Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
A Harrowing Night in the Shed
This is Tiger and do I have a harrowing tale for you! It all started out innocently enough yesterday. Benji and I were sporting about in the garden, helping Bob and Sue with various tasks, digging, chasing, and advising on work to be done. Bob and Sue tired of the work before I did, while Benji went off to play in the woods. When raindrops started to fall I sought refuge in the shed as the door was open and welcoming.
I must have been really tired. I dozed off and on for what seemed like hours until I woke up, disoriented to a freezing, dark and dingy room. As my eyes adjusted I could make out the tools and rakes and gloves and chairs and remembered I had entered the shed earlier. I heard the owls hooting in the woods and the scuffling of the small night beasts and knew it must be after midnight. How I wished I was snuggled in grandma’s warm room having a midnight snack of kibble! But that once welcoming shed door was shut and I was trapped inside. I shuddered and pondered my fate.
Long ago fears rose up reminding me I’d been abandoned before. Old lives came back to haunt me bringing memories like arrows with them. Had Sue given me up? Humans were changeable after all. I tried hard not to panic and replaced my fears with all the good memories of Sue and Bob and Grandma (and even Benji.)
Then from a distance. It was Sue. She was calling, calling, calling. I cried back as loud as I could though it seemed in vain; she was so far away. I cried louder and her voice got louder in return and I knew she was approaching. In the yard. Near.
“I’m here!” I said. “In here! In the shed!”
And when she opened the door I’d never been so happy to see her.
“Oh Tiger!” she said with love and concern and (dare I say) remorse in her voice.
“Poor boy! What are you doing in there??” And I knew that she had been roused from her sleep to seek me out and they hadn’t really meant to trap me in there; she was a good human after all and really did love me. And so I followed her into the warmth of the house and accepted her apologies which were heartfelt and profuse.
It wasn’t easy. But I do feel stronger for having survived such a night. I shall have to tell Benji all about it. And it was great to see the humans come through. I always knew they would.
~ Tiger
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Cat on a Cold, Wood Roof!
First let me say I have had many cats throughout most of my adult life. Black ones. Brown ones. Gray ones. White ones. Long haired, short haired. Small and large. I saw them jump. Play. Chase. Hunt. Climb trees. All the things that cats do. But I never, ever, ever saw one of them on my roof.
Until today.
I had come home from church and was met by my mom who had a story to tell. She had heard a loud kerplunk on the roof and when she went to investigate guess what she saw. A bird? I said. A raccoon? I wondered. Guess again. Guess again.
I give, I give, I said. But I already knew.
It was a cat! That crazy boy, Benji to be more specific.
At first she thought she might try to help him down (she could almost reach him from the back porch she said) but had decided against it. (Thank you mom. I would have been more distressed to find you both stuck.)
She finally figured, well, he got up there somehow, he would have to find his own way down. And he did. And when he came in the house after his big adventure, she had a good talk with him and he promised never to do that again. Uh-huh. That’s what he said.
Except he did. In the next hour. I helped him down twice. That’s it, I said. No more!
I shall have to talk to your father when he gets home I said. Until then you are on restriction.
Now please do not think me a poor cat parent. This one has a wild streak and we are doing the best we can with him.
But honestly. Isn’t he cute when he’s asleep?
~ Susanne
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Gardening with Benji and Tiger
We finally have a few days with no rain in the forecast so it is time for some serious spring gardening. My goal today is to prepare the beds for planting and for this work I am joined by my faithful assistant Benji. We focus our attention on a vegetable bed which has been taken over by a massive tangle of unidentified roots.
When it’s time for a break Benji heads to the stream and I can’t help but notice what a handsome boy he is, a real tribute to the feline species! He seems to understand this and poses for me.
After the work is nearly done, Tiger joins us and finds the catmint beginning to sprout amid another tangle of weeds. I’ll save that for next time.
~ Susanne
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The Deal
The Deal – a true tale from long, long ago …….
By Susanne
When I was five I lost a tooth and my mom told me to put it under my pillow so the tooth fairy would leave me money. But the next day the tooth was still there.
“Oh!” she said. “He must have been too busy to get to you. Put it under your pillow tonight and he’ll come.”
But the next day it was still there. “That darn tooth fairy forgot me again!” I told her.
“Just forget him!” she said. “From now on you bring your teeth to me and I’ll take care of it.”
And so she did.
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Word of the Day – Synchronized
Synchronized Cats.
– Tiger and Benji
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Sweet Dreams from the Printer
All the smart kitties know …
the best place to catch a catnap is on the printer….
take it from one who went before…
~ Susanne
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Saturday morning with Sue
This is Tiger and today is a good day because I got to have time alone in the office with Sue, which is increasingly hard to do in this two cat household.
While it’s true Benji and I have come to agreement on some territory (he gets the bedroom, I get the room with grandma) the last undeclared outpost is Sue’s office, which is the best room in the house. Why?
Well, it has the latest in cat equipment for one.
The best views.
Great sleeping accommodations.
But most importantly, it has Sue, for this is where you will find her most of the time drinking coffee, working on our blog, and producing a lap for us to enjoy.
Who could ask for more?
And so I remain,
~ the contented Tiger
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Kittie Photo Shoot in the Garden
“Okay boys,” I said. “Spring is here and it’s a sunny day. I’d like to get a few shots of you two in the garden, okay?”
“Fine by me,” says Tiger. “How about this?”
“Perfect,” I say.
“Alright with me'” says Benji. “How’s this?”
“Love it Benji. Thanks.”
“Now, how about one of you two together?”
“Sure,” they say, “how about this?”
“It’ll have to do,” I say.
~ Susanne, Tiger and Benji
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In my dreams I soar!
This is Benji and I am not what you call a big cat. From the beginning they called me the runt of the litter. (No thank you for that.) Sue even still doubts my birthday. Much too small to be that old she said to the vet who readily agreed.
But when I am asleep I show them all wrong. In my dreams I soar!
Benji
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A Northwest Winter Sunset
I caught the sun setting on what has been a very long winter in the Pacific Northwest.
Eagerly awaiting spring to come.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 