The McClowder All-Kitty Pipe and Drum Band
at the
Inauguration Parade

1

We Join the Band

It was a long hard winter, and Bitterroot Manor was inundated wif snow and then rain and our furnissmonster drowned so he couldn't breeve his warm breff up into thuh house. But finally, after the furniss TED came and revived him, and Sherry-our-Hoomin went back to werk, we learned that Thistle and Shamrock were starting an all-kitty pipe band with bagpipes and drums and kilts and efurrything! (Their meowmie is in a hoomin pipe band, and they figured anything a hoomin could do, a cat could do better. Well, of course!) And the band was already scheduled to march in the Inauguration Day Parade in Washinton D.C.! The parade was for the inauguration of Bill Clinton, the hoomin president of the United States, but it was also scheduled at the same time as the inauguration of r.p.c.'s own Clarence as president of Catmerica. Socks the White House cat was going to be the band's special guest, and he was planning to host a picnic on the White House lawn after the parade for all the band members and other kitties who had travelled to the nation's capitol for the big day. An Inauguration Ball was also scheduled, and rumor had it that the kitties' ball was going to be much nicer than any of the hoomin events planned for that evening.

We were so excited, becuz we're Celtic kitties, too, and furry mewsical besides. So we sent a message to Thistle and Shamrock, saying, "Did we miss sumfing while our hoomin was away from thuh pooter in alla snow and floods? We keep seeing about thuh McClowder Bagpipe Band and we wanna join! Can we? Do you need more bagpeeps? Ceilidh can sound like one all by herself--she wouldn't even need a bagpipe.  And Tally has big fa... uh ... sturdy feets so she could drum or march wif a banner.  And Skye is furrry graceful, so she could do highland dances wif a sword. Is there any room left inna band? We're all Celtic kitties, too, wif names from Skotland, and our hoomin has Skottish ancestors so she has some wool things in Skottish plaid -- we could cut them up and make kilts! Can we be inna band too?"

Thistle and Shamrock answered right away: "Hey you mewsical Celtic kitties! Weeds was wonderin when you'd wanna join. Thought it was odd that you didn't mention it. Whew! Of course you can join in!!! We'll list Ceilidh on the bagpipes, Tally as a drummer, and Skye as a highland dancer. We don't have a dancer yet -- good idea!!!"

Thisle and Shamrock also told us to look for a list of band members and performance dates on the roster that Major had posted. It had pictures of band uniforms and instruments and lists of all the kitties who had joined and what they were going to play. We found out that we'd missed the first band practice, but we promised to be there bright and early for the next one. Ceilidh offered to bring spikearita mix (a speshul kitty drink named for Spike, V.C. after he went to the Rainbow Bridge) because she knew the Siamese Cat Chorale always has especially good rehearsals after a few spikearitas.

This prompted Shamrock, along with her catering partner Stinky, of SandS Catering, to post a menu for the next practice session. It was definitely designed to get alla kitties to band practice, if only for the terrific snacks:

Menu for McClowder Band Practice

• Spikearitas (courtesy of Ceilidh & Co.)
• Guinness
• Harp
• Dewar's Scotch
• Water inna fountin
• LowLactose Milk (for kittens and those who do not imbibe)

• Pidgin wings in hot sawse
• Toona rools
• Moths onna pick
• Cheeze cubes
• Beef jerky strips
• Turkey tarts
• Cold mini-pizzas

• Pounces
• Beef bones wif gravy
• Pretzels

Since Stinky and Shamrock were also planning the special menu for the picnic on the White House lawn, efurrykitty knew there was some great feasting in store!

We began working immediately, getting our outfits for the band ready -- we made little kilts of blue and green Dress Gordon tartan and plaids to wear over our shoulders (good thing Sherry-our-Hoomin had that nice Dress Gordon poncho she'd hardly ever worn!). We went looking for fresh catnip so we would each have a bunch to pin on our caps. Tally began looking for a drum and Skye practiced waving her swirly tail in time with the mewsic while she did bouncy dance steps over two sharp steak knives she found in a kitchen drawer. Ceilidh looked up spikearita recipes so she could bring samples to the band practice -- than efurykitty could vote on which ones would be best to bring along for the feast on the White House lawn. We also checked the TV Guide so we could be sure to set the VCR to tape the parade -- we knew Sherry-our-Hoomin would want to watch us!