Salud,
With ze official start of Winter, another important Lesson must be bestowed upon Beans, Ze Silly One. Alas, ze bitter cold brings much death and decay in ze natural world. Ze Lesson on Camouflage is less relevant this time of the year due to fewer low ground Camouflage opportunities.
So I must leave ze isolation and warmth of Velocity Report's clean tarp to bestow knowledge upon ze eager Private.
Lesson II: Scale
Climbing is both a critical offensive and defensive mechanism for ze feline. Beans must become more comfortable on ze high ground in order to continue improving upon his Camouflage skills and begin learning about escape tactics. Sometimes it is not enough to just be quick, but to escape one's enemies, one must climb.
To be clear, running away from an enemy is not cowardly. Wise warriors must know when to disengage from certain battles to be able to win ze long-term war. For Beans specifically, he would be a juicy treat for any overly aggressive Raccoon, Possum or the occasional Fox.
To scale trees, determination and vigor is required. At times, one must have ze endurance to navigate ze trunk to be able to reach the more accessible branches. With proper foresight, branches can offer many paw-holds that may even lead to rooftops.
At other times, trees of substantial girth, like Treebeard, rarely offer branches for assistance. A firm grip is a must.
Whether atop a roof, branch or vine, balance is key. While maintaining balance, one must also be perceptive of other woodland tree creatures. Deceptive owls may be watching your every move; which brings me to my next item - the Descent.
To descend trees, patience and finesse is required. One must find their inner courage to slowly lower themselves from such great heights. Ze assumption is to exit head first, but tail first is the easiest and safest.
It is important to note last February, ze Silly One previously conquered Oaktwig, ze juvenile oak tree within Crawford Territory. And I am generous with ze word "conquered." If I recall correctly, Rouge Beard had to fetch him from ze top because he didn't know how to descend.
I will admit that descending a tree is the most difficult action of ze whole physical process. Beans was reassured when I informed him that Mum once rescued me from a great fall as a kitten.
This reiterates the significance of Lesson II - scaling trees are important offensive and defensive maneuvers. Now, it is time for Beans to put this knowledge to action.
Au revoir,
Lé Toots
