 The Shaffer Journal
Volume 6 Issue 6 June 2000
[Internet Stuff] [Hockey Puck] [Guest Meows! Cat Chat 1 2 3 4]
[The Mountains of Ao] [Poetry Corner] [The Dull Stuff] [Guest Articles] [In The Keys]
Kitty Talk
These journals are dedicated to Kitty GreyCat's spirit. She is at RainBow Bridge now. We all loved you, Kitty! Click the cat graphic to visit her Memorial page. Kitty born June 6, 1982. Died July 9, 1997.
 This is Ebony, and we have an excellent journal this month about fings only cats and human beans like. I’m Abby and big bad little white cat. This old black cat crept closer to my domain, and I fluffed up, hissed, growled, and ran that cat off. Now, though, I sometimes see Ebony, who is black, come toward me. I lose it, fluff up, hiss, and growl until I see it is Ebony. Also, whenever I hear cat squalling noises, I fluff up, hiss, growl, and impress everyone! I want bean to let me inside right away when that happens. I’m Ebony, and I don’t like it when Abby mistakes me for a bad, old black cat. First time she done that to me, I fluffed up, hiss back, and growl, but I stop in my tracks. Even though Abby is only a seven-pounder, I have a new respect for her. She still should know who I am though! We don’t care for the first of the month anymore, besides all our hissing at each other. The reason is that it is time for our flea treatments. We think human bean like to apply the nasty stuff to the back of our necks, because we dislike it so much. If we see the little applicator tubule, we go run and hide, but the bad bean find us any old way. We get our revenge though. Outside under our long fifth wheel travel trailer is a dust pit. Us cats love our dust pit. We go lay in it and roll all around stirring up the warm dust. We just love the feel of it on our fur. I Ebony look okay cause I is black, but Abby who is white look all gray and dirty dusty from head to her tippy tail. Sometimes, when we come out from a long, delicious dust pit visit, we find human bean leave us a big surprise. Catnip! We always going on about catnip, and the many ways we enjoy it. Human bean taken to bringing out heaps of yummy nummy catnip and leaving two piles on the warm cement of our porch. I Abby and that Ebony roll in it, eat it, smell it, drool, eat some more, and then just lay there in total cat heaven. Some cats catnip has no effect on them. But us cats love all the many catnip effects. Us cats just love to keep our human bean hip hopping and busy as busy can be. While one of us is out doing out stuff, the other is inside eating, catnapping, using the litter house, and looking out the big window. Then the outside cat tired of being out and hot wants in. Human bean let outside cat inside, but now inside cat wants outside. The outside cat checks for lizards and boids. Then goes to the famous cat dust pit. Water and shade takes up plenty of time too. Finally, us cats swap again and again. Human bean is one really busy purrson, but we love him. That human bean moved our cat tower, and we rediscovered it. We play in and out of it with each other and with the human bean. The human bean, though, wears a glove cause our claws hurt his hand and arm. Meow, bean even moved our two litter houses around too. We use one for wet and one for solids, but human bean get really touchy about litter tracked on floor. We can’t help it cause litter sticks to our paws. It is not our fault. Us cats need a good lawyer, because our human bean hate litter tracking. Internet Stuff
With all the recent threats to computers from the Internet, we obtained Norton’s Internet Security [NIS] to protect our computer from virus, probes, banner ads, cookies, and the vagaries of the browser. The firewall software works quite well with Norton’s Antivirus app. Both products are available at http://www.symantec.com. We downloaded a free application called WinSize. This app provides different ways to size any window from file manager to browser. This is especially useful in sizing the browser from 640 x 480 to 800 x 600 and back when checking websites. Annually, our company updates our software suite and hardware. We had quite a few refund checks this year. All this happened around early February. PowerQuest, which makes Partition Magic, keeps saying they sent the check, but we never got it. Finally, they canceled the old check and sent out a new check. I wonder how many months and telephone calls it will take this time! We are slowly, our only speed, redoing our dragon galleries and the Runes of Kale web pages. If you go to http://geocities.com/les_novelist/toc.htm, you will see links to the dragon galleries and the Runes of Kale pages. AlphaOmega Bookstore & Publisher proudly presents Australian poet and paint artist, Anita Wilson, and her two poetry collections. The collections are called “Reflecting Pool” and “Katje’s Songs.” They are for sale at http://RunesofAo.com/aobp/credit/credit_cards.htm. Soon we will have more of her work posted everywhere! In The Keys
