The Shaffer Journal
Volume 6 Issue 9 September 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 Abby and we have sad mews. Katje, our dear Anita Wilson died recently in her sleep. Her beloved cat, Jennah, is so sad. Her family is even sadder. Her friends are sad too. We all are sad. This journal is dedicated to her and her memory.

I am Abby and sisfur cat, Ebony, are sometimes scaredy cats. One night us cats settled in with human bean for a long night's sleep. Then there was a BANG and then a THUD. Us cats abandoned the bedroom quicker than quick. Human bean look everywhere but he didn't see anything scary. Us cats stayed out of the bedroom for a long while. Finally, we slinked back in to sleep with human bean.

This is Ebony and the washers who wash and wax the fifth wheel travel trailer were scary too. Other things can scare you like thunder and lightning. When that happens, I want in but that silly Abby wanted out in the rain. Then me and human bean got busy and forgot Abby outside. Finally, human bean realized Abby been out all night. He went outside where Abby was meowing that she was mad. Human bean brought her inside, and she sleep all day. I knew Abby was outside all that time and didn't tell. hehe...

I, Abby, not happy with Ebony or human bean! Bean try to play with me with a tennis ball. I bat the tennis ball back at him a few times, but still mad at him. Bean threw some paper wads and I fetched them, but he threw bigger ones I don't like to fetch. Bean make me madder when he laugh at all the faces I make at him. Bean is so bad sometimes.

I, Ebony, mad at human bean too. Some bad insects bite me on my belly. I got a bald spot. So human bean thinking he like some vet make me stay inside a few days. I almost go hostile. I gotta go outside everyday to lord it over my domain and them yummy lizards that I eat. Oh, it was a week of hell even though bean took me for walks on a leash. I lead him all over the park, but I didn't like it. I saw the docks but too much water scare me. I saw the trash place, the front gate, and even walked all the way out to the jetty. After the week, I got to go back outside. I was lots of happy too.

This is Abby and I am a good cleaner. I clean myself quite well and even clean Ebony. She a dirty cat, I meow. I also like rubber bands. I bite them and claw them, but human bean doesn't want to give them to me. He say I eat them. He is right, but I still want rubber bands. They are so fun and stretchy. Human bean took rubber band away, and tell me he was going to eat me. He pinched my ears and nibbled on one. Human bean is strange, I meow. On top of that nonsense, human bean been going around and touch my nose and going "meep, meep" like I was a car horn. He is a fruit cake! Then he started dancing with me and Ebony. Ebony run and hide, but I danced with the fool. He is so funny! Now kissing is too much, I meow. I finally went to hide in my tree house which is a cabinet above the couch. That bean done gone crazy!

Internet Stuff
Katje, Anita Wilson, died recently. She had two poetry collections published at http://RunesofAo.com/aobp/ and was working on a short story collection for publication as well. All of our proofreaders and artists send our regrets and sympathies to Katje's family in Australia.

We had to renew our http://RunesofAo.com domain. We renewed for three years at $105.00. We should have renewed sooner when it was 15% off, but we waited too long. This was so exciting and BORING. We did have a bit of fun, when we installed the upgrade to our MS Encarta Reference Suite 2000 to 2001. The Africana Edition is very interesting. All the rest of the sections are, as always, quite useful and used a lot around our companies. We highly recommend this software package to artists of all types.

Juno Web is actually not bad. Especially if you use it as a backup. It is fast and easy. The drawbacks are ads, and it doesn't want to work sometimes with other email applications. Overall, Juno Web is excellent as a backup ISP. The URL is http://www.juno.com!

Yahoo bought GeoCities and proceeded to ruin the greatest free homepage service on the Internet. Now they have applied their unholy talents on WebRing. Now, everyone including ringmasters and ring members must login using a Yahoo ID. No ifs ands or buts, no choice, Yahoo says you have to do this. They say that the services are better and faster, but they lie. Most times you cannot merge your Yahoo ID with your site in the ring or even with the rightful ringmaster's Yahoo ID. If you get past that part, you probably won't be able to categorize your ring. There are less options and less services. All of us are unpaid beta testers for a new program no one wants. You would think that at least their new system would work! I would give you the URL, but I don't want you to be disappointed and aggravated.

