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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Meet My Darling Echo

Meet My Darling Echo

by Alain Chamot (1971-2020)|  May 9, 20174:52 pm| 121 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

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One of my two gorgeous girls. Himalayans are a family tradition, so we bear that “heavy” weight every glorious day!


Open thread!

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Previous Post: « Another Nuclear Disaster That’s Not Going To Happen
Next Post: Trump Fires Comey »

Reader Interactions

121Comments

  1. 1.

    raven

    May 9, 2017 at 4:53 pm

    Look at that dude!

  2. 2.

    tom

    May 9, 2017 at 4:55 pm

    Trump will send a certified letter to Sen. Graham stating he has no Russian financial ties. So that should clear that up.

  3. 3.

    A Ghost to Most

    May 9, 2017 at 4:56 pm

    Until I read your text, I thought I was looking at an Ewok.

  4. 4.

    Sab

    May 9, 2017 at 4:56 pm

    Another ground cat! My sister had one that spent most of her life living in the cabinet under the bathroom sink. I hope yours are more adventurous.

  5. 5.

    raven

    May 9, 2017 at 4:58 pm

    @A Ghost to Most: Exactly!

  6. 6.

    raven

    May 9, 2017 at 4:58 pm

    Jimmy Carter voted for Bernie.

  7. 7.

    RoonieRoo

    May 9, 2017 at 4:58 pm

    She’s beautiful.

  8. 8.

    Sayne

    May 9, 2017 at 4:59 pm

    Do you mean it’s really heavy or sarcastically heavy? Quotes imply sarcasm.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/UnnecessaryQuotes/

  9. 9.

    West of the Rockies (been a while)

    May 9, 2017 at 4:59 pm

    I had a tortoise Persian once (until my ex accidentally backed over her). Sweet and lovely (the cat).

  10. 10.

    Patricia Kayden

    May 9, 2017 at 5:00 pm

    @tom: Naw. We want an independent investigator. Trump certifying something to be true means that it’s a lie from the pits of hell. Believe me!

  11. 11.

    A Ghost to Most

    May 9, 2017 at 5:00 pm

    @raven:
    I love that man (JC), but wtf?

  12. 12.

    JPL

    May 9, 2017 at 5:01 pm

    @raven: Who’d he vote for in the election against Trump?

    Gorgeous cat.

  13. 13.

    Patricia Kayden

    May 9, 2017 at 5:01 pm

    That kitty is too cute, btw. Floofy!!

  14. 14.

    Gin & Tonic

    May 9, 2017 at 5:02 pm

    @tom: Isn’t that just what they teach in 1L?

  15. 15.

    HRA

    May 9, 2017 at 5:02 pm

    Echo is beautiful!

  16. 16.

    satby

    May 9, 2017 at 5:02 pm

    She’s beautiful Alain!

  17. 17.

    Major Major Major Major

    May 9, 2017 at 5:02 pm

    Aw, what a cutie.

    @Sab: Ground cat?

  18. 18.

    tom

    May 9, 2017 at 5:03 pm

    @Patricia Kayden: I guess my sarcasm is bit subtle.

  19. 19.

    Gin & Tonic

    May 9, 2017 at 5:03 pm

    @raven: And yet Noam Chomsky said to vote for HRC if you’re in a swing state.

  20. 20.

    raven

    May 9, 2017 at 5:03 pm

    @JPL: I dunno,

    Former president Jimmy Carter, while gushing about Vermont’s Bernie Sanders, candidly told a crowd on Monday he voted for the independent senator over Democrat Hillary Clinton during the 2016 Democratic primary.

    Sanders and Carter shared the stage at the Carter Center in Atlanta for a conversation on human rights. There, Sanders spoke with his campaign-style vigor on a range of issues, from American values, the need to “revitalize American democracy” and boost voter turnout.

  21. 21.

    Elizabelle

    May 9, 2017 at 5:04 pm

    Yea, Alain, you came through for us!

    Echo is darling. Just the little face to be looking at. Thank you.

    (No reason we can’t discuss child prostitution and smallpox in this thread. I am reading about ancient viruses being unloosed by the melting of the permafrost. BBC link.)

  22. 22.

    raven

    May 9, 2017 at 5:04 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: I report, you decide. How’s the wing?

