Chilly Spring

Morning light on honey locust branches, last day of April 2016

Late afternoon light on honey locust branches, 16 April, 2016

Some readers may have seen the leak about Ontario's Climate Change Action Plan this week. If you didn't, here it is.

Here are a few follow up articles.

Elsewhere, in the land of the Yessir Yessir Highway, our friend the Ruler has also had her hands full.

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The ruler of a small and pleasant realm was, as always, applying herself to an epic pile of paperwork when she felt a warm, soft, fuzzy pressure on her lower leg.

Looking down, she was startled to see a pretty calico cat rubbing against her left ankle, looking up at her.

"Now how did you get in here," the Ruler said, bending over to pick the cat up.

"I'm out of the bag," said the cat.

"Of course you are," said the ruler, placing the cat in her lap, scratching it behind the ears and focusing every fibre of her being on trying not to be afraid. 

The cat settled into the Ruler's lap, purring and contented. This gave the Ruler some time to think. She'd heard - many times - about the dangers of talking cats that had gotten out of bags, but this one seemed so domesticated. 

"You must be a very clever cat," said the Ruler, scratching with slightly more pressure.

"I am," said the cat, responding to the pressure with a little of its own against the Ruler's fingers.

"Were you in that bag for long?" asked the Ruler, as she moved her fingers to the top of the cat's head.

"A while," said the cat, slightly bored, turning its head to get the Ruler's fingers on just the right spot.

"And you got out of that bag all on your own," said the Ruler, scratching a bit harder and further down the back of the cat's neck.

"All on my own," said the cat, tensing the muscles in its neck, pushing into the scratch.

"I didn't know cats could do that," said the Ruler, still scratching, but more slowly.

"Shows what you know," said the cat, spinning onto its back, grabbing the Ruler's hand playfully in its four paws. The Ruler could sense claws under the soft pads of the cat's feet.

"What I do know," said the Ruler, using her index finger to scratch the cat right on its nose, "is that there is no way you could have gotten out of that bag all by yourself. And whoever helped you put you here so that people would think it was me who let you free."

All in an instant, the cat hissed, bit the Ruler's index finger, spun back onto its feet, dug its claws into the Ruler's leg and leapt onto the desk top, scattering papers everywhere. 

"Now who's being clever," snarled the cat, springing without effort to the windowsill many feet from the Ruler's desk.

The cat launched itself out the window into the courtyard and made its way toward the teeming crowds on the Yessir Yessir highway.  

The Ruler turned back to her desk to pick up the papers the cat had scattered. Chappie, her most trusted advisor, was already there.

"Some excitement today?" asked Chappie.

"No," said the Ruler, "just a stupid cat that got in through the window."

"That's never happened before," said Chappie, genuinely surprised.

"Probably won't happen again, either," said the Ruler, pulling the shutter closed. "Stupid cats."

Thanks for reading!

Have a great week!

Karen