A successful postal experiment

As you might have seen in yesterday's post, Sammy arrived in the mail safely.  I had thought amazon.com sent Sammy, but I was mistaken.  His sister, Rosie, wisely insured Sammy's shipping container.  Here she is, seeing him off in 2004:

I was puzzled that Rosie mailed Sammy to the same house in which they lived and that Sammy agreed to be shipped.  Fortunately, the postal service came through with prompt, accurate delivery.

When "Handle with care" isn't just an expression

It's always a relief when you open a box and find that the cat you ordered has arrived safely.

July 2004: Thanks to amazon.com's careful packing, shipping, and handling, Sammy arrived safely.

Watchcat protocol II

Even if two watchcats are assigned to cover the same general area, they can still monitor different segments of it.  Rosie and Sammy demonstrate this in November 2002:

Watchcat protocol

When two watchcats are on duty, it's permissible for one of them to nap--as long as the other watchcat is wide awake.  Sammy and Rosie demonstrated this in 2010:

Podium positioning

Before giving a lecture, it's wise to make sure the podium is positioned where you'd like it.

October 2010: Sammy inspects the podium before starting his lecture.

Jungle gyms aren't just for humans...

...As Sammy demonstrated in February 2006, cats can use modified versions of them, as well.

Captivating cat photos, either way

Longtime family cats Rosie and Sammy had different attitudes toward the camera.  Even in the midst of flinging a cat toy up in the air or scampering across a room, Rosie would frequently stop abruptly and pose upon hearing the camera lens extend.  An example from 2005:

Sammy, on the other hand, wasn't usually one for posing.  Sometimes, I just happened to take the photo at the right moment.  An example from 2007:

Neither approach disqualified the other, in my view, as they elicited equally compelling photos.

Blurring the lines between holidays

On Thanksgiving in 2005, Rosie wasn't sure what to make of the turkey in the window, nestled amongst the Christmas decorations.

Although the line between holidays has become thinner over time, and Christmas encroaches increasingly on Thanksgiving, one aspect of giving thanks will always endure:

There's never a bad time to show gratitude toward your cat sibling; Rosie and Sammy illustrated this in 2004.

Savoring late November

It's important for a St. Louisan to enjoy this time of year.  Given the unpredictable weather patterns in late November, you never know when a given day will be...

...one of the last true Autumnal days, as Sammy observed in late November 2003...

...an early Winter day with snow, as Sammy witnessed in late November 2004.

Making the most of an even larger space

Naturally, if two cats can share relatively limited space in a chair, they should certainly be able to coexist peacefully on a sofa:

2004: Sammy and Rosie, claiming their respective areas of the sofa.

Making the most of your available space

You might not think a chair this size would accommodate two cats, but this one did:

2002: Rosie and Sammy, apparently comfortable.

Finding the remote you want

Sometimes, the remote you want isn't immediately accessible.  There are times when you just have to reach into a storage box and pull it out with your paws:

Sammy, taking initiative by attempting to pull out the remote he wants.

Riding out a storm

Following up on a previous post, it's advisable, during a storm, to hunker down in a place where you feel safe and be aware of your surroundings.  Sammy and Rosie heeded this advice in October 2012:

It's possible to relax...

...and keep an eye on the world from your rocking chair at the same time.

October 2002: Sammy, not letting the constraints of a rocking chair keep him from his watchcat duties.

When your fur needs a touch-up,...

...it's convenient having a considerate sibling cat nearby:

2011: Rosie licking Sammy.

An easy move for a cat

When they're moving from one residence to another, cats don't have the burden that humans have of carrying empty boxes.  This explains Sammy's nonchalance during a move in 2006:

A Thanksgiving siesta

After a hearty Thanksgiving dinner, it's advisable to rest until you digest your food fully.  Rosie and Sammy heeded this advice in 2005.

Enjoying bird footage with a buddy

As I wrote previously, there's an audience for a channel broadcasting footage of birds and squirrels. Such a channel is even more enjoyable to watch with your sibling cat:

December 2003: Rosie and Sammy enjoy riveting footage of birds.

Through the looking glass

As Sammy illustrated in 2003, self-reflection can be strictly literal.

A responsible steward of the earth

Among Sammy's many positive traits was his penchant for checking his guardians' recycling bin carefully.  Our local recycling center doesn't allow items made of #6 plastic, so Sammy made sure no such plastic made it into the bin.  Here he is checking for it:

He was considerate that way.

Who says cats can't get along with other cats?

