Swimming Lessons

 

"What greater gift, than the love of a cat."

~Charles Dickens

Time for another adventure for Orange Cat Scully, and his nephew, Edgar. This time Scully teaches Edgar to swim! Oh my, where was Scully when I needed to learn to swim? LOL.

Here are my fellas, Tyler and Joey. I wish Simon had been in the photo, but I can't seem to get them all corralled at the same time. Oh my goodness, the sure keep us running! Such spirt, just joy, such and love that fills you!

Have a little fun. Visit the Purrallel Universe on Youtube

A Never Ending Stream Of L's And P's

"A different language is a different vision of life."

~Federico Fellini

The cats ran across my computer keyboard again! You see, it was all about the nom noms that were sitting on my desk. This is a fairly long story, but I will try to shorten it a bit. Temptations Cat Treats, are a big hit in our house. They have been for many years. Dylan, in particular, loved them. Joey loved them too, but it wasn't until we tried the dairy flavored yummies that he became a true believer. Temptations seems like a great product, and it makes the boys happy, but with the price of things, well, it's getting way too expensive to keep buying them treats. That fact saddened me. Joey asks for so little. Those treats perk him right up, and he seems to get a little extra pep in his step when he has some in the afternoon. Joey misses his best friend, Hendrix, he just never got over him, so any little thing to make him happy, I'll do. Who else am I going to spoil?

Oh right, Simon and Tyler. I am currently spoiling them too. So back to the point, I had to figure something out. And I did. Back in the 80's, on an episode of Roseanne, Roseanne's kids were sure that they'd hate having to eat an off brand cereal. Yuck, who would want to eat cereal from those big bulk bags, after all, Kellogg's Corn Flakes are clearly much more tasty then any other brand, especially the knock-off variety. Then came the big shock, Roseanne had been buying the bulk cereal, and pouring it into the original empty cereal boxes! WOW! What a crappy, yet economical idea! So, while I hate the deception, and the lying to of one's own children, folks had to stretch a dollar in the 80's too any way possible. So, instead of buying their nom noms at $8 a container, I tried purchasing a 3lb bag of the regular, dry cat food, and pouring the tidbits into empty cat treat containers! And... as you might expect... they had no idea that it wasn't their favorite expensive noms.

Now I know what you're thinking, they're cats, of course they didn't know the difference, well, you don't own my cats! They are not easy to fool, but for some reason it worked this time. In fact it worked a little too well! I had two full containers sitting on my desk, for nom nom time before bed, but one of my little goons waited until I went to bed, and lifted the lid on the container, with I assume, their nose, and helped himself to a little extra midnight snack. And as they enjoyed their ill gotten gains, they decided to spend a little time, driving my AI Copilot a little wacky and a bit sarcastic! One thing I will give my boys, they didn't make a mess, they didn't knock anything over, they just did a little keyboard surfing. I suspect that Simon was the ring leader. He's scary smart sometimes, but it's all good. I love the moments my kids give me. We just made a new memory... what could be wrong about that?

The Mighty Simon

 

"In ancient times, cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this!'

~Terry Pratchett

What can I say, he is the Mighty Simon. But he's also, Squishy Face, Squish, Shorty, and just plan Simon. He loves to bite things, but he also loves to snuggle up to you, and allow you to pet him. He loves his brothers, and he very respectful of Joey in particular, and he runs from nothing. He adores brussels sprouts in butter sauce and ice cream. He falls asleep to smooth jazz, and has been known to drag around stuffed animals 4 times his size!

He is the Mighty Simon

Ellipsis Movie Of The Week... The Thin Man

 

"The murderer is right in this room. Sitting right at this table. 

You may serve the fish."

Nick Charles

The Thin Man

By Dashiell Hammett

I usually wait until December to watch this movie, but I was having a little fun with the AI photo editing features on my new phone, and I found myself playing with Joey's recent photos. As you see, I managed to turn him into William Powell. Well, The Thin Man, just happens to be one of my favorite films, so this week's movie of the week kinda chose itself. It also fits that we are pretty much at the half way point of the year, so if you are already longing for cold weather, delicious holiday foods, and sparkling Christmas trees, this movie fills those needs as well, and on top of delivering all that, it's an awesome murder mystery. But goodness, was there ever better banter in film, then that of Nice and Nora Charles? Even Asta, their dog, seemed to know it was true! This is also a love story. I am not giving you anything beyond that regarding the storyline, because it's great to just let it unfold.

PS... Read the book. 

Honestly, Myrna Loy might just have been who I looked to for style,

 had I lived in that era!

