Today

Today was a good day, the people stayed home with me most of the day.  Then, I got to go outside.  Jean doesn't like for me to stick my nose down in holes but I do when I'm fast enough to do it before she says NO or when she's not looking.  It's fun, sometimes if the hole smells interesting I put one eye over the hole and look down in there.  After awhile I saw a cute little yellow butterfly.  I played in the grass with it for awhile, then it decided to rest and wouldn't play anymore.  I looked at one of those hard shelled black bugs that make me gag, then I saw an ant on the sidewalk and decided it was time to come in, it was getting late.  

Home alone!

Tom and Jean went to Tucson yesterday so I was home alone, well except of Lulu and Lari and they can't get out of their room.  I'm not saying what I did!  The kitchen door was left open so I could have gone in the kitchen, jumped on the counter and visited through the window with the L's but I'm not saying I did.  I could have gone through the kitchen into the mud room, the little bathroom or into Tom's cubbyhole and snooped, I'm not saying I did but I could have and nobody would know.  When I'm home alone I'm in charge so I could do anything I wanted to but I'm a good kitty kitty and of course I would never do any of those things........but I could if I wanted to.  

Art day!

Today was art day, I hate art day!  It messes up my routine.  I don't even come out and say hello unless it's a direct order and then I have to be nice  and let everyone pet me if they want to.  Sometimes they want to see my belly (I have a really pretty belly, Jean tells me all the time) and feel the soft fur there, I really don't want strangers touching me there, what if they are dirty or what if they put something on me that doesn't smell good or what if they have fleas!  Yikes!  Most of the time they stay out in Studio 3 and paint and if they have to be here, that 's the best place for them.  They left a little while ago and I'm so happy!  I get in my chair and take out the days' frustration by sharpening my claws and making a lot of noise.  Then I talk about how awful it was and tell them not to ever invite those people over here ever again but they will because they like to have the people.  I have to stay on guard when they are here because one of them might come in and want to pet me or heaven forbid pick me up and who knows one of them might try to take me home with them!  One woman said she could just eat me up, well I can tell you that didn't make me like her any better!  I'm too well mannered to be rude but I was thinking, "lady, you just try it and I'll show you what I'm made of!".  One good thing is they haven't made me model for the group yet but there is that possibility because I've heard them talk about how much fun it would be to paint me............oh my, another thing to worry about on art day! 

Brave or stupid

Last night we had a big thunder storm.  I was determined to stay on the bed and be brave, then there was a big clap of thunder, the TV and lights went out with a crack making Jean jump and I was under the bed.  I don't even know how it happened, I was just under there and since I was under there I decided to use a little common sense and stay under there.  

Mop day!

Today is one of my favorite days, mop day!  I got up early from my long afternoon nap so I could walk all over the wet floors.  It feels good on my paws and it makes nice designs, then after it dries I can see where I've been!  I used to run and slide but after banging my head on things a few times I decide walking was better.   Fun fun fun!   Now the floors are dry so I'm going back for another nap.

In and out of the closet

We have these big heavy wooden doors on some of the closets that hang from runners above.  That's all that holds them.  Humans slide them, one goes behind the other but I can't slide them unless someone leaves a crack big enough for me to get my paws in.  I learned a long time ago that if I sit beside a regular door, turn my paw upside down under the door and pull that sometimes I can open a door.  Other doors I have to push with my head and shoulder.  Other doors are a problem because they latch but I give them my best shot.  From trial and error, I learned how to get in the closets with the big sliding doors.  I start pulling on the one in front and I push on the one behind, this is done in the middle, the big banging noise is fun to make.  As soon as there is a space big enough I wedge my head and shoulders in real fast, it hurts when they try to bang back together but I don't let that stop me.  Once my head and shoulders are in, I just squeeze on in and I'm in the closet!  I have to repeat the process to get out and sometimes that can be a problem because there is limited space in there.  It makes a lot of noise and I only like to do it at night when it's dark...........that's when I get in trouble because it sounds like someone is breaking in and would wake the dead.  If I get in without waking anyone, I sometimes take a nap or just snoop.  Then, I try to get out and run so I can pretend I didn't have a thing to do with making that noise.  To help me pass the time when I'm modeling I think of all the things I want to do and make plans, that helps me be still and hold the pose.

In Trouble!

She says she's going to keep me awake all day because I banged the closet doors last night!  It's so hard to be good!  Yeah, I know, I've got a big mouth and there's a big sound that comes out of it too.

