Notes from Mosquito Hill » cats

Project 366 – Leap Day

mack505 — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 01:15:14 +0000

2/27/12 -Playing with light, shadow, and the Fairlee

2/28/12 – Big Adventure – Sebastian and Chai make their annual pilgrimage to the vet. They were not impressed.

2/29/12 – Winter has finally decided to pay us a visit in time for Leap Day. It’s not much of a storm but it is pretty.

Project 366 – January 17-19, 2012

mack505 — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:16:26 +0000

January 17 – Thermodog. The fire looks much more impressive in motion than in still life.

July 18 – How to Piss Off Your Cat in 4 Easy Steps

January 19 – Plum Island. Shot on the iPhone with Camera Plus and a Holga filter.

As I sit here and type, the dog is doing it again at my feet. She’s a Tennessee girl, and I don’t think she really likes this New England winter stuff.

Cats, kids, and fire engines again

mack505 — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 00:44:33 +0000

Cat-ching up on some more photos.

5/22 – Chai claims the newest basket in the house. It’s even cooler than a cardboard box!

6/9 – The best place to be on a hot day is stretched out on a cool floor.

6/8 – We stumbled across this old Revere ladder on the ramp at the Point of Pines firehouse. It’s a ‘sweetheart grille’ Seagrave, and if memory serves it dates from 1938. I believe the union is planning to restore it.

Beth insisted on posing with it. The late afternoon sun makes for a poor expression, though.

Just trying to be a bit artsy. This Seagrave is old enough that it still has a manual rotation crank. Elevation and extension are hydraulic, if primitive. I’d sure love to see this one restored.

Photo update – 3/28

mack505 — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 01:06:30 +0000

Just catching up on a few photos:

From back on 3/8 – I’ve mentioned the new ride but never shown it. Here it is at the bus stop in the morning, with ‘Dog is my Co-pilot.’

3/21 – The calendar says spring, but no one told the weathermen.

3/21 – Jasmine watches over us by flashlight.

3/22 – I’ve mentioned this in previous posts but never shown it before (two links there). If you call the FD in my hometown, this is one of the places it rings. And it still RINGS.

3/23 – Beth and I have taken to watching the cranes replacing the Hines Bridge during our spare moments.

3/27 – And we wait.

3/28 – Science Park on the Green Line.

3/28 – There are still PCC cars running at Mattapan. I’ve known they were there for years, but I finally got out to see them today.

Cats don’t have owners, they have servants

mack505 — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 22:33:17 +0000

The small tuxedo cat watches and waits. Something is wrong. Lunch is very late. “Mrow?” she asks Frank. “Feed me?” Frank doesn’t answer. He seems very intent on his nap on the floor. It’s an odd place for Frank to nap, but it’s one of her favorite spots. Maybe he’s finally learning from her.

Time passes. She’s getting really hungry; it’s almost time for dinner. She tries again, “Mrow?!” Frank still doesn’t answer, so she tickles his nose with a paw. Nothing. She retreats to the windowsill to watch the birds outside and imagine how tasty they are.

Hey, what’s this? A fire engine! The firemen are coming this way. Maybe they’ll feed her. She greets them as they come through the door: “Mrow! Thank goodness you’re here. I’m starving!” They all ignore her and begin trying to wake up Frank.

That’s not so bad. If they wake Frank, he can feed her. That’s his job.

The firemen have a talking box. It beeps and says weird things like “No Shock Advised.” Of course no shock is advised! Cat food is advised! The cat is hungry!

They open a large red bag. Perhaps that’s where they carry their cat food. The tuxedo sticks her head inside. It smells funny, like plastic and medicine, but no cat food. The firemen shoo her away. How ungrateful! Don’t they know dinner guests should always bring a gift for the host?

A pair of men in white shirts arrive. They have a smell about them, like the vet’s office. She’s not so sure about them, but they’re trying to wake Frank too. They can’t be all bad. She wanders into the group to help. After all, she has years of experience waking him up, and it’s time for dinner.

One of the men gently lifts her and sets her aside with a pat on the head, while the other stares at a small TV screen he’s brought and mumbles something about “asystole.” She retreats to the table, a spot safely above the many pairs of dangerous black boots milling around, and she watches. Frank seems to be taking a really deep nap this afternoon.

“Mrow?! Frank, wake up. It’s almost dinner time, and we seem to have company. Frank?”

She continues to watch from the table as the men slide a stretcher under Frank and carry him away. She’s beginning to think something is really wrong here. “Hey Frank? Frank, where are you going? I’m hungry here! Someone needs to feed the cat! Frank?”

“Mrow?”

The Return of Project 365

mack505 — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 01:35:00 +0000

I find that I’m missing Project 365. I can’t guarantee that I’ll manage a photo every day, but I intend to start shooting and posting again.

So without further ado. . .

March 13 – In Quarters. . .

March 14 – Making chips on the Sherline mill with Beth. I’ll learn brass soon, but wood was a safe, easy place to start.

March 16 – None of my cars are complete without a W6 decal. Now the new TDI is ready to roll.

March 18 – A nice spring day brought on Spring Cleaning at work. The bays stayed clean for at least 20 minutes.

March 19 – Jasmine takes care of me during an unpleasant day sick in bed.

Furmily update

mack505 — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 15:35:06 +0000

While scrolling back through the blog this morning, I realized I’ve been remiss. Back on 11/18 I introduced Jasmine to the Interwebz as a foster cat in need of a Forever Home.

As alluded in my year-end post, Jasmine no longer needs a new home. My Christmas gifts to Mrs. Mack505 included one Certified Preowned Siamese Cat. Somehow I neglected to mention that fact here.

That is all.

Zen

mack505 — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 02:33:51 +0000

Silence
The low hum of fluorescent workshop lights
No TV; no family
The gentle rasp of an old abused paintbrush
A project draws to completion
I can hear my breathing; feel the blood in my veins

Heating pumps click and whir
The boiler whooshes to life

Oh, hello Hal

P365 Update: 11/26-11/27

mack505 — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 01:23:31 +0000

11/26 – Mrs. Mack505 really hates it when the cats walk around outside the upstairs railings. It’s about 12 feet to the floor below, but no one has fallen in over 12 years.

11/27 – Angry Dusk

The week that really wasn’t

mack505 — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 01:22:09 +0000

I have no excuse this week. Project 365 has finally fallen down, even though we are readjusting to normal life. I’ve been too busy being normal to photograph things.

Beth shakes her stuff in the hula hoop competition at the Pumpkin Ball, 11/12. Imagine a hundred elementary-aged girls, moshing their hearts out while their Dads stand in the corner. We did get a couple of nice slow dances with our girls, though.

Camo Siamese, 11/18. Jasmine just loves the big chair in front of the TV. We have to be careful not to sit on her. She’s a wonderful foster available through MSPCA, and she really deserves a Forever Home.

Project 365 resumes with a vengeance tomorrow. We’re in the home stretch now.