Orange tabbies are brilliant. Chatham was given to me by his feral mother in Memphis in 1975. He spent three years in Pittsburgh, then fourteen more in Virginia. He owned wherever we lived and always my heart. ♥️
Lucian: I like the photos. They somehow enhance your writing... Makes it real... As for cats? In our concerts at one point near the end Tim turns to me and mentions how it's time to get home to our wives, girlfriends... and cats. The audience cracks up. I don't know why, but I have a hunch cat lovers generally understand this strange communication. Jay Leno once said, "If you think you're rich, famous and powerful, try ordering your cat across the room." It can't be done. That's the thing about cats. They don't give a shit.
That kind of relationship with a cat is a gift for your soul. I have has a few over the years and many stories. I am unhappily catless for the first time in 68 years,
I appreciate the advice, but I’m not in a position to do that. I have a young collie who likes to harass cats and I am significantly disabled and unable to properly correct her or stop the behavior. It would not be be fair to the cat.
I got my first cat when I was three. My last one died a year ago at age 16. I miss having a cat.
Because of Penelope’s birth defect, (4 paws with each having only three gnarled and twisted toes) as I was signing the shelter’s paperwork for her adoption on a Saturday afternoon, the Lady told me that she was on the list to be “put down” that Monday morning. Such a miracle that I stopped in just as she was locking up for the day.
Lived on a barge. Hmmm. Could it be that was around 1971 or 72? Did you know Liz Smith and her husband who also lived on a barge around then. Liz worked with me at SKIING magazine. In fact I vaguely remember you visiting the office at One Park Ave. Sound true? Not many publishing industry people lived on old railroad barges in those days.
I sure do remember her. They lived on the other end of the barge we divided into two HUGE lofts. I remember carrying her baby in one of those baby-carriers over to the Skiing office around noon quite a few times for her to nurse not long after the baby was born, so yeah, I certainly was around your office back then. It was across Park Ave South from the Harpers offices where I was also a frequent visitor. The good old days.
Well I’ll be…A tendril of a memory and the whole thing comes back. I remember a “house warming” on the barge. We came across the Hudson by boat, I think. I knew your name was familiar to me from those days and that I am sure we said hello. That was 50 years ago. Keep doing what you are doing. It is extremely important. You are documenting an unprecedented moment in history. Best wishes. Mike Maginn
Yes, Bev. Her husband was the actor/carpenter George, who opened a shop on Carmine Street. He made the sofa next to me to my left, with glass-topped shelving on either end. He and I designed it together.
Michael... You worked at Skiing? With Doug Phiefer (sp)? Wasn't he there? Or, maybe it was SKI. I was the one who produced and filmed the ski-parachute jump off El Cap (and I wrote and produced Hot Dog the Movie)... I'm trying to remember if I ever met you during those ski years when I filmed for Salomon. We must've met at least in the East or Europe... Ah, it's been a long time now...
Yes, with Doug Pfeiffer and Al Greenberg. SKIING was the anti-establishment bad boy to SKI's orthodox consumer driven image. I don't recall the movies, but we probably know lots of mutual acquaintances. I was an assistant editor at SKIING and worked as editor for SKIING AREA NEWS and assistant at SKIING TRADE NEWS all under the Ziff banner. My years were 1969-72. You had to pass my office to get to Doug's. I worked there after the Navy and still in the reserves. Changed into my uniform for weekends in the Brooklyn Navy Yard in my office after everyone went home. Yes, a long time now. Doug and I met a few years ago at a Ski Hall of Fame meeting at Stowe. He's 90+ and still doing it. I keep in touch with Cathie Judge the fashion editor and a few others from the staff. Curiously, I put out an online magazine SeniorsSkiing.com with an old fraternity brother. My partner is still doing publishing it. Labor of love. I'm trying really hard to retire. Bernie Weischel from the ski shows is a friend. There is a whole network of ski biz veterans who are still circling around. I left the biz to go back to grad school and become a consultant, but I never forgot my days at Ziff-Davis. Again, so glad you are doing what you are doing. Major major importance.