  23. 23.

    Elizabelle

    May 9, 2017 at 5:05 pm

    @JPL: Jimmy Carter voted for Hillary in the general, although it is a private ballot.

  24. 24.

    A Ghost to Most

    May 9, 2017 at 5:06 pm

    @Elizabelle:
    Didn’t that cause an anthrax outbreak among reindeer?

  25. 25.

    satby

    May 9, 2017 at 5:07 pm

    Had an unplanned day off because we had almost no appointments this afternoon at the Drs. office (I go in at 1-7pm). I used my time wisely and finally unearthed the box that had most of my missing kitchen gadgets.
    Felt like early Christmas!

  26. 26.

    TenguPhule

    May 9, 2017 at 5:07 pm

    @raven: Actually he voted for Clinton at the end. Bernie was only the primary.

  27. 27.

    TenguPhule

    May 9, 2017 at 5:08 pm

    @A Ghost to Most: No, it caused an anthrax outbreak from the dead reindeer. Which I believe spread to the humans.

  28. 28.

    raven

    May 9, 2017 at 5:08 pm

    @TenguPhule: Hey, he was at the Carter Center with Bernie last night and HE said it.

  29. 29.

    hedgehog the occasional commenter

    May 9, 2017 at 5:09 pm

    Kitteh!!!! What an adorable floofball!

  30. 30.

    TenguPhule

    May 9, 2017 at 5:10 pm

    @Elizabelle:

    No reason we can’t discuss child prostitution and smallpox in this thread.

    Other then good taste?

    /Cue the mockery

  31. 31.

    A Ghost to Most

    May 9, 2017 at 5:10 pm

    @A Ghost to Most: not to imply Echo isn’t beautiful. She is.
    /cat butler myself

  32. 32.

    TenguPhule

    May 9, 2017 at 5:10 pm

    @raven: Yes, I read about that. Again, primary vote doesn’t count against him.

  33. 33.

    Gin & Tonic

    May 9, 2017 at 5:10 pm

    @raven: Going real slow, and I’m impatient.

  34. 34.

    Sab

    May 9, 2017 at 5:11 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: We have four cats and my dad has one. His cat and one of mine hate to climb anything. They wander around on the ground, poking into cupboards and closets. The other guys climb everything, curtains, counters, halltrees, etc. So we divide the world into ground cats and climbers. I think think on a venn diagram the ground cats are sort of Persians and the climbers are orientals.

  35. 35.

    TenguPhule

    May 9, 2017 at 5:13 pm

    @raven:

    I report, you decide.

    Fox Quotes are tumbrel bait.

  36. 36.

    Elizabelle

    May 9, 2017 at 5:15 pm

    @A Ghost to Most:
    @TenguPhule:

    TenguPhule got it right. And scientists have found fragments of RNA from the 1918 Spanish flu virus in graves that are warming in Alaska. Exciting times.

  37. 37.

    Denali

    May 9, 2017 at 5:16 pm

    First time Jimmy Carter has ever disappointed me.

  38. 38.

    TenguPhule

    May 9, 2017 at 5:16 pm

    @Elizabelle:

    And scientists have found fragments of RNA from the 1918 Spanish flu virus in graves that are warming in Alaska. Exciting times.

    I miss boring times with a competent government.

  39. 39.

    bystander

    May 9, 2017 at 5:17 pm

    Carter notoriously did not get on with the Clintons. Come to think of it, Carter isn’t too friendly with any of the other POTUSs, is he?

  40. 40.

    Alain the site fixer

    May 9, 2017 at 5:17 pm

    @Elizabelle: I took your timely suggestion to heart. Thanks for the prompt!

  41. 41.

    A Ghost to Most

    May 9, 2017 at 5:20 pm

    @Elizabelle:
    Concede the point; lazy wording on my part
    NPR Link I was thinking of

  42. 42.

    Shell

    May 9, 2017 at 5:20 pm

    What is she sitting in?

  43. 43.

    Sab

    May 9, 2017 at 5:20 pm

    @Denali: Not disappointed when he was out travelling around with James Baker in favor of voter ID laws, oblivious to the fact that that was a cornerstone of voter suppression?

