Los Gatos Weekly-Times

THE PROWLER

If the Prowler seems to be dragging this week, it's the woes of home repair. You fix one thing, and another comes up. Prowler and mate carefully removed the stove vent to give it a new coat of paint, and an hour later, the pipe connecting the vent to the roof fell onto the stove with a heart-stopping BANG! New project.

Tried to fix the curly wallpaper in the bedroom and wound up removing it, which left soggy little bits of wallpaper all over the carpet and untreated, unpaintable wallboard on the wall, which had to be puttied, primered and sanded before a coat of pond-lily yellow could be applied to match the other three walls. Naturally, there wasn't quite enough paint, and it was a special blend.

Then the termite guy came and found dry rot and water damage, mostly caused by an inept reconstruction done five years ago. Grrrrrowl.

Anyway, all this painting and patching has the Prowler's fur spotted with patches of pond-lily yellow and antique white. Rarely used muscles are whining for mercy. Makes a cat want to curl up in the sun and sleep for a few days. Ah, but the landscape guy is coming.

Seeking a little escape from the money pit, the Prowler is exploring how many different combinations of Hug-a-Berry yogurt a cat can eat in one lifetime. (Hey, a fat cat is a happy cat!).

Part of the allure is that shiny black piano in the corner. For a while, the shop offered live music on Friday nights, but the owners say it's not currently happening.

One of these days, the temptation may prove too great, and you may find a kitten dancing on the keys between yogurt breaks. A piano's got to be played, right?

Meanwhile, this cat has given the many yogurt combos a try--being a cat-about-town isn't easy work, but somebody has to do it--and the recommendation of the day is the chocolate and strawberry combo. Definitely cures the renovation blues.

This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, June 19, 1996.
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