Scratcher of heads, rubber of bellies
Templeton in 2006 exploring the backyard. I used to give the cats supervised time in the fenced backyard but don’t do it anymore, it was easier then with just the two of them and the yard more closed off. Everything in this picture has changed. Templeton died a year later. I dug up the mint and raspberries years later (but they keep coming back). There’s a wildflower garden there now.
What I wouldn’t give to be able to spend just a few minutes again with these two.
All three of our current cats are spot stealers but nobody can hold a candle to Templeton, master of the art. On this night he was recuperating from surgery so I was in the guest room with him and when I stepped out for a moment, not long enough to bother putting his cone back on, I came back to find him sitting at my laptop.
I don’t think I’ve put this picture online before, the handsome Templeton enjoying some supervised time in our backyard in 2006. He died late in 2007 but I don’t know if a day has gone by since that I haven’t thought about him, a little charmer was our gray tuxedo.
Of the six cats we’ve had, none seemed so peaceful as they slept as our gray tuxedo, Templeton. Whether curled up or sprawled out, asleep or just waking up, he seemed at one with the world.
I tried to get Templeton to come to bed but he kept muttering about needing to finish his TPS reports. Picture is from 2006 as Templeton recovered from surgery and took my spot when I got up.
A picture of Templeton in our backyard from the summer of 2006, edited two different ways. Color corrected up top, natural color below to show the diffuse purplish light at sunset. The purple version is a more natural representation of the light (I was struck by the light at the time) but most days I prefer the color-corrected version where Templeton looks more natural. Either way I love looking at my old pictures of him, I fell in love with cats because of this charming little fellow.
I was standing on our front steps watching a squirrel move through a snowy tree when I turned around and was transported back 16 years. Up top is Boo watching me from our front door, below is Templeton watching me from the back door in 2001.
As the weather has gotten colder, Trixie has discovered the joys of this spot beneath the big picture window. Underneath the wooden grate is a heating vent, blowing warm air onto your belly as you sleep. When we moved to this house in 2002, our two cats were Templeton and Scout. Scout (the black-and-white cat) was the first to discover the vent, but Templeton (the gray tuxedo cat) soon discovered Scout’s secret and began sleeping here as well.
I’ve photographed most of the cats on this vent over the years, although it didn’t get as much use once we bought them heated beds. For some reason they haven’t used the beds as much since Scout died a few years ago (she adored hers and insisted it be kept beside me in my office), although they do sleep in Ellie’s beds quite frequently.
Templeton does a little bird watching from one of the rear windows in our old house. That house was much more modern than our current house, one of the things I miss is the many windows and the great views into the backyard. And the air conditioning. And the two-car garage. While we had nice neighbors on either side, in general I much prefer our current neighborhood, and I certainly don’t miss the commute.
Boolie 