Forget Something?

Because some days one just doesn't know what to do with a long white tail.

Margaret Cat Fall Cat Nap

Friends and family know Margaret cat well, she has been my life buddy going on 18 years now. An alumni from the local animal shelter, she was found as a kitten in a cardboard box on the side of a county road with her legs duct taped together so she couldn't get out.

She was smart even then. As the story goes, she saw the shelter dog mascot running around. She figured out how to open her cage so she could get out, too.

I adopted her minutes before she was scheduled to be killed because the animal shelter supervisor didn't like cats and was tired of trying to keep Margaret locked up.

At my house, her inquisitiveness and intelligence is encouraged. If she sees something out of a window, she will come to get me to let me know I should follow her and see what is outside. She wakes me up every morning, is the last one to tuck me in at night.

Margaret is part Siamese, which means she has long legs and that deep voice. And yes, she likes to talk. Sometimes she has a lot to say about life in general, or what the other cats have been doing, especially if I have been gone for any time. In other discussions, she is clear about something she needs, like an ear scratching. She is most eloquent when she decides its time to go outside for a walk around the deck; she prefers that I come with her so she can end the tour sitting in my lap. When I'm running late, she keeps my priorities straight and reminds me to feed her.

This particular day, I was starting to move my deck plants inside for winter. Some are large trees on metal caddies, a messy process dangerous to small animals with dangling appendages who like to stay close to me. Before I started, I tucked Margaret into her favorite napping basket in a sunny window and we discussed the schedule for the rest of the day. Napping was high on the list.

Once I thought she was settled in, I grabbed the broom and started to leave. Something made me turn around. 

That tail.

I suppose if I thought I was a little person in white fur, I might forget I had a tail, too.

Charlotte

Cat Napping Spot

Boo Boo likes to watch birds in the bird feeder from his favorite perch, a ceramic bird bath.

Cat Napping Spot

This lovely ceramic bird bath used to spend most of the year in my garden, except for winter. Two years ago, I ran out of room in my garage so I snuck the bird bath into my living room to store through the cold months.

I liked seeing it every morning as I bundled up for work, a promise that warmer weather was going to arrive.

I grew up in South America and still struggle with appreciating all of the virtues of winter. I do enjoy some, especially the wearing hats and gloves part. I also like the time to dream about next year's garden, reviewing notes from last year and making new lists for the new year.

One morning as I headed out the door, I did a double-take. There smack dab in the middle of the bird bath was my little Presbyterian cat, Boo Boo Bartholomew. Someone had dumped him in the church's parking lot. He climbed into my car one morning as I was leaving and trying not to run over him. He's been at my house ever since.

And this morning, he was curled up in the bird bath, purring away. I had left a towel on it the night before so he had his own comfortable bedding. The bird bath is right inside the front window where a bird feeder sits, perfect cat entertainment. When I called to him, one paw stretched across the bird bath rim; he kept his eyes closed. He must have been ver-y comfortable.

Cats have a way of making themselves comfortable, don't they. 

So if you have garden decor that needs to winter over, don't overlook bringing it inside and making it part of your home decor, at least for a season. Great way to store them and still enjoy them.

Charlotte