#SoCS: The Nose Knows

He knows He yowls The human shares its noes It smells It desires He reminds her how this goes We spar He resists The nose wants what it wants They waft They float The essence of chicken taunts She speaks up He turns deaf Human food not to be shared The whines The sadness Hunger is loudy declared Almost time Almost here The feeding of this cat Forgets chicken Embraces fish The nose smells where it’s at Stream of ConsciousnessRead more

SoCS: How Ya Doin’?

How many times have you asked that question of family and friends? A hundred? A thousand? Too many times to count? When we don’t stay in touch with our people on a regular basis, it’s a fairly common first question to ask. Right? So, how are you doing my fellow blogging peeps? I’ve been a tad busy the last couple of weeks, which means I haven’t published a post or been reading many of your posts. I apologize. I’m notRead more

#SoCS: He’s Still Hungry

“Whatever…” “Gibbs. I told you when you are fed. I cannot feed you any time you desire.” “Whatever…” “Seriously, dude?” “Aren’t you my servant and don’t you obey me at all times?” “That’s funny. Actually, it’s a joke that humans tell themselves. It’s only true in that we serve you meals, give you pets and skritches, and make sure you are healthy and loved. It’s not obeying, it’s taking care of a furry little being that doesn’t have opposable thumbsRead more

A Cat’s Fake News

Gibbs has been on a diet for about a month. Natasha came for a visit one day in early December and asked, “Is Gibbs getting fat? He looks like he put on weight.” So, I weighed him and… Yup, he had gained about two and a half pounds since his early 2021 vet visit. His human slave had been over-feeding him last year, similar to how she had been over-feeding herself. I immediately took steps to control food portion andRead more

You can touch my paw

Are you kidding me right now? Can you see I’m trying to sleep? Don’t care if you heard a meow It may have been an annoyed peep Let’s get this straight and evenly precise Only I can disturb the daytime snooze Consequence comes when you roll the dice It may involve blood and a bruise I’ll catch you later when it’s time To stretch, yawn and head to the dish This nap will no longer need to rhyme As youRead more

Melange-O-Rama

Did you know that the meaning of melange is “hodgepodge” or “assortment?” I named my blog Mary J. Melange because I planned on writing a variety of content rather than singularly about cats or bicycles or poetry. It is today that I’m sharing a chaotic hodgepodge of stuff would have been called mish-mash were it not for Dan’s recent post at No Facilities. Great minds think alike, but I may have to outdo his assortment. Just because I can. IRead more

#SoCS: Luck be a Whiner at Home

“Mooommmeeeooowww!” “Oh Gibbs…” “What Mooommmeeeooowww?” “Why are you whining so dang much?” “I’m not whining, I’m crying.” “Cats don’t cry, not in the human sense.” “My heart is breaking.” “Why?” “You’ve been gone far too much lately. Not home. Absent from the couch, where I lay on your lap.” “I’m living my life and enjoying the summer with other humans.” “What about meeeeeeeee?” “Gibbs, I can’t stay home 24 hours a day, every day. That would be boring and unhealthy.”Read more

Prising Gibbs

“Try to prise a limpet away from its rock and it will cling all the harder.” ― Jeremy Holme A limpet is a marine mollusk. I have a cat who will serve as its stand-in. Some days, prising Gibbs away from my side requires a chisel and pry bar. I am his rock with a thin coating of super glue. Where I go, he goes. When I sit, there he is – gray paws kneading rhythmically on a pair of LeeRead more

#CBWC: Soft Kitty

This week’s entry for Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge (CBWC) includes photos of pets or stuffed animals. This is an easy one. I have innumerable photos of Gibbs the cat, so without further ado… Join the fun of black and white photography by clicking on the link at the beginning of the post. Details and weekly themes can be found HERE and Cee publishes the B&W post around mid to late morning CST on her main blog page HERE.Read more

Light and Shadow

Green light of his eye holds a soulful gaze He lays in the comfort of red and gold Hardness of life digs into clouded daze The stress of being cat cannot be sold “Hey mom?” “Yes, Gibbs?” “Watcha doing?’ “Trying to write a sonnet or poem about you.” “I hope you are telling everyone that I’m a good boy.” You are, buddy, most days…” His world has changed somewhat for the better Gray paws roam free without prison’s firm gateRead more

#SoCS: Calculating Distance

Calculating… “What did you say, Gibbs?” Just thinking and calculating the distance between me and the bird sitting on the windowsill. “Where did you learn such a big word?” Dan’s cat Mimi. She said her owner is into calculating something called math. “Yes, I know about Dan and his math abilities, but how long have you and Mimi been talking to one another? And exactly what allows you to do this? Having you been emailing back and forth? Using myRead more

Read, watch TV, nap.

“Sleep did not honor me with it’s presence.” ~Alysha Speer~ MJM’s Diary of the Tired: Monday, March 15, 2021, 3:30 am – Gibbs the cat wakes me. The change in time may be at fault here, or he may be his usual self who believes he deserves kibble upon vocal and mischievous demands. Monday, 3:35 am – I used the water spray bottle. Gibbs settled down. Monday, 4:00 am – I am awake again, but not by the paws ofRead more