30.3.09

Noll Discusses "That Thing We Do"

You say cats are perfect. Or, I'm sure you've even gone so far as to say "purrfect" with an exaggeration on the double 'rrs.'
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And I would wholeheartedly agree if it were not for that minor, almost minuscule, not even perhaps worth mentioning, indelicate matter beyond our control:
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It is "that thing we do."

My Own calls it "whoowarfing." Really! Certainly, I'm sure, a more scientific or dignified terminology exists for the physiological processing of groomed hair.

Cats are a fastidious creature. Our tongue is a brush you know. Did you imagine our cleanliness was because of some coif fairy?
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A little space if you will!

We're glad you come running out of concern when you hear the rhythmic heaving and hawking - as if you're ready to perform the Heimlich maneuver - but must you slip the napkin under our nose to catch the little fur cocoon we're about to expel?
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Desist! This feat demands concentration!
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Soley for the purpose of our amusement then, do we willingly sacrifice the status of perfection. It is much more entertaining to watch you happen upon the cold bi-product of our constant grooming, say barefoot, in the early morning dark, then it is to own perfection.

'That thing you do' on one foot is not only priceless, it is purrfect ;)

29.3.09

Nollithograph


Noll in the Pink
3/29/09

28.3.09

Noll's Spring Stream of Consciousness


It is late March, and the days have become like a lamb. Nature is now more gentle, more serene, more pure. All creation testifies to nature's miraculous transformation.

In the woodlands, the understory wears a touch of bright green. High in the canopies, the crimson buds of the maple resemble vine ripen raspberries ready to burst. Along the Olentangy, the red tail hawk circles slowly over the greening river banks; the white sycamores reaching upward like Corinthian columns along the flowing waters. The skunk and chipmunk emerge from their cozy earthen homes. Here and there, I glimpse a forsythia increasing to its full canary-yellowness while the tops of the pussy willow twiddles in the breeze. The sky is a layer cake of cotton candy pink, white, orange and blue.

Oh yes, creation has put on her party hat.

And, nature's transformation lifts my soul. But my true joy is the sweet birdsong lullaby filling the cool morning air: The cardinal's solo as bright and crisp as its ruby feathers. Song sparrow, finch, and robin adding harmony to the cardinal's love song. My heart lilts. At times like this, I wish I were singing in a tree. I wish I were the bird being sung to!

Verily, spring finds my fancy. Every year, without fail. creation reminds me why I am. Like the flowers of the woods, I too am reborn from nature's baptismal rains. Like the small forest flower, I unfold to embrace all that is good, green and true in the large expanse that surrounds me.

27.3.09

Noll As "Random Cat of the Day"

I humbly.....yeah, right.....

I proudly announce - today, March 27th - I will join the many illustrious & magnificent cats who have been specially spotlighted as "Random Cat of the Day." It is a beautiful thing, being a "random" cat!

To all my fellow felines who have gone before me in this honor, I say "cheers to us!" And, to those toying with the thought of web glory, I say "go for it!"

Look for me using the web link at the bottom of my blog page on the 27th. For those who cannot stand the wait, click on this link for a preview:

http://catoftheday.com/archive/2009/March/27.html

Yours in Felinity.......Noll

P.S., I'm told I'll be archived! I can click on myself every day to infinity! I can't contain my giddiness ;)

25.3.09

Noll's Swagger Reduced

In the city by the ocean,
In the city by the sea,
are the ghosts of shipwrecked pirates
from the coast of Barbary.

Dear Diary,

Today, just before sunrise, I captured a mouse! An immense cunning and precision were involved. Dear Diary, you should have seen my moves, more daring than a Barbary pirate. The ransom mine. The praise heaped was justified. In glory did I bask. Never was there a cat more deserving of his swagger. And, swagger I did! My chest puffed out like the billows of a sail. "Hoist the Jolly Roger," I said!

An hour later, Luigi caught two!

No, your eyes do not deceive you. I said LUIGI! A former ne'er-do-well where mice are concerned. Luigi catches two....within minutes!

Dear Diary, I regret to inform you, today, just after dawn, my swagger was reduced to a pitiful sashay. Shiver me timbers....

24.3.09

Noll Paints His Cousin Stuey

Stuey in Repose
A juxtaposition of innocence & mischievousness:
How two opposing forces can coexist in perfect harmony.

22.3.09

Noll on "The Life & Times of Cha Cha Bigs"


He was the patriarch of the pride. The first amongst us. His name was Rascal. To us, he was "Cha Cha Bigs."
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Never was there a cat with more patience and composure.

A kitten for a four year old, Cha Cha endured rides in her plastic shopping cart with patience and goodwill.

Years later, Cha Cha welcomed the new kitten, Squeaker: showed him the ropes, how to chill around Butch the spastic husky. It didn't matter that Keaks was all over him. Cha Cha was a patient teacher. Later, Cha Cha showed Keaks how to comfort Butch as use and old age fractured the constant.