Sammy and Blue Cat were buddies, after all.

Taking precautions during severe weather

When severe weather strikes, it's advisable to take shelter--and also have provisions ready to eat.  Sammy illustrated this in 2013:

Marketing to a cat audience

If only there were a channel featuring continuous footage of birds and squirrels...

...I know one audience member who would have been a loyal viewer.  In this age of narrowcasting channels for nearly every conceivable interest, this isn't too much to ask.

From Sammy's political days...

Regardless of the office for which he was running, wouldn't a campaign poster with this photo have prompted you to vote for Sammy?

2006: Sammy, running for office on a platform of careful, considered decision-making.

A nod to two great cats

December 2003: Rosie and Sammy.

The era of Rosie and Sammy, my family's wonderful sister-brother cat duo, ended this morning with Sammy's passing.  As thankful as I am to have had these two great cats in my life for so long, such losses never become easier to take.  I've thought a lot today about all the times when Sammy was there for us with a friendly tap of the paw, a nose touch, or a paw lift.  Rosie, who passed away in 2014, and Sammy were an endearing duo everyone in our family will miss immensely.  I've posted more extensive thoughts on Sammy and Rosie on my other blog.

If you've had the heart-rending experience of losing one or more pets, here's wishing you strength, resilience, and frequent recall of the pleasant memories you had with them.

Finishing the sentence CX & CXI

Here are two politically based one-shots, i.e. unfinished sentences I wrote in 1992 that didn't elicit many responses or received one answer that stood out:

According to Charles Colson, former special counsel to President Richard Nixon, "The painful fact is, the will is not morally neutral.  The greatest myth of our time is that people are basically good.  It's not true.  We are bent toward evil."  Colson's assertion is valid (or invalid) because...

...(valid) I think we are all bent toward evil.  We spend our lifetime trying to resist that pull against what it morally right.  Life would be too easy if everyone was innately a good person.  It is a challenge for people to resist that evil urge.  Colson just failed resisting that urge and doing what is right. (Erica C.)

In The Selling Of The President 1968, Joe McGinniss writes, "Politics, in a sense, has always been a con game.  The American voter, insisting upon his belief in a higher order, clings to his religion, which promises another, better life, and defends passionately the illusion that the men he chooses to lead him are of finer nature than he.  It has been traditional that the successful politician honor this illusion.  To succeed today, he must embellish it.  Particularly if he wants to be President."  This illusion has been followed (or ignored), considering that...

...(followed) Our public casts the illusion of being ignorant mice waiting for the piper to come lead us to great things.  Then, once everything is over, we start bitching about every decision that is made...Illusion is what the entire political system, as well as our entire world, is based upon.  Politics is just another business. (Sean B.)

Justifiable turnabout?

It's odd to me that my cat and I both take medicine for acid reflux.  Unlike me, however, she gets her medicine--in theory, at least--when I put a quarter of a pill in a pill popper, and put it in her mouth.  Each time, it looks as though she swallows her medicine. However, now and then, I've found pills she supposedly swallowed on the floor, in the kitchen sink, and, once, in her fur.  I don't blame her for being defiant.  No one of any species likes being forced to take medicine.  One of these days, I'm going to have an appointment of my own, and she's probably going to put me in a human carrier and drive me there.

"Here's that stapler with mustard you ordered..."

I ordered two parfaits in the drive-through.  When I got up to the window, the clerk started to hand me coffee.  I told her I'd actually ordered two parfaits.  She returned with a sausage and egg biscuit.  I explained again that I'd ordered two parfaits.  The third time, I received the right food.  I was still slightly disappointed, though, as I was curious to know what I might have received incorrectly a third time--a tape dispenser, perhaps, or maybe a socket wrench or a llama.

A linguistic irritant XXIV

Today marks the first anniversary of generallyrandommusings.blogspot.com--not, as too many journalists would write, the one-year anniversary.  The anniversary hasn't been going on for a year.  On November 2, 2016, I started this blog.  Today marks one year since I started it; thus, it's my blog's first anniversary.

More curmudgeonly observations to follow in my blog's second year...

Finishing the sentence CIX

I always thought this unfinished sentence I wrote was one of my stranger ones.  Here are some responses it elicited in January 1993:

Little did the unsuspecting Puritan know that just behind him, a vile charlatan was about to...

...steal his soul with a Kodak. (Tre B.)

...gut him with a crucifix while chanting "Ozzy" lyrics. (Jenni S.)

...offer him a genetically altered tomato. (Jennifer D.)