Yes, 5 and 6 six pound siblings Bella and Tippy do have a way with something I hold close and dear to my own heart.

Flight.

These two young light-weights don't need wings to defy gravity. The first time I saw Bella jump down from the top of the 6 foot high fridge, I was horrified. Bella made a perfect landing. Such grace, such style.

Velvet, on the other hand, would have gone crashing though the floor, landing bewildered on the 10th floor's ceiling in a pile of concrete dust, and rubble.

Tippy is so shy, he won't add to the increasing number of Bella long hairs I find on my kitchen counter, and in my butter dish.

I hoist his lightweight body up on the counter with Bella, so he can see it's okay to go there (non-true cat people are always encouraging their cats to do the opposite, please note).

He looks around, and at Bella who tells him to enjoy, then he looks across to the other set of counters where the sink is, water running to clean the lunch dishes. He likes running water.

It's a boy thing.

Without warning, or even preponderation of his thoughts HE JUMPS! and makes it easily to the other counter. Flying Tippywallinda!

I just had to get out the tape measure. 49 inches, not to mention the fact he was well past the landing mark. He sprang in an upward trajectory and made the landing as easy as you please. Not be upstaged, Bella did the same darn thing a moment later. Siblings. (If YOU can do it, I CAN do it!) Two long hairs staring at me, sitting together on the stove.

A rocket scientist from NASA might be required to calculate how many kilojoules of energy would be required for Velvet to make that jump.

Maybe Solid Rocket Boosters would be indicated.

Stay Tuned.

Copyright © Bill Mason
March 20, 2002