August 6, 2008

Just the usual stuff going on. This morning Bessie was up on the kitchen table again (she knows our morning rituals) and she had her usual coffee yogurt. When Daddy was reading the paper after having finished his breakfast, she as usual stuck her rump by him and, before he knew it, was busy slurping up the dregs of milk from his cereal bowl.

Oh, by the way, this email just in to me from Daddy: "Walked through the kitchen before I went to minyan and heard a meowing. I looked under the table and the den chair - no cat. Then I opened the basement door. Presto! In a while, she climbed onto the kitchen table (no surprise) then proceeded to climb up me and ensconce herself around my neck. So I got her off, then proceeded to make an aluminum foil ball - I know, you hate that! I threw it, Bessie went charging after it - and so did Ginger!!! Out of nowhere. And so ... they come face to face. Bessie sits. Ginger sits. And then they just sat there. Finally, Bessie moved on. By the way, the foil ball is under some chair but I don't know which."

I hate the aluminum balls because they get hidden all over the place and turn up weeks later, usually having accumulated cat-hair in the interim.

Yesterday evening I made salmon croquettes, among other things, for dinner. Whenever I have done this in the past, Ginger and Cinnamon get a little sampling of salmon on saucers by the sink. Bessie being in the kitchen at the time, I decided to see if she'd like some. She did. And then along comes Ginger. What to do? I gave her some in her own saucer and put it a hand-span away from Bessie, stood back and waited to see what would happen. Each ate their own, although Bessie did try and make for Ginger's portion as well. Which is funny, because usually Ginger would try and eat Cinnamon's portion. They eyed each other but kept eating. When both had finished, and only then, Ginger decided to throw in a growl for good luck. I stamped my foot at her and she ran off.

I think by this time that Ginger's growling is more of a pro forma thing. Even though they both instigate skirmishes, there doesn't seem to be any real malice in it; neither has drawn any blood in the other. There are actually times when they are laying quite happily almost next to each other. Go figure!