Buddy Blogging

For many years after Buddy's terrible adventure, he stayed well and far away from the vestibule door. Lately, however, sometimes when I'm leaving he'll come right up to it and look up at me through the pane of glass with his big and so green eyes. Then he'll brush against the door, and fall over and reach one paw imploringly under. It is really very flattering, and makes it oh-so-hard to walk through and close the other door.

We're Back

We were truly off-line for about a day and a half - yesterday morning I thought it was the internet connection, but last night I realized it was the land-line that was out. It got fixed sometime after 1:30 this afternoon (that was when the telecom guy knocked on my door) but when I finally got home tonight, still no dsl... After jumping through all sorts of "help" hoops, I gave up and called the guy in India, bless him. And here we are!

AreToo

Enjoying the spa spot...

Watermelon Sugar

This morning Angel showed that his new infatuation with watermelon is maybe not a fluke - he'll eat it if I break him off a bit, but his clear preference is to lick and lick and lick, shredding the piece that I'm holding for him...

Love

I just finished my regular browse of The Daily Kitten, and I am so amazed by how clear it is just what these little guys really want, and it is not food. They are so in it for the attention/affection - aka love - all the rest is gravy - or icing - as it were... (Going off to hug and kiss everyone.)

Oh, Great

I get to try to write an application for a teacher-scholar grant before 5:00 pm tomorrow! Not to worry, say Cats and "Kittens" - We will provide constant distractions! We will eat the mouse and sit on the keyboard, if necessary... Thanks, Guys.

Cold, Cold, Cold

It's getting warmer outside, but I think our house captures and stores the cold in the Winter (and the heat in the Summer). Anyway, I had an old quartz heater in the doorway to the bedroom, and Cloud was lying in front of it. She was so mesmerized/enchanted by the warmth that Angel was able to walk/jump past her several times and she never so much as blinked. (I think Angel was a little spooked by that, really.)

Amazing

I have owned exactly 4 cars in my life, and, now, 4 cell phones. My last phone being 5 yrs old, I succumbed to the blandishments of Credo - a Working Assets mobile phone service - and now have 1) a solar re-charger, and 2) a phone that lets me access my blog... So, stuck in traffic, or in a waiting room, or wherever, I can go to my blog (and other people's blogs of course) and look at my guys... Mobile therapy! Who would have thunk it?

Tonight

Long day, home late, but FancyFeast is on the schedule, and so FF it is: And the chaos ensues, way faster than the poor human can produce the saucers and cans. This is why I want webcams, she says, as they mill about, tripping her, tripping each other, and commenting cacaphonously... Wait a minute: Webcams? No, I want a whole camera crew! I want action shots and stills and longshots and closeups and retakes and out-takes! Nothing less would do justice to all this magnificent mayhem! FancyFeast, they say, Stay on topic! Right.

Cold Morning

Smart Buddy...

Just Now

Coming in a moment ago - to Cloud serene on the newly made couch, Buddy and Cyrrie dashing about in circles, Banshee - also serene - on the platform rocker, Angel sitting sleepy-looking in the hallway - with all of those darlings to notice and greet, there was just something about AreToo - lying on his back in the middle of the floor, waving his paws about, and, well, all I could say was, Oh my paws and whiskers!

Enjoying The "Made" Couch

Double Helping

Lucy was underneath the pink throw...

Lucy Also Helps

And Still Helping

Still Helping

Helping Human "Make" The Couch

Not A Good Thing

Human spent part of tonight looking at a cat catalog - and she wants it all! Strollers! And window-seat thingies! And all kinds of oh-so-cute toys that she knows they would care less about...

Chirpling

Looks like she took it out on the pinky...

Two Tales Of The Little Chirpling

I.

A couple of days ago, I was in the bathroom trying to get ready for work. At Cloud's command, I had put "new water, good water" into the bathtub bowl, and was going about my business when there was a noise behind me. And it was Cyrrie, doing something, that was irritating his sister. I scooped him up out of the tub, tossed him out the door, and closed the door, only to find Cloud furious with me! There I was, rightly or wrongly rescuing her, and there she was being mad. She glared at me. She paced up and down beside the closed door, using horrid language. Miss Cloud, I said, if you think you're going anywhere until you can behave yourself, you can think again. And I stuck to my guns...

