Lucky, aka the Grizzled Old Warrior
What would you name a black cat? His vet nicknamed him the "Grizzled Old Warrior" and that stuck. I even named an iris after him. Not camera-shy, but not photogenic either so most of his pictures show only a black blob. A very independent sort, he tended to make himself scarce when garden visitors were around -- but the few who had the privilege of knowing him have found him unforgettable. He was still a kitten in our first bloom season together, so I carried him and my hybridizing kit from clump to clump to teach him respect for the iris. For the rest of his life, if he saw me in the garden he'd come to be picked up.
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His key to sound sleep was finding a spot where he couldn't be stepped on. Under a desk or table in the house, or a high spot outside. In the summer, he also sought cool spots. One summer, we planted a new seedling bed closer than usual to a tree and he discovered that the shade cloth made a nice hammock. Except that he was so heavy it sagged. So we assembled this bed for him, based on an old 1/2" mesh screen that had been used for preparing iris beds and adding a pad of folded shadecloth for his comfort. |
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One cold winter day, he discovered that the tractor seat provided a nice, warm napping place. Especially if it had been pre-warmed by the driver. |
