39 The keyboard thingy
Here I am again. Of course he has gone back to bed. I used to wake him up early just for the fun of it and to get some fresh food in my bowl but now it is mostly so he will turn on this computer thingy. I keep watching and trying to see how he does it but so far it is a mystery. Don't you worry though, I will get the hang of it one of these days and then just you just watch out!
I just came back from outside. It is still dark but you
know cats... we can see really well when it's dark. I saw the bully in his
yard but he didn't see me. My buddy tells me I blend in really well with
the bushes and dead grass and all that stuff. Just to be safe I was real
still when the bully was looking in my direction. I don't worry much about
him now as long as I know where he is... of course as long as where that
is is not close to me.
My buddy tells me that I will grow to be as big or maybe even bigger than the bully one of these days. I wonder which day that will be. Each day I check to see if I am big enough yet and it hasn't happened yet. I will keep checking... and hoping. Every new day is another chance it will happen is the way I look at it.
Wouldn't you like to see the bully when one of these days
he runs up to me to give me trouble and finds that I am bigger than he is.
My buddy tells me that bullies are really cowards when the other person
is bigger. They are only brave when they are the biggest. He says that he
is proud of me because I am smaller than the bully and yet I am still brave.
It must mean that I am not the bully type. I would never be a bully because
I know how it feels to be little and have a big bully after you. It isn't
a very good feeling at all.
My buddy lets me have almost everything around the house
to 
play with. He never throws anything away if he thinks I would like to
play with it first. One of the best things to have to play with is the empty
milk jugs. I love attacking them and rolling all around the floor with them.
He gave me an empty syrup bottle the other day and that is even better than
a milk jug. I can really get hold of that and attack it.
He has given me all sorts of boxes. I am sure that everyone
already knows how much cats love to get in boxes. Well, if you didn't already
know then you do now. They are so much fun. Sometimes I take my toys into
a box... you know, like my little 
stuffed bear or the fur mouse. I even sleep in them sometimes. That happens whenever I am playing real hard and don't see the nap attack sneak up on me.
Actually, my buddy calls it play and it is fun but that
isn't really what it is. It is practice and training for being a cat. My
mom told me to do a lot of it so that I would be good at catching things
like mice and voles and birds... you know, things like that. So... I do
practice a lot and I really don't mind if he calls it play.
When I go outside I concentrate on getting real good at catching 
things.
I am getting very good at stalking and pouncing, running and jumping...
everything except catching. That is the really hard part. See what I mean?
Now is that a really good stalk and pounce or what? But the cricket got
clean away, What did I do wrong? Nothing! The cricket must have cheated.
What good does it do to practice and practice and do everything right if
the prey is going to cheat? It is all so unfair. Oh well, more practice.
A cat's work is never done.
Now I ask you, what's wrong with my technique
here? Perfect... the cricket has to be cheating... don't you agree? Whoa...
here he comes... gotta go..!
I couldn't get back to sleep so I got back up thinking I would try to get
my day started even though it was still more yesterday than today. However,
it wasn't working so I made my way to my reading chair... but not to read.
I settled into the chair and put a cover over me ready to try again to get
a little more sleep.
Tigger jumped up on my chest. "Do you mind if I come up and talk over a little problem?" he asked as he settled comfortably on my chest.
"I guess not. It seems you have already
come up so we might as 
well talk if you need to. Is it something about the
bully?"
"No. Not this time. I have this little problem catching crickets. I do everything just the way mom taught me and it doesn't work. Do you think the crickets are cheating?"
"Let me think about that.... isn't
this a little like you and the bully? You are great big and the cricket
is a tiny little thing?"
"Uh... yes... but what about what mom said?"
"Now that is a tough one. On the one
hand you are really big and the cricket is tiny but on the other hand, cats
are supposed to chase crickets and stuff... your mom
said so. She should know...you know. All I can say
is that you will need to play hard and play a lot so you get better at it.
Can you do that?"
"I guess so. Nothing but work, work,
work.... I mean play, play, play. But first I think I will take a nap and
get ready to do it later if you don't mind."
"I don't mind at all. Good night Tigger... sleep well."