Category Archives: Sol Duc

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Again, again

In theory Elwha is not allowed on my desk. But you can see that I’ve given in and he can use my scarf for naps when I am not using it. Sol Duc very rarely gets on the kitchen table, but Elwha won’t stay off it, especially if we have visitors. He would like to lie in the middle of the table and be admired and patted by everyone all at once. Sol Duc stays on another floor often, but sometimes she decides a visitor is interesting and she shows up. Not on the table though.

I’ve given in on the desk. But NOT the kitchen table.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: serial offender.

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Decorated stick

Elwha watched me decorate my stick with soft ornaments and paper ornaments.

Both cats helped, removing ornaments when they were not pleased with the placement. Including ones near the top.

I think the decoration will continue to change and evolve right through Christmas.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: stick.

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Wordplay

The Ragtag Daily Prompt today is protagonist.

Sol Duc is ready to go outside in the dark and explore.

So there is also an antagonist.

I looked up contagonist and that’s a word too, though I haven’t seen it used much.

Agonist is a word too.

So if the heroine of a story is not a pro, is she an amatuagonist?

Sol Duc doesn’t care. “I’m a cat and I am always the protagonist.”

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Caught in the act

This is the first time I have managed to photograph one of the cats doing “Cat Art”. Sol Duc. I have two bowls for the cats, with a smaller bowl inside a water barrier bowl. I shut the door between the two when I feed them, because Elwha will eat all his and then bully Sol Duc. He outweighs her by five pounds. When I started limiting their food, they started decorating Elwha’s bowl. With toys. There are often toy mice, that pair of in ear headphones that I’ve given up on, a sponge, tissue paper when they can get it, as many as four different things in the bowls. I have to wash the outer bowl and toys often.

Is this play? It started when Elwha was overweight and I started measuring their food. All of my other cats have been self-regulating about food, but Elwha and Sol Duc were very starved tiny kittens when I got them and Elwha is the first male cat I’ve ever had. Art? Trying to trade toys for more food? I tried reading about it and found that cats will bury their food. Sometimes the art shows up when the bowl is not empty.

This is the first one with tissue paper:

This was the first use of a sponge:

I think this is a particularly fine installation and sophisticated use of tissue paper as well as the toy creature, headphones, and the combination flashlight/whistle.

I hope it is play. It certainly entertains me. I wondered which cat was doing it but I think it is both. It is almost always Elwha’s bowl, though, not Sol Ducs. The mysterious plays of cats.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: play.

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Elwha awake

Elwha wide awake.

The cats differ on when they want to go outside with harness and leash. Elwha would prefer 5 am, dark, because there are a lot less cars and it’s less scary. Garbage and recycling trucks are the worst. Sol Duc wants to wait until it is light so she can continue her careful study of bird habits and plan how to catch one. Elwha will bug me in the morning by about 5, while Sol Duc will refuse to come allow her harness to be put on. I add a headlamp around Elwha’s body, clipped to the harness. Sol Duc gets a small LED flashlight that hangs off her harness. Today they both went out early and wanted back in pretty quickly. I may take them out again later.

This is from yesterday, when Sol Duc went out after the sun rose.

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Under where?

Under the hazelnut tree. A squirrel alerted me to ripe hazelnuts this year and I picked all I could. Yum! Thank you, squirrel!

I have to watch Sol Duc when I am not holding the leash. She will sit for a long time and then suddenly trot off somewhere else. She has favorite spots where she can plot to catch birds.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: underwear! I thought about using this photograph, but I am job hunting. It might not be the best choice for now.

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Local traffic

Traffic at the cat bowl, November 2021.

Duck and coot traffic at Kai Tai Nature Park.

Laptop traffic. It’s busy.

Bushtit feeder traffic.

Great blue heron traffic. How many do you count in this tree?

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: traffic.

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I am Elwha

How many cats?

Mom takes me and Sol Duc out together in the lovely dark before the cars start roaring. I don’t like the big trucks or the buses. First she put on our lifesaving devices.

I have the red one. We went outside. Sol Duc is mad because mom and I kept following her when she would try to run off alone. But why did mom laugh when I ran to make sure she was ok? My lifesaving device is a little heavy and wiggles.

Anyhow, we love to go outside. And come back inside too.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: spooktacular.

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Evil squirrels falling change

The Ragtag Daily Prompt is change. Lots of that here, since I was gone for two weeks!

  1. The evil squirrel has destroyed the third bird feeder. I was not home to chase it out of the yard yelling and it shredded the latest feeder. I am going to try one of those feeders that shuts when the squirrels weight lands on it. More expensive, but nearly equal to the three I’ve had chewed up!
  2. I left in summer and return to fall. Leaves are down, colors are turning, it is cooler in the morning and evening. We had a high of 64 F yesterday. That feels cool after northern Italy.
  3. I am stronger and slimmer. Carrying a loaded pack daily or every other day really made a difference! I was not sure my right shoulder would hold out, but it did, just. I went through PT earlier this year. I am doing my exercises again.
  4. I had some wonderful time with my daughter. Not that that’s a change, but she is stronger too!

Sol Duc tongue out.

Looking big-eyed, like a Keen painting.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: change.