Wednesday 24 April 2013

an apple a day...

My sister, Tobias, has a new hobby.

Well...  her hobby isn't brand spankin' new.  She discovered it about a month ago.  I think the peeps think she has been doin' it for even longer than that but that's probably just 'cause they're findin' it to be a little bit annoying.  Just a tad.  Just a wee bit.  Just a whisker's width.

Toby has discovered that it's fun to knock stuff off tables.  She hops right up onto the coffee table, in the family room, and spots something worth knocking.  She eyes it first, givin' it the once over.  Then, ever-so-gently, a paw extends.  A gentle tap followed by another and then another until - you guessed it - whatever it was that was on the table is now off the table.  Peering over the table's edge, she watches her prey fall to the ground.

Pens, papers, magazines...  all of these objects have fallen victim to Toby's new hobby.  She even managed to get her paws on some hand cream a couple of times.  The peeps no longer leave anything sharp like scissors on that table.  Too dangerous if they should fall on one of us cats or a peep's toe, you see.  Nothin' breakable, either.  Toby's not ready for breakables.  I'm sure you can understand why. 

Now, this may be Toby's new hobby but I, myself, have been doin' stuff like this for years.  I don't limit myself to coffee tables, however.  No, I have taken the art form to new heights.  Specifically, the height of the kitchen counters.  They're twice the height of the coffee table, for sure.  Also, unlike the coffee table, counters hold the deliciously delightful things I call breakables.  Breakables add a whole new feature to the game, you know.  And, of course, breakables...  non-breakables...  doesn't matter...  they all fall to the floor.  Yup.  It's true.  Gravity acts on 'em all.

I once read about this guy named Sir Isaac Newton.  It is said that he was sittin' under an apple tree, minding his own business, when an apple fell on his head causin' him to discover this thing we call gravity.  That's right.  Supposedly, he gets bonked on the head and that bonkin' causes him to understand all about somethin' called the gravitational constant.  Then he starts writing down a whole whack of letters, creating formulae and whatnot, to represent apples fallin' from trees.  Apparently, the apples in question needed instructions to fall, or somethin' like that.  No one really knows for sure.  It was a long time ago.

But I'm not sure that I believe this whole apple business.  I mean, if I was sittin' under an apple tree and that tree bonked me on the head with one of its apples, I'd be a little annoyed with said apple tree.  Wouldn't you?  And, what if that apple was a big and heavy ol' apple.  Bein' bonked with something like that could really hurt a cat's head.  A cat might even be knocked unconscious by something like that.  On the other paw, I do do some of my best work in an unconscious state.   A state which I call napping.  But seriously, an apple a day is supposed to keep the doctor away.  Bein' bonked on the head with one of 'em is far more likely to get you a trip to the vet.

We have a few apple trees, in my garden, although most of them are grumpy.  Or are they crabby?  Doesn't really matter.  My point is, I don't see many apples fallin' from 'em.  I'm far more likely to see acorns fall from the oaks.  Oak trees drop their acorns a lot.  Can't seem to hold onto 'em.  Sometimes they drop 'em on their own, sometimes with the help of those pesky squirrels.  Either way, a cat has gotta watch his head when it's acorn season.

I suppose that this Newton fellow would say that this gravity stuff applies to acorns in the same manner as it applies to apples.  And he would be right about that.  Actually, I think he should have started with acorns in the first place.  I find the idea of bein' bonked on the head with an acorn far more believable than bein' apple bonked.  Those acorns are tricksters for sure.  Little breeze picks up and you've got a whole acorn shower on your paws.  Yup...  rainin' acorns.

You know, I've never actually knocked an acorn or an apple off the kitchen counter.  To be honest, I've never even seen an acorn on the counter.  Apples though...  uh huh...  uh huh...  Actually, I think there might be some apples on the kitchen counter right now.  I might have spotted some apples up there this morning.  Hmmm....  I wonder if a little experimentation is in order...  Be right back.

33 comments:

  1. Our orange boy, Riley, bats everything he can off the table or shelf. We have to be very careful to put things away. He's just a crazy boy .. we think it's extra toes that drive him to do it.

    Purrs,
    JC

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  2. Sounds like you have lots of yummy apple trees in your yard. But then kitties are not crazy about apples. Bet the apple will fall off the table and down to the floor.
    Hope all of you have a super day.

