Taking Napping Seriously

Day 121 - It's not as though the Internet needs any more cat pictures.

   

I've learned a lot from these two. The weather's hot and they spend most of their time sleeping. I respect that. Even though they cry a lot whenever they're hungry, their laziness has become an inspiration to me.

Cats Must Adjust Too

Day 86 - There's a false belief that humanity shares an extensive common core.

   

On the contrary, we are all products of our own situation. We've adjusted to our families. We've become what we are because of our community and our place within it. We also are definitely products of our nation and time. Rather than a common core, it's rather amazing whenever we can understand each other at all! 

Today, I was amused to see how happy one of the cats was. Jay's sister put out a coconut that'd been scraped. The birds love picking the inside of the shell clean. Cats in Sri Lanka, also enjoy coconuts. It seems our pets are also a product of their location and environment.

Getting Into Trouble

Photo Credit:  Midjourney.  Text Credit: Bing AI.

Lily, Luna, and Leo were three Siamese kittens who lived in a big house with their owner. They were very curious and playful, and they liked to explore every corner of the house. They had many toys, but their favorite thing to do was to climb on the sofa and play with the cushions. One day, they found a new toy on the sofa: a soft blue pillow with white stripes. Lily, Luna, and Leo thought it looked like a giant candy cane, and they wanted to try it. 

They jumped on the pillow and started to nibble and claw it. The pillow was fluffy and sweet, and it made a crinkly sound when they bit it. The kittens had so much fun that they didn't notice the stuffing coming out of the pillow. Soon, the sofa was covered with blue and white fluff. 

The trio stopped playing when they heard their owner's voice. They looked at each other with wide eyes and realized what they had done. They had wrecked the pillow! They wondered if they would get in trouble for making such a mess. They quickly hid behind the sofa and hoped their owner wouldn't find them. 

Their owner came into the living room and saw the sofa. She looked around and saw three pairs of blue eyes staring at her from behind the sofa. She smiled and shook her head. She knew Lily, Luna, and Leo were just adventurous kittens who didn't know any better. She picked them up and hugged them. The owner told them that they were naughty but adorable and that she loved them anyway.

When Going Uptown ...

Today, the weather showed a glimpse of what we came back to British Columbia for.  Although still a tad chilly, the weather held the promise of better days to come.

Jay and I drove uptown and stopped for a short while at Queen's Park.  I was very disappointed when I read that our little city will no longer allow a petting zoo in this park.  For nearly two dozen years, since we became residents of New Westminster, we enjoyed seeing the farm animals each summer.  We will have no goats to pet nor bunnies to stroke.  It will not be possible to see the joy in small children having their first encounter with a pig or a chicken.  Alas, that is really sad!

I plugged Kimchi, our EV, into one of the city's fast DC chargers as we took a small 20-minute walk.  It felt good NOT being all bundled up when outdoors.

A Bit Wary

Day 6 -Jay has always been a bit of a feral cat magnet. I've really noticed this fact since we took early retirement and spend winters away from Canada. We tend to go to places where there are more cats than homes. In Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, he befriended a number of 'community cats' and contributed to their well being through food and affection. In Luxor, Egypt, he became friendly with a little one and sadly had to have it put-down at a vet after it got run over by a motorcycle and ended up with a broken back. Also, in SE Asia, Jay collected feral feline friends. In many of those places people feed the homeless cats and take care of them as best they can.



Throughout the years there have always been cats and often dogs at his home here in Sri Lanka. However, recently one they owned died leaving the house pet-free. Then, in the garden, a mother cat appeared and wanted shelter to raise babies. It seems that out of two litters, a little black & white one survives. Either a mongoose or monitor lizard got a few, we suspect.

This cat runs when we encounter it, but Jay's sisters put out food for the birds and animals daily and the cats have come to expect free meals. This small cat was perhaps the runt of the litter. However, she is getting pretty used to people and now allows Jay and his younger sister to pick her up.

Look Me in the Eye

Day 129 - Often, as soon as I press the shutter, I know I got something good. Meet the Coconut Cat.



We saw this cat when we went for a walk this evening. He was in the middle of the public area near some restaurants. He looked comfortable in his own skin.

Jay and I realized we'd not been many steps over the course of the day. Our earlier trip to the supermarket hadn't moved my Mi Band much. So, we combined a walk through the close Little India with the chance to buy some freshly-made Indian parota and vada. Take-away is so easy here and cheap!

Four Little Things

Day 39 - Some days, I just don't have a lot of text inside of me. There weren't a whole lot of things I wanted to say today so I will show just four photos I took with my phone.

The first shows our security cat. This ginger cat has no specific owner, it sort of belongs to everyone. It can often be found near the guard house to our apartment complex. The security staff feed it and it does have a nice comfortable hassock on which to sleep. It turns inside out to be petted and in order to play.



I took the second photo with my Instaweather app. I took this to paste on Facebook. I like plastering the temperature as a way to show off my current location. In this case, it is the view from the rear of our building. I used to use 'Fahrenheit' for folks in those countries which haven't adopted the world's standard measurements; namely, the US, Myanmar (Burma), and Liberia. If you're from one of those places, I might have to add that 27C converts to a bit over 80F.



