We Went to Arunah Hills!!


and the East Windsor Guest House..

Last week, as I was sleeping peacefully in the master bedroom on the master bed, when I heard frantic scratching at the window accompanied by shrieking meows! It was of course, my friend Clarence of Belden! "Henri!" he meowed loudly, "wake up you lazy cat and heed the call of the open road! My person and I are driving to Massachusetts to view the open skies! Great things will happen! Get your butt unwrapped from the bedspread, pack your camera, telescope and toothbrush and move!"

"Where are you going?" I growled. "Where is Massachusetts? Is that the thing they declared "not a planet anymore?"

Clarence shook his head. "You're thinking of Rhode Island, Henri. Massachusetts is a country to the north of Connecticut. Strange creatures live there. It will be an adventure, a life confirming experience and other stuff. My person is anxious to be off and he said that I could come with him but I want you to join us on our quest for greatness and fame!"

"Oh well," I meowed, "I can't pass that up can I?" Quickly, I gathered my cameras, my telescope, my security blanket and my toothbrush and when the coast was clear, that is, Helen my roommate,was no where in sight and my persons still out grocery shopping, I slipped out of the house via the back door.
At first I was interested in the scenery as we sped up the highway to our northern destination but within an hour my eyelids began to droop with sleep. Clarence had no more success than I in staying awake. He began to snore loudly, his breath ruffling the fur around his chin. It did seem as if we had been on the road for a very long time but our trip came to an end. I awakened to see that we were now parked in a very long, steep driveway. On a hill was a big house. The house was surrounded by flower pots, trees and a hillside of lilies and roses. I blinked, shook Clarence awake and stretched my creaky legs and back.

"We're here!" meowed Clarence. "We have arrived at the East Windsor Guest House which is a safe haven for traveling felines and their persons! It is a unique bed and breakfast arrangement!" he purred. "A what?" I asked smoothing my whiskers. "What is a bed and breakfast arrangement?"

Clarence shrugged his shoulders and licked his right paw. "Be darned if I know...." he growled. "We had better go in and introduce ourselves to whoever........"

The East Windsor Guest House

As we lept onto the front porch, Clarence carefully pushed open the front door. Cautiously, we walked through the hallway toward the kitchen. Then I heard a sharp meow which seemed to come from the direction of the living room. "Who's there?" was the demand. I peered around a corner and sitting on a large, comfortable chair was a cat!"What do you toms want?"

It's me, Henri of Twin Brook and my friend Clarence of Belden," I answered. "We have come a long way and need shelter and food. Can you provide us with those things?" I inquired.

The cat stood up, stretched, yawned and sat down again. "Well this place is a bed and breakfast so I guess I can. You get a pillow to sleep on for the night and in the morning I dump some cat food in a bowl. If I feel like it, you might get a thimble full of milk."

"My, my, your generousity is overwhelming!" meowed Clarence.

"Look boy, the idea of a bed and breakfast arrangement was not my idea," hissed the cat. "For one thing, it's a lot of work! I can handle a cat or two but when the human beings invade the place, it becomes very stressful. They follow me around saying dumb things like "nice kitty" and start making those silly sounds with their mouths to get my attention. Number One; I don't like to have human hands petting me! Number Two: I am not a nice kitty!"

Clarence nodded. "Yes, I can see that," he growled. "And what do your persons call you? Miss Crabby cat?"

The cat glared at him. I hid behind a chair. "My name is Charlotte! I am the feline hostess of this establishment! I plan all the breakfasts, paw out the grocery lists, make sure that the bed linens are changed, the trash removed from the bedrooms, set up the laundry schedule and check to see that there are clean towels in the bathroom."

"My goodness," I meowed. "You are one busy cat, Charlotte!"

"You better believe it, Buster!"

"The name is Henri, Henri of Twin Brook. And this is Clarence, Clarence of Belden," I purred tapping Clarence on the top of his head.

"Yeah, right...I will remember that to the day I die, boys....." She jumped down from the chair and walked out to the kitchen where the humans had gathered. "I'd better check out the house guests. I hope they don't have fleas..." she meowed loudly.

"Our persons deflea themselves every morning in the bathtub!" I insisted.


Henri of Twin Brook

Clarence of Belden


"And Clarence and I certainly don't have fleas!" I growled. "I have recently had a check up at the cat doctor's place and I got a very clean bill of health!"

"Well bully for you, Henri. I'll note that in my diary tonight," Charlotte gave us one of those smirks that only queens have mastered.
I could see that Clarence was getting a little miffed at the feline hostess's attitude. This worried me. Although Clarence is a gentlecat, stress can alter his good nature. But he restrained himself. His meow however was unretrained. "You are one miserable pussycat, Charlotte! Henri and I have been trying to be nice and all we see from you is a really bad attitude! I was once a street cat, but practice and kindness from humans and by the cats in the hood changed my negative feelings and raised my self-esteem! When I became a happy cat, Henri and his housemates corraled me, threw me into the bathtub and scrubbed the fleas and street dirt and smells from my hide, I became an estatic cat because my person then decided to bring me into his home. I became a housecat, just like Henri here......"
"Touching story, Clarence," purred Charlotte. "How about a nip of cream before bedtime?"
We spent the evening watching television and grooming our whiskers and paws. Charlotte returned to her chair and carefully observed the human guests. Around ten o'clock she jumped down from the big, overstuffed chair and climbed up on the couch where Clarence's person was sitting. She lay down next to him, occasionally reaching out a paw to touch his leg. "What's that all about," meowed Clarence suspiciously. "I thought she didn't like human beings."
Later our hostess explained her strange behaviour. "If you really must know," said Charlotte, "a cat must learn to minister to a person. Humans stop off here after a long journey of driving and eating horrible meals at fast food greasy spoons and they need a nice warm, furry body like mine to ease the tension and give them hope for another day. I recognized, Clarence, in your human's eyes, the look of desparation and fatigue. I acted boldly to prevent permanent damage to the human's fragile ego. I rubbed up against him, pawed him a bit and made him feel good. When he finally returns home, he will no longer require the attention of a psychiatrist. And I have done my job that I was born to perform. I am the soul of nature, in all it's gentleness and caring."

Clarence sniffed. "It would help if you learned to smile a little more."
"Oh, no not that!" meowed Charlotte. "Then they are all over you! I can only take so much you know!"
The next morning we packed our toothbrushes and our cameras. "We'll probably see you again next year, Charlotte," I purred.

Charlotte shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever. Breakfast starts at seven thirty in the morning with an asortment of organically blended cat food and a thimble full of cream if I'm in the mood. Stay flea free if you want to bed down here."
We had a wonderful time!

The East Windsor Guest House is a lovely establishment! It is hosted by Dick and Sue Jacobs. The bedrooms of the guest house are large and airy, the beds are soft and inviting. Breakfast is wonderful with an assortment of breads, fresh fruit and a wonderful granola cereal which the hostess prepares with her own paws.
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