~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are all but totally self-consumed and egocentric. It has been a life-long affliction. So it is with a bit of trepidation that I move to underscore these personal defects by recommending to all OROGs, especially the newcomers, that they randomly review older and ancient...and some of the more recent rantings, observations, historical and Mexican analyses, and other commentary.
This review is not for the purpose of deeper understanding of my great genius and superior, Cosmically-inspired intelligence, but rather to take advantage of the fact that this blog has many, many sharp edges and soft landing zones and nooks and crannies. It is not mono-dimensional. We have had people comment about the range of ravings, ranting, and contemplations they encounter within the entries found in A Gringo in Rural Mexico: voice from the Sierra Madre Oriental....it is the nature of the beast. Asi soy (As such, I am).
Herein is included an example of such. These are among my very few and best friends at the Quinta Tesoro de la Sierra Madre.
Each cat-owner, if he/she is realistic and honest, will admit that cats own their two-legged, fellow occupants. There really is no compromise about that one fundamental point. These three are no exception.
From the top to the bottom:
(1) Cleopaetra - She prefers the spelling of her name as the OROG sees it. She is a short-hair, Maine Coon green. She is incredibly psychic, does well with the dogs, and is the spitting image of the 20 year old cat we took down from Texas and who is buried on the grounds of the Quinta. She is somewhat affectionate, sometimes demanding, and prefers to sleep entirely under the covers during the episodes of cold and uncovered during the Summer nine-months. Born in the Ejido of Francisco I. Madero, about 300 yards from her present Estate. Mother of two, both boys, who live elsewhere in the Ejido. Prefers Whiskas, half & half, very occasional table food, individual canned corn kernels served one at a time as a desert. Very good mouser and poisonous snake killer.
(2) Calico or Calandria - In English she is the former and Spanish the latter, due to her colouration. Calandria is the northern Mexican Spanish word for the Oriole bird. Calandria also is the word in Spanish for a particular type of light horse-drawn carriage. This cat was left off on us, and has always been something of an enigma. She eats about a half-pint of milk per day....in 12 to 15 different demand servings. She has figure issues. She has become more entertaining and involved socially with El Gringo Viejo over the years, and like Cleopaetra generally accompanies me on my daily morning walks to different points on the Rio Corona with the dogs. At times she studies the perch to the point that someday, probably, she will dive in and catch one. She also likes to sleep on top of El Gringo Viejo during cold weather, and after the old coot has fallen asleep in his recliner while watching History or Discovery. Cleopaetra resists such sharing, and the combat generally wakes up the old coot, much to his displeasure. Cleo also generally dines on Whiskas with very little variation.
(3) Smokey - The full sister of Cleopaetra, Smokey is an Angora-like, Maine Coon green, very nervous, high strung yet docile. She likes to play, but on her terms...and can tend to be a bit claws-and-teeth rough. She likes to sleep in the large closet in the big bedroom. On occasion, she and her sister will curl up in a ball of identical coloured fur in their cat-bed so as to look like some kind of monster racoon. This is a cold-weather phenomena. Like her sister, she is given to wild running around in the house at times, using the vertical walls as bounce-off devices for making "flying-curve manoeuvres" in order to make 90 degree corners at full speed. Excellent mouser and poisonous snake killer. Can be affectionate at times without expectation of reward. Like her sister, she likes Whiskas....not so much milk or cream, but some....and really likes her Whiskas treats, which she will chase down as if they are wild game. Mother of three, males, delivered on the same day as her sister's two males.
There are a million, billion stories and quirks that make my cats and dogs much more special than your cats or dogs...thereby making them exactly like your dogs and cats....but we shan't burden the OROG's patience with such droning-forth. It is sufficient that the reader have an idea of what we mean when we might mention "the cats".
Below is the pitiable girl-dog who delivered us 9 puppies....all males....all looking suspiciously like BeBe the Labrador. We ridded ourselves of the pups, all to good homes, and even the mother....whose names is Sonsa (Silly Dunce in English)....was given to a nice family 14 kilometres away, to the South. We were elated that she had found a place where she was actually wanted....until she wandered up from the Rio Corona, about one week later, scrawny, scratched-up, and elated to see her "real home" again. She refuses to be touched or even come close to any human....even Alvaro and El Gringo Viejo. She will wait for us to leave her bowl of food for her...and once we depart she will eat everything, without regard for or against the starving dogs in China. She is fairly useless, but will bark at friends and strangers alike. We are giving her an injection every now and then...a Stork Repellent....so as to avoid "problems" in the future.
 |
| Ugly, fairly stupid, but loyal. She follows El Gringo Viejo around like a robot, but never comes within four feet of him or any human. She is also very small, 15 lbs., and has survived two encounters with motor vehicles. One year old at this point, and avoids motorised vehicles.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for your time and interest.
El Gringo Viejo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