II.

This morning it was Angel, chasing Cloud, and as she went by I scooped her up, which usually elicits chirping. Today, however, for whatever reason, she allowed herself to be soothed. She went into her little trance, eyes closed, purring. I kept rubbing her little chin, and the next thing I knew, she was drooling on me. And then, unfortunately, AreToo wandered in and eye-balled her. At first, she kept her eyes closed, and managed to simultaneously purr and chirp. Slowly the purrs got softer and the chirps got louder, and then her eyes opened! I had to find a safe spot to release her, you know, safely...

Last One For Tonight

For Sandy

The little soft one...

I Wasn't Going To Post This One

But I changed my mind...

Camera Adds How Many Pounds?

Also Uncooperative

Right After I Woke Him Up

Jewel-Eyed Little Dragon

Vestibule

Full of cat and bird food...

Not Cooperating With Would-Be Photo-Portraiturist

Soap Opera Continues

When Cloud and AreToo met in the kitchen this morning, the human became quite hopeful as Cloud sniffed AreToo's face and side and the tip of his tail. Be good, be sweet, the human warned, not really sure which one she was talking to, although AreToo was looking plenty nervous. She started to breathe out when Cloud went back to AreToo's face for yet another sniff, and then, POW! Well, maybe it was more of a pow - but anyway, AreToo did as he had been done to many times, and bopped her on the forehead, and she ran away down the basement stairs. The human was so sad...

Droid Sighting

In his lair...

Squichee

Squicher

Squiching, Cont., And Lap Poaching

By custom, the right-out-of-the-shower human belongs to Lucy - sometimes they sit in bed, sometimes by the computer, rarely on the couch. This morning the human went with tradition - wrapped in towels and robe, she freshened her coffee and went back to bed. Petunnia was already there, but Lucy came in on the human's heels, and quickly settled on her lap, puring and kneading with typical Lucy-style enthusiasm... Petunnia eye-balled Lucy intensely, and moved in as if willing to sit on Lucy if necessary. The human warded her off, petting them both, but 'Toonya persisted, and eventually Lucy gave in, slithering over the side of the bed and heading out the door. As Petunnia took possession of the coveted lap, Angel bounded up on the bed, and - you guessed it - Petunnia left in disgust. Justice? Something, anyway...

Monday, Going On 2:00 AM

One of my all time favorite things in any season is to wake up in the middle of the night to moonlight - beaming down at just the right angle, making lovely patterns on the bed. Now, imagine this: an already lovely patterned little droid, overlaid with with patterns of bright moonlight and deep shadow. And now, imagine this: you pet the droid, and he purrs. And purrs. And purrs...

Poaching Incident Averted

Rhetorical question: How many cats - or "kittens" - eat (get to eat) proscuitto? The snacking human sat on the kitchen floor, sharing, and all the young uns were there. Cloud had scarfed down her morsel, and looking around, saw that AreToo was slower off the mark. She ducked in right under his head, but faster or smarter or both, he shot out his paw, captured his bit, and hauled it off to scarf down himself. The human quickly resupplied the Cloudling.

That Cyrrie

This morning I was getting ready for work when Cyrrie joined me in the bathroom, and he hung around even after I'd given him the first drink out of the freshly filled water bowl which we, like all sensible households, keep in the bathtub. Hmmm, I thought, wants attention, but when I went to scoop him up, he ran off as if escaping a fate worse than fate. Fine, I thought, and went back to mascara. But almost immediately he was back, so, after carefully ignoring him for many seconds, I kicked the bathroom door shut, trapping him before he could flee again. Oh, noes! said Cyrrie, as I picked him, and rubbed his little face and massaged his toesies and tickled his tummy with kisses. And then I let him go again. And back he came, this time for a marathon session of cuddles and sweet-talk and major league purring... He is such a little hypocrite!

Probably You'll Need A Good Monitor

But I like this soulful little image of the rascal...

So Soft

And so intense...

Musical Droid

Not Scared Of The Vacuum

Because obviously it hasn't been used lately...