They were there before we were, by which I mean the cats were, before I moved in. I bought half of an old Pennsylvania Railroad barge on the Hudson River in the spring of 1971. The thing was at least 120 feet long and 30 feet wide. I bought my half from an actor who was rehearsing for a role in one of the productions of Shakespeare in the Park that summer. We were supposed to pay $50 a month dock fee to the mob, but they never showed up to collect, so after paying for the barge, we lived there for free.
Great story. I've been a cat guy all my life because their habits mimic mine. They don't try to engratiate themselves like dogs, and they're cleaner and more self-sufficient. And the don't bark when the doorbell rings.
The part about the kittens in your sock drawer made me remember the time when I was about 9 years old and my mom woke me up in the middle of the night to show me that our cat, Pussums, had had her litter of kittens on my bed, right between my legs, while I slept spread-eagled.
Scientists think cats are somewhat closer to their wild ancestors than dogs, and it has served them well as they have associated with humans. Great story!
We lived in Weehawken from early 90s to early aughts! We watched the waterfront’s transformation as the super fund sites were “opened” to development! Even though not therein the 70s, I longed for what WAS. The what it became and IS now is just...in a word...pathetic!
You are filled with unique experiences, and extraordinary story telling. Thanks for sharing!
Love it when you digress to these wonderful warm stories. As important as it is to keep up with the political madness and world affairs it is these experiences that remind us that it is the simple everyday things that keep us grounded and rind us of our common humanity.
There isn’t anything that this uneducated old plumber could add to the comments that would pay tribute to this incredible writing & much appreciated story, but….thank you so much brother.
I am a subscriber. And hope everyone else who’s come to love your writing does the same.
How beautiful Tazzy is. I suspect he owes his home life to Weird and Big Gray. I hope, during your time on the water, you read T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats." The feline protagonist was "Growltiger." described as a "bravo cat who lived upon a barge."
I always enjoy reading way-back-when memories. And I thought it was good for you - and us - to get away from the political animals who dominate our news. But then I read, "Every time they would chase rats, the rats would dive into the water and the cats would dive in right after them." And that brought me back to the troubles emanating out of Washington. All it took was the mention of "rats."
This was quite a lovely story....and the writing was superb. Lucian, I loved the story!
Over the years, I have owned a couple of cats, even though we are dog people. Cats take you on their terms, dogs give you unconditional love. Having said that, I do really like cats. We had one brought up with our Pit Bull Terrier which would attach itself to the belly of the dog, get a bite hold on the dogs neck and the dog would walk along with that cat hanging from him. The Pit Bull never turned on the cat, allowed him to snuggle at night with him yet the Pit would kill in seconds any stray cat he found outside- along with rats, skunks and any critter he could get. Skunk spray did not seem to work on him, much to my chagrin. That dog ended up sleeping in the garage for days until the smell was gone, in spite of tomato juice and other remedies. He was not permitted, of course, to run free, but the fenced in yard was big enough that critters would enter and be in the bushes or behind trees, I'd not see them until too late.
Jan 22, 2023·edited Jan 22, 2023Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV
Great story! 😊 Were you close to where the Hamilton-Burr duel took place? Cool to think that the descendants of rats and cats that arrived around that time were living with you at that barge!
As a life-long cat-lover I identified with your wonderful story immediately. It became vivid in my mind. There is one sleeping on the bed behind me right now. She runs me and the house. What great writing! They are such fascinating creatures, and it's always fun learning to communicate with a new one when he or she enters your life. It's not so different from having a new person in the house. I had one, a male Maine Coon, who was my four-legged alarm clock from right after he was born to when he died at over 20. And he woke me up everyday right up to his last one. Thanks for writing this.
Incredibly wonderful story, detailed with all descriptions, physical locations, personal history and the feel of the City winter blast! (One correction: change "widow" to window: "it was sad seeing him sitting in the widow and moping..."
Barge cats
Great story. I've been a cat guy all my life because their habits mimic mine. They don't try to engratiate themselves like dogs, and they're cleaner and more self-sufficient. And the don't bark when the doorbell rings.
The part about the kittens in your sock drawer made me remember the time when I was about 9 years old and my mom woke me up in the middle of the night to show me that our cat, Pussums, had had her litter of kittens on my bed, right between my legs, while I slept spread-eagled.
Your story was a welcome addition to my day!
Scientists think cats are somewhat closer to their wild ancestors than dogs, and it has served them well as they have associated with humans. Great story!
How did Cadet Truscott and Bohemian Truscott coexist?
Perhaps they didn’t.
I loved it! what a delightful story! Thanks.
We lived in Weehawken from early 90s to early aughts! We watched the waterfront’s transformation as the super fund sites were “opened” to development! Even though not therein the 70s, I longed for what WAS. The what it became and IS now is just...in a word...pathetic!
You are filled with unique experiences, and extraordinary story telling. Thanks for sharing!
Lucian, you should collect all of your stories into a book. It would be a best seller.
Thank you for a welcome respite from the grim news of the day!
No one viscerally brings me into a story like LKT!
Love it when you digress to these wonderful warm stories. As important as it is to keep up with the political madness and world affairs it is these experiences that remind us that it is the simple everyday things that keep us grounded and rind us of our common humanity.
There isn’t anything that this uneducated old plumber could add to the comments that would pay tribute to this incredible writing & much appreciated story, but….thank you so much brother.
I am a subscriber. And hope everyone else who’s come to love your writing does the same.
How beautiful Tazzy is. I suspect he owes his home life to Weird and Big Gray. I hope, during your time on the water, you read T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats." The feline protagonist was "Growltiger." described as a "bravo cat who lived upon a barge."
I always enjoy reading way-back-when memories. And I thought it was good for you - and us - to get away from the political animals who dominate our news. But then I read, "Every time they would chase rats, the rats would dive into the water and the cats would dive in right after them." And that brought me back to the troubles emanating out of Washington. All it took was the mention of "rats."
This was quite a lovely story....and the writing was superb. Lucian, I loved the story!
Over the years, I have owned a couple of cats, even though we are dog people. Cats take you on their terms, dogs give you unconditional love. Having said that, I do really like cats. We had one brought up with our Pit Bull Terrier which would attach itself to the belly of the dog, get a bite hold on the dogs neck and the dog would walk along with that cat hanging from him. The Pit Bull never turned on the cat, allowed him to snuggle at night with him yet the Pit would kill in seconds any stray cat he found outside- along with rats, skunks and any critter he could get. Skunk spray did not seem to work on him, much to my chagrin. That dog ended up sleeping in the garage for days until the smell was gone, in spite of tomato juice and other remedies. He was not permitted, of course, to run free, but the fenced in yard was big enough that critters would enter and be in the bushes or behind trees, I'd not see them until too late.
Great story! 😊 Were you close to where the Hamilton-Burr duel took place? Cool to think that the descendants of rats and cats that arrived around that time were living with you at that barge!
As a life-long cat-lover I identified with your wonderful story immediately. It became vivid in my mind. There is one sleeping on the bed behind me right now. She runs me and the house. What great writing! They are such fascinating creatures, and it's always fun learning to communicate with a new one when he or she enters your life. It's not so different from having a new person in the house. I had one, a male Maine Coon, who was my four-legged alarm clock from right after he was born to when he died at over 20. And he woke me up everyday right up to his last one. Thanks for writing this.
Incredibly wonderful story, detailed with all descriptions, physical locations, personal history and the feel of the City winter blast! (One correction: change "widow" to window: "it was sad seeing him sitting in the widow and moping..."