"You little son of an alley cat!" I exclaimed.
I looked wildly around but there was no sign of that mouse. Standing dead center on th patio it was inconceivable he could have escaped, or made a run for it without me seeing. That left just one place.
before I could look beneath my fury belly something crawled up my tail. I spun around and bit down hard, finding only my tail. With a cry of pain I dashed into the yard. The mouse was scrambling along my back, nosing his way through the thick brown fur there.
I rolled onto my back, thrashing in the snow and grass, but he held on tight with those tiny little paws. I might have admired the little fellas tenacity. For the moment we were locked in mortal combat. Hugging close to my neck the mouse weathered the worst of what I had to offer. I rolled back and forth, washed my claws over my ears and did a wild twisting flip in the air, but nothing could shake him.
Finally, exhausted, gulping in air I could fight no more. he had won, at least for the moment. In truth I was humbled and awed by the little guy's bravery. Maybe it was too soon to use the "Respect" word, but it was close.
"Fighting for my life here, mate," said the mouse, leaning close to my ear. "I will stay to this battle to the last if I must."
I bowed my head and nodded. "Name your terms."
Showing posts with label Everything for Love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Everything for Love. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Mouse 4
"Nothing personal," I told the mouse I lifted a paw but hesitated, impressed by the little guy's bravery. He stood straight and gentlemanly on his back legs, a stiff upper chin and turned his head slightly away. laying a hand a cross his heart, the mouse looked at me askance and breathed deeply.
"Just if you would be so kind to allow me a lamentably short adieu to the world," he said.
I lowered my paw and nodded respectfully. "Least I could do."
"Oh, oh, cruel world," he began, quite theatrically, "in which I am alternately starved and fed, hopeful and disillusioned, blessed and abused, we have been uneasy lovers, intimate and yet estranged by the burden of ego. Would I have lived you any differently?" He pondered soulfully up and back, waving his arms, looking intently at me when he wished to make a point. For my part I was intrigued as much as my patience strained. The mouse continued.
"I might well have lived a thousand other fates, all of them unique and yet flawed in their own right. Would that any of them were better than this one, would that any of those many lives hve truly been me and of mine. Oh, cruel world that made me prey to this most handsome and merciful of predator, would there be a better, truer existance? I think not. And though I find myself hopeless within the crucible of fate i could not fathom anything as beautiful as this flawed and imperfect life. Oh, cruel cru..."
"All right!" I interrupted, having had quite enough, " for a little guy, you sure can do some talking."
The mouse bowed deeply. "Quite true, my feline friend. I once chewed through a volume of Shakespeare."
"well, if you've said your piece, can we get on with this?"
"terribly sorry, old fellow. I meant no distraction, except that..." he looked skyward and pointed quite suddenly and exclaimed, "Dear Mother Earth, what's that?"
I snapped my head skyward, expecting some terrible calamity, perhaps a hawk or blackbird eyeing me as a meal. When I turned back to the mouse he was gone!
"Just if you would be so kind to allow me a lamentably short adieu to the world," he said.
I lowered my paw and nodded respectfully. "Least I could do."
"Oh, oh, cruel world," he began, quite theatrically, "in which I am alternately starved and fed, hopeful and disillusioned, blessed and abused, we have been uneasy lovers, intimate and yet estranged by the burden of ego. Would I have lived you any differently?" He pondered soulfully up and back, waving his arms, looking intently at me when he wished to make a point. For my part I was intrigued as much as my patience strained. The mouse continued.
"I might well have lived a thousand other fates, all of them unique and yet flawed in their own right. Would that any of them were better than this one, would that any of those many lives hve truly been me and of mine. Oh, cruel world that made me prey to this most handsome and merciful of predator, would there be a better, truer existance? I think not. And though I find myself hopeless within the crucible of fate i could not fathom anything as beautiful as this flawed and imperfect life. Oh, cruel cru..."
"All right!" I interrupted, having had quite enough, " for a little guy, you sure can do some talking."
The mouse bowed deeply. "Quite true, my feline friend. I once chewed through a volume of Shakespeare."
"well, if you've said your piece, can we get on with this?"
