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Lord Dudley Mountcatten is used to being photographed. But when his human mother had a cute idea the other day…?
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His Lordship was less than pleased.
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I think I’ll be paying for this folly. I don’t know how, and I don’t know when….
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But yes. He’s definitely plotting something.
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A cat and his mouse is a beautiful thing.
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Lord Dudley Mountcatten hasn’t caught a live one in quite a while but he does enjoy sleeping with his toy version.
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On a recent trip to the orthopedist I began wondering if he has voodoo doctor credentials.
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Crystal bones are made for throwing.
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Note to self…
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Buy bigger bird bath.
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Even he has no explanation for those ugly things…
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My Facebook and Apple News algorithms are always coming up with ridiculous products they think I need to purchase.
I’m passing on all three of these.
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#1…. Swimsuit season is not approaching quickly in Maine, unless you count the Polar Bear plunge in February and I’ve never be crazy enough to do that.
#2…. My derrière is awake as it’s ever going to get. No caffeinated butt cream required. 
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No.
Just… no.
While I spoil Lord Dudley Mountcatten far more than my husband thinks I should, even I have limits.
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Do I want to carry around a 28 ounce gelatinous pouch of my own urine? I most assuredly do not.
Also, I spent my teenage years on an island in Maine where there were no public restrooms. I’m completely familiar with pissing in the woods if necessary.
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These sparrows have it in for our poor cat and are seriously driving him crazy.
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All of a sudden there are flocks of them gathering on our back deck and Lord Dudley Mountcatten is positively beside himself with angst.
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He cackles, he cries, he paws at the window and howls to go outside.
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And then runs right to the bushes where they hide when I oblige.
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His Lordship is not a graceful feline and more often than not falls flat on his face.
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Unless he’s sticking it in the bush on purpose.
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He’s on a leash, but there’s not much walking going on.
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Those birds should be ashamed of themselves. Before long Dudley will be needing kitty Valium.
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We have a group of sparrows that live to tease Lord Dudley Mountcatten .
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They perch on the deck railing and patio furniture… driving him absolutely insane when he’s on the back of the couch.
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So when we go outside for walkies? His Lordship is primed to hunt.
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Not that he ever comes close mind you. Those birds are too smart and too fast.
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But we chase them from bush to bush around the house and hope springs eternal.
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They know he can’t catch them, and seem to take great pleasure in the game.
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That sparrow is smiling. I know it.
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You can’t really tell from the picture, but trust me.. he was airborne here.
By the time we make a full trip around the house? They’re back on the railing…. and laughing.
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Lord Dudley on the other hand…
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🤣
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Because it’s more fun than the kind you can.
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I know staffing shortages around the country are bad, but… wow.
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This is good news, but it does make me wonder who studies these things… and how they got a worm to spit on command.
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Worm spittoons. Does Amazon sell those…?
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I’m going to pay $75 for an animal that eats dried poop in the park? No.
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I can’t find my own umbrella when it rains, now I’m supposed to remember my phone’s?
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Should we?
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This is a little disturbing.
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Makes me glad I never developed a taste for it.
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And so after a spur of the moment, last minute mini getaway… we headed home. Wishing we could stay longer and see Vermont’s foliage at its peak.
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Leaving the little town of Jeffersonville we passed what’s become a landmark.
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An artfully painted silo celebrating the area’s agricultural roots.
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We said goodbye to cows. (Alright, that was me. The husband grew up milking them and couldn’t care less)
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Did I mention there are a lot of cows in Vermont?
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There’s also a lot of corn.
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So much corn.
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Seriously, the stuff is everywhere.
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Dudley does well on his harness/leash and knows his limitations, which in actuality is 30 feet. His chest to my wrist. His Lordship chooses the direction and we walk, stroll, sit and occasionally sprint. What we don’t do is climb trees.
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Until the other day when he sat at the base of the Bradford pear watching a bird one minute….
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And jumped onto the bark the next. Problem is, his lordship does not have any tree climbing experience and literally just hung there.
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He scooched a little farther up, with me trying hard not to laugh …
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And finally made it up on a lower branch. Which is when he looked at me as if to say, what the Hell do I do now?
One aborted climb later..
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It was over before it really begun.
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I give him an A for effort, but a D for technique.
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Fortified with a wonderful meal, we continued our aimless wandering through Vermont.
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It’s hard to take a bad photo there, especially in the fall. Mountains, trees, and cows.
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Mountains, cows, and farms.
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Every once in a while you’ll pass through a town.
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Then it’s back to mountains, trees, and cows.
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And a very serious porch lover.
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Also, there were fish.
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I have no explanation for random fish, but they were delightful all the same.
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Autumn in New England. The pumpkins, the apples, the brightly colored foliage. You really can’t beat it.
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Nice try Florida, but you’re not even close.
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The poor man has been eating tofu burgers and kale sausage… can you really blame him?
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Gee, here’s an idea…. how about cleaning the litter box you freakin’ idiot.
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I think the parent foxes have booted the kids out of the den. They’re here every evening now.
💕
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River's world..... 