In The Keys
Wagner's Wash and Wax finally made it out to my fifth wheel travel trailer at Gulfstream Park to wash and wax. The weather was right and they had enough workers. The cats were not so impressed with all the water and buffing. They did an outstanding job considering how dirty the fifth wheel was. It had been three years since the last job. Wagner's Wash and Wax did a very good job. We are very satisfied with their work.

Hurricane Debby quickly got everything all stirred up. The storm track had the hurricane coming right for us. All tourists were ordered out of the Florida Keys. Safety is most important, and that was the right decision. Businesses lose income though regardless. Before Hurricane Debby hit the Cuban mountains, a shear force cut off the top of the hurricane. The mountains blasted the rest of the storm. Soon Hurricane Debby became an unnamed tropical wave, and that just barely. Still, better safe than sorry.

Our Marathon, Florida Keys NAPA closed. I think it was due to family reasons. It caught me by surprise. Certain products I need only NAPA carry. After checking with Andy and Dave's Garage, I found out that the Big Pine NAPA is closest to us now. I needed some fuel additive for my diesel truck. So I took the ride to Big Pine across Seven Mile Bridge. Of course, the sights are fantastic as always. I met a downpour of rain though. Thunder and lightning filled the darkened skies. I didn't see any cats or dogs even though it was raining really hard. I avoided a huge lake in front of the Big Pine NAPA parking lot. I had seen an eighteen wheeler disappear in there just ahead of me too.  The monsoon stopped and the drive back home was uneventful.

Movies Dragon Heart A New Beginning and Mulan were both excellent. I've been reading the Arthur series of novels by Mary Stewart. They are quite good, of course. Anything about Merlin the magician is always nice. The elections were a thrill. There were not a lot of  us voting, but those that did can now consider ourselves part of the solution. We earned our right to complain as well. My exercise program goes well: swim, sit-ups, pushups, leg lifts, crunches, and jogging. Finally, I am still looking for a boat to really enjoy paradise.

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 8-3-00
The House In Shambles

Chester: The cats are furious with me for letting Atom Ant talk in the column last week.

Emily: We sure is! Yous...yous...traitor! Dis is our column! We don't need no rotten kitten messin it up!

Harry: That's right! It's bad enuff the crazy little fiend has taken over everything else! He is not.

Emily: She wasn't going to write it fur us-she has too much other stuffers to do. And she won't buy us a paw-sized keyboard! (sigh)

Atom: Oooo! Ooooo! Is we's writtin da clolum agin? Me wants to hep! (jumping up and down)

Emily: Hiiisssppiittttt! (whap!) Shut up and go away! Yous isn't goin to hab nothin to do wid our column anymore! Go bounce off on dem spring-loaded feets ub yourn an leab us alone!

Chester: Oh, come on, guys! The kitten isn't so bad!

Harry: He eats my tail! And jumps on me alla time!

Chester: But you let him sleep with you. He curls up next to you every night.

Harry: Yeah, well, asleep is the only way he is tolerable. Sides, after a while I just give up trying to hisspit him away. It's exhausting!

Emily: Dar is no way on dis eart dat I would let dat nasty monster sleep next to me! He's a menace to society, he is! An he neber learns. No matter how many times you swat him he always comes back.

Harry: Em's right. He has no long term memory at all!

(Atom rushes into the room) Oooo! Oooo! We is writtin da clolum! I wants to hep!

Harry: (Whap!) We just told yous to go away! This is our column!

Atom: Yous did? When?

