Sometimes, I like to sit at my dining room table and eat breakfast while looking through the window at the activity outside. Lately, I have had the pleasure of watching the return of last year’s tealight penthouse tenants, the Carpodacus Mexicanus family. The mother recently laid a clutch of eggs and while I enjoyed my breakfast and anticipated the birth of the female babies and fledglings (the female babies are just ‘female babies’ – male babies, they get fancy names), I couldn’t help but think, “It seems a bit contradictory to anxiously await the birth of those babies while eating an egg-filled breakfast burrito.” Then I finished off my burrito and got on with my day.
What also seems contradictory is to be on vacation and not watch television. While at the condo, Little Sleep was watching one of her favorite channels, Animal Planet. Not being one to watch television, this was the first time I had watched this channel and, surprisingly, I learned a lot. Sadly, they didn’t air any shows about birds. Fortunately, Cats 101 was particularly informative and I found the various tips provided were applicable for both humans and felines. For example, a domestic longhair requires frequent bathing and brushing. If groomed correctly, the end result is a genuine, glamour puss every time. “Who doesn’t want a genuine, glamour puss?” I asked Sleepless. “This is some really good stuff,” she replied.
As I continued to watch, and learn, I was reminded of Mrs. Slocombe from the PBS classic, Are You Being Served?. Mrs. Slocombe was always ranting about her award winning pussy and, one day while at work, phoned her neighbor with a favor, “Would you go to my front door, bend down and look through the litter box and if you can see my pussy, would you drop a sardine on the mat?” Whether looking through the window or the litter box, what we see and what we think are often two different things entirely.