In a previous post, I mentioned...

... that Rufus is built like the feline version of an NFL lineman.  However, he has the speed and moves of a running back!

While Joan went to the store, I brought the grill stand up from our storage area and went inside to get a soapy rag to clean it up.  Within a nano-second of opening the door to our deck, he shot out, did a quick pirouette to get by me, and ran under the cover on our patio furniture.  The cover goes right to the floor, so when you lift one side of the cover, the furry boy scampers to the other side.  He is fast and far more agile than I am.

I figured, "It is hot out.  He has thick fur.  Won't be long and he will be wanting back inside."  In the meantime, Joan pulled into our driveway.  In the few seconds it took for me to put the rag I was using inside, Rufus ran down the stairs from our deck and around the side of the house to go see his Momma.  And make me look bad for letting him out without being on a leash.  Well, not really... Joan knows how fast he can be.

She brought him inside and when she went out to put the grill on the stand, he shot out the door again.  Even if you look around before opening the door, he waits in hiding and times his sneaky move.  You might even say he has "cat-like reflexes."  (rimshot)

Yes, he went back under the cover on the patio table and chairs.  "This is a fun game!"  Joan and I think alike... she thought he'd get hot and want back into the air conditioned comfort of the house.  Nope.  Joan was out there getting the grill ready, and he eventually came out from under the cover so he could do some leg rubbing.

I was watching this from the glass door.  Being the alpha-male, I went outside to tell him to come in... yep, back under the cover.  If this is a game, he is winning.  I knew time and temperature were on my side... it wasn't long before he came out from under the cover and was ready to be inside.

It is 87º out, with plenty of humidity.  The local weather weasels are saying "a cold front has moved through the area"... well, we had a brief period of rain early this morning, but the temp was still 80º when I got up (around 6:30).  Yesterday, it was 81º at this same time.  Pretty sure a 1º temperature difference does not constitute a frontal passage.  Any way you look at it, it is best to get outside early.

There is another "front" that is supposed to move over this area, with the prediction of a high in the mid-70s on Saturday.  North wind.  Rain.  It may last a whole day, and then back into the upper 80s again.  It may be a while before Rufus gets to spend any appreciable amount of time outside... not counting his short "jail breaks."

Yeah, he needed a nap after those outings.