In the third photograph, we were walking to our closest bus stop in Relau. We pass over this canal when doing so. Yesterday was rainy, so it recently had a deluge of water passing through it. The water runs off the mountainous slopes behind our apartment building.



Lastly, we took the bus to the Tesco Supermarket. Jay carried back two bags of groceries. I came back with a case of Tiger beer as it was on sale. The price was only a bit cheaper than in Vancouver. Malaysia does not have inexpensive beer, but most places on earth have cheaper beer prices than British Colombia!

A Final Showing

Suddenly, right on schedule, summer is over. It may not have arrived until mid-August, but that hasn't prevented it from running away on Labour Day.




Today, the temperature struggled to get to 14C, or 57.2 on the other scale. There was no sun in sight. The ground stayed damp all day. This is always the Monday of the year which officially ends it all. And in respect for tradition, we ventured up to Queen's Park. One surefire way of celebrating summer in New Westminster is to go up to see the animals in our petting zoo. However, a lack of them will mean summer is over. From tomorrow, the doors will be locked.

The cow had apparently hoofed it out of there a bit earlier. We did manage to say goodbye to the pigs, bunnies, sheep, chickens, peacocks, and geese. More to the point, we weren't alone in our desire to pet a final so long to the goats.

After, the Rose Garden, next door, silently signaled a similar death to the season. Only a few roses struggled to keep hold of their plants, and things have taken on a look of decided finality. The banana plants made it pretty far this year, but sadly the blossoms and fruit will come to naught.

Goats in the City

As I'd driven uptown to pick up a few things, I decided to make a few minute's use of the sunshine and pop into Queen's Park.


This is now the beginning of our long weekend and Victoria Day signals the unofficial start of summertime in Canada. It was lovely to see all the public green space and a few moms with their kids enjoying the cool but sunny weather.



The real reason I went however was to sneak a peek at any animals which may have arrived early at the petting zoo. Many of the farm animals on loan for the summer were already adjusting to their new environment. The gate was still locked tightly but always opens over the Victoria Day long weekend. It's a lovely tradition in the city of New Westminster. Even today, a few exotic peacocks were happily strutting their stuff for the few outside onlookers.

I'm always as excited as the children in having a chance to pet these critters during the summer months. I could sense a few of these small livestock were impatient for a good chin-scratching.

ACE in Luxor - Day 148

Animal Care in Egypt is a charity in Luxor that is involved in the care of large working animals, education for owners and children, and free veterinary clinic services for small animals.

It's on the East Bank a bit south of the city. It was a pleasure to see people who care about animal welfare so adamantly. For example, we saw a horse which has been recovering after a shed fire killed about 15 of its stablemates. Angel was aptly named and was the only survivor. We also saw a few donkeys that were recovering from broken legs.


Our reason for seeing the place was ultimately sad however.



We brought in our little cat for inspection by the vet. It indeed did have several fractures which would have prevented it from having any sort of normal, pain-free life. So much changed from yesterday when it appeared to be improving. It didn't want to eat or drink today and hardly moved. We took a taxi to the clinic. Just like going to the airport, this meant driving all the way down to the bridge and partially back on the other side of the river. We petted it as it was given its injection.

It had only been a part of our lives for a week and a half but made quite a deep and lasting impact. I'm happy that it got to know and interact with humans.

Life - Day 145

Not all days turn out well. Today, is an example of a sad day. I realize how blessed we are because over the dozen-year run of this blog, there are so very few of these. Here's why I'm sad:

During past two or three days, an orphaned black and white kitten jumped onto the scene and into our hearts. The spunky little cat would be waiting near the gate every time it opened to get a free meal and attention.

This morning he didn't arrive. We sort of wondered where he might have gone. A few hours later, Jay went outside to walk around, but I am sure it was expressly to see where the young cat was. Sure enough, Jay returned with the half dead creature in his arms. He'd found it beside the road and it obviously had been hit by a motorcycle or vehicle. It must have been hours since it had anything to drink and had been was lying out in the hot sun.

We spoon-fed it some milk with ground aspirin. Obviously, one of its front legs seemed paralyzed. It couldn't get up. It looked like it had a small neck wound but we didn't and still don't know about internal injuries. We put it on a rag in the corner and hoped it would sleep. Flies started to come, so we placed him inside the cool laundry room. It seems strong but angry as it doesn't know what is wrong and why it can't get up. I only half expect it to live. As we're leaving in a few weeks, I cannot imagine it having a happy life even if it pulls though.

I feel sad because more than once I thought it was a shame that Jay found it at all. In a few more hours it surely would have been dead. Now, it meows, still cannot sit upright, and might be in pain. As well, I also feel sad because on the news daily there are reports of dozens of dead people in many parts of the world. This, after all, is only a cat. Then, I feel a little sad for forgetting that life in all its forms is precious.

I will post a picture of our first encounter with it, when it was still afraid of people, but had such a potentially different future. This was just 10 days ago.

