The Cat On My Head

GINGER AWWW & MEMORIAL DAY SPARK

Awww Mondays

I honestly believe there is nothing more awwwdorable than a ginger cat.

 

Large ginger cat sleeping on his face.

 

Cooper Murphy is proving my point as well as joining the Awww Mondays blog hop at Comedy Plus. You can do the same by clicking on the Awww badge.

Memorial Day Spark

 

Photograph of the American cemetery in Normandy, France, with a quote from Barack Obama: We, the People, recognize that we have responsibilities as well as rights; that our destinies are bound together; that a freedom which only asks what's in it for me, a freedom without a commitment to others, a freedom without love or charity or duty or patriotism, is unworthy of our founding ideals, and those who died in their defense.

 

Today we remember all those, including service animals. who gave their lives for our freedom!

Sparks is the creation of Annie from McGuffy’s Reader. Sparks began as a blog hop, created by our friend. Annie stated when she began Sparks, “I believe we are meant to be lights in this world. If we allow our light to shine, we can see where we are going. It is then that we can begin to truly see each other clearly. Together, we can light up the entire world.”

The Adventures of Periwinkle & Stinky

Your favorite, fun-loving tabbies, Periwinkle & Stinky, will be setting off on a new adventure tomorrow. You’ll be able to find them on Periwinkle’s blog, Friends Furever. I know whatever Periwinkle has planned will be loads of fun, and you’ll definitely want to join them. Adventures are always more exciting when you come along, so they’ll be waiting for you.

 

THE END OF AN ERA

Sunday Selfies: Week #458

No…it is not the end of Sunday Selfies! But yesterday marked the end of Cat Scouts after ten years of adventures, fun and learning. Mau was one of the early members, and when Cooper Murphy joined our family, he too became a Cat Scout. Cooper and I will miss the fun and camaraderie, but it was time to say farewell. At this point, there are more angel Scouts than active ones.

Preparing for the end the past few weeks has had Mau in my mind constantly. He was a great Cat Scout and a wonderful member of our cat family. I miss him every single day. With him uppermost in my mind, I am sharing one of my very favorite photos of him for today’s selfie. I shared it in the past for a Spark, so some of you may remember it.

So without any additional preamble, her’s Mau!

 

A tuxedo cat wearing sunglasses and trying to push them off his face with his paw.

 

I do hope you have enjoyed this look back at our handsome boy. He was a character!

Hopping Time

Now it’s your turn to join us and show off your selfie to your friends as well as Kitties Blue. We don’t even mind if you repurpose a selfie like we did today. We just want to see your adorable faces.

Kitties Blue and I are aware this is a holiday weekend, so if you are too busy to participate today, don’t worry about it. The hop always remains open through Thursday.

Even if you don’t join our hop, we’d like to that you for following and supporting us.

Have an easy Sunday.

 



AUDREY ART X TWO

Caturday Art

I loved this photo of Audrey on the cat tree due to her sweet expression and her shadow on the wall. Unfortunately, the original photo was out of focus. So, that made it the purrfect candidate for Caturday Art. And, I have two versions for you today, as I could not decide which I liked best. If you have a favorite, please let us know in the comments.

 

A torbie cat in a cat tree with her shadow on the wall in some art with pastel colors and surrounded with an aqua lacy frame and a blue-green butterfly.

 

Torbie cat and her shadow in an artistic image in aqua, rust and brown and surrounded with an aqua, rickrack frame.

 

To create both of these artistic images, I used Painnt. The first image uses the Legoo effect with soft lighting and analog color composition. I created the second image with the AmyK 3 effect. Both frames are from the favpng app.

Of course, two artistic photos means you also get two puzzles.

preview120pieceTorbie Cat Art #1preview120pieceTorbie Cat Art #2

Audrey will be participating in Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty’s Caturday Art blog hop. If you’d like to join her there, click on Athena’s badge.

