Pandas and Pandas

We got email from Jesse's human, Lily. She sent us photos of her school and of some pandas. Mary knew what the black and white animals were (the Pandas) but she didn't know what the others were until Lily told her. They're red pandas! I never seen any animals like that. The Man and Nancy thought they look like raccoons...whatever they are. I wonder what the green leaves are that they are eating? Sometime leaves taste very good.

Lily looks like a nice human. I glad she has Jesse to keep her company. My humans are nice too. I think I'll find a nice spot and think about pandas.

A Wasted Afternoon

Now, I'm usually a live and let live kind of cat. Cats, dogs, humans, I'm willing to let them all share my space. That old Lucky's been here for almost as long as I have and we get along fine. His reflexes aren't what they use to be and I can get his treat away from him without any problem. The miniature humans don't bother me too much, either, as long as I know where they are. But today I had a shock. I was walking around the big desk when I was confronted by a DOG. A real, live, barking dog! In the library!! Mary says that dog is a service dog who helps her owner. But why did she snap at me? There I was just walking around after lunch trying to stretch my legs before I took my early afternoon nap, minding my own business! I was so upset I couldn't find a comfortable spot to take a nap. An entire afternoon wasted! Over a dog!

Lazy Day Sundays

Sundays are usually my quite day. I get to sleep in whatever chair I choose without someone moving me. I can lick the cups and glasses my humans leave on the desks and shelves in my rooms and no one yells at me 'stop that'. I can spend hours sniffing the bag of sweet things that someone put on the desk trying to figurer out what's it is. But this week it was different.

First, the Man came in and opened the door to my room. He talked to me until I got up and went out into the big room. Then he went out through the moving glass wall and I watched him push leaves around. Mary came in about then and they started moving furniture. They fixed the big pots that brew that nice smelling stuff that they all like to drink in the morning. Mmm, that does smell good. (Nan lets me taste it when I want but it doesn't taste as good as it smells.) Then Mary made me go back into my room and she shut the door. I sat on top of the metal box and watched what was happening thru the glass wall. Suddenly, Mary turned around and came back into my room. I was so surprised I fell off the metal box! She was worried I might have gotten hurt so she followed me until she could pick me up and then she checked by legs. Of course, I wasn't hurt...but I didn't tell her that right away! I learned a long time ago you have to make your humans suffer a little to get treated right.

After that things really started happening. More humans came in and one of them started playing with the thing that those other humans play with on Saturdays...only this human was very good and the noise he made was very nice. That went on all afternoon. I got very comfortable and sleepy listening to him and before I knew it I was asleep. Mary and Lesley came into my room and said goodbye but I didn't even open my eyes. I really prefer my quiet Sundays but once in awhile, a day like yesterday is a good thing.

China Connection

This is the campus where Mary's friend, Wayne, lives and teaches in China. Isn't it clean? The buildings in the bottom photo are where the teachers live. The other buildings around the track are the classrooms. His classes are very large--about 50 students each--and they are learning how to speak and read English. I wonder how many students around here are learning Chinese? Wayne says the students clean the campus every day! Students cleaning the campus!! WOW! Students here make a mess in the park outside the library every day, not clean it! Wayne says his students are very polite, too. It's too bad young humans around here aren't more like that. I hope he keeps sending us photos. It's nice to see what it's like in China. Oh, I've got to remind Mary to take some photos of me and send them to him. I hope he will like that!

A Paw Pal!

I have a paw pal from China! Her name is Jesse and she is a very pretty cat. Mary got an email (what ever that is...do e's deliver mail like the humans do here everyday?) from a lady in China who knows her friend Wayne. Wayne told her about me (maybe he is a good guy, eventho he's so big!) and Mary wrote to her. Lily wrote back today and sent photos of Jesse. Lily is a teacher, like Wayne, but in another school. She is from the Phillipines (another place I never heard of!)and she saved Jesse's life. An old lady was putting Jesse into a plastic bag and was going to throw her into a river when Lily came along. Lily took her home and now they live together. Jesse likes to run around, but since she is still a kitten it is to be expected. Lily must be a nice human if she saved Jesse. I wish I could meet Jesse and Lily. I'm sure Jesse would enjoy running around the library with me. It's so nice having a friend. I hope Jesse writes to me often and tells me what she does during the day when Lily's at school. Mmm, a friend....

News from China

Mary's friend, Wayne, in China has sent some photos of Luzhou--where he lives, and his classes there. The humans he's teaching look very nice...a lot like humans who come in here. But Wayne says they are much nicer behaved. Another teacher, Lily, has a cat there named Jesse. She said she'd send me a photo of Jesse. I hope so. I really want to have another cat as a friend. Mary says she'll keep posting the photos from China, next time some of the school and streets. That way we can see what China looks like. Hmm, is she sending Wayne photos of me?

A Firedrill!

There was a lot of noise in the library this morning. Some big men in blue suits came in and walked around. Then they played with a red box by the glass wall that opens until it started making an awful sound. It was even worse than when The Man comes in in the morning! But even before that, Mary had put me in the new fabric box that I travel in. I didn't like it in there and was saying so when Nancy said to put me out by the back door. Mary put me on top of something and left me there. I managed to slide off that stand down to the floor and then I kept rolling over and over. (Remember, I'm still in that fabric box!) Mary got worried (good!) that I might get hurt so she picked up my fabric box by it's handle and hung it off her shoulder. That way I was hanging next to her and it wasn't so bad. When the noise started, Mary took me outside. She said it was a firedrill. It was different out there. A lot brighter and there were different smells and sounds. When we came back inside, Mary opened the fabric box but I wouldn't come out. Nancy talked to me for awhile and then I followed her into another room. I had to take a nap after that and everyone gave me extra treats. Mmmh, maybe it wasn't so bad after all.