Nominative Determinism

I ran across this phrase a couple of days ago and I had no idea what it was. I was reading a thread on Ravelry and they were talking about people who lived up to their names, like Lord Judge, the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales or Anna Smashnova, an Israeli tennis player. What a cool phrase. Nominative Determinism (as defined by Wikipedia is "the theory that as person's name is given an influential role in reflecting key attributes of their job, profession, or general life. Pretty cool, huh. I believe in this theory. Kinda of like a self-fulfilling prophesy so to speak. I would like to think that I am a happy person somewhat because of my name. I didn't like my name when I was growing up. I was one of many Mary's. In class I was always Merry S. I envied my friends who had more unusual names like Suzanne or Carrie. They didn't have to have the dreaded initial after their name to distinguish them from the other multitudes of Suzannes or Carries. I wanted to be named Melissa. I don't know why. I just loved the name. As I got older, I began to love my name, especially the spelling. I am often asked if I am born around Christmas (I am not) or if I am merry (I would like to think I am). Anyway, it is something to think about, no?

This picture of Whiskers? Her name does not demonstrate the theory of Nominative Determinism. She just has them. I could not resist taking a picture of this pose and sharing it with you.

Have You Ever Been This Tired?

Cara came running in today to get me to come and look at Whiskers. She started coming out of her "Ker Cube" and fell back asleep before she was all of the way out. Now tell me...were you ever this tired?

Too Much Help

I was putting away the Christmas ornaments and I cleared a space to slide the box back into the closet. Before I could get the box into the space, my help came to make sure the space was perfect. It was. I just had to wait until she was finished using the space so I could use it.

Everybody Wants to Be a Cat

Oh to be Whiskers... I wish. I am posted about this nutty girl before. Sometimes when I don't see her for a while, I go on a hunt for her. Often I can find her closed up in one of the girls' rooms. She sneaks in when no one sees her. We call her teleportation cat or TP for short. They are convinced that she was not in the room when they closed the door. Today when I went on my TP hunt, I found her on Cara's bed completely relaxed. As stated many times...I want to be a cat.

Where's the Kitty...You Can't See Her

She was hiding. I washed Robyn prayer shawl in a big plastic container. I left it out a couple of days to let it dry before putting it away. It doesn't help if the washing container has mold growing in it. Apparently the container makes a great hiding place. Whiskers had a great time, sitting inside and watching everyone walk by. Sometimes she would jump out at us and we would pretend we didn't see her in there. Her favorite victim was Pretty. Pretty didn't pretend like we did and let her sister know that this jumping out was not appreciated. I think Whiskers was on the lookout for Pretty in this picture and was unaware that her prey was nearer than she thought.

Yes, She Does Still Have Hair Left

One of the joys of having a white pet is the lovely white hair you will find on every thing. No matter how much you brush, there is always more to spread all over. Cara loves to carry Whiskers around and you can see the tell tale signs of that deed all over her clothes. Standing outside waiting with her for the school bus...shirt covered in cat hair. Getting out of the car for dance...leotard covered in cat hair. Coming to tell me good night...pajamas covered in cat hair. Check, check and check. It is hard to believe Whiskers has any hair left since Cara wears so much of it...trust me...she still has plenty.

I Want To Be A Cat

And yet another post in the series of why being a cat would be a good thing to be. This is what Whiskers does 28 hours a day. I made my point.

Looking for Sirius Black

Last night before bed, I noticed Whiskers standing in front of the fireplace. That is one thing about cats. They can stare at what looks like nothing for hours. She must have stared into the fireplace for 20 minutes or so. This morning I noticed she has soot on her side. I guess we took a trip into the fireplace to get a closer look. It reminds me of when Harry Potter talks to Sirius Black in the "Goblet of Fire". Maybe Whiskers was waiting to see if Sirius' face would show up at our house as well.

Our Sentry

Sometimes people moving around the house need to be checked out by security. Whiskers is happy to provide this service. She likes to sit at her post on top of the stereo. She sits there looking beautiful and she draws each person passing closer to her. We cannot pass without reaching out to pet her. That is when we undergo inspection. She is tricky like that, taking care of her security duties without our realizing it. Later she moves to the back of the sofa where she "appears" to nap. We know that cannot be the case because she is ever vigilant in her quest to keep us in line.

Where's the Kitty?

Having a cat (or if you are luckier...cats) can bring a multitude of joys and laughter. I love reading about the cat escapades from bloggers such as Lin of Duck and Wheel with String, or from the cats themselves, Daisy and Harley of Daisy the Curly Cat. Cats are the original comics and they will have you smiling in no time. Lin sometimes does a little feature called "Where's the Kitty?". It is usually a post about some silly place Hobbes has gone. I am hitching a ride on Lin's coat tails and doing a "Where's the Kitty" segment too.

Robyn spent the weekend cleaning her room. When she cleans, she usually has one administrative assistant (Whiskers) in the room "helping". This time Pretty felt the need to come and put in her 2 cents on what needed to be done. I went into Robyn's room to ask her a question, and at first all I saw was her bed covered with her stuffed wolf collection. Then, I looked closer and noticed 2 orange ears moving. Pretty was taking a much needed break by sitting in the warm sun by the window. It was the perfect spot. She was able to blend in and not be noticed by the dogs and it was warm and cozy.

