Fierce
When first he turned up on their lawn,
he might have been the Devil’s spawn.
He hissed and sputtered––showed tooth and claw––
fierce growls emitting from his widespread maw.
They feared they might be scratched or bitten,
yet took a chance ––and tamed the kitten!
(I think you’ll want to click on the below photos to enlarge them. You’ve seen some of them before, but worth reviewing imho.)
prompt word today was “Fierce.”
Nothing like a little rest in the shade of a few palm trees!
This is Annie––once in the majority but now grossly outnumbered by dogs in the house.
For more trees, go HERE.
I was walking by my friend Isidro’s studio/gallery one day when I saw these little paws sticking out from under his door. Very shortly thereafter, this little boy came by and the rest of the story took place. So touching. He knew right where to stick his finger in the kitty’s underside of his paw to bring obvious pleasure to his friend. Had to add a shot of my kitty Annie as well..waiting on the wall to be fed. I think more photos will follow, but I have to catch a plane now..See you later.
https://jennifernicholewells.com/2016/06/28/one-word-photo-challenge-cat/
When my new husband and I moved from L.A. to the redwoods of northern California, a feral cat appeared from the forest and after a week or so of hide-and-go-seek games, deigned to move in with us. A month or so later, she had three kittens—like their mother, all grey Burmese with chartreuse eyes, but each with a differently-shaped tail. The mother’s was curved at the end with a dip to the right. One of the female kittens had a similar dip, but to the left. The other female had a zigzag tale. The sole male, Bearcat, was the only one with a perfect tale—unbent, long and expressive. He was also the biggest, the most talkative and the only one to survive for fifteen years—long enough to move with me to Mexico.
back-lofter
tail-wafter
gray-bearer
drape-tearer
ball-loser
lap-chooser
bunny-slayer
shoelace-player
sofa-climber
sleep-mimer
shadow-springer
dragonfly-bringer
lizard de-tailer
spider-nailer
basement-searcher
window-ledge percher
tree-dweller
mouse-smeller
dog-chaser
bug-caser
door crack-peeper
sunbeam-sleeper
woods-walker
squirrel-stalker
rail-balancer
prey-glancer
shadow-catcher
love-hatcher
body-spinner
heart-winner
NaPoWriMo prompt: Kennings were riddle-like metaphors use in Norse Sagas. Basically, they are ways of calling something not by its actual name, but by a sort of clever, off-kilter description — for example, the sea would be called the “whale road.” Today, I challenge you to think of a single thing or person (a house, your grandmother, etc), and then write a poem that consists of kenning-like descriptions of that thing or person.
Here is an earlier poem written to this same prompt:
https://judydykstrabrown.com/2014/04/13/napowrimo-day-13-wish-wagon/
Color Your World Mahogany
(Click on first picture to enlarge to full size and to view gallery.)
Bobino the cat always enjoys a good cigar after his nap.
http://jennifernicholewells.com/2016/02/23/color-your-world-mahogany/
Tequila Sunset
Another sunset and another tequila sendoff at Daniel’s place next door. Tonight was a large and happy crowd.
Next door, Lora Loca was serving fish and chips and dancing flamenco with another friend. Unfortunately, my pictures were all blurred, but when a mariachi group later dropped by to play and the flamenco dancer got up to dance again, I heard the music from next door and ran over to try to click a few more pictures. Again, I forgot to turn on the flash so the pictures we all unusable, except for this fellow, who donned a sombrero and decided he’d like flamenco lessons:
And these folks who were greatly entertained by his efforts.
When I got home, Bobino visited for the second time today.
Having investigated the dish I’d put the last of his salmon in earlier this evening and finding it wanting, (see it behind him) he wandered into the living room.
He seemed to be interested in the dish I’d eaten yogurt from earlier.
And executing a graceful leap, he tidied up the bowl.
Curled his lip, extended his tongue. Cat language for “Hope you can do better on the morrow!” Ran under the couch and eventually, out the door. Night, Bobino!!!
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/optimistic/
Lulu and Annie
I dreamed last night that I woke up and my cat was on my chest. I was surprised because she won’t come any farther than the wall to be fed since Morrie, my third dog, came to stay. My first cat, Lulu, moved out and in with the neighbors when I got my second dog. At any rate, I petted my cat, so glad to see her but wondering how she got into the house. Then suddenly another cat jumped up on the bed . I saw that it was Annie, my youngest cat. So who was the other one??? I opened my eyes to see it was Lulu who had come back to visit. I was so happy to have them both together again and we lay there (in the dream) for a long time. When I woke up I was still pleased that I’d seen Lulu after all these years, then realized it was a dream.
Both of the girls displayed an interest in my work, although Annie had a bit more of a technological bent.
One day, I caught Lulu giving Annie climbing lessons. Here she is between the glass and the screen, so there was little danger of falling, but some danger of not being able to extricate herself.
For advanced lessons in climbing, they moved to the pistachio tree. Yes. You can believe your eyes. Lulu does have one green eye and one blue one.
Last night when I was out to dinner I ran into Lulu’s “new” parents who told me she’d been very ill and asked me how old she was. They were surprised to discover that she’ll be 15 years old in a few months. They thought she was much younger. But, alas, they told me she has been very very ill and has not been eating which never happens with her. I am afraid to call to see if she passed in the night and came to visit me one last time.
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/worst-case-scenario/
Every day, these three “B“est friends would come to our front door looking for the dog who was missing from our house. On the last day, they surprised us from coming to the back beach side door. Wish I could have seen them finally reunited!
And finally, “B” is for Big Black Birds. In this case, grackles.Cee’s B&W photos that begin with B or W are here: http://ceenphotography.com/cees-black-white-challenge/
Street Animals
In a house, I like a presence
not my own
and I like contributing
to some other creature’s pleasure.
I prefer cats, but dogs prefer me.
These animals
are drawn into my life
as though by a magnet,
but it is yet to be determined
which is the magnet–
them or me.
Nonetheless, here we are.
They bark their language of in and out.
I motion my language of sit before being fed.
The cats do not enter since the second dog moved in.
One sits on the front wall to be fed and ventures no closer.
The other moved to dogless neighbors.
I am a resting place in their karma.
They come and go at will.
While the dogs, compliant prisoners,
escape through some careless open door when they can,
in minutes, they come home again
to walls and gates and high scalable domes
where they can watch that world
they have been saved from.
WordPress Prompt:Menagerie–Do you have animals in your life? If yes, what do they mean to you? If no, why have you opted not to?
lifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown 