Just June Roses for Purrsday

 

Love & Roses

That's about it!

I'm wishing you a day full of happy Purring™!

Let's just talk amongst ourselves, as we always do.

It's a pleasure and a privilege to see you here!

🌸

They Love Two Things Above All Else

 

 

            Thaga, that wise and resourceful Neanderthal matron, had a wee cool pantry dug into the earth underneath the house. Ooog dug it there for her. There was a door and stairway, just as if it led down into a basement. The ancient earth, into which it was dug kept all her things cool, almost as nicely as a refrigerator.
            In addition to spuds, cabbages, onions, carrots, and garlic, she had a large earthenware crock full of brine in which she stored her rolls of butter that she traded with the cow woman down the street for. The butter was in exchange for garden stuff, and Thaga’s very good bread.
            Of course, she kept cheese and sausages down there too. Naturally.
            One day, having emptied the butter dish upstairs, Thaga descended into her little pantry, or more properly, her in-house cellar, to get a new roll of butter. Ooog would want butter with his bit of lunch when he came in from the garden.
            As she was going down the stairs, she shut the door carefully behind herself. When she came to the bench where the butter crock stood, she found the lid knocked off and on the floor. In addition to that, one roll of butter was laying out on the bench. It was covered with small prints like hand prints and there were several bites take from it. Thaga was astounded.
            “Now, who could have done this,” she asked herself. “I certainly did not! Ooog would never, and Harold the cat can’t get down here. I don’t believe Harold would raid my butter crock anyhow. He gets all he wants up in the kitchen,” she continued.
            With a little frown wrinkle on her forehead, Thaga looked all around the small cellar room. It didn’t seem as if any thing could hide there. But she searched anyhow.
            There was nothing hiding behind the boxes of vegetables, or the stacked cheeses, or among the bottled jams and sauces on their shelf. She moved the hanging sausages around and there was clearly no one there.
            She had several ropes of garlic, and dried peppers hanging from the overhead too. From the corner of her eye, as she was looking under cabbages, Thaga noticed movement in the garlic and peppers.
            “What have we here,” quoth Thaga to herself. And quick as a bunny she whipped those ropes of dried things to the side.
            Hanging there with his fingers looped through a couple of hooks in the ceiling was a small hairy creature similar in build to a human being. He was about 16 inches tall. He looked at Thaga with sharp black eyes and kicked at her face with his feet.
            Dodging the grubby little feet, Thaga grabbed those same feet and turned him upside down and shook him firmly, as if he were a dirty feather duster.
            “Who are you? Tell me your name, or I’ll plunge you in the sauerkraut!” said Thaga, though in truth, she would never do that to her sauerkraut!
            The little thing squirmed and screamed, but couldn’t get loose of Thaga’s terrific grip. Finally, he went limp and said, “Maug. I am Maug! Let me go!”
            “Maug, I confound thee!” said Thaga in a firm loud voice. Nothing happened. He was still there wriggling in her grip, spitting and hissing too.
            “You lied! You lied!” sang Thaga. “Tell me the truth, or I’ll boil you like a hen!” This was also highly unlikely. But, why tell the truth to a little black eyed forest grubber?
            It screamed horribly, until Thaga began to worry about Ooog possibly hearing the noise and becoming worried. She hung on, and shook him until he was quiet.
            “Tell me your name!” she demanded sternly. “Butter thief! Dirty thing in my cellar room!” He was silent, so she shook him some more. “How did you get in here?”
            “Ha! I’ll never tell! Fat old lady!” it spat.
            Obviously, he had dug his way in. Thaga had noticed a rabbit sized hole behind the garlic.
            “Tell me your name, gnome, elf, or whatever you think you are! Now!” yelled Thaga.
            “Into the pot with you then!” hollered Thaga. She shook him some more.
            “Verm! It’s Verm, fat old thing! My ma called me Vermmmmmm!” it sang in a high squeaky voice. As he cried out, he dropped something. It was a plain little golden ring. It was Thaga’s very own wedding ring!
            “Got it off my finger! Dirty little thief!” she said.
            Thaga grinned to herself, because Thaga knew a couple of things.
            “Very well, Verm. I confound thee. Banished you are to the forest earth. Dig there grimkin! Be gone!” said Thaga.
            Instantly, he was gone, as gone as if he had never been there. There wasn’t even a puff of smoke to remember him by.
            She bent down and retrieved her ring, and slipped it on her finger.
            “That worked pretty well,” said Thaga with satisfaction. “I never had to do that before!”
            She put the lid back on the butter crock, clean side down, promising herself to scrub it or get Ooog to cut another one. She picked up the befouled roll of butter to take upstairs and use for starting fires.
            Then she walked firmly up the twelve or so steps to the cellar door and passed into her kitchen. When she got up there, Harold the cat looked at her and said, “You should have left the door open, Ma’am. I would have taken care of that rat for you!”
            “Thank you, Harold! I appreciate the offer. My way was much less messy!” said she, giving Harold a nod and a wink.
            She wrapped the dirty butter in some old paper and put it in the kindling box.
            “Don’t eat this butter, Harold. It’s too dirty!” she told her cat, as he watched.
            “Meow!” said Harold. Then we he went outside to see what Ooog was doing. The front door was open, and sunlight was streaming in making bright squares on the stone floor.
            When Ooog came in for lunch, followed by Harold, Thaga told him the whole story, and asked him to close off the tunnel Verm had dug into her cellar room.

🐀

A Few Items of Fatherly Advice from Ralph

 

            Look, I know everybody already has a dad. And, dads try to tell you everything you need to know to get through life successfully. This is laudable, and necessary. I salute your progenitors, as a group!
            However, it struck me recently that you all might benefit from some timely advice from a devoted Forest Dad, me. Hear me out and see whether you agree.
 
            1.      Take time to dance! It squares you with the Universe. It removes grumpy moods and confuses the mosquitoes. Anybody can dance! When I do it, the earth giggles.
 
            2.      Stand on one leg often. Two legs make you really stationary. Be flexible and ready to go any direction at a moment’s notice. And if you get really good at it, you might be able to pick that leg up and just exist, in the air.
 
            3.      Only eat stuff that looks like what it is. Things that come in bags and boxes are made in the spirit of Ma’ii, the Trickster. Beware of artifice!
 
            4.      Get to know your local rocks. They know a lot. They were here before you, or me! Listen to them.
 
            5.      Water is good. Go swimming all the time. Salt water is very good. Most of this planet is covered in water. There is a lot to be discovered down there. Also, there are fish. Fish are edible.
 
            6.      Go outside when it’s storming. Get good and wet, and let your hair blow in the wind. Sing praises to the Maker while you are out there. When you hear thunder, be thankful. Lightning is an augmenter of perspective.
 
            7.      Don’t answer your phone! It only leads to trouble! Turn the ringer off. How can you stand that thing anyhow? If I had one, I would let Ramona bust it up, and bury it along some lonely highway.
 
            Since 7 is the ancient number denoting perfection, I’ll leave it at that. And, if you have young ones, be sure to hand down my admonishments. They will stand out among their fellows if they learn and follow my teachings. They will be almost like Forest People themselves, and this is a good thing!
            As always, all my best to you! I hope we meet soon, somewhere along the way.

💚

Have A Cigar?

 

