Saturday, January 24, 2009



Milo

Edward has a deal with the Blue Jays. I cannot say when it was struck, nor how, but I am certain it exists. It seems the Blue Jays are forever on the lookout for Milo, the neighborhood cat - a cat in possession of a copious amount of chutzpah; a cat for whom boundaries hold no meaning, a cat who knows no fear. When Milo is spotted by the Blue Jay sentry on duty, the sentry immediately signals an alarm to his compatriots in other outposts of tree and limb. They all proceed to convene within our old magnolia tree, like a squawking blue-uniformed battalion. I have become convinced they are merely shouting the name of Edward in Blue Jay-ese. For whatever he is doing, wherever he happens to be - napping in his spot under the piano or exploring the furthermost points of the far back garden - Edward comes dashing. Running the gauntlet twixt table, chair and lamp, sliding across the hardwood floors, like an armored bear of old, he leaps into the chair by the window to let loose his most threatening, ear-splitting bark - a sound designed to strike terror in the heart of any self-respecting feline. Any feline that is, but Milo. For Milo, impassively lounging atop the dining table that sits outside under the magnolia tree, is calmly waiting for any feathered bit of blue that happens to lose its footing from one of the limbs above, and cares not a whit for anything Edward happens to say. Naturally, this nonchalance infuriates Edward all the more and the cycle of Blue Jay squawks and ferocious barks will continue unabated until either the Songwriter or I takes it upon ourselves to venture out and remind Milo of the nature of things. Milo will saunter off eventually, with head held high, his bottlebrush tail a furry flag of dignity, utterly convinced it was his own idea to leave in the first place, as if reminded only that he has an appointment elsewhere. Edward goes for a drink of water to settle his nerves, and soon, one by one, all the tiny bits of blue leave the big tree winter-green once more.
Until the next time Milo happens to visit.


38 comments:

  1. What a great post. Edward is my hero. Love that bed-head fury guy!
    And Milo...well!

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  2. That is my favorite thing you've written so far! Well done!

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  3. You do have a deal of rumpus and riot, to quicken your pulses. Such psychological warfare going twixt window and tree and shady retreat.

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  4. Yea! Go Edward defender of blue jays. :-) I think you might like Charles De Lint's work- he talks of shape changing birds and other myths as old as the land.

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  5. Birds, cat and dog in an eternal struggle for dominance and decibels.


    You can tell if a cat has inept owners when the everyday name is obvious and descriptive, Fluffy, Snowball, Midnight or Tiger. Or insulting, Stinker, Mama Cat, Boo Kitty. This is the name by which a cat knows if it's humans care enough to give a thoughtful name.

    I believe a cat's own name is known to other cats, but never used.

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  6. Purrrrrfect ...

    Bleet-Ness, Ver(vour) and the L'il Man wanted me to tell you. Hugs from the Dixon gal and myself as well. xo, S.

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  7. I love visiting and reading your posts! Such wonderful talent you possess!

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  8. Hi just came by for a little visit with Edward and enjoyed his antics with the bluejays. Cute. Milo is looking powerful, too.

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  9. The most favourite cat I ever had, I called Chantzee...for her beautiful purr. the most special I ever heard up to that point and since..
    a beautiful grey longhair.. so soft...

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  10. Perfect. You captured these antics, which are all too familiar to me, with precision! I think I can even hear Edward's most ferocious bark... :)

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  11. When my boys were young, we had a cat named Kitty K Kat who roused the same response from the blue jays that frequented our backyard. I would hear them squawking loudly and look out the window to see the cat slinking slowly through the yard with her ears pinned against her head. I could always tell where she was from the direction the sound came from. You picked a perfect poem for this post.

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  12. What a wonderful post, Pamela. Cats are such wonderful, aloof creatures. We have 2, BlackJack and Sandy but goodness knows what their real names are!!

    I have been 'tagged' in a meme. I have no idea how to tag others. The instructions didn't work for me, so I've put it here for you. Ignore if you wish!!

    25 Things Meme from LeatherdykeUK
    Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

    To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.
    BT
    xxx

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  13. Edward is such a cutie! Good dog.
    Tanner the Slobber Dog sends his best!

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  14. fabulous Edward story - you create the most wonderful word pictures!

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  15. We have the same scenario here except that Ted, in his excitement, shrieks in a high pitched voice, rather than barks. I like your description of Milo- "copious amounts of chutzpah" !

