MANCAT MONDAY: DANTE DOES HIS BEST!

Mancats try their very hardest to do what they think is right, but sometimes it's just not possible.  They don't really ever give up, but instead they reset their goals for another day.

Dante's feeling very 'up' today!

He's identified his target and is trying to intimidate it.

When that doesn't work, he takes a moment to regroup (even though he's all by himself).

Dante decides to show his teeth to his target and lick his chops.  He says "Get in mai belleh!"  

When the direct approach doesn't work either, Dante says a little PREYer.  But still it's a 'no go'.

PURRhaps a dance will entice the stubborn thing.

A swish of his mighty tail might attract it!

In a last ditch effort (he dug himself a little ditch to sit in), Dante summons all of his mental powers to will the thing down from the tree.

Finally, Dante realizes he has to make a better plan and set his sights on tomorrow.  With that, he walks away with his tail held high and his dignity intact (do you think?).

When your best instincts fail you, you must look at the problem from a different PURRspective.

After all, a temPURRary failure is only one step on the ladder to success!

P.S.  One of the commenters suggested that Dante go after easier prey.  Well, although I did not get a picture of it, he did just that last Friday. 

I had a nap on the couch and when I woke up, Dante was there beside me, poking at a SNAKE! 

Fortunately, I maintained my calm, fetched a container and scooped it inside while Dante was still intimidating it.  It was a small garter snake, who is happily living outside once again, after I let it go (much to Dante's chagrin).  Foiled again!

THURSDAY IN THE GARDEN WITH DANTE: ONE WITH NATURE

Today, Dante is going to do something a little different.  Instead of giving you a tour of different parts of the garden, he is going to incorporate the garden into his photoshoot in such a way that he and the garden become one.

"Heer I am wif da gardin all arownd me", says Dante.

"Dis is a nice pichur of me wif da gween in da backgrownd."

"An' dis wun is PURRty, too, wif da flowahs behine me."

"But wook at dis wun!!!  Me an' da gardin has cum togedder to makes a speCATular pichur!"

"Dis wun is blurry on PURRpose.  It makes a statemint, doan yoo fink?"

"Sumtimes all yoo needs is a twee an' sum leafs to make yoo wun wif nachur."

"Dis is wun time I doan mind bein' a 'weleaf pichur'.  I cud do dis ovah an' ovah an' ovah!"

"Me an' da SPYreas is in harmony.  Doan I make a nice backgrownd fur dem?"

"An' da twee bark makes a verreh good foil fur mai PURRofile, doan yoo fink?  Da sun came owt to giff me its kiss of aPURRoval!"

And with that, Dante has shown how efurrything in nature complements each other, and how our gardens are truly part of us.

I'm sure our Master Gardener Jonesie would agree.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY WITH DANTE: WHAT IS IT UP THERE?

EASY ON SUNDAY WITH DANTE: ALL DECKED OUT!

Dante's on the back deck feeling kind of snoozy today.  He can hardly keep his eyes open.  It's just one of those lazy kind of days.

Wha???

Huh???

"O, is jus' yoo!"

Streeeeeeeetch!

"Ovah an' out!"

Have an easy Sunday efurryone!  Just like Dante.

THURSDAY IN THE GARDEN WITH DANTE: SWEET AND SOUR

After making numerous gardening posts on the front garden, this week Dante has returned to the back garden, where there have been some recent developments.

"Hewwo efurrybuddy!", says Dante.  "I weely likes it heer in da back yawd cuz I has mai own purrsonal benches to sit on and welax."

"But now dat yoo is heer, I will takes yoo on a toor of all da noo fings I has fownd."

"At da back of da howse beside da deck, we has two flowah bushes.  Dey is called "Summahsweet".  Dat is cause dey flowahs in da summah, an' dey is sweet!"

This is what the internet has to say about them:

"Summersweet: (Clethra anifolia) An upright flowering shrub with rounded to oval shape. Foliage is dark green, turning yellow to golden brown in autumn. Fragrant spires of blooms in mid to late summer, with fruit capsules in autumn."

"At da back of da gardin, we has dese tall plants called Himalayin' Orkids.  I gess dat maybe dey hatch'd frum eggs an' it wuz a male whoo lay'd dem an' datz why itz called "HIM A LAYIN".  Den wen de eggs hatchus, owt cums de orKIDS!"

That's Dante's version, now here's what the Internet has to say about 'Himalayan Orchids":

"Himalayan Orchid (lmpatiens royleii):  Erect shape with a mature height of 1-2 meters which bloom in summer.  They have two-lipped Pink/Red/Purple flowers arranged in sparse clusters from leaf axils.  The leaves are oval shaped, arranged in twos or threes on a hollow stem.

They are fast growing and invasive, mature seeds can be ejected several meters from parent plant, seeds also travel readily along water courses."

My sister, who lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, sent me these seeds, and I planted them unaware of their propensity for spreading.  So now we have Himalayan Orchids a layin' all over the back yard!

"Uh-oh!", says Dante, "We has introodah in da cwab appul twee!"

You can see the "introoder" on the trunk of the tree.  The introoders just love to sit on the branches and snack.

Not only do they snack on nuts, but also on the fruit from the tree.

Dante says "Dese appulls wuz gween but now dey is wipe an' wed.  Mama sais dey is verreh sowah, but dose skwirrels likes dem.  Dey takes a bite or two an' den dwops dem on da gwound."
 
"No wondah dose appulls is CWABBY!".
 
 

"They're da BOMB!", says Mr. Squirrel!

Roger, Over and Out!

 
 

MANCAT MONDAY WITH DANTE: LION OR TIGER?

Dante is a tabby cat with orange tabby stripes.  They are difficult to purrceive on the parts of him that are swathed in layers of long and luscious fur, but they are indeed there.

Do a tabby's stripes speak to his heritage as a striped wildcat?  And what wilder cat is there than a tiger?  I think there is a bit of tiger in all domesticated kitties.

And then there's the lion -- King of all Cats!  Dante also has traces of lion in him, not the least of which is his flowing main.  Even dressed, that mane cannot be contained.  And neither can the leonine instincts that still linger in our pampered pussycats.

Here you can detect Dante's telltale tabby "M" on his forehead.

And his mane is free and flowing all around his head.

Are these the vestiges of a lion or a tiger?

Dante is sporting the latest addition to his wardrobe -- a fiery

 Tiger T!

But lying down in jungle grasses, Dante looks much more lion-like, here.  Of course, this is a suburban jungle, and Dante's on a leash.

Both the lion and the tiger in him sense that prey is near.

And the pupils widen his steely wildcat gaze.

Here lion meets tiger with Dante's mane touching the tiger's face -- symbolic of the synthesis that he is.

Dante's face now reveals he's just back to pussycat mode.

(Biggify for full effect)

So what do you think?  Is Dante more lion or tiger?  Or both?