Butch and some years passed. In the new country home, Cha Cha accepted the pound puppy. Like Butch, Clyde become Cha Cha's best friend. More relaxed than Butch. No patience required; except waiting a little longer for dinner and greetings and the sunny spot in the kitchen.
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Months later, the feral kitten was thrown into the mix. Luigi was Keak's polar opposite. Cha Cha watched Luigi sit in his chair, eat from his bowl. Cha Cha waited patiently for Luigi to be about his business. His was the patience of legend.
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Change is a constant. Cha Cha knew this.
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Years passed. One cold December, Tiggy and I burst onto the scene. Keaks made a ball out of us. Luigi was annoyed. Cha Cha endured. I must truthfully admit, I usurped the order and went to the head of succession. My move was brash. In my seventh month, Cha Cha acquiesced. But did I let it go? No! I tormented him for years. I got in his face. Jumped on his back. Made an absolute nuisance of myself.
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And what did he do? Nothing! Cha Cha patiently went about his day as if everything was constant though he knew otherwise. Cha Cha had a more serious matter to attend to. Tiggy joined him in comforting Clyde through his years of diabetes and blindness.
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In his twelfth year, Clyde sadly ebbed. A couple years passed, and it became his time.
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That day, My Own cradled Cha Cha in her arms as she did every day. Quietly, they receded. My Own came back alone, in tears. I never saw Cha Cha again.
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But I feel his presence, his constant patience. It is there in the garden next to the tree I love so dear. Every spring since he left, the first flowers of the garden, gold and purple orbs - the color of royalty - open up to his patient and constant likeness. Such was the life and times of Cha Cha Bigs.

21.3.09

Noll Reveals....



A self-portrait by Luigi a.k.a. Dawg:
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Indubitably,
Cool cat am I,
Luigi of the amber eyes.
Stalwart feline;
Full of vinegar and brine.
Independent, of manifold miens.
I am the 'Dawg' all cats strive to be
In every place and clime.

19.3.09

Noll: "Shift to Uncomplicate"

Card Design by A. Szabo

Now, standing at the doorway to spring - the season of new beginnings - I offer this suggestion: "Shift to uncomplicate."

Shake loose the constraints which bind you to compete for inconsequential objects and matters. For you also are as lilies of the field.
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Bask in the sunshine.....it costs nothing.
Draw deep the free fragrance of the rain-drenched earth.
Marvel at the magic of new leaf emerging from bare branch.
Remark how every flower is slightly different though same.
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Understand, nature's intricacies do not make life complicated, though the intricacies themselves are complicated. It is always how you respond to the lilies of the field that matters. "Shift to uncomplicate."
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Admire the lily just as it is. Do not tempt yourself to gild it.

For simplicity and freedom are one.





15.3.09

Noll: All the Colors of the Rainbow


Today, with the temperature a balmy 60 and the wind gently blowing, I rolled in the earth, I nibbled at the emerging catnip. My spirit soared at what I saw.

The daffodils and tulips are punching through the soil. A lone golden crocus blooms over Rascal's grave. Two white primroses have unfolded. The birds are a united twitter.

Though nature's pallet remains mostly hues of brown, green and a faded sky blue, earth slowly is squeezing out her remaining colors. No matter, I am all the colors of the rainbow today. The colors of life flow in my veins. For now, that will suffice.

From Noll's Art Collection


Portrait of a kitten circa 1965
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Ah......Mystical, magical kittenhood.
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I have lived it. I am living it still.
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Blessed are they who welcome these furry sprites into their home, for they shall know unconditional love.....Noll.

8.3.09

Noll Pens a "Cat's Prayer"


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May the road rise up and send you
a home with sunshine for your back.

May life always offer you
A soft shoulder on which to nap.
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Noll Discusses Sense & Sensibility


Even as he sleeps, the ginger cat embodies sense and sensibility. Tiggy's sensitive nature is charged and pacing on the inside. There is no tip-toeing around him.
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If he were a human child, Tiggy would know exactly where the wrapped Christmas presents were hidden and what was inside each....Don't even think about getting out a kibble treat without getting one for him (he might be upstairs in the back bedroom, but he heard you)....A virtual reconnaissance genius, Tiggy knows where the mouse will be before the mouse does....Something outside in the middle of the night? Tiggy is on it; moving in sync on the inside to keep it in sight....A chipmunk gathering peanuts on the deck? One moment slumbering, ZZZzzzzzzzz, the next, awake and pouncing at the pane.
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While all felines possess sense and sensibility, it is a verisimilitude that Tiggy might have a few more grams then the rest of us. Do not let the full body slouch and tucked in head fool you. This Tabby's radar is on!

7.3.09

Noll on the Glories of the Day


Simplicity should not be underestimated. It is, in fact, the simple things which bring the heart the greatest joy. Nature is filled with simple, shining moments. These moments exist for the taking, for the embracing, for enriching the soul. Today, my soul found sustenance through sight, sound, touch. Outside, with the warm sun penetrating my silken coat, a drowsy drifted over me. My eyes grew heavy. My repose sublime. Through my flickering lids, I gathered up the gems of the day and wrapped myself in their glory:

Its migration complete, I spied the red-winged blackbird cracking black sunflowers seeds beneath the bare purple plum.

My padded paws planted firmly in place, I felt the damp, matted grass laid bare by February's thaw.

Through the leafless canopies, I heard the winds of change rattle the tree tops with resounding revelation. Winter has abated. Earth slumbers no more.

And, in my reverie, I felt the earth heave a sigh of relief. Truly, I did.