My cat, Spencer, has been doing his best to reach the highest spots in the house. After teaching on Tuesday, I came home to a broken tea pot from the top shelf of the kitchen stand where I keep various items, including the microwave and small appliances. He had found the precious cat toy stash that I kept there out of view. Apparently, he saw me put things there and remembered. I moved the toys on Tuesday afternoon, but that didn’t stop him from continually trying to climb the stand.

On Thursday morning after my shower, I found Spencer sitting very still surrounded by glass shards. This time he broke the coffee pot. He looked at me with such confusion. There was no way that he could leap past all of the glass. I wish I had a picture of his expression. It’s not one I see often. Spencer has things handled. He has this confident, cocky attitude.

I picked him up and shooed him away from the kitchen while I swept up the glass. It was everywhere, so I had to get out the shop-vac to clean the floor. Then, I had to mop the floor with the floor steamer that doesn’t work as well as it should. It’s faster than the all-purpose steam cleaner that works perfectly every time.

My Thursday, which is typically busy since that is when I receive students’ homework assignments, started around 10:30 am. I nearly gave up on my plans to make boeuf bourguignon until I saw the fresh stew meat that I would have to freeze if I delayed the cooking project further.