After moving in 2018, to a place with open skies, I became fascinated by light.
Three nights ago, as I watched toward the Southwest, I saw these streaks develop and I thought they were like reverse rays of the setting sun.
To view the actual sunset from here involves a car journey to a different location and that means finding a place to park safely, so we don’t often do it.
But the sky is pretty even in the opposite direction.
It’s not just light in the sky that captures my interest. One day Grant exclaimed: “come look at this!”
An odd purple streak on the floor.
A reflection. Of what?
From the window…was it the purple flowers? No.
Purple bush? No.
We decided, I think, that when the sun strikes the window at a certain angle, it reflects something in the glass itself. It has to be quite precise, presumably, which is why in three years we had never noticed the illusion before. It makes you wonder how many other optical illusions we miss!
“So what?” said Lily. “It’s time for my walk!”
.
Tinkerbell fetched her favourite toy and carried it upstairs, talking to it in a muffled “ERR…ERR…ERR!”
She dumps it down, very pleased with herself and then you have to thank her, all part of the routine.
This is how these toys came to be called “Errs”.
We have half a dozen or more and often they get carried about late at night.
.
When I first heard Penny singing to her “err” as she carried it through the house, I went running because I thought she was in terrible pain!
Lily makes a similar sound, but when she does it we can be fairly certain she has caught a mouse:(
That sweet face, who would think she’s a killer?
But we really don’t need a mouse infestation.
Sasha aka Dee Dee is the real mouser.
She spends hours downstairs on the windowsill watching for the misguided vermin to enter.
You would think a house full of cats would be mouse free, right? You would be wrong.
The basement of my house in Washington was full of mice and there, I had even more cats.
The infestation was no joke. I got in my car one day and opened the glove compartment to get something out, only to find myself face to face with a startled rodent.
Instead of getting out of the car and inviting it to leave, I slammed the glove compartment shut and the mouse disappeared into the engine.
Presumably, he found his own way out but some months later I became aware of an unpleasant odor every time I drove and it wasn’t long before it was obvious something had died somewhere inaccessible.
It had to be sorted out by the dealership, a most unenviable job and not cheap. It was days before the smell dissipated.
This morning, though, Dee Dee appropriated the kitchen window:
Watching the breakfast free-for -all.
Dee Dee is Grant’s number one cat and she knows it. Unlike Lily (my number one) she asserts her seniority at every opportunity. Sometimes, I think she doesn’t exactly approve of me:
Well, what does a look like this say?
Or worse!
Lunch time look….(right)
Dee Dee settled to her post-lunch siesta above the kitchen cupboard, then discovered Grant was giving the others fried chicken!
Toby accepted a small piece to be polite.
Dee Dee decided it wasn’t worth the trouble of coming back down. She’ll hit Grant up for something else later.
He’s a very soft touch with animals.
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There is a possible short excursion in the offing (don’t tell the cats!). Just a day trip, if I can summon the stamina. Reclining in the rear seat may be necessary, but there is no law that I know of against that…
I had to laugh at all the different expressions of the cats – some looks more pleasing than others 😉.
They are so adorable😻
Don’t let the cat’s know in advance – just sneak out while they have their eyes shut!
I love hearing Peter read your poem! Beautiful! I left a comment there on his Sigh post.
So nice to meet another Carolyn! I am Carolyn, too. 🙂
(((HUGS)))
Thank you. Peter reads it the way it formed in my mind. It sounds way better than I thought it was!
I have known cats who totally ignore mice gamboling on the floor beneath the bed on which they preside with such great ceremonial dignity. It is as if they have forgotten the reason for their elevation. Ah! well. We must be tolerant of feline diversity. And the ones that catch the birds need to be belled.
Only 3 (I think) of the 11 are interested in the mice. The rest seem to feel too superior and look down their noses at such activity. The cats who are allowed out briefly in the morning (by Grant…I don’t approve although I know they love it) are supervised and not interested in birds, but their neighbor’s cat Pancho was a killer of everything. Lovely boy, but serial killer. Since they moved, the wildlife has moved back in. Now I just worry about the hawk who regularly picks off a dove 🙁 It’s Nature, at least.