S'nope and a Tail of Four Kitties
No snow. Nope. S'nope, no snow. What I'm trying to tell you is that the Boston area is hitherto-fore sans snow. We are snow-free.
Last night, ComicbookMan called me from our apartment in Connecticut at 11pm and very seriously reminded me, again, NOT to let the cats out because they might DIE HORRIBLE DEATHS IN THE BLIZZARD. (He had called me at 6pm and 10pm to give me a Weather Update of Doom, each time suggesting that the cats should be locked up tight on the morrow.)
I told him (again) that I was perfectly capable of looking outside and determining, AS IF I WERE AN ACTUAL ADULT, whether or not to let the cats out, all on my own, with no input from him at all.
He repeated very seriously that it was very important that I NOT LET THE CATS OUT BECAUSE THEY WOULD DIE. IN THE BLIZZARD. AND IT WOULD BE MY FAULT.
I reminded him that he was, essentially, an absentee parent at best, an occasional lodger at worst, and that they were pretty much my responsibility 24-7, so he should back off the curb with that tone in his voice.
AND SO HE GOT SNITTY AND SAID, "FINE. WHATEVER." I could sense him biting his lip in anger at me over the phone-line.
And I laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed at him, which he did not share in, because his precious cats were in danger of freezing solid or getting lost in the blizzard and there was nothing he could do about it.
SO. Anyway, like I said, no snow.
Just now, unaware that their very lives were in danger, our three beautiful, soft, friendly long-haired kitties were arrayed on the bed, sleeping peacefully together; Scully on my pillow, Zack on ComicbookMan's pillow, and Vala at the foot of the bed. Giaus jumped smack into the middle of the triangle they created and grackled loud and long at them. He doesn't meow, he literally makes a grack! grack! noise that we call "grackling". They all woke up and looked at him with mild apprehension, but did not move. Giaus then threw himself down and rolled around on his back, kicking his feet in the air, his tail smacking Scully on the butt a few times. She bit it, but he didn't notice and I moved his tail so it wouldn't hit her again. I want them to get used to him, so I allowed Giaus to continue rolling around on his back in the middle of them and even tossed a toy on him to keep him occupied. Zack, no fool, s-l-o-o-o-w-l-y backed off the bed and arranged himself into a little, fluffy meatloaf on the bed-side table, still watching Giaus carefully. Vala watched him roll around with the fascination of someone watching a really good reality show. Scully went back to sleep as there was no tail hitting her anymore.
Which is why it was quite a shock to her when Giaus jumped to his feet and, quick as a wink, threw himself bodily upon her. She shrieked and ran off and the other two cats jumped to their feet in alarm. I grabbed Giaus just as he was about to pursue Scully and held him down by the scruff of the neck on my pillow for a bit, telling him, "NO! NO! BAD!" I don't allow any attack-the-kitty high-jinks on the bed because if I allowed it at noon, they'd think it was okay to do it at 2AM and that would wake me up. Seriously, my cats completely understand that the bed is a neutral, no-fight zone... well, Giaus is still learning that, but the others know it, that's why they were so calm when he jumped into the middle of them, grackling. They did not expect to be attacked. MY BAD, long-haired kitties, MY BAD.
When Giaus had calmed down, I shoo'd him off the bed, then retrieved Scully and put her back on her sleep-spot. He's currently in the window in the living room, watching it not-snow outside, and the other three have resumed their triangle of peaceful sleep on the bed.
AND IT CONTINUES TO NOT-SNOW.
Last night, ComicbookMan called me from our apartment in Connecticut at 11pm and very seriously reminded me, again, NOT to let the cats out because they might DIE HORRIBLE DEATHS IN THE BLIZZARD. (He had called me at 6pm and 10pm to give me a Weather Update of Doom, each time suggesting that the cats should be locked up tight on the morrow.)
I told him (again) that I was perfectly capable of looking outside and determining, AS IF I WERE AN ACTUAL ADULT, whether or not to let the cats out, all on my own, with no input from him at all.
He repeated very seriously that it was very important that I NOT LET THE CATS OUT BECAUSE THEY WOULD DIE. IN THE BLIZZARD. AND IT WOULD BE MY FAULT.
I reminded him that he was, essentially, an absentee parent at best, an occasional lodger at worst, and that they were pretty much my responsibility 24-7, so he should back off the curb with that tone in his voice.
AND SO HE GOT SNITTY AND SAID, "FINE. WHATEVER." I could sense him biting his lip in anger at me over the phone-line.
And I laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed at him, which he did not share in, because his precious cats were in danger of freezing solid or getting lost in the blizzard and there was nothing he could do about it.
SO. Anyway, like I said, no snow.
Just now, unaware that their very lives were in danger, our three beautiful, soft, friendly long-haired kitties were arrayed on the bed, sleeping peacefully together; Scully on my pillow, Zack on ComicbookMan's pillow, and Vala at the foot of the bed. Giaus jumped smack into the middle of the triangle they created and grackled loud and long at them. He doesn't meow, he literally makes a grack! grack! noise that we call "grackling". They all woke up and looked at him with mild apprehension, but did not move. Giaus then threw himself down and rolled around on his back, kicking his feet in the air, his tail smacking Scully on the butt a few times. She bit it, but he didn't notice and I moved his tail so it wouldn't hit her again. I want them to get used to him, so I allowed Giaus to continue rolling around on his back in the middle of them and even tossed a toy on him to keep him occupied. Zack, no fool, s-l-o-o-o-w-l-y backed off the bed and arranged himself into a little, fluffy meatloaf on the bed-side table, still watching Giaus carefully. Vala watched him roll around with the fascination of someone watching a really good reality show. Scully went back to sleep as there was no tail hitting her anymore.
Which is why it was quite a shock to her when Giaus jumped to his feet and, quick as a wink, threw himself bodily upon her. She shrieked and ran off and the other two cats jumped to their feet in alarm. I grabbed Giaus just as he was about to pursue Scully and held him down by the scruff of the neck on my pillow for a bit, telling him, "NO! NO! BAD!" I don't allow any attack-the-kitty high-jinks on the bed because if I allowed it at noon, they'd think it was okay to do it at 2AM and that would wake me up. Seriously, my cats completely understand that the bed is a neutral, no-fight zone... well, Giaus is still learning that, but the others know it, that's why they were so calm when he jumped into the middle of them, grackling. They did not expect to be attacked. MY BAD, long-haired kitties, MY BAD.
When Giaus had calmed down, I shoo'd him off the bed, then retrieved Scully and put her back on her sleep-spot. He's currently in the window in the living room, watching it not-snow outside, and the other three have resumed their triangle of peaceful sleep on the bed.
AND IT CONTINUES TO NOT-SNOW.