Post 920: Andy window watches…

Andy loves to window watch. There are lots of birds and an occasional squirrel in the trees outside the back window, for example, and more of the same out the front. It’s good kitty entertainment!

Andy gets comfortable.
There are lots of fun things outside today!

“Birds!”
Andy perks up.

“Did you see that birdie?” Andy’s horns are up!
Andy likes to share his sightings with me.

Back to the window watching.
Mustn’t miss out on anything happening outside!

In his fantasy world, Andy things he can catch that bird! The hunt is on!

In his fantasy world, Andy thinks he can catch that bird!
The hunt is on!

Behind the blinds!
In a moment, Andy will climb the screen and have a fit because he can’t get to the bird!

Andy continues to watch the birds outside, but it won’t be long before it’s time to groom, then take a well-deserved kitty nap. All in a day’s work!

Post 919: a cluttered desk and a pest…

Jean of The Canadian Cats thinks my desk is neat. I hate to be the one to dispel a positive thought, but my desk is a mess! And Dougy continues to be a pest on it!

A mess…!

Doesn’t get neater looking forward.

An old problem: Dougy comes by for some loving!

“You know the drill! Adore me! Pet me. How about a scritch, eh!?”
Dougy is of a mind!

Yeah, I can’t refuse a reasonable expectation!
I scritch and pet and love Dougy till he’s bored with me and hops off the desk!

Post 918: “Go to bed, kitties! Go to bed…!!!”

I’ve written before about the wand toy game Andy and Dougy invented. The most noticeable part of the game is how the cat inviting the brother to play meows piteously from some distant place till his brother comes running.

From that point, when both are at the wand toy, the boys begin to chase each other. The wand toy doesn’t seem to serve any specific purpose other than to announce the game has begun.

Andy prepares for the game.
The wand toy is stretched out in front of him.

Though it seems to be a “keep-away” game, the wand toy never gets taken. All I know is it will be in a different place each time I see it. One or the other cat moves it at some point during the game, though I’ve rarely seen this happen.

A pitiful yowling alerts Dougy to the starty of the game....! This time it's during the day, but last night it was after I went to bed.

A pitiful yowling alerts Dougy to the start of the game….!
This time it’s during the day, but last night it was after I went to bed.

Yes, last night the game took place while I tried to sleep! I guess I didn’t wear the boys down enough before I went to bed.

Andsy needs a drink. Dougy must be sleeping because he isn't running to join the game...!

Andy needs a drink.
Dougy must be sleeping because he isn’t running to join the game…!

Of course, he and Andy were up last night playing, so, of course, he is a bit worn out this morning!

Dang cats!

Post 917: in which Dougy is a pest…

Maybe it was the catnip. Or maybe it was a wish to be adored and pampered. Whatever it was, Dougy hopped onto my computer desk and took over. What a pest!

Dougy’s horns are up.
I should expect trouble!

“Acting innocent…”
Yeah, you bet!

“What’s up, Dougy? Why are you perched there?”
Dougy ignores me, but he takes over my work zone. I can’t ignore him!

“Was ist los, Douglas? Why do you torment me so? Eh!?”
Quietly he just sits there, 10+ pounds of resistance.

“You talking to me, human?!”
Dang, the impudence of this cat!

Post 916: another photo mystery…

Anyone who knew the story behind this photo died years and decades ago.

They may be my uncles, possibly one is my father (the little guy on the far right), but I can’t verify this. The second one from the left may be my Uncle Sim, who was a fun fellow, a favorite uncle. Why are they on horses? Where are they? When was this photo taken?

It hangs on my wall with other family photos, yet it is a mystery. Though the family has rural origins and lived at various times in Newcastle, Wyoming, and Deadwood, South Dakota, when they were essentially frontier villages, the aunts and uncles mostly lived in cities when I knew them.

My uncles, aunts, and father always told lots of stories when they got together, and that was a lot of the fun when these reunions happened. Yet, I don’t remember any stories about riding horses. If it happened, believe it, I would have heard about it!

Post 915: a wartime celebration…

The fascination of old photos, especially those that predate oneself, is the story they tell. Or don’t. For example, this family photo of what appears to be a family birthday celebration.

Surrounding my grandfather, the apparent “birthday boy”, are, starting at the top right: my mother, my father, my Aunt Esther (I think…), my grandmother, my brother, grandpa, and — the first born in my family — my sister.

I think this predates my second sister, so may be a photo taken in 1942 or 1943. No one seems that happy, perhaps a reflection of the family attitude toward having one’s photo taken.

Or perhaps the lack of smiles reflects the times, a wartime celebration where the cares of the day out-trumped any effort to have a good time. They were uncertain times, and a victory was the prayer, not an inevitability.

I find that photo so depressing, I include this photo of my brother taken around the same time. It makes me smile!

dads shadow and dick1

Post 914: Dougy poses nicely, for a change…!

I got a couple decent shots of Dougy. No closed eyes, nice pose, Dougy being a cooperative kitty for a change!

Lounging on the ottoman….

Waiting patiently for the kitty toy.
We played kitty games while Dougy lounged in his favorite tub.

The trick? I turned on a second floor lamp to bring up the light level. There was no flash, so Dougy was more than cooperative for a change!

Post 913: Andy’s new sleeping spot…

Andy changes his sleeping spot quite a lot. I imagine this is in part because I snatch him up to give him medicine from a given spot once too often, then he figures he has to find a new one. Could be!