Kitty, the blog animal         January 25, 2005

Here she is, just being  silly...

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 24, 2005

After a few years of living with Kitty, three logical questions have risen: 1:) Who is this cat?,   2:) Where has she been?,   and 3:) The actual number of covert and/or mercenary operations she has under her belt.
obscured by camoflage...

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 23, 2005

Kitty has been practicing, and now she can pronounce the word "kibble" remarkably accurately.   The letter "k" is problematic and comes out as an "r", but she seems to be getting really close with her "b"'s.     Kitty speaks

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 22, 2005

Cabin fever  is in full swing around here at Kittyland...
And Kitty is bored out of her skull, so to speak...

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 21, 2005

But mainly, to sum it up, she is basically a  ball of fur,  pretty much...

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 20, 2005

Kitty's m.o. is to "spook" around, and then to "flop" in the exact spot where she leaves off.   Really, it's not very exciting.   And if you were to press her for more details, odds are she would reply with a  blah...

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 19, 2005

Beyond and between the various parts of her - is nothing but  whitespace.

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 18, 2005

On alternate days of the week, and in months with an "r",  Kitty bravely submits to the "upside-down treatment", allowing herself to be picked up, backwards and upside down.   I can actually get a melodious variety of hollow sounds by slapping her belly.  Kitty stretches out and seems to enjoy it...   Here she is, our little feline  bongo...

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 17, 2005

Kitty has been looking for some kind of  perceptual employment,  but I don't know about this new scheme about charging people a quarter to look deeply into her eyes.   Actually, she now owns all of my quarters, but I just don't think many other people, unlike me, are going to want to spend twenty-five cents on excursions to the front-sides of her brain...

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 16, 2005

It was past 4 in the p.m., and in order to remind me that her "blog" still hadn't been written, she did a little improvisational jump and dance to show me, and yes, to demonstrate the time.    kitty clock

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 15, 2005

And yup, the Kittyland kitty-camera is still broken, but in the archives I found this picture of my little roommate,  communicating with God.

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 14, 2005

I admire her lofty ambitions, but chances of succeeding in this are slim.   Kitty has decided on a career modelling for pet food advertising.  I tried to explain that the competition would be fierce, and that she would have to compete against such veterans as Morris, and that she would be away from home for weeks at a time, flying coast to coast, etcetera...   But she really wants to do it.   She wants to be the  cat on the bag...

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 13, 2005

Our camera has broken, so we've been going back through Kitty's old photos and we found this.   I have absolutely no idea of what has caught her eye, but it must have been something  absolutely amazing.

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 12, 2005

It is generally agreed that each and every one of us has a purpose in life. But just  hanging out  is more of a method than a purpose, so I am going with the notion that Kitty's purpose in life is to distribute love.

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 11, 2005

It was a peaceful day at Kittyland until a bag of groceries fell off the counter.   Kitty immediately hightailed it outside to safety.   I went out and assured her that everything was cool, and she warily came back in.   Later, I tried to sneak in another bag of groceries, but she saw me and prudently hightailed it outside again.   Eventually she came back in, this time more wet than dry, but my actions in tearing off two paper towels from the roll were apparently too violent for her, and she hightailed it outside again.   A little later she returned and I got her dried off, and an offering of corn helped restore her nerves.   By evening she seemed completely back to normal, but before we snuggled she looked piercingly into my eyes, as if to figure out if I was safe to associate with.
Here she is,  waiting for the second shoe to drop.

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 10, 2005

Kitty usually knows exactly what she wants, and when she has a complaint she lets me know.   But I still haven't heard any complaints out of her about this yucky weather, so I assume that she realizes that it really isn't my fault.   Here she is, our little feline barometer, with her head stuck out of her  cat door  checking out the conditions.