Summer approaches quickly now. People are going on vacations; things are changing. We got a new mail carrier. There for a few days things were a bit late, but apparently some well-placed complaints did the trick. Our mail is coming in fine now. Also the time by the pool is getting better. The water is warmer most times, and the sun is stronger. We do love our fun time by the pool. We rented “The Tenth Kingdom” at Blockbuster a little while back. The six-hour movie was about what happens after Snow White and her prince live happily ever after. Things don’t quite turn out as many would suppose. The movie is very long, but the film is worth the time invested. Hurricane season officially started June 1. Everyone is getting ready by doing various things. We are getting several things repaired on our fifth wheel travel trailer. We are using an outfit called On Site RV Repair out of Long Key. They seem very nice and quite knowledgeable. Wagner’s Wash and Wax cleaned up and waxed our truck and our fifth wheel. The fifth wheel had over three years dirt on it. Andy and Dave’s Garage will take care of servicing our truck. Soon we will be ready to leave if a category 2 or higher hurricane comes our way. We certainly hope not, but being prepared and ready is the wisest precaution. The county park that they are building across the US1 and the 37th street intersection is certainly stirring up a lot of dust. They took down all the trees. You think they could have left some. Maybe they will plant some new ones. Who knows for sure. The same uncertainty surrounds the county and city tug of war over Boot Key Harbor. Of course, work proceeds a pace. National elections are coming quickly. I just got an absentee ballot form. I won’t need it, because I plan on voting in every election. The first primary is scheduled for September 5, 2000. The second primary is on for October 3, 2000. I am not sure what the primaries are for or whether they apply in Marathon, but we will see. The general election is happening on November 7, 2000. I have not settled on who I am going to vote for. Both candidates seem so similar in many respects. There differences are not large enough either. Guest Meows!
 This is Larry for Ariel. She and her two cats, Harry and Emily, gave us some wonderful Cat Chat articles this month. We are gratified that we can offer this regular article about some wonderful cats and their human bean with visits by a dragon! Please visit the Memorial Page for Ariel's mother. Click the cat wagging its tail graphic to visit their net home. Thank you. Now here is Harry, Chester, and Emily with Cat Chat:
Cat Chat 5-3-00
More Movin!
Chester: This moving stuff just never seems to end! I thought this would be fun, but I'm tired of the whole thing!
Emily: I bin tired ub it fur weeks now. Da boxes come in and da boxes goes out. I didn't nose we had so much stuffers!
Harry: Grandpa bean says we should have checked the trailer fur a weight limit, cause Mom and Girlfriend have too much stuffers! Heehee! But they seem to alays find a place to put the stuffers. Mom had the living room all set up so as me and Em could just walk right up on the counter. Then Girlfriend got this idea that the chest what we walked up on should get moveded to the other side of the room! So now it's harder to get on the counter. Emily jumped up there last night, oh, really bout almost daybreak, an knocked some stuffers offen the counter. Mom come outta da bedroom all bleary eyed saying "what did you knock over?" But she didn't see nothing, so she went back to bed. We thought maybe we were gonna get fed early, but Mom wasn't bout to do dat! She wasn't really even awake. So today so rearranged the counter so as we wouldn't knock stuffers off.
Chester: Not like that helps much. I mean, they are putting stuff away, but there's stuff everywhere still! And Girlfriend hasn't even finished cleaning out her old trailer! Half the time there is stuff all over my couch, and I have to fuss to get them to move it so I can sleep!
Emily: Day moves stuffers here, day moves stuffers dar...I think Grandpa is right, day hab way too much stuffers! All we really needs is our cat bowls and food!
Harry: Well, that and our beds and my heater...
Chester: And my couch! And we have to have the computer!
Harry: And of course Girlfriend has to have her own puter too, and the TVs they like so much.
Chester: I like them too! I especially like lying on Mom's high bed and watching Animal Planet. That's a great channel!
Emily: Yeah, and yous take up da whole bed too! Dat's my bed to sleep on, yous nose!