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  3. Hannah enjoys a whap when there's paper on the table and then she
    likes to play sliding on it on the kitchen floor!
    Luv Hannah and Lucy xx xx

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  4. dood...leeve it ta de vizshuz squireel to mess up de coffee table, de counterz and de apple pie...

    N may we say eggs cell ant werk on de laws oh gravitee:) !!!

    N bowls werk grate....spesh a lee if stuff...like foodz...iz IN de bowl for gravitee takes its toll !!!

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  5. Oh, that watching things fall off, that is some kind of fun. We're very much in favor.

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  6. Well, that is a fun hobby! I just knocked a pizza off of the counter...that cheese is sticky!

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  7. It's all about timing, Nerissa. Timed purrfectly, a falling apple from the table top can be really entertaining. Like when your Peep is close, but not close enough with a mug of steaming hot coffee.

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  8. Hi Nerissa - sounds like a fun habit! I don't think I've ever had a cat that knocked stuff over on purpose. Either that, or they made it seem like an accident ;)

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  9. I like knocking stuff off flat surfaces, but I have to be in the right mood for it.

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  10. I whap thing´s over the edge when I think my mom-person have been sitting infront of the computer to long.
    It alway´s work´s :)

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  11. Well, I can climb much, much higher than the kitchen counter. I can jump from the kitchen counter to the top of the fridge and from there, to the overhead kitchen cupboards. But all the stuff up there is too heavy for me to knock off. Maybe when Caspurr is big enough to join Me up there, we can work together. It would really be something to knock Mummy's wok off from up there (mol).

    Trixie the Black Panfur

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  12. if nothing else, you can make apple sauce :)

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  13. We can see why you are napping. That was way too much thinking for any one cat. We all like to clear the kitchen counters of all items, but Lisbeth is the champion. She likes the breakables and enjoys seeing them hit the floor. Purrs and hugs from the kitties at The Cat On My Head, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Josette

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  14. I think the peeps are putting things out so they can watch and laugh when Tobias knocks them down...just saying...

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  15. This is one of my favorite pastimes! I have demolished more than one cell phone this way. MOL!

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  16. Oh, Audrey is an expert counter and table whapper. Peeps have to be careful what they leave there. She even tosses the keyboard and trackpad off from the computer table. Wish we could all get together and have a whap fest!

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  17. Naughty boy...don't you dare!

    ps..the furnace Dr. did pet me..a lot. xoxox

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  18. Bwaa! Haa! Haa!
    Knocking stuff is my favorite hobby!
    Kisses
    Nellie

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  19. LOL that is a great game. Wish I could get up to the table to have a go. Maybe I could knock off foodables into my mouth? Have a terrific Thursday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  20. Sounds like the most fun game in the entire world - I don't see why your parents don't think the same!! Good look with the experiment!

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  21. We can only imagine Mr Newton wore a very hard hat! LOL!!

    Take care
    x

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  22. Well Nissy, an apple a day is one thing but not a bonk on the head that's for sure! Be careful experimenting with knocking those onto the floor (someone might be down there!!). Acorns plague me every Fall - they love to wait until I'm in my backyard to fly off the branches and give me a headache!

    Kitty Hugs, Sammy

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  23. My tunnel is working again. It was up on the rack for maintainence but I have it again. I will be over soon. Fanks you for inviting me.

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  24. and???? so what happened Nissy??? Did that apple "fall"...and yeah...who got blamed??? better not be my gurl furriend Tobias...uh huh...just sayin'...

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  25. Why only apples? What about oranges and pears and coconuts? You can't make much of a froot salad with just a couple of stupid apples. Maybe he made applesauce, cause I bet his head was so hard those apples took a beating. And then he invented an iPod. Or something. I'm tired.

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  26. I think I leave the apple for what it is and bring you Family. You have been nominated for a few Awards. Hope you'll join. Pawkiss :)

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  27. Ya know, that's one of June Buggie's favorite things too!

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  28. pain make man think; thought make man wise.

    my little taffy has the same hobby as you and your sissy, except he uses his booty to knock everything on the floor!

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  29. Whapping = lots of fun!!!

    The Florida Furkids

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  30. Scylla likes knocking stuff off. Especially in the middle of the night so she wakes Mommy up.

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