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Sunday, February 22, 2009

Check Out The Buffet in The Living Room

Still not sure how it happened, but Willie, after giving what he’ll concede was an hour’s thought on the subject, went out and bought a fish tank.

And why the hell not? He’s full grown! If he wants a fish tank, he gets a fish tank.

A 20-gallon tank is not an enormous tank, as I’m sure you know. Still, it’s a small room. I can see us having to get rid of a piece of furniture in the future…

Did you know that a gate-fold album cover, opened, is the exact width of the back of the fish tank? Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy is the backdrop.

That sort of thing can change the tone of a room.

Spatial weirdness/naked atzec pyramid toddlers aside, I like the living element, if you will, in the room.

But as you can probably tell, I don’t have anything to do with the tank other than enjoy it.

I’m not the only one appreciating the tank though, and Liza Bean Bitey (of the Minneapolis Biteys) has quieted considerably under its hypnotic spell. Well, that and the catnip in the pot with the lights on it in the basement she thinks I don’t know about. Yeah. That might have something to do with her winter torpor.

Dang cat.

Liza Bean, AKA Bitey, AKA The Spy Who Loved Me opens the lid to the tank at her leisure and peers intently into the water. She can stay that way for a very long time. The end of her tail twitches as she stares, and it is at these times that I imagine I hear her muttering something about a whaling ship.

She’s recently added “dry white cooking wine” and “one fresh lemon” to the grocery list on the fridge.

The impertinence.

I’ve spoken to Willie about securing the lid with a mechanism that requires thumbs, but until we can find something Liza can’t open, the Webster’s Deluxe Unabridged Dictionary – the largest book I’ve got – is sitting on top of the aquarium.

Those are pets. Not appetizers.

28 comments:

darsden said...

That's great Pearl, tanks are great. I have a 55 gallon one love it. Creative idea with the album cover.
I had been known to use wrapping paper and change it to the seasons or special times of the year. But, I am really digging the album cover!
Enjoy it, wait till your cat falls asleep up there and rolls off, you will have a good laugh. Happy Sunday to ya Pearl.

shrink on the couch said...

No fish tank for me. I'm still traumatized from my jr.high fish tank, aka guppies gone amuk.

darsden said...

They are also good to help reduce stress and been known to lower blood pressure by calming watching them swim :-)

kim said...

one of the most comforting sounds to me is listening to the bubble filter of a fish tank...if I didn't have a cat that loves to cave in the fish tank covers on unsuspecting fish, I'd have another one. Tank, not cat.

Immodesty Blaze said...

Why am I thinking of The Wire..

Douglas said...

When I was living in Manassas, VA with Faye and two cats (Floozie and Bimbo), I would occasionally find Bimbo lying on the windowsill f the open kitchen window staring out through the screen at the trees and making little bird noises; the cat version of bird calls, I suppose.

DKG aka Scrappy Doo said...

Liza Bean, She just sounds brilliant. Love the album cover idea!

Irish Gumbo said...

Of course they aren't appetizers, not if you eat all of them in one sitting! Perhaps a fine beurre blanc would make Liza happy.

Houses of the Holy: My dear, you continue to amaze. What a great idea! "The Wall" might be good too.

Good thing you cleared up which Biteys' it was, too. I'm only familiar with the Baltimore Biteys', and they seem to be more of the black sheep, if you get my drift. :)

Joanie said...

My 3 felines would be most happy if I installed fresh dinner for them in our house. Sorry guys, it's Purina One for you and that's it! Bad enough you hound me when I cook dinner.

Pearl said...

darsden, I had a 55 in a previous life: African cichlids at one point, Dempseys at another. I love watching them – just don’t want to do the actual work! (And yes, they’re calming. I have yet to hear them arguing or anything!)

Phd in Yogurtry, I had a similar experience with junior high meal worms. I understand.

kimber p, the cat and I both find the bubbler soothing!

Duckling Little, The Wire? I’ve not seen that one…

Douglas, I’m familiar with the kitty barking!

Scrappy Doo, the cat is a trip!

Irish, would you believe that The Wall was the backdrop for the first two weeks?! True. Looking forward to Ted Nugent – doesn’t he have a double album?
Oh, and the Biteys? Few of them can be trusted, but they’re just so damn good-looking…

Pearl said...

Joannie, the kitties do make excellent company, don't they? :-) Always underfoot, especially in the kitchen!

Barbara Blundell said...

Is this the in thing ? Do you have to have anything in the tank or is it just decorative and room enhancing water with a back drop?

Pearl said...

Barbara, I think they could actually act as decorative humidifiers!
There is something soothing about it...

Anonymous said...

Pearly Q...I think what Liza Bean is doing is assessing them for their useful potential. After all, Dolly is...shall we say...remedial in some aspects. Liza wants to know if the fish can be trusted with certain information and assignments...the wine and lemon are for interrogations...should they become rogue operatives....
That's all I'm sayin'....
Happy Sunday Sister! :)

Debbie said...

We have three aquariums and two cats. It has only been in the last month that one of our cats noticed our aquariums. I think they are a little slow on the uptake around here.

Pearl said...

Oh, for cryin’ out loud, Sweet Cheeks, I had never considered that! Treachery all around me… More to think about. May have to ply Dolly G. Squeakers (formerly of the Humane Society Squeakers!) with Friskies Party Mix, see what she knows…

Debbie, that is very funny.

SparkleFarkel said...

*singing, offkey, of course*
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarium,
The age of Aquarium,
Aquariuuum!
Ahhquaaariuuum!!!

Sorry. I couldn't resist.

P.S. Congratulations!

Pearl said...

Sparkle, I shoulda seen it coming.
:-)

Unknown said...

She whispers oh so softly into the tank...here scampi, heeereee scampi...

Peace - Rene

Pearl said...

Rene, damn that cat and her sophisticated taste buds!

♥ Braja said...

Cat deprivation. Shameless....

Jeanne Estridge said...

Friends of mine used to have a big old Oscar in their tank. Whenever the cat walked by, he'd rush the front of the tank and the cat would skitter away.

Unknown said...

everybody is getting fish these days- even i have been tempted but i dont want the work that goes with them !

Mary@Holy Mackerel said...

Sounds like your house is a blast!

Tash said...

Good choice. The Bridged version probably leaves out all the dirty words.

Pearl said...

Braja, ah. So the cats have gotten to you, too…

Jeanne, Oscars are lovely fish and what I wouldn’t give to see one threaten something outside its own tank!

Lisa, I think it’s the calming influence. Oh, honestly I dunno what it is. But yeah, there’s work involved and actually had to show Willie last night how to siphon to do a partial water change for the first time…

Mary Moore, we do our best to fight off boredom!

Tish Tash, and THAT, my dear, is a very good point!

fingers said...

Well if my experience is anything to go by those fish will all be floating upside down on the surface within a week.
Tropical fish...pfffft...
You just have to look at them and they die...

AdriansCrazyLife said...

We used to do the same thing with a our hamsters. We used to call it hamster-vision. It fascinated them for hours.