Fergus says hi (in between naps and running around the house like a madperson).
Fergus says hi.
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Category Archives: cat
Things on Cowboy’s Head No. 112
Things on Cowboy’s Head No. 112: This isn’t Cowboy. She’s on a break, but here is another of the cat herd: Fergus. She’s fine most of the time, but boy howdy. Does she get crabby if you disturb her during her nap time. (Witness the evidence above.) Fergus does not join in the “Things on her Head” project. Obvs.
Editor’s Note: Regular programming with Cowboy will be resumed next week.
Background Note: Cowboy is one of our cats who showed up out of the blue one snowy January day three years ago. Since then, she has made us her Forever Home (which works with us). She is big and friendly and doesn’t suffer fools gladly. She naps a lot (Olympic-level) and she eats a lot.
All of which helps with this ongoing project I have going on…
It’s called “Things on Cowboy’s Head” and I am just seeing what I can balance on the top of her head when she’s amenable to that. It’s been fun so far, and she seems quite happy to play along. (She just moves when she doesn’t want to participate.)
(Cowboy’s posts are all gathered in one spot on her own blog.)
Things on Cowboy’s Head – Part 28 (Ongoing Project)
Background Note: Cowboy, as you know, is one of our cats. She is big and friendly and doesn’t suffer fools gladly. She naps a lot. All of which helps with this ongoing project I have going on…
It’s called “Things on Cowboy’s Head” and I am just seeing what I can balance on the top of her head when she’s amenable to that. It’s been fun so far, and she seems quite happy to play along. (She just moves when she doesn’t want to participate.)
(Cowboy’s posts are all gathered in one spot on her own blog.)
Daffy-down Dilly has come to town/with a yellow petticoat/and a pretty green gown/Daffy-down-Dilly… (English nursery rhyme from 19th century).
(I always remember that my sis and I were invited to a fancy-dress party (dress-up party) when we were young, and Mum wanted us to go a nursery rhyme characters. She even volunteered to hand-make the costumes (unheard of) and I was dressed as Daffy-Down-Dilly and my sis as Little Bo Peep… That’s the somewhat circuitous link between this post and that rhyme. You know, in case you’re wondering…)
Whittington – Alan Armstrong (2005)
This Newberry Honor winning YA novel was one of the best reads this year – honestly, and as an adult reader, I loved it. As a younger reader, I think I’d love it even more.
It’s narrated (on and off) by a stray cat called Whittington who wanders into the barn of a small farm in New England. (Whittington is also perfectly imperfect as he has a bent and broken ear…) After a few days, Whittington becomes accepted and close friends with the Lady, the hen who’s in charge, and when he meets the two young human siblings who visit the farm, he flourishes. It is through Whittington’s narration that the reader learns about the long-ago English folk tale of Dick Whittington and his cat…
This is an extremely well written book which frequently (but not overwhelmingly) introduces large vocabulary which would challenge most young readers (“Obsidian” any one?) However, the writing is done in such a way that these more complicated words are just part of the story narrative. It’s very naturally written so that it shows respect for the reader, young or old, without being intimidating to the less confident folk. There is also a strong female lead and an ongoing message about the importance of reading.
Not only does this book have all those positive points, there are also talking birds and animals who have friendships and who have issues just as humans do: how do the hens teach the rats to not hog all the food and not see the birds as food at the same time? What about an unexpected love that happens and then what happens when that love leaves unexpectedly? How do we all stay safe from the ravens? And, as a good extra detail, one of the characters struggles to learn how to read with a learning disorder…
At the same time as introducing these more complex issues, Whittington tells his life story as a reward to the young brother for completing his reading homework during vacation, and in this way, readers are introduced to life in England in the sixteenth century and the history of seafaring exploration. It’s a very smooth way to teach “accidentally” through storytelling.
This was a super read, and I would love any kid to pick this up. It underscores Big Life Lessons such as the importance of being a good friend and doing the right thing, and at the same time, the writing is so well done that readers will learn about topics along the way pretty painlessly. I just really liked how the author seems to respect young readers without talking down to them or over-simplifying things. This was an excellent read about how reading can change your life, and I highly recommend it.
Things on Cowboy’s Head – Part 27 (Ongoing Project)
Background Note: Cowboy, as you know, is one of our cats. She is big and friendly and doesn’t suffer fools gladly. She naps a lot. All of which helps with this ongoing project I have going on…
It’s called “Things on Cowboy’s Head” and I am just seeing what I can balance on the top of her head when she’s amenable to that. It’s been fun so far, and she seems quite happy to play along. (She just moves when she doesn’t want to participate.)
(Cowboy’s posts are all gathered in one spot on her own blog.)
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