Looks like we need an open thread. Here’s some lighter fare for you: I have a couple of strays who’ve been visiting regularly since around Christmas time. Crusty Oliver is a white cat with grey bits, obviously an unfixed male who often turns up looking fresh from a fight. Nervous Chuck is a big brown tabby with something strange going on with his back hips (note, however, that I haven’t confirmed Chuck is male – could be a lady).
Yesterday I mopped the floor in the kitchen/diner, which opens on the patio. I propped open the back door to help the floor dry faster, left the room to put the mop away, and when I came back, a catnip fish that had been lying on the mat was now outside, being mauled by Nervous Chuck.
Crusty is down with the ‘nip as well.
I guess it’s nice that they’re sharing. (And yes, I’ll be weeding and re-filling the spaces in the patio slabs soon.)
Open thread.
OCD
KITTY
Joy in FL
I love those photos. Thank you for sharing those adorable English kitties : )
prostratedragon
Reprise: Bodega Cats on BlueSky
Those fellows could swap stories with Crusty Oliver and Nervous Chuck, I’m sure.
trollhattan
Scene: waiting room, in line for my jabs at the allergy clinic.
Little girl, maybe four, leans towards me holding out a card,
“Would you like this card?”
“What is it?”
“It’s a coupon.”
“Coupon for what?”
“Dyslexia.”
“Oh?”
[Mom whispers to girl.]
“It’s for prescriptions. Would you like it?”
“Oh, thanks very much, but I already have a lot of those.”
Kids.
Rose Judson
@prostratedragon: Once the Bodega Cats stopped laughing at Chuck and Ollie’s Brummie accents, I’m sure they’d all get on famously.
Bunter
While scrolling through YouTube shorts yesterday, the algo decided to show me Clawsable Heated Cat Houses? I’m not sure why but they had them outside for strays and if I had a yard, I might consider it. They look really nice.
Rose Judson
@Bunter: I have a very nice kitty quonset hut with a washable fleece lining! It’s not heated, though I sometimes leave one of those hand warmers inside it on cold nights.
J.
Love the names and the photos.
rikyrah
they are too cute
Bunter
@Rose Judson:
That’s really sweet.
They Call Me Noni
Looks like they just could not resist a little nip of the nip! Very polite of them to take it outside.
And no-one is judging your patio weeds.
Spanky
I’m not sure we’ve had a thread about mopping since … well, you know.
prostratedragon
@Rose Judson: You say that’s English, eh?
//gumcracking
That thing with the “i” in words like sit or bit is on the way to what I’ve heard from NZers, who sign their names with a meeneemum of eeffort. Maybe that comes from Midlands?
cmorenc
You should plant catnip in the spaces betwen the patio blocks.
Timill
I hope you have a patio knife to weed out the cracks between blocks.
Josie (also)
You really made their day!
KrackenJack
Yeah. No judgement on the patio – especially after the kitties. My philosophy / revealed preference is “Let a thousand weeds bloom!”
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
Lovely post and photos, thanks! Is there any way you could catnap Oliver and get him neutered? I bet the whole neighborhood would thank you ❤️
featheredsprite
Crusty is old.
UncleEbeneezer
It’s a small world after all…
A few days ago I decided rather than selling a wah pedal that I’m just not feeling anymore, I’d donate it to some other victims of the Eaton Canyon Fire. So I reached out to a guy who runs a FB page dedicated to replacing musical instruments for residents of Altadena and the Palisades. He connected me with a guy who was the perfect candidate.
So I called him and talked to him today. Nice guy. We shared our stories and it was very nice. When I described where I lived as “the set of white, orange-picker cottages on Pine between Lake and Santa Rosa” he said “Oh shit, I know exactly where you’re talking about. In fact I was up there a few years ago to collect another guitar pedal someone was giving away…”
That was me. I still remember the pedal and the day I put it on the Buy Nothing Altadena page. He had BEEN TO OUR HOUSE!!! That fact made me feel oddly comforted (it’s like finding out someone knew your deceased loved one) but also incredibly sad. Anyways, it’s a small world/city of Altadena.
MCat
Thanks for the photos of the lovely English kitties. And the weeds are very pretty. Nice English weeds.
TEL
I’ve got my own version of Nervous Chuck where I live as well, also a brown tabby with some kind of odd hip issue (which fortunately doesn’t seem to be causing any mobility problems). Mine, however is a small girl kitty that belongs to one of my neighbors. The kitty’s been trying her best to adopt me ever since the neighbor left for a week and her sitter pretty much left her outside the whole time. When I saw she was losing weight I started feeding her which is probably why she’s trying to move in with me.
I’ve spoken to my neighbor – she’s trying to get her to come home every night so hopefully…
BigJimSlade
@UncleEbeneezer: Nice story!
I hadn’t really played any of my instruments in years. The acoustic guitar (a lower level, ie., cheapish, Martin) got a little use a year or so ago… But beyond that, I had a Rickenbacker that had the body like their basses (it wasn’t a very popular model, but I liked it’s sound – it’s pickups were P90-like), and a lower level Parker. The jewel though was my bass, made by a guy named Mark Campellone. He doesn’t make basses anymore, but I got it in the 90s because it was the closest thing I could find to a basic Alembic.
Since I hadn’t been playing, those are on the bottom of the “things to replace” list, if I ever get around to it. But, damn, I liked having them. (Palisades Fire ate them.)
WaterGirl
@BigJimSlade: If you get a chance and you’re up for it, maybe you can drop me a line and let me know how things are going after you lost your place in the fire?
I often wonder how you’re doing but almost never catch you in the comments.
UncleEbeneezer
@BigJimSlade: Ugh, sorry to hear of your losses. I imagine there are groups doing a similar thing for victims of the Palisades Fire.
BigJimSlade
@WaterGirl: Hi! I’m around pretty much every day – I mostly lurk (and don’t always go through all the comments). We’re doing pretty well. We really like the part of town we’re staying in (Los Feliz) and we’re hoping to hear more about the rebuilding options for our townhouses (officially condos) soon. And kitty (Phoebe) has made the adjustment very well, too. But since my mom’s place also burned, that has caused some extra work and stress, but it’s all coming together (and my brother and sister are doing a lot of that).
When we travel, we often get a 1BR or studio apartment somewhere (since we like to day hike in the Alps, there are plenty of vacation residences available). So our current life in a 1BR furnished apartment (which just happens to be a pool house in the yard of my childhood best friend) is kinda like being on a trip. But for something like 2 years instead of 2 weeks.
BigJimSlade
@UncleEbeneezer: There might be, but it’s not crucial for me – I just liked some of my old objects, which happened to be pretty decent musical instruments. In a couple years (when we have our place back), if I get the itch to play again, I’ll look into what instruments might tempt me :-)
BigJimSlade
@UncleEbeneezer: I looked it up to see what the model on the Rick was – it was a 480. And this was the bass.
Chris T.
@Joy in FL:
Do English kitties meow with a British accent?
Chris T.
@Rose Judson: Dammit, joke beaten!
WaterGirl
@BigJimSlade: Just seeing this now on 5/10 as I am closing some of the million tabs I have open in my browser., But happy to have the update!
WaterGirl
@BigJimSlade:
I suspect you are lucky to have that, but living like that for 2 years is a very long time!