Oxbow's World

Dare I say it? This really is the most wonderful time of the year!

A couple of weeks ago when Those Two bundled up and left the house abruptly, I thought they had said something about getting a “treat.” I tend to have selective hearing, so I hear that word often. But no, they came home with a tree, which is something of a treat in itself!

I just love hanging out underneath the tree, inhaling the scent of pine, drinking water from the stand while getting yelled at, and batting some of the low-hanging ornaments around. Yesterday Mama G told me that she had a surprise Christmas gift for “us” — yes, as in me, not Mama C. Well that sure did pique my curiosity! I can’t imagine what the two of us might enjoy together that would exclude Mama C.

I’ve been keeping a vigilant lookout for the Amazon driver, and will let you know when the surprise arrives.

Have you ever had one of those moments, which for lack of a better way I’ll describe as an almost out-of-body experience, when you forget who you are and what you’re all about? Well it happened to me earlier this week, when Mama G was preparing a bath and had added some nicely scented oil. I was on the verge of diving in!

And then I came to my senses and remembered that I am a cat and I despise water, unless it’s in my water bowl, or a glass that one of Those Two happen to be drinking from.

Phew, that was close! Be careful out there!

Sorry I haven’t been posting much lately (so much for that New Year’s resolution!).

You’ll be happy to know that I’m fine. Truth is, I’ve been engaged in some important research on sleep. Modeled after, if not completely ripped off from, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s pioneering work on grief in the 1960s, I’ve identified the three stages of sleep.

1. DENIAL

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2. BARGAINING

3. ACCEPTANCE

Don’t you just hate it when you discover that you’ve probably been walking around for hours with something on, or even worse, in your nose? Well Mama G just joined me on the floor to say hi, and immediately started laughing. Then she pulled a little bug off my nose, which is probably something you humans don’t usually have to worry about. For those of us who like to play with and then eat insects, however, it’s always a risk. I guess there are worse places a bug could be. I quickly got over my embarrassment.

Because sometimes a guy just feels like accessorizing!

Mama G did it, although she didn’t spill it, but rather threw it. You see, I usually like to play with green beans, so she tossed one my way recently. But there was just something about this particular bean that left me unwilling to leave the safety of my latest box.

Most of the beans that come sailing toward me are thin and small, and hit the floor with an enticing slide. This bad boy abruptly thudded to a stop, split open, and ejected a giant seed like shrapnel. I’ve never seen anything quite like it! But then that sort of sums up Mama G’s entire garden this year.

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This past weekend sure was a tiring one, but delightful, too! We had a special visitor: my Grammy C!

I don’t think Grammy C was much of a cat person until she met me. You might say I have a way with the ladies. Now she likes to visit and feed me lots of treats and engage in conversation. She did draw the line at letting me sleep with her, closing her bedroom door each night.

I amazed Those Two by being ridiculously sociable and hanging out with my grammy pretty much nonstop. There was a day not too long ago when I would have spent the weekend under a bed. Grammy C just seems to bring out the best in me.

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Yeah, I know you came here to read about cats, namely me, but sometimes a little excursion from the routine is healthy. And what better time than in these dog days of August to recognize that other species that humans love to love.

As you probably can guess, I’m not a dog-lover. But this photo that Mama C shared of one of her friends’ dogs melted even my jaded feline heart.

That’s Mazie, a one-year-old Shar Pei, enjoying her birthday pretzel last week. Besides being hopelessly adorable, Mazie is in the running to adorn next year’s Providence Animal Rescue League calendar. Looks like Mazie is in the lead to win the coveted cover spot, although if I were her I’d keep my guard up around that feisty-looking feline contestant in second place, Obi.

Voting continues through tomorrow, but I’m pretty sure that 2022 will be the Year of Mazie.

Perhaps I’ve been forced to watch too much of the Olympics, since it seems to be the only thing on at our house lately, because the other night I decided to try a fancy dismount from my resting place on the sofa. It didn’t end well. And to think they say we always land on our feet!

Oh well, there’s always 2024 …

I’ve probably mentioned this before, but I really love flowers. I know that’s not a very manly thing to admit, but I’m secure enough to just put it out there. My mamas like flowers, too, but not in the same way I do. I don’t really understand why they only want to look at them and smell them, but not eat them. Oh well, to each his or her own.

Anyway, last week Mama C received flowers from a friend as a belated birthday present. The arrangement included roses, my favorite! You can probably guess what happened next.

Pretty soon Those Two got tired of yelling at me to get down, and moved the vase from the kitchen island to a bathroom. They tried to keep the door shut so that I didn’t get in there, but fortunately for me they are often forgetful.

Finally, they put the vase on top of a high cabinet, where now none of us can truly enjoy the flowers. As they like to say, it’s a good thing I’m cute!