4/28/2005

Cats in Paradise

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Our Cats in Paradise - O-Tsu and Haiku-kun

O-Tsu was given to us as a tiny baby in April 2003.
Bernd raised her lovingly and still is Mama-san for O-Tsu.

Usually we call the cats after the hero of the yearlong samurai drama on NHK. It was Musashi, and the cat's name should have been "Takezoo", but it turned out to be a girl, so we choose Musashi's lifelong love, O-Tsu (the Chinese character is different, ours is the character from the nearby town of Tsuyama 津山, just to complicate things a little. :o)

1

spring breeze
and the cat on my lap -
who needs a computer ?!


She likes to suckle his fingers even now.



joys of motherhood
even Papa can enjoy this
fine spring day

April 2005

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quince in full bloom -
I just love the smell
of that Siamese tomcat


木瓜満開..シャム君の匂い..タマラネエ

O-Tsu musing about her lover boy ...


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From a Japanese Friend to Gabiさん

可愛いですね。シャムネコにみえないけれど・・・。
ムスカリの蒼が木瓜の赤とコントラストでキレイ。



我輩の 猫も大好き 木瓜の花
wagahai no neko mo daisuki boke no hana

「我輩は猫である」を書いた夏目漱石。彼自身も木瓜の花が大好きだったようです。

和子

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Haiku kun, our trilingual poetic tomcat



Happy in his round world

Well, he was borne on April 9, 2004, the day when Susumu Takiguchi, Chairman of the World Haiku Club visited my home, GokuRakuAn.

So the name of the baby was to be HAIKU.
(Today, he might be called KIGO kun ?!)

Anyway, thus started my interest in the World Haiku Club, when I started the World Kigo Database soon after Susumu left me back here with his god-son, baby Haiku kun.
worldkigodatabase

Now the baby has grown a lot and he is of course the honorable vice director of the World Kigo Database Project.

Haiku kun usually on my desk to help, like this
Cat and the Mouse ..


He likes to meditate in Japanese, like Daruma san

Sitting in Silence
Haiku kun meditating
In Japanese
http://darumasan.blogspot.com/2005/12/haiku-and-daruma-san.html

His German is best when we talk about food, myami myami is his favorite word. You guess, it means feeding time is close...

He is fond of our English speaking visitors and purrs in English with them.
He can sound real English, brrr brrr instead of doing it with his Japanese accent bulu bulu bulu .

He usually ignores my commands in any language, if he is not up to it, showing his command of all these languages and his superiority in ignoring them.

Ah, yes, I forgot, he snores in Hungarian grrr grrr grrrrr , sort of...


If I need an inspiration for a haiku poem, I just call out loud * Haiku, Haiku * over my valley and hopes he comes along, with the inspiration ...
(my neighbours must think I am nuts...)



Haiku kun is quite famous around here. He gives interviews at the local radio station and even with the Japan Times. Ask Amy Chavez about him ...
Interview, Japan Times, December 2005

取材の話
Amy interviewing Haiku kun and O-Tsu


世界季語データベース, 国司さんとのインタビウー
Haiku Interview with RSK Local Radio, Kunishi San

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Haiku kun
and his haiku friends at GokuRakuAn

A descendant of the old frog from Basho who jumped the pond, now called Karl the Froggie in my Haiku Gallery.
http://happyhaiku.blogspot.com/2005/07/karl-froggie.html

And one of the cicadas who were so noisy in one of Basho's haiku, shizukesa ya...
http://happyhaiku.blogspot.com/2005/07/cicada-birthday-050725.html

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O-Tsu and her son, Haiku-Kun, born on April 9, 2004, have their own album here:
Photo ALBUM of O-Tsu and Haiku kun