  44. 44.

    hovercraft

    May 9, 2017 at 5:22 pm

    She’s gorgeous, but she looks like a real trouble maker.

  45. 45.

    hovercraft

    May 9, 2017 at 5:24 pm

    @raven:
    Carter never liked the Clinton’s and he was only so so on Obama, so I’m not surprised.

  46. 46.

    hovercraft

    May 9, 2017 at 5:26 pm

    @TenguPhule:
    Ahem, I was commenting on the show, it was other people who introduced those topics ; )

  47. 47.

    Alain the site fixer

    May 9, 2017 at 5:26 pm

    @Shell: a large purse. She’s a bit wee. Especially compared to my other, Iynx. She’s about 2.5x the weight and longer, taller, thicker, bigger head and sturdy chest. I’ll post her another time soon. They are both glorious girls and so interesting and challenging. They truly make life rich. And yes, the wife and I do prefer their company to most people!

  48. 48.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    May 9, 2017 at 5:27 pm

    Is it my imagination or is there a vibe that the GOP congress critters have shifted to adding the American public to their enemies list? I mean it would make sense, up tell now no one’s challenged their thinking and now they are finding out with the hearth care thing the American public loathes their ideas, so obvious to them it’s the American public who is wrong since the idiology is beyond question, but it’s a really bizarre line of thinking for a politician.

  49. 49.

    sigaba

    May 9, 2017 at 5:27 pm

    @raven: I suspect Jimmy didn’t stay home during the general because notadimesworthofdifferenceamirite.

  50. 50.

    TenguPhule

    May 9, 2017 at 5:29 pm

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    Is it my imagination or is there a vibe that the GOP congress critters have shifted to adding the American public to their enemies list?

    Its not your imagination. The House at least has all but slapped up a list written in blood on the doors outside of the chamber.

    And of course, that leads to the uncomfortable question of, “Why do they seem to think they’re gonna get away with this?”

  51. 51.

    Alain the site fixer

    May 9, 2017 at 5:30 pm

    @hovercraft: she just loves to chew and scratch and chew…on us, especially me and my hands. Scars you can’t believe. But I keep putting my hand in danger’s path because squee, but also I love her and she needs that. I try to not let it get out of hand but I often have a few blood spots. She is my faithful office girl, in my home office. For that I am truly grateful, except for the epidermis damage. ?

  52. 52.

    Baud

    May 9, 2017 at 5:31 pm

    @raven: Ironic, since Carter was considered the neoliberal shill of his day.

  53. 53.

    Major Major Major Major

    May 9, 2017 at 5:31 pm

    Wait, why are we mad at Carter for a primary vote?

  54. 54.

    hovercraft

    May 9, 2017 at 5:32 pm

    @Elizabelle:

    And scientists have found fragments of RNA from the 1918 Spanish flu virus in graves that are warming in Alaska. Exciting times.

    Hey who knows what exciting new adventures await us with the warmer planet, maybe the ““Sweating Sickness” can come back so that scientists can finally figure out what the hell it was, talk about survival of the fittest, that’ll take care of over population!
    See they really do want to help scientists, they want to challenge them to innovate and find new cures, they may not give them the money to do so, but hey lets see how resourceful they can be.

  55. 55.

    satby

    May 9, 2017 at 5:32 pm

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: yes, I’m noticing the same thing. But then, they aren’t in office to serve the American public, that’s just their cover, and it’s almost completely blown.

  56. 56.

    Baud

    May 9, 2017 at 5:32 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: We’re not. I think some people were confused about whether it was the primary or the general.

  57. 57.

    TenguPhule

    May 9, 2017 at 5:33 pm

    @Major Major Major Major:

    Wait, why are we mad at Carter for a primary vote?

    Because Wilmer is now Satan? Or something. I can’t really figure out the new purity line anymore.

    Can’t we all just focus on the real enemy and get back to the circular firing squads later?

  58. 58.

    Elizabelle

    May 9, 2017 at 5:37 pm

    @Alain the site fixer: Thank you.

    Her looks lovely, settled into that purse. It’s not just for foofy little dogs to ride around in.

  59. 59.

    hovercraft

    May 9, 2017 at 5:37 pm

    @Major Major Major Major:
    I’m not mad, or surprised. That’s what primaries are for to vote for your first choice, the general is for the survival of the planet. That’s where the purists go wrong.

