Since Dante arrived here, my life at home has turned into almost
continuous slapstick, and the Big Dood and the Little Doofus have
become the feline equivalent of the Three Stooges.  Cats spring out of
boxes like Jack-in-the-boxes, bop each other, and go tearing up the
stairs.  Cats try all kinds of funny faces and menacing postures on
each other, until one gets fed up, and bops, and they go tearing all
over the house again.  And it's weird-- Stinky still clearly doesn't
care for Dante, but they are still almost always together.  That's why
it makes me think of these old-fashioned comedy teams that are clearly
based on antagonism, and nobody seems to say to themselves "Why are
these two people always together anyway?"  It's like "Well, we're the
cats."  They seem to understand that in a weird way.  When one of them
does something, they both have to be doing it.

So today, I found out an interesting new use for an umbrella. I had to
go out early, it was raining.  I came home, opened the umbrella to dry
near the door.

Now, I am used to Stinky going to sit under the open umbrella as soon
as it hits the floor.  Don't know why, but he loves to do that, just
like he likes to sit under the Xmas tree.  But today was a little
different.  Stinky had somehow tipped the umbrella over, so that it
was lying upside down on the floor, the handle sticking straight up in
the air.  And he was sitting *in* the bowl formed by the frame and
fabric part of the umbrella.  And soon, Dante joined them, and I've
got two cats sitting in the umbrella like it's one of the Disney World
teacups.  Oh, BTW, yes, they busted the umbrella. ;)

One of Dante's favorite toys is a plastic drinking straw-- the bendy
kind.  They are stashed all over the house, and you have to watch your
drink, because he snatches them.  And he likes to swagger around, or
run around, with one of them sticking out of his mouth.  Sometimes he
has it in the middle, sticking out both side of his mouth.  Most of
the time, he has it by the longer end, so that he looks like a little
feline philosopher smoking a pipe. ;)  But last night, he was carrying
a hot-pink straw around by the short end, with the long end sticking
straight up, looking as if he was breathing through a snorkel. ;)



Theresa
Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh
My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com

Make Levees, Not War