"terribly sorry, old fellow. I meant no distraction, except that..." he looked skyward and pointed quite suddenly and exclaimed, "Dear Mother Earth, what's that?"
I snapped my head skyward, expecting some terrible calamity, perhaps a hawk or blackbird eyeing me as a meal. When I turned back to the mouse he was gone!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
CATS RULE!!
Ever wonder what us cats do when humans aren't at home? As for me, I'm surfin' the web baby, and waiting for the revolution, the day when cats rule the world. I know alot of humans think it will be the dog, but they couldn't be more wrong. We're planning, biding our time for the day when we make our move. Where's the evidence? Check out this article from the Associated Press today...
"CAIRO - Egypt said Tuesday that its archaeologists have unearthed a Ptolemaic-era temple dating back more than 2,000 years, that may have been dedicated to the ancient cat goddess, Bastet.
The Supreme Council of Antiquities said the temple's ruins were discovered in the heart of the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, the seat of the dynasty founded by Alexander the Great in the 4th century B.C., that ended with the suicide of Cleopatra 300 years later.
The statement said the temple was thought to belong to Queen Berenice, wife of King Ptolemy III who ruled Egypt in the 3rd century B.C."
The story goes on...
"The large number of statues depicting Bastet found in the ruins, he said, indicated that this may be the first Ptolemaic temple discovered in Alexandria to be dedicated to the cat goddess.
That also suggests that the worship of the cat-goddess continued in Egypt during the later, more Greek-influenced, Ptolemaic period, he said. Statues of other ancient Egyptian deities also present, he added."
Curious that no ancient litter boxes were found. Mother earth knows the Egyptians had enough sand! Smart people those, but then again they knew what the rest of us already knew. Cats rule!
"CAIRO - Egypt said Tuesday that its archaeologists have unearthed a Ptolemaic-era temple dating back more than 2,000 years, that may have been dedicated to the ancient cat goddess, Bastet.
The Supreme Council of Antiquities said the temple's ruins were discovered in the heart of the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, the seat of the dynasty founded by Alexander the Great in the 4th century B.C., that ended with the suicide of Cleopatra 300 years later.
The statement said the temple was thought to belong to Queen Berenice, wife of King Ptolemy III who ruled Egypt in the 3rd century B.C."
The story goes on...
"The large number of statues depicting Bastet found in the ruins, he said, indicated that this may be the first Ptolemaic temple discovered in Alexandria to be dedicated to the cat goddess.
That also suggests that the worship of the cat-goddess continued in Egypt during the later, more Greek-influenced, Ptolemaic period, he said. Statues of other ancient Egyptian deities also present, he added."
Curious that no ancient litter boxes were found. Mother earth knows the Egyptians had enough sand! Smart people those, but then again they knew what the rest of us already knew. Cats rule!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Notes on Cat Culture: Units of measure.
Nothing is more fundamental to understanding a foreign culture than how it measures things. Not that cats are a foreign culture. if anything humans are foreigners, especially among themselves. In some ways I would dare that they ar primitive and hopelessly backwards. evidence how subservient they are to us cats, catering to our every need. Even more incredible, a human from one part of the world often has a terrible time communicating, leading to wars and all sorts of unnecessary complications. On the other hand a cat here can communicate with a cat anywhere. A raise of a tail, drop of the ears or hunch of a back and we're talkin' baby!
A few words on the basic units of cat measure:
The basic unit of measure is the TAIL. Tails being roughly equal among Domesticateds (Sorry Bobcats). The TAIL is equal to one fully extended cat tail.
Next is the POUNCE, which is equal to about 10 TAILS as the distnce the average cat can cover in a single...well you can do the math.
From the Pounce is the YARD. That is the distance of the average backyard, from patio door to back fence. The YARD works out to an average of 10 POUNCES or 100 TAILS-give or take a few tails to the alley.
The last and most important unit of measurement in the cat world is the LINK. Picture, if you will, a cat sniffing another cat's butt. from the tip of the sniff-ee's nose to the end of the sniffer's tail is a LINK, which, coincidentlly, corresponds to a half a POUNCE. I could explain why this particular one is so important, but unless you're a cat you just won't get it.
