With Dexter as My Co-Pilot

I have mentioned that Dexter and I like to go and sit in my Mazda for a few minutes after he has had his supper. This tradition originated during the days when my car used to sit inside, in the garage. The Mazda has since been displaced from that coveted indoor spot by my new car.

So now when we sit in the car, we go outside to do it. When the weather is terrible, we skip the outdoor adventure, and I let Dexter stroll through the trunk of my newer car inside, instead. But on this day, though it had been drizzly and chilly all day, the weather was decent enough when I got home from work to take the cat out.

I sit in the back seat while Dexter roams the car. On this day, I thought to bring my camera along. My husband came out and offered Dexter a snowball, then threw it so it would land in front of the car, where the cat could watch it shatter. Coolness! A big tail-tip for that one!

On days when it's not quite so drippy, we put the windows down an inch or two so that Dexter may stick his snoot up and sniff the air. There is a bird bath nearby and occasionally a bird will bathe for us. So exciting! Some days, Dexter sticks a paw out and waves it around in the air like he just doesn't care.

If the windows are down a bit, my husband also takes the opportunity to offer the cat a single crinkled brown leaf to chomp on. The cat lifts his face up, chomps the leaf obligingly, while I say, "I SAID ONE BITE, señor!" (While giggling madly, of course.)

Which is a modification of a line from the eminently quotable but horribly violent Patrick Swayze film Road House. It features such other gems as "Nobody ever wins a fight," "A polar bear fell on me," and "I'll get all the sleep I need when I'm dead." (Yes, thanks for pointing it out: I AM pretty easily amused.)

This photo was taken near the end of our car-sitting session. You can see Dexter's face is lifted a bit, looking behind me toward the front door of the house. He knows it's about time to go in. And inside, cat treats are waiting. I throw a few treats up and down the stairs and hallway, then my husband tosses him a few more.

Once the car-sitting-and-cat-treats ritual is completed, the cat usually settles into my living room chair under a blankie for a long evening's nap. What can I say? I think it's a pretty good life for a cat.

Now, buckle up, Dexter, and let's go for a ride!!!!!  :-)

The soundtrack song: Gary Numan, with Cars, a new wave masterpiece from the late 1970s, though it sounds so much like an 80s tune to me.

Additional photos of Dexter in the car:
The Traffic Stop!
Back Seat Boy
Springtime in the Middle of Winter! (check the extras for a shot of Dexter AND me in the backseat!)