small blessings

when i got into bed last night chelsea glared at my legs under the covers, but i turned out the light so nothing happened. lucky that she already knows that when the lights go out at night, the game is over!

took 2 tries this morning to get her to stay on the ledge waiting for brekkies. she stayed longer than before, anyway! she still needs prompting to hop up, still hesitates before she follows the target, lots of meowing when i pick up her empty dish off the floor. right now i get it all prepared before she goes on the ledge so i can put the dish down without hesitation and give her my full (silent) attention while she stays on the ledge. i find if i see her thinking about hopping down, a hand up will remind her to stay for another c/r. i don't think i'll change this just yet, but eventually would like to see her hop up before i pick up the dish. similar experience at dinner time, but i think she stayed up the whole time i asked her to.

she was on my lap this afternoon when she tried the little kisses to get my attention, then a very soft test nip on my hand. i've decided on a zero-tolerance approach to teeth (admittedly with allowance for gentle touch when taking food from my fingers), so i immediately placed her on the floor. she went off and came back a bit later. i was leaning forward so lap wasn't available, she tried a bit of vocal complaining, tried a gentle push, then all of a sudden brought a paw up to wash her ear. missed clicking the first one, but she did it again after a short pause and i clicked with my tongue and let her on my lap. is this coincidence, or has she really caught on since those few c/r's yesterday?

at one point this morning i walked past her, and i could see her thinking about taking a swat at my feet but she took no action. very good, but i just kept walking. better if she's not even thinking about it, right?

thanks for the comments, folks! nice to know someone is out there... chelsea may become famous yet! (as opposed to the infamy she can claim now among my family and friends.)