Dexter and Me

You've seen a lot of pictures of my photogenic and adorable Tabbycat Dexter on these pages, but usually they are pictures I have taken myself. Here is one that my husband took, and this time, I got to be on the other side of the lens. (Not quite such a comfortable spot for me!)

Dexter is an indoor-only type of cat, for safety's sake. But he likes to go outdoors several times each day. Around sunrise, we get up, and I feed him first breakfast (second breakfast follows about a half-hour to 45 minutes later), and then we head out onto the porch to greet the dawn.

Some mornings, just one trip out onto the porch isn't enough. For instance, on this day, the sun was shining brightly, the skies were blue (it was still rather chilly), and even better yet, the chipmunks had awakened for the first time and were chasing each other across a log in the woods. Dexter's tail was twitching. It was very exciting and we went out multiple times.

Then my husband came out with my camera and asked to take a picture of the two of us. So we obliged. Had I known I was going to have my photo taken, I might have brushed my hair, or tucked in my shirt. But hey, that's a candid photo for you: you get what you get!

You can tell from this picture that Dexter is a big boy - two armsful - at his last vet visit, a few years ago, he weighed about 18 pounds. There we are sitting in a chair, with the rhododendron bushes behind us, where the birds and chipmunks like to play.

The sun is shining in my eyes (yes, they're blue), and when I smile, they crinkle up a bit at the edges. Those round cheeks, I've come by honestly; and no make-up is ever needed to keep them pink!

You may get a sense that I'm a girl who smiles a lot. For I have many reasons to be happy, one of whom is holding the camera, and another of whom I'm holding in my arms! :-)

For the soundtrack, I'll include one of Dexter's favorite tunes. Every year at our house is the Year of the Cat! Here is Al Stewart, to sing it for us.

P.S. Turnabout is fair play, so I'm also including a link to a picture I took of my husband holding Dexter on the porch, from about a year ago; here are my two loves.