Another Temporary Cat - Day 142

We've had several friendly dogs frequently visit us this winter. They are from the neighbourhood but come to our place expecting bread sticks and chicken scraps. Up until recently we've had no contact with local felines as most seem fairly feral.

Now, we have only three weeks remaining of our five months stay at the Villa Diletta on Luxor's West Bank. It's ironic that we have now befriended a kitten that was born in the neighbour's chicken and duck shed. We fed it a bit before we went down to the coast this week.


Over the last few days, however, it's become pretty confident. It likes the chicken scraps and Jay boils eggs for it. It likes being petted and picked up now.




We don't want it to become too dependent on us. Yet, we want to ensure that it can cope by being friendly with the many tourists and locals in the area. It'll have a better chance getting food and affection in the future if it trusts people.

Symbiosis- Day 129

We just fed one of the neighbourhood dogs as he happened by the gate. He relies on the kindness of strangers. In return, he provides protection and entertainment. He also provides us with that warm feeling when giving charity. In the photo above he was resting in our garden at the beginning of the year.

Strangely, I happened upon a very old blog entry today. It too contained a pet. In Canada we've had a number of hamsters as pets because they are quite easy to take care of. Obviously, they can be quite portable too.

The Cat's Got My Tongue - Day 130

I spent the day much like this neighbourhood cat. I have to remember that there will always be some days when I don't have much to add here. Today was one and for that I'm thankful.

Fresh Vegetables

This hamster gets really fresh food from our balcony.

Refusing to Participate

Today, our hamster chose not to take part in any of the Groundhog Day festivities. Instead, the present domesticated beast, stuck to its usual schedule. This means it was soundly asleep during daylight hours. In fact, I woke it up at around 7:00 pm in order to clean its cage.

Due to this fact, I cannot be sure about how many weeks of winter we have left. I think we're going to be getting some Arctic air over the next few days, for the first time this winter, really. I've heard it may get to -10C (14F) tomorrow night. I don't think it would have helped getting the hamster up earlier as we had no sun today in New Westminster. The hamster wouldn't have been able to see any shadow at all.

Spoilt First-Borns

In most families, the first-born child gets more attention than later siblings. Parents may, as a general rule, be more nervous about being in a new role. Yet, the lucky initial offspring often receive more attention even if less it is less proficient or efficient. I'd venture that the first child generally ends up in more photos. The newness of each experience probably lessens, as the number of kids increases.



I do know that we've already had this hamster for about a month, but I only took two photos of it when it first arrived at home. Realizing the deficiency, I thought the blog required another. I have been lax with Ms. Eight!

Hold Still and Say, "Cheese."

Something new is living here. We picked up a Syrian hamster on the way back from the supermarket today.

We've had a number of the little rodents stretching back nearly since we arrived in Canada. They have never had real names. The first one was called Hamster only. That initial fellow was posthumously renamed to Hamster One, after we got the second. If I recall, Hamster Four had been previously called Little Buddy by prior owners. For you see, we adopted him from friends of friends who were leaving town.

I think there have been three since then. I tried looking on Flickr to get a better idea. It is a little hard to figure as their names sort of reverted back to just Hamster. Yet, we'll go with Ms. Eight for this one, for sure.

People who haven't had a number might think they are all the same. Well, they do come in differing colours and with different hair lengths. Yet, each has had his or her own personality. Some we've owned have been jumpers and climbers, while others were lethargic. Many have had food favourites, and we even had one who turned his nose up at cheese.



Ms. Eight is a little too new for us to know her preferences or traits. It does seem she doesn't like to be photographed. I must have snapped a dozen pictures and only this one was suitable for inclusion here. She must be too much of a diva to look directly into the lens.

Photo for Ewe

I am glad this was the beginning of my weekend. As I am teaching on Saturday and Sunday, today I had no duties or obligations. I did drive up to Edmonds in the morning. I stopped by the Value Village to see if I could find any long cargo shorts in my size. There were none I liked. I only bought a few medium, short-sleeved dress shirts to replace a dozen or so large ones that I set aside today for donation. I had to get rid of all the XLs once upon a time. So, it feels good being able to squeeze back into a M now.



I also stopped by the library and as long as I was already uptown, I drove across the First Street and stopped at Queen's Park. It was pleasant weather and loads of people were out with children. I followed the sound of the peacock and joined them at the Petting Farm. Already the sheep and goats have warmed up to having humans around. I sat briefly on a park bench inside the enclosure and a goat jumped up and joined me. She desperately wanting a nose rub and I obliged.

Tweeting about a Hamster

I like using Twitter for a few reasons. Perhaps the most important one is that I can say things that don't quite make sense as a Facebook update. There are times when I have things to get off my chest for no particular reason. For example, I just tweeted:

"Cake is to food as hamster is to wildlife."

A statment like that either requires hours of contemplation or just a fraction second to dismiss. If you were to ask, I'd suggest the latter.



We've been without an in-house hamster for a while now. That's seems a little sad. We've had six or seven in recent memory and I sort of miss them all. Jay says it's about our taking weeks and weeks of vacation a year. I counter that they are perfectly happy in the bathtub with a six-month supply of food and water when we do leave ...