Sabbatical Leave

I have an announcement which is rather bittersweet: I shall be taking sabbatical leave from And a Cat Named Ponzo next year. Had it not been for Ponzo's great assistance, support, and encouragement, I am afraid I would have been unable to post something every day--and that was only because I could schedule posts in advance.

I wish to thank everyone who visited my online journal. But now I am happy to inform you that I shall be putting And a Cat Named Ponzo into the capable paws of my wonderful assistant, Ponzo, who has decided to post one of his favorite quotations each month along with a different monthly photo of himself. On that note, I wish everyone a very happy 2011!

Farewell

"Laughter is not at all a bad beginning for a friendship,

and it is far the best ending for one."

--Oscar Wilde

Art

"Art for art's sake

makes no more sense than

gin for gin's sake."

--W. Somerset Maugham

Lots of Coffee

It seems one can never have too much coffee in a well-stocked kitchen, especially since there are so many flavors available nowadays. And every time I get a coffee gift package in the mail, I discover a new favorite, such as vanilla spice (my latest favorite). Then again, there are the old favorites: pecan, blueberry, coconut....

Cinnamon Broom

This is a photo of my latest impulse purchase, a cinnamon broom. Actually, I purchased two of them, the two remaining brooms in the produce section of a supermarket before the holidays. The cinnamon broom is handcrafted using all natural materials; it is a raw pine broom pressed with pure cinnamon oil from the cinnamon tree, according to the label. I must say that the cinnamon broom is a rather pleasant air freshener, which I had to hang high because I didn't want the cats playing with it.

On the Sofa

Christmas Cat Toys

I don't expect these Christmas cat toys to replace Godot's favorite toys, the red and green Santa mice which he's had for many years, but I'm hoping the cats will like them. As for Darcy, give him a box of tissues, a roll of toilet paper, or a roll of paper towels, and he'll amuse himself for a long time.

"'Tis the Season...."

Trying to Take a Nap

"Enough with the Santa hat--I'm trying to take a nap!"

Still Refusing to Wear the Santa Hat

Locksley Refuses to Wear the Santa Hat

A Portrait of Locksley

Rebel as Santa Dog Again

Toys from Christmas Past

The "Canine Genius" keeps Rebel occupied for a while, while Mark Twain likes to play with his favorite chipmunk toy which he recently rediscovered in the large pile of cat toys near the fireplace.

A Herd of Deer

Not a good photo, obviously. Nevertheless, I attempted to take a picture of the herd of ten deer, despite the fact that it was getting dark outside and my camera was being uncooperative. It looks like nine blurs, but there really are ten deer in this photo.

Naptime

The Only Animal

"Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them."

--Samuel Butler

Beware

"Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes."

--Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 'Economy'

Holly Berries

This year we have two holly berries, period. And that is two more berries than I expected.

Not the Only Ones

The cats aren't the only ones who love the warmth from the fireplace. Two dozen stinkbugs emerged from their hiding place the first time I used the fireplace this season. I guess the stinkbugs have learned to hide out of the cats' reach.

The Fireplace

The coziest place to be is in front of the fireplace, according to just about every single cat in this household. And I agree with them wholeheartedly.

Mesmerized

Mark Twain appears to have recovered completely from his long battle with FUS. His favorite place to be these days is in front of the fireplace. He'll sit and stare at the fire, as though mesmerized, for long periods of time.

Wipe Your Paws

Locksley was the first to approve our new door mat, Wipe Your Paws.

The Acorn Bandit

One morning a number of weeks ago, I noticed acorn caps strewn all over my deck in the vicinity of the two full buckets of acorns I had collected for winter feeding of the squirrels, before the demise of the last remaining squirrel, that is. Out of curiosity, I opened the lid of the bucket on the left and saw that it was full. Then I opened the bucket on the right and saw what is depicted in the photo. Apparently, the acorn bandit had put the lids back on the buckets after he was done eating. (Lazy bear, there are acorns all over my property.) Seriously, I didn't mind, since I thought it was amusing. Incidentally, the acorn bandit didn't touch those acorns on his return visit last week.

Meet the New Neighbors

Paw Print

On Saturday morning, I discovered that we'd had a visitor on our deck during the night. The black bear left his muddy paw prints everywhere.

Black Bear Walking Down Road

I took this photo from my living room window two days ago. In order for the bear to appear more than just a speck, I had to crop the photo many times.

