Morgan's Musings - Morgan muses yet again

First off, I really appreciate the emails, phone calls and chit-chat from those of you in the street and on the river bank about the old Musings columns during the past decades. Believe you me, it makes me realize how some of these past columns have hit close to your home.

First, let’s discuss the cat. 4-Socks continues to remain with us. But as in all family animals, she is different and will remain an inside cat. Let her out the back door last week. She made a few turns after leaving the porch and came straight back in the door. I’ve heard how older couples enjoy their pets. She is not an exception. The inside furnishings look a little different. Picture frames are somewhat askew and some furnishings have been safely gathered in and stowed.

You have to remember that this is her first spring, ever! She has never seen a bird/robin; they are quite an attraction. She has never seen a migration of robins like the ones that came through the coulee last week. They were here, there and everywhere. There were probably 80 or so on the vacant Wright Elementary School lawn across from the house. Some strayed across Crest, pulling worms out of the lawn and berries from berry bushes surrounding our house.

4-Socks tried to go through the windows after them with lots of effort but no success. The feral cat that we tried to introduce to our household in January continues to stalk the perimeter of our house as much to give our cat the bird. “Feral” also tries to come through the windows giving our cat the fits. At least she is punctual. Just about every morning as the clock strikes 5 a.m., it arrives at our bedroom window and the daily battle begins.

Dave McClure brought down one of his live traps and we added canned cat food. Two weeks later the trap remained un-sprung and no food missing. Dave removed his trap and the can of food. Within a few days of the trap’s removal “Ol’ Feral” had returned.

4-Socks has a couple of simple toys that has given her and us hours of amusement. One is wooden pencil stubs about 3 inches long. She digs them out of some old cups that we use as storage receptacles, carries them around the house. When she tires of hiding them, she pushes them under a chair or cushions to retrieve them at a later date. She carries them around the house very similar to a retriever carrying a training dummy. Another place she lays them is in her water dish, splashing around until they are out, then back into the dish again. She will sleep anywhere as long as Linda or her lap is close at hand.

A few weeks ago she completely shredded, I mean completely, a roll of toilet paper. A day or two later she did the same with a new roll of paper towels on the kitchen counter. We enjoy watching these shenanigans. As a paper shredder and mouse catcher, 4-Socks would make someone and excellent birthday or Christmas present.

OK, I’ve told you about my critter. Tell me about yours.