勤労感謝の日- November 19, 2005 A Cat's Holiday

Yin and Yang Cats . .陰と陽と猫

Cold coming back 寒戻り 2005年3月

Winter in the Kotatsu - 猫のコタツ
. . . Kotatsu life November 2009 dreaming HAIKU


Cat in the Rainy Season - 梅雨さなか

Cooking a Cat ! Cheers to Tanuki kun ! 猫と一杯, 2005 夏

Cold January 2006 - 一月の寒い朝

O-Tsu and the finger of Papa san

Rainy season 2007 ... looong sleep

Cat on the Tin Roof September 2007, O-Tsu

Snow January 2008 in the kitchen - 一月の台所 

Summer heat and silk carpet ... July 2008

O-Tsu and the Daruma Cat September 2008

barbeque sleepers / July 2008

A whack on my nose December 2008

I like cooking cats and Haiku about punctuation


O-Tsu and poison, December 2009

Haiku in the top shelf, February 2009


. Sleeping in sunshine .
January 2011

Side by Side
March 2012

. Rainy Summer 2014 - at the keyboard .





Autumn 2010

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January 12, 2016
Haiku went to Paradise.
Infected with Cat Aids after a bite from a Nora kun in a fight.








December 05, 2019
O-Tsu chan went to Paradise.
after a short illnes and getting very old . . .
She was with us for more than 16 years !





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I hear heaven is so wonderful
that nobody returned from it!
Can I go there, too, niya, ニャ . . .?



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Nyahanzu にゃはんず
- source : facebok -

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More .. CAT .. haiku in my archives ...


To the Daruma Museum Index

To the Worldkigo Database
- #catsinparadies #otsu #cat #neko #haiku -

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14 comments:

Gabi Greve said...

Comments from friends

hah! good one, gabi.
did Haiku-kun type the haiku and push the send key?
just kiddin'.
happy spring day to you in Japan.

B.

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Lovely and cozy, Gabi!
... I almost feel like inviting myself to tea (were it not for the distance ...) Must learn to unwind like this. Privately, though, I have always dreamed of having a pig for a pet.

from the trough
a grunt
of contentment

E.

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Thanks to you !
Gabi

Anonymous said...

Oh Gabi,
that is a delightful page!
Love the haiku and all the photos --
the one with O-Tsu and the quince
is a beauty!
I also enjoyed the cats' album...
I can see they are both very
adventurous!

:~)
L.

Anonymous said...

oh gabi, i love these photos :)

your cats are adorable and lovable.

B.

Gabi Greve said...

Geert send me some CAT haiku.

white minarets
and shy black cats
Istanbul

Read more of Geerts Cat Haiku here
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/happyhaiku/message/1444

Thank you so much, Geert !
gabi

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed the site and your cats! Your O-tsu is a real beauty, a real lady-cat :-) And Haiku-kun is so lovable :-) They sure have a paradise in your home!

Anonymous said...

Ohhh...all great. The puter one was my fav!

P.

rozendaal said...

marvelous haikus and Haiku and mom are sweet.I enjoyed everything.

Cow Lady said...

Gabi,
I would love to interview your cat for Animal Tales. What do you think?

Amy

Anonymous said...

Gabi san Great thanks for this beautiful journey.

the cat looks
at the full moon
and miaos ~

Gabi Greve said...

hot summer night -
nobody likes to
sleep alone


Before you get your phantasies all up and working, look here

My Cats in Chairs. July 2006  

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Anonymous said...

Dear Gabi san,

Your home is just wonderful. Probably the secret is that you relate to God's creatures so easily. How you can ever be lonely!

I have been reading your writings and gaining more wisdom; admirable!

I just loved your pets-each a person in his/her own right; an incarnation, so to say.

my cat:
meditating of which
incarnation


Love to your entire family

With very warm regards

a friend from India
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Sasha said...

Hello Haiku-kun from Diamond. I will enjoy visiting your blog and reading your own haiku.

robert d. wilson said...

Your cats, your healthy whimsicality, and your husband . . . all have made my day reading this blog.

Gabi Greve said...

Thanks for your kind words, Robert san!
Much appreciated! !!

GABI and Bernd and Haiku kun and O-Tsu wish you a great new ear !