December 2021

KIZMET’S GOTCHA DAY GIVEAWAY

Sunday Selfies: Week #383

I cannot believe I have been a member of the Kitties Blue crew for an entire year. And I never realized what a blast decorating for the holidays could be with my arrival last year coming after Mom had completed all of it. However, I absolutely love helping with everything. The last few days Cooper Murphy had some craft projects for the Cat Scouts Jamboree, and I was a huge help in completing them. He will share those later in the week.

Enough of this preamble, as I know you came to see my selfie and share yours. So, here’s mine!

gotcha day giveaway

As this is the last Sunday Selfie post before Christmas, Mom added some holiday decor to my selfie.

Giveaway

Some of you may remember I was a contestant in the Helen Woodward Animal Center’s Superhero Sidekick calendar contestant. I was one of the top 12 vote getters and earned a page in the calendar. I am the August Superhero. If you’d like to see an “artified” version of the calendar photo, check out this post: “Art from Superhero Sidekick Kizmet.” That post also has the information on how to order your very own calendar.

I am giving away a calendar as well to one lucky reader. Everyone leaving a comment on this post prior to Wednesday, December 22, at 5 p.m. ET will earn one entry into the giveaway. The winner will be selected using Random.org. and announced on Thursday.

Mom says that I am not just giving something away for my Gotcha Day, but I also am getting a gift. I have no idea what it is, but I will share that on Thursday as well.

Hopping Time

I hope each of you will give me a gift today by sharing a selfie on our blog hop. Add some festive decorations if you like. As a reminder: The hop is open to all anipals regardless of species. And you don’t even have to post today to join in the fun. The hop is open until Thursday.

All my fursibs and I are looking forward to seeing you smiling faces. And we thank you for being our friends, followers and supporters.

Purrs and paw-pats, Kizmet

VISIONS OF CHRISTMAS PAST

Caturday Art

As I promised at the beginning of the month I am sharing Caturday Art from past Decembers. Today’s is a vision from Christmas 2018, which I turned into art during December of 2019. It was Sawyer’s second Christmas as a Kitties Blue. I like the vintage look I created of Sawyer on the stairs surrounded by garland.

visions Christmas past

I did make a puzzle for you.

117 Christmas Tabby Sawyer

Sawyer’s going to pop over to Athena’s to join her Caturday Art blog hop. If you’d like to do the same, click on her badge.

Sunday Selfies Reminder

Kizmet will be your host tomorrow, and she is having a special holiday giveaway. You’ll have to join us tomorrow to find out what she has for the lucky winner. Even if you don’t want to post a selfie, you’ll need to leave a comment to be entered in a random drawing. All the Kitties Blue do hope, however, you will join us by adding your selfie to our blog hop. You know how much we and all your other friends enjoy seeing your adorable face.

Until then…

December 18, 2021 by Janet Blue Caturday Art Blog Hop Christmas Jigsaw Puzzle 18

PLEADING FOR NIP & FILL-INS

Feline/Friendship Friday

Kizmet gives her dad a pleading look when she sees the catnip he is drying. None of the other Kitties Blue would be so patient or well behaved.

pleading for catnip

Kizmet will be joining the Feline Friday blog hop at Comedy Plus and the Friendship Friday blog hop at Create With Joy.

Friendly Fill-Ins: Week #290

On Fridays Kitties Blue and I always try to participate in the Friendly Fill-Ins blog hop hosted by Ellen (15 And Meowing) and Lorianne (Four-Legged Furballs). This week I filled in all by myself with no help from the gang. As usual, I used teal italics for my completions. Explanatory information is in italics.

1. Kizmet’s continued curiosity and help with decorating made me smile recently.

2. I am looking forward to seeing Tom’s family through a group Go to Meeting call over the holidays.

3. During the holiday season, my home is a beacon in the night due to the number of lights I have inside and outside and the leaded glass windows that multiply all those lights. (The photo is of our tiny four-foot tree, which we call Twinkle’s tree. Twinkle was our first cat to become an angel, and we have had a tree in her honor every year—except the year Fiona passed away and I didn’t decorate—since her passing in 1998. I will share photos of our other two trees sometime before Christmas.)

4. Listening to Christmas music is my favorite way to get in a festive mood.

If you’d like to play along with fill-ins, check out either Ellen’s or Lorianne’s blog on Thursdays to find the sentences to be filled in. To take part in the hop, click on the badge below.

We’ll see you again tomorrow with some flashback Christmas Caturday Art.

December 17, 2021 by Janet Blue Christmas Feline Friday Friendly Friday Fill-Ins Friendship Friday Holiday 15

THURSDAY THANKFULS & POETRY

Thankful Thursday

Each Thursday we are happy to share the things for which we are thankful.

Kitties Blue are most thankful for all the holiday cards they have received. They have gotten at least five for each one Dad Tom and I have received.

Though Sawyer had a small focal seizure last evening, he has been seizure free for a little over three weeks. We are all so grateful.

Kitties Blue and I are thankful for the support and friendship each of you offer us.

Thankful Thursday is a blog hop hosted by everyone’s friend, Brian. If you’d like to participate, post on your blog for what you are thankful and then click on the badge below to link up with the hop.

Thoroughly Poetic Thursday

Thursday is also the day some of us write poetry based on an inspiration photo provided by Angel Sammy and Teddy from Two Spoiled Cats. Here’s this week’s photo.

You Have to Suffer to Be Beautiful

All this primping is such a pain
To look pretty for another Great Dane.
I am certain he doesn’t even like me,
But my parents have invited him for tea
To see if he’d make a good mate,
So the two of us might propagate
And give them a litter of puppies!