Emily: See what I means? He doesn't member nothin fur more'n a second! Go away, monster! Tails and claws! That ting gets on my nerbes. At least it's bin nice outside, so as I can stay out mosta da time. Cept a few times I got caught in da rain (grrrrrrrrr). Still, I'd rather be wet then around that monster! Hey! Let go ub my tail! (whap!)

Atom: Heehee! (bounding off)

Harry: The creature has no manners at all! And the Mom's think he is so cute! Course, they yells at him alla time too! I love it when that happens! Mweeheehee!

Emily: Me too...when I's round to sees it. Da oder day he gots in big big trouble. He knocked Mom's glasses offn da counter while she was in da shower twicet! Mom yelled and spanked his butt and was mad at him alla day long! It were soooo funny! Heehee!

Harry: And Mom2 is alays yellin at him to stop jumpin on me, and squirting him with water. But it just doesn't sink in. He just does it all over again! Like today, he stole an earring out from Mom's earring bowl. Now, he'd already got spanked fur that twicet before, but that doesn't matter, cause he doesn't member nothing!

Chester: Well, he is only, what, twelve weeks old. You can't except him to have much in the way of brains at that age.

Harry: The stupid thing runs into walls! On purrpose! He's never going to have any brains!

Emily: That's true! He jus runs up an slam! Right into da wall! Like he cin knock it ober or somethin! I neber did anyting dat stupid in my whole life!

Chester: He's just a bit rambunctious.

Emily: Rambuntuiosity doesn't eben cober what he is! He crazy like a doggie, he is! An look what he does to da house! Now, me and Harry, ifn we knocks anything ober it is cause Mom or Mom2 put it where it shouldn'ta been. But that monster knocks stuff ober alla time, just fur da fun ub it! An there's balls ub paper all ober da place. He knocks ober Mom's waste basket and pulls eberyting out, an steals eberyting he can get his nasty little claws on!

Harry: He sure does! He stole my blanket that I sleep on when Mom is on the puter! He just took it over. If I try to lie down on it he tries to eat my tail...but after a while he goes back to sleep. And what he does to our shoestrings and yarn balls!

Emily: Claws and tails, it's a disgrace, it is! He gets dem all tangled up all togeder and tangles my brush up wid dem too! Dat makes me real mad! Mom, she tries to get stuffers all untangled an dat monster fights her da whole time! Jus now he knocked alla Mom's stuffers offen da counter and tooked off wid somethin. Mom had to rescue it fast! He's alays doin stuffers like dat!

Atom (tearing madly into the room): Ooooo! Oooo! Is we doin da clolum? Me wants to hep! Me gots all sorts of stuffers to tell bout. Like, dar's dis kitty in dis flat shiny ting an but no mater how hard I tries I can't get to it. It plays wid me, but it won't come outta da shiny ting. Me doesn't unnerstand.

Harry: That's a mirror, you idiot, and you're looking at your own reflection! Anyway, didn't we just tell yous that you can't help with the column? Don't you have a single brain in your head?

Emily: You're wasting your breath, Harry!

Atom: I gots lots ub brains! Me nose how to jump almost alla way to da doorknobs, and decorate da house wid yarn all ober da place, an me eben cober up alla da poop and pee dat yous oder kitties doesn't cober up in da litterhouse!

Chester: Hahaha! He has you there!

Emily: Stop siding with him, you rotten dragon! Merroooow!! I'm goin outside an get some peace! (gives Atom a hisspit and paw whap on her way out)

Atom: Teehee! Emily be a funny kitty! So, what can me talk bout now?

Harry: Forget it, kid, the column's over. And stop chewing on my tail! Cheese whiskers! I'm too old for this!

Chester: Come on, Atom. We'll go out on the deck and play and let Harry get some rest. You can tell me all the stuff you wanted to say in the column.

Atom: Oh, boy! (racing to the deck)

Harry: Ahhhh! Peace at last!