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 9, 2005

KITTY HAS NEWS:  Don has a brand new website up on the web:   www.photoarrow.com/sp   If you love eroded rocks and crashing waves, you will undoubtedly love this website featuring Salt Point.
And, as long as we are doing shameless self promotion, you might also want to check out three other sites; equally new and beautiful:
http://photoarrow.com/sf   San Francisco
http://photoarrow.com/lc   Lagunitas Creek
http://photoarrow.com/pl   Point Lobos
And yes, Kitty, as primary resident of my lap, was right here to help and offer advice during all phases of editing and production...

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 8, 2005

 I saw her standing there  might be the title of a Beatles tune, but yes,
 I saw her standing there, but the question at the time was why?...
After all, she had just eaten a luxury dinner of every one of her favorite foods...   but there she was, I saw her standing there...
The mystery was solved when she climbed on-board for a snooze...
........................................................................
Well, she was just seventeen,
You know what I mean,
And the way she looked was way beyond compare,
So how could I dance with another,
Oh when I saw her standing there
Well she looked at me,
And I, I could see,
That before too long I’d fall in love with her,
She wouldn’t dance with another,
Oh when I saw her standing there.
Well my heart went zoom as I crossed that room,
And I held her hand in mine.
Oh we danced through the night,
And we held each other tight,
And before to long I fell in love with her,
Now I’ll never dance with another,
Oh when I saw her standing there.
Well my heart went zoom as I crossed that room,
And I held her hand in mine.
Oh we danced through the night,
And we held each other tight,
And before too long I fell in love with her,
Now I’ll never dance with another,
Oh since I saw her standing there.
Oh since I saw her standing there.

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 7, 2005

It seems as if she should know, so from time to time I check with Kitty about the prospects for peace.   She seems concerned and worried...

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 6, 2005

Kitty insists on having the  proper amount of love  added to her food...   We start with a sprig of fresh love, chop it finely, and sprinkle it in.   Yum.

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 5, 2005

And it is perhaps not beyond a stretch of the imagination, that in earlier times, Kitty may have been spewed up from mighty seas by a large fish.

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 4, 2005

Kitty and I are a team.   We advertise our act as  the dynamic duo,   but somehow Kitty always manages to get top billing...

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 3, 2005

If Kitty could read, she would be reading Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. It's a story about George and Lennie, but with a stretch of the imagination it could have just as easily been about Don and Kitty.   The disturbing part of this is that Kitty probably thinks I am Lennie; the "lesser" in brains and skill of the two, but of course I might see it the other way around...

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 2, 2005

Little Orphan Annie began life in a home for orphans run by Miss Asthma, a dour, severe disciplinarian.   Annie had been an occupant of the home since infancy.   When later asked, the first thing she remembered, she replied, "Bein' in th' "Home" and how mean Miss Asthma was.   I guess I must have been there, right from th' time I was born, almost."     waif

          Kitty, the blog animal         January 1, 2005

I lectured Kitty that in 2005 I was going to be in charge around here.
So now, if only just for a brief moment, I seem to have the upper-hand, but somehow I know it won't last...     happy new year

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 31, 2004

I thought that Kitty's relationship with me had always been mostly based on love, but now I am realizing that food is just as important.
The menu is short:  kibble, corn, or canned cat food.

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 30, 2004

Kitty seems to have worked out a special signaling language, and the system is based on the position of her ears.   I'm still a student, but some of the positions are relatively self explanatory...     twelve and two

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 29, 2004

I know I would like to, and I am sure that Kitty would also like to be able to help the horribly devistated people in Southeast Asia.     a volunteer

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 28, 2004

Kitty is larger than life...   She WILL be loved, and that is all that matters.

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 27, 2004

Kitty is fortunate not to be aware of anything like these horrible car bombings and deadly tidal waves, so, as they say,  ignorance is bliss...

