Accidental Illusion

 I was aiming for an image of Ginny overflowing the front window bed, but upon review, noticed the reflection of the lamp appearing in the photo. Perhaps I'll try again at a different angle to improve the illusion.

Gus In The Apple Tree

It was time for me to feed Gus, a neighbor cat, and his brother Brownie - leaving them in their house for the night. As I looked around, I hear a loud squeak to my left, around or in their old apple tree, and a rocket of gray fur zooming right to left and up the tree. For the next 5 or 15 minutes, Gus strode from branch to branch, intently seeking the squirrel - with no chance of actually catching it, for it was long gone.

This  was ok for a while, but I had stuff to do. Calling him did nothing; he knew I was here and it didn't matter. I tried shaking the tree. You cannot shake a cat from a tree - the four legs brace nicely, and hardly need the claws to dig in at all - the bodies are not massive enough to abuse inertia and the reaction time is a wonder.

Eventually I decided to give it up for now, and started to walk away. Gus meowed and came down, clearly stating that he was ready for dinner now.

We know who is in charge.

No longer just a holiday; it is a season!

 Seen when walking the neighborhood.

Neighbor cats Brownie and Gus

 

Thinking over their Dawn Patrol

My little elf on her shelf

 

I think it was my brother Steve, who has been taking photos seriously since the 1970s, that told me the secret to getting good photos was to take a lot of them.

This is especially true with cats. You can't pose them. If you try to draw their attention with a sound or a toy, they're likely just to twitch and ear or look off to the side.

You just have to wait until they're close to what you want and then shoot, shoot, shoot.

This is the first time I've seen her on this shelf, which years ago was frequented by Ginny, but lately has been unuse. I hope she decides she likes it!

A Nice Cat Picture From The Sierra Club

Ok, it is not my original work, it's a card from the Sierra Club, but come on who could resist those expressions!

On Tuesday, I was filling out GOTV post cards (for the upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court election). I was going through some free notecards that charities, such as the Sierra Club, send to encourage joining. I've been a member for years (probably decades) so I do not at all mind tearing off the picture so it makes a nice postcard, and using it for GOTV. I have plenty of normal "VOTE!!!" cards also, but I think people may be more likely to pay attention to more attractive cards. It is kind of unknowable.

When Your Sister Is Hogging All The Towels

 

I took this photo a couple of days ago but just got around to publishing it today, as I hadn't seen anything particularly photoworthy on my walk.

As Jackson Galaxy frequently comments, cats are creatures who use vertical space - they like to go up and down. I have learned to leave the towel cupboard doors open so they can use the space, usually for lurking but sometimes for play!

Why My Home Office Has Two Desk Chairs

 

Shadow In My Office Chair

My home office/home studio has a lot of horizontal surfaces so that my cats can do their business, chiefly napping, in my company. They especially like office chairs, perhaps because they're cushy, perhaps because I pre-heat them by sitting on them, perhaps who knows? Merely because they see me there so 

Weekend Cleanup

 I reorganized my yellow room so that my two little desks are as one big L-shaped desk and the wall behind me is blank. I plan to repaint it to look more like a zoom studio.

I got my walking in although I had to take it easy on my left foot was I may have overworked it during Saturday Zumba.

I'm steadily although not necessarily speedily moving stuff on through Buy Nothing. Having the shed restored to sanity, now I'm working on the Yellow Room Closet, which requires doing something about all those board games I never play (due to pandemic and the plethora of new games available on the internet.)

Friday I had the zoom room open for gaming; Mary from blockwatch and Vicki from Timebank came on and we all three talked but gamed not at all.

Sunday I was reminded to work on the Elfster/giftgiving for SPEAKOUT, and worked it out.

Sunday Ed was having codewords but just before I got a message from Sandy asking about a game link, which turned out to be last week. I opened a room and emailed the hobbit list, from which Mary Russell joined in; Sandy  invited  her SCA friend Galen and Mary Russell dropped in. We started Lost Cities when it was just the two of us but at Galen's suggestion switched to Alhambra, which is a good game but very different. I think I see some general principles about games of Alhambra's type, about building productive capacity before worrying about scoring or something. 

Ginny flows to fill her space

Imp monitors the neighbors' back yards

Shadow prefers the chair I've most recently sat in

A few last tamerinds

Zoom-ba and christmas cat tree

Western Glowing Cedar near highpoint

A week in pictures

 

Shadow On An Office Chair

Imp In Her Favorite Window

Ginny In A Box

Zumba by Zoom

Holiday Tamarind

Holiday Tree

I Thought This Was Funny, Oh Well.

Getting By

 Imp says, "Sleep With One Eye Open"

Monday I packed a box of books for Pegasus and went to their website to schedule a dropoff. The next available appointment is January 3. Oh well, I guess I have time to pack a 2nd box!

