Andy two days before they turned 8.
The late Dougy two days before they turned 8.
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I saw a suggestion photo at the bottom of a post. It took me back four years ago, a year I had hospitalization for a ruptured pseudoaneurysm in my dialysis fistula and a hospital stay to create a new one on the opposite arm. For the fun of it, I scrolled through other posts around that time and came onto these two photos of the kitty brothers, Andy and Dougy.
Andy likes to be left alone here.
I see him there and I want to “luv” him!
Anywhere else he likes me to massage his shoulder muscles.
Ick! But not here!
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This is close-up of the cover of a folding mirror shown on “Antiques Road Trip”. The voice over called attention to the putto on the upper right of the cover, but the closed caption wrote it is a “pooto”. Sometime the closed captions are a hoot! For those who didn’t grow up as a naughty-mouthed little boy – I know most of you fit that category or you wouldn’t follow a kitty blog! – a “putto” is Italian for that cherubim in the upper right hand of the photo; a “pooto” (or “poot” more correctly) is a wee fart!
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Growing up in the 1950’s, my friend Terry and I were curious about what appeared to be the rim of a huge bathtub growing out of a neighbor’s vacant lot. My late mother, a life-long swimmer and Red Cross swimming instructor, once told us she swam in that pool as a young woman and that she suffered a bloody noggin driving into it and hitting the bottom. Other than that small detail, we never knew more about it until Terry found this information in an item in the newspaper.
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“The present pool” mentioned above was one now used as the Sallows Military Museum, which also includes the least cold tolerant species of the Sallows Conservatory & Arboretum, which is part of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum.
A replacement city pool now is the site of a tennis court north of the high school and a new pool across from Laing Park replaced that.
The bath house for Big Blue, the newest pool, is named for my mother, Jean R.A. McKenzie Thomas, in recognition of her 60 years of teaching area children and adults to swim. Actually, the only reason to give this little bit of local history in excruciating detail is to recognize that incredible accomplishment of my mother, of whom I am very proud, who spanned the complete history of swimming pools in Alliance.
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Watching “The Third Man” some time ago, another closed caption made me laugh! Here’s what I wrote in the review in this blog at the time:
Andy moved just in time for me to catch a caption error – or was it a caption writer’s joke or way of adding suspense for the caption reading audience?? – where German is translated into… German! Fortunately for me, with my considerably crappy 1st Year College German for help, “passiert” happens to be in the classic line in my Conversational German book’s second lesson: “Wenn es regnet, passiert des meistens”. (“When it rains the most happens.”) I get it. Hee! Hee! I get it!
“What?!”
Andy does a touchup on his face first….
“Just wait, Douglas! I had a treat and can’t play till I’m spic and span!”
“Scrunchy and mouthable. I like it!”
Andy enjoys Coban after Doug takes it off his arm.
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Andy caught his second miller yesterday. He patted it till it wobbled away. Andy let it take off to behind the recline, where he followed to continue his abuse of the poor insect. He doesn’t eat them, just beats them to a frazzle. Good kitty!
Andy just likes to be “kool”! He’s a cat after all.
Part of being “kool”…
…is ignoring…
…a challenge…
…NOT to be “kool”!
RAWR!
Oh well. He’s a cat after all!
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The television service at the hospital was messed up yesterday. Dialysis without the television is a challenge to one’s patience if one isn’t prepared with alternatives – a book, a smartphone with a good charge, being tired enough to nap for four long hours. I took the latter since I didn’t have any of the former.
It was a good practice for Sunday. The city is doing maintenance of some sort on the electrical grid and there won’t be any electricity citywide from 1 pm till 9 pm. It might be a good day to take a trip to Rushville to check out the Twisted Turtle, a pizza bar that gets good reviews from Alliance people who’ve been there.
Rushville is an hour away. Leave Alliance at 1 pm, arrive in Rushville in time for the pizza bar to open at 2 pm, order pizza and a drink, enjoy pizza, pay bill, leave Rushville for Alliance at…? After a pizza, arrive back in Alliance, take a long nap till the lights come back on.
It might work!
Well, you asked, Andy. It was a monthly AHS Class of 1966 luncheon. Lots of food and talk and fun!
I smelled doggy on you and you were late for kitty food time…
Three years ago yesterday, I got involved in something and missed “feed the kitties” time by a few minutes. (Andy, left; Dougy, right.) They became very, very, very, very, very, very. etc. anxious!
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Last night I picked Andy up in the front room by the kitty lounger under the stacked carriers and carried him into the guest bedroom to medicate him. I sat down on the sofa and placed Andy on his back. When I looked in the medicine pouch, I found the eye drops were missing! (On the floor by the glide rocker in the front room…? That’s where I keep the medicine pouch, next to my own medicine.)
I spoke in pirate a time or two, absent-mindedly running my fingers through Andy’s fur. I found a huge mat on his side. I took a little time to work that out of his fur, then struggled up to carry him and myself back into the front room to find the eye drops, which were indeed by the glide rocker.
Andy struggled a little – he knows I expect it! – then I put the lotion in his ear and the drops in his eyes. All in all, Andy still was a very good kitty! We got through the ordeal with one tiny scratch, something of a record for those times I get a little claw. Besides, for all the mishaps, things still worked out with less stress than the time before when Andy hid under the guest bed.
The kitty boys would have been three going on four years ago when this photo of Dougy on a cardboard disc was taken.
Wow! Seven years ago, Dougy hadn’t started destroying his ottoman yet.
Here’s Andy on the ottoman now. Dougy ruined the cover scratching on all corners to let Andy know it was Dougy Territory. It “says” Dougy so much that Andy won’t get on it unless the lapboard covers the surface. (Dougy would beat up his brother for trying to get on it!)
On January 30th, 2009, 11 AM, I began my early retirement from Parker Hannifin. I worked there, mostly in Quality Assurance, for just short of 36 years. Only one person had more seniority than I, and it was a running joke we had that I was going to work there till I’d worked one day longer than Mike. It didn’t happen, so I was never Nr. 1 in seniority.
Sadly, five of the people in this photo have passed. I was blessed to work with each and every one in the photo.
I think this must have been taken in the 10th anniversary year of the plant, 1982. Most of us in the photo retired from the plant, which went through major updates in products produced and equipment over the years and became a cash cow for various owners, the last of which, Parker Hannifin, was my favorite to work for.
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Retirement made possible getting my first kitty, Freckles.
Louie came shortly after.
And, of course, the kitty brothers, Andy and Dougy, followed Louie.
I’ve enjoyed my retirement!
This came up on Facebook. Andy (left) and Dougy were watching television, according to the caption. It was fun having both brothers, especially when they interacted with each other. We miss Dougy.
This photo of Andy watching television up close and Dougy watching from his ottoman came to the surface recently. Dougy liked “My Cat From Hell” and Andy has more eclectic tastes.
Of course, keeping up with the news is important, too!