 The Shaffer Journal
Volume 3 Issue 6 June 1997
What follows is the June 1997 journal published by my company as written, produced, and managed by the cats. Kitty and Ebony have asked for a raise in their daily allowance of Whiskas. They said they would go on strike. Since I don't have the time to do this monthly journal, I had to give in to their paw and meow union. Lots of good stuff this issue thanks to the cats. Yes, fun cats like fan cat-mail. They just love your attention. Why don't you give it to them? June is a great month for us cats. It is hot. Very hot. Really cat hot! And we love it. I Kitty go out into the sun until my fur about to catch on fire. Then I go to the shade and cool off. Then back to the fires of the lovely sun. I do this all day, until it is time to go into our fifth wheel travel trailer. I Ebony just interested in boids, squirrelies, and gecko lizards. I do have to admit I like the dusty sand. It cool on my body. Rolling around in the dirt and the leaves is fun. Human bean have to dust me off, before I come back in the fifth wheel travel trailer. I don't mind. Lots of cat fun! Please visit Kitty's Memorial page by clicking on the cat graphic found below. Kitty Talk
 I have a lot to meow about this month. The month of my fifteenth birthday. That makes me 76 in human bean years. Thank you from all the nice beans in the Internet and all the cat-mail I got. I had a much better birthday than Ebony! I love being outside on my twelve-foot leash. Soaking up the hot Florida sun and larking around in the dust and the sand. When nature calls though, I am not interested in the outdoor sand most kitties like. I want that litter box in the big litter house that human bean got me. Yes, I have to come in from the outside to use my special place. Then I want back outside, of course! I love my kitty house with small roll of toilet paper, hanging pictures, skylight, and cell phone. I just love to use it after it is cleaned and freshened. Wouldn't you? I Ebony don't know what all the meowing is about. I can't help it that the litter stick to my paws. If the human bean don't clean out the litter house daily, I get a little mad. I go inside and fling litter everywhere! Human bean usually get with it then and clean the cat house. Why I call it a house, cause it is! It has a roof with a filter in it. It has three floors. One floor has holes in it. It help human bean get out the nasty cat stuff. The other two floors are for trading litter in after lifting out the one with holes in it. I really like the little bitty toilet paper hanger with toilet paper roll that has itty bitty kitties on it. Pretty neat, huh! Us cats think about it and wonder if you all really want to know about our litter house? All you NET peoples must be interested in other interesting stuff. Why who goes on about kitty litter houses? So we decided that cats are the only ones who can read this article about our cat outhouse. Well, it a cat inhouse really. So you human beans must forget all you read and proceed to the next article now. Look into our cat eyes... deeply... give us extra cans of Whiskas now... Hartman's
While back in Ohio visiting my brother, he and I got to visit the famous Hartman's Grocery on State Route 9 in Ohio. Nothing ever changes and that is good sometimes. Maybe it is Tiger who keeps things running smoothly. Tiger, remember, is the resident tomcat. Kitty likes Tiger! Spring at Hartman's was special. Good conversation on a wide assortment of topics. Cold beer and delicious brownies are an unbeatable combination. If you are ever in southeastern Ohio, don't miss a chance to visit real Americana. Stop at Hartman's for lunch and see where we have been and where we are going. I Kitty really do like Tiger. He is a special tomcat who has absolute control of all the humans. All the human beans come and go as permitted by Tiger. Tiger and I write cat letters. We great cat friends, but that is all there is. Tiger is surgically altered like me. No more thrill of kittens form me and Tiger. Isn't it funny how human beans say surgically altered now? Us cats know what it mean, and we demand that the vets call it what it is. What all the fuss and meowing about? The world has too many kittens who are abandoned. This much better way, but still funny how human beans word it by saying surgically altered. Us cats think you human beans strangely and weirdly furless! Internet Stuff
Something new is the rule on the Internet. I update my web site almost daily. Other home pages are kept current just as often. It is an amazing and wonderful journey around the web pages to see the new and different things that bring fun and adventure. I created Prayer Warriors from an idea I read somewhere, but I can't remember. These are Internet volunteers who pray for submitted prayer requests garnered from my Prayer Warriors' form. So the Internet fulfills a great service via e-mail and Internet forms. The 3000th visitor visited my web site early this month. They got an award commemorating their visit. It is surprising how people enjoy getting awards even if just graphical. But fun is fun! The Internet can and does become an addiction for the lonely and shy as well as just plain folks. You can go online, visit a few places, download some stuff, read some news, view the sights, and before you know it, eight hours passed. I Ebony want to talk about something! Kitty and human bean think they make funny of me on the StarGate page. There is a broken counter graphic that I suppose to break. Kitty and human bean really furrrrry funny or so they think. I no break nothing. I get even soon. Stay tuned all fans of Ebony! Hockey News