Small world, Michael. I just had dinner with Bernie and Genia Fuller a couple months ago out here. Perhaps you may remember the ski jump off El Cap as they used my sequence to redo the big jump in The Spy Who Loved Me... And Hot Dog the Movie? Became an absolute cult movie in spite of itself, LOL. I'm going to check out Seniorskiing.com for sure, although I must admit (because of my years on the mountain ) I've had both knees replaced... But, it sounds cool. I'm still in touch with John Clendenin who you probably must've known. Since I grew up in Tahoe City before Tahoe and Squaw became what they are today, my HS ski teammates were Jimmy Huega and Wayne Poulsen. And, you are correct about the 'old ski vets' still circling, LOL, they really are. Every once in awhile one pops up. I tour and sing with the Kingston Trio these days so if we're ever near you, please let me know and let's meet. One of the positive things about social media, right?
Hey mike i told Bernie we met online just this am. What a curious connection. Btw i play banjo in a local band. My real email is island44girl@yahoo.com if you want to connect.
I have read this twice now and find it uncannily similar to our experience with dogs. Admittedly not nearly as clever or talented as Orange! Four dogs were adopted by us, but it was they who allowed us to live in their home. They gave us so much joy but often seemed non-educable…very like our children! They were totally in control. However, the minute Claude (husband) came through the door, they were docile and loving and obedient: dogs and children. (Until the teen years! Then all hell broke loose… human and canine.) Obviously my mothering tactics lacked something. We have a beta fish now whom we have named Magellan, as he continues to circumnavigate his bowl. “L’histoire d’Orange” has inspired me to think about a rescue kitty who might allow us to share its space. Thank you so much for such a heartwarming tale
I am living with my third long-lived calico cat, Penelope. This one is naughty and adorable. She used to enjoy knocking things off my dresser. One day I followed up on an idea and put a few small pebbles in two plastic bottles. Placed each on the dresser, and we have lived in peace ever since because her greatest delight is to knock off one of the bottles and listen to it crash to the floor with me dutifully chastising her for being naughty. We love the interaction. By morning, the other bottle will be in the floor. Due to a birth defect, she has only three gnarled and twisted toes on each paw. The defect does not slow her down, but it does sometimes require a couple of attempts to land on the top of whatever counter, table, dresser she wants to land on. Her toes do not have any muscle so they are useless, but she doesn't let it slow her down.
With my first cat, when she passed away at 21 years old, the Vet told me that because she was an indoor cat her lifespan was dramatically increased. The idea being that she was never subjected to the dangers of being outside (run over by a car, fights with other cats etc, or vicious people who prey on cats). All three my cats have been indoor cats, and that has worked well for us. Penelope is going on 11 years.
Very interesting. My first calico/coon was raised on the Truckee River and slipped into being Feral and would only respond to my young wife. They had a bond. The cat became stronger and stronger and even her fur changed to 'wild' cat fur. It was really something. My second cat was an indoor/outdoor cat in Santa Monica and survived coyotes and mountain lions and everything else. LOL. My present Hemmingway is a complete indoor cat (who was once an outdoor cat) and he's hanging in there at almost 19 years. I'm hopeful he'll wait another 2-3 years before hitching a ride on the Mother Ship.
We have had excellent Orange Cats. The Vikings carried them as they pillaged and took over parts of Europe. They steal your heart. Then your bed.Vikings and Their Cats - History Thingshttps://historythings.com › vikings-and-their-cats
Apr 27, 2021 — These cats were highly prized among Viking communities, and were eventually domesticated and brought to live on farms. Vikings kept cats as ...
What a delightful reminiscence to start this day! Thank you! I am holding at five right now - three who live in the backyard and two sisters who live indoors. I'm their Mama Cat, but I also know whose home this REALLY is. I am well trained.
We had a magnificent orange female Rumpy Manx named Tipitina after the Professor Longhair song. She fetched peanuts and owned us for two decades. Miss her daily.
Orange tabbies are brilliant. Chatham was given to me by his feral mother in Memphis in 1975. He spent three years in Pittsburgh, then fourteen more in Virginia. He owned wherever we lived and always my heart. ♥️
Lucian: I like the photos. They somehow enhance your writing... Makes it real... As for cats? In our concerts at one point near the end Tim turns to me and mentions how it's time to get home to our wives, girlfriends... and cats. The audience cracks up. I don't know why, but I have a hunch cat lovers generally understand this strange communication. Jay Leno once said, "If you think you're rich, famous and powerful, try ordering your cat across the room." It can't be done. That's the thing about cats. They don't give a shit.
