Clearly Foggy

I'm in a clearly foggy state today
Wondering what I'm going to say
Ajax prowls, eager to play
JJ just wants the humans to stay

But for Ajax there can be no game
For JJ's wish just more of the same
The humans find home far too tame
So out they go and who's to blame?

This weekend
Is supposed to be
A time of remembrance,
That's the key
The living should pause
For those who died to be free

But all I hear
On the news right now
Is daily complaining
About gas prices and how
If only this or that or another
Then people would be nicer to each other

Too seldom these days do I hear a tale
Of someone's selfless deed helping others
Too rarely are the deaths reported on the air
About anyone laying down their life for their brothers
As though the heroes whose blood fed this land
Have all died out or worse
Been stifled or culled or even been banned
Leaving behind only a curse

I must be mistaken
Don't listen to me
My furry brain
Is all asea

Lost Field

There used to be a large wild field by the Bay
Filled with tangled grasses and weeds
Where feral rabbits and squirrels roamed free
And humans supplied their snacking needs

But like so many other long lost fields
Large smelly machines have overrun it
Now there's a long high chain-linked fence
Defining spaces where buildings might fit

The rabbits are gone, and the squirrels too
There's nothing left but flat rolled dirt
And evidence of roadkill in the street
Mute testament that some were worse than hurt

Buildings bring business and boost the economy
So it has been said
Money is good for the humans in the community
The old ways of life are dead

D & D

Delta and Dawn? Seriously? Pardon my prose, but -

Yep, that's what the mother and calf have been named, according to media reports. I am, of course, referring to the whales that are swimming in the Sacramento River, which has a lovely manmade levee. I guess the whales are fortunate neither picked up that name...

Does anyone besides me wonder why they linger near this particular bridge instead of moving on? Have I watched too much Star Trek? Can't help thinking they're trying to respond to a rendezvous all-call...

Okay, outta here and back to my own universe...

Weathering the Weather

Yesterday was very hot
Everyone just slept a lot

Just as well
Since the door was shut
Air was still
JJ had a tender gut

Smoke outside
Nearly gagged me too
PU was busy
Making such a hullabaloo
Cutting up herbs
And messing with the smoker flue


From sunup to sundown
Everything seemed way too bright
Cats aren't meant
To endure so much light
Neither are my ears
Made for such a loud din
Nearly brought me to tears
Listening to Sanjaya so thin

Finally the firelight
Ceased its oil-fueled flareups
Though the air remained smokey
Giving somebody serious hiccups
Odors of burnt flesh
Mixed scents of chicken and pork
Crisped veggies too
All ready for that poised fork
Closed out the day
At the start of the night
Ended activity
Restoring cool right

Summertime Tsunami Season

The moon is refilling
I saw its sliver tonight
The breeze is chilling
Despite today's sunshine delight
Eggs have hatched
Nests are emptied
The wasp hive is patched
Life is picking up speed
Kitty Eater was out again today
Chasing the Gurlz across the house
I just hung out in the wide clear bay
While JJ pretended to be chasing a mouse
But the wind's picking up
That's clear as can be
Tsunami season is upon us
Who live adjacent to the sea

A Different Kind of Whale Watching

Whale watching has taken on a decidedly different turn
As Bay Area residents tune in daily to learn
Whether or not a wayward whale and her young calf
Are still alive; yes, they've cut the distance by half
On their precarious return journey to the Pacific Ocean
From a trip up the Sacramento River that hasn't been fun
Yesterday they finally managed to do an about-face
Folks thought it had become a much simpler race
To return from so far inland back to the sea
Everyone watching keeps hoping that it's meant to be
Though today the whales turned back upstream again
As though they are determined to reach some distant inland fen
Perhaps these mammals have been contacted from outer space
And now seek to reach an unsuspected rendezvous place
But human scientists who think they know better than the whales
Insist on tagging and biopsying and badgering when all else fails
The din they've raised trying to herd this mother and child
Has to be distressing to all others trying to live in peace in the wild
Then again, perhaps the whales don't want to be left alone
Up the river without even a . . . cell phone . . .

Trash Talk

Found this tidbit floating around on a PETA-friendly website:

Some things dogs have eaten

In order to warn pet owners of the dangers lurking right under their noses in their house and yard an animal care facility in Raleigh, NC, put on display a “Museum of Foreign Body Ingestion.”

Here are some of the items on display there that dogs have eaten: laundry, cell phones, toys, many food related items such as wooden meat skewers and corn cobs, nails, coins, purses.

Most items had to be surgically removed by a veterinarian. Severe and continuous vomiting is the most common sign that something bad has been ingested. As always, prevention is the best cure.