Harry: Hey, yous is sposed to be sleeping with Girlfriend! But here yous come and tooked over Mom's bed! That's not fair!
Emily: Well, Girlfriend isn't here alla time yet, She has to go back to her old trailer and sleep. Sides, yous is alays in front of that heater, so what do yous care?
Harry: Mom's bed has alays been mine! Yous jus sneaked in and tooked it over! Hisssspit!
Chester: Now, calm down. Everything is topsy-turvy right now. Nothing is settled yet, and stuff is still being moved in, and Emily's right, Girlfriend isn't her all the time yet, because she's trying to clear out her old place. Once things settle down we'll all have our own right places to sleep.
Harry: Well, I hope things settle down soon! I'm getting pooped with all this moving stuffers in and unpacking and putting stuff here than there. Plus all the nailing and drilling and stuffers Mom is doing to put things up on the walls! It just goes on and on!
Emily: Mom is alays doing stuffers like that, tho. Just more ub it deese last few weeks. I'm eben getting sick ub all da boxes! Day hab all been sat in ober and ober, cause Mom and Girlfriend keep usin dem. But I do hab a nice new box I lub! It fits me so much better dan da old one. It's nice and cozy!
Chester: Yes, despite all the activity, it is starting to be more and more like home here. I like this new place a lot, even if I am sick of the moving part.
Harry: I bet Mom and Girlfriend are getting sick of it too. But there can't be too much else to do...can there?
Emily: Well, Girlfriend hab bin spending lotsa time ober at her place packin an sortin. But I heared them talkin bout sellin a bunch of stuffers, and giving stuffers to thrift shops and stuffers like dat.
Chester: Mom has already given a lot of stuff to thrift shops, and has sold some stuff too.
Harry: Well, that's all good. Maybe there won't be too many more boxes and stuffers coming in and out. Just watching Mom and Girlfriend wears me out!
Emily: Yous jus get sleepy cause yous stay by that heater alla time! Heehee!
Harry: Do not!
Emily: Do too!
Harry: Do not! I can't cause Mom doesn't have it turned on alla time! Anyway, I'm tired cause alla this movin is hard work. I mean, after all, we have to sniff everything as it comes in and gets moved. That takes a lot of time and energy, yous nose!
Chester: I don't do the sniffing part, but it all does take a lot of energy for sure! I'll just be glad when it's all over and things get back to normal!
Harry: Me too!
Emily: Me three! Yawn! All this talk is jus makin me tireder. I'm gonna go take a nap.
Chester: Good idea. The couch is empty for now...
Harry: And (yawn) the heater is on. Zzzzzzzzz.
Cat Chat 5-8-00
Boidie In Da House!
Emily: Oh! Oh! Da mostest citin ting happened da oder day! It were da bestest ting what hab happened to me in long and long! An furry fun too! Mweeheeheee!!
Chester: Well, don't just sit there shedding fur! Tell us about it!
Emily: Yous was there, yous nose. (Sees Chester rolling his eyes) OK, OK, I'll tell yous all bout it. See, dis happened like maybe last weekend, I tink. Anyways, it was a real purrty day, an Mom had lefted da back door open. Da back door, it don't hab one ub does nasty screen door thingy's on it or nothin. I liked to go out it best when we first moved up here, but Mom throws our cat food what we don't eat outta da back door, an dem freeloadin cats come an eat it.
Harry: I don't understand that, either. I mean, those cats have their own homes. I've talked to them bout it. Even Mom nose they have their own home, cause they's too well fed looking to be strays. But here they come, to eat our old stale cat food. I doesn't make any sense!
Chester: They're just not as fussy as you two! Heehee!
Harry: Cats are spossed to be fussy. I don't nose what's wrong with those other cats.
Emily, Whatever, since they hang round the back door now, I don't go out that way anymore. I hab to go out thru the nasty screen door thingy on the front door. But it's nice out there, on the high high porch, where we can watch all the boidies and stuffers!
Chester: Didn't you have a story to tell?
Emily: Oh, Yeah! I most furgot! OK, what happened was dis. Like I said, Mom left the back door open cause it were a putry day. And Girlfriend, she was sittin on da couch watchin TV, and Mom was putterin round like she does alla time when she's not on da puter. An I was up on da kitchen counter by da sink. An suddenly Girlfriend say, "Somethin it just flew in, an I don't nose what it was but ifn it were a bee it were a turrble big bee!"