Another Use for Yarn

Tonight, I was all settled in waiting for Jon and Kate to come on. It was the season premiere and I am all "Miss Nosey" on how they are going to play the drama going through their lives at this time. I had my drink...check. Sufficient volume...check. My current knitting project...check. Everything I thought I needed. I was getting all into watching the show and knitting, when Whiskers decided I had forgotten something. Cat on lap...not check. She walked all over me until she found the perfect spot. It was on my chest about 4 inches from my chin. I had to crook my head to the side to see the TV. Whiskers is the purriest cat I have ever had. She purrs all of the time and loudly. It is hard to get annoyed with her when she is so happy. As the show progressed, she eventually settled in further down my lap and completely across my yarn. One of the cakes of yarn made the perfect pillow. She stayed in my lap for about an hour. I enjoyed having her there. She is such a cutie.

Queenly Behavior

There are definitely times I want to come back as a cat. Not just any cat, but one who lives the life of a cat in our family. Oh, to be able to lie around all day. To be able to sleep 23 hours a day plus a 2 hour nap. The big decision of the day...to sleep here...or here. Nothing is required of you. You don't have people asking you where their dance bag is or what is for dinner. No one is begging you to get off of the computer or asking for snack money for school. You are able to lie around the house...to be beautiful and admired. People walk past you and comment on how lovely your legs are, how sweet you look, then reach over and scratch your neck. I could really go for a life like that.

A Cat's Work is Never Done

One of Whiskers' favorite places is on the sofa. Last fall, we bought new furniture. On the old sofa, her perch was on the right arm. The new sofas do not have arms perfect for setting up a cat's office, so there was some discussion in the family as to whether she would claim a new spot or ignore the new furniture. She has claimed her office space. On the new furniture, her spot is on the back of the love seat. It still has to be on the right side. She is completely uninterested in the left side. Pretty sometimes uses the left side when Whiskers is working elsewhere. Once Pretty made the mistake of working on the right side. Whiskers let her know pretty quickly that was unacceptable.

Whiskers particularly loves to stick her leg out for everyone to admire. Sometimes she will stick them both out. It often does not look comfortable, but she doesn't seem to mind. We will walk by and discuss how lovely those legs are. She acts as though she already knows it, but I guess even cats cannot be told too often how beautiful they are.

Goldilocks and the Ker Cube

We have a couple of beds for the cats. Not that they don't take a nap wherever they want, but around the house there are additional spots for them. One of these has been named the "Ker Cube" which is short for WhisKERs'Cube. Whiskers loves to spend time in the cube. It is one of her many places to do her "work". Every once in a while Goldilocks AKA Pretty will do her work in there. When the Baby Bear AKA Whiskers comes in to go in her bed and sees someone in her bed, she must get the intruder out of her bed. Whiskers will nonchalantly sit on the side, looking around or washing her face. Then she rears up and starts swinging. Pretty will put up a small fight, but she eventually shoots out and finds another spot. I tried to take the picture in mid-leap, but I was not fast enough. Baby Bear was successful. She was able to regain her bed and set about her "work".

Pals

Skittles is pals with everyone. She has not met a person, place or thing she didn't like (except for thunder and firecrackers). Today she was lying on the floor next to Whiskers. They were just hanging around together, cat and dog, like it was no big deal. Cara reached over and put Skittles arm around Whiskers. They stayed like that for about 15 minutes (actually until Skittles heard what sounded like a food noise coming from the kitchen). It was sweet how they were comfortable enough with each other to just pass the time as friends.

Truly Pitiful

Everyday when I feed the dogs, the cats want some too. This is a relatively new occurrence. We have had the dogs for over 4 years and the cats started with wanting "lunch" about 6 months ago. The cats have always had dry food available 24/7. I mix wet and dry food together for the dog girls. For a while, Whiskers would come in and eat the dog food (usually with Jasmine eating at the same time).

Lately I have been buying Fancy Feast and putting a little on plates for Whiskers and Pretty. Pretty will come and sit patiently at my feet for her lunch. Much of the time, Whiskers expects to be waited on. Today she is in her "Ker Cube" (as C calls it) having a siesta. She doesn't even come out to eat. She just sticks her head out and chows down. That is just sad.

365 Photographs?

I have seen sites on the Innerwebs that talk about "Project 365". I love taking pictures and this appealed to me. Of course as usual, I am a little slow on beginning this project. The theory is you take a picture a day for one year and here I am starting on February 2nd. Oh well...this year it will officially be 333 photographs. I will take a photo a day, but I might not post every day. I hope to become a better photographer by doing this project.

The lovely lady in the header photograph is our cat, Whiskers. She loves to stretch and pose. I was able to catch her in the act of both. If you look closely, in the lower right hand corner you will see a nose. Skittles was coming closer to check out what the silly cat was doing.

Enjoy...