!  Despite that bit of bad news, we are still masters of the home front... and it is that mantra that permits me to nap while the world encroaches.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

The universe favors turmoil.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - catotic, in a topsy-turvy state (good thing we land on our feet)

snub the hubbub

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

28 Jul 2023 - Another day of cleaning to endure!  I have found that even beneath a bed isn't safe from the shorter peep's tools... I wonder how long I can stay out of the way on top of the bed?  My personal deck is typically inviting, but just as my southerly porch has one-way-on-one-way-off, so is true for the deck.  At times of elevated anxiety, due to changes in my routine or visits from strange peeps, I want multiple exits from my "safe" spot, to avoid that feeling, real or not, of being trapped.  My pulse rate won't settle down until this flurry of activity ceases.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

For the quiet sort, life

is mostly bedlam.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - pandemeownium, upsetting commotion (breathe in, breathe out)

may I have your attention

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

27 Jul 2023 - I don't have a 9-to-5 job.  Rather, I am on call throughout the day and night.  It seems that when the sun is up, I am focused on an assault from beyond the walls; but after dark my attention is drawn inward, to those varmints that are bold enough to live amongst us.  When we first arrived, their presence was a given, but slowly, with time and vigilance, I am gaining the upper paw.  Last night my ears detected sounds in the kitchen (ah, yes, where food is prepared/stored) that required my checking.  It might have just been the house sighing, but a cat has to know for sure.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

There is nothing more niggling

than an unanswered question.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

phrase of the day - Arpuss-eyed, very observant, unsleeping (with the exception of naps)

a contented cat

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

27 Jul 2023 - It is funny how things strike us:  when I wasn't allowed on my personal deck, I was fixated on being out there; once its door was opened, I binged on its availability; now my life has settled into a balance of in and out.  This return to equilibrium is much more relaxing, whether I'm napping or on the job.  However the peep diversions continue, with muffled bangs and back-and-forth activity, but the good news is that I am otherwise unaffected.  Just as I try to do my sentry work without calling attention to myself, my two peeps are carrying out their business in the background.  Bother me only if I need to know.

 

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Don't micromanage.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - gratificat-tion, the feline pleasure of being satisfied

re-pose

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

25 Jul 2023 - There is nothing better than greeting the start of a day, outdoors in the sharp air.  Sometimes I awake to a milky view, the lake's far side hidden, objects close by softly edged.  But to rise with Mr. Sol, interlopers casting dark shadows, everything exposed, is my favorite morning.  Right after first meal, the shorter peep and I can be found out on my personal deck, soaking up the warmth and the silence.  This combination of work and relaxation makes my job satisfying.

 

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Stress eats away at life.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - manxiety, a cat's worry that his tail (or worse) is about to be trod upon

being sensible

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

24 Jul 2023 - There I am, in the far corner, well hidden at least from where you're sitting.  Although I can peer between the deck boards, seeing slices of the ground and scurrying interlopers, it is the deck's edge that occupies my time.  From this vantage point, I have a mostly unobstructed view of the surrounding yard and the lake.  The latter is favored by paddling beeps, that often intone as they pass, more informative than warning.  Despite their size, I've deemed them a low threat, which is a good thing since I don't like water.  Mostly I keep my eyes on land, and what is trying to camouflage itself among the rocks and grasses.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Knowledge of one's weaknesses

is more important.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrlausible, convincing, reasonable (not that I always listen)

the once-over

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

23 Jul 2023 - The arrival of something new gets everyone's attention, including mine.  But as the domicile guardian I must thoroughly investigate its presence:  are enemies hunkered inside, ready to deploy when darkness falls?  To answer that question, I spent the night with it (and, as luck would have it, it is very comfy), and I am now confident that no threat is posed.  I will put it on my rotation, a periodic check to confirm that nothing has changed.  Plus I'll suggest to the shorter peep that the addition of a few pillows would make the space more inviting.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

An extra set of eyes is useful.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - investigato, to make a careful examination of (just call me nosy)

in a state of disarray

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

22 Jul 2023 - I loathe the days the peeps elect to clean the house.  All these unfamiliar, noisy tools emerge from their lairs, and my calm is undone.  It isn't as if I've been attacked directly, but there exists a not subtle threat... especially from that thing that growls/hisses.  So I try to vanish, sometimes misjudging their movements and having to dash to another room.  It is an anxious time, eventually yielding to my favorite quiet.  But caution keeps me sequestered for a while longer... just to be sure of my safety.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

There is good in the

world... but scariness as well.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

phrase of the day - having kittens, experiencing unease (no worries, it's a meowtaphor)

buff, not fluff

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

21 Jul 2023 - Another dark, dusty corner to secure... good thing we cats have such excellent nighttime vision, or the interlopers would surely get the upper hand.    These out-of-the-way spots are where my two peeps stow gear and seldom-used this and that...  all the clutter makes my job more challenging, as I pick my way through and poke behind the obstacles.  But what would be the fun in guarding an empty cavern?  My tactic is to frighten the trespasser from its hiding spot, and then pursue.  It is stimulating work and quite good exercise.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

A daily ten-thousand steps

keeps one fit.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - stalpurrt, hardworking (it's how I earn my treats)

solitary confinement

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

20 Jul 2023 - "Who goes there? ... And do you know the password?"  As the portal through which strange peeps, as well as my own two, enter and go, I have little control over this threshold.  But I am still curious, mostly concerned about its being hijacked by interlopers.  Due to its use as a thoroughfare, its smells are constantly changing.  I have found it a good training tool, honing my ability to separate familiar odors with strange, and potentially dangerous, ones.  And, for the record, this hinterland visit I have yet to espy another of my kind...  have they all migrated to warmer climes?

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Most things are

beyond our control.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

phrase of the day - one-meow band, the household's only cat to whom falls all the tasks (and all the treats)

do not disturb

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

19 Jul 2023 - The waiting has ended!  It won't surprise you that I cautiously inspected the new/old space before enjoying the view.  My peeps have replaced the series of pickets with a see-through material that I'm familiar with, the same as in my southerly personal porch.  The wide-open vista perhaps compensates for the <grouse> week-long inaccessibility.  But we cats live in the moment, and for the three of us to once again be out there was super... hopefully our lives are back to normal, although seeing more of Mr. Sol would be nice.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Sometimes, but not always,

change is for the better.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - dispurrupt, to upset a cat's routine (never a good thing)