Aren't the playoffs exciting? The Stanley Cup Conference Finals featured New York Rangers versus Philadelphia Flyers for the Eastern Conference and Colorado Avalanche versus Detroit Redwings for the Western Conference Finals. The Rangers gave it their best but couldn't beat the healthier and stronger Flyers. The Redwings surprised everyone by upsetting the strongly favored Colorado Avalanche. What an upset! Although the Rangers lost the series, one player continued his amazing performance. You know the one, the one who is all washed up, the Great One, Wayne Gretzky. I can't wait until next year to see what he will do next. Us cats are sick and tired of all this meowing about hockey. Hockey is hokey human bean stuff. Imagine human beans streaking and hitting each other. Playing with this furrrry small black thing. It cat wacky, what it is! Us cats never do anything like this. We sedate, elegant, regal, and furrrry hungry creatures. Much better eat and catnap than get teeth knocked out playing hokey hockey! Veterans Day
I had the time and the privilege to visit two very special places. Pinellas County War Memorial Park located near Seminole in Bay Pines. And Bay Pines Veterans Cemetery right next to the park and beside Bay Pines Veterans Hospital. War Memorial Park is very big with lots of stuff to do and see. A winding road takes you all the way back to the picnic areas and the boat ramp. Playgrounds are everywhere. As you slowing wind your way through the tall trees and lush vegetation, you notice the grave markers in the national cemetery across the fence. After the park, I pulled into Bay Pines Cemetery and slowly drove along the narrow road. I observed the row upon row of grave sites dotted with flags, flowers, and markers. This is the price we pay for our freedoms that we so take for granted. Humbling and uplifting all at the same time, I am thankful for those in the past, those who serve today, and those who must face our uncertain future. Poetry Corner
Here is something of war and the veteran. Enjoy: "In the Fields"
June 6, 1997 Early morning cool
As smoke rolls in
Above the din and rumble
Somewhere a bird sings In the fields does
The battle sing
And fear grips
Blood dripping The sun rises hot
The sounds quicken
Even as quiet
Dulls the brain Inches gain perilously
Lost again in tears
And now no pain
Lost in the memories Senses sharpened suddenly
Detect running water nearby
But so far and death so near
Noon darkens the eyes When was it
That the child
Laughed in the games
And life wasn't so cruel Where to go
In these fields
When afternoon cools
Slowly life slips away . . . In the Park
At Roycroft Travel Trailer Park this summer there isn't much of a crowd and not a lot to do. As we look at all the other campgrounds nearby, they seem a lot more occupied. It is hard to write an article about the park with this lack of activity. I suppose there are exciting things to write about if you try hard enough. All the little roads in the park have been edged and clean. This project really has made the park pretty. All the palm trees have been trimmed so that large branches won't fall off and hurt people. Now that was a really nice touch. I got to use the Rec Hall to watch a NASCAR race. That was really nice. I plan on watching more in the Rec Hall, because now I have to pay electricity. My budget was busted; now it is dead! But I haven't lost heart, because I can use the Rec Hall. I will also show some of my awesome movie library. This and NASCAR and the World Series will comprise the summer Roycroft rec program. How exciting! Last and not least is the great view we have in the park. I can see really far in all directions. Isn't it great to be able to see forever? Well, I am so excited I have to go and take a nap. Maybe I can dream about next month and all that Roycroft excitement! Us cats get this human bean thing called sarcasm. Yet us cats are more direct. When something bothers us, we yeow and bite. Sometimes we hiss and phffftt, phffftt! These last months us cats notice human bean doing all these things. He more cat than us sometimes. Simply cat amazing! This thing called Roycroft got to go, we think furrrry much. Things be much more purrrrrrfect for our human bean, if we seek our cat meows elsewhere. After all, we can catch lizards anywhere! This is Kitty and Ebony can't get lizards out of her mind! This Ebony and Kitty is just jealous. Hisssss, phffftt, phffftt... and so it goes... Us cats contracting for regular supply fresh, yummy catnip. We give cat hugs and kisses for silly human beans who like that stuff. Yes, send us catnip- Okay, this is the human bean. Skat cats! "The Mountains of Ao"
Work continues on chapter nine. I will speed things up a bit, when I can get all these distractions taken care of. I just keep writing daily though. The Dull Stuff
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