            Ralph didn’t have anything special going on one summery day, and he got to thinking about how he always went to the ranger station when he wanted to shoot the breeze with his old bud Rick.
            Now, Rick had actually not been to Ralph’s locale since the pizza making night. That had been a long time ago. It didn’t seem right to Ralph. He’d eaten a lot of cookies and doughnuts, and drunk a lot of Rick’s coffee in Rick’s office.
            While he was still pondering this situation, Maeve happened to fly down out of the firs and land on Ralph’s shoulder, as usual.
            “You’re thinking pretty loud there, Boss,” said Maeve.
            “Oh, yeah? What am I thinking about?” queried ol’ Ralph.
            “I don’t know! You’ll have to tell me that!” said Maeve. “I’m not actually a mind reader, not much anyhow.”
            “I was thinking that it would be cool if Rick and I sat here on my log and smoked a couple of these cigars,” admitted Ralph.
            “You want me to go get him?” said Maeve.
            “Not exactly like that, Black Leg! Ask him if he’s got the time, etc.. etc., and if he’d like to come down and hang out for a while,” said Ralph.
            “You know Rick and I don’t talk, but I’ll give it a shot,” Maeve said, lifting off.
            Ralph smiled as he watched her fly off low through the tree trunks in the direction of the ranger station.
            It was OK with him either way, but he was pretty sure Rick would show up.
            So then, when Maeve got over there, she found Ranger Rick just exiting his truck. Perfect! She landed right at his feet. He jumped a little, when he saw the great black Raven appear at his feet.
            “Uh, hi, Maeve! What’s up?” said Rick cordially.
            “Hey, Rick! The Boss wonders if you have time to come and hang out with him for a few minutes,” said Maeve.
            “Yeah, Dexter really runs this outfit anyhow,” said Rick. “Let me run in there and tell him to carry on without me.”
            Rick popped into his office, and right back out.
            “I’ll take you in, just follow me,” said Maeve.
            Rick followed Maeve as she flew in short hops behind the station dumpster and into the woods. For a short distance, it was just a path in the woods. But then it changed. Maeve hop/flew into an area that looked a little watery and indistinct. Rick shook his head and followed her right in.
            Inside, it was the Great Forest. Sunlight filtered down in diagonal rays between the massive Douglas firs. The air was sweet with an indefinable almost floral scent. Birds called responsively to each other. And it seemed to Rick that he saw a small flower or two bloom as he passed. Time seemed to stop. He almost heard the very forest speaking to him.
            Suddenly, there was Ralph, sitting up on his big cedar log. He seemed to be humming something under his breath. When he saw Maeve and Rick coming, he waved happily.
            “Thanks for coming! Short notice huh?” said Ralph.
            “Short notice? No, it’s good! Happy to see you at home,” said Rick.
            “I’m going to go see Ramona,” said Maeve, who then took off.
            “I was looking at my cigar box here, Rick, and it seemed to me that having a cigar with a friend is better than having a cigar sitting out here alone, yanno?” said Ralph. “Have a seat, man!”
            So, Rick climbed up on Ralph’s log.  It was a little bit of a scramble for him, but he landed upright beside Ralph.
            “I haven’t had a cigar since college, Ralph. It was a terrible cigar!” said Rick.
            “Well, shall we see how this one stands up to memory?” said Ralph.
            “You bet, “ said Rick. Then there was the whole business of lighting up Ralph’s fairly fancy cigars, sitting on a big cedar log in the heart of the Great Forest. It took a few minutes.
            “Ralph, I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” said Rick.
            “Ask away!” Ralph was intrigued.
            “Were your people and the people who lived here before we got here really friends, like they say? And, are those paintings of big mysterious figures they find on rock walls really some of you guys?” said Rick. “Do you know any Indians yourself? I don’t see them around here.”
            “This is what my mother told me. Yes, we have always been either friends, trading partners, or sometimes at war with the native population before the Europeans got here. The funny thing is, we were here before the tribes got here. Most of them don’t say that, do they? Yes, they did paint images of some of us. I'm not sure what else they could be!"
            “But, then, Ralph, I gotta ask, where did your people come from, in the beginning that is,” said Rick
            Ralph smiled, took a puff of the cigar, and winked.
            “Well, Mom didn’t come right out and tell me the answer to that one,” said Ralph. “Ask, yourself, Rick. Where did any of us come from?”
            “It’s all the same, isn’t it?" admitted Rick. “I think we know Who, but we don’t really know how. There are the old stories, and I’m sure they’re true. Mysterious, manifold and deep.”
            “That’s true! How about one of these Heinekens?” said Ralph.
            “Sure!” said Rick.
            They drank their beers and thought deep thoughts for a while.
            “I better go back to work,” said Rick. “Can I just walk out of here?”
            “Yup! Just follow the path. Getting out is easier than getting in!” said Ralph. “Thanks for coming! Let’s do it again! Oh, yes, I do know some tribal types at Tulalip. Nice people. People from several local tribes and some Mexicans all got scooped up and put there together! I should tell you the story of what happened when I went out there a couple of year ago sometime.”
            “I’ll look forward to that,” said Rick as he jumped down to the ground, and headed off down the path to the ranger station on the other side of the dumpster.
            “Say hi to Ramona and Cherry,” said Rick, “when you get down to the fire.”

🍀

Who Goes There? We Know Who!

             This fine rendition of one of Ralph's buddies is called the Mt. Rainier Bigfoot. It was made by sculptor Benjamin Isitt. We found him standing in Elbe, WA, which is near unto Mt. Rainier, well, Tahoma.

            I'm pretty sure Ralph would like to borrow the hat for a little while, but Maeve wouldn't go for it. She would feel that it impinged on her shoulder seating area, and looked ridiculous. Ramona and even Thaga would laugh at it.

            Yeah, it's another open thread. 

            But, when you look at this photo you just know he's out there! Himself, the real Ralph. And you can also depend on his merry heart wishing us all well.

            He says that the standing invitation to visit the Great Forest still stands!

🍃🧡🌿

    

          

In Celebration of Catfurday

 💮Yesterday's Portraits of The Scouts💮

Sweetie in a box. Manic!

Elegant Booker. Near a box.

You can see that their souls are completely different.

Both very fine fellows.

🤍

An Interesting Turn of Events

            There were strangers afield, but of course, Uncle Bob didn’t know that. In his dusty, pouchy way, he was afield too. He had gone up away from his Stump House, near the town where the wild turkeys liked to hang out. They felt safer up there by the haunts of man, away from Ralph or any of the clan. 