Cat Chat 8-10-00
Hot Weather

Emily: It hab bin so hot an humid and yucky out. I still go outside mosta da day jus to escape from dat monster kitten, but I stay down by the creek where it is cool. But it is really nice to come in (if that nasty monster isn't at the door to attack me!) and lie down in the cool cool. It is so furry much cooler and nicer in our new house dan in da old one.

Harry: It sure is! It stays nice and cool all over the house, not just in a few places. It's been so hot I just don't go out at all cept in the morning and evening when Mom2 goes out. But sometimes its too cold in here for me. I like to snuggle with Mom2 on the couch, and even with Atom when he behaves---he's like a little furnace, and really quite sweet when he isn't chewing on my tail.

Emily: Traitor! How can you sleep with that thing! Just last week you were saying how much he annoyed you!

Harry: He's ok when he's asleep. Granted, that's about the only time he's ok!

Emily: Humph! Yous got that right!

Chester: I like the heat. I love laying in the sun in the backyard. Grandpa almost never mows since we've moved, and the grass is so thick and soft. Still, the humidity can be a bit much. I like...

Atom rushes up: Look what me's gots! Me's gots a crinkly paper ball what Mom made fur me! I lubs crinkly paper balls! Day is eber so much fun!

Emily bats the paper ball to the other side of the room and Atom chases it: You were saying? Chester: Ahem, um...oh, yes. I like lying on the big couch with my head hanging over the arm. The air conditioning vent is right there and the cool air is so nice, especially after being out for a few hours.

Emily: Oooo, I lub dem holes dat da cool air come up from! I alays lie on da floor to be closest to dem. Da carpet is nice an soft, but Mom put me an extra little rug down in my favorite sleeping spot. It's wunnerful! I can lie there an let the cool air from da hole in da floor ruffle my tail fur, or blow on my back, or anything!

Harry: Will all that fat and fur, it's no wonder you like to be near the cool air holes! Heehee!

Emily: Hey! It's fur and muscle I'll have you know! Hiissppiitt!! But you are right, all this fur does make me extra hot.

Atom rushes up dragging a shoestring: Look what me killeded! Me killeded it, me did!

Emily: Stupid kittenmonster! That's a toy! You can't kill a toy. It already dead. Cheese whiskers! This thing gets on my nerves!

Atom: Yous plays wid stuffers. Me's seed yous.

Chester: You play with Atom too. I've seen you! Heehee!

Emily: Never! I growl at it whenever it comes near me! I nose you've heard me growl!

Harry: You growl, all right, but you do play with Atom when you think no one's looking. I've seen you too! Mweeheehee!

Emily: Merrooww!!! I do no such thing? Is it my fault the little creature plays with my tail when I'm minding my own business? Humph! I'm not talking to either of you anymore (stalking off)

Chester: She's been awfully touchy lately. Do you think it's the weather or do you think it's...(Atom bounds up and jumps on Harry's head.) Atom? Speak of the devil! Heehee!

Harry: Hey, stop that! Hiissppiittt! Yous little beast! Yous aren't spossed to jump on people's heads. It's not nice!

Atom: Me's jus pwayin'. Me lubs to pway wid yous, Harry.

Harry: Well, not like that! It's not fun atall. (Turning to Chester) I think that answers your question. It's the kitten that is making her so cranky. But I'm sure the weather isn't helping.

Chester: (chuckling) And you were just saying that the kitten isn't so bad!

Harry: Yeah, asleep! I said asleep!

Atom: What's wong Harry? Doesn't yous likes me? I lubs yous! Yous be my hero, yous is!

Harry: (sigh) Cheese whiskers! If you love me so much, then stop jumping on my head! Yous have no manners atall!

Chester: He is just a kitten after all. But I admit, he is a bit rowdy.

Harry: How he can run around like that in this heat I'll never know.

Atom (bouncing around): What's heat? Runnin round be fun! Doesn't yous tink runnin round be fun? Emily run round a lot a lot, all growling and pwaying chase wid me! She's funny. Teehee!