I danced Zumba mostly for the minimal social contact but I'm sure it's also good for me. I already had my morning walk, half-an-hour of YouTube workout, and lunch walk, but at my age keeping fit is important!

 Today I ordered a bunch of stamps for GOTV. Reportedly interesting stamps have a better chance of getting the letter noticed so it's worth paying the handling fee.

I sent a message to the Y about converting my dues during the time their buildings are closed to a donation so I can take it off my taxes. We'll see.

I've been getting mortgage refi inquiries, so I put my numbers together and responded to one. We'll see.

Toastmasters 832 tonight.

May Her Memory Be A Blessing

ABOUT RBG: We should be celebrating the life of one of America's greatest persons. Instead we are having to defend her legacy against the raw exercise of power.
Balloting has already begun in several states. The argument that we should not vote on a new Justice in an Election year is all the stronger now that we are actually in the voting process.
Moreover, it is highly likely that the Supreme Court will have to rule on disputes. There is nothing wrong with an 8-member Court; a 4-4 split is just as valid as anything else; adding a member now achieves no valid purpose.
Little of this matters. Trump wants another Supreme Court pick, to increase the chances any electoral dispute will be resolved in his favor. Meanwhile a thousand Americans die each day from a pandemic that could have been controlled. Failure of leadership on this scale should not be rewarded with another term, if only because of the virtual certainty that the next crisis (...and there is always a next crisis...) will be bungled the same.
But Trump's fans are in love. His rallies are as entertaining as any show at the Roman Colosseum. He tells them who to hate and they scream in their ecstasy of rage. He knows this will kill some of them (say goodnight, Herman Cain) because he has known since February 7 that COVID19 is airborne and deadly, but his followers are willing sacrifices to his glory. They know he lied to them about that, and they don't care; the more he abuses them, the more they show their love by sacrificing themselves and their children.
May RGB's memory be a blessing. She showed us that reason and passion working together can achieve great things for humanity, despite powerful opposition. Her memory, like a star, may guide us through the shadow of Mordor.

---

Today's photos:

Ginny sleeps on my blanket

Little Free Pantry

Metal Roofed Little Free Library

Classic Pickup With Hood Ornament

Rooster Yard Art

Shadow On Her Chair

Spread Joy / Not Without Tears

Today's Walk's Little Free Library:
Spread Joy

It can be very distressing to get a notice from a bill collector. Such notices are designed that way.

My daughter Kiara got one referring to a debt that she thought was under control, subject to an agreement that she was current with. It's bad enough to get a bill collector put on you when you owe the money, but when you've already made arrangements it can be worse.

I got to play Dear Old Dad by reading through all the documentation, confirming the facts, and suggesting that she respond immediately to the notice disputing the debt. I think that the most likely explanation for the notice was that one financing company sold a bundle of debt to another financing company, which started processing it a while later without bothering to check whether the debt was still owed. Or maybe the collections notice was the means it employed to check. After all, mailing a letter is not that expensive and it's up to the creditor to raise a dispute. Maybe the collector hopes to hit the jackpot by terrorizing money out of an innocent party.

It can be very upsetting, but Kiara is now dealing with it.

I enjoyed Storeyweavers Toastmasters again, not only the meeting but the discussion afterwards in support of the report I had to fill out. This Club appears to have recruited some people but was concerned about people falling away and the difficulty of closing when prospects seem enthusiastic. Zoom fatigue is real, and the problem of closing probably affects everyone, so perhaps we can have a divisionwide response.

Toward the end of the day I sat in my recliner, intending to turn on the tube but waiting, because Shadow was in my lap so I couldn't move. Heather brought Arthur's ashes and thanked me for the photoessay about him, which they shared at work. She said they loved it, not without tears. 

Tears are not bad, they simply are.

As today's little free library says: spread joy.

Sitting Around Sunday

 I'm in a pretty low energy state, maybe due to recovering from Arthur's death, maybe due to the bad air from the fires, maybe - who knows? I have not been taking my long morning walks and probably my body is unhappy about that.

Who Wants A Rice Cooker?

Even giving things away on the "Buy Nothing" group is impacted, as people express interest but need to stay in their homes. Ron's rice cooker has been claimed, but still sits on my porch.

I know things will get better, and tinkering with my telling of Arthur's story brings happy memories, but this is not a time of great energy.

On the plus side, Shadow in particular has discovered how to get attention. If I sit in my recliner, she jumps in my lap to be petted or brushes. Ginny has seen this and is now trying the same thing, which is good because due to her long hair, she needs a lot of brushing.

Over the weekend I had some good chats with Sherry. She's a good friend.

I also had a timebank planning meeting, another group of good friends.

Arthur's Story

When Arthur came into my life, he had no idea that he was a small cat, and cared even less.

