THE CAT AND THE CACTUS -- PART OF 'SPRING FORWARD' AND BEYOND....

There is some sort of connection to the past in this photograph.
The thought came to me as the week tailed off. Here's the deal: I took two days off to revitalize my brain. No where nearly enough time off for my battered and bewidered brain.
But I'll begin intermittent coping with being out-of-sorts by posting this edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. 
That Napping Cat next to the ornamental cactus on the rare unfilled shelf in our home is Stevie Ray, the younger of my official office cats. The older is, of course, William Powell, maybe 10 or so. That's William posing with his official "Writing Cap," a Snoopy baseball cap presented by our Eastern Seaboard Bureau Executive Editor Andy Fisher.
Stevie Ray Treeboy? Why the name? Because I found him in a tree. And there he is, 3-plus years later, comfortably sleeping next the only cactus this indoor cat has ever seen in person. There has got to be a tree-to-cactus message there somewhere. I'll figure it out if I ever take any more time off. Probably reveal it toward the end of this edition.
Stevie Ray the Cat also is named in honor of his fellow Oak Cliffite, the late magnificent guitarist and performer Stevie Ray Vaughan. There's the Oak Cliff connection and, of course, as you fans of musician may suspect, Stevie Ray is a cat I'm proud to call my "Pride and Joy."
Of course, I refer to all our cats and dogs as our "pride and joy." My funspouse Martha goes along with me. In fact, "Pride and Joy" is the way things oughta be in all households with animals. And I can't imagine a household that can't make room for a cat or dog or both. But I'm 20th century sap navigating in the 21st century.
I'm not just nuts about our dogs and cats. I'll fall for any dog or cat anywhere.

For example: During my two days off, it was required that I fetch food for our livestock, er, household companions. So I drove the truck to the PetSmart near the sports complex in Arlington and I photographed this sweet girl at the checkout counter. Also, snapped that little black and white dog who accompanied her. Standoffish, but not a yapping little dog.
 I got the colorful dog's name but lost the note -- mind like a steel trap, you know. The note also had the other dog's name on it.
This reporting error was another sign that I needed a few days off to get a grip on the mission.
So far how are things going on my cerebral rebuilding project? Comfortably at the dunce level. 
Also, I haven't won Lotto Texas. Why would I need money when I have a cat named Stevie Ray who loves to be petted nightly about 5 a.m., in case I've forgotten that he likes to eat early. 
I don't know how this weekend's time change will affect him and his cactus. Might make 'em both prickly. Prickly and spring forward -- YES, that's the connection between a napping cat and a cactus!!!!!
[DEAR READERS: If you can ID that beautiful sweet dog with the not-occurring-in-nature-but-maybe-it-oughta-be coat and the small dog, email them to me at dallrp@aol.com. Also, if you have photos of your dogs, cats or any other creatures happily slumbering at your/their home, send those photos and the info to dallrp@aol.com. We'll highlight them in Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, quite possibly the world's longest-running weekend on-line feature dedicated to celebrating the fact that animals can love and trust humans enough to nod off in their presence! Kind of a tribute -- to loving humans and their critters.. Thanks to anyone who'll participate and a vibrant "What the hell is wrong with you?" to the people who don't. See, I told you I needed time off. Two day's ain't enough. I apologize to anyone offended by my use of the word "ain't."  That's me and my editor/office cat William Powell -- he wanted to delete "ain't." It's not the cat's meow.]
--- Offer napping advice or slumber-inducing recipes by clicking on 'comment' below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put "HAPPY IS A STATE OF GRIND" in the subject line. ---