The days were long, warm and sunny, and our girls, Calypso and Mara, enjoyed them to the fullest. Time with us outside was spent chasing the many grasshoppers the hot, dry, summer days attracted. Two long and lithe cat bodies jumped up in the air in a display of amazing aerial acrobatics trying to catch one of these crunchy little prizes. But, The Girls found another interest quickly in the funny-looking praying mantis which bobbed up and down in response to close, personal scrutiny from what we now affectionately refer to as The Duplicate Siamese Threat.
Dad's weekend project included painting his large, brown tool shed. Mom had prepared for this all week long, purchasing the paint, and other needed supplies. Calypso and Mara had observed these new items being brought into the house, one at a time, smelling and inspecting them thoroughly until they were satisfied, but horribly offended that the bags contained no treats for them.
At last, Saturday dawned clear and cooler, with Dad being anxious to get started. With the hummmmm of the alarm clock, he got out of bed, and dressed in his paint clothes. Cally and Mara watched with great interest as Dad began to gather the various items Mom had put at the ready. Going down the list, he checked off items: "Paint, check. Brushes, Check.", mumbled Dad. Finally, Dad had all he needed and looked inquizatively at the Girls. "Coming with me, Ladies?", he asked politely as the cats scooted quickly out the open door.
As Dad walked towards the shed, Calypso and Mara began engaging in seeing which cat could knock the other off the well-top first, thus gaining the loftly perch, and designation of Superior Cat of The Entire Well-Top. Time after time, Cally would knock poor Mara off onto the grass below and then strut the perimeter, rudely mocking poor little Mara with each circle. No matter how many times Mara tried to gain the desired position of "Queen of the Well-Top", Cally would take it back, often causing Mara to feel the lash of her claws, and the bite of her sharp teeth. When Mara began to meow loudly in protest, Cally mocked her again.
"Face it, Mara, I am a SEAL POINT, and WE ARE SUPERIOR!", Cally teased cruelly from the top of the well. "I am superior at Howling, and finding only the bestest of Hidey Holes, and I can totally destroy a fur mousey with hardly any effort at all! It is also a known fact that there are more seal points, like me, than there are lilac points, like you - and I am even bigger than you, so just get used to it, Mara...I RULE and you DON'T.", Cally meanly hissed.
"Well, you might be Superior at all those things, Cally, but I can make Dad feel sorry for me and get you in trouble because of it! So, act all superior if you want, but we'll just SEE who gets treats!", sneered Mara. Mara turned her backside to Cally and began to wail.
"What's the matter, Mara? Is Cally being ugly to you again?", Dad asked as he scooped the immediately but unconvincingly remorseful Cally up and took her to the house. "Cally, you have to play fair and let Mara win sometimes.", he scolded. "You go into the house for a while, and when you can play sweet, you can come back out."
Dad brought Cally into the house, and fixed a pot of coffee. While the coffee was brewing, Cally settled on the table at his elbow, watching him intently. "You aren't going to make me feel guilty, Little Girl.", Dad spoke in a stern voice. "Go and find your mousey." With a disgusted swish of her tail, Cally leapt down from the table to go and snuggle with Mom, who was still sleeping.
When the coffee was finished, Dad fixed a travel mug and went back outside. He walked towards the shed, looking at the strange, wet, brown cat that now sat on the well-top. Becoming alarmed, he picked up the pace and covered the ground between the shed and the well-top in no time just as he heard Mara's plaintive cry. It was then he realized that this was no strange, brown cat, this was Mara!
"Oh NO!!! Mara! What have you done???", shouted Dad. Grabbing up a paint rag, Dad attempted to grab the now slippery, paint-covered Cat and take her to the house. Finally, the two got to the house, and Dad hollered, "MOM!!!! Mara needs you, come quick!".
A sleepy, but concerned Mom entered the kitchen in time to see Mara, who had until then been wrapped in a paint-soaked rag, slither out of Dad's grasp and run into the living room, leaving sloppy, brown paw prints and awful smudges behind her. Over the sofa she went, across the cream colored carpet, to settle on the oriental rug.
