Gone but hardly forgotten....
I have heard from two neighbors who asked about my late cat
Wally.
I felt like a proud parent hearing stories of his roaming the 'hood and his
"nice guy" demeanor and take-no-shit activities with other cats and dogs.
My favorite is a lady down the street who has an older indoor cat that's blind.
Almost daily
Wally would scratch at her door, she'd let him in and he'd nuzzle the elderly - and pleased - house cat.
It would still be purring from his visit as he headed for her food bowl to snack before he left.
Another commented on the respect shown by his large dog when
Wally would saunter into their kitchen.
Yes, he was known to munch some dog food too.
Wally set a high bar of devotion & sweetness for any new orange striped kitten I might seek out in the future.
Meanwhile, his picture still "guards" my computer. Attaboy.
Labels: big respectful dog, blind cat, meow, Wally Jr.
Dumb Animals ....Yeah, Right!
About a year ago I bought my cat an "
Automatic Dispensing Water Bowl."
He used to have a regular white bowl sitting next to his white bowl of dry cat food.
Below his
sisal rope scratching post.
Now I didn't have to fill it so often.
And it "balances" the cat area on either side of the large pocket doors.
Neat and efficient.
I don't think the cat agrees.
The
"change" started almost a week ago and it quickly became a human hazard.
I could have tripped and hurt myself. Hey...WHO is the master here?
Oh, never mind, that never is in doubt when dealing with a cat.
Each morning it had been moved slightly closer to the bowl of dry food.
A little each day. Hook your striped paw over the edge and tug it gently. Didn't spill a drop.
Once it cleared the doorway and the step I gave in.
OK Wally, you win.
The water dispenser now sits next to the bowl of dry food.
I think he can read too. Yikes.
(So far we have not addressed the litter box situation.
He goes outside, comes back in and uses it. I keep it clean.
Click on the pictures for more details.
Thanks for spending time with me and my cat.)
Labels: automatic water dispenser, clumping, dry cat food, evenly spaced, Kitty litter, litter box, Meow Mix, separate but equal, Sisal rope, Wally Jr., water bowl
Thanks Mr. Piano Man....
It wasn't really a private concert. My Mom just had the best seat.
Joe Clarke, local musical entertainer, sang an "early show" on
New Year's Eve.
Joe was playing around 2:30 at the
Sandpiper Nursing and Rehab Center to entertain the residents and families.
I've enjoyed his
"flair for Jazz" around town for years so I knew they all were in for a treat.
When we came into the main activity room, it was packed.
I saw a small space right down front and moved my Mom there. Any closer and she'd be turning pages of his sheet music.
The music flowed as Joe performed solo piano and vocals a la
Sinatra, Tony Bennett and
Harry Connick, Jr. Lots of toe-tappin' and singing along in the room.
A staff member had taken down the clock on the wall and reset it for a few minutes to 12.
Well, er, just before "midnight."
Soon the countdown started to the tune of
"Auld Lang Syne" and the room enjoyed a colorful balloon drop as noise makers tooted and people applauded.
Thanks Joe. I hope all your audiences are as appreciative as this one.
(Click on the pictures for more detail.
Mom has been featured a lot here during the holidays. Well, that sounds about right!
Thanks for pausing here for a moment.
Happy New Year.)
Labels: balloon drop, Harry Connick, Joe Clarke, New Year's Eve, round midnight, Sandpiper Nursing and Rehab, Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Wally Jr.
SNOW weather is COLD weather.
So it was a
White (Day After)
Christmas in Charleston.
Philadelphia and Boston wished they had a "snow" like ours.
The winter storm that slammed into the upper East Coast caused delays for Santa, drivers, airlines and even the NFL.
Charleston was at the bottom of that wintery misery scale. Thank goodness.
We had our "heavy" snow back in February. The polite one that fell at night and was gone by noon.
My cat Wally is very definitely an
Inside/Outside kind of pet.
Usually he is on the wrong side of the door and wants to be
"over there" instead.
In..he wants out. Out.. he wants to be in.
He was really thinking "Inside is better" as he stared through the patio door.
It wasn't the snow so much as it was the low temps.
That orange striped fur coat looks pretty warm.
Of course I let him in, picked him up and shivered when I felt the cold, cold pads of his feet.
More Kibble for kitty. Maybe a treat too.
Brrr. Purr.
(Click on the pictures for more detail. The cat was outside more than my Canon S90 was. Remember: a camera lens can fog up when you go out in the cold. Thanks for pausing to read this.)
Labels: Boston, Kibble, misery scale, NFL, Philadelphia, Snow, Wally Jr.
An "H" Season Suggestion...
My buddy just bought his apartment when it turned condo then ripped out the carpets, had tile, marble and hardwood floor installed and totally redecorated the place with all new furniture. Whew.
His new 5 foot hang-on-the-wall plasma TV just arrived so now he is ready for me to bring over my digital camera and document everything for insurance purposes. Well, duh. I had not done that for my own house so I did. All day yesterday.
I even took a picture of the digital camera. Used a mirror, set it on a tiny tripod and pressed the timer. Of course, it shows I was using a "nonaC" camera.
To be complete, I charged up the batteries and dusted off my digital video camcorder and taped a walk through the house, each room, from front to back, zooming in for details on important items. I went outside and opened the doors of the shed that houses the riding mower and gas generator. I remembered to include the claw foot tub that is stored downstairs after a bath remodeling project. Those guys worked hard!
I'll store
MY disc at his house and
HIS will be kept here. Sure beats writing it all down.
I'll have to explain there is only ONE orange striped cat regardless of how many times he shows up in the photographic record. Wonder if Wally Jr. is covered with Total Cat Replacement?
Labels: carpet, claw foot tub, condo, digital camera, generator, hardwood floors, insurance photos, marble and tile, orange striped cat, TCR Total Cat Reolacement, videocam, Wally Jr.
