got 'nip?

Dexter lives two doors down from me. Originally he lived diagonally across the yard, but his people moved and he was adopted by my cat-friendly neighbors who are always a soft touch for those left behind. The benefit to me, of course, is that I often end up with extra cat friends who come calling.

Dexter, however, is in a class by himself. His very friendly, outgoing personality does not admit a shadow of a doubt that the world will love him. As he is a very large, handsome gray and white cat with a sort of bumbling and insistent charm, most of the world seems to agree with him, myself included.

My first introduction to Dexter was as I was digging a hole to plant a newly acquired addition to the garden. Suddenly there was this strange cat right next to me peering into the hole with intense concentration, almost as though he was an inspector for Better Homes and Gardens. So intense was his interest that I had to elbow him back from the hole as I dug because I was concerned that I was going to accidentally stab him with the Japanese digging knife I was using!

From that point on Dexter made regular visits to see what I was up to, and discovered in short order that I had a secret stash of catnip in my garage. I have a student who is a gardening wonder, and who brings me fresh stems of catnip in season. I take these fragrant offerings, hang them to dry, and then store them in the garage where my cats can’t get to them. This way I can dole the catnip out in measured doses rather than having an entire household turn into feline junkies on a bender for days.

I left the garage door open one day, and Dexter wandered in and discovered the stash. He ripped the bag down and proceeded to have a glorious time. The next time I saw him the garage door was again closed, but Dexter was having none of it. Meowing loudly and longingly, he proceeded to tell me just how miserable his lot in life was without that luscious scent that rolled up warm radiators, sunshine, cushiony beds, and sardines on toast into one whisker-twitching burst of glorious nirvana. Listening to him made me yearn momentarily for my long-gone stupefied early college years! So, I caved and gave him a hit of my super cat stash, and that was my undoing. Now every time Dexter sees me outside he wants what he knows I’ve got. I am now his favorite dealer of choice!

P.S. Dexter knew I was taking these photos. Rather than being ashamed of his addiction he obviously decided that any fame is better than no fame at all. So, here he is, looking rather like a furry version of Carmen Miranda with a catnip stem, rather than a rose, clamped in his teeth!

Tikki, Photographer's Model

I have many cat friends throughout the neighborhood, Gracie, who I have blogged about before, is one of them. Another is Tikki, the calico cat who lives next door.

I first met Tikki before I met the new human neighbors that she shares a household with. She strolled into my cellar while I was doing laundry, introduced herself, and, for the first of many occasions to follow, appointed herself my companion and project overseer. As long as my cat, Kiya is not outside with me Tikki will be by my side, being companionable and offering comments from time to time. If Kiya is out, Tikki sees how far she can push her luck, testing Kiya’s jealousy meter to see how close she is allowed to hang with me that day.

This week I needed to get some shots of some new pendulums I had gotten in for sale and that I wanted to offer on the internet. I did not have the proper lighting for an indoor shoot so I thought I would experiment with setting up in the natural light at sunset outside in my front yard.

I used a black wool cloak from Peru as a background, and made certain to clean it carefully of animal fur (living in a multiple cat/dog household always offers these challenges). I draped the cloak carefully over my Adirondack chair and then created an ingenious way of suspending the pendulums against the background. With all in place I got my camera and began taking a few shots. I did not get very far before Tikki showed up and, sizing up the situation, she determined that there was definitely something missing from the composition…her!

Despite my verbal protests, which of course included pleas to not get cat hair on the cloak, she climbed up on the chair, turned to face the camera, struck a pose and stretched both front paws out with an expression of great satisfaction. And note, she was very careful to not even brush her very fluffy tail on the cloak and pendulum display. I could not resist such thoughtfulness, forcefulness and charm, I took many photos of her, one of which appears here. I regret to say that the product shoot was not a success, but thanks to Tikki’s wisdom I did at least get a great picture of her and a wonderful memory (and she now has her own greeting card, note cards, and journal too).

