Sunday, May 15, 2011

Bertie's new trick

So Bertie has learned that he can climb up on the deck from outside with the help of a nearby log pile. He usually does this late at night. This time of year, the sun doesn't set until around 9:30 pm and Bertie often will not be home when I go to bed. That means I can't close him in.

There are now three artichokes on this plant. I took this photo a week ago.

Some nights (one time it was about 3:00 am, last night it was around midnight) he'll jump up on the deck and meow just outside the living room doors. This prompts Callie to jump up from wherever she is and go barking at him. They're nose-to-nose with the door between them. I, in turn, get up and go down to calm the dog. Then I open the door and bring Bert in, take him downstairs, and close his window, after which I trudge back upstairs and we all go back to sleep.

These animules have me trained well.
at

11 comments:

  1. Ellen Lebelle15 May, 2011 08:44

    Only one of our artichokes survived the snails a few years ago. I let it bloom, took a photo, and then painted a picture: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yGRxOVxFAMAwyy1Ql6MukXo_irUHJDwKWjTUawfAwvU?feat=directlink

    ReplyDelete
  2. Evol Kween15 May, 2011 09:04

    Bertie doesn't care what time of day or night it is, he just wants to be let in!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Susan15 May, 2011 09:39

    You got 3 times as much rain as us.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Niall & Antoinette15 May, 2011 15:01

    LOL! of course Callie & Bertie have trained you--we humans are always fighting a losing battle. Shadow's party trick is to wander up the bed sit down and pat human's face with his paw until human gets up and does what he wants. Katinka's it to get into the bookcase and push all the paperbacks out onto the floor until a human takes notice.

    ReplyDelete
  5. ladybird15 May, 2011 15:04

    Ahh, that Bertie is quite a character! But he certainly seems to have found his way around the house! Would you have taken him in, knowning in advance the impact he would have on your life/sleep? Yes, of course ... No???

    ReplyDelete
  6. chrissoup15 May, 2011 17:00

    Move the log pile.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Moving with Mitchell15 May, 2011 20:32

    Dogs have owners. Cats have staff. (Although I would debate the dog part.)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Starman15 May, 2011 22:11

    They've done a professional job on you.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Cheryl15 May, 2011 22:49

    I so want to eat that artichoke!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous16 May, 2011 01:18

    Your photos are always so amazing! I love the extreme tight shots, like the one from Friday! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  11. wcs16 May, 2011 08:15

    ellen, beautiful! We don't eat ours (they're too small and tough) so they all get to bloom.

    evol, he can come in and out as he pleases - he's got an open window. I just like to close him in overnight when I can. But he still spends many nights out in the wilds.

    susan, wow, that's not much!

    n&a, they do provide good entertainment value...

    martine, we talked for years about getting an outdoor cat, so the answer's probably yes. But he has proved to be challenging, especially because of the dog. Still, he's a cool cat and very affectionate.

    chris, YOU move the log pile. I did my bit putting it where it is now. Of course, this fall I will have to move it as I cut it for the winter fires.

    mitch, yeah, me too!

    starman, they are experts.

    cheryl, I agree, it looks good, but I'm sure it's way too tough.

    anon, thanks!

    ReplyDelete

Tell me what you think!