Cat vs. Squirrel

Allow yours truly to disabuse ye socks of any notion ye might have about just how urbane College Park might be.

Some pretty primal stuff is going on around this little corner of heaven! All you have to do is keep an eye out for it.

For example, today I was at the stop sign at New Hampshire and Gerda when I noticed a grey blur streak across one of the carefully manicured lawns.

This was closely followed by a slightly larger blur.

Both ended up in a nearby hedge, and a brief flurry of leaves and twigs erupted.

Then, nothing, just a return to a peaceful late winter scene.

That was until a cat trotted out of the hedge bearing a big ol' Cheshire grin. And, dangling from said grin were the limp remains of one of the neighborhood squirrels.

Struck me as a miniature re-enactment of one of those old episodes of Mutual of Omaha's "Wild Kingdom" . . .

It's gotta be "Alley Cat," or nothing at all . . .

Lest ye socks ever doubted the cliche about the finnicky nature of our feline companions, allow yours truly to disabuse you of that notion.

Fortunately, to date, that has worked in favor of the household budget in this little corner of heaven.

It seems the tastes of the resident feline run cheap.

She only likes the "Alley Cat" brand, and would rather go on a hunger strike than let anything else pass her lips.

Trust me. I've tried upgrading her to one of the more expensive name brands. But, all my efforts have been for naught.

To make the crisis worse, since landing in our current high-brow environment, there is no handy source of the preferred sustenance.

So, yes, that was me making an unplanned trek over to "the other side of the tracks" this evening in search of a Winn Dixie.

The good news is I was able to find one and get back to ye old abode before BB11 started. And, HRH is chowing down with unusually loud satisfaction in the next room. So, can someone pass the remote?!

Look who's playing with his photo scanner

No, it's not yours truly.

My Uncle Bill apparently had enough time on his hands today to scan some old photos, and sent this one to me (among others).

It's about 10 years old, and was taken in the master bedroom of my Grandma G's old house in Orlando.

Sadly, the "Pretty Kitty" on the right went to the big catbox in the sky a few months ago.

But the "Other One" is still with us, and an endless source of entertainment with all of her Siamese shenanigans.

Hope this gets your holiday weekend kicked-off on the right note!

Keegan (1997-2007)

Some time yesterday, my pretty little Keegan went to sleep in her usual spot under the bed and woke up in a better world.

I am glad she went peacefully, and that she left so many good memories over the last ten years.

And, I am glad that I still have her big sister Fidelma for consolation.