This afternoon I stepped out on the back porch and was greeted by:
All within 12 inches of where I sat. I stayed out there for a few minutes, snuggling my kitties. When I returned back into the house, I was greeted by a very quietly alert baby.
Heaven.
So I first took this picture because the cats are so cuddly with each other now that it's getting colder. But after viewing the photos, I realized it just looks like they should be cast in this terrible '80s video. Or, for something fun, try the literal version.
Turn around, bright eyes. Oh, and Aja's bum is shaped like a heart.
When I look at the xeric gardens we have, it's amazing to think they were ever anything but spectacular and huge. I remember this post I did last year when I was very frustrated that my garden was not coming along as I thought it might. Here are the pictures I posted.
Here it is in April 2008:
And in July 2008:
And here it is now (if you look you can see the blue polka-dot chicken):
It's almost in full bloom (the oregano is just starting to flower), but already it's covered in small orange-striped bumble bees.
And, just because a certain 17 lb, 8 oz cat always brightens my day, a garden view (with the other chicken on the far right), and Aja's wide belly.
Why does it look like she's scowling? Well, she's a cat. And I just made fun of her weight.
Jessica does Embarrassing Personal Confession features on her blog, which are always fun to get the juicy tidbits of her life (gray hair!). I'm not saying I would make this a repeat feature on my blog, but seriously, I've got something embarrassing to confess. But it's probably not very juicy.
It's not enough that in our marriage we've had two hamsters, two cats, a frog (that came into the marriage from my sophomore year in college), and a beta fish. The fact is, I love pets. And I love to look at all the pets on Craigslist. If it doesn't have a picture, I won't look at it. Also, I won't look at it if it's not a local listing - even though I don't really want another pet!
I just think animals are so cute. Look at this baby chinchilla, now available for adoption here in Utah:
I bet it's even cuter when it spins around in a tub of ashes to clean itself off. Early in their marriage, Jessica and Mark used to have a chinchilla, and an ash bath was one of the funniest things I ever saw. *Sigh.*
February rain, and a sunshiny morning jog afterward, is an awakening experience.
Obviously, there's one creature at home who's not doing much jogging.
Even a feral-born cat knows how to make herself comfortable under soft, warm blankets.
Here's to the new year with happiness, love, and comforts for all.
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
Here are two crazy autumn cats caught doing what they always do: Aja is perched on something that's a wee bit too small for her so that she will be noticed. And Phoebe? She likes it when she can see, but not be seen (always suspicious). Any proximity to Aja is a bonus. This picture cracks me up.
While pulling up some childhood costume pictures for our work Halloween party, I ran across this picture of me lovingly holding my first cat, White Paws.
I think this is evidence that some things never change.
Watching Phoebe and Aja like this reminded me of all the great things friends and partners do for each other. I shudder to think of where we would be without the other to support us and cover us in those hard-to-reach parts of our lives.
One thing I'm surprised you can't hear on the video is Aja's very loud motor of a purr.
Many people will say that emotion is what separates us from the animals. Sure, they have fight or flight responses; they can feel pain and fear. But complex emotions, those are reserved for the humans and maybe a few of our like-minded mammal buddies, such as dolphins and chimpanzees.
I, however, proudly stake myself with the other crazy pet owners who think our animal companions have the ability to show and process complex emotions. The skeptics say this is merely a form of projection—a need of our pathetic pet-owner lives to see more than what is actually there. Well, let them say it. I just happen to disagree and can vouch for the complex emotions animals express.
Jealousy: Take for instance my cats. When we brought Phoebe home to live with us, I wasn’t surprised that Aja rejected her at first. But what surprised me was how she rejected me. Even though she had little idea of why this kitten appeared in the house, she knew I was trying to make peace between them, and that made me her enemy. We had it out and didn’t really get over it for a few weeks.
Let me even make a further stretch: Empathy. What makes a cat realize that when she wants something—to go outside, to have her litter box changed, to have the floaties removed from her water—that the more pathetic her meow is, the more likely she is to receive attention? She’ll start off whining, but gradually the meows will become elongated, deeper, and more mournful. Why does she doe this? Empathy. She has to know that I want her to be happy. Then she makes her pitiful attempt, so that I will realize how my lack of action is torturing her, so I will obviously remedy the situation. Her ability to feign complete helplessness is an exercise in her emotional awareness.
Yesterday I discovered a new emotion in Phoebe. Everyone knows cats to be an aloof sort of creature. I am their servants, they are the queens. It is a privilege for me to scratch Aja behind the ear, or to twirl a toy for Phoebe. This is one thing they never let me forget, until yesterday morning. I was sitting on the couch, reading, and Phoebe came to grace me with her presence. She sat sitting on the arm of the couch, and, not wanting to make eye contact with me, she stared at the closed blinds covering the window. For a few minutes she sat that way, deeply interested in staring at nothing to avoid my gaze. At that point, I got out of my seat, walked over to the window, and turned the wand on the blinds. A whole universe opened up outside the window. Phoebe stared at amazement at how the view from her couch arm was transformed. She then looked up at me, as if I had not only exposed this new world, but created it myself. She stood amazed, asking with her eyes how I had accomplished this great work. Projection of my own desires? I think not. Since that time, I have been admired as her god.
In Hawai'i I became obsessed with coral reefs and saltwater tropical fish. Kevin and I went snorkeling every day, usually at excellent spots, and I just fell in love with the fish in the ocean. This led to a nightly routine, where Kevin would sleep and I'd sit on the computer in our condo researching reef tank set-ups. And I'm not just talking about a saltwater aquarium. I mean a live reef tank, where the decorations are live coral, urchins, anemones, and all that jazz. I also looked up minimum gallon requirements for the fish I desired to have, based on my snorkeling experiences.
