wearing the dunce cat

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

1 April 2021 - After several lovely days of baking myself on the screened porch, we are reminded that the outcome is still being decided... two steps forward and one back toward the ice box.  And I understand the concept of temporary (because isn't everything?), but I also don't like the waiting-around part.  Of course being a cat, I can put idle moments to good use:  keeping company with my peeps, sharing body warmth, reminiscing about last summer's heat, raiding potential dens of interlopers.  But underneath all that busy work is the question that niggles my brain:  when do I get to bask?  The unknowing will give me gray hairs, if cats were prone to such things.  Perhaps this unsatisfactory turn in the weather is just Bastet's idea of a joke, a little something to rattle us earthly fools, April or not.  (And only a bored audience and the devilish leg-puller think that pranks are funny.)

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

One can bruise a shin

on hard feelings.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - capurr, a ridiculous activity that will soon accede to normalcy, Bastet willing

lofty goal

Shamus ov view

Me-usings and Me-emories

31 March 2021 - Acrophobia is not a concern of us felines, mainly because we don't think about the consequences, unlikely as they are.  Walking a plank doesn't make us anxious, although being forced into the sea (or lake or puddle) would not be my first choice.  I might very well, in a flash of necessity, learn to walk on water.  But there are no water hazards in our abode, so I am quite comfortable looking down upon the world.  There doesn't seem to be a quick way to descend that wouldn't cause panic in the shorter peep, which means that I had to trot down the stairs to join her for our morning meal.  Camaraderie and treats are a great way to start the day.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Fears shrink under direct viewing.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - meow-tlesome, full of pluck (synonymous with lion-hearted)

don't lose it

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

30 March 2021 - We all must accept that life has its ups and downs.  But our abode has five sets of stairs and a barn ladder:  here running (and that is my preferred gait) up and down is a given.  Sometimes there is a "discussion" as to who should do the moving, and the recommended approach of meeting someone halfway puts both of us on a narrow tread.  Rather than cause a dither by engaging in a back-and-forth of "please, after you; I'll stay right here; your turn", I settle on my haunches and make the unilateral decision:  "you may approach now."  And surprisingly, most of the time, it works!  Occasionally I have pangs (was it something I ate?) because I clearly am the youngster on the premises, but then I recall that a sedentary life is unhealthy for peeps.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

"Though they're disapprovin',

keep them dogies movin'."

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purractice, honing skills through repetition (and cats are great trainers)

balancing act

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

29 March 2021 - What have my peeps been up to?  It isn't news that I am a cautious cat, so naturally I am aware of any day-to-day differences.  And something new has appeared on the periphery of my beloved screened enclosure, right where I am accustomed to entering and exiting.  It has been given a safely-distant sniff, and with the assurance of my peeps I have actually crossed its threshold four times... but my breath was held the entire transit time.  Truthfully it has done nothing threatening, but it possesses a looming aura.  It also contains a moving part that has a disconcerting click:  is it trying to communicate, is it a warning ("Keep back or else")?  Much is still unknown, and that is my problem.  

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Equilibrium would be

a nice change.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - counterpurrs, a factor that balances another, like the yin and yang of a black-and-white cat

in the quiet zone

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

28 March 2021 - I admit that a toasty afternoon brings out the slug in me... and not just me.  During prolonged periods of stress, such as this thing we are currently subjected to, it is especially important to be kind to yourself.  And putting down the to-do list and taking a nap is certainly an act of personal kindness.  Fifteen minutes (or seventy-five minutes) later, you see the world with refreshed eyes and a rested mind... and are in a far better position to spread the joy.  Joy is one of those emotions that shouldn't be contained, because, rather like the loaves-and-fishes parable, it multiples when shared.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Go with the glow.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - ameowability, being purrfectly pleasant

where no meow has gone before

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

27 March 2021 - It is hard to leave the screened enclosure, but periodically I must tend to our southern exposure.  Beep activity has intensified around our house, much flitting from tree to bush to tree, much vocalizations.  With only now-and-then rain showers, the backyard fish pond is a popular watering hole, for beeps and larger creatures.  The traipsing through of my-kinds has not been undetected <grouse grouse>, and something twice as large as I (with three times as much fur) is becoming a regular interloper.  I doubt it would be intimidated by little ol' me, but it does retreat into the underbrush, when my peeps are "out there".  They can be my purr-oxy.

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

There is always something

that needs our attention.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - purrnal, appropriate to a cat in springtime

boy oh buoyant

Shamus on view

Me-usings and Me-emories

26 March 2021 - Perhaps my imagination is limited, but I can't conjure up a "too hot" Mother-Nature scenario.  Even wearing my black fur coat, I love the heat.  I have had to settle for days with just sunshine (and the less said about those gray eternities the better), but when both heat and a bright Sol are available, I am a happy cat... the added bonus is that happiness is contagious.  And you know what they say (or perhaps you don't):  the purring family is the alluring family.  It would please me greatly to be the reason my peeps are smiling.  Meanwhile I'll keep ears cocked and one eye on the perimeter.  Not complaining really, but my cabana staff is ignoring me... is there any way that I could get a meow-jito out here?

clipped notes

                             Today's Catechism 

                            (for the autodidcat)

Life is short,

live big.

Bring back Bastet

Bastet beckons

Catty Corner

word of the day - exupurrant, filled with excitement and energy (thanks to my nap schedule)