Sunday Selfies Reminder

It is time again, tomorrow, to share your selfie with the Kitties Blue and all your friends. Raleigh was supposed to be your host tomorrow, but I made him use his selfie photo yesterday on his naughtiness confession post. That means I will be trying to find one of the other eight to step up and take over the hosting duties. I suspect some treats will be involved in the process of persuasion.

Thanks for coming by to visit with us. We hope to see you again tomorrow.

 

NAUGHTY CAT & FILL-INS

Feline Friday

 

An orange tabby cat in a crouched position staring at the camera with a sad look on his face after being naughty.

 

This was supposed to be my Sunday Selfie, but my mom said I had to post it today. She also said I had to confess to being a naughty cat. I refused to come in from the catio for dinner two nights in a row. Last night I managed to hide so that Mom couldn’t find me. I wedged myself into the very back of the bottom cubby of the cat tree on the upper deck. My fur color just happens to match the covering on that tree. Until Mom got down on her belly and shown the flashlight into the back of the cubby, she couldn’t see me. Of course, I wouldn’t come out. She had to drag me out and haul me into the house. Did I mention that it was 10 p.m. by then.

I think you know by now that I am not a social cat, and I do hide often. Even so, Mom said that she does not appreciate me scaring her yet again.

When I came in the house, I started romping around and acting goofy, as if nothing unusual had happened. She thought that was pretty insensitive of me. But I am a cat, and I make no apologies for my behavior. I also will let you decide if you think I was naughty or just stubborn.

Purrs and hisses, Raleigh

Raleigh will be participating in the Feline Friday blog hop at messymimi’s meanderings. To do the same, click on the Feline Friday badge.

Friendly Fill-Ins

Time again to let you know a bit more about Kitties Blue and myself by completing the weekly fill-ins. Ellen (15 And Meowing) and Lorianne (Four-Legged Furballs) host the Friendly Fill-Ins blog hop. On Thursday they each select two sentences to be filled in by hop participants. You can find those on both blogs. Enter the hop by clicking on the graphic.

My usual helper, Sawyer, took over for me today on fill-in #4, and his cartoon alter-ego, Stinky, completed #2. Thanks, boys!

We all used teal italics to complete the sentences.

1. This weekend, I plan to finish washing the front porch.

2. Stinky: Spending time with Periwinkle never disappoints.

3. I once saw our cat, MacKenzie, standing at the backdoor alongside a possum as if to ask, “Can I keep him?”. (I will find the photo and share it sometime in the future.

4. Sawyer: You’ll never hear me say, “I don’t want any treats.”

So, that’s another week of filling in. We will be back tomorrow with some Caturday Art. Hope you’ll join us again then.

 

OODLES OF THANKFULS & THE COTILLION

Thankful Thursday

We have a long list of thankfuls for this week.

In spite of Sawyer being a a little stinker and hiding for a major portion of our time away, meaning he didn’t get his meals or meds, he hasn’t had a seizure in three-and-a-half weeks. That’s the longest he has gone without one in quite a while. I do attribute that to our now feeding him kitten food with his meds.

I am thankful to have been one of three first commenters on The Tuesday Teaser at Two Spoiled Cats. But even better, I am thankful to have provided the Teaser photo and to have stumped all the guessers. I received these two badges.

 

First commenter badge from Tuesday Teaser.Badge for fooling everyone with the Tuesday Teaser photo at Two Spoiled Cats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dad Tom and I are thankful for reaching our 50th wedding anniversary and enjoying a few days away at the Hope and Glory Inn in Irvington, Virginia. Periwinkle & Stinky visited there on Tuesday. If you missed that post, here’s the link, The Adventures of Periwinkle & Stinky: Part CLXXXVIII.

 

Man and woman in their 70s cuddled together in a restaurant.

 

Our next thankful involves some very special friends. On the way home from our trip, we met Pam and David (Two Spoiled Cats) for lunch. We hadn’t been able to get together since August 2021, so it was a particular pleasure to have this time together.

