The Cat and the Moon

If you're wondering about the name of this blog
-- nearest-kin-of-the-moon --
it's from one of my favorite poems about a cat.

THE CAT & THE MOON
by William Butler Yeats

The cat went here and there
And the moon spun round like a top,
And the nearest kin of the moon,
The creeping cat, looked up.
Black Minnaloushe stared at the moon,
For, wander and wail as he would,
The pure cold light in the sky
Troubled his animal blood.
Minnaloushe runs in the grass
Lifting his delicate feet.
Do you dance, Minnaloushe, do you dance?
When two close kindred meet,
What better than call a dance?
Maybe the moon may learn,
Tired of that courtly fashion,
A new dance turn.
Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
From moonlit place to place,
The sacred moon overhead
Has taken a new phase.
Does Minnaloushe know that his pupils
Will pass from change to change,
And that from round to crescent,
From crescent to round they range?
Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
Alone, important and wise,
And lifts to the changing moon
His changing eyes.

New Maltese Cat

After being petless for almost a decade, we now share the house with a gorgeous maltese* cat. It's a she, and she is about 2 years old. She is absolutely the best pet I've ever had, and I love her already!

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(*) Just as "tabby" refers to a striped cat, "Maltese" refers to a solid gray (aka blue) cat with short hair. It is not a breed, but rather a description of coat color and pattern. Of course, a "Maltese cat" can also refer to a cat born on the island nation of Malta, regardless of coat color and pattern.