Notes from a parish cat and his author Julie Mackenzie

My photo
I am Father Tom Fish, esteemed member of the religious team at Temptation of Christ Parish in the novels by author Julie Mackenzie. As to my background, I was invited into the rectory as a stray, laid on the charm, and was invited to stay, even honorarily ordained and no less spiritual than my sidekick Father Will. He dotes on me to high heaven and forgives all of my street cat proclivities, whatever the hell that means.

Monday, March 26, 2018

The Horse and Paw

Hello everybody!

Another mancat Monday..😇 Hope you had a good weekend!

As you all know, I'm in on all the conversations that go on around here. I don't say anything, but I listen and pretty much keep the comments to myself. Of course, even if I said anything, no one would understand me. The only one who does is Father Will.

One of the parishioners picked this up and used the expression, "You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours." He put it back. Good thing. It was a vision I wasn't anxious to contemplate.




For me,  I like to find anything and everything to play with and this has turned into a toy of interest. I'm not the traditional cat for traditional toys. Not all the time, anyway. The housekeeper knows this.

Watching me closely (I really wish she wouldn't do that), she makes note of the fact that I smell the horse end first before playing. Well, roll me over and turn me into a croissant! Duh. That's the end people hold, so the smells change. My favorite part, though, is the paw. Just like mine!


Although I can't bat it very far, this backscratcher has turned into a fun toy for me. I know my fellow cats understand that every once in awhile, we need something different, right?

Do you have any toys that are out of the ordinary?

Let me know!

Your obedient servant
and playfully yours,
Tom

Monday, March 19, 2018

Snake Charmer

Hope all of you had a good weekend. Of course, it was St. Patrick's Day on Saturday, but so unseasonably cold, there wasn't much revelry. I had treats that came in a green package anyway, so I was all set with that.

Here is what we posted on my Page in case you missed it:


As you can see, though never mentioned, cats did have a role in driving the snakes out of Ireland. Wish we could still do that today, but any more snakes now come in different shapes and sizes and even as humans, so we can't really tell what's what.

Don't I fit nicely in Patty's robe? He promised me a little Guinness and a bite of his shepherd's pie after our work was done.

Have a good week! (It's the first day of spring tomorrow, or so they say...)

Ever your obedient servant
and snake charmer,
Tom

Monday, March 12, 2018

What Was He Thinking?

The housekeeper likes to take pictures of me. It's a nuisance, but how can I blame her?

Get a load of this mancat gorgeousness!


Is this as big as she can make it? Well...! Ok, then.

The key to good photos as many of you already know, is in the pose. It turns out the best ones are when I'm thinking. I was deep in thought when she snapped this.


And this..catching the placement of the paws.




Our thinking poses are just as important as this man's here.




(I have to ask: Between you and me, isn't it strange that someone would take their clothes off and then sit down and think?)

Do you have a thinking pose?

With ever the inquiring mind, I remain,
Faithfully yours,
Tom









Monday, March 5, 2018

A Mancat Mystery

Another Monday with the sun just coming up over the treetops!

This winter has been one for the history books with the whisker-numbing cold, the snow and the ice that sent people sprawling. Jack and Will had quite the job keeping things under control as people crab-walked their way to Mass every morning.




One thing that came out of our piles of snow is a mystery. Don't know who did it. Nobody saw anything and we're still wondering how these little lines in the snow came about.

Any ideas?

It reminds me of that wormwood or something like it, little tunnels created by burrowing critters. Anyway, never saw anything like this before in all my years of window-watching. Not that there have been that many, mind you!




Maybe somebody was trying to draw something and was interrupted! We know a human didn't do it because there are no footprints leading up to it. Hmmm...

Something to ponder this week, for sure.

Have a good one!

Ever on the lookout,
Tom