 

Two women (one with long blonde hair and glasses and one with short dark hair) in front of a sign for Randolph's on the River restaurant.

 

Our final thankful also involves Pam and David. They gifted us with this gorgeous anniversary present, which Dad Tom and I will cherish always. (Sorry I didn’t get a better photo of it.)

 

Shadow box with two human figures made from stones, a real piece of tree and a branch with a red heart and the words: Janet and Tom Love is forever Celebrating our 50th Anniversary

 

Thankful Thursday is a blog hop hosted by Brian. To participate, post on your blog for what you are thankful and then click on his badge to join the hop.

Thoroughly Poetic Thursday

On Thursday, I also enjoy writing some poetry based on an inspiration photo provided by Angel Sammy and Teddy from Two Spoiled Cats. I do attempt to add one or more of the Kitties Blue to the photo each week, but this week I didn’t find a way to do that and then write a convincing poem.

So here’s the phone sans kitties followed by my poem.

 

Ballroom filled with dancers from the 1950s at a cotillion.

 

The Cotillion

Once upon a time, young ladies and men
Practiced this annual tradition
Of dressing up & going to cotillion—
A custom from the eighteenth century
For young people of a certain pedigree.
It’s still a practice not just a memory.
Dinner jackets and white dresses,
Boutonnieres and wrist corsages—
All dictated by the most stringent protocols.
In the long past, I did enjoy this.
But now I am content just to reminisce,
As I remember the night of my first kiss.

© Janet Buickerood Blue – 05/24/2023

If you’d like to try writing some poetry, check out Two Spoiled Cats (by clicking on the poetry badge) for next week’s inspiration photo. Please read Angel Sammy’s poem when you visit. He sends it to Teddy each week from the Rainbow Bridge, and his poems are always exceptional!

Thanks for joining us today. We’ll see you again tomorrow for Friendly Fill-Ins and Feline Friday.

 

WHAT DO YOU MEAN I’M DOING THIS WRONG?

Wordless Wednesday

 

Tuxedo cat with Purina Friskies Pate box on her head.

 

Lisbeth is participating in the Wordless Wednesday blog hop at Comedy Plus. If you would like do the same, click on the badge below.

 

Looking Back

This week’s Looking Back post is from December 8, 2012. It is entitled, “No. 1 Kitty, Skooter, Loved Christmas.” I think you will enjoy it, as you will have the opportunity to learn a little bit about Dad Tom’s and my first cat. If you do like the post, Kitties Blue and I hope you will consider leaving us a comment on it.

As always, thanks for visiting.

 

THE ADVENTURES OF PERIWINKLE & STINKY: PART CLXXXVIII

Stinky is excited for Periwinkle’s and his adventure today. He is waiting with open paws when Periwinkle arrives with a whoosh from the teleportation tunnel. They spend several minutes whisker kissing and paw hugging. Then, before Periwinkle can say anything, Stinky leads her back into the tunnel.

Irvington, Virginia

Moments later they arrive outside a huge yellow house. Immediately Periwinkle recognizes where they are and says, ”Stinky, this is where your mom and dad spent their 50th wedding anniversary just a couple days ago.”

“Very good spotting, Periwinkle. My parents told me how beautiful this place is, so I knew we should come and check it out. Today we are only going to visit the Hope and Glory Inn and its beautiful gardens. We will come back another time to see some of the other local sites. The Inn is in Irvington, Virginia. The town sits on the shore of Carter’s Creek, a tributary to the Rappahannock River. It was formerly known as Carter’s Creek Wharf from from 1873 to 1891 and thrived as a steamboat port at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. The town could only be reached by boat.​” 

If our readers would like to know more about the history of Irvington, this is a great site to explore: Welcome to the Town of Irvington, Virginia.

