Without any heralds or advertising fuss, SnarlyBoodle.com will occasionally have a theme week. Although my five cats lobbied hard, this week’s theme will not be feline-related. Instead, we’re going for music.

But to appease the furry masses, my contribution to this week’s theme will – coincidentally – involve my cat Mugsie. She is an exceptionally intelligent cat, but a very hard to please music critic.

The following short video was taken last BC Day here in Vancouver. BC Day is a totally made-up holiday just so the local populace has some reason for a three-day weekend in August. Something the United States should consider.

A bagpipe band was setting up and practicing right near our house before the kilted gents took it to the streets for the annual parade. In the States, when men parade down the street in pleated skirts we call it a Gay Pride parade. Potato / tomato.

Bagpipes have their time and place, and I’m pretty sure it’s not 7:30 in the morning outside my bedroom window. The Scottish Highlands are about 4,400 miles from my Vancouver neighborhood, which has worked out just fine for me so far.

Paul McCartney’s “Mull of Kintyre” is beautiful, and I’m positive that his proper use of bagpipes elevated it to the biggest single of his career…

Anyway, of our 4 cats at the time, the caterwauling only mattered to Mugsie. She paced, knocked things over, meowed, flattened her ears, shook her head, and generally complained until the last bagpipe drone faded over the hill.

Here’s the video.

This year we’re having her fitted for kitty earplugs.

Jim Lawter

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