Taco

Puttin' On The Ritz

Written by, Irving Berlin

My Boys

 

"What greater gift than love of a cat."
~Charles Dickens

My little boys... sigh. They love to sit by the door, and watch the world go by. Simon absolutely adores his brothers, but Joey was his first friend, much to Joey's dismay. Tyler came into our home with a fierce capacity for love. Sometimes he annoys Joey with his hugs and kisses, but Joey knows that Tyler is just happy to be in our home. Lucky for me, there is no jealousy between them, just love. Tyler is Joey's caregiver, he checks on him throughout the day. Just a year ago I had lost my little apple cheeked black cat, Hendrix, and his brother Dylan just 9 months earlier, so I wasn't sure I would ever hear tiny paws running around the house again, but here we are, a little under a year later, and so much fun exists with us. I feel younger with all my boys, including my hubby, filling our home with love!

Samsung S26 Ultra

 

"My cell service return all night, and all through the next day.

 It was like ancient times, with mead and beheadings and blacksmiths."

~Penny Reid

Homecoming King

My phone died a tragic death the other day. I bought it a couple years ago, and frankly I was sure it would die on day one. Let me explain. I had purchased a Samsung Galaxy 53A 5g from T-Mobile, it seemed like a good little mid-priced phone, but when I went to use it, there was a minor bit of trouble... it would call anyone but my husband! All other numbers worked, his wouldn't! For some reason, my new phone, hated his number! When I complained to customer service, several times, I finally received a replacement phone... a refurbished version, not a new one! I bought a new one, I should have received a new one, but deep in the contract, I had agrees to receive a refurbished version, if my new phone failed. Sigh. Two choices were in front of me... I could pay it off and go elsewhere for cell service, or I could deal with it, and keep a service I enjoyed! I am very happy at T-Mobile, so I took a deep breath and moved on. 

As I said... my phone finally went onto it's glory. It crossed the rainbow bridge. IT DIED! So, what to do?! Buy a new phone! Thank goodness I found a cell phone that finally, really, suited my needs... it features a phone with an amazing camera! The camera is probably the main consideration when when I buy a cell phone. I use at about the same rate as my Minolta camera, especially this time of year, as the Mexican Free-tailed bats return to Franklin Blvd. So far, I have been nothing but impressed my new phone, the Galaxy S26 Ultra, I have been nothing but impressed! Here are some examples of my new cell phone/camera's awesomeness!

My first photo... a dandelion from the Cosumnes River Preserve.

The Many Moods Of The Mighty Simon

Photographed in a low light setting.

Color Vibrance in a low light setting.

Tyler and Joey taking a nap on my futon.

May 29th 2026

And my new Samsung S26 Ultra has tons of photo editing tools!

 I may make a comic strip featuring the adventures of the Mighty Simon!

Okay, so you know how I feel about my new cell phone,

 here's where you can read some opinions from the experts!

Good Housekeeping

Consumer Reports

CNET

So, that's my big news. I can't wait for opening night of the return of the bats! 

I will definitely be taking the video option for a ride!

Cats, Easter Bunnies And A Peep

 

"Life is short... buy those shoes, have a sense of humor and take a break when you want."

~Unknow

Yesterday was Easter, and we had a good time. We enjoyed the boys having fun picking toys out of their Peep's Easter basket. Tyler immediately put his catnip toy mouse into his water bowl. He has a bug up his ass about that. He puts all his toys in his water bowl. Strange. It's like he's seen fish in a pond. I know he hasn't, but odd habit remains. Simon chose a little blue bunny to bat around. So sweet. Later they will get some nom noms and big snuggles. I am really in love with my little stress buster cats. I don't know where I would be without them! Mom and dad are made a special dinner of, roast chicken, stuffing and green bean bake! Delicious. Despite the awful things happening right now, history will tell the tale, we are had a good day. The way it should be!

Happy Easter 2026

 

"Easter is the one morning in all of history where dawn came twice;

 once in the eastern horizon and again in eternity."

~Charles Lounsbrough

HAPPY EASTER!

I hope your day is filled with peace and love. I will be spending the morning preparing an Easter Basket for the kitties. It's Simon and Tyler's first Easter, so I hope they will have a ball. I am filling the yellow chick basket I have, with all kinds of goodies. Plastic eggs with catnip toys inside, Temptations cat treats. Some Delectable chicken sticks, and Temptation's nom noms. And some tinkle balls. There is a little something for everyone! Hopefully pictures will come tomorrow, we'll see how well the basket goes over with the boys! Sometimes they are really into things like this, other times they are like meh. Everything is TBD.

Simon At 8 Months

 

"Cats randomly refuse to follow orders, to prove they can."