            Bob had gotten pretty good at knocking a turkey down with a carefully aimed rock. If that failed, he would pick some blackberries and then go fishing. Hunting and sourcing cooking fuel were his daily occupations.
            Bob was under the impression that he was quite stealthy, but he had a tendency to talk to himself and whistle a little under his breath. An outside observer might have honestly mistaken him for a sort of bear, a dusty, mumbling bear who knew how to whistle.

        The turkeys were evading him, and the woods seemed off in some subtle way. Bob stopped and looked around himself. He saw the usual assortment of trees, and an open sunny area further on. It looked normal. But there was a sound.
            It was a strange squalling noise, like the young of some creature. It sounded distressed. The sound distressed Uncle Bob too. He forgot about turkeys for the moment. He had to find this creature and help it! He plunged back into the woods in the direction the sound seemed to emanate from. It got louder as he went along. His heart beat rapidly and he was breathing hard. Surely he would find this young thing before it perished.
            “Where is its mother?” he asked himself.
            Then there was an alien scent on the breeze. Related? He couldn’t tell. But it was rank! It smelled like all the foolishness of human culture in one sleazy sweet odor. But he still had to find the crying baby, whatever it was. His tender heart was all wrapped up in the search. He wished Ralph was with him. Ralph would make sure it all turned out well. He always did, but Bob was alone this time.
            He knew Suzie was waiting for him, which put urgency in his steps.
            Plunging on, he came upon a confusing spectacle. It was a sheet of shining material hung on a tree, in which there appeared one like himself. He stopped dead in his tracks and stared. He waved a hand. The strange figure moved its hand! He jumped. It jumped! “What magic is this?” he asked himself. He whirled around, to continue searching for the poor young thing which continued to cry out. He feared for its safety here among the trees and all the wild animals.
          When he turned, on another tree hung the same sort of bewitched material as on the first tree. The same image stared out of it with its mouth hanging open, chest rising and falling rapidly. Bob stared, and then whirled around again to face the first piece of the awful stuff, in which the odd person once again did just as he did.
           Then he turned again to check the other one. It was the same again!
           Caught there, turning and turning in amazement, suddenly the sunlight went away, and it was dark. Bob saw points of light, much like stars, and looming dark shapes.
            “Ralphie! Ralphie, I don’t know where I am,” cried Uncle Bob. Tears streamed down his face into his beard. His feet didn’t seem to be touching the ground, and he was spinning faster and faster.
            “It’s a fake portal, Bob,” said Ralph. “Shut your eyes for a second. It’ll go away.”
            The darkness vanished and there was Ralph, smiling at Uncle Bob.
            “How did you know, Ralphie?" said Uncle Bob.
            “I heard the same stuff you did, and smelled the weird stink too, then I found you out here stuck between those two mirrors,” said Ralph.”
            “I don’t hear the crying anymore, Ralphie! Did the baby die?” said Uncle Bob.
            “There was no baby. You were tricked by a couple of Squatch investigators, Bob. They had you running all through the woods following a sound from a machine,” said Ralph.
            “They can do that? I thought it was real!” said Bob, with tears still drying on his face.
           “Well, not anymore,” said Ralph.
            “What was that smell, Ralphie? That was horrible!” said Bob.
            “Somebody told them that we might be attracted to it,” said Ralph, laughing.
            “Somebody lied!” said Bob. “Why did they do all this stuff, Ralphie?”
            “They wanted to meet some Forest People,” said Ralph. “The did too! Me!”
            “Oh! What happened?” asked Uncle Bob.
            “Well. Nothing much. I wandered into their setup and said, ‘Hi!’ They seemed mightily impressed, Bob. I suggested they take their dog and pony show back on the road. They grabbed most of their junk and ran for their truck. That’s the last of them I think we’ll see of them, at least for a while. I wonder if they’ll come back for the mirrors?” said Ralph happily.
           “We could bury the mirrors,” said Uncle Bob.
           “Maybe we should,” agreed Ralph. “Or, we could put them in Rick’s dumpster!”
           “I didn’t catch any turkeys! Or get any firewood,” said Uncle Bob, suddenly remembering why he was away from home.
            “Let’s just go fishing. OK? Fish are easy, and I’ll help you get Suzie some firewood,” said Ralph, patting Bob on his back.
            “Oh, thanks, Ralphie! I’m sure glad you found me!” said Bob earnestly.
            “Any time, Bob, any time. And the look on their faces was worth it all!” grinned Ralph.
           “Wish I could have seen that!” said Bob.
          “It was pretty funny,” said Ralph as they headed back down into the Great Forest and the silver river where the fish were waiting for them.

🍁🍀🍁