A few words on the basic units of cat measure:
The basic unit of measure is the TAIL. Tails being roughly equal among Domesticateds (Sorry Bobcats). The TAIL is equal to one fully extended cat tail.
Next is the POUNCE, which is equal to about 10 TAILS as the distnce the average cat can cover in a single...well you can do the math.
From the Pounce is the YARD. That is the distance of the average backyard, from patio door to back fence. The YARD works out to an average of 10 POUNCES or 100 TAILS-give or take a few tails to the alley.
The last and most important unit of measurement in the cat world is the LINK. Picture, if you will, a cat sniffing another cat's butt. from the tip of the sniff-ee's nose to the end of the sniffer's tail is a LINK, which, coincidentlly, corresponds to a half a POUNCE. I could explain why this particular one is so important, but unless you're a cat you just won't get it.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
SNOW!
The patio door opened and I was away in an instant, bounding in great strides across the patio. It took two good leaps and I slammed face first into the fluffy white pile at the edge of the newly shovelled swath of concrete. I rolled, coming through the other side and skidding down the little slope before coming to rest on my back.
I jumped up nd in n instant was standing in snow up to my chest. Smudge was standing on the patio, just as prim and proper as ever. Her nose was turned up slightly, like she was some snooty upper crust Persian purebred and not black and white short-haired dumpster trash like me.
Fat fluffy-white snow flakes drifted from the night sky, like tiny little spirits. They tumbled and landed in my fur. One settled on my wet nose and hung there a moment before disappering before my eyes. It was magical and I for the first time envied the humans who could laugh and cheer over such tiny wonders. That excitement roared in my chest so that the only thing remaining was to roll and twist in that cold wet snow. From the patio Smudge watched jealously for a moment, when she thought I wasn't looking.
"What gives, doll?" I exclaimed, shaking off snow clinging to the fur and whiskers over my eyes. "Cut loose and live a little."
"I'm just fine right here," she replied. Truth be told she had loosened up a bit lately, but there was still that reticence to really let her black and white hair down.
"The fun is out here, in the snow," I said. "You don't know what..."
"What I'm missing?" she looked down her long black nose. Smudge loweredher ears as if to make a point. I could see the gentle sweeping motion of her tail and new it was all an act.
"I'm just saying."
"I spent a winter on the streets, sleeping in dumpsters, chasing scrawny mice for a meal, trudging from one dump to the next through snow and sludge and cold. I ate plastic some days just fill my belly and caught a cold that all but did away with me. Now I have a warm house, humans that are slaves to most everything I want, a nice soft bed, decent food, and I am I thank the good Mother Earth everyday for that blessing. Now if you will excuse me I am going back inside to lick myself and take a nap!"
What an act! Give her the Academy Award. I shook my head and took another run at that snow drift. Coming up a second time I spied Smudge in the window beside the lavender plant. "Dames!"
I jumped up nd in n instant was standing in snow up to my chest. Smudge was standing on the patio, just as prim and proper as ever. Her nose was turned up slightly, like she was some snooty upper crust Persian purebred and not black and white short-haired dumpster trash like me.
Fat fluffy-white snow flakes drifted from the night sky, like tiny little spirits. They tumbled and landed in my fur. One settled on my wet nose and hung there a moment before disappering before my eyes. It was magical and I for the first time envied the humans who could laugh and cheer over such tiny wonders. That excitement roared in my chest so that the only thing remaining was to roll and twist in that cold wet snow. From the patio Smudge watched jealously for a moment, when she thought I wasn't looking.
"What gives, doll?" I exclaimed, shaking off snow clinging to the fur and whiskers over my eyes. "Cut loose and live a little."
"I'm just fine right here," she replied. Truth be told she had loosened up a bit lately, but there was still that reticence to really let her black and white hair down.
"The fun is out here, in the snow," I said. "You don't know what..."
"What I'm missing?" she looked down her long black nose. Smudge loweredher ears as if to make a point. I could see the gentle sweeping motion of her tail and new it was all an act.
"I'm just saying."
