Playing Nurse

All this week, People #2 has the flu and lies in bed most of the day.

I take excellent care of him, as all cats do when their Peoples do not feel well. We sense these things, you know. We rise to the occasion.

I spend most of my time lying on the bed next to him. Sometimes within petting distance, and sometimes not.

People #2 spends a lot of time reading and sleeping. (Hey, I need to take a break to wash my face.)

Sometimes I push against the corner of his book to mark it. This is NOT the kind of "bookmark" that Peoples use, but it sure feels good to me.

This week, the weather is cold at night and almost warm during the day. Today is sunny too, which makes it feel like Spring!

People #2 feels better today, so both of them go outside for a few minutes to get some sun. I accompany them.

As usual, People #2 drags out his camera and takes pictures of me. He must have a MILLION of them by now!  But who can blame him? I am very photogenic, after all.

Here I am looking out over my meadow. Yes, MINE! I am King of all I survey.

 "Looking to the right..."

  "...and to the LEFT..."

Now I am going to walk over towards the barn...

...to nibble on some GRASS! He even takes a video of me. This is special!

How exciting is this? Plenty.

Yum-yum, it tastes good. It is especially nice when the weather is warm. I do not like eating grass when it is cold, wet or worse yet, when it is frozen.

If you look closely, you may see some gnats flying around while I eat. Hey, this is January. You guys should not be out for another month or so!

At the 28-second mark, you can hear dogs barking in the distance and then my reaction a couple seconds later. Also, of course, you can hear the river in the background.



As you can see, I have a very hard life. ;-)

Frosty!

I am happy to report that it is not raining this morning.

However, it is COLD and FROSTY. At least the sun is out, which helps a lot.

My paws get cold on the cement in the shade. People #2 is holding that darn camera again. He keeps following me with it, waiting for the money shot.

Well, here it IS! This is the famous back door that I come in and out of many times a day.

I am going to hold this pose for exactly TWO SECONDS and then I am going to walk away. There is sunshine just around the corner and I am not going to hang around here!

I want to go OUT!

"Meow. Rrrr....owww.  Prrr. MEE-OWW!"

When my People show the first signs of stirring awake in the morning, I begin my song.

I take my position on the floor a few discreet feet from the bed, and tell them that I want to go outside.

It does not matter what the weather is like. I do tend to come back in rather quickly when it is below freezing, though. Mama did not raise no fool, as People #1 likes to say.

Today it is in the lower 40s and drizzling. PURR-fect for a cat originally from Vancouver.

This morning, People #1 lets me out. I knock at the back door an hour later. I want some nibbles!

People #2 escorts me to my food bowl in the kitchen, and gives me a scoop of Dry. (No Wet for this cat.)

Sometimes I meow before approaching the bowl. It is my subtle hint to give me a heaping scoop rather than the usual level one. People #2 rarely takes the hint, however.

A moment later, I approach People #2 who is now at his computer. I meow. He knows DARN well what I want: to go outside again.

People #2 sighs and heaves up from his chair, and leads the way to the back door. I follow demurely, deliberately. I do not want to seem too anxious (Kitty 101).

This morning, People #2 picks up that awful camera and takes a picture of me standing patiently by the door. He tells People #1 that he is *NOT* going to let me out because it is drizzling, but he wants a picture for today's blog post.

I glare at him accusingly and he does let me out. He had better!

People #2 sighs again and drapes the damp towel over a chair near the kerosene heater, so it will be warm and toasty when I come back in.

Yes, Life is good -- especially when my People exhibit their good training.

By me, of course.

Trying to Keep Warm!

Folks, it is COLD out here in The Woods.

But I have a thick fur coat.

My People get all frantic and stuff whenever I come in out of the rain, soaking wet.

But I am not actually soaked to the skin, because of the aforementioned fur coat.

People #1 or People #2 dries me off with a towel. People #1 tends to be more rough, because he likes to play with me that way. Almost every time he messes with me, THIS is what happens:



I pretend not to like it. But I do, deep down.

We live in a very "rustic" building attached to a 100-year-old barn. It does not have what my People call 'Central Heat & Air'. Far from it, folks.

They use kerosene heaters this winter. They promise me wood stove heat next winter when they finally hook it up. I miss me some wood stove heat. It is the BEST.

But the kerosene heater in the Music Room does a good job. This is the warmest spot in the whole house. Of course you are aware that us cats know all these spots!



The kitchen is colder than the Music Room, because we do not spend as much time there in the winter. Before People #1 lights the kerosene heater in the kitchen, this is what I look like in the cold:

"Maybe if I scrunch down on this wool blanket I will be warmer!"

I am going to move to another chair...

"I am not totally sure about this..."

Meanwhile, I will do my regal Canadian pose. I originally come from Vancouver, you know. Hamming it up makes me feel warmer.



Cat trick: Place your paws together, wrap tail around body and hunch down a little for increased warmth.



Well, at least I am in a very tastefully decorated space!

I hope all my cat friends are keeping warm this winter.

Hello Again, Friends!

You all know what a busy cat I am, traveling all over the place for six years now!

These days I do not travel quite so much. Most of it is within a couple hundred miles of home.

This is good because I like staying in The Woods best.

Now I have more time to entertain you with blog posts. My life is endlessly fascinating, and I am very photogenic.

For months, I meow and meow and MEOW at People #2 to help me type my blog. My paws are too big and stubby to type properly. I make a lot of mistakes which takes too much of my time (you all know what a busy cat I am)! I need help from my People.

It will take some training to get People #2 back up to speed on the blog.

Speaking of training, I finally get him to open the back door when I scratch and bump against it wanting to come in for a nibble. People #1 is similarly trained. I put them through their paces at least five times a day.

I am also very proud of training People #2 to escort me to my food bowl in the kitchen, to make sure that it is full. There is often food in the bowl already, but we cats have to keep our People on our toes!

People #2 sometimes tries to pull a fast one by *NOT* filling the bowl and just shaking up the dry food that is already there, and then setting it down. Who do you think he is fooling? Not me!

I humor him by eating it, but then I get my revenge a few minutes later by coming up to him (the 'meow, meow, MEOW' routine) to ask for more food. Yes, I eat it all. Fill 'er up!

Soon I bring you more up-to-date on my travels and life. But for now, just make sure that you go outside regularly and keep your food bowl filled!