Without

"A diamond cannot be polished without friction,

nor an individual perfected without trials."

--Jeane Dixon

Rebel

Rebel and Locksley have a couple of major things in common: they found their way here and, apparently, each of them had been struck by a vehicle once upon a time. One of Rebel's legs is shorter, although he has compensated so well that it is not noticeable. I would venture to guess that Rebel's previous owner did not take him to the vet to take care of his broken femur, which I noticed only after Rebel started limping several months after his arrival. As for Locksley, since he was a feral cat, Mother Nature performed the doctoring on his thighbone. Locksley is handicapped only in the sense that he cannot jump as easily or as high as other cats, but he manages quite well. I just realized I need to add a third major thing that Rebel and Locksley have in common: resilience.

Locksley's Tattoo

That blue inside Locksley's ear is his N tattoo.

Locksley, Featured Cat of the Month

The feral cat I named Locksley (because I wanted a name to go with Zorro) came here via "the cats' underground railroad passageway." If memory serves me correctly, I have already posted about that. Anyway, I had his ear tattooed instead of clipped, so that he could be recognized as a neutered feral cat. Little did I know at the time that Locksley would choose to become domesticated after he recovered indoors from his fan belt injury. The truth is that Locksley has no desire whatsoever to set his paws outdoors again, since he is very happy living inside a house, a warm home, where he is fed well (perhaps too well, since he could stand to lose a pound or so) and has plenty of companionship. It is probably better for me also that Locksley abandoned the feral life because I cannot afford expensive veterinary bills--and Locksley seems to have been quite accident-prone outdoors.

Locksley quickly went from appearing shy around the other cats to being bold and sassy--whatever it took for him to gain acceptance. I must say, watching Locksley's quick transformation into a lovable rascal was quite entertaining.

Seconds in Slow Motion

It has been many months since Mikey has crossed the road. However, I have recently seen her taking a short stroll along the side of the road, without setting her paws on the asphalt. But to the best of my knowledge, Mikey has no desire to cross the road again, ever since the day that a couple of cruel individuals tried to run her down as she was crossing the road. Since I had been standing at the top of my driveway, I was a horrified witness. It seemed that either time stopped or seconds passed in slow motion, when the driver of the truck stepped on the gas and aimed for Mikey, as I stood helpless, not breathing, awaiting the outcome. One of the truck's occupants even leaned out of the passenger window in order to get a better look at the body in the ditch, before the vehicle continued down the road.

I found a very badly shaken Mikey hiding in the ditch, but she had not been hit. And that was all that mattered, as I carried her home.

Saying and Doing

Saying is one thing,

and doing another.

--Proverb

Definition of Education

"That which reveals to the wise,

and conceals from the stupid,

the vast limits of their knowledge."

--MARK TWAIN

Great Oaks

Great oaks from little acorns grow.

--Proverb

A Good Scare

A good scare is worth

more than good advice.

--Proverb

Not a Turkey

This is one of my favorite prints by Geneva Welch. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Handsome

Handsome is as handsome does.

--Proverb

The Piper

He who pays the piper calls the tune.

--Proverb

Living with Bears

I was in the middle of writing a long post about black bears, but my assistant, Ponzo, strongly suggested I delete it and, instead, recommend a book by Linda Masterson entitled Living with Bears, A Practical Guide to Bear Country. I do highly recommend this book to anyone living in black bear country or anyone going camping in black bear country.

I have sometimes wondered what would happen if I ran smack into a black bear--something I almost did a few nights ago. I know that although black bears are shy by nature and do not want any trouble, a person is wise not to turn their back and run--unless, of course, they foolishly wish to be chased. Okay, it was nighttime and Rebel was tied in the yard. Since it was a nice night, I took a little stroll in my yard. Simultaneously, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as Rebel let out his there's-a-bear barks and I heard the heavy crashing sounds through the woods next to me. I suspect the bear had been sitting there until I got too near him, and then we both turned and walked off in opposite directions when Rebel started barking. It was only then that I realized I had turned my back to the black bear, who, by the way, had also turned his back to me. I think it must have been the little guy who has his own bear crossing path through my yard.

Thunder

"Thunder is good, thunder is impressive;

but it is lightning that does the work."

--MARK TWAIN

Self-praise

Self-praise is no recommendation.

Proverb