Not Playing Possum

Being as it's just us girls, we keep whatever hours we choose. Sometimes I like to wake CJ up early cause I'm hungry. So I jump on her bed and kind of stomp around. It may take a couple of trips up onto the bed but I generally wake her, sort of. She automatically feeds me first thing when she gets up, whether I wake her at 3:30 or 4:30 a.m. or she wakes on her own at 5:30 or 6:30. She also opens the backdoor to let me out. Then she'll put on a pot of coffee and go back to bed if I woke her.

The other morning I decided to wake her up and then she let me out and was making the coffee when I came running and hissing back in with a possum after me, not playing at all. Possums have no sense of humor. What they have are very sharp teeth, like spikes. It was as big as me and hissing just like I was. The possum runs after me through the kitchen and almost goes into the living before CJ finds her voice and starts screaming like she just woke out of a bad dream.

"Get out! Get out of here!" she shouts and the possum does a quick u-turn and runs back through the kitchen and down the back steps. CJ locks the door behind it. Whew!

I have not woken CJ up since then although this morning I did get up on the bed and lay their quietly, or so I thought until she got up and gave me some fresh chicken livers. She hasn't figured out not to reward me when I wake her up. What would you do?

Cat and Dolphins playing together

Bear! Would you look at this. This is a really brave cat! Who knew fish got so big? What's the biggest fish you've ever seen Bear? Do you play with dolphins?

Any other cats out there with fish stories?

Cat got your tongue?

Ahoy, are you there Bear?

Cat got your tongue? (A little feline humor.) But seriously, Tele says you are trying to find your voice.

I’ll tell you a story. I have a friend, Isabelle, a very pretty and clever actress who lives in London. She said she imagined I sound like Kathleen Turner, another actress who is the female lead in a movie called “Romancing the Stone” where she fights alligators (sort of). At first that sounded like a really good idea but after I played with it for a while, I knew I was just a country cat, wild, yes, but still homespun folksy—nothing like a sexy whiskey voice which is how you would describe Turner’s voice.

So, what do you think about a nautical voice. Following are some phrases I found at FortOgden.com which has a big ole list of “nautical origins of some common expressions.”

Let the Cat Out of the Bag -
In the Royal Navy the punishment prescribed for most serious crimes was flogging. This was administered by the Bosun's Mate using a whip called a cat o' nine tails. The "cat" was kept in a leather or baize bag. It was considered bad news indeed when the cat was let out of the bag. Other sources attribute the expression to the old English market scam of selling someone a pig in a poke(bag) when the pig turned out to be a cat instead. (By the way, Isabelle things she wants a pot-bellied pig.)

Bear Down -
To sail downwind rapidly towards another ship or landmark.

You could talk pirate and say things like “Avast ye matey” which just means “hold up there pal,” or “Wait a minute friend.”

How about Poop Deck—not what you think it is—it’s the highest deck at the stern of a large ship, usually above the captain’s quarters.

Your voice should be you, your very realest you. I know you’ll find it.

Smooth sailing…
Smoke