Scratcher of heads, rubber of bellies
I was having some work done at the dentist today and as usual for longer sessions took some prescribed relaxing pills beforehand. I don’t know if it’s a sign of how tired I’ve been but I barely remember any of it and came home and slept deeply on the couch, with each of the cats joining me at times. This is Sam earlier in the month, he’s taken to sleeping atop the back but I always feel like I’ve deeply offended him when he retreats to the quietest corner.
A wide-eyed Samwise in the summer of 2009 does some squirrel watching from the top of the cat tree.
Perhaps wildlife watching would be more apt, it might have been a squirrel in the big trees out front that grabbed his attention rather than a bird. From the summer of 2009 in Portland, this was our first cat tree back before it got so much love it had to be retired.
I’ve been editing some old pictures to bring old blog posts back online and was surprised to find this picture of a young Samwise snuggling up on my legs, adopted a month prior, never made it online. He turns 13 this month, with Ellie gone all the pets he grew up with have died. He loved being the youngest so I feel for the tender-hearted little fellow. He’s not wanted Trixie to snuggle up with him lately but that may be more a displeasure with the summer heat, we’ll see in a bit when the worst of the heat breaks for the year.
Sam as a newly adopted kitten in 2008, after he and Emma were released from isolation and given free roam of the house.
I’ve been primarily a laptop user for many years now so only the details of my home office have changed, the computers getting upgraded every 3 to 5 years and notebooks being swapped out when they fill up. One of the changes I have loved is the arrival of smartphones for keeping GPS tracks of my hikes (and dog walks) that I can sync up with my pictures. I also loved the arrival of the iPad and bird books on it, as you can select your location and eliminate all the birds not likely to be seen in your area, especially useful when we moved to Arizona.
Sam is the object that has changed the least, a constant in my lap since he arrived late in 2007. Trixie arrived early in 2015, special props for stealing my seat as soon as I stood up and then curling up like she had been there for hours. At least now there aren’t as many protest squeaks when I take my seat back as there were in the early days.
As the seasons pass some animals change elevation seeking temperatures more to their liking, Samwise no exception. With the full heat of summer coming on our snuggler extraordinaire will often come in for some affection and then flee to the tops of the cat trees where he can stretch out and cool off a bit. Trixie feels no such migratory urges and the little furnace has been stretched out along my legs all morning as we watch Formula 1 practicing in Austria.
It may technically still be spring but it has long felt like summer to someone who didn’t grow up in the desert, including one sleepy orange tabby.
Samwise wants to know why mornings come so early. Me too Sammy! Seems unnecessary!
Boolie 