Chester (ignoring Atom): What amazes me is the depth of his ignorance. Imagine not knowing what heat is! Are all kittens that...I hesitate to use the word, but...stupid?

Harry: No, I think this one is unique in that respect. I was quite intelligent as a kitten.

Atom (stinging his nose on the ionizer for the twentieth time): Ow! Sppiit!

Chester: Maybe it's just a phase...

Harry: Maybe it's the heat! Heehee!

Emily (walking by): Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

Cat Chat 8-16-00
The Unfriends

Harry: Mom2 has had some big awful troubles and she is furry upset. See, when she moved in here with us, she had left a lot of stuffers behind. Her and Mom was getting stuffers alla time, emptying out her old place. Finally, a few weeks ago, Mom2 decided it was time to get her old trailer ready to sell. There was still lots of stuffers there that she didn't want, but that maybe she could sell, but there was also lots of work that had to be done to make the trailer nice.

Emily: Not that there is anything wrong with the trailer, it's jus that it needed paintin and cleanin and stuffers like dat. The Moms went ober a couple ub times an packed up stuffers dat Mom2 was gonna sell, and picked up lots of stuffers dat needed to be throwed away. But then there was still the cleanin an paintin to be done.

Chester: Yes, and neither Mom or Mom2 are well enough to do all that. Mom2 is especially not too well-but she's been getting better now that we are all looking after her. But Mom isn't well either. They both have what is called fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, which means they hurt all the time and are tired all the time. That's why Mom has so much time to spend on the computer, because she is disabled, and so is Mom2.

Emily: Yeah, they are on Sociality Secure Disbilty, because they can't work. So, they started thinkin, how are we goin to get all dis work done? They thought bout hiring someone to do the painting and stuff, but that cost too much money.

Harry: Yea, Mom's handybean said it would be $700 just to paint the ceiling! That's a lot of cat food, I meow! And there was so much other stuffers that had to be done. Ifn they paid beans to do it all, Mom2 wouldn't have any money left atall!

Chester: So, the Moms thought about what friends they had that could do the work, or at least help. Mom talked to the neighbors that she sold our old trailer to, and they seemed eager to help. And Mom2 called some people. It didn't take too long before Mom2 found these friends that had been friends all her life. They were really nice people, and said they would do all the work in exchange for some of the stuff that Mom2 didn't want, like an old TV and some furniture and other stuff. Well, Mom and Mom2 were thrilled! They thought now everything was going to be fine. Mom met the friends over at the old trailer and they looked around and promised they would have it done in a week. Then the trouble started.

Emily: Meow, and what trouble! First these so-called friends took all the best stuff, even stuff they weren't supposed to take. The man bean fixed a leak in the roof, and then they disappeared fur a while. So Mom2 called and called and finally they answered and had all sorts of excuses fur why they weren't doing the work.

Harry: Yeah, some excuses! This happened and that happened, but they sure had time to go grab the stuffers they wanted! And a week passed and it wasn't done. They finally went and painted on the ceiling and then said they needed money to buy more paint. So Mom2 said well come over, but they didn't and didn't and so nothing got done. And when she got hold of them again they said well, we need money for paint and she said well, I told you to come get it! She was getting mad! So Mom told them how to get here and they came and got some money and said they'd be done in another week. Liars!

Chester: You said it! Mom and Mom2 went over to see what they had done and boy were they mad! Those stupid people had gotten more paint on the carpet than on the ceiling, and the paint they were supposed to have bought was nowhere to be found!

Harry: Mom and Mom2 just happened to go over to the trailer when the man bean was coming with the pressure washer. He was spossed to do that a week and a half before, but there he was finally. They talked to him lots, and Mom says Mom2 was so upset she was crying, and so mad she could have chewed up nails and spit out tacks! The nasty bean got the outside of the trailer looking pretty good-only cause they was there, the Moms say. But Mom2 had had enough of these unfriends. The Moms came home, and talked and talked about it, and then they were so wored out they went to sleep fur a while. When they woked up Mom2 had decided enough were enough! These nasty unfriend beans had stole from her and made a mess fur her trouble. And even worse than that, she had already put the trailer up fur sale, cause the unfriends had promised they would be done! So she had all these beans calling wanting to buy the trailer and no way could she show it to them.