Harry: She didn't say it like that! Girlfriend talks human bean talk proper-like!
Emily: Whateber, that's mostly what she said. An Girlfriend, she were all spooked. She don't like bugses atall, specially not big ones! So Mom, she gets da fly swatter, but I were lots faster. I nosed what dat ting were right away! Da ting, it flewed behind Mom's puter desk, an I were offen da kitchen counter like a flash and after da ting!
Chester: I never saw anything so fat move so fast! Heehee!
Emily: I am not fat! I's perfect fur my size! Anyways, Mom climbed up ona chair to try to get da ting out from behind the desk. That's all I needed, cause quick as a flash I had da ting in me mouf. It were a boidie! I were so cited...
Harry: You already said flash.
Emily: So what? Like I was saying fore da interrupshun, I was so cited! I'd caught a boidie or two before, but neber in da house! It was da greatest ting!
Harry: Only Girlfriend and Mom didn't think it was so great atall! Girlfriend took off to the back room so as she didn't have to see you eat it!
Chester: Yes, and Mom went and got the dustpan and scooped the poor bird up. Em had killed it fast. I must say, she's very efficient!
Emily: Why, tank you, Chester! Yeah, dat were da bad part! Mom tooked my boidie away, an put it out on da porch. Den she picked me up an made me go out an eat it out dar. An Girlfriend, she said she wasn't gonna praise me none atall, cause she didn't like me eating poor boidies. But it's not my fault da boidie got in, an anyways, Mom were just as glad to have me get da boidie, cause she didn't want to hab to chase it all ober da house. She eben tol me I was a mighty hunter when Girlfriend wasn't listening!
Harry: Yeah, but first she had to get Girlfriend to come outta the back room! And close the front door, so Girlfriend didn't have to watch you eat. Girlfriend sure is a delicate thing! You'd think after being owned by cats she'd understand that we eat wild stuffers.
Chester: She understands, she just doesn't like to watch. It is pretty disgusting!
Harry: It's natural! That's part of our job! Not to mention out natures. Ifn yous were a normal dragon you'd hunt things too! Chester: I'll stick to human food and chocolate, thank you very much!
Emily: Well, now, eben tho I doesn't go out da back door cause ub dem freeloadin cats, I alays look real good whenever Mom opens it to see ifn maybe anoder boidie will fly in. But so far none hab. But I still look, and wait. It was so furry fun!!
Harry: I wouldn't hold my breath! Mom is being careful not to leave that door open long enuff fur anything to get in. I think we'll just have to do our hunting outside. Or rather, you will. I'm still retired.
Emily: Lazy, not retired! Heehee!
Harry: Talk about lazy! You hardly budge offen that bed atall! Yous aren't gonna be a much of a might hunter ifn yous don't go out!
Emily: I goes out sometime...
Chester: Yeah, when Mom makes you! It's such a beautiful yard, and such beautiful; weather, I don't know why you cats don't go out more like you used to. I love going out and playing in the yard!
Harry: Yous can just do all the going out fur the all of us. I'm furry happy being a house cat now.
Emily: Well, me too, mostly. I'll go out when I feels like it. Maybe I can catch another bird sometime...
Cat Chat 5-15-00
The Freeloaders
Harry: Since we moved up the hill to our new house we've had more freeloaders than ever. It's getting completally out of paw!
Emily: And they isn't jus cats, eider! Mom and Girlfriend is feedin ebery nanimal dat come round! It's jus plain disgustin, I meow!
Chester: I must say, there are an awful lot of extra mouths to feed hanging around outside. Yesterday I counted six cats, and I don't know how many squirrels and birds. They're everywhere! Even Mom is a little worried, because two of the cats are toms, and the one female cat hasn't been fixed. We know that because there is a family-all white cats. Mom is getting worried that there'll be more kittens soon. But all she puts out for them is the leftover food that Emily and Harry don't eat, and that just once in the morning. That's not enough for all of those cats.
Emily: Well, it don't need to be enuff! They has homes. We all nose that! That fuzzy tabby one, she lives right next door!