~Llona Andrews

Magic Strikes

That was my little puffball, Simon, 8 months and one day ago. He is growing into quite a beauty, don't you think? Quite the young man. My goodness, time has gone by so fast. I am so glad we brought him into our life! I am so glad that his momma gave birth right next door, so that we could once again, have the sounds of bells running through the house. When Tyler came along, life only got better! Something I didn't even know was possible! Now, however, Joey has a case of the Green-eyed Monster, so we are navigating that, but I know we will work it out, all of us, together, as a family.

Simon, February 6th, 2026

1, 43, 26

"Every bird, every tree, every flower reminds me

 what a blessing and privilege it is just to be alive."

~Marty Rubin

Yesterday was day 1 of our birding year. Yep, we begin on January 1st, and it's perfect, because we encounter more birders, then the annoying, rude, downright nasty and dangerous who speed right by us, as we enjoy the birds. You might think I am being nasty myself, but it gets a little old when you are standing on a narrow road, which also serves as a narrow street that runs through the preserve, and some guy in a truck whizzes by doing 60, when the posted speed limit is 35! 

aqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqwwwww.

By the way, the above sentence isn't me speaking in obscenities, it is, however, Tyler's take on things. Naughty kitty got on Mommies desk. Naughty Mommy forgot to turn her keyboard off before leaving to do errands.  LOL. We are having a good time in 2026, so far, and I am thinking more positive then ever, so to heck with speeding drivers, more naughty kittens is what we all need. And encountering birders on our travels. I have 43 new birds in my 2026 folder, and I am adding more tomorrow. My new favorite numbers are, 1, 43, and 26, so perhaps I should play the Lottery!

Merry Christmas!

 Merry Christmas!

"One of the most glorious messes in the world, 

is the mess created on Christmas day! Don't clean it up too quickly!"

~Andy Rooney

My boys, Tyler, Simon and Joey...

Just A Bird In Autumn Leaves

 

"I can hear a new story in each leaf that falls."

~Isabelle Izzie Meditates Baker

This gorgeous bird is an Audubon's warbler, but he looks very much like the Yellow-rumped warbler. You have to look closely, and know the differences to be sure. For me, the main difference is that Audubon's warbler has a bright, beautiful patch of yellow under his beak. That splash of yellow is a very much welcome sight, as we head into the dark days of autumn. Oh my, I am apparently already grieving autumn's death. I'm trying to take heart, because I have more beauty to share, like my sugar maple in the front yard, which will hit full autumn glory in a few days. What would I do, if I didn't have my birds, my maple tree and so much color, to look forward to?

The world's best husband, and the kitties are pretty nifty too!

Just An Autumn Caturday

 

"I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. 

A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through."

~Jules Verne

Can you believe how much Tyler has grown? He was born sometime around the end of April, but we recognize his birthday on June 9th. That is Simon's birthday, and sadly it was the day Hendrix passed away. I will share a post about Simon soon, but first I will have to get him to settle down long enough to get a photo! He's like a live wire, but that's a good thing. Both kitties are healthy, and happy, and strong! They have arrived at that special age where it's time to get them neutered, and chipped, and that will happen next week. A lot of dogs and cats go missing in Stockton, if that ever happened to Joey, or Simon, or Tyler, I would be completely lost. They are all my honeylambs!

I Got This

 

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world.

 Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” 

~Rumi 

 

Autumn will be here next week, but throughout the summer I found some wonderful crunchy autumn leaves, as if it had begun on June 21st! This photo was taken in Cull Canyon, in late August. Just a beautiful pile of leaves in all shapes and sizes, colors and degree of life. It was a strange summer. It would seem this autumn will have it's moments. But I have leaves, and Chai lattes, and everything else that heals my heart. Not to mention two kittens who will keep me laughing, and Joey, who never lets me feel unloved. And lets not forget Sylvie, my therapist, who talks me down, and then talks me through it.

 

I got this.

 

 

It's That Time Again, The Inbetween Time

 

Simon, Adopted July 4th, 2025 

 

“A kitten is the delight of a household.

 All day long a comedy is played out

 by an incomparable actor.” 

― Champfleury,

  The Cat Past And Present

It's August 23rd, and that means it's the anniversary of Ellipsis. I got the date wrong last year, which will tell you how much I gave a shit, but this year it means a little more to me then it did a year ago. This blog, which may seem quaint in a world of micro-blogging, serves a profound purpose to me. It is the record of not just my life, as I navigate along, but also as a continued goal to achieve. Sometimes I want to give up. Use my photoblog as my only record, but then happy things come along, and I can't wait to share them with the world. Happy times like beginning a new chapter. Well world, meet, Simon! He's my next chapter.