The Hope & Glory Inn

 

Hope and Glory Inn exterior

 

Stinky tells Periwinkle, “The Inn was originally an elite boarding school called the Chesapeake Male and Female Academy. It existed from 1889 to 1907. The Inn consists of six guest rooms upstairs, but my parents stayed in one of the cottages located among the gardens. They are original buildings to the school as well.”

“Stinky, let’s go check out those gardens,” Periwinkle suggests.

 

Brick path surrounded by a garden and with two cartoon tabbies on the path.

 

“Periwinkle, the path behind us leads to the pool, but it isn’t open yet.”

 

Two cartoon tabbies on a brick path through a garden.

 

“This is the path looking toward the Inn. There are cool signs throughout the garden with what our moms would call Sparks written on them. Unfortunately, some flowers like the peonies have finished blooming and others, like the hydrangeas, haven’t started yet. But there are lots of pots of flowers and other cool plants.”

 

Collage of four different plants.

 

“What are these plants?” asks Periwinkle.

“Starting in the upper left corner and going clockwise, they are: Rose campion, Chinese holly, Asian clematis and Japanese spindletree,” Stinky replies and then takes off toward an object in the yard.

The Mini Inn

 

Birdhouse replica of the Inn with a cartoon tabby cat standing on it.

 

“Stinky, please come down. You are going to scare the birds living in that house.”

“No I won’t. I promise not to stick my paws inside, but I just had to get up here at check out this cool replica of the Inn.”

“If you come down, I see something we can both climb on,” Periwinkle tells Stinky.

The Ballerina

“Wow, Periwinkle, this statue is perfect for us to climb on together.”

“And it offers a great view of the garden,” says Periwinkle.

 

Sculpture of a ballerina with two cartoon tabby cats standing on her tutu.

 

After the tabbies climb down, Stinky takes Periwinkle’s paw and tells her there is someone they need to meet. He leads her into the Inn’s dining room. That is where they find the person his mom and dad said is very special to the Inn.

 

Dining room at Hope and Glory in with two cartoon tabby cats.

 

Executive Chef Meseret Crockett

When Meseret sees the tabbies she hurries to meet them and give them big hugs. She is a cat person, and Stinky’s mom told her he and Periwinkle would be visiting. She invites them out to the garden to take a photo with her.

 

Photo of Chef Meseret Crockett in a garden with two cartoon tabby cats at her feet.

 

Chef Meseret is a native of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She was educated in French schools and graduated from the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. Our readers can learn much more about Chef Meseret under the Dining section on the Hope and Glory Inn’s website. After a nice visit, Chef Meseret tells Periwinkle & Stinky that she would like to fix them one of her specialities for their lunch. She suggests they sit at the bistro table outside Cottage One, which is where Stinky’s parents had their breakfast every morning. The tabbies are happy to oblige.

A Gourmet Lunch

Soon after they settle into their seats, Meseret brings them lunch—her famous crab cakes, which are made with no fillers, just crab and aioli.

 

Two cartoon tabby cats sitting at a bistro table outside a cottage and eating crab cakes.

 

Periwinkle and Stinky immediately dive into their lunch. They can be heard oohing and ahhing as they eat. Stinky tells Periwinkle that the crab cakes are every bit as good as his parents said they were. Periwinkle agrees that they are exceptionally nommy delicious.

After lunch, the tabbies thank Meseret for the extraordinary lunch and promise to return, just as Stinky’s mom and dad had done. It is then time to enter the teleportation tunnel for the return trip to Stinky’s house.

When they arrive, Periwinkle spends some time visiting with Stinky’s parents as well as his fursibs. But, finally, it is time for her to return home. After several minutes of whisker kissing and paw hugs, Periwinkle enters the tunnel and is gone in a whoosh.

Stinky heads to the catio to nap and dream of Periwinkle and delicious crab cakes.

