Strategic Moves

     A few miles from here is a large warehouse full of antiques.  I've been there once, with Lela and Blanche......something I wish not to do ever again.  While there, scanning over acres of glassware, old furniture and tons of nick knacks in general, I came to the conclusion that this is what happens to all of our stuff when the kids don't want it.

     As I walk through my own home, I notice I have a lot of stuff that was Mothers.  I am certain that I have more of her items than do Lela and Blanche.  That is probably because Mother and I lived in the same town, and the other two live away, it was much easier to leave it here, than take with.

     One of the things I do have was a favorite of Mother's, her 4 hook bird feeder pole, complete with a squirrel guard.

     The squirrel guard never stays where I put it.  No matter how many times I tighten the bolt, it always slips down the pole in a day or two and somehow stops about six inches from the ground.  It's not that big of a deal to me, the squirrels have a huge pecan tree in the neighbors yard and rarely bother the feeders.

     I looked out the kitchen window the other day to see how many feathered friends were visiting when I noticed something that made me laugh out loud.  Tigger, the cat, was underneath the squirrel guard.  He must have thought he was in stealth mode.

     Being yellow in color, he stands out like a sore thumb.  The birds have a small tree, not too far from the feeders, that they like to gather in and chat about who is going to go first.  Even if birds can not see color, and I have no idea about that, I'm relatively certain they can see the cat.  

     Tigger is not hungry, he's just a cat and that's what cats do, they hunt.  Cats also like to share their unfortunate prey with their family.  Any outdoor cat owner will have a list of unlucky small creatures that have been left on the mat by the most used access door to the house.  I've found several small rodents and a couple of birds right outside the back door.  Many years ago, Lela had a cat that brought home a snake.

     Of all the grace that a cat can possess, there is one thing they do not have control over, the very tip of their tail.  I think that must have been the Master of the Universe's way of evening the playing field for whatever prey was in the cross hairs of the feline species.

     Tigger has no exception to this rule.  I looked out at his covert mission to see the very end of his tail twitching ever so slightly, sticking out from under the squirrel guard.  It has to be really hard to be really still with that many birds so close.

     The birds paid him no attention, after all, they know their rightful place in the pecking order of things, no pun intended, and continued to devour as many seeds as possible.  I figured they were safe because Tigger just did fit under the guard and it was not going to be easy for him to leap out without causing a ruckus. 

     Later in the day, while heading out the back door, during one of the MANY pit stops with the new dog, Runtly, there laid what was left of the latest victim.  Feathers.  At least that is what I thought. Being much closer to the ground than myself, Runtly had discovered the bird's head on the door mat.  I had to pry open his mouth, with its 20 pounds of torque pressure, to be able to shake and release the birdie body part.  Bird heads must be the least tasty part.

     I do not know if Tigger caught the bird from the feeders or if he gave up and nabbed one out of the bushes that line one side of the yard.  Whatever game plan he used, it worked and he continues to use the cover of darkness of the squirrel guard for his sniper position.