Emily: Mom2 woked up and she decided, the heck wid does nasty unfriends ub hers! Day had done her wrong an wrong. The man bean, he'd said he would be ober at da trailer dat night to finish doing some stuffers, and to bring da paint what Mom2 had paid fur, so she and Mom went ober an waited, but ub course he neber showed up! It were all lies what they tolded. So Mom, she mad a No Trespassing Sign what she put up on da door and day padlocked da trailer and left. But now day gots to figger out what to do, cause da work still gotta be done. Day is both furry upset. I wish we could hep, but I don't nose how to paint an sides, I don't like goin anywhere in da car.

Harry: Me neither, but I tell yous one ting: wid friends like that it's better not to have friends atall, I meow! Nasty ole unfriend beans! I would paw whap them good ifn I could get hold of them!

Chester: I would do more than that! I would fry them where they stood! Those people make me so mad, to make our sweet Moms so upset! People like that ought not to be allowed to walk around, I think. But Mom2 says we won't see anything more of them. But she says they'll get their's. I don't know what she means, but she said that.

Emily: So now the Moms don't nose what to do and they's bin callin beans what are real friends, but so far Mom is thinkin she is gonna hab to da alla da work. Mom shouldn't hab to do alla da work. We's afeeered dat she'll get sick. So, ifn any ub yous beans an kitties can hep Mom paint and clean, yous jus let us nose quick as yous can, ok please?

Harry: Yes, please! We don't need the Mom's getting sick over this. Dem ole nasty beans! Grrrrr!!!!

Cat Chat 8-30-00
Mom Crying

Chester: Mom has had a rough couple of weeks. Well, actually, both Moms have. It all started when Mom2 had to have surgery. It wasn't a big major surgery-she didn't have to stay in the hospital-but it was bad enough.

Emily: Purr Mom2 were in turrible pain, an all sore too! An ub course we was all habin to take real good care ub her. She still isn't ober it, but she's getting better. We's takin special good care ub her.

Harry: Yeah, but Mom2's surgery, it was just the start. Cause the day before Mom2 was spossed to have the surgery, Mom's Grama bean died and went to Rainbow Bridge. Now, it wasn't unexpeculated that Grama bean might be going to Rainbow Bridge soon, cause she's been real old and not too well fur a long long time.

Emily: Yeah, she were almost as old as Harry. Teehee!

Harry: Hey!

Chester: Grama was 102, which is very old even for a human person. Mom and Grandpa-Grandpa, he's Grama's son, see, they knew she wasn't feeling at all well, because she was just plain getting too old and frail and things weren't working well anymore. I heard Mom and Grandpa talking about it a lot and they both would say it would be a blessing if she could pass on, because so was so miserable. But even so, Mom was sad, and still is, because she loved Grama. Harry, I don't think Grama went to Rainbow Bridge. She went to Heaven. That's where human people go.

Harry: Oh, you weren't here yet when I told about what Peanut Butter told me. You member Peanut my bruder who is at Rainbow Bridge? He said that all beans that had nanimals that loved them go straight to Heaven through Rainbow Bridge. They don't have to go through that Saint Peter bean like other beans do, because beans that had nanimals that loved them are furry special and God lets them come right in. Now, Grama had lots of nanimals all through her life, so I nose that she went straight over the Bridge to Rainbow Bridge and met all the nanimals that went before her, and her husband and son and sister and all the other beans that passed into Heaven before her. Oh, my! What a happy reunion that must have been! It makes me cry to think of it!