Now, I've seen the Little Gurlz sampling odd things
Like shoes and towels and soda can rings

But they've never been foolish enough to swallow
Knowing instinctively what surely must follow

JJ, of course, is clearly part dog
When he was younger he was such a hog

But even he has never been so foolhardy
As to ingest a cell phone because he'd been tardy

To a popular meal that might have been gobbled up
Leaving him nothing but crunchies on which to sup


Face it: dogs are just poor overgrown creatures
With neither brains nor any attractive features

Sleep

Don't care what's happening in the world today
Just want to sleep my cares away

The morning was cold but now it's warm
Stay inside away from the insect swarm

Summer's coming and with it lots of smoke
Enough to make this feline choke

So keep those doors and windows closed
And when you're done, make sure the embers get hosed

The music's been way too loud all day
Please, please make it go away

Immigrants can come or go as they please
Just let me catch a few more zzzzz's

No one can possibly be pleased by any political resolution
Only the economy can provide a definitive solution

Quit the gouging and put more people to work
Don't let shirkers hang around and lurk

People want to be able to afford food and clothes
And shiny things they can hang on their appendages and nose

Whatever their neighbors have is fine
As long as it's not mine

Time for another nap now
So hush, and don't have a cow

A Louse in the House

While I wonder I wander
About my house
Seeking respite
From that confounded louse

I'm not naming names
Or making any accusations
But it's attitude that frames
Acts that yield sensations

Obscurity is only in the eye
Of the obtuse
Smokescreens cannot belie
Clear truths

If there are truly lice in this domain
From the outdoors one should refrain

Feline Doggerel

If only we'd stop trying to be happy we could have a pretty good time.
- Edith Wharton

Did I say it was hot?
The last two days have been so cold
My stomach's tied itself in a knot
Though bread is growing very green mold
A day of sleeping in
Was followed by a day locked inside
No new toys in the bin
The Little Gurlz nearly cried
When there was finally a chance to play
PU was nowhere to be found
Ajax nearly got carried away
I saw her paws dangling far from the ground
Smoke from the neighbor's yard
Proved to be barbecue
Though it made the Lady run so hard
I almost ran too
Finally the garage door
Opened invitingly
But cold was the floor
Frosting paws bitingly
So here I sit
Pondering verses
Can't have a fit
So I'll settle for curses

Clear Through the Fog

Grey skies
Foggy day
Cooling temps
Here by the Bay

Locked up
All day
Till garage door opened
Then time to play

Jerry Falwell
Fell asleep
Won't wake up
Don't weep

Plenty of others
Ready to preach
To rake in the dough
From all they can reach

Church and state
Should stay separate
Or mixed motives
Always lead to regret

I may dwell
In a clearly foggy place
But my thoughts remain clear
Of doubt there's no trace

Din in My Ears

Some call it music
I call it noise
People howling
Rattling my toys

Lyrics of longing
Lyrics of lust
If it doesn't stop
My eardrums are gonna bust

Whatever happened to making a difference
Catchy tunes all about change
Now all I hear when the music starts up again
Is tripe about feelings or people acting strange

American Idol panders to populist tastes
With songs and a band that totter down the middle of the road
The homogenization of the seventies is alive, if no better
Daunting and blunting any who would dare to be bold

Now for those who claim to want control of their music
Who invest the time to program an mp3 player
Shouldn't such pap be a thing of the past
Shouldn't the music I hear be stronger or gayer?

But no, I continue to be subjected
To strained tunes old and new
For my human's tastes (or selections)
Evidently are just too few

Sleeping In

Sleeping in is usually a solo activity
But today involved watching a loud tv
And sharing space and blankets too
And the occasional stroke or loving coo
Guess that makes the sharing worthwhile
Getting to sleep in fine feline style

Brain Befogged

So much negative news these days
Regarding contents of commercial pet food
Time to switch to homemade treats
Made with love and served with good attitude

The temperature has leveled off once again
I can hunker down comfortably in my den
There's time enough for a loving cuddle
Without encountering a sweaty muddle

Rhyming in sweltering heat
Is just too exhausting

Too Hot

I say it's too hot
JJ says it's not

I spend my days atop the tree
Where no one else can reach me

The Gurlz bound energetically across the grass
No thanks, say I, I think I'll pass

All that running and jumping is for the young
I'd rather not have to hang out my tongue

I'm not a dog or even a spry kitten
I'd rather spend my days sittin'

Nouna's a lady who understands
She's content to watch the lands

Lying cool and quiet within
Far from all that din

Quietly we sleep
Within the keep

Back at Last

My PU's back and I'm so happy
Time to blog something really really sappy
Hugs and kisses and rubbings abound
The One who was lost has now been found

My PU's back and I'm so excited
Heard the car before she was sighted
Packs and bags swinging so dangerously
I don't care; my PU's back and I'm filled with glee

My PU's back and I'm higher than a kite
Now she's back, everything's right
Today the sun is shining instead of that dismal rain
Even the Little Gurlz have stopped being a pain


JJ's bouncing and eating again
Nouna has stopped being a wet hen
Ajax has got her game once more
Comet is once again eager to explore

Now I can relax and let down my guard
Being the Big Boy has really been hard
But now PU's back and life is once again sweet
Amongst all our paws are two sturdy feet