Chester: I think that fuzzy Siamese cat lives just down the block. He's clearly a well-fed fellow. I do think you two are too fussy about your food, but I don't understand why all these cats want to come to eat your old stale food. It just doesn't make sense.
Emily: Cats is alays lookin fur handouts. It's just the way they are.
Harry: Course, me and Em aren't like that atall. We're too good to go eat stuffers that people throw out. But anyways, the cats are only part of the problem.
Emily: Yeah, but they's a big part ub da problem! They's took ober our territory like it's theirs! It's not theirs atall. It's our territory!
Chester: Well, it's not like the two of you do much to defend it. You hardly go out at all.
Harry: Yous is younger and stronger then us, and bigger too. Yous should be defending our territory! It's yours too, yous nose!
Chester: I, well...but I can't do the territory marking thing that you cats do.
Emily: That don't matter! All yous hab to do is run dem freeloading cats offn our property! I guess we's can let dem come fur breakfast, but not hang round all day. Sides, eben dat nasty cat what got into da old trailer is back! Yous would tink he'da had enuff ub bein round here!
Chester: But, really, that should be your job! You are the cats, the defenders of the territory. That's what you always said before!
Harry: We's decided to make it your job. You clear the cats out of the yard, then we'll go out and do our marking thing. It's much easier that way.
Chester: For you! Geeze, you two have become real wimps since we moved up here! And in just a few weeks too!
Emily: Aww, come on, Chester. You nose you would hab fun. Yous is great jumpin out an sceering tings. Yous already bin jumping at some ub dem cats jus to see dem run.
Chester: Well...I admit it is fun to scare those silly cats. But like Emily said, the cats aren't the only animals that are hanging around here in droves!
Harry: Yous got that right! There's more squirrels and birds here then we ever seen down at the old trailer. And Mom and Girlfriend feed them all, lots more than they do the cats. They buy special food fur them and everything!
Emily: Not that it isn't fun watching all them squirrels and boidies. But they get all mad when we get out near their food, specially the squirrels and them big blue boidies. What is it dat Mom call dem?
Harry: Blue Jays. Girlfriend doesn't like them any more than we do. She says they's mean boidies, and she's right! But Mom, she like all the boidies. She likes watching them out from the kitchen window, and offen the porch when she's out there.
Emily: I like watching them from the porch too! That's fun. But it's dangerous in da yard, cause dem Blue Jays, day don't like us cats. Day attacks us, as if we wasn't bigger den dem! But I'll get dem, I will! I'll sneak out under dar nestses and catch dem babies what alays fall out! Den da'll be sorry da tackted me!
Chester: But Emily, that's why they do attack you! Because they know you eat their babies!
Emily: Well, ifn day doesn't want dar babies eaten, day needs to look after dem better, I says! Anyway, eatin boidies is part of our job!
Harry: Right! Hunting nanimals has alays been part of our job. That's what cats do, yous nose.
Chester: Ok, if hunting animals is your job, then why are you complaining about Mom and Girlfriend feeding all those squirrels and birds you like to watch and hunt? I'd think you'd be happy. I know the backyard ispretty crowded with all the squirrels, but there's still lots of watching and hunting space, and more stuff to hunt and watch. So what's the problem?
Emily: Da problem is, is dat Mom and Girlfriend shouldn't be spendin money to feed all ub dem doer nanimals. Day should spend alla dar money feeding us! Dat's what da problem is!
Harry: Absol-utally! It's one thing to throw out the stale food we don't want fur them freeloadin cats-at least Mom and Girlfriend aren't spending eggstra money on that! But to buy special food fur the boidies and squirrels, when they should be buying special yummies fur us! Well, that's just not right atall!
Chester: But...ok, look. You like watching and chasing the birds and other animals, right?
Emily: Ub course. Ceptin dem Blue Jays!
Chester: Ok, then. Don't you think that it's nice to have so many animals to watch and hunt?
Harry: Well, like we said, the backyard is purrty full of squirrels, but it is fun having so many, and the little boidies too, like we didn't have down the hill.
Chester: Do you think there would be so many animals to watch and hunt, especially the little birds you like so much, if Mom and Girlfriend didn't feed them?
(Harry and Emily look at each other.) Harry: Um...I didn't think of it that way. I guess having Mom and Girlfriend put out food for them boidies and squirrels is purrty worthwhile!
