Brave

Friends, fame has been very tiring for me!  Here I am napping the Youth Department after all of the Baker & Taylor Cat Calendar excitement.  My library staff also made my Calendar cover the front of our 2013 library Christmas card, and I'm on the front page of the Friends of Thorntown Public Library, Inc. newsletter (again).  I have to take these frequent naps to preserve my Handsomeness for future photo shoots, you know?

ZZZzzzz. . . .zzzZZZZzzzz. . . ZZZzzzz

Now--long-time blog readers will know that my library is home to two big dead birds.  One is a juvenile (but still ginormous) Bald Eagle.  The second one is a Red-Tailed Hawk that was given to us by Ronald Johnson, the Boone County Conservation Officer.

These birds are sometimes almost as popular as I am!  There are children who go to the Upstairs when they visit the library just so they can see the Eagle and the Hawk (I'm sure they've already seen ME in the Youth Department, of course). 

Well, Mr. Johnson brought a new critter by yesterday.  Thank goodness it wasn't another dead bird.

Rrrowrrr!

This is Bob the Bobcat.  She was hit by a car (boo!) in Carroll County Indiana before becoming an attractive taxidermy display.  We have her under a glass case now, but AB Photographer took some pictures before we covered her up.  (The staff seem to think that little ones would want to pet her!)  Of course, I wanted to check her out to see if I thought she was worthy of library display:

*sniff sniff sniff*

I gave Bob a good sniffing.  See how I'm not the least bit afraid even though she's got her battle-face on?  My staff ladies sure thought I was one Brave mancat!

Here's another view of Bob.

I decided that Bob is no threat to my Librarycatdomhood and so may stay at the library for a month or so.  I am absolutely unimpressed with her bigness and ferociousness. 

The "Back of Disrespect" or the "Back of Trust"--which is it?

(Okay, I'm a little impressed.)

Thank you Boone County Conservation Officer Ronald Johnson for bringing another dead animal this beautiful Bobcat to my library.  Maybe I'll get to relax a bit while everyone is admiring Bob!

Exhausted purrs,

Tober

The Big Reveal & Mancat Monday

Happy Monday!

There were many good guesses about the New Thing's purpose!

First of all, I did not get a bazillion pictures of the New Thing getting finished because Mr. Spear came at 8:00am and AAB Sleepyhead Photographer doesn't come in until 9:00am. So she was all like "Darn, I missed my chance for the Pulitzer Prize in Feature Photography" when she straggled in to work at 9:01. I have changed her work day to begin at 6:30am effective immediately so she doesn't miss any more important goings-on in the future. Oh, and she works 7 days a week now.

You will also notice that this post is being posted on Monday rather than Friday, as promised. Oops. (I know you're not one bit Surprised by this little development.)

Drum roll. . . but a quiet one, because we're in a Library. . .

It IS a display case. It is NOT a display case for special books, hermit crabs, butterflies (!), or a sculpture of me (although those are all worthy reasons to have a beautiful display case built).

I am relieved to report that it is a box for the red-tailed hawk! Now it can't get at me, being in a class case and all, and the customers who are brave enough to approach it (shudder) can get a better look at its menacing talons, ginormous wings, and potentially cat-eating hooked bill.

Here are some pictures, all reflecty because the glass is squeaky-clean:




In the last picture he kind of looks like he's smiling. Like he knows there's a tasty Cat sleeping in the next room.

Everyone is very excited to have the hawk in its new special home. Especially AAB Ritchie, who read his email wrong and took it down Thursday (a day early), wandered around looking for another place to hang it, then had to get the ladder out and hang it way up by the ceiling again. Poor Ritchie.

Okay, enough about all that--it's Mancat Monday, too!

On Friday I had a movie made. As you can see, I'm being quite ferocious. That hawk had better stay in his glass case if he knows what's good for him!



I'm one Tough Cat, and I strike fear into the hearts of camera-straps everywhere!

My staff thinks this is "awwwww" and "cute" for some reason. Why when I look fierce does everyone think it's cute? Does this happen to any other Cats? (When dogs look fierce, everyone seems to take them seriously.)

Confused, but Tough, and safe from the Hawk thanks to the Hawk-box,

Tober

Tobers, Tobers Everywhere

My Summer Readers have been reading about places all over the World this summer! On the bulletin board, we have a big map, and readers are sticking pins into the places that they have "visited" during their reading adventures!


The Storytime group has visited sea creatures (snacks) that live in the oceans, hippos that live in Africa, and Polar bears that live in the Arctic. Other readers have visited France, Canada, and many of the US states.

I have visited Thorntown and am so Handsome that I get a whole photo on the map:


The Youth Department staff are particularly good at incorporating me into displays and bulletin boards. This is because they are well-trained, conscientious staff members who Have Their Priorities Straight. Here is a photo that they keep in a very Important location--between the calendar and the who's-working-today board:


Yep, that's right.

Orange Library Cats are so popular right now that the people who designed the 2011 Collaborative Summer Library Program added an Orange Library Cat to the available artwork. We have him on a Youth Department bulletin board:


It is widely agreed that I have more interesting eyes. But it's good to see cats represented during summer reading, especially since Browser is still on his World Tour.

