Cat's Cradle

Pica’s sister once gave us a woven wood basket that we use for recycling newspapers. But Charlie loves to hop in it when we empty the newspapers!

Solar Power For Cats

We made aduki beans and barley in the solar cooker today for dinner. Before setting the cooker up outside, Diego and Charlie made sure to inspect the equipment.

Blackmailed

At work a project from several years ago came back to haunt us, and I was pressed into the fray to redo some of the analyses that a couple of my colleagues had done. Tomorrow this reanalysis is getting presented at a local planning meeting, and as usual this afternoon there was a flurry of getting materials ready. At about 5:45 PM one of my bosses comes in with a message from the ecology professor in my department who is leading the presentation to give me a whole new project. “Tell him that if he doesn’t make this new map I’ll send email to the entire ecology graduate group announcing that he’s read a book on feng shui for cats.” I stayed late and did the map.

New Kitty Mueble

Last weekend we bought our kitties a new piece of cat furniture, a three-story setup handmade by somebody in the eastern Sacramento area. We’ve placed it in our bedroom, and it’s high enough so they have a good view out the back window. They’ve taken to it quite well.

Diego today was pleased that his team beat the Ivory Coast 2-1 in World Cup action.

Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Cat

Last month when I did my illustration of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Diego decided to try his paw at monoprinting.

Scalawaggus

Here’s our nitwit of a tree climber, looking very carefree.

Happily last night, our landlord’s son Johnny came by at the right moment. He’s a strapping lad in his mid-thirties who’s a beekeeper by profession. He went up the stepladder to reach the first major fork in the tree, and then climbed up the branch a few more feet to reach and rescue Charlie. In appreciation we made Johnny a standing offer of a beer, but he was headed out in his truck to do something with his bees.

Dimwitted Cat

To speed vertically upwards about 20 feet. Then not be able to get down.

Mewing piteously while two stupid humans try to rassle with ladders, tuna flakes, and telephone calls.

Nitwit.

Oscars With Kitten

Sunday, before Pica hopped on the redeye flight to New York, we went over to Susan’s to watch the Oscars. I’m not a big fan of the Oscars but I tagged along since a) Jon Stewart was hosting and b) Susan has a sweet several-month old kitten named McCovey. McCovey was very mellow this evening and spent much of the time dozing on Pica’s lap, as in the sketch here.

Morning Stroll

A little frost today does not deter our kitties as they saunter out onto the field.

Ambitions

One of our cats, Diego, walked across the keyboard the other day and spelled out the word “tyyyyyyygrttttttt”. But hey, dogs, or at least Welsh corgis, can do calculus.