Emily: I tinks yous right, dar. But yous still needs to hep chase off dem freeloadin cats!
Chester: (sigh) Well, maybe...
Cat Chat 5-23-00
The Crunchy Ants
Chester: Well, I know we told you last year all about Mom's ongoing war with the ants at our old house. Now those were just little bitty ants, but Mom really hated them because they got into the food and stuff.
Harry: Yeah, they'd get into our food bowls and everything! Mom fought and fought with those ants, but they alays came back.
Emily: I thought dey was fun to watch, but I nose Mom didn't like dem atall! She sprayed an put out ant traps and all sorts ub tings, but alays dem ants come back to eat on da food. Mom got specially mad when dey got into da pantry! She would cuss and all sortsa stuffers! She talked lots about callin da ant killer beans, but she neber did.
Harry: She were alays afraid that we would get sick from the stuffers the ant killer beans put down on the grass, since we went outside alla time at our old house and ate the grass alla time too.
Emily: Mom thought dat she were all through wid ants when we moved. An dar isn't no ants down at da old house no more eider.
Chester: That's because there isn't any food down there to attract them. But Mom was wrong about being rid of ants. There are ants up here in our new house, and they aren't like those little bitty ants at all!
Harry: No, they's big crunchy ants. Mom calls them that cause they crunch when she squishes them! Heehee!
Emily: Well, Mom don't tink day is funny fur sure! She were real upset when dem big crunchy ants showeded up. So course she got out da traps and da ant spray so as to get rid ub dem, but den...
Harry: But then she found out they aren't just any ole ants! They don't go after our food or nothing atall. They wants to eat our house! That's just plain mean of them, I meow!
Chester: It sure is! Not that they have any real brains, like us dragons and cats. But they should not be eating people's houses even so. One of Mom's guitar students, a fellow called KenBob, he knows all about things to do with houses. And he told Mom that those big crunchy ants are called carpenter ants, and they eat wood. Well, Mom was just about beside herself when she heard that!
Emily: Eben woise, there be big black bees too. An Mom, she didn't tink nothin ub dem, cause she'd sawed dem before. But KenBob, he say day be borin bees...
Chester: Borer bees!
Emily: Dat's what I said! An dis KenBob, he say day was eatin da house too! Dat made Mom eben upseter! Well, she nosed she had ta do somethin, cause we sure don't want our new house all eated up by nasty ole bugses!
Harry: That's fur sure! We just got this house! We can't have no nasty bugses eating it out of under us! So, now, Em and me, we decided that we are house cats now.
Emily: Yeah, dat's right! We don't neber go out hardly eber at all no more. Sometime ifn Girlfriend get up early we goes out, but not fur long atall. So Mom, she decided she didn't hab to worry bout us eatin da grass ifn da ant killin beans came...
Harry: And she had to stop those bugses! So she called on the phone to some beans, and she got a bean to come out an spray all over and all around the house. She was worried some cause she didn't nose ifn the ant killer spray would make us all sick, but it didn't smell hardly at all. No where near as bad as the stuffers Mom sprays down!
Chester: yes, I was pleasantly surprised about that. Of course, Girlfriend went to her house for the day, just in case, cause she isn't feeling very good anyway a lot of the time. But it was all ok. The ant killer person sprayed stuff in the house, and then went outside and sprayed all around the house and put down this extra stuff too. She even sprayed for the bees without charging Mom extra. Mom liked that!
Harry: But the ants didn't go away right away. Mom was even thinking that she might have to call the ant killing bean back. But she said, the bean did, that it would take about ten days fur the stuffers to make all the ants go dead. And sure nuff, before those ten days were over, there weren't any more ants. At least, we haven't seen any in a couple of days. I sure hope they don't come back!
Emily: I hope so neither! We don't need no big crunchy ants in our nice new house! Or no little bitty ants either.
Chester: We don't need any bugs at all in here! Especially now that Girlfriend lives with us. She hates bugs!
Emily: I nose! She shrieks and gets all cited ifn she sees any kinda bug atall. She eben hab deese special no bugs round here tings what she brought. One is a big ting what makes lots ub light and a little ting what she swings round wheneber a bug flys in. An day both make deese crickin crackin sounds wheneber she gets a bug wid one ub dem. I was sceered ub dem tings at first...