  60. 60.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    May 9, 2017 at 5:37 pm

    @TenguPhule:

    Its not your imagination. The House at least has all but slapped up a list written in blood on the doors outside of the chamber.

    Ok, so I am not nutters. I am wondering if the result of all these town halls were the plebs dare question the wisdom of their betters had resulted in the GOP going kamakize out of the shere rage of finding out they were wrong.

  61. 61.

    Shell

    May 9, 2017 at 5:38 pm

    maybe the ““Sweating Sickness” can come back

    Hey, a ‘Wolf Hall’ shout-out.

  62. 62.

    jacy

    May 9, 2017 at 5:40 pm

    @A Ghost to Most:

    I’ve been suffering from insomnia, and so everything is a bit blurry and confusing, so for a moment I was trying to figure out how voting for Bernie caused an anthrax outbreak in reindeer. Because, currently, everything seems possible.

  63. 63.

    TenguPhule

    May 9, 2017 at 5:41 pm

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    I am wondering if the result of all these town halls were the plebs dare question the wisdom of their betters had resulted in the GOP going kamakize.

    The GOP have decided the solution to town halls going off the rails is to stop having town halls.

    Really not liking the vibes of how they seem to expect to stay in power while ignoring the people who will presumably vote next year. Its the kind of thing you expect from banana republics and places where voting is just a formality.

  64. 64.

    TenguPhule

    May 9, 2017 at 5:43 pm

    @jacy:

    so for a moment I was trying to figure out how voting for Bernie caused an anthrax outbreak in reindeer. Because, currently, everything seems possible.

    Of all the universes we could have gotten, we ended up in the worst possible one.

  65. 65.

    Mike J

    May 9, 2017 at 5:43 pm

    Trey Yingst‏ Verified account @TreyYingst 2m2 minutes ago
    BREAKING: President Trump has dismissed FBI Director James Comey, Press Secretary Spicer tells me

  66. 66.

    jl

    May 9, 2017 at 5:44 pm

    @TenguPhule: I really don’t understand the feud at all.
    If the Democratic Party cannot move beyond the 2016 choice between the Clinton platform and Sanders platform, and Clinton/Sanders feud, we will be in very big trouble. Now people are tracing people’s bloodlines to see if there is any taint of treachery.

    By 2020 I hope we can have some new candidates who can both win and effectively govern, not Clinton and not Sanders, and not Clinton and not Sanders mini-me’s and stand-ins. My problem with Clinton was that she is not a very good electoral politician and I thought she would manage to squeak out a loss, which she did. My fear about Sanders was that if he did win, he would not be able to deliver on his promises and would produce a frustrating administration. But both would be far superior to the dangerous clown we have now.

  67. 67.

    Major Major Major Major

    May 9, 2017 at 5:46 pm

    @TenguPhule: that’s quite a take on the anthropic principle.

  68. 68.

    raven

    May 9, 2017 at 5:47 pm

    Comey is out.

  69. 69.

    Raoul

    May 9, 2017 at 5:47 pm

    @Mike J: Just seeing this. WHoo boy.

    I really don’t even know what this means, except for the general sense of Shitshow, episode 109.

  70. 70.

    PsiFighter37

    May 9, 2017 at 5:47 pm

    Holy fuck, Comey got canned. Shit’s about to get really real…

  71. 71.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    May 9, 2017 at 5:48 pm

    @Mike J: Huh. I can imagine this going many different ways from here, few of them good.

    ETA: I wonder if Trump made the call himself. They say he actually hates firing people in real life, as opposed to on an ‘unscripted’ TeeVee show

  72. 72.

    Corner Stone

    May 9, 2017 at 5:48 pm

    WTF!!!

  73. 73.

    Mike J

    May 9, 2017 at 5:48 pm

    @PsiFighter37: I’m sure Trump’s letter from his law firm will clear everything right up.

  74. 74.

    cain

    May 9, 2017 at 5:49 pm

    Breaking – James Comey has been kicked out, he has been terminated!

  75. 75.

    Patricia Kayden

    May 9, 2017 at 5:49 pm

    Trump just fired Comey.

  76. 76.