"Good GRIEF!", cried Mom. "What in Heaven's name did she get into? Mara, come here to me, little girl, we have to get that stuff off of you!"
All of the commotion had gotten Cally's attention. She slipped quietly into the living room to watch with great amusement as Mom and Dad ran about trying to catch Mara. Everywhere she looked, Cally saw huge smudges of brown paint. It was all over the kitchen and living room floor as well as the sofa and carpets below.
Mom was finally able to get Mara, take her into the bathroom and turn on the tub water. Mara, in great protest, began to scratch at the door. "Mom, I don't WANT a bath, I WANT to be brown, like Calypso!", she wailed. "Cally is superior, she tells me so all the time, and I just thought if I was brown, like she is, I could be superior too!"
"Mara,", Mom spoke gently, "Come here, baby. Let Momma get that awful paint off." Mara went into the tub, and endured the bath all the while loudly lamenting her woe. When completed, Mom towled her off gently and began to brush her wet coat. "There now, all better. You are such a beautiful little cat, so delicate and lovely with your cream and pale grey colors, my little darling. Why did you think you should roll in the paint?", asked Mom. "You could have gotten sick from having that awful stuff on you like that. Paint and kittens don't mix, my Mara-Boo."
When they were finished, Mom and Mara exited the bathroom to find Cally waiting expectantly by the closed door. Mom put Mara down on the floor and began to gather the cleaning supplies to get the mess up.
"You DOLT!", giggled Cally to Mara. "You thought you could paint yourself brown and be like me, didn't you?" Mara's blue eyes were sad. "Yes, Cally, I did. But you know what? Mom said I was beautiful just like I am and I don't wanna be brown like you anymore. You can think you are superior if you want, but just being brown doesn't make you so.", said Mara. "I have pale grey and cream fur, and Mom says that is just as special as your tan and brown coat, so THERE!"
Cally's eyes misted only briefly as she and Mara settled on the bed. "Here, let me help you, Mara. You really are a mess, you know.", Cally murmed softly as she began to lick and groom her beloved companion. Mara purred softly. "I love you Cally." she said. "I love you, too, Mara.", whispered Cally and they both settled in for a long nap before lunch.
Dad's weekend project included painting his large, brown tool shed. Mom had prepared for this all week long, purchasing the paint, and other needed supplies. Calypso and Mara had observed these new items being brought into the house, one at a time, smelling and inspecting them thoroughly until they were satisfied, but horribly offended that the bags contained no treats for them.
At last, Saturday dawned clear and cooler, with Dad being anxious to get started. With the hummmmm of the alarm clock, he got out of bed, and dressed in his paint clothes. Cally and Mara watched with great interest as Dad began to gather the various items Mom had put at the ready. Going down the list, he checked off items: "Paint, check. Brushes, Check.", mumbled Dad. Finally, Dad had all he needed and looked inquizatively at the Girls. "Coming with me, Ladies?", he asked politely as the cats scooted quickly out the open door.
As Dad walked towards the shed, Calypso and Mara began engaging in seeing which cat could knock the other off the well-top first, thus gaining the loftly perch, and designation of Superior Cat of The Entire Well-Top. Time after time, Cally would knock poor Mara off onto the grass below and then strut the perimeter, rudely mocking poor little Mara with each circle. No matter how many times Mara tried to gain the desired position of "Queen of the Well-Top", Cally would take it back, often causing Mara to feel the lash of her claws, and the bite of her sharp teeth. When Mara began to meow loudly in protest, Cally mocked her again.
"Face it, Mara, I am a SEAL POINT, and WE ARE SUPERIOR!", Cally teased cruelly from the top of the well. "I am superior at Howling, and finding only the bestest of Hidey Holes, and I can totally destroy a fur mousey with hardly any effort at all! It is also a known fact that there are more seal points, like me, than there are lilac points, like you - and I am even bigger than you, so just get used to it, Mara...I RULE and you DON'T.", Cally meanly hissed.
