Saturday, May 18, 2019

A TOO CURIOUS CAT

Henley, a young neighboring cat, came visiting yesterday.

Wanting a drink apparently, he first tried to stretch his body over the edge, then climbed atop the Blue Cat for some extra elevation.


But it was still not comfortable enough for him and before I knew it he had leaped up to the edge of the bird bath and cat fountain.


He balanced on the edge as I tapped on the window to get his attention.


At first he didn't see me so I opened the window and spoke to him.


I hurried to the other room to see if Judy was awake but she wasn't so I returned to my viewing spot.

To find this!


Apparently in his leap down from his precarious perch he had upset the bird bath and it toppled over.

It had landed on a rock but amazingly did not break.

Later as I was telling Judy about it she said there was an unused plant saucer on the patio and I should put it out full of water for the visiting cats.

I did and a short time later when Matty had come by for a brief visit he discovered it and, Judy said, drank long as if he had never seen such good water.

I'm glad they're taken care of and perhaps our bird bath will survive another season.

Friday, May 17, 2019

FRIDAY NEWS

Just a short addendum to the Funnies because several items are news today.

1.  Mick Jagger is dancing again after having heart surgery.  

The U.S. tour has been rescheduled starting next month and ending in August, including a stop in Glendale, Arizona!



This was two days ago as Jagger was rehearing his moves.



2.  Of sadder news, Arizona's famous Grumpy Cat has died at the age of 7.  

Apparently from complications of a urinary tract infection.  


Shed a tear.



3.  And finally, something to celebrate.


It's May 17th.

NORWEGIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Skol!


Once again, have a great weekend.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

To all of you who have encouraged the continuation of these weekly attempts to foist some humor into a dark world I offer my humble thank you.

So lessee, where do we begin?

Lemmee put on my specs and inspect the inventory.













And with that, I shall make my departure.


Dang it all, you, dames, damozels and dudes . . . don't be dejected, dazed or dizzy.  I shall return in just days to differentiate from your dissatisfaction and dolor.

In the meantime, have a delicious weekend and always remember: Keep Laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .


Thursday, May 16, 2019

LOCAL WILD KINGDOM

SWMBO spotted something on our back yard wall last night.


So before venturing into the unknown, I took a photo.

Then I crept, with the talent of a jungle cat that I possess, a bit closer.


The object did not move but it appeared to be a living creature.


This reptilian denizen had great patience but so, mighty explorer that I am, did I.


Hard to identify but it may be a rather large gecko.

As I turned slightly for a better view, this dinosaur from eons in the past gave me a glare.


Faced with possible potential annihilation, I beat a hasty retreat and left him to his wont.

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

WATCHING

The Mighty Muralist, aka SWMBO, aka Judy, had her paints out again the other day.

It seems the Rock Turtle needed a touching up.


Last night she put a silicon treatment on the rocks on his back to bring back the shiny tone he had when we first acquired him.


But what struck me  . . . and may cause nightmares . . . were the tiny details she added to brighten his eyes.

What do you think?


There's a certain evil intent showing in that eye, I think.

Enough to put trembling in a grown man.

'Course, she could have really greened him up and made him appear even more vile and dangerous.


(Last picture photo-edited by Catalyst)

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Monday, May 13, 2019

Sunday, May 12, 2019

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY



. . . and don't forget to wash behind your ears!

Saturday, May 11, 2019

SKYVIEW

There's a sky full of beautiful clouds in my part of the world today.


Whichever way you look there's a changing panorama.


Sometimes people see images in the sky.

Me?  I just see clouds.


Meantime, a dove in the dead tree next door watches me, wondering "why is that strange human creature pointing his camera up at the sky?"


Just another day in retirement, birdie.

Friday, May 10, 2019

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

Here I am again . . the late Catalyst.

I seem to be having a slight difficulty in remembering when it's Friday and duty calls.

Perhaps it's about time to end these end of the week comedy jousts.

After all, I am 79 now and what's funny about that?

But never mind.

Let us proceed.











All right, that ought to be enough to get you gleefully through a wicked weekend.


Or not.  

As the case may be.

Just remember this one important thing: always keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .


Thursday, May 9, 2019

THROWBACK THURSDAY


Portrait of a Woman and her Cat

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

HERBS

It's been a weird day here in the Central Highlands of Arizona.

Huge towering clouds, a smattering of rain, a very brief (30 second) hail storm, sunshine . . . and repeat.

Similar weather, with high's in the 50's and 60's, is projected to continue through to early next week.

Based on SWMBO's wise advice I had told our neighboring lady . . . newly from California . . . that plants probably should not be planted until after Mothers' Day.

That's next Sunday.

And she has, I think, taken my advice.

BUT!

We planted some herbs in pots last year and enjoyed them through the summer.

I don't think we had expected them to survive the winter but . . .

Here's our mint plant.


It seems to have thrived in its dormant state and has come back better than ever.

As has the Italian Parsley.


There's something to be said for indifference and lack of knowledge.

Both have already been used in drinks and pizza!

Monday, May 6, 2019

MISS MUGGLES

As I have said before, Muggles is our "final cat".

But she's a teenager, in human terms not cat terms, now and is slowing down a lot.

She seems to have lost a lot of weight again and seems troubled by arthritis.

Which comes as a bit of a plus for her because we can allow her out in the yard for the first time since we rescued her from an unfeeling neighbor who had left her out in the rain as a very young kitten.

She no longer has the strength to jump to the top of fence or wall to escape.

So on those evenings that are warm enough for us to sit out on the patio at cocktail hour we have begun letting her join us.


She ambled back to the fence one of the first evenings and eyed it but knew she could never surmount it.

Since then she has stayed close to us most of the time.


She's never been a large cat but she seems to have shrunk in recent weeks and, as the saying goes, is just a shadow of her former self.

But she is still a love.