StrangeRanger

Feeling Blue

This funny ol' world is getting me down.

Here's one of my favorite pics of all time.  I'm sure it'll cheer me up.

Dear Little Ivy, on the verge of a daring bowl-raid!  She was a good cat.

Have a safe and excellent week ahead all!

Cats in Windows

In my youth I had a great deal of fun with certain sports.  I enjoyed soccer and swimming. Never played on a team in high school because I simply wasn't good enough to make any team, but I played some team soccer.  I actually made my college team and started just enough games to qualify for a Varsity Letter my freshman year.  I must admit that it was because my coach was an old-school former marine who believed that if you didn't show up for practice, you didn't start the game.  Now, none of the European, South American or African gentlemen who had been playing since they were able to walk needed to practice.  They almost never showed up.  I did need to practice.  A lot.  I showed up and was allowed to start the games.  I was subbed out really fast most games.  I had fun with it, though.  Then I found Fencing.

My coach was  a former 3-time Olympic fencer and one of the founding forces in my life.  I fenced Sabre for 4 years at college, and then sabre and foil for several more years with a local club after that.  I actually won a small tournament in Chapel Hill one year.  Beat a friend that I'd never beaten before.  Never beat him after that, either, but it was a good day to be me.

I did some rock climbing.  Nothing hard or massively dangerous.  I went to Seneca Rocks, West Virginia, which is beautiful and imposing as hell.  I lead Entrance Crack at Stone Mtn North Carolina, which is terrifying.  Technically simple, but terrifying.

After that, I was a casual jogger.  Slow.  Slow slow slow.  I did a few 5k runs.  I did one half marathon, which was one of the most physically demanding things I have ever done.  I started road cycling.  Rode a couple of 62 mile rides, which were tough.

I did some triathlons.  Always got the white ribbon for participation, never a colored ribbon for going fast.  Had a lot of fun, too.  

I was never a really shiny athlete.  I think I'd sit at the bottom of the 40th percentile in most of my activities, but gosh I had fun.

I allowed myself to hit a several years long bad patch and, along with getting older I got fat.  I don't run at this point, though I'm hoping to get back to it as a fitness activity.  What I do now is walk.  I am the older dude with the Covid ponytail who walks through your neighborhood several days a week.  It's been good for me.  One of the reason I enjoy my walks is that I get to see things I'd not notice running, cycling or driving by.

I see cats in windows.  Big fan of cats in windows.  I take pics of cats in windows. 

I'm pretty sure I am going to get arrested some day.  But it's just cats.  I promise.

I'm hoping the pics come through the phone/computer interface in something like a viewable format, neither squished or stretched.  Entirely my fault if they are unrecognizable.  Don't blame the cats...

Here's this guy, a mile from my house.

The little sign above the mailbox reads "Beware of dog.  The cat is shady too."  How could anyone so cute be shady?

Here are a couple of little guys just having a relaxing day watching the humans go by.

 

I'm going to have to get a more up-to-date phone if I'm going to accurately capture the wealth of cats on my walking routes.

Anyways, I'll keep this up until the nice officers tell me to stop.

I hope you all have a great week ahead!  Stay safe!

I Once...

...read a comment on the internet on the subject of cats.  The individual (who may not have known much about cats) said "You know why cats act so pissy at times?  It's because they're nature's perfect predator but they only weigh 10 pounds and we pick them up and kiss them."  I'm not sure how pissy any of my cats have acted, but I have, in point of fact, picked them up and kissed them.  As for being the perfect predator?  We didn't know Ivy in her prime.  She might have been a terror.  She certainly earned Maddie's cautious respect.  Maddie? Well, she was a bit of a princess.  I'm not sure she'd have know what to do with a prey animal if she'd ever caught one.

Daisy?  Different story.  Bats, mice, small 4-wheel drive vehicles.... they've all fallen beneath her mighty paws!  Her constant nemesis and favorite prey, the paper towel roll?  I'll say only that she continues to to virtuously and bravely defend us against the menace!

die.  Die!  DIE!!!

This is what happens when I leave a roll unguarded whilst cleaning the kitchen....

I think I got it!  This will NEVER threaten another counter-top again!!

Note the tail raised high in victory.

WAIT!  Some  of it escaped into the air duct!  It's gonna be like alligators in the sewers if I don't take care of this now.... lift up this cover and I'll be back in a mo.....

She really was ready to do the Tom-Cruise-in-the-vent Mission Impossible thing.....

Daisy is a predator.  She may weigh only 10 pounds and I do pick her up and smooch her on what must be a disturbingly frequent basis.  But Daisy?  I get the feeling that she doesn't consider herself a lightweight.  No-sirree-bob!  This cat considers herself ten tons of teeth.  Many's the time I think she's considered trying to bring me down.

mmmm...gnaaarrrr.......rrrrrwwwwooowwwlllll.....

She's gnawing on my wrist like I'm a birch tree and she's a beaver with a schedule to meet......  There are teeth and claws being used here!

Tasty enough, but maybe that's just because he's always opening my dinner cans....hmmmm...  I may have to investigate this.... I suppose he lives for another day.

She is a benevolent little tyrant.

Have a great week ahead, all!