"Well, you might be Superior at all those things, Cally, but I can make Dad feel sorry for me and get you in trouble because of it! So, act all superior if you want, but we'll just SEE who gets treats!", sneered Mara. Mara turned her backside to Cally and began to wail.
"What's the matter, Mara? Is Cally being ugly to you again?", Dad asked as he scooped the immediately but unconvincingly remorseful Cally up and took her to the house. "Cally, you have to play fair and let Mara win sometimes.", he scolded. "You go into the house for a while, and when you can play sweet, you can come back out."
Dad brought Cally into the house, and fixed a pot of coffee. While the coffee was brewing, Cally settled on the table at his elbow, watching him intently. "You aren't going to make me feel guilty, Little Girl.", Dad spoke in a stern voice. "Go and find your mousey." With a disgusted swish of her tail, Cally leapt down from the table to go and snuggle with Mom, who was still sleeping.
When the coffee was finished, Dad fixed a travel mug and went back outside. He walked towards the shed, looking at the strange, wet, brown cat that now sat on the well-top. Becoming alarmed, he picked up the pace and covered the ground between the shed and the well-top in no time just as he heard Mara's plaintive cry. It was then he realized that this was no strange, brown cat, this was Mara!
"Oh NO!!! Mara! What have you done???", shouted Dad. Grabbing up a paint rag, Dad attempted to grab the now slippery, paint-covered Cat and take her to the house. Finally, the two got to the house, and Dad hollered, "MOM!!!! Mara needs you, come quick!".
A sleepy, but concerned Mom entered the kitchen in time to see Mara, who had until then been wrapped in a paint-soaked rag, slither out of Dad's grasp and run into the living room, leaving sloppy, brown paw prints and awful smudges behind her. Over the sofa she went, across the cream colored carpet, to settle on the oriental rug.
"Good GRIEF!", cried Mom. "What in Heaven's name did she get into? Mara, come here to me, little girl, we have to get that stuff off of you!"
All of the commotion had gotten Cally's attention. She slipped quietly into the living room to watch with great amusement as Mom and Dad ran about trying to catch Mara. Everywhere she looked, Cally saw huge smudges of brown paint. It was all over the kitchen and living room floor as well as the sofa and carpets below.
Mom was finally able to get Mara, take her into the bathroom and turn on the tub water. Mara, in great protest, began to scratch at the door. "Mom, I don't WANT a bath, I WANT to be brown, like Calypso!", she wailed. "Cally is superior, she tells me so all the time, and I just thought if I was brown, like she is, I could be superior too!"
"Mara,", Mom spoke gently, "Come here, baby. Let Momma get that awful paint off." Mara went into the tub, and endured the bath all the while loudly lamenting her woe. When completed, Mom towled her off gently and began to brush her wet coat. "There now, all better. You are such a beautiful little cat, so delicate and lovely with your cream and pale grey colors, my little darling. Why did you think you should roll in the paint?", asked Mom. "You could have gotten sick from having that awful stuff on you like that. Paint and kittens don't mix, my Mara-Boo."
When they were finished, Mom and Mara exited the bathroom to find Cally waiting expectantly by the closed door. Mom put Mara down on the floor and began to gather the cleaning supplies to get the mess up.
"You DOLT!", giggled Cally to Mara. "You thought you could paint yourself brown and be like me, didn't you?" Mara's blue eyes were sad. "Yes, Cally, I did. But you know what? Mom said I was beautiful just like I am and I don't wanna be brown like you anymore. You can think you are superior if you want, but just being brown doesn't make you so.", said Mara. "I have pale grey and cream fur, and Mom says that is just as special as your tan and brown coat, so THERE!"
Cally's eyes misted only briefly as she and Mara settled on the bed. "Here, let me help you, Mara. You really are a mess, you know.", Cally murmed softly as she began to lick and groom her beloved companion. Mara purred softly. "I love you Cally." she said. "I love you, too, Mara.", whispered Cally and they both settled in for a long nap before lunch.