    Keith P.

    May 9, 2017 at 5:49 pm

    @raven: I didn’t even know the president was able to fire the head of the FBI. I thought it was appointed.

  77. 77.

    JPL

    May 9, 2017 at 5:49 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: I know.. I thought it was a big nothing. @PsiFighter37: What..

  78. 78.

    Corner Stone

    May 9, 2017 at 5:49 pm

    CAPS LOCK JESUS IS FOR COOL! HOLY FUCK!!

  79. 79.

    randy khan

    May 9, 2017 at 5:49 pm

    @PsiFighter37:

    I just saw it myself. Wow.

    The local news radio station is reporting that Trump informed him of the firing, which is interesting in and of itself. I guess maybe they thought it would look strange for Sessions to do it.

  80. 80.

    Baud

    May 9, 2017 at 5:50 pm

    Ha! If Comey hadn’t interfered, he’s still ha e a job.

  81. 81.

    Mike J

    May 9, 2017 at 5:50 pm

    Letter/statement on Comey here.

  82. 82.

    jacy

    May 9, 2017 at 5:51 pm

    @raven:

    So who will be the new head of the FBI? Dick Cheney? Hitler’s reanimated corpse? Satan is too smart to get anywhere near the Trump admin.

  83. 83.

    Adria McDowell (formerly Lurker Extraordinaire

    May 9, 2017 at 5:51 pm

    @Patricia Kayden: This isn’t a shock, but it’s still worrying. The next FBI head is gonna suck worse than Comey.

  84. 84.

    raven

    May 9, 2017 at 5:51 pm

    @Keith P.: Nope

  85. 85.

    jl

    May 9, 2017 at 5:52 pm

    Yeah, I saw Comey firing as breaking news several places.

    And Spicer is saying unusually nutty and disturbing stuff:

    Spicer: WH Slow To Act On Yates’ Warning Because She Was ‘Political Opponent’
    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-delayed-action-on-yates-flynn-warning-because-she-was-political-opponent

    So, we inch closer to open lawlessness in executive and legal and constitutional crisis.
    Shit show gets deeper and stinkier.

    Worst case is that Trump was involved in dirty Russian money himself and desperate to cover it up. Or that Comey was close to getting the goods on so many of Trump’s flunkies, it would bring down the administration.

  86. 86.

    raven

    May 9, 2017 at 5:52 pm

    @jacy: Peter Sellers

  87. 87.

    Corner Stone

    May 9, 2017 at 5:53 pm

    This is sooooo fucking good. So good!!

  88. 88.

    Mike in NC

    May 9, 2017 at 5:53 pm

    Trump is such an ingrate. Maybe Jared will run FBI!

  89. 89.

    Raoul

    May 9, 2017 at 5:53 pm

    @raven: Huge difference between voting for Bernie in the primary and voting for ??? in the general election. I would certainly hope and expect that Carter voted HRC in the general. That Carter preferred further left (or whatever Bernie is) in the first round is part of normal party positioning and deciding who a party is.

    So, not really a big deal to me, I don’t think.

  90. 90.

    Adria McDowell (formerly Lurker Extraordinaire

    May 9, 2017 at 5:53 pm

    I also heard Dolt 45 hired a lawyer. Maybe the noose is closing in? Any investigation by FBI looks dead now.

  91. 91.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    May 9, 2017 at 5:53 pm

    @jacy: I wonder if trump wants to throw Chris Christie a bone….

  92. 92.

    Eljai

    May 9, 2017 at 5:53 pm

    Comey was just fired!?

  93. 93.

    Corner Stone

    May 9, 2017 at 5:53 pm

    I can hear the cackling from some woods in NY near Chappaqua.

  94. 94.

    Major Major Major Major

    May 9, 2017 at 5:53 pm

    As much as I’m glad to see Comey get his ass handed to him, kind of don’t want Donald Trump picking the next FBI director.

  95. 95.

    JPL

    May 9, 2017 at 5:54 pm

    @Corner Stone: no kidding

  96. 96.

    Yutsano

    May 9, 2017 at 5:54 pm

    SO.
    MUCH.
    FLOOF.

  97. 97.

    Mike J

    May 9, 2017 at 5:54 pm

    Trump’s letter to Comey firing him says,

    “while I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgement of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau.”

