THE KITTIES

October 8

We’re taking a short break from blogging the Japan of the previous century to talk about . . .

In ancient times cats were worshiped as gods; they have not forgotten this. ~ Terry Pratchett

[Our story began a decade ago, give or take, when we first met Jess Lourey. Although Jess had taught at Alexandria Technical College, I seem to recall we didn’t meet her until she had taken a similar position in St. Cloud. And that was when she was on a book signing tour on behalf of her murder-by-month mystery novels. I believe the first time was at Cherry Street books in 2012 (below), though we had become pen pals (email, FB) prior to that . . . ]

[And this was at Cherry Street in 2014. Jess, of course, subsequently went on to international stardom as a full-time writer living in Minneapolis. Nevertheless, in her spare time, she is a foster parent for the Golden Valley Humane Society. And Jess sells them well . . . by cheating! How can anyone not get addicted when she continuously posts videos of the kitties in her charge? The Super finally caved . . . ]

[So, on October 2 we trundled down to Golden Valley to pick up Guinevere and Galahad, two 2-pound siblings born on July 28 . . . ]

[This is quite an operation, but because of COVID visits are by appointment only . . . ]

[Ordinarily, I might have only given this sculpture a passing glance . . . ]

[But then I noticed the sculptor . . . ]

[This is Kent Nerburn with a coupla babes. He has also written such books as the Wolf at Twilight, Neither Wolf nor Dog, The Girl Who Sang to the Buffalo . . . ]

[After the trip down through the bomb-cratered I-94, we decided to come home on 169 until we hit 10 which we took all the way to Clear Lake before cutting back to the interstate – much better. Then the kitties in their new home immediately went for the laces on my walking shoes, pulling the shoes off the bench shelf. Let the excitement begin . . . ]

[Guinevere is mostly all ginger, and Galahad has white splotches and mostly white front legs. My shoe is mostly white, though totally defeated . . . ]

[Guinie on a search mission in her new home. . . ]

[The best thing about cats, particularly kitties, is that they peter out in a hurry . . . ]

Cats can work out mathematically the exact place to sit that will cause most inconvenience. ~ Pam Brown

[Waking to their first morning here, we had our first frost . . . ]

Cats’ hearing apparatus is built to allow the human voice to easily go in one ear and out the other. ~ Stephen Baker

[Their first wake up, wondering does this guy always get up this early?]

The problem with cats is that they get the same exact look whether they see a moth or an ax-murderer. ~ Paula Poundstone

[The requisite tower – the Super put them up there, but they soon discovered they could do it themselves . . . ]

There is, incidentally, no way of talking about cats that enables one to come off as a sane person. ~ Dan Greenberg

Dogs come when they’re called; cats take a message and get back to you later. ~ Mary Bly

No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove his fur from your couch. ~ Leo Dworken

Dogs have owners, cats have staff. ~ Unknown

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. ~ Robert A. Heinlein

Cats do care. For example they know instinctively what time we have to be at work in the morning and they wake us up twenty minutes before the alarm goes off. ~ Michael Nelson

If only cats grew into kittens. ~ R. Stern

[Well, I had been looking for a codpiece . . . ]

[(Can you say codpiece on TV?)]

Kittens are born with their eyes shut. They open them in about six days, take a look around, then close them again for the better part of their lives. ~ Stephen Baker

Cats have it all – admiration, an endless sleep, and company only when they want it. ~ Rod McKuen

I gave my cats a bath the other day … they love it. He sat there, he enjoyed it, it was fun for me. The fur would stick to my tongue, but other than that… ~ Steve Martin

[The Doughnut . . . ]

[There always comes a time when it’s time to refuel, even while being photographed . . . ]

[Going . . . ]

[Going . . . ]

[Gone!]

[Then separate beds . . . ]

Everything I know I learned from my cat: When you’re hungry, eat. When you’re tired, nap in a sunbeam. When you go to the vet’s, pee on your owner. ~ Gary Smith

[A concession to our down-sized house. The laundry room opens into the living room. The cat’s unisex bathroom is in the laundry room. The laundry room door, accordingly, must remain open. It’s not a pretty sight, particular from my office there on the right. Thus, we decided this bamboo curtain would work for all parties involved . . . ]