Ten Cats by Graham Harrop for August 23, 2022

What is almost as rare as Woof’s voice? Annie’s Grandma and Grandpa making an appearance.

Did she eat the sardines or save them for the cats?

Annie is right that you can never spend too much time with cats. But it might not be a bad idea to spend a little more time with Grandma and Grandpa too. They won’t be around forever.

Today is:

NATIONAL SPONGE CAKE DAY

NATIONAL CUBAN SANDWICH DAY

NATIONAL RIDE THE WIND DAY. National Ride the Wind Day commemorates the anniversary of the first human-powered flight to win the Kremer prize. On August 23rd of 1977, the Gossamer Condor flew the first figure-eight course specified by the Royal Aeronautical Society at Minter Field in Shafter, California. Slowly cruising at only 11 mph, it traveled a distance of 2,172 meters. The Gossamer Condor was built by Dr. Paul B MacCready. Amateur cyclist and hang-glider pilot Bryan Allen piloted the aircraft.

I forgot to mention yesterday that it was “FREE ANNIE DAY”

Yesterday, I took Annie back to the vet for her booster vaccinations. That was the reason I’ve left her in the dog crate for 3 weeks. I knew that otherwise, I would not have been able to catch her to get her back to the vet. The vet visit went okay. We had to take the top off the carrier to get to her. She was NOT going to let us pull her out through the door! So, the vet got a towel which he had doused with Feliaway to try to calm her (I don’t think it helped) and he donned some heavy gloves to pick her up. He didn’t try to take her temperature or examine her incision from her spay, but he did listen to her heart and lungs and everything was good there. Between him and the vet tech, they were able to give her the feline viruses and the feline leukemia boosters and they got some Revolution on her for the fleas. She hissed and spat at the vet, but didn’t fight the shots or the flea treatment. Then he put her back in the bottom of the carrier and we put the top back on.

When we got home, I put Annie and the carrier back in the crate and I gave her some time to calm down before I opened the door to the crate. She stayed in the carrier in the crate for quite a while. I don’t know how long it was because I didn’t see her come out. Maybe she came out when I dozed off watching TV. I just noticed at around 11:30 that she was no longer in the crate. I found her in a kitchen window. When she saw that I found her hiding place, she hid behind some stuff I have on the kitchen counter. I’ve been very carefully pretending I don’t see her in those places where she’s hiding. At least, she’s hiding somewhat in the open, not under the couch or anything like that. And she’s been able to see her kittens as they run and play in the kitchen. I worried there could be fights with other cats, but so far, so good. She may not tame anytime soon, but I don’t feel it’s likely that I’ll have to turn her loose outside. Progress made!

I apparently had a package swoped from my front door area. I hope they like size 12 petite sweat pants. Sigh.

Or they got delivered to the wrong house. Get a doorbell camera – that way you can see if anyone actually leaves a package.

Sardines on corn flakes? I think not.

Love seeing Annie’s grandmother! Yesterday I got out early enough to start hiking in the dark with a good headlamp on a trail I know well in Mammoth, and really enjoyed the darkness for nearly half an hour. My intention was a 6 mile round trip to a lake at the base of a pass I hoped to do in the fall, but I passed the lake just to see what the trail was like and ended up going to the pass for a total of 1700 feet elevation change, my steepest yet! As passes in the eastern Sierra go, it’s one of the easier ones, with gradual long swithbacks and the view of huge Duck Lake below was mesmerizing. Plus I was in the shade going up the entire time or I couldn’t have done it. And I had complete solitude with no one on the trail for nearly 4 hours! 9 1/2 miles round trip, I was in bed by 7:30 last night.

My husband occasionally eats sardines ~~ stinks up the whole house!

Oh did I have some dream last night! I dreamed that I was out by my garage when I saw a stray kitty out there. Then another stray kitty. Both young adults and at least one was a tortoise shell. So I thought oh no, did someone drop off a mama cat and kittens again? Then I saw a kitten. Then another kitten. I picked them up. Then there was a gray kitten who looked sick with goopy eyes. I picked that one up. Then there were 2 more kittens and I picked them up. I wish Annie’s kittens had been that easy to grab! So now I had my arms full of 5 little kittens (just young ones, maybe 5-6 weeks old). I took them in the house and dumped them in the kitchen to play with the other kittens. But before I could go back out to collect the adult cats, I woke up. The cats & kittens were awfully cute, but I sure am glad it was just a dream!

I LOLd, GH!

I agree with Annie. “Too much time with cats”? I would say “never enough time,” especially thinking of some of my dear departed.

Once a month I have tinned fish on my oatmeal (instead of hot dogs during grilling season, lunch meat and cheese elsewhen), and like as not it’s sardines.

Great pictures today. :)

Sardines on cornflakes doesn’t sound very good, but to each their own. There is no such thing as spending too much time with cats. On another note, saw four chickadees, a robin, a rabbit, a squirrel, and a dragonfly while out walking today.

Amazon trucks for adults are the equivalent of ice cream trucks for kids!