Gourmet Recycling

Like many people I lead a busy life. As an entrepreneur I wear many hats in my business and practice, and in my personal life I am sole caregiver for several cats and one dog. Sometimes this means easy-to-fix meals for myself consumed while working at the computer. And at the end of the week it can also mean overlooked leftovers and food items that are not spoiled, but that are not fresh as I would like them to be.

Rather than toss the food in the garbage, or the yard waste recycling bin, if it's not spoiled I'll offer it to the local wildlife first and see what happens.

This has resulted in some very interesting and unusual discoveries. It is very clear that crows have taste buds and preferences for certain foods. For example, if you place out a variety of disparate items such as fruit, garlic mashed potatoes, cream cheese, and gourmet cheese, most crows will go for the garlic mashed potatoes first, followed by the cheeses, leaving the fruit. Who knew that crows liked dairy products? And it is a very funny sight to see a crow with cream cheese squeezing out either side of his face trying to grab just a little more before flying off!

Another day's offering included cheez-it type crackers, BBQ potato chips, and cheese puffs. That day afforded me a bird ballet, as the crows would fly off with a tidbit (BBQ chips first, then cheez-its, and finally the puffs) and then a wave of starlings would sweep in followed by a phalanx of sparrows. As the crows returned the smaller birds would retreat. It looked like a beautiful and carefully choreographed display, and the ground was clear of food in no time.

Today's offering was cherries and cream cheese. I was alerted by crow alarm calls to the presence of a different form of wildlife in the courtyard, one of the local cats was sampling the cream cheese! I laughed as I took her picture because you can see the footprints of a former cat resident in the cement next to her.

A while later one of the three triplet squirrels born in my attic this past spring found himself a treasure trove of cherries. Daintily consuming the first cherry, after finishing he neatly buried the pit in one of the cracks in the cement. Hopefully we will not have a tree growing there next spring!

Gracie by Morning Light

As outgoing as Gracie is, being the official greeter of our block, still she is shy of paparazzi. Rhonda, one of my Reiki Master students, has been armed with camera for the last several weeks. Every time she has come by for class she has kept an eye out for a Gracie sighting, with hopes of being granted a photo op. So far Rhonda has landed only one opportunity, and of course on that momentous occasion she had been late for an appointment and could not dally for more than a couple of shots.

And, of course, Gracie is not an easy subject because she is so friendly (see Gracie the Cat Star). As seen in the photo that accompanies that blog, the best shot that Rhonda was able to capture was at very close range with Gracie sitting on her knee. (Check out Rhonda's other photos.)

Many students and clients have quizzed me on whether they have had a Gracie sighting, offering descriptions of every other cat on the street (and there are quite a few). It was really driven home to me this past weekend while teaching Reiki Level I class just how much of a celebrity Gracie has become. While the students were practicing offering Reiki through chair sessions someone spotted Gracie across the street. There was a sudden rush of excitement that went through the class and I noticed that the students that were receiving Reiki had to quell an impulse to stand up and try to see her!

Yesterday morning as I greeted the day and looked out my windows across the street, I saw Gracie enjoying a morning sunbath before beginning her busy day of greetings and rounds. In the spirit of a true paparazzi I grabbed my camera, ignoring the exclamations of disappointment from my animals who were expecting their breakfasts, and headed out the door in my pajamas.

Despite the fact that she had not yet completed her morning toilette, sans briskly groomed fur or breakfast, Gracie graciously consented to a star turn in front of the camera. Several shots were taken in the doorway, with Gracie even turning her head to present a perfect profile. Next she posed surveying her domain, and then obliged me with her signature walk, always used when hurrying to greet her next new friend. I thanked her profusely for taking the time to work with me, she curled up against my side for a moment of affection, and then strolled off to begin her day.

And so, you see it here first, folks, a star is born! And since every star has her fan memorabilia, Gracie now has her own greeting card, journal, note cards, and pin-up poster!