He was a cranky old guy with multiple medical problems: a missing eye, pain in the hips, thyroid problems, and anxiety. Certainly we can understand that last one!

Doctor felt that he could be treated, and could enjoy life so long as he had his medications, but would probably not live long. My daughter Vanessa developed his treatment plan as her final project for her Vet Tech certificate. Afterwards she said to me, "Randy, we will never find a placement for this cat."

I said to bring him here. What's one more cat, and this one a short-timer.

At first, the bigger cats tried to steal his food, but we worked out a system. He had "old age and sneakiness" down tight. The alleys behind the couches were his to rule.

I became his.

He did not give me a choice.

If I was late going to bed, he would find me and give me his short howl of command.

Arthur's past life was a mystery. He could not talk about it, but he showed a high level of awareness.

When I worked on the basement, Arthur conducted inspections.

He dreamed of hunting, but never tried to catch a bird.

He slept in a peculiar shape, perhaps due to his hip issues

Arthur loved catnip. He made it hard to grow it in my garden, but he never let it go to waste.

Arthur was not extremely playful, but occasionally cut loose, especially if a box or a laser was involved.

Arthur saw doctor every month, and afterwards liked to stroll a nearby garden. He was even willing to accept a leash the first time, until he had shown that he was safe there and not going to wander.

In the neighbor hood, I walked him on a leash for a while, which he allowed because he loved going outside so much. However he always wanted to duck into a neighbor's bushes, out of my control, leading to a few spats. We made up, and ultimately I let him wander starting from out lot. He didn't go far but enjoyed monitoring the yellow house next door.

Arthur REALLY liked his 'nip!

Arthur loved to hunt my daughter's socks. In the middle of the night he would capture one, bring it upstairs, and howl his song of triumph!

The first time this happened, I thought he was distressed because his howl was so full-throated. When I came to investigate, he would run off, leaving the sock behind, which I assumed I had somehow gotten mixed with my laundry. This continued; a suspicious number of socks appeared in my hallway; I knew I was not that careless. Finally I caught him with a sock in his mouth and noticed that it was maybe about the size of a mouse. Thereafter I loved the pride he took in bellowing his song of success!

Nothing could feel better than rolling on the warm steps of a hot summer day. He rolled on my front porch, he rolled on the side steps, he rolled on the sidewalk and the neighbor's steps. He was a cat who enjoyed his pleasures.

When Arthur felt it was time for me to take a lunch break, he would urge me to get out of my chair so he could be perform his duty, as shown.

It is clear that cats are not intelligent as we humans are; they have little notion of symbols and their vocabulary is small, but it is easy to see that they have feelings and preferences, and can train us to give them what they want.

While not verbal, Arthur was very expressive. Look at the tail: he's happy to see you!

He also used his short howl in a variety of contexts, mostly meaning "follow me to something interesting".

Sometimes Arthur decided he didn't want his meds, and hid under the bed. He was strong-willed!

When I splurged and got a leather-cover recliner, Arthur decided it was perfect for sharpening his claws. This had never been a problem with anything else, but there was something about this recliner that he needed to attack. I sighed, and covered it with a blanket. Now it's an excellent cat bed.

Whether on the recliner or in bed, Arthur liked to sleep by my head. Kiara told me that he used to sleep on her hair! but I don't have so much of that, so he made do with proximity. My snoring, his purring: we must have been a comedy.

He never really approved of mopping.

---

Arthur liked to watch me as I worked in the kitchen. Usually he was not asking for food, he was just watching. Once I spilled a little milk and he lapped it up eagerly. From then on, it was our forbidden ritual - I spilled, he lapped.

Eventually I started putting it into a dish and for at least a year that was part of his breakfast, along with wet food and the open crunchy feeder. Sometime during the pandemic he stopped drinking the milk, but I thought nothing of it.

Last month, Arthur gave his "follow me" call and took me outside to the basement window to show me there was a cat living down there!

Of course, I already knew all about Heather's cat but I praised Arthur for alerting me. Good job!

Once they got the food situation straightened out, Arthur pretty much got along with the other cats. They usually napped in company.

This is super important, because cats sleep a lot. Sometimes it can be hard to tell between a cat who is sick and one who is just sleeping. As the pandemic shutdown went on, it became less critical to give Arthur his meds before I went to work, so I let him sleep as he wished. I don't think this affected his appetite but who knows?

On the last weekend of his life, Arthur told me about a new tabby who had come into the neighborhood. Welcome neighbor!

The next day, Arthur collapsed.

You must understand that he was very elderly and had several medical problems. He had not been expected to last six months when he came into my life, and it had been 5 years. Good years.

Doctor observed him overnight. She had saved his life in the past, but now Arthur's metabolism was failing at last.

Arthur was calm but very tired. We had one last thing to do together.

Thank you, my friend, and good bye.