something wicked

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

31 Oct 2023 - I suppose it is rare the soul that doesn't have inner demons... and today is the perfect day to let them out!  Perhaps akin to a scream session, acting out one's dark thoughts ("acting out" being in a separate class from "carrying out") is very cathartic.  It explains why we cats attempt to disembowel our stuffed toys:  granted it is practice for the "real thing", but it also is quite fun to pretend one is big and scary (two adjectives that would never be applied to moi).  So if your puss is inadequate in frightening small creatures, don a mask and channel those diabolical forces.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Be aware of your

dark side.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - inpurrnal, relating to the underworld (interlopers love to hide there)

brazen image

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

30 Oct 2023 - What is that shadowy apparition, the one that seems to have horns growing from its head?  Oh, it is just moi.  A squeep decided to dash across this portal, and I had to make my presence known.  I try not to take these assaults personally, but sometimes I can't help feeling aggravated by these cheeky, absolutely-no-respect interlopers.  Perhaps what I perceive to be taunts is nothing more than the firing of a goal-oriented brain:  "I need food, I need a spot to call home."  I understand where they are coming from, but it isn't my job to sympathize.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

A crowded planet is

an unstable one.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - impurrtinent, rude (and rued, what is this world coming to?!)

delight on one's feet

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

29 Oct 2023 - All we sentient creatures have an internal image of ourselves... that may or may not be recognizable by an observer.  Mine has me more fearsome, more daring, more acrobatic, the sorts of things cats aspire to be.  Perhaps all these desirable characteristics are attainable, but honestly I don't see it happening.  Who I am is entwined in that skittish, prudent, earth-bound version, and I am very comfortable with my cautious viewpoint.  So I'll be content to leap over tall buildings in my dreams (where one can't break a leg and crack a skull).

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

We should all work

on self-acceptance.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

celebrity of the day - Purreyev, that famous Russian feline who defied gravity

cunning pack

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

28 Oct 2023 - Interlopers aren't always in plain sight.  The sneaky ones, the kind that live to pass along their genes, instinctively know good hiding places (and use them).  Take peeps, for example, the biggest and scariest predator around:  they seldom bother to look underneath.  So naturally, low-lying spots and under-sides are excellent places to hang out undetected.  I myself have been known to use this strategy, and I also make these out-of-the-way places stops in my patrol.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Life abounds beneath

a rock.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - spurrtive, attempting to avoid notice or attention (it's a good plan)

startle your engine

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

27 Oct 2023 - It is a jungle out there, and I am in charge of its patrol... at least the area immediately around our domicile.  You might be amazed at the creatures I have spotted from this portal ledge:  mostly beeps, it is true, but I have seen interlopers larger than I quietly making their way past, only a quivering bush to signal their passage.  And it is the unpredictability that keeps me sitting at my post long after first impressions are formed... because first impressions are often inaccurate.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Just give it time.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - ameowzment, an unexpected event (for which I must be purrpared)

the vex hex

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

26 Oct 2023 - Did I just hear interlopers?  Truly the most annoying of these ne'er-do-wells are the ones that your ears can pinpoint but no eye contact can be made.  We have a persistent squeep that makes its presence known by the sounds of gnawing... yes, very annoying.  My two peeps don't have much reaction to the run-of-the-mill domicile assailants, but this particular individual causes them to hasten outside and to make loud noises.  (The first time I heard their thunderous whacks I hid under the bed.)

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

There is always one

that is hard to love.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - mewsance, the thing that gets under a cat's skin

wildness

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

25 Oct 2023 - Inside, outside... it would be very handy to be two places at once.  But the truth is I am on my personal screened porch, and the lower left image is but a reflection (or so says the shorter peep, my eyes were mostly closed).  If it doesn't move, I am not much interested in it... in my line of work one must choose where to train the eyes, and the interlopers can't stay still very long.  However if I need to rest my eyes (as well as the rest of me),  I gaze upon a tranquil scene, perhaps the distant trees, and my mind calms.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Disconnect yourself

from the frenzy.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrmoil, a cat's seeming craziness

breather

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

24 Oct 2023 - When the squeeps and beeps get a bit much, their peskiness wearing me down, I call a temporary retreat.  There is nothing better for easing one's burden than a nap.  Calming to the frayed nerves, restorative to the frazzled brain, a few minutes of down time can yield a new me.  Of late my favorite spot to nod off is as shown.  I don't picture myself as a pink sort of guy (the shorter peep tells me it is "dusty rose"), but I have no complaints about its quiet and comfortable offerings.  Shortly I will be ready to face the interlopers again.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

We all can benefit from

applying the brakes.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - hiapuss, a needed break (you have my purrmission)

without delay

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

23 Oct 2023 - Occasionally the shorter peep rises before the sun.  I am already awake, so I am delighted with the unexpected company.  And it is never too early for treats!  Even in the dark, my keen nose can locate them.  Another plus associated with her early rising is that I get access to my personal screened porch that much quicker.  It makes good sense for me to put in an appearance just as the interlopers are beginning to hatch their plans.  My looming shadow can give them pause and supply a smart reason for postponing the assault on our domicile.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

It is best to nip bad habits

in the bud.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrompt, immeowdiate (before it slips my mind)

bliss you

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

22 Oct 2023 - If you judged my size from the typical hunched pose, you would be surprised when I stretch out.  To assume my full length requires several things:  temperatures warm enough for belly exposure, and a feeling of joie de vivre.  The latter only occasionally strikes me, and even less often for an audience.  I can't predict when the elation will overtake me, but it is a moment worthy of enjoyment... sometimes I even celebrate by zagging through our domicile.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Overthinking can ruin

a good idea.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - happurrness, a cat's delight

peckish

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

21 Oct 2023 - Beeps pack a lot of aggravation into their small forms.  And I don't have to keep an eye on just one or two of them... they arrive in quarrelsome bunches, and continue their disputes outside our domicile walls.  Who gets to claim the spot outside the pictured portal, who is the owner of the seed dispenser, who is the recognized intimidator... so many issues must be resolved, and the titles aren't life-long, nor even seasonal.  Their fractious relations make me very glad that I am the sole cat of this domicile.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Just two are needed

for a quarrel.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - curmeowdgeon, sourpuss (certainly there are examples, but I'm a sweetie)

it'll do

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

20 Oct 2023 - Fin-al-ly, I emphatically purr.  The outdoor temperatures are creeping back into my acceptable range, allowing me to do a more thorough surveillance of the interlopers around my personal screened porch.  I have seen lots of beep activity, much skulking in the bushes, some brazen assaults of the glass portals... but nothing I can't handle.  There have been no sightings so far of larger creatures since my return, and typically they announce their transit with ear-grabbing frond rustling and twig snapping.  They would never be mistaken for a member of the cat family.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Some are better at living

the quiet life.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - tolpurrable, bearable (maybe even without grousing)

a measured life

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

19 Oct 2023 - Corners are to be respected.  It is at this junction that events can quickly change:  from having-a-fine-day to making-a-final-exit.  In those peep productions, where good guys meet bad guys, the ones who jump from cover are the ones quickly written out of the script.  And then there are those hapless sorts who didn't even realize there was a turn in the path... yikes, Darwin Award contenders for sure.  No, I notice and I pause and I cautiously assess... because I intend to stick around.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Look before you leap,

or step, or think about stepping.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - meowndful, focusing one's awareness on purresent circumstances