Emily: (sniff) Yous got me cryin too! Happy sad tears. It is nice to nose that there is such a beautiful special place fur beans what is beautiful an special beans an nanimals! (sniff, sniff)

Harry: Well, anyways, even tho Mom and Grandpa bean were all ready with plans fur Grama's funeral, there was still stuffers to plan and do. So, In between Mom(and us of course!) taking care of Mom2, she had to help Grandpa plan stuffers and make what they called final arrangements. Well, meanwhile there was all the mess about Mom2's old trailer what we told yous about last week. And then Mom had new guitar beans starting classes too. And Mom and Mom2 never did find anybean to help, except just a little, except of course Grandpa helped when he could. With the trailer that is.

Chester: All this means that Mom ahs been very very busy. Much too busy. For the last week and a half all she's done is work at the trailer, teach guitar, look after Mom2, and sleep. Oh, and she had to of course go to Grama's graveside service, and then the big memorial service a week later. She got some real friends to help her with the trailer Sunday, and by Monday she was finally finished with everything at the trailer, except a few little touches. So now Mom2 can show it, and she has shown it to some people. Then, also, Mom and Mom2 had to go back to the doctor and get Mom2's stitches out. That was last Friday. And Tuesday was the memorial service. Now, last Thursday Mom had written to her friends in Area51, where she works on the computer, and told them she would be offline for a few days because she was so very busy, and she didn't turn the computer on at all all that time. By Tuesday night Mom was so exhausted that she just lay on the couch with her head on Mom2's shoulder and rested and napped, and then went to bed early.

Emily: we felt real real bad fur Mom. She should oughta have had so much to do all at oncet, but she says that's the way things alays go. It alays all happens at oncet. But she didn't know jus how much of eberyting would happen at oncet. She turned on da puter on Wednesday morning and found a message from one ub her furry bestest friends, who libs in Aussie-trailer.

Chester: Australia.

Emily: Whateber. Dis friend, day talked ebery ebery day, an was furry close an lubed each oder, eben tho dey neber eber seed each da oder in real life. An dis friend, she had been worried because Mom hadn't been online, but one of Mom's other friends had let eberyone nose that Mom was taking some time off da puter, so this friend said she was glad that Mom was ok. Den dis friend sent her son's e-mail address. Now, Mom thought this was strange. Dese messages was posted on Saturday, when Mom was ober at da trailer working her butt off. So Mom went into her mailbox, where she gets all her mail, yous nose? An she found dis message from dis friend's son. Da son said dat his mom, Mom's friend, had dies in her sleep Sunday morning!

Harry: I was in the kitchen when Mom got that letter. She got up form her chair, and stared at the screen, and walked away and went back and looked again. And she said it couldn't be true, it had to be a turrible joke. But it weren't no joke. It was true. An Mom, she just started crying and crying. The tears were just dripping offen her cheeks. It was all just too much. She was just too exhausted to deal with this. And she was so so very sad that her friend had gone to Rainbow Bridge, cause she missed her and she was young and happy and everything like that. But, tho, Mom said that she nosed this friend had been sick a long time, but no one expected this to happen.

Chester: It broke my heart to see Mom so sad. She cried all day. There were other letters in her mailbox about her friend, and lots and lots of posts in the forum where all the Area51 people go talking about it. Mom would type and cry and read and cry...I felt so so bad. This friend's name was Katje, which means "little cat." Mom says she was a ray of sunshine, always so sweet and so cheerful. Everyone in Area51 is putting together a memorial for Katje, and Mom wants to do her own memorial too. But right now she is just too sad. So she asked us to put up this graphic, which you will see below, and click on it to see Katje's beautiful site. Her husband told everyone that the last thing she did before she went to bed, and then to Heaven, was to finish work on her website. Please go by and see this site in memory of Mom's beloved friend, and enjoy the beauty and joy that is there.

Harry: By the way, the graphic says Katje is a Cosmic Volunteer, which means she only worked part-time for Area51, but she was just about to be promoted to a Community Leader-they work full time. So everyone in Area51 has agreed to make Katje a Community Leader, as a tribute to her. I nose it will make Mom happy to know that her friend's wonderful site is being enjoyed by all the beans and kitties who read this column. So just click below, ok? Thank you from me and Emily and Chester, and of course from Mom.

