Ice Storm Aftermath

Not particularly cat related, but here are a couple pictures of a large tree in our yard. The ice storm from a few days ago did not treat it very well at all.

The ice only stayed on the trees a day or so, but by that point there were a LOT of limbs on the ground.

Most will likely stay there until spring, since for the most part they aren't in the way.

Unofficial Unthursday Unthirteen

The Official Thursday Thirteen is ending, and I never got a chance to get into that game.

So I decided to do an occasional Unofficial Unthursday Unthirteen. They will seldom, if ever, be on Thursday. They will seldom, if ever, have thirteen items. I may or may not ever do another

Unthursday Unthirteen.

This is a list of things I've learned about Cat Blogging and the Cat-o-sphere.

1. It is hard write using the voice of a cat, especially if I'm trying to accurately follow the viewpoint of the cat.


2. It is even harder if you have four cats.


3. It is hard to blog with a cat sleeping where the keyboard belongs.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


4. It is hard to read blogs with a cat sleeping on the mouse.
   
   


5. I finally found an environment where having four cats is not weird.


6. In fact, in this world I might be viewed as something of a slacker.


7. I have to be careful what I say when not in the Cat-o-sphere. You get weird looks if you ask: “Where is the stinky goodness” or talk about a “forever home” or “poodin”.


8. I mourn the loss of cats I never met, and never could have visited.


9. I worry about people and cats I never met, and likely never will meet.


10. I see triumphs that I never would have heard of otherwise.


11. If I read all the blogs I'm following, I never have time to write anything myself.

Note: The links in the list above are meant to be examples, only. If I left out your favorite example, forgive me.

Radcliff

Hi. Sorry I've taken so long to post again. I tried to write a nice story introducing Radcliff to the world, but the drafts didn't even interest me. So I decided to spend a few days uploading pictures to Flickr and setting up Catster pages while I waited for a brilliant idea to surface.

I'm still waiting.

So I decided to mimic the Thursday Thirteen idea, and just list a bunch of interest things about Radcliff.

• I was in New Jersey when I went into the local Petsmart looking for a new cat companion. Most Petsmart's link up with a local shelter, in this case one called The Animal Orphanage, to find homes for animals.
• The original plan was to get two cats that were litter mates, or at least already buddies. That way they could keep each other company when I was working or otherwise gone. The shelter did not have any paired cats, so I just picked two kitties more or less at random, and hoped for the best. Radcliff was one of the kitties I selected.

• Radcliff is a large, almost all white tomcat. I don't know if it can be seen on the photos, but there are a handful of dark hairs scattered around on the top of his head, above his eyes. There are also some dark hairs on his tail, about 2/3 of the way toward the end. (I don't have any pictures that show his tail, so you'll just have to take my word on that) He also has a black spot on the tip of his nose.
• The first time I noticed the black spot on his nose, I spent about ten minutes trying to wipe it off. He sleeps under the car, so he tends to collect dirt and oil on his back. I thought he had stuck his nose into a grease spot.
  

• Radcliff is the most easy going, laid back cat I've ever met. Most of the time, his purr is louder than his meow.
  
• He requires a certain daily minimum of head-rubbing and general attention. If I short him attention, he will tolerate it for a day or two. If things go any further than that, he wakes me up in the middle of the night to make up the difference.
• The main problem in his life is all these other cats that keep showing up in his house. Radcliff has spent the last eight years explaining to Allie and Luna that they don't live here, and need to leave. He's still sulking a little over Ozzie moving in this summer.