Here are the fascinating species I saw out in the ocean:
This is a Hawai'ian trigger fish, also known as humuhumunukunukuapua'a. How could you ever forget a name like that? But apparently these fish are aggressive in live tanks, which makes sense because they were always pushing each other around in the ocean.
We saw two sea turtles while snorkeling this year, and they're always amazing. They're endangered, so even if we had a room-sized tank, it would do no good. They're not for sale.
This one is a puffer fish. We saw one of these, which was enough for me. They're pretty big (we saw probably a 14"-15" one).
These are convict tang fish. There are a variety of tangs. Dory, from Finding Nemo, is also a tang. These are hugely popular fish. These ones are smaller and live in schools, but I found out that Dory fish, which grow to 8"-12", aren't supposed to be in a smaller tank than 125 gallons (which is a big tank).
This is a butterfly fish, "because no one ever suspects... the butterfly[fish]" (OK, just a little call-out to Simpson's fans). There are lots of different types of these too, including one that looks strangely like the Moorish Idol.
These are flounders, who dig in the sand to disguise themselves and have their face on one side of their bodies, oddly enough. Kevin and I saw these off of the beach our condo was on.
And this is the beautiful Moorish Idol.
These are needle fish, who like to swim up at the surface, and often looked very perturbed when I swam by.
And these fish make me laugh. They look like they're wearing makeup. These are parrot fish, which are huge and beautiful. I, of course, liked to follow them around, which made them swim away, which made me follow, etc., etc.
Which leads to where I am today. Kevin would catch me in the bookstore reading "Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies" and doing even more research on tropical fish. I knew he was worried that I'd bite of more than I could chew. So last week I tricked him into going over to PETCO with me. We looked at all the fish, and I admit, only the saltwater ones were interesting. But, I finally settled for this one, which cost about $3.60,lives in fresh water, and I guess is pretty too for a very low-maintenance fish.
I think Kevin was relieved.
We've decided to name him Huey. Kevin suggested Bluey, which reminded me of "Kablooie" from "Hamster Huey and the Gooey Kablooie" from Calvin and Hobbes, and that just naturally led to us calling him Huey. Even if he isn't a hamster. Welcome to the family, Huey.
I have a Gumbie Cat in mind, her name is Jennyanydots;
Her coat is of the tabby kind, with tiger stripes and leopard spots.
All day she sits upon the stair or on the steps or on the mat;
She sits and sits and sits and sits--and that's what makes a Gumbie Cat!
I have a Gumbie Cat in mind, her name is Jennyanydots;
Her equal would be hard to find, she likes the warm and sunny spots.
All day she sits beside the hearth or on the bed or on my hat:
She sits and sits and sits and sits--and that's what makes a Gumbie Cat!
I have a Gumbie Cat in mind, her name is Jennyanydots;
The curtain-cord she likes to wind, and tie it into sailor-knots.
She sits upon the window-sill, or anything that's smooth and flat:
She sits and sits and sits and sits--and that's what makes a Gumbie Cat!
So for Old Gumbie Cats let us now give three cheers
On whom well-ordered households depend, it appears.
(T.S. Eliot, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats)
OK, I'm a sucker for suggestions. By popular demand, here's the "in-between" picture of the flowerbed by our covered porch. Had I snapped this picture 30 seconds earlier, you would have seen two very naughty cats in the flowerbed: Aja parked right on top of a coneflower, and Phoebe nibbling on the ornamental grass. I hope this garden can take it and lives to maturity.
So they say that Maine Coon cats are the dogs of the cat breeds. This video is proof. And yes, I'm using my special "cat voice," which is how I command the mighty creatures.
As documented before, Phoebe is quite the little climber. Here she is letting me know she really, really, really wants to come inside.
And with this kind of treatment awaiting her, who can blame her?
Incidentally, over one-third of all US households now house a little tiger.
Well, I got home last night from my first Michigan trip around midnight. That's two Midwestern business trips two weeks in a row. I enjoyed it so much, and I love my new client, but my head is still reeling from losing one our in Daylight Savings and then two more for the time zone. The good news is that I had a great view from my hotel room of the Grand River, which I got to walk across at night.
I also have been inducted into Chef Wolfgang Puck's dining experience at dinner last night (butternut squash soup--I need more of this!). This morning I rose early to come into the office, but as I backed up out of the driveway, I saw my little friend Phoebe and snapped this picture on my mobile phone. Can you see her?
I had probably the best Valentine's Day ever yesterday. Kevin and I decided to grab some bacon-wrapped filets mignon and cook them up at home. Add sparkling cider, my favorite cranberry feta Costco salad, twice-baked potatoes, shrimp cocktail, camembert cheese and double lemon cream pie, and it was a candlelit dinner in heaven. We both dressed up, and listened to my new Jack Johnson CD, who reminds us of Hawaii and relaxation. It was an evening where we never had to look at the clock.
And, Kevin gave me what will likely end up being one of the best gifts I've ever received. This is a gift that says Kevin really knows me.
I hope you all had a great day too!
It's been over a week since I've posted an update to the kitty situation at our house. Video footage speaks for itself, so feel free to take a look.
Here are the two girls, sitting so stately on the humans' bed.
And here is a film representment of the two different personalities.
Here's Phoebe after we gave her a bath Saturday morning. "What the heck is that rat tail that keeps following me around?"