The End

Periwinkle & Stinky will be participating in the Happy Tuesday blog hop at Comedy Plus. If you’d like to do the same, click on the badge below.

PAWS, FUR & AWWWDORABLE AUDREY

Sparks

I saw today’s Spark on Quora and knew I had to share it. It definitely “spoke” to me, and I am certain it will do the same for all our followers.

 

Drawing of a tabby kitten with the following quote: "The best antidepressants have 4 paws and are covered in fur."

 

Sparks is the creation of Annie from McGuffy’s Reader. Sparks began as a blog hop, created by our friend. Annie stated when she began Sparks, “I believe we are meant to be lights in this world. If we allow our light to shine, we can see where we are going. It is then that we can begin to truly see each other clearly. Together, we can light up the entire world.”

Awww Mondays

Audrey is here today for the Awww Mondays blog hop. She discovered my bike helmet and in trying to determine what it actually was, she tried to take a bite out of it. I don’t know what you think, but I think she’s pretty darn awwwdorable.

 

Torbie cat checking out a bike helmet by tasting it.

 

If you’d like to join the blog hop at Comedy Plus, click on the Awww badge below.

 

The Adventures of Periwinkle & Stinky

Those two fun-loving tabbies, Periwinkle & Stinky, will be setting off on a new adventure tomorrow. You’ll be able to find them right here. I have no idea what Stinky has planned, but I know he and Periwinkle will want you to join them. Adventures are always more fun when you come along, so they’ll be waiting for you.

A HOPPER HOSTS OUR HOP!

Sunday Selfies: Week #457

As we suspected, we have a guest host for the third week in a row. As we are a cat blog, we don’t think this is quite right. Now, we aren’t really complaining. You know none of us are fond of taking selfies. So, without further ado, here is your host.

 

Bunny rabbit sitting in a garden with a gazing ball in the foreground.

 

This is one of the bunnies that visits our yard regularly. He sat in the same spot without blinking or even twitching for a very long time in the hope that Mom would help him take a selfie. She very happily obliged him.

We certainly hope you have enjoyed seeing some of our critter visitors this Sunday and the past two. We promise one of us will be back here next week.

Hop With Us

Now it is time for you to share your selfie, or maybe one of a friend or guest to your yard or home. We may not have the opportunity to look them out today, but we definitely will on Monday. And we know your other friends will be here to check you out. So, please join us on the hop.

And have a nice Easy Sunday!

Purrs & paw-pats, Misty May, Astrid, Lisbeth, Calista Jo, Cooper Murphy, Sawyer, Kizmet, Audrey & Raleigh

 



PLEASE DON’T GO!

Caturday Art 

This is going to be very short, as Mom is unable to stay awake. Here I am in her suitcase as she packed for Dad Tom’s and her anniversary getaway. I absolutely refused to leave her suitcase. She finally had to kick me out. So rude!

 

Orange tabby cat sleeping inside a packed suitcase surrounded by an elaborate black and crystal frame with a large bow

Mom created the art using the Fur Sketch effect from Painnt. She added the original coloring back so the sketch wouldn’t be just black and white. The over-the-top frame is another from favpng.

She also made a puzzle. She tried removing the white margins from around the photo by putting it on a transparent background. Unfortunately, Jigsaw Planet doesn’t recognize that. So, unfortunately, a huge amount of white space exists at the bottom and on the right side of the puzzle.

preview120pieceOrange cat in suitcase

I’ll be popping over to Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty’s blog for her Caturday Art hop. If you’d like to join me there, click on her badge.

 

Sunday Selfies Reminder

It is time again to share your selfie with the Kitties Blue and all your friends tomorrow. There is every reason to expect there will be a guest host for the third week a row. That is because Mom is not home to coerce one of us into snapping a selfie. But whether it is one of us or another adorable critter here to greet you, please consider joining our hop. It remains open through Thursday.

Purrs and paw-pats, Cooper Murphy

Thanks for coming by to visit with us.