Friday, January 21, 2022

My Misunderstood Life as a Cat

I’m often misunderstood, but mommy gets me so much better than most. She rescued me as a dying young cat and nursed me back to health with a great deal of difficulty. I love her for that, but she has been a little bit slow in understanding me throughout the years.

When I outgrew my bathroom space while still in recovery, she couldn’t understand my attacks when she caught me escaping and corralled me back into that unholy little space. It took a veterinarian visit for her to be told I was longing for a larger space. Moving into her studio was like living in paradise, that paradise that is now occupied by chicken tabby Charlotte.

I had only longed for power in this household until the almighty head cat Jesse passed into neverland, and left the space open. I assumed I would always be head cat after his demise until Zoe became old and flipped from being meek to slowly encroaching into my territory and taking over before I knew what happened. That little traitor. She may have taken over mommy’s bed, but I still had mommy’s lap.

After Zoe was no more, it was all mine, or so I thought. That scaredy-cat Austin tried to become buddies with me, causing me to get a lot of exercise escaping his space. He didn’t care, he just kept getting into my space to lay practically on top of me during nap time. Mommy thought “how cute, he just wants to be friends”.

What a bunch of crap. Now he’s head cat and I just let it happen because, well…quite frankly, he’s built like a tank and I would suffer rather miserably in a skirmish. So…here I am once again being misunderstood as chicken tabby Charlotte behaves so much like a chicken. I can’t help but run after her and attack when she flees. It’s just in my nature to hunt down prey.

Mommy is so frustrated with the situation, but she gets it. If chicken tabby Charlotte stood her ground none of this would be happening. It gets so weary putting up with mommy’s crazy remedies to bond us two cats as friends. It will never happen, mommy!!! If I understood her correctly, flower remedies and super pheromones are next on the list. When will she ever accept that her beloved studio will always be a gated community of her and her little chicken tabby?

I am not happy with the current hierarchy, but it is what it is. Giant ‘who cares’ Austin has taken over mommy’s bed, but I sneak in when he’s not around. When he is around, I hightail it to the bedroom cat tree with disdain. Charlotte is out at dinner time because, well...dinnertime for me is more important than that cat, but otherwise behind the bars of her gated community. I would say she is bottom of the pecking order, although I fear I would be bottom if she stood her ground, as she has a strong bond with that giant oaf of a cat Austin.

As for the dog…we all own him, even though mommy thinks it is she.

And as for playtime, I have a lot of fun ignoring my food until mommy puts it up, than wanting it again and she puts it back out. I’m beginning to eat a dozen times a day…the best playtime ever. Next best thing is Charlotte hunting.

I’m

Really

Not a bad cat

>^..^<

Really.

Yum Yummy and his tracks to the bird feeder

The day before yesterday, mommy left the front door open,

and I watched the delectable birdie parade

in comfort behind the glass storm door.

Mommy was happy that only an inch of snow fell,

but also sad that only an inch of snow fell.

What the...!?!

Yum Yummy's tracks - Messing with the bird bath.

Yesterday heavy rains, then a night in the twenties,

then a sifting of snow on top of the ice,

then,

well...

Mommy says days when the temperatures stays in the twenties,

are nice for hot chocolate and reading.

She said this after dumping several quarts of sunflower hearts

on the porch railings, ground, and bird feeder this afternoon,

with some choice words about #%&*!! freaking cold added for good measure.

As for the dog, he enjoys a stroll to the poop patch on his own.

He's a small thing and his center of gravity

seems only a notch up from ground level.

He just sails across the ice with the greatest of ease, hehe.

This post is linked to:

Saturday's Critters

My Corner of the World

Sunday, January 9, 2022

A Happy New Year To You!

Warm 75 Degree Weather New Years Day -

Rains Second Day and Temperatures Plummeting -

Cumberland Rosemary

Winter Savory

Then First Moist Snowfall of 3 Inches -

It sifts from Leaden Sieves

~ Emily Dickinson

It sifts from Leaden Sieves -

It powders all the Wood.

It fills with Alabaster Wool

The Wrinkles of the Road -

It makes an even Face

Of Mountain, and of Plain -

Unbroken Forehead from the East

Unto the East again -

It reaches to the Fence -

It wraps it Rail by Rail

Till it is lost in Fleeces -

It deals Celestial Vail

To Stump, and Stack - and Stem -

A Summer’s empty Room -

Acres of Joints, where Harvests were,

Recordless, but for them -

It Ruffles Wrists of Posts

As Ankles of a Queen -

Then stills it’s Artisans - like Ghosts -

Denying they have been -

First Snowfall Melted and Dry for Two Days -

Second Snowfall Lasting 7 Hours with 6 Inches of Snow

Rabbit Tracks and Escape Under Gate

Temperature Highs in Twenties and Lows in Teens for Two Days

Second Day of Freezing with the Sun's Rays Causing Some Melting

Slushy Streets Re-Froze After Sunset

Mourning Doves Taking Shelter on the Front Porch

A quiet time in the late evening, and all I am able to accomplish so far is a series of sighs, yawns and staring that always ends up looking at this keyboard that lays silent. So…… how’s the weather in your neighborhood?

Winter has already been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs…sandals, then mud shoes, then snow boots, then repeat. Although I’m not fond of my front gardens, they look rather amazing with all the trees and shrubs in such a small space. Branches have been trimmed back from the driveway and house this early winter giving a more open experience for a few years.

Looking out the back bedroom window demands a belief that all will come together in the future when the Summersweet mature and whatever I plant in the Persimmon’s empty space will outshine it. A native evergreen shrub that knows how to stay within the boundaries of the space and produce fruit or berries would be fantastic, but that’s a feat I can only hope to figure out by spring.

With my nasal surgery done, I have an appointment with a general neurologist to see if he can shine any light on my dizziness and neuropathy problems. I have been told by a few people who should know, that it will be unlikely any neurologist will be able to make that happen :( We shall see.

I spent this last year watching all the episodes for years 2020 and 2021 on Britbox of Gardeners’ World with Monty Don. He has a personality that draws you into his world of gardening big time, but when I watch him in his own gardens, I’m sure I would have no life and feel like death warmed over if I gardened as he does.

Taking out plants just past their prime time to be replaced by plants just reaching their prime time throughout the growing season seems like insanity to me, and is probably why my laments of my own gardens looking like has-beens part of the growing season is so very real. I take out nothing.

I’m greenhouse free, and cats roam my house munching on greens, so in my reality world I purchase plants started by someone else. I do find satisfaction growing my own vegetables totally by seed planted directly in the raised beds. It’s an amazing feeling growing from scratch what one puts on the table.

Dustin was taken to emergency care December 29th and diagnosed with a severe bladder infection, which wasn't diagnosed by his regular veterinary clinic even though he was displaying the symptoms at the time of his yearly checkup.

All paperwork filled out on my smartphone...at least 20 pages of never ending questions, so I was a slight wreck when I finally finished, and we could actually drive to our destination. Dustin has finished the last pain relief pill and will finish the other medication soon. He appears to be alright, but we will know for sure next week.

Life is quiet here for me. The Christmas decorations probably will come down sometime between now and spring, and in the meantime I will enjoy them as if it’s still Christmas. Vic and I are planning the vegetable gardens, and we will be planting seeds together. Vic isn’t a gardener. He calls himself The Destroyer when he helps in the yard. This may prove to be an interesting year with the vegetables.