My Morning

My first job of the day is to make rounds.  I check everywhere to make sure a sneaky rabbit, bird or other critter from outside hasn't invaded my space during the night.  I look in all the rooms, under things and behind things and I open all doors that I can! The humans don't know it but I check perimeters a couple of times during the night too but I have to be very quiet for a lot of reasons.  Usually everything is fine.  The next order of business since Tom has opened the front and back doors this time of year is to guard the doors.  I stand guard and show the rabbits that I'm fit and ready for battle if they try coming in.  There are these birds that fly up and land on the screen pretending to get a bug off it but I know they are casing the joint and I slap the screen which makes them go away for a little while. Jean and Tom don't seem to realize the danger, they just sit around drinking tea and coffee while I keep us all safe.  

Bugs, Bees and Ants

When I lived in Alabama, I learned why Tom doesn't like bees and I learned not to mess around with bees, bugs and ants or any of their cousins.  They look innocent enough, something fun that a cat could play with......not so!  This picture was taken right before the hornet stung me on the nose.  I went to a lot of trouble climbing up on the deck railing, getting balanced so I could see the hornet.  Then, I decided I should smell it and that's when it got me! I fell off the railing and my nose swelled up so big I thought my face would explode.  No amount of rubbing it or licking it helped, I thought I would die!  I have been careful since then not to have anything to do with those hateful things!  

A good night's sleep

I slept so good my eyes don't want to open! 

Rainy Sunday Afternoon

What do you do on a rainy Sunday afternoon?  Read the sports section and take a nice cat nap.  
Later on in the day it stopped raining and I went outside.  I chased a lizard, then I think it chased me and I had to do another ballet move to keep it from getting me!  No pictures this time, sorry.  Speaking of rain, just this year I've decided that I like being in the rain as long as it's not thundering and it's only drizzling.  The good thing about being in the rain is the ants and bugs don't like the rain so I don't have to worry about those pesky ants and the black bugs that make me gag when I look at them, I know I shouldn't look but I just can't stop myself!  

The mole hunter

My Chair

I have my own chair.  My nails get clipped so they are blunt on the ends and I have to work hard to get them sharp again, I wonder why because they just get clipped again!  I love my chair, it is My chair but every time I get it looking good just like I like, it gets traded out for another one or a cover put over it.  In this picture, I'm balanced up on the back of it and you can see some of the work I've done making it look like a tough cat's hangout.  I'm a mighty warrior cat sitting on top of my chair.  I get in the seat, put my back feet on the lower part of the chair back to brace myself and go to work with my front claws.  I make lots of noise ripping and shredding the chair.  It makes me strong in case I have to protect myself from those sneaky mean rabbits in the yard!   

Me and my big mouth!

Here's one that I didn't have to model for, I got sleepy trying to hold a pose sitting there on that nice clean soft quilt, who wouldn't!  Tom snapped the picture while my mouth was wide open.  I can open really wide.  The painting on the right was done by Jean from the photograph.  

A favorite thing

One of my favorite things about summer is eating grass, it's so yummy and particularly nice when someone feeds it to me.   I ate a bunch yesterday when I was outside, then I laid down in it while the rain sprinkled on me.  Just a good time to enjoy life until of course Someone came along and made me go inside.  I like getting wet on my own terms not by a bath!  Cool cats like me should not have to take baths!  

Feeling Old!

I woke up this morning at 5, well actually I didn't wake up but I decided it might be safe to get up and look out the window.  It's OK for me to wander around as a cat should at night as long as I am quiet!  If I meet Tom in the hall, I pretend I don't see him because I'm not sure I'm even supposed to be there.  I could hear the birds outside and I wanted to look out the window but that chest looked further away than it used to and I just wasn't sure I could make that jump.  I sat there, looking and looking and I just felt old so I laid my head down like an old cat and just listened to the birds thinking how nice it would be if I could just know I could make that jump.  Everyone got up and we went about our daily routine.  I got fed, brushed, combed, scratched, petted and vibrated which is a real treat and makes me feel awesome.  Then, wonder of wonders!  Here comes Tom with a nice carpeted ramp that goes from the bed to the chest!  Now, I can take the ramp up to the bed, run straight across the bed and up the new ramp to the window!  I really am a good boy, life is good!

Willie the wonder cat

My name is Willie.  I am 14 years old.  Born in Alabama in a hay cave under the big round bales of hay in the wee hours of July 4th.  I soon moved into the house and have only spent one night outside since, that's when the boogiebear chased me to the woods, I barely made it up into a big tree.  I'm really glad that boogiebears can't climb trees!

I have been working since I was a baby.  It's hard work sitting still for artists to paint me but I've learned to "stay", "sit", and look at the camera, plus a lot of other things that get me treats.  I've been painted many times and people say I'm very handsome.

Here's a picture from a modeling session.  I really had to pee, I was glad when the timer dinged, that means I can take 5.  

This one was taken on my birthday, what's a birthday?  Anyway, I got this yummy catnip and a doll but I don't play with dolls......really, I don't!