Remember the alley cat?

Deep in the heart of Texas — my old home state — there's a feline defender of a sacred shrine.

Her name is Clara Carmack, or C.C., and she stands guard — and more than likely curls-up guard — at the Alamo in San Antonio.

The Houston Chronicle published a profile on the 11-year-old cat. The story was written by a San Antonio Express-News reporter. (I couldn't find the story on their website. I try, people; I really try.)

But don't count on seeing C.C. if you visit the Alamo. Sometimes she goes on walkabout, the museum staff said.

Now, take the two cats in the video below. If they had been alongside Davy Crockett at the Alamo, things might have turned out differently.

Nothing beats a sunny day

Here's Kate on our patio taking advantage of the first real warm sunny day.

Lucky dog.

I have the back sliding door open with the screen door in place because it is such a nice day here in Poughkeepsie. (Friday is the first day of my weekend so don't think I'm blowing off work.)

When we first moved here at the end of January there were a few moderate days where I actually had the back door open with the screen door. Now this is something Kate has never experienced — this fine, almost invisible, mesh that goes floor to ceiling. The first thing she tried to do was go right through it. Luckily I stopped her.

But that reminded me of a dog my family had many years ago in Texas. Candy was a black cocker spaniel mix who would scratch at the patio screen door to be let out. Eventually, she made a hole in the screen and she could go in and out as she pleased. Unfortunately, so could the flies, mosquitoes and tarantulas.

After several months, we replaced the screen, but Candy didn't get the memo.

She saw something in the yard and took off after it, running right through the brand-new screen.

A few feet out on the patio, Candy realized that she did something wrong and just laid down and didn't move. We didn't scold her — it was too funny. But she didn't bust through the replacement's replacement.

Up a tree for the bird(s)

In Porter, Texas, William Hart found himself stuck 60 feet off the ground Tuesday when he tried to retrieve his $2,000 pet cockatoo.

According to an Associated Press article, Hart chased after the bird, named Geronimo, when it flew out a bedroom window.

Hart climbed the pine tree and the bird flew to him, but they both were stuck.

Firefighters couldn't back up a truck to the tree because of rain-soaked ground, so the Coast Guard was called in. They used a harness to get man and bird down.

I am so glad Kate can't fly or climb trees for that matter.