That kind of relationship with a cat is a gift for your soul. I have has a few over the years and many stories. I am unhappily catless for the first time in 68 years,
I appreciate the advice, but I’m not in a position to do that. I have a young collie who likes to harass cats and I am significantly disabled and unable to properly correct her or stop the behavior. It would not be be fair to the cat.
I got my first cat when I was three. My last one died a year ago at age 16. I miss having a cat.
Because of Penelope’s birth defect, (4 paws with each having only three gnarled and twisted toes) as I was signing the shelter’s paperwork for her adoption on a Saturday afternoon, the Lady told me that she was on the list to be “put down” that Monday morning. Such a miracle that I stopped in just as she was locking up for the day.
I love cats, the stranger and braver the better. I'm sure you're right that one of the widows took him in and he lived happily ever after.
Lived on a barge. Hmmm. Could it be that was around 1971 or 72? Did you know Liz Smith and her husband who also lived on a barge around then. Liz worked with me at SKIING magazine. In fact I vaguely remember you visiting the office at One Park Ave. Sound true? Not many publishing industry people lived on old railroad barges in those days.
I sure do remember her. They lived on the other end of the barge we divided into two HUGE lofts. I remember carrying her baby in one of those baby-carriers over to the Skiing office around noon quite a few times for her to nurse not long after the baby was born, so yeah, I certainly was around your office back then. It was across Park Ave South from the Harpers offices where I was also a frequent visitor. The good old days.
Well I’ll be…A tendril of a memory and the whole thing comes back. I remember a “house warming” on the barge. We came across the Hudson by boat, I think. I knew your name was familiar to me from those days and that I am sure we said hello. That was 50 years ago. Keep doing what you are doing. It is extremely important. You are documenting an unprecedented moment in history. Best wishes. Mike Maginn
It was Bev Smith, I believe, not Liz. Very British.
Yes, Bev. Her husband was the actor/carpenter George, who opened a shop on Carmine Street. He made the sofa next to me to my left, with glass-topped shelving on either end. He and I designed it together.
Michael... You worked at Skiing? With Doug Phiefer (sp)? Wasn't he there? Or, maybe it was SKI. I was the one who produced and filmed the ski-parachute jump off El Cap (and I wrote and produced Hot Dog the Movie)... I'm trying to remember if I ever met you during those ski years when I filmed for Salomon. We must've met at least in the East or Europe... Ah, it's been a long time now...
Yes, with Doug Pfeiffer and Al Greenberg. SKIING was the anti-establishment bad boy to SKI's orthodox consumer driven image. I don't recall the movies, but we probably know lots of mutual acquaintances. I was an assistant editor at SKIING and worked as editor for SKIING AREA NEWS and assistant at SKIING TRADE NEWS all under the Ziff banner. My years were 1969-72. You had to pass my office to get to Doug's. I worked there after the Navy and still in the reserves. Changed into my uniform for weekends in the Brooklyn Navy Yard in my office after everyone went home. Yes, a long time now. Doug and I met a few years ago at a Ski Hall of Fame meeting at Stowe. He's 90+ and still doing it. I keep in touch with Cathie Judge the fashion editor and a few others from the staff. Curiously, I put out an online magazine SeniorsSkiing.com with an old fraternity brother. My partner is still doing publishing it. Labor of love. I'm trying really hard to retire. Bernie Weischel from the ski shows is a friend. There is a whole network of ski biz veterans who are still circling around. I left the biz to go back to grad school and become a consultant, but I never forgot my days at Ziff-Davis. Again, so glad you are doing what you are doing. Major major importance.