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 26, 2004

I noticed Kitty watching me intently as I was getting out some frozen string-beans, and even though I am aware that offering "human food" to a cat is not a good idea, I gave her one and she let me know, dramatically, that yes, she absolutely loves string-beans.    bon appitite

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 25, 2004

Kitty insisted on spending the majority of yesterday on my lap, so now I know how Santa feels after a long hard day of kids climbing all over him at the mall...     Merry Christmas, and may peace prevail on our planet

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 24, 2004

The label on the can reads Turtle Wax, but it seems to work on cats also. polished and shiny

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 23, 2004

The opportunities to fool Kitty are few and far between, but this time I have succeeded in convincing her that those weeds aren't just any old weeds, but very special and traditional  Christmas weeds...   Ho, ho, ho...

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 22, 2004

Look,  up in the sky...    Is it a bird?,   Is it a plane?,   no, it's just an unoccupied lap...   But Kitty has arrived on this planet with one mission, and one mission only...   to occupy that lap...

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 21, 2004

I was carefully watching Kitty and thinking that she obviously came pre-programmed with an abundance of  peace and love,  but then I remembered that we all, yes all of us, enter this world with those same qualities, but I guess something happens to a lot of us along the way...

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 20, 2004

I assume that Kitty holds out some hope for the rest of us, but it is clear that she has formulated her own little world of  peace and love and corn.

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 19, 2004

Apparently, having more than two eyes is the latest fad for cats, but I still can't figure out if the modification is cosmetic and intended for beauty, or perhaps having  six eyes  is the latest in maximum feline fuctionality...

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 18, 2004

To be honest, Kitty has no real use for scientific explanations, but  she shines  like a scholar in certain specific areas of natural phenonema.

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 17, 2004

And there are times when it is fairly clear that Kitty might be muttering something quietly--something like "oh brother,  these humans"...

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 16, 2004

A Christmas gift for Kitty couldn't be any simpler...   But you're going to get some funny looks from the folks at the store if you ask for a new shoelace toy.   Oh sure, they have pairs of shoelaces, but stores are quite unyielding about selling them individually...   And they expect you to know which exact length you need...   Duh...   And don't even think about asking if they have them pre-knotted, boxed, and ready for Christmas morning.
some assembly is required...

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 15, 2004

Kitty knows a few tricks, but I doubt if they are amazing enough to get us booked on TV's Amazing Animals...   Dogs get most of the air-time, so Kitty must hate the show, but I am almost 100% certain that I saw her sneak a short two-second glance at a little dog on the screen that had everyone absolutely floored and flopping around with wild amazement...
Yet in Kitty's world there are things that are just as amazing...
Here's an example of Kitty,  relishing a weed...

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 14, 2004

Kitty and I had to dig deep, but we found a  memory of warmer days...

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 13, 2004

I've never been a parent, but Kitty is showing me just how difficult parenting must be...   If I've never mentioned it, Kitty is a Lap-Cat, allowing her full title to treat me as a piece of furniture.   It isn't a bad arrangement, but the problem comes when it's time for Kitty to get-off-my-lap.   The game is to feign that she can't release her claws from my clothing.   Prying her free can be quite a struggle.    dynamic duo

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 12, 2004

At 5AM, not only is it too late to be served corn, but it's also too early to be served corn, which means that about the only option remaining is to be picked up,  upside-down...

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 11, 2004

You would think that for all the fuss I make,  our little punctuator  just doesn't care that she all-too-frequently, although accidently, punctures my skin with her ultra-sharp claws.   It seems she is completely and utterly without remorse.   But actually, from a legal standpoint, an admission of guilt at this stage would probably mess-up any chances on appeal...

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 10, 2004

Somehow our little  flower child  seems to know that if we make it through till Spring, we will be rewarded with wildflowers...

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 9, 2004

Cats-a-razz-ama-tazzzz...   be-bop, splee-bob...   groovie and far-out...

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 8, 2004

While Rodin's bronze of  The Thinker  is said to represent man, in sober meditation, battling with a powerful internal struggle; our own little philosopher seems to have mastered the sober meditation part,  but I doubt if she has all that many internal struggles to sort out...

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 7, 2004

Kitty radiates an invisible force which seems to bind us together...
Description escapes science, but this force is similar to a  beam of light...

