Category: Pets

Sam’s Log, Stardate 70756.6

Our cats Sam and Trixie sleep face-to-face

12:12pm: Curled up on dad’s legs. Purred so loudly he couldn’t hear his show. Then he reached out and scratched my head! Doesn’t he know that will make me purr louder? Now he’s rubbing my footpads and I’m getting sleepy. Really sleepy. Reaaaaallllly sleepy.

2:37pm: Red alert! Red alert! Trixie has entered the room! Dad tells me to relax.

2:38pm: Intruder! Intruder! She’s curled up on dad’s lap, just inches away from me! I voiced my displeasure but to no effect! Dad tells me to relax, she’s not bothering me. But we both know what is about to happen. “Maybe she won’t,” he says, but I know he doesn’t believe it anymore than I do.

2:41pm: See! She pretended she needed to stretch and then resettled just a little bit closer, now her legs are resting on mine! Dad tells me to relax, scratches my head. Don’t distract me now, I know what comes!

2:43pm: Her feet are now on my belly! Dad tells me to relax, says she adores me like I did Scout. Not the same! He lets me lick his hand, that always makes me feel better. Why does that make me feel better? His hands are filthy.

2:45pm: Oh! Oh! Her whole head is on my feet now! Only one stage left! We know it’s coming, it always does! Still he says relax, gently massages my head. I do like that, it feels so nice when … but I will not be distracted!

2:46pm: Face-to-face! As if there was ever a doubt! Dad tells me to relax. He doesn’t know what it’s like having someone constantly snuggle all over him, and I told him so! He says “No I wouldn’t know anything about that …”, but he says it in that voice he uses when he’s trying to teach a lesson, but I think Trixie is already asleep so she didn’t even hear him! I am so upset I might not be able to sleep! I might not! I do like the way he’s rubbing my ears though. Am I purring? Stop purring! Stop purring!

(There are no more entries in Sam’s journal)

The Orange Tabby

A close-up of our cat Sam, an orange tabby

Sam appears more orange than usual courtesy of the room lights that are near him contrasting the cooler outside light hitting the blue walls behind him.

Chaos at the Edge of Change

Our cat Boo sits among cameras and lenses

Back in March, shortly after the new Sony camera arrived, I looked up to see Boo standing amidst cameras and lenses stacked on my desk, some rather close to the edge. On the left was an old, well-used and well-loved Canon lens (the original 24-105mm) that I was trading in as part of a special to get the lens on the right, the Sony Zeiss 55mm 1.8 prime. Back behind him was the Canon mirrorless camera that was also being replaced with the Sony. I didn’t open the new lens until I was sure the old one had been received and evaluated, but I drew my breath in at the thought if Trixie jumped up and startled him the new lens might go tumbling before ever being used. Rather than risk startling him myself I did the next logical thing, took his picture with the new camera, and he soon hopped down without incident and I moved the lenses back from the edge.

Not Just for Guests

Our cat Trixie sleeps on the bed in the guest bedroom

Trixie takes a nap on a summer afternoon in the guest bedroom. Yesterday and today I’ve spent in our bedroom across the hall as it’s been hot and didn’t cool down much overnight, and we have a portable air conditioner in this room. Trixie took a nap on my lap for a few hours around noon so I took a nap too to avoid disturbing her. By mid-afternoon there was a shift change and Sam replaced her, he’s curled up on me at the moment.

I Don’t Put My Cats Up On a Pedestal …

Our cat Boo sits on a stool

… but I might put them on a stool. This picture of Boo is from March, I had just received my Sony A6500 camera and wanted to give it a quick test. Having only shot with Canon for a couple of decades I didn’t know how to do much other than press the shutter, but I put Boo and Sam up on the stool for some quick test shots. I tried Trixie too but she was not so willing to pose. Taken with the Sony Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 lens, which I thought would be a favorite, and it is. Lighting is a mix of late afternoon light coming from the big picture window behind me and room lighting from the room to my left.

Snow at a Distance

Our cat Boo sits in a picture window as a heavy snow falls outside

Boo and I have to enjoy this snow at a distance. Though inches apart Boo was separated from the snow by many degrees as he enjoyed the start of a rare heavy snowstorm from the warmth of one of our picture windows. For me I went out into the snow the next morning when Ellie and I took our walk, but am now separated by time. I can but look back and try to remember the cold and the quiet as we are in the midst of a long dry and hot spell in summer, surely as close to the sun as Boo was to the snow, the snowy night but a distant memory.