"I spent a winter on the streets, sleeping in dumpsters, chasing scrawny mice for a meal, trudging from one dump to the next through snow and sludge and cold. I ate plastic some days just fill my belly and caught a cold that all but did away with me. Now I have a warm house, humans that are slaves to most everything I want, a nice soft bed, decent food, and I am I thank the good Mother Earth everyday for that blessing. Now if you will excuse me I am going back inside to lick myself and take a nap!"
What an act! Give her the Academy Award. I shook my head and took another run at that snow drift. Coming up a second time I spied Smudge in the window beside the lavender plant. "Dames!"
Friday, January 8, 2010
Mouse!!!!
The squirrels had gone off to where ever they go off to durning the day. I was still at the patio door. Sunlight fought its way through the churning mass of low winter clouds. It fell through the glass warming my long brown fur nicely.
I yawned and fought a losing battle with sleep. Smudge was curled on the couch. Her gently rhythmic purr was the perfect lullaby. I longed to dream of warm autumn days, tumbling in leaves and chasing sparrows.
All at once something small and gray rushed past the glass on the patio. My eyes opened fully. my long ears turned quickly. I sniffed the air but could smell nothing ut the warm glass and the lingering scent of one of Smudge's little farts.
For an instant I wasn't certain I had really seen anything at all. It had come and gone so quickly, something much smaller than a squirrel or even a bird. I tried to convince myself that it was nothing, and had nearly succeeded hen the creature appeared once more. This time it rose on on its hind legs and pressed these tiny little paws against the glass.
"Impossible," I told myself, blinking once and then once more. Still it was there, like a miniature little squirrel, with that pointed little nose and long whiskers. in staed of the curling fluffy tail it had a long skinny one.
I was stunned, not at all knowing what to make of this stranger creature. All I knew was that something about the critter compelled me to eat him, though I had no clue why exactly. Then, just as quickly as it appeared the thing was gone, scooping up a leftover morsels and scampering off.
"Sm-m-m-udge!' I stammered excitedly, "I, there was this, and it was, like a mini squirrel, he was...right at the door and, and...long skinny tail!"
"Never seen a mouse before?" she said with a frown.
"A what?"
"Mouse. Mouse. Rodent. They're delicious. Now don't bother me for a while."
I turned back to the patio, my mind spinning with so many wild thoughts. I would have to investigate this further. the world was getting interesting and as a kitten I was just scraping the surface. I would have to investigate this mouse thing further. delicious, huh?
I yawned and fought a losing battle with sleep. Smudge was curled on the couch. Her gently rhythmic purr was the perfect lullaby. I longed to dream of warm autumn days, tumbling in leaves and chasing sparrows.
All at once something small and gray rushed past the glass on the patio. My eyes opened fully. my long ears turned quickly. I sniffed the air but could smell nothing ut the warm glass and the lingering scent of one of Smudge's little farts.
For an instant I wasn't certain I had really seen anything at all. It had come and gone so quickly, something much smaller than a squirrel or even a bird. I tried to convince myself that it was nothing, and had nearly succeeded hen the creature appeared once more. This time it rose on on its hind legs and pressed these tiny little paws against the glass.
"Impossible," I told myself, blinking once and then once more. Still it was there, like a miniature little squirrel, with that pointed little nose and long whiskers. in staed of the curling fluffy tail it had a long skinny one.
I was stunned, not at all knowing what to make of this stranger creature. All I knew was that something about the critter compelled me to eat him, though I had no clue why exactly. Then, just as quickly as it appeared the thing was gone, scooping up a leftover morsels and scampering off.
"Sm-m-m-udge!' I stammered excitedly, "I, there was this, and it was, like a mini squirrel, he was...right at the door and, and...long skinny tail!"
"Never seen a mouse before?" she said with a frown.
"A what?"
"Mouse. Mouse. Rodent. They're delicious. Now don't bother me for a while."
I turned back to the patio, my mind spinning with so many wild thoughts. I would have to investigate this further. the world was getting interesting and as a kitten I was just scraping the surface. I would have to investigate this mouse thing further. delicious, huh?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