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
“Katje” 9.6.00 
for Anita Wilson
fellow artist and poet
by L. E. Shaffer © 2000 L. E. Shaffer

Once met
Never forget
Imaginary smile
Real happiness

In spite of life
In the face of pain
And perceived obstacles
Never giving up, giving in

Never stopping
The soul goes on
The spirit flies
At the last dragon song

Creativity so strong
Once begat
Never undone
Always on full

Kind, full of love
Happy, full of life
Smiling, full of friends
Love, full of family

There at the end
No pain, no trouble
Just sleep, little one
For the morrow comes

And you walk
Streets of gold
And run to
That Rainbow Bridge...

© 2000 L. E. Shaffer

Hockey Puck
This has been a wonderful month for sports. I downloaded the Florida Panthers NHL schedule. I can't wait until the hockey season starts. I went to make a trip up to Miami, stay three days and two nights, and possibly see two games. I wonder if anyone might be interested in coming with me and sharing expenses?

Tiger Woods won the NEC International. He has made a golfing fan out of me. I don't play golf, but I don't mind watching him play. He is also winning the Canadian Open championship. I know that this phenomenal winning streak can't go on forever, but it is exciting to watch and be part of it.

The Little League World Series was excellent as always. Great stories and real characters populate this real-world success story. The final game was between Latin America and the USA. The game was fantastic, and the boys from Latin America won. ESPN and ABC has made this a true international event rivaling some professional championships. Next year there will be sixteen teams in the playoffs vice eight teams. They will play in a new stadium that will accompany the old venerable stadium in existence now. Why is this such a great event? Because this is real baseball played for the love of the game and not the love of money or fame. The only complaint that I have is that there are not enough girls on the teams. They can play baseball even better than the boys.

NASCAR continues each week now. I prefer super speedways, because the tracks are longer and faster. The short tracks have their place, but I don't find them as interesting. Poor Bill Elliot hurt his knew, but is back driving with pins and stuff. What courage, huh? NASCAR at Indianapolis was super but still can't match the best race of the year at Daytona.

The Miami Dolphins did well in preseason even though most people think they are not very good without Dan Marino. The Dolphins did win their first NFL regular season game. That was surprising. Miami is noted for doing well the first half of the season. The true test is winning the last eight games and going deeper into the playoffs. We shall see!

Guest Articles
Anita Wilson & two of her poems. Kelly Kenrick offers one of his own.

"Jennah"

You look at me with sunken eyes
My friend of many years
I hold you close and cuddle you
And silently fall my tears

I know the time is coming close
That we will say goodbye
I treasure every moment we have
Trying not to cry

My confidante so many times
When life was not so good
Your purring was the calming music
That often changed my mood

I see you walking slowly now
Bowlegged and so old
I go and heat your bed again
Because you feel the cold

You slowly taste and lick the food
That I prepared with care
You are so thin my little friend
Your bones show everywhere

I wish I had a magic wand
And I could hold back time
To make you young and fit again
And stop your slow decline

Soon I will have only memories
To never fade away
Of you, my beloved Burmese cat
Who came to me one day

Wait for me at Heaven's Gate
As young as you were before
Jump again onto my shoulder
When I come through that Door

© 2000 Anita Wilson

© Copyright 2000 Anita Wilson, Australia

Human Nature by Kelly Kenrick

Perfection is not attainable
Always beyond the reach of mortal men
Who ever strive for better things.
He reaches the peak, then falters
Misplacing his step in exaltation,
He falls.
To begin again.

© Copyright 2000 Kelly Kenrick

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Pilate replied, "You are a king then?"

"You say that I am a king, and you are right," Jesus said. "I was born for that purpose. And I came to bring truth to the world. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true."

"What is truth?" Pilate asked. [NLT]

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