  98. 98.

    Patricia Kayden

    May 9, 2017 at 5:54 pm

    @Adria McDowell (formerly Lurker Extraordinaire: Rudy Giuliani.

  99. 99.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    May 9, 2017 at 5:55 pm

    Uh, did Comey get fired just now?

  100. 100.

    mai naem mobile

    May 9, 2017 at 5:55 pm

    Comey got canned. Shit,I want this guy to testify again. Whatever fucking committee…. House, Senate..
    I don’t care.

  101. 101.

    jacy

    May 9, 2017 at 5:56 pm

    Guy on CNN just mentioned that Comey is 6’8″ tall. Is this true? It strikes me as both factually bizarre, and a bizarre thing to report. I feel like I need to start drinking more.

  102. 102.

    Adria McDowell (formerly Lurker Extraordinaire

    May 9, 2017 at 5:56 pm

    @Patricia Kayden: Fuuuuuuuuuuuck him.

  103. 103.

    Keith P.

    May 9, 2017 at 5:56 pm

    Damn, the wording of Trump’s letter to Comey looks sketchy as hell:

    While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgement of the DOJ that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau.

  104. 104.

    HRA

    May 9, 2017 at 5:56 pm

    Trump was feeling the heat of the Russian investigation. He is even questioning Senator Graham about it now.

  105. 105.

    Major Major Major Major

    May 9, 2017 at 5:57 pm

    @Mike J: @Keith P.: Christ, what an asshole.

  106. 106.

    jacy

    May 9, 2017 at 5:57 pm

    @Mike J:

    What the ever-loving fuck? That’s insane.

  107. 107.

    mai naem mobile

    May 9, 2017 at 5:57 pm

    That is one adorable cat and i am not a cat person.

  108. 108.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    May 9, 2017 at 5:58 pm

    @Mike J: that’s probably the longest paragraph Trump ever read. I’m sure he read it aloud, with Ivanka and Jared sitting next to him, to make sure it said everything he wanted it to say.

  109. 109.

    Raoul

    May 9, 2017 at 5:59 pm

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    Is it my imagination or is there a vibe that the GOP congress critters have shifted to adding the American public to their enemies list?

    Oh, I think you’re correct. Just saw that Hatch is saying they won’t do the Senate AHCA version in open markup. Here at home, the MN GOP signed off on their conference committee reports very abruptly at 10:15 last night (ie: too late for the 10pm news, even a live cutaway is damn unlikely then). And had ‘hearings’ at 8:30 this morning and floor debate at 10am.

    A state that (up to now) set a pretty good bar for transparency and good governance, going with the Paul Ryan slam-n-jam shitshow. Fortunately our Governor has a spine and isn’t down with that timeline.

    But, yes, the GOP has realized that they are cockroaches, and have to legislate like cockroaches. Filthy rich cockroaches, of course…

  110. 110.

    Raoul

    May 9, 2017 at 6:01 pm

    @Elizabelle:

    scientists have found fragments of RNA from the 1918 Spanish flu virus in graves that are warming in Alaska. Exciting times.

    It seems like the earth’s checks and balances may work in ways our idiot politicians and greedy businesses have failed to appreciate.

  111. 111.

    mai naem mobile

    May 9, 2017 at 6:02 pm

    The Dems should get a couple of Republicans to come along and suggest Patrick Fitzgerald. The guy is clean as clean can be. He went after mostly Dems in Chicago. Nothing for Dolt to criticize.

  112. 112.

    Mel

    May 9, 2017 at 6:07 pm

    @Sab</
    A friend took her two elementary school aged sons to a rural county animal shelter years ago, to adopt a family cat, hoping to keep one kitty from death row, since the shelter was notorious for euthanizing animals with even very minor health issues (awful, awful place).

    They found a vivacious calico, but the boys quickly noticed a terrified, emaciated kitty, missing half of one ear, cowering alone in a cage near the back of the kitty area. The boys asked a shelter worker about her, and were told that she had been removed from a home, along with 8 other critters, and that the owner had been cited for multiple counts of abuse and cruelty. The worker claimed that the cat was "completely unadoptable" because of her absolute terror of people, and that she was scheduled to be euthanized.