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  16. Your words are exquisite
    Blessings

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  17. You have expressed so beautifully this scene, which in turn conjures up memories for all of us dog owners! Even to the drinking water to settle nerves at the end ... Perfect!

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  18. Lovely post, your descriptions are wonderful

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  19. What a wonderful description of Milo -we have just such a fearless cat visit our garden - he is the one cat ours don't like at all - and the birds soon disappear too:)

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  20. It's so funny that you should end this with the Eliot poem because I was just about to suggest that this would make a fine poem and that it reminded me of one of Eliot's.

    I recently wrote a poem about a very large cat, Pamela. Did you get the chance to read it?

    Kat

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  21. What an entertaining tale! I am sorry, however, that while Milo possesses an indomitable and sassy spirit, those who possess Milo allow him to wander freely ..... Milo may someday unfortunately suffer at the hands or paws of a less kinder, gentler, creature....sorry folks...had to say it!

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  22. Beautiful,as always! Give Edward a big kiss for me!!!!

    Joni

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  23. What fun! Cats are really in their own little world. Thanks for taking us into Edward's! ps my cat has over 15 names right now!

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  24. Fabulous, bless Edward, but I confess that I respect Milo too :) I love that poem, especially the last line. I really do struggle to read it aloud though :)

    Kim x

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  25. I do believe that Milo's manner would be a bit different if there wasn't that window - a wall of safety - between he and Edward.

    When we lived back east, the Blue Jays were relentless - they would swoop down and actually peck the heads of our poor cats - the cats did manage to bring a few of those feathered furies down.

    Loved this post, and T.S. Eliot, what nice icing on an already perfect cake!
    xo Isa

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  26. This is great! And what could be a better ending than a poem from "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats"?! Bravo!

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  27. I've given Edward an award, you can find out more at my blog...

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  28. Ahhh... a little game of cat and mouse... or in this case cat and dog!
    The name Milo is very dear- my late Father's name was Milo.
    Edward the Great~
    Another very sweet story.
    D~

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  29. Interesting.
    The naming of cats.
    My two Siamese were called Annabel Stasia (Mother and pedigree name) and her daughter we named Zarabell Zavita, a combination of bits from pedigree.

    Their 'real' names were Misty and Sandy!! A Blue point and a Seal point.

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  30. Because I am owned by a cat I understand Milo's coolness completely! Good for Edward though trying to protect the blue jays.
    There is a famous quote by Robert Heinlein:
    "Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea."

    I saw the musical CATS on Broadway at least four times over it's long run , for different occasions,and I never tired of its adaptation of TS Elliot's wonderful poem.

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  31. What a hero Edward is! I love reading your stories- they seem to keep me on the edge of my seat. Thanks for sharing. xoxo

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  32. Cats! Mine has been described as a psychopath..by my next door neighbour who is a psychiatrist.
    Well actually he said their cat is a psychopath but ours is worse!

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  33. I can see that cat clearly in my minds eye...."bottlebrush tail a furry flag of dignity".

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  34. Love the idea of Edward as armored-bear. :-) Such fascinating animal interactions. We don't have blue jays out on this coast, but stellar jays - which are if anything, more obnoxious than their blue cousins. I think they would pick my cat up and carry her off if she tried to make a nuisance of herself with them.

    Jack-the-black-lab takes his job of policing the backyard very seriously. When I am working late we have a nearly nightly ritual - when some nocturnal critter invades our nether regions he frantically comes to get me to let him out. He then tears out back and tranverses the yard with great vigor until all trespassers are warned off. Yet again. Keeps us both happy. :-)

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  35. Hello P&E,

    Loved both your writing and the poem.

    My sister's dog, Daisy, used to bark wildly at squirrels running along the garden fence but her bark was more of a hoarse rasp and the squirrels never took any notice!

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  36. It does seem as though we are all chasing something.
    I can just picture Edward gallivanting towards those mean ole blue jays. The one's here are mean and enormous.

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  37. There is a local cat named Banshee that is a force of nature, and a neighborhood favorite. Sounds like your Milo!

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  38. What a lovely story - Edward & Milo have relationship of sorts! Although it appears the Blue Jays loyalites are clearly with Edward.

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I love to read your comments! Each and every one! Though I'm always reading your comments, I may not respond in the comment section. If you want to write me directly, you may do so at pamela@pamelaterry.net. Thank you for reading!