Harry: Yous still sceered of them! Heehee!
Emily: No I isn't. I is jus ceerful, dat's all!
Chester: Hahaha! Yes, you are about as careful as they come. It's hard not to be when you don't hardly ever move off of the bed! Heehee!
Emily: Is yous callin me lazy?
Chester: I call 'em like I see 'em! Haahaa!
Emily: Humph! Well, at least I isn't no big crunchy ant!
Cat Chat is © 1999 - 2008, 2009 Ariel, Emily, Harry, and Chester the Dragon. All rights reserved worldwide. This column may not be reprinted in part or whole without express permission of Ariel. Poetry Corner
“This New Day” 5.31.00 by L. E. Shaffer
© 2000 L. E. Shaffer Art without words
Sublime, mysterious
Speaks so many
Unspoken thoughts
Words without thoughts
Heavy, unadorned
Just so pretty, torn
But meaningless
All the same
We ache from
Heart to bone
Eye to dark sky
Put them together
Now you see
A new thing
Totally unexpected
Born of desire
From the fire
Burning in all
Our minds and bodies
See the newborn
Sun climbing
Snow-covered
Mountains all aglow
We ache no more
This new thing
Of joy and surprise
For this new day... © 2000 L. E. Shaffer Hockey Puck
The NHL Stanley Cup playoffs are down to two teams now. The New Jersey Devils literally out muscled the Philadelphia Flyers. The Devils knocked Eric Lindros out of game seven to win the conference finals. The Dallas Stars outlasted the Colorado Avalanche in seven games to move onto the finals. Goalie Eddie Belfour outplayed Patrick Roy to help his team. The favored Dallas Stars were ambushed in the first game of the Stanley Cup finals as the New Jersey Devils beat them 7 to 3. The second game went more the way folks thought the series would be played. In a tough, defensive game the Dallas Stars beat the Devils to even the series. This series could go seven games and who knows who will win, but that surely makes for exciting play. Now in the NBA, one of our favorite teams, the Indiana Pacers coached by Larry Bird, beat the New York Knicks in six tough games to go to the finals. Poor Patrick Ewing may never win a championship. The other conference final is down to the seventh and deciding game. The Los Angeles Lakers, coached by Phil Jackson and led by Shaq O’Neil, are facing the Portland Trailblazers led by Scottie Pippen. Hope the Lakers win. They did! Guest Articles
Anita Wilson sent us two excellent poems. First: Bright Spirit; Second: Untitled
Bright spirit... Bright spirit…
I watch you shining golden treasure
I touch your warmth You came in my life
and feel your love so suddenly
Bright spirit... Bright spirit...
so lightly dancing never leave me
Through this world Let your glow
just floating above fill my dark night
Bright Spirit… Bright spirit...
coming nearer magic blessing
Let me hold you Stay with me
very close to me and all is right.
© 2000 Anita Wilson
Today I discovered something new
I found a mirror on the wall
Right above my favorite chair
In the room next to the hall
If I sit and stretch my face
I see myself reflected there
This cat looks good I will admit
And I love my creamy hair
But those ears an ordinary brown...
Maybe they would look better blue
And my nose.. red or orange?
Purple eyes? no, I have no clue
It not easy, planning a change
I could do this, I could do that
You know... I think I'll stay as I am
A well-loved cross-eyed Siamese cat
© Copyright 2000 Anita Wilson, Australia The Mountains of Ao
Tears from Ao and two poetry collections, Pages of Life and Visions of Life, are available electronically at http://RunesofAo.com/aobp/. The Runes of Ao project, The Mountains of Ao novel currently on chapter 13 of 22, and the Moments of Life poetry collection are all works in progress. Also a collaboration with K. Young on a novella called Dragon Embers continues with future publication on the webzine called The Outer Rim. The Dull Stuff
The online journal contains extra content. The printed version is limited to three pages to keep printing costs down. Inputs and letters to this journal are subject to approval by Ebony and Abby. Submittals may be edited for content and become the property of:
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Publication date: May 31, 2000
Author: L. E. Shaffer
Company: Shaffer Novels/Poetry Company &
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