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 6, 2004

Kitty decided to, attempted to, and succeeded in waking me at 4AM Sunday.   Her method of waking me is to sit on me until I can no longer resist...   About the only thing on our schedule was to stop by the supermarket for a bag of Whiskas, but they were completely out of Whiskas, so I cautiously decided to buy a bag of Meow-Mix and hope for the best...   But Kitty  absolutely flipped...   She really loves it...

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 5, 2004

The nourishing winter rains have returned, and as a result, everything, including  Kitty's eyes, has turned a vibrant shade of green...

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 4, 2004

Even though Kitty is somewhat verbally challenged, she knows how to get her point across...   Perhaps she would do well in retail sales, and I'm pretty sure that selling refrigerators would be  right-up-her-alley...

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 3, 2004

I've been enjoying an interesting and new cat-blog on the web written by a fellow named Avram, who along with his fiancee recently adopted two very cute kittens.   In the recent blog Avram describes a little horror-story about having to take one of them to the emergency vet with an eye problem, which got me to thinking as to just how lucky I've been with Kitty, since in the ten years that we have been together I have never had any reason whatsoever to take her to the vet.   Thank you very much, Kitty...   Here's today's photo of our little pestbouncer;  being healthy...

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 2, 2004

Since Kitty cannot actually talk, this might sound absolutely impossible, but in the evenings just before bedtime, I quiz Kitty on a variety of general knowledge subjects, and believe it or not, she usually gets most of the answers right.   In fact she is so darned smart that I think she could be the next big winner on Jeopardy,  but that nonsense of giving the answer in the form of a question is a bass-ackward concept that always trips her up.

          Kitty, the blog animal         December 1, 2004

Kitty might be a bit  fuzzy  about a whole lot of things, but without a doubt, our mutual love and respect for one another is crystal-clear...   Amen...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 30, 2004

Occasionally I need to read Kitty the riot-act about the brutal psychological tactics she uses in place of actually begging for food...   Her technique is to simply wait, but to wait intently enough so the message penetrates my thick skull...   An exact interpretation of the message is as follows:
"if you really love me you will feed me"...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 29, 2004

Lunch can be great fun, especially when Kitty launches into her impression of the Addams Family's mannerless pet:  Henrietta, the carnivorous vine.

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 28, 2004

I've probably been spending way too much time trying to get into the twists-and-turns and nooks-and-crannys of  Kitty's thoughts...
Evidently her thoughts cannot, or need not, be expressed in words...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 27, 2004

Years ago I discovered the wonderful world of life-without-roommates, but then Kitty arrived...   For a while we were using a chart and gold-stars to keep track of the equal distribution of household duties, but as you might already know,  motivating a cat  into doing housework is not easy...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 26, 2004

Before Kitty and I hooked-up as roommates she had to put up with two dogs.   Kitty's relationship with the older dog was respectful and loving, but the younger hound-dog delighted in driving Kitty to distraction...

          Kitty and Don wish you a warm Thanksgiving, 2004

Chinatown1   Chinatown2   Chinatown3   Chinatown4   Chinatown5
It being Thanksgiving, I thought Kitty would enjoy an excursion, if only in spirit, to a few sights and smells of  San Francisco's Chinatown.

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 24, 2004

Kitty is still a little bit  fuzzy  about our Thanksgiving turkey, because I'm sure she has never seen a bird that big, or in fact; that featherless...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 23, 2004

Blue is a color that Kitty can dish out and serve on a moments notice...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 22, 2004

It is the dreaded Monday Morning, and Kitty is off to her mysterious job at her equally mysterious place of employment...   Oh, she has an official sounding title;  Coordinator of Spherical Resources,  but that doesn't tell me much about what she actually does...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 21, 2004

Just to settle the arguement once and for all, I informed Kitty that I would search on the internet as to whether or not  balancing the moon on one's nose  is, or is not, a true and certified Olympic sport...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 20, 2004

