The Studio Monstrocat

Another day, another Dancing Goats mocha, accompanied by "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins (on the Dancing Goats coffee house sound system!). Gotta love the slippery slide into fall/winter and caffeine. Maybe that's the way to go: every spring I detox from coffee and wine, and every fall I cuddle up with wine, snuggle in with coffee, and get all warm and cozy. But enough about me. I know the world is waiting to hear about Ernie.

Ernie got in early last night--though I'm sure not soon enough for him. When we got to the Delta cargo counter his carrier was snugged up against the desk agent's leg--not in the back room with the rest of the cargo. Jessie, with my driver's license (proof we were legitimately there to claim him) clutched tightly in her hand, marched up to the counter, waved the license in the direction of the desk agent (the counter was taller than she was) and announced that she was there to Get Ernie. Did the agent ask for a confirmation number? Was there any question who Ernie was? Of course not! Ernie the Monstrocat in all his rotund glory had captured another heart.

We were allowed around corner of the counter so Jessie could get to the carrier, but when I went to pick it up, the agent hurriedly said, "Let me get help". I was mystified--it was a a large carrier to be sure (Baxter would lounge in it comfortably), but it just had a cat in it. But I politely waited for a big, burly Delta cargo mover to come and pick it up to carry it to the car for me. He grunted when he picked it (gently) up. "What you got in here, a dog?" Uh, no. A cat. "Wow!"

We paraded out the door, me, then the cargo guy guy with Ernie, Jessie dancing anxiously around all of us chanting "Ernie, Ernie, Ernie." Parked next to us at the dock was a nice young man with a white cargo van waiting for a forklift so he could finish his load. He had been leaning against his van waiting when we arrived and hadn't even acknowledged Jessie and me as we went into the building, but as soon as we came out he was immediately and inevitably pulled over by Ernie Magnetism. "What have got, a puppy?" More amazement that no, that great grey shape did not belong to a canine, but a feline. The cargo guy tried to break off the cable ties securing the door shut for us and the van guy ran off to get a knife to cut them with. I just sat back and bemusedly watched. Jessie alternately chanted Ernie, Ernie, Ernie and cooed nonsense at him as she tried to thrust her fingers through the bars in the carrier. Ernie took all of the attention as his due and let us know *exactly* how trying the day had been and much he was Done with the carrier. Cynthia was right, he really is a talker.

When we got home, Baxter and Seraph were waiting eagerly to greet him. Unfortunately they did it in time-honored dog fashion by sniffing first his nose and then proceeding right to the butt. Ernie was NOT amused and hissed loudly at both of them. Neither dog was disturbed by the hiss--Seraph was raised in a house with an alpha cat and is well-trained in cat subservience and Baxter is subservient to Seraph so if she says the cat rules, the cat rules. It will probably take Ernie a couple of days to realize his power over the dogs, but I have no doubt he'll get there.

This morning he cuddled with Jessie and hung out with me a bit before taking himself away upstairs to avoid the noise and chaos of the cleaning people. This afternoon I'll introduce him to the studio and the studio backyard squirrels. More pics and video later, and thank you Cynthia for gracing us with such a marvelous fellow! (Dave just announced that the song we're hearing is "C'mon Every Beatbox" by Big Audio Dynamite, in case I was posting... he knows me so well :-)