Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share part of the evening around a virtual kitchen table with kossacks who are caring and supportive of one another. So bring your stories, jokes, photos, funny pics, music, and interesting videos, as well as links—including quotations—to diaries, news stories, and books that you think this community would appreciate.
Finally, readers may notice that most who post diaries and comments in this series already know one another to some degree, but newcomers should not feel excluded. We welcome guests at our kitchen table, and hope to make some new friends as well.
I was about to take a nap...
Hi there, Kitchen Table. My name is Geoffrey. This morning your Kossack
bastrop asked me to occupy this space at 7pm. He had some human family issue and was supposed to go to Houston on short notice. In fact, he did not go and wanted his diary back but I just looked at him and yawned. Notice I am clearly still in control? As such, my expectation is your total submission to my whim and pleasure. I will also ignore you at will.
Now that I have established dominance, here is the deal. Some of you may know me already (cactusgal I am glaring at you) and some of you may not. Kossack commonmass, bastrop's brother, is my human subject. In case you don't believe me here is my proof.
The back says DFH. Because commonmass is one.
Knowing that, it shall suffice to say I am extremely important. Therefore, in my honor we will be talking not about bastrop's thorny and precarious Enchanted Rock in Texas but about
MY "enchanted rock" in Maine. I will show you some of the more beautiful aspects of my summer island kingdom, courtesy of bastrop's camera. Through these images you will come to understand my nature as a superior entity. His images are posed in Lightbox mode. Press your dead mouse into them to make them bigger.
Try not to step on my hairball as you make the pounce. I left it there on purpose...
First, let me show you the view from one of my sleeping spots: the kitchen table (ironic, huh?). I like the way the placemat feels against my fur.
Kitchen Table Bed.
Now for my view. Let's do one for every time of day.
5:30 in the morning. Time for EVERYONE to get up.
Sunset.
What humans see as they try to see me looking out the window.
Notice there was no picture from mid day? Why would I be sleeping on the table during the day when I could be prowling around and attending to my duties? Pffft...humans...
See for yourself:
My backyard. See how neatly my subjects keep it for me?
The woods are amazing. I love to chase and kill living things.
The brook is brackish and I love the way the heather smells.
I also enjoy ferns. I can hide in them and surprise commonmass by walking casually out!
I am partial to stone walls surround by briars and blueberries and bay. The bay smells like a fancy litter box.
Stone walls lead to interesting places and are great avenues for silent stalking.
bastrop taught me to stop and smell the flowers. I added chewing and rolling on them to the list of things to do.
bastrop also likes fungi. I think it's boring and ignore it, but he insisted on this picture. Lucky for him I no longer use urine as a tool :(
Ohhh! Skunk cabbage! Another great smell!
Sometimes I go far into the island and find the field. I sit on the edges and watch the deer graze. They never even know how close they come to getting scratched.
Often I seek out the water. The rocks are great for hiding and are cool in the shadows on very hot days.
The brook empties here and at low tide I can search for small crabs and jumping sand fleas to chase.
YIKES! Not big crabs, LITTLE crabs!
Oh, this one looks unwell...
On really low tides I can walk where there is usually only water. That's extremely exciting for a cat who doesn't swim.
Sometimes I stare at pebbles. I am positive they move when I am not looking.
Now you know why I can't be caught sleeping on the table during the day. There is too much to do!
Here I am taking a break from walking the stonewalls and shoreline. I just ate.
Are you seriously sitting in the Morris chair and reading again?!? Your toe is moving slightly under your sock...
Occasionally I will insist that commonmass take me on a boat ride. I try not to get in his way or stand on the gunnels. Boats are not as fast as cars so I can see things better. Here is commonmass getting the boat ready. Isn't he positively submissive?
commonmass as Captain. Where is his porkpie hat?
The clouds can look like giant mackerel bones, which reminds me that I can be hungry whenever I want.
I like to ride around the far side of the island. The eagles perch there and the osprey nest not far from this point. I know they would eat me but I love the way they fly.
The wind picks up here so I will take the opportunity to catch a nap. Let me know when we get to the lighthouse.
Ah, there is my lighthouse. When it's foggy the tower says "Boooooop."
There is a working fleet of seine and trawlers. The smell is glorious! Get closer...
I will follow you until you do my bidding.
By now we are back on land and it is probably time for commonmass to either USE or CLEAN OUT the outhouse. It is seemingly an endless cycle. The worst part is he makes me wait outside.
Like a litter box only vertical.
Every day seems to end too early here on my enchanted rock, but there is always, always a treat at the end. The light here can never make up its mind. Is it going to amazing, incredible, stunning or magical? Always keeps me guessing.
Amazing.
Incredible.
Stunning.
Magical.
Well, that was fun but I am now too tired to engage you further. Thanks for coming along, I feel so much better knowing I have other human subjects willing to bend to my will. Feel free to head into comments and close the door on the way out. Don't forget to stop and smell, chew and roll all over the flowers.
And......I'm out.
- Geoffrey