One Dog Story. One Cat Story.

Yesterday at the lake: I was floating around all serenely in the water, kicking with my hind legs and enjoying the awesome sunset, when something bony and sharp came crashing into my head and back.

I had thought I was the only one still hanging around in that part of the lake, but when I turned, I found somebody's very concerned dog splashing around in the water next to me.

A man had been throwing sticks into the lake some distance away to train the dog for duck hunting. At some point the canine samaritan had seen me motionless in the swimming area, assumed I was drowning, and came to retrieve me instead of his stick.

The rescue left a painful welt on my back, but I suppose it's the thought that counts. And it was good for a laugh.

Also yesterday, back at home: I was holding Mai-mai when she got bored with my attention and decided to climb up and vault to safety from my shoulder. I decided to make the jump less painful for both of us, and bent over to let her walk down my back and jump off from a lower point.

Instead she padded down to my lower back, sat in the hollow, and curled up.

I stood there for a good half a minute yelling at the damn cat before she got the hint and jumped down to go find a less mobile place to sleep.