Scout, our huge orange and white cat, was born in a back alley of downtown Phoenix. One of Maria's co-workers rescued him and his sister Savannah from their feral environment when they were actually a bit too young to have left their mother. However, under Maria's watchful care they grew to be two of nature's majestic cats, both in size and personality.
"The smallest feline is a masterpiece. Leonardo da Vinci "No matter how much cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens". Abraham Lincoln "One cat just leads to another" Ernest Hemingway
They came to live with Maria in December of 1999, sharing a house with her roommates and many dogs of every description--the most notable being two chihuahuas. One chihuahua was a talented actor and the other could sing. No doubt, these performing creatures helped shape the cat Scout would become--an expert at avoiding mayhem and noise.
"A cat is nobody's fool". Heywood Brown
Scout enjoyed adventures in the large backyard. Later, when Maria moved into another roommate situation, Scout's domain included a swimming pool in the backyard with plenty of block fences to strut upon as he made his daily prowls of his neighborhood. Savannah was the shy, retiring type and didn't relish the great outdoors. When Maria achieved her goal of living alone in an apartment, Scout lost his outdoor excursion privileges.
"It is in the nature of cats to do a certain amount of unescorted roaming". Adlai Stevenson
"God made the cat in order that humankind might have the pleasure of caressing the tiger". Fernand Mery
Savannah tolerated, even flourished in Maria's apartment but Scout became a malcontent. He spent his hours sitting on a table looking longingly at the complex courtyard with its pool, palms and block fences. Eventually, he targeted Maria's most prized possessions--her soccer shoes and soccer duffle bag. Even neutered tomcats will spray their owners items when frustration sets in and Scout won the battle.
"The trouble with cats is that they've got no tact". P.G.Wodehouse "Cats know not how to pardon". Jean de la Fontaine "Cats can be very funny and have the oddest ways of showing they're glad to see you. Rudimace always peed in our shoes". W.H.Auden
When Maria phoned requesting Scout change from city to country cat, I was surprised with the promptness in which he was delivered. Initially Scout resided in our cattery until he came to view his new surroundings as home. A native American friend gave me some expert advice--butter the new cat's paws. The cat will lick the butter and all traces of the past away, thus removing scents which might be used to attempt a return.
"The way to keep a cat is to try to chase it away". Ed Howe "It is as easy to hold quicksilver between your finger and thumb as to keep a cat who means to escape". Andrew Lang
After being released to explore the nooks and crannies that boulders provide, Scout would return to the cattery for naps and for night time protection. He continues to frequent the shady cattery loft on warm spring days.
"Nothing is more determined than a cat on a hot tin roof. . . .". Tennessee Williams
Scout accompanies me on all my landscaping forays. After risking a tail shortening by my pruning shears, he retreats from underfoot and curls up for a nap deep inside whatever bush or thicket I'm trimming. If I'm moving wheelbarrows of granite, gravel or stones, Scout faithfully follows me on every trip.
"A cat sleeps fat, yet walks thin". Fred Schwab "In the beginning, God created man, but seeing him so feeble, He gave him the cat". Warren Eckstein
When winter sets in, Scout becomes a house cat moving from easy chair to easy chair as he follows the sun's strongest rays. When summer arrives, it's back to the great outdoors for Scout. He embraces space; the neighbors report he never wanders into their yards.
"It is with the approach of winter that cats become in a special manner our friends and guests. It is then too that they wear their richest fur and assume an air of sumptuous and delightful opulence." Pierre Loti
Our My Blue Desert daughter owns two small cat-chasing terriers. On rare occasions we have small children visiting. Scout is such an expert at hiding when those events occur that there's not one peep of his orange and white fur to be found on Badboulder. Within fifteen minutes of their departure he comes meowing his way out of hiding.
"The cat is mighty dignified until the dog comes by". Southern folk saying
Scout is living in his twelfth year now, displaying the wisdom of an older cat. He hasn't eaten a lizard in years, saves a good bit of his energy for napping, strolls the perimeter of the pond only to admire fish and drink the cool water, and ignores most of young Zorro cat's playful overtures.
"Nothing's more playful than a young cat, nor more grave than an old one". Thomas Fuller
"There are two means of refuge from the misery of life-music and cats". Albert Schweitzer
Scout easily transferred from his big city domain to life in the boulders. Like all the pets we've rescued, Scout became part of Badboulder life and a true treasure.
"If man could be crossed with the cat, it would improve man but deteriorate the cat". Mark Twain "I love cats because I love my home and after a while they become its visible soul". Jean Cocteau
FROM THE KNOTHOLE: Hey, you all, it's me, up here in the knothole, and boy do I have a tough job, trying to keep my eye on four women. It's kind of like the Eagles, you know, strumming and humming their way along Interstate 40, slowing down in Winslow, Arizona, with seven women on their mind, hoping to leave their troubles behind. Fat chance. So, I am not in Winslow, Arizona; I'm in Yarnell, Arizona on Highway 89. Four women on my mind? Yup. But it's all legal. So, don't call Sheriff Joe, the toughest sheriff in the world, just yet. You see, one woman is my spouse in the house. That's the incomparable Badboulderlady. The other lovely ladies are my three daughters, not in the house, but certainly on my mind, whether I am in Winslow or Yarnell, Interstate 40 or U.S. Hwy 89. So, what's my point? Well, we are getting to that, having disposed of the prologue.
When most people think of hand-me-downs, they think of old jeans, used dresses, cast-off coats, etc. Not me, no way. I think of cats and dogs. You see, Badboulderlady collects cats and dogs like a black sock attracts white lint. And the three daughters, well they sometimes shed pets like a bouquet eventually drops its petals. You see, a pet is a little like a bouquet. When new, always very pretty. But, after you have owned it for a while, some of the natural luster begins to fade. Also, pets are a little like that box of chocolates in the Forrest Gump movie: you don't really know what you're getting. Sometimes pets just don't work out. Scout is not the only pet that has been reassigned to Badboulder nor is Maria the only daughter that has had a pet that didn't fit into their life. So, more than once, our daughters have turned to us to assuage some of life's inevitable pains, like giving up a pet.
a parting shot from bbman: did you ever meet someone who just sticks in your mind? i have. many times. especially in the military service. maybe it is because in the military you do things that no sane person would choose to do: train in the cold, the rain, the mud; go for days with little or no sleep; go for days or weeks or months with no hot food; leave home for lengthy deployments; think, sleep, and eat combat 24/7. i am sure if we went to iraq or afganistan, we would meet some really gritty and unusual soldiers.
while serving on the staff of the 172nd support battalion at fort richardson, alaska, during 1968-'69, i met one such memorable individual--major shugart, the battalion executive officer. major shugart was a man of several dimensions. he led men to kill in combat (1st infantry divisuion--the big red one). he led men (there were no women in the battalion) in prayer at a lavish thanksgiving meal. he chewed men out for their flaws. he praised men for their attributes. he smoked like the devil. he went to the gym and worked out like hell. one could criticize major shugart for the opposing extremes of his conduct. i commend him for the broad broom with which he swept through life. in his own way, he did it all.