Kitty and I have been at warp-speed all week with a  blur of activity,  and we really haven't been spending enough time together, but it's Saturday, and it's time to shift the blur into maximum inactivity mode...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 19, 2004

Winter has barely started, and already Kitty and I are having to play silly and pointless games to stave-off an early onslaught of cabin fever...
Kitty can  touch her nose with her tongue.   I cant...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 18, 2004

Free spirits, such as Kitty's, just can't be put in and contained by  pigeon holes...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 17, 2004

I brought home a tennis ball that I found for Kitty, and since it is her first piece of real sporting equipment, I introduced it slowly, and everything was going just swimmingly until I demonstrated how the ball could bounce.:.:.:..   which scared the  holy bejeebers  out of her...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 16, 2004

Kitty is keenly interested in birds; not only as a possible dinner, but also as magnificent flying creatures.   I'm sure if Kitty was granted one wish it would be for a set of wings and a pilots license...    if Kitty could only fly

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 15, 2004

When I dropped Kitty off at the courthouse for jury duty I tried to cheer her up by telling her that just because of her black-and-whiteness they would most likely immediately promote her from juror to judge.
here come da judge 

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 14, 2004

After years of washing and waxing Kitty, we have finally gone ahead and spiffed up her paint job with a  high-gloss mirror finish...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 13, 2004

Kitty may not know it, but instead of being a follower of fashion, she seems inclined to be a  trend-setter...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 12, 2004

Kitty is used to having her morning piece of corn-on-the-cob served outside, so even though it was raining cats-and-dogs yesterday morning, I had to open the door to illustrate, as if she didn't already know just how drippy and nasty her outdoor dining area was...   She finally decided that she would be able to have her  sweet corn  indoors...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 11, 2004

palace1  palace2  palace3  palace4  palace5  palace6  palace7  palace8
Yesterday was so dark and dreary that I thought Kitty would enjoy an excursion, if only in spirit, to the  Palace of Fine Arts  in San Francisco.
If you didn't already know, the Palace of Fine Arts was constructed for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915.   It's quite a place...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 10, 2004

O.K. Kitty, go ahead and  slay me with your cuteness...
Actually, Kitty would have probably slaughtered me if she had seen me say hello and pet the jet-black cat that crossed my path yesterday...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 9, 2004

Believe me, Kitty can hold up her end of a conversation, but she usually prefers to quietly observe, rather than to expound...     multiple eyes

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 8, 2004

Kitty appears to be the relational sum of her two parts,  yin and yang...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 7, 2004

Kitty and I have been so busy coming-and-going that we haven't seen much of each other recently, but today is a beautiful Sunday, and it looks like a fine day to  putter and purr...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 6, 2004

Kitty isn't too keen on danger and excitement, but loud sounds is what Kitty hates most.   Poor thing...   On Wednesday we had a thunderstorm of exceptional proportions roll across the ridge near us, and then on Thursday the man came to clean our drains with his mechanical monster.   And I was going to reassure Kitty that Friday was going to be a quiet day, but she had already  split for quieter places  before the crack of dawn.

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 5, 2004

Eye asked Kitty to tell me, in ten words or less, just why she wanted food, and her message was clear;  "because  eye  am hungry"...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 4, 2004

Technically, she is called a domestic bi-color shorthair, but around here we just call her a  tuxedo cat...   But if we happen to look when her coat is in full sun, it is not black at all, but the nicest shade of reddish-brown...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 3, 2004

And a person has to wonder why this cat needs to be so cute...   It's not as if she needs to make herself attractive, as there are no other cats in the neighborhood she needs to impress...   And I'd love her even if she was as ugly as a shoebox...   But for some reason she needs to be  cute...

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 2, 2004

During our travels, if only in spirit, Kitty insists on stopping at every  coin-operated telescope  on our route.

          Kitty, the blog animal         November 1, 2004

A frightful number of beings and creatures were ghoulishly be-deviled by Kitty yesterday.   Kitty really puts a lot of effort into her pranks.
It's hard work, but then, finally, it's  time for a break...

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