 

He was a happy turn of events, in a devastating time in life. When my beautiful Dylan passed away, I basically wondered around for a while. I pushed my feelings deep, and concentrated on my beautiful Hendrix and Joey. To my surprise, Hendrix mourned Dylan, deeply. They snuggled together all their lives, and believe me, they fought. I was caught off guard about how deeply Hendrix grieved. I watched him as he cried and searched and stopped eating. I took him to see Dr. B. who said there wasn't anything wrong with him, but his mommy knew there was, because I was feeling it too. 

 

Hendrix lived another nine months. In June, he suddenly became ill, and finally passed away. He was just a few months shy of his 17th birthday. A long time for a cat. In his years he was 84 years old. He worked hard his whole life caring for all of us, and he was tired. I can't begrudge him that, he earned the time to move on. The last time I saw him, he was on his way downstairs to the living room, where he passed away around 6:00 am the next morning. It hasn't even been three months, and I miss him deeply. I miss his love. He loved deeply. But sometimes, if you are open to life, you will find magic along the way.

 

Simon came along like magic. About three weeks after Hendrix passed away, hubby and I were walking out the door, when we noticed 4 little kittens playing with the neighbors cat, who I always called, Socks. I am not sure whether or not those people ever named her. They were deeply strange people, but I will speak of that some other time. Anyway, hubby and I discussed getting a kitty at the right time, when the right time made itself known. So when we asked about the kittens, and how old they were, we found out that they were born the same week Hendrix passed away. It felt like more than luck to us, it felt like Hendrix sent us love.

 

And now we have a Simon, named after, Paul Simon. Or My little Butterfly, which is his first official nickname. All cats have several nicknames, according to Old Possums Book of Practical Cats. 

He is a wonderful kitty. His momma cat moved away, along with the family next door, several weeks ago, so now I am the momma. He is a bright kitty, he knows his name, and he understands the words, no and bad. He's playful, especially on the curtains. YIKES. But I got him some curtains he can tear up, until he learns what is okay to play with and what isn't. He's a good little eater, and digs into Joey's food every chance he gets. He has already had his first set of big boy shots, but there are more to come. And he loves his Sesame Street friends.  Big bird was his first friend, and even at 4 weeks old, he dragged him everywhere. He purrs deeply and seems happy to be with us and Joey. In fact, they are already play friends, and the fighting is rare, but it's all about boundaries, just like humans have to learn. It's been a long time since we raised a cat, and this will be the last one we do, because we feel our age as old folks. Time marches on, whether we want to go with it, or not.

 

I call Simon my little butterfly, because the back of his head looks like a butterfly. When he moves his ears it looks like a gorgeous butterfly in flight. His ears are trimmed in a white, which only adds to it. He is gorgeous! So, that's the beginning of this new year of Ellipsis. Autumn is coming, as are the birds. Halloween and the deep autumn holidays. Leaves, glorious leaves, and our vacation in October, the magical month! So much to share! Hopefully we won't get Covid-19 this year, but who the hell knows. Through all of it, this blog will be here, to help me clear the head noise, and remember it all. We won't discuss Trump... for now. 

 

Happy 23 years old, Ellipsis.  Onward.

 

I am back every day now. The Autumn Leaf project begins on September 22nd. 

 

Feng Shui

 

“The sky
lights up
with fireworks
when you
follow your
dreams.” 

~Avijeet Das

Hubby and I did a little Feng Shui last week, by completely moving our bedroom around. The bed is no longer under the window, it's on the opposite wall. Other than that, it's somewhat a work in progress. But just by doing that one action, we have gained an lot of positivity. For one... there's more light first thing in the morning! I have come to enjoy having a lot of light in the place I used to be a cave dweller, but the old house taught me a lot about light. And all the hard work came with another bonus, you see, the good folks of Stockton love to launch great big illegal fireworks on Independence Day, and that gave us a free fireworks show from the comfort of our bedroom window!

 

 Let me tell you, it was Spectacular! I know, the illegal ones are dangerous, and I really shouldn't praise them, but it was better for us then risking the possibility of drunk drivers, driving through crowded streets, and not to mention the occasional need to drive long distances to see them. Another plus to the new arrangement in the bedroom, it now allows Joey a warm place on the hamper so he can see outside in the window! Sometimes everything just comes together! More on the room later. It feels so good to be so much closer to having our life in the house over, and the beginning of our lives in the condo beginning!

“Are the fireworks over, or just beginning?” 

~David Sinclair

  Without the Mob, There Is No Circus