    My friend and her sons begged to adopt her along with the calico, and after much pleading, were able to convince the shelter staff to let kitty go home with them.

    For two years, terrified kitty lived under their living room sofa, coming out only under cover of darkness to use the box and eat, and only after everyone was asleep. The boys and my friend would quietly slip toys and treats under the sofa for her, and their terrific vet made housecalls for kitty's yearly checkups.

    One night, about two and a half years after Sofa Cat had arrived home with them, my friend awakened to find Sofa Cat sleeping on the edge of her pillow. She didn't move, didn't say a word for fear of startling kitty. About an hour later, she felt a paw tentatively reach out and touch her chin. After that, every night until that kitty passed away at age 13, she would come out after the lights went off, and snuggle in with my friend. It eventually got to the point where my friend could leave a very dim light on, and Sofa Kitty would play with a Da Bird toy, and even sit next to my friend or the boys and let the family gently pet her. Sofa Cat slept on my friend's pillow every night after that, purring them both to sleep and gently patting my friend's face every so often during the night.

    Sofa Cat never voluntarily showed herself in the light of day, though, and still lived under the sofa in daytime and whenever strangers arrived. One of the boys set up a camcorder to see if kitty came out during the day while the house was empty of people. Nope. Sofa Cat, all day long.

    Although their Calico kitty was much beloved, Sofa Cat held a special, special place in their hearts. She was especially precious to my friend, who had left an abusive marriage when her boys were tiny babies and started her life again from scratch, in order to give her boys and herself a chance at a happy, safe future. She used to say that SC was the bravest creature she ever met, and the finest cat she had ever known.

  113. 113.

    mai naem mobile

    May 9, 2017 at 6:08 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: more like it was written for him. Maybe by Sessions,Jared or Reince. Maybe Spicey. I know I’m not supposed to feel sorry for him but I kind of feel sorry for Spicey. He’s got to be so stressed out
    I am surprised he’s not stroked out or had an MI. I would be nauseous all day with a job like that.

  114. 114.

    cain

    May 9, 2017 at 6:08 pm

    new thread! New thread, oh dear god in heaven! NEW THREAD!

    okay, carry on.

  115. 115.

    Elizabelle

    May 9, 2017 at 6:12 pm

    And the firing of James Comey blows sweet Echo off the top of the page.

    But Echo will be back.

  116. 116.

    A Ghost to Most

    May 9, 2017 at 6:14 pm

    @Mel: What a great story. The rescue cat we adopted in the wake of Tunch’s passing was also from a bad situation, and took a while to come around. Freaked out the first time I set her in the grass.

  117. 117.

    Alain the site fixer

    May 9, 2017 at 6:20 pm

    @Elizabelle: yeah, she’s like that. Her name is a whole ‘nother story, as they say. Nothing to do with sound and everything to do with being a mountain nymph.

  118. 118.

    Mel

    May 9, 2017 at 6:29 pm

    @hovercraft:
    I saw a couple of articles acfew years back, wherein some epidemiologists and a professor from Lancaster University (his theory was written ip in Discover magazine, if I remember correctly) postulated that the Sweating Sickness might have been Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, like what hit the Four Corners region here in the states heavily decades ago and periodically shows up in isolated cases.

    It seems to match pretty well: rapid onset, confusion, sweats, fever, extreme respiratory distress. Becomes airborne when the dried droppings of infected mice are disturbed by cleaning, by household activity, etc.

    So… health inspectors, decent public waste management, and public health monitoring and education (check out the CDC warning about hantavirus and cleaning out owl and raptor bird houses – it’ll give you nightmares!!) help keep it at bay, and all that is on the chopping block now.

    I shudder to think…

  119. 119.

    Elizabelle

    May 9, 2017 at 7:05 pm

    @Baud:

    Ha! If Comey hadn’t interfered, he’s still ha e a job.

    That is the sweet beauty of this.

  120. 120.

    TenguPhule

    May 9, 2017 at 7:35 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: I have yet to see something that proves me wrong.

  121. 121.

    manyakitty

    May 10, 2017 at 7:53 am

    @Alain the site fixer: Late to the party, but what a gorgeous kitty! I love my mutt DSH cats, but you’re tempting me.

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