Black and White

The Kit Cat Clock

Salt and Pepper

Bucky Cat


It is the solstice, the first day of summer. However the sun is behind clouds here in southern Wisconsin, and it looks like it's going to be a rainy day. I had intended to have photos of summery things, ice cream, flowers, swimming holes, but instead all the black and white cats and in my house called out to me.

The Kit Cat Clock was a gift from my husband. Unfortunately the kitty no longer wags his tail or rolls his eyes, so I'm thinking that he may be retired for a livlier model. These goofy cats have been around since the 1930's, and according to the official Kit Cat Clock web site, this is the 75th anniversary of their production. I remember back in the 1950's when my grandpa Pierce would occasionally take us all out for a Sunday dinner. I was young enough that someone was cutting up my meat, but I remember a black and white cat clock in the diner. I couldn't take my eyes off it. These days you can order them in neon colors, with rhinestones around their eyes, or wearing football helmets. I'm sticking with the classic, tail swinging or not.

The salt and pepper set was a birthday present from my mom. I like novelty salt and pepper sets, but my husband thinks they are tacky. Tacky? To me they are just fun, and their colors make them perfectly easy to use. Which one do you grab when the shakers are in the shape of chickens (I have those too), or ears of corn? No counting the holes or shaking a sample into your hand with these.

Then there is Bucky, the circus cat. What a tightly wound machine she is! She sings for her morning milk, leaps into the air for no apparent reason, and is our personal lap warmer. She also keeps the house safe from birds by scolding them from the window sill, and occasionally launching herself at the glass. I have been reading a book called Fifty Show Biz Tricks You Can Teach Your Cat. With the aids of the little brass bell and bits of aged cheddar cheese I have taught Bucky to sit, stand, and shake on command. Well, most of the time. Right now every time she sees me she sits, lifts her paw, hoping for a treat. The book went back to the library, but one of these days I may teach her to jump through a hoop.