FIONA GETS SPECIAL TREATMENT

Fiona

Fiona

After Christmas has passed I have more free time to relax. I spend lots of it sitting in the living room enjoying the tree while the male human, Tom, is watching Bowl game after Bowl game. When I was a teenager, four Bowl games (Rose, Orange, Cotton and Sugar) were contested. That was it…the end! This year when they continued to go on and on, I asked Tom how many bowls there are now. He said that he thought about 20.

Not wanting to be called out if this figure happened to be wrong, I decided to check Google to find the correct answer. So here it is: 35! I honestly can’t believe it. That’s a total of 70 teams, many of them unranked. The only reason I can think of for so many of these games is to line the sponsors’ pockets. Although, I am certain, participating in one of these games is quite a badge of honor for the players and their parents. I hope I have not offended anyone with my mini-rant. And anyway, I obviously am not writing a post about football. Once again I have digressed as I have a tendency to do.

Thelma

Thelma

So back on topic: I watch the tree. Its lights and shining ornaments can be mesmerizing. When in the living room I am usually catless. Giulietta, however, and her sis, Fiona, sit on the other side of the door. Giulietta scratches on the door while Fiona whines. Unlike the other siblings, Mauricio and Misty May, they are nearly always together. I do sometimes separate them as I am known for granting Fiona special privileges. She is such a good kitty and minds me quite well most of the time (not really known as a cat trait) so I will sneak her into the living room with me. Last night she hung out under the tree, but normally she is curled up next to or on top of me and we nap.

Yesterday morning she joined me in bed, as I got up a little later than Tom. After he fed the kitties, Fiona came back upstairs. She always sneaks up on me stealthily and we have some alone time. She only occasionally sleeps on the bed so this is always a treat for both of us. She gets lots of one-on-one petting and rubbing without any of the other kids butting in, and I get the warm fuzzies since she specifically sought me out.

In the spring and summer I occasionally let her off the screened porch and into the yard with me. You can read more about this in my post, “Cats in the Garden.”

Louise

Louise

Fiona resembles our previous cat, Louise. But, for some reason, I often call her by Louise‘s sister’s name, Thelma. I can think of two possible reasons. Both names end in “a,” or because Thelma and Fiona share similar personalities and mannerisms. Fiona is only slightly more vocal than Thelma, who only talked at night after we went to bed. We would hear her downstairs in the foyer having conversations with toys or shadows or dust bunnies.We never really knew or discovered to whom she was speaking or what she was talking about!

And Thelma also was a stealth cat, having learned to approach without her bell making any sound. I miss both Thelma and Louise bunches and am glad Fiona often makes me think of them.

Last night was the Cotton Bowl. I spent the duration of the game in the living room alone, admiring the tree and doing a computer-generated puzzle of Mauricio. Fiona chose to nap on the dining room table with Giulietta.

But, as I finally finish this post (more server problems), Fiona is sitting on my lap purring and not even trying to touch the computer. Good kitty!