Small world, Michael. I just had dinner with Bernie and Genia Fuller a couple months ago out here. Perhaps you may remember the ski jump off El Cap as they used my sequence to redo the big jump in The Spy Who Loved Me... And Hot Dog the Movie? Became an absolute cult movie in spite of itself, LOL. I'm going to check out Seniorskiing.com for sure, although I must admit (because of my years on the mountain ) I've had both knees replaced... But, it sounds cool. I'm still in touch with John Clendenin who you probably must've known. Since I grew up in Tahoe City before Tahoe and Squaw became what they are today, my HS ski teammates were Jimmy Huega and Wayne Poulsen. And, you are correct about the 'old ski vets' still circling, LOL, they really are. Every once in awhile one pops up. I tour and sing with the Kingston Trio these days so if we're ever near you, please let me know and let's meet. One of the positive things about social media, right?
Hey mike i told Bernie we met online just this am. What a curious connection. Btw i play banjo in a local band. My real email is island44girl@yahoo.com if you want to connect.
Wonderful feline interest piece thanks to a gifted writer and an amazing Orange cat.
Orange was wonderful, great story my brother in arms, a full life without compromise👍
I have read this twice now and find it uncannily similar to our experience with dogs. Admittedly not nearly as clever or talented as Orange! Four dogs were adopted by us, but it was they who allowed us to live in their home. They gave us so much joy but often seemed non-educable…very like our children! They were totally in control. However, the minute Claude (husband) came through the door, they were docile and loving and obedient: dogs and children. (Until the teen years! Then all hell broke loose… human and canine.) Obviously my mothering tactics lacked something. We have a beta fish now whom we have named Magellan, as he continues to circumnavigate his bowl. “L’histoire d’Orange” has inspired me to think about a rescue kitty who might allow us to share its space. Thank you so much for such a heartwarming tale
I am living with my third long-lived calico cat, Penelope. This one is naughty and adorable. She used to enjoy knocking things off my dresser. One day I followed up on an idea and put a few small pebbles in two plastic bottles. Placed each on the dresser, and we have lived in peace ever since because her greatest delight is to knock off one of the bottles and listen to it crash to the floor with me dutifully chastising her for being naughty. We love the interaction. By morning, the other bottle will be in the floor. Due to a birth defect, she has only three gnarled and twisted toes on each paw. The defect does not slow her down, but it does sometimes require a couple of attempts to land on the top of whatever counter, table, dresser she wants to land on. Her toes do not have any muscle so they are useless, but she doesn't let it slow her down.
I had two calico/Maine Coons that lived 22 years each!!! I now have a Hemingway who's kicking the hell out of 19 years...
With my first cat, when she passed away at 21 years old, the Vet told me that because she was an indoor cat her lifespan was dramatically increased. The idea being that she was never subjected to the dangers of being outside (run over by a car, fights with other cats etc, or vicious people who prey on cats). All three my cats have been indoor cats, and that has worked well for us. Penelope is going on 11 years.
Very interesting. My first calico/coon was raised on the Truckee River and slipped into being Feral and would only respond to my young wife. They had a bond. The cat became stronger and stronger and even her fur changed to 'wild' cat fur. It was really something. My second cat was an indoor/outdoor cat in Santa Monica and survived coyotes and mountain lions and everything else. LOL. My present Hemmingway is a complete indoor cat (who was once an outdoor cat) and he's hanging in there at almost 19 years. I'm hopeful he'll wait another 2-3 years before hitching a ride on the Mother Ship.
Oh, by the way, I enjoyed your story about Orange and especially the pictures of you when you were a very young man.
Shared around with other cat fanciers! But so sad at the end. We can only hope Orange went on to other adventures and enjoyed a continued good life.
We have had excellent Orange Cats. The Vikings carried them as they pillaged and took over parts of Europe. They steal your heart. Then your bed.Vikings and Their Cats - History Thingshttps://historythings.com › vikings-and-their-cats
Apr 27, 2021 — These cats were highly prized among Viking communities, and were eventually domesticated and brought to live on farms. Vikings kept cats as ...
Beautiful. I’m allergic to cats but I fell in love with Orange.
What a delightful reminiscence to start this day! Thank you! I am holding at five right now - three who live in the backyard and two sisters who live indoors. I'm their Mama Cat, but I also know whose home this REALLY is. I am well trained.
I love your story. You remind me of my cats and how much I loved having them.
Great story!
We had a magnificent orange female Rumpy Manx named Tipitina after the Professor Longhair song. She fetched peanuts and owned us for two decades. Miss her daily.