Cats, stairs, and family.

For years, I saw my aunt and Granny most weekends.

Thus I knew from a young age that people were different.  I could see it in my relatives, to start with.  Mom's parents lived together, Dad's parents did not.

My grandmother lived with her descendants instead:  Granny, her daughter, and her daughter's daughters, plus one of her grandsons.  Grandpa Zanoni had had many strokes, so by the time I knew him, he lived in a nursing home.

Dad's sister, who passed away a month ago, lived for much of my life in Granny's house.  At least that was how it appeared to me.  After Granny died [when I was almost sixteen], it became my aunt's house.

We all learn more layers as we grow up, eh?


I shall divert to two weeks ago, on Sunday, when I'd planned to attend the Readercon Skype.  Instead, there was Project Stairs.  My folks came over, we demolished the back steps, then assembled the new steps.

I'd made a list of ideal steps and current steps, and Dad went with the first.  This means we have 2/3 of the previous stairs, since I thought having steps just under the sliding door would be optimal.


The kittens, who arrived after the chaos was over, were of mixed responses.

Chaosium thought the open frame was a jungle gym and began climbing in and out merrily.

He also liked the box that was full of debris; the previous stair had had sand inside the frame.  Not being watertight, this became nice black dirt.  I'd closed up the box, but it was a box!  A New Toy!

More climbing into and ambushing from the box, naturally.  I hope none of them got splinters, but the play was the most important, of course.  Ahhh, cats.


Fluffy was quite put out that Her Top Step was alter'd; apparently the far end where she sunned herself was très bien.  How could I not think that important?!

I noticed later that she had joined Chaosium and Stalker in the jungle gym games.  8)

They sit on the edges of the frame too, so if we don't get the rest of the steps soon, our little wrecking crew may indeed wreck this as well.  [It's WOOD, how can I not realize it must be marked?]  Oh, little darlings...


T'other day Fluffy noticed birds on the rooftop, and practically teleported atop a bicycle.  Balancing on the seat, she tried to gauge how to fly.  Failing, she dismounted.

How she chewed me out Tuesday -- during the recent blizzard, for which I cannot blame her.  My poor kittens!

I was amused to find links today that cats evolved meow-language specifically to communicate with their humans.  I am definitely Her Human.

Her sibs don't meow at me at all.  Chaosium has been practicing his "I am SOOOO cute" stare at me.  He's found it less effective than Fluffy's communications.  Doubt he grasps this, however.

OTOH, I noticed that Stalker has amber eyes, while Chaosium has green eyes, matching Fluffy's.  This is handy when I see a black kitten; before, I couldn't tell 'em apart since they grew -- not unless they were right by each other.  Stalker is the smallest kit.


I diverted to reading about cats, brightening my day.  My aunt loved cats too.

Various feline links:  A brief history of cats to modern day.  [The tomcat] Mrs. Chippy, the famous companion to the carpenter on the HMS Endurance.  Adoption:  Two cats are better'n one.  The Catboat cat sanctuary!  Feline behavioral tune-up...

The AACAP on pets and children.


Why a cat park would totally rock!  ... because it isn't in Night Vale.  :D

{Everything above this point was written 4-March-2016.}


ETA:  Today I sat outside on those steps for a little while.  Fluffy came near me -- she is getting quite tame, as Allen noted several times.  She was on the steps, even behind me a couple of times.

Fluffy was never in my lap, but she was a few feet away.  (She wasn't quite sure why I was outside, but she adapted.)  Even catnapped by the corner of the steps as I sat there.  After a bit, so did Chaosium, not to be outdone.

Stalker considered being closer, but made sure he could see me while he was safely out of reach.  Eventually I had Fluffy by the steps, Chaosium a few feet from her, near the cat table, with Stalker right by the safety of the cat-burrow.  A line of kittens!  8D