I also posed by a Birdie. Now, this birdie isn't real, but it sure looks life-like! It was carved by Mr. Craig White, who is a really talented woodcarver and all-around great guy. (For a guy with a big booming man-voice, that is.) Thanks to Mr. Craig I can pose with this birdie and almost look like an Outside Cat!


This next thing is not at all related to the overabundance of Tobers at the library. Now, I know I am a handsome Mancat, but I've never had an Admirer before. Well, wait a minute. . .

I'm SURE I've had an admirer before, probably lots. And I did have a sweet and beautiful girlcat Kumari who I Loved (with a big "L") but she went to the Bridge.

Anyhow, NOW I have a new admirer--the persnickety and lovely Miss Ali Zophia--who hijacked, er, borrowed Stella's blog to answer questions and confessed her admiration for my pretty (her word) orange furs. Thank you Ali--you are as wise as you are beautiful! Or as beautiful or as you are wise? How does that go? Anyhow, you are both!

Crushed,

Tober

Apparently, the Bird's the Word

Birds now outnumber cats 2 to 1 in this Library.

Remember how I said I was looking out for more Treachery? Here it is!

And no, we can't just have normal birds in here--not the small, pretty, snack-sized birds. We need huge, monstrous, terrifying scary-birds.

The first bird is a juvenile bald eagle. We've had it for a while, and that's okay. It's in a box. It can't get me.


It's also in a very relaxed, non-threatening, I've-just-eaten-a-big-meal-and-can't-possibly-eat-a-cat position.

Now, today, thanks to the Boone County Conservation League, we have a red-tailed hawk. The staff ladies seem to be all in a tizzy about it (the good kind, like when you bring them chocolate), but I don't trust it one bit:


First problem? It's not in a box. Second problem? It looks like it might want to eat me. Third problem? I am a Brave Tough Mancat and it makes me want to go cower in my litter box. (I can't believe I just said that to the whole Internets.)

I would have a better close-up picture of it, but my AAB Photographer is busy cowering in fear only five feet two and not terribly good about ladders (trans. wuss) so we'll have to wait to look it in the eye.

Be glad.

So how will I cope with this new development?


If you need me, I'll be NOT near the bird.

Nervous Purrs,

Tober

Looking out the Window

Every now and then I go Downstairs to look out the window. I try to do this during the day, when there are very few little children and customers about, because when it is busy my Staff seems to think I should be Upstairs where they can keep an eye on me. I also go Downstairs a lot when my Assistant Boss Karen isn't around, because I can keep a lookout for her from the window.

The Downstairs window is very exciting. It looks like I am way up in the air from the Inside:


But if you go on the Outside, you can see that I am very near the ground!


This makes the Youth Department windows very nice places to watch Birdies! On the day these pictures were taken, I was watching a very plump and juicy-looking robin hopping along looking for stuff. It was very fun--until the Photographer went Outside and scared it away.

Speaking of robins. . . my girl-friend Kumari is a mighty Huntress. She brought AB Karen a robin through the pet door last week! I think she really brought it for me, but Karen didn't take the hint and bring it in to work with her. Karen says she's not sure if Kumari caught it herself or just found it and carried it in as a love-offering. I'm pretty sure Kumari did the deed, since she is beautiful, clever, and strong!

For those of you who remember Kumari from my earlier posts, I would like to let you know that she seems to be doing very well. She has a great appetite and is gaining weight. She is also playing a lot and getting along well with Karen's other animals and has discovered the Great Outside. I am hoping that she has a long and healthy life ahead of her, and that I will be reporting on her adventures for a very long time!

Wishing Karen had brought me that robin for a snack,

Tober

Where in the world is Tober?

You can't see me!


No, really. . . you can't see me!


Okay. I guess maybe you can see me.


So you found me! Hooray for you! Now I can go back to watching the birdies in peace.


Yesterday morning was very not-busy at my Library. I think this was because the Outside was so nice. It was sunny, and the Library Staff did not come in wearing a lot of extra clothes like they do when it's cold out. The birdies seemed to have a Very Good Day, so I spent much of my morning watching them.

Assistant Boss Karen did not come to see me in the morning. I was frustrated at first. I kept looking around for her.

Here's a secret about me. The restrooms are right around the corner from my office. I hear the people go in (the doors make a sound that alerts me), so I wait for them to come out. I used to just do this to Karen. . . I will yell at her to come out, because I can't see her in there! (Humans do not put windows on bathrooms for some reason. Yet they take pictures of me washing and visiting my Box. Huh!)

So yesterday morning while I was napping I heard the restroom door shut. What if it was Karen and I missed her! What if I didn't greet her? Would she think we weren't Best Friends and Officemates anymore? So I stood outside the restroom door and meowed. I wanted to let her know I was waiting for her! I was happy she was home!

You know where this is going. I was NOT my Assistant Boss Karen. It was a nice lady and an itty-bitty girl. To be honest, I did the same thing to a nice man who visited the library on Friday. The Staff is starting to tease me about being a "Bathroom Stalker" who terrorizes customers.

Assistant Assistant Boss Christine played Apple Fetch with me yesterday morning. She is getting well-trained, too, although she grumbles a bit when she has to fetch the Apple from under the rocking chair in the corner.

Here I am getting fed up with her Treat Stinginess. I know the Apple is next to me, but I ALSO know that the treats are in her hand.


See my cup back there? Tober's Cup. Yep. That's my water!

Keeping an eye on Library business,

Tober