The title I selected for my poem is something my mother used to say to me often when I was a child. The photo reminded me of it, as she often said this after setting my hair with metal curlers, which I would then have to sleep on.

Check out Two Spoiled Cats for next week’s inspiration photo. And make certain to read Angel Sammy’s poem. He transmits it to Teddy each week from the Rainbow Bridge, and he is a first-rate poet.

December 16, 2021 by Janet Blue Poetry Thankful Thursday Thoroughly Poetic Thursday 10

GOOD DAY SUNSHINE

Wordless Wednesday

good day sunshine

C.J. is participating in the Wordless Wednesday blog hop hosted by Comedy Plus. If you’d like to do the same, click on the badge.

December 15, 2021 by Janet Blue Wordless Wednesday 15

SUNRISE ON HAPPINESS

Sparks

sunrise happiness

After the recent disasters and deaths in the midwest from the tornadoes, I felt those of us more fortunate needed a reminder to choose happiness.

Dad Tom took this sunrise photo of Mount LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

The author of today’s Spark, Lynda Resnick, is a 77-year-old, American billionaire and philanthropist.

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

Our two little, tabby adventurers will be sharing a new adventure tomorrow over at Friends Furever. They both have their paws crossed you will take a few minutes out of your day to join in the fun.

December 13, 2021 by Janet Blue Dad Tom's Photography Sparks 13

BEING GOOD FOR SANTA PAWS

Sunday Selfies: Week #382

BEING GOOD FOR SANTA PAWS

Here is the two-fur I promised you yesterday. Sawyer and Kizmet often sleep side by side, as I have shared on a few other occasions. It is usually Sawyer who initiates the cuddling, but seeking each other out goes both ways. One of the reasons for adopting Kizmet was to provide Sawyer with a playmate, as none of the Kitties Blue would play with him. Their snuggling is a bonus. Sawyer hopes his girlfriend Noelle doesn’t get jealous. His relationship with Kizmet is strictly platonic.

Hopping Time

Now, it is your turn to share your selfie, or maybe you have a two-fur today as well. Whichever it is, we look forward to your joining us on the hop. You can link up below anytime through Thursday. So, if you’re not a Sunday poster, you can still join in the fun. and, of course, you don’t need to be of the feline persuasion to participate. All anipals are welcome.

Thanks for being our friends and supporting our hop each week.

December 12, 2021 by Janet Blue Sunday Selfies Two-Fur 27

ASTRID’S 2016 CHRISTMAS CATURDAY ART

Caturday Art

Christmas Caturday Art

This is my second favorite piece of art after the one of Giulietta I shared last week. I turned it into Kitties Blue Christmas card for 2016.

I also made a puzzle of the art this time.

120 Astrid’s 2016 Christmas Art

Astrid is participating in the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty. You can do the same, by clicking on her badge.

Sunday Selfies Reminder

As Sunday roles around I am often trying to coerce or bribe one of our rascals to snap a selfie for our weekly hop. But this week, not one but two Kitties Blue joined together for an usie (or what I like to call a two-fur) without my even asking. I am certain this willingness to be your hosts tomorrow has something to do with Santa watching. Though they already received their main gift, which you can see on yesterday’s post, they know they can expect more if they behave themselves. That’s what I suspect anyway, or it could be as I always say, “Cats are predictably unpredictable.”

Whatever the reason for two of our gang stepping forward, we all hope you will do the same. Even if you are like Kizmet and helping with every aspect of holiday preparations, please take a moment to snap a selfie and join our hop. We always enjoy seeing your adorable faces and appreciate your support and friendship.

December 11, 2021 by Janet Blue Caturday Art Blog Hop Jigsaw Puzzle 16

NEW CAT TREE FOR CHRISTMAS

Thankful Thursday on Friday

On Wednesday night Dad Tom and I took a bike tour of area Christmas lights with about 300 other cyclists/light enthusiasts. By the time we got home, Cooper Murphy went to Book Club at Cat Scouts, Dad Tom and I had dinner, and I had a hot bath to warm up, I honestly didn’t feel like writing a post.

As far as thankfuls go, I am thankful we did the light tour, but I am certain I will not do it again. It was just too darn cold.

I am even more thankful that I have all the out-of-town gifts wrapped and boxed (13 boxes) to mail tomorrow.

Kitties Blue are thankful for an early Christmas gift—a new cat tree. Kizmet was enjoying the gift before Dad Tom even took it out of the box.

cat tree for Christmas

I am thankful Sharon (Friends Furever) and I were the only two first commenters on the Tuesday Teaser at Two Spoiled Cats.

Finally Kitties Blue and I are thankful for all of you who visit and read our little blog. Your friendship and support is so important to us.

Brian hosts the Thankful Thursday blog hop. To participate, click on his badge.

Friendly Fill-Ins: Week #289

So, I had to get a little help from Sawyer for this week’s fill-ins, and I had no answer for fill-in #4. Friendly Fill-Ins is a blog hop hosted by Ellen (15 And Meowing) and Lorianne (Four-Legged Furballs). If you’d like to take part in fill-ins, both Ellen and Lorianne post the sentences to be completed on their blogs on Thursday. To join the hop, click on the Fill-Ins badge.

I have used teal italics for my fill-ins.

1. My biggest pet peeve at Christmastime is being too busy to just relax and enjoy the season.

2. Sawyer: A truckload of treats is on my list to Santa.

3. My Christmas to-do list still includes decorating our nine-foot tree.

4. A random piece of Christmas trivia that I know is absolutely nothing.

Feline/Friendship Friday

Kizmet is joining the blog hops at Comedy Plus and Create With Joy.

Thanks for stopping in today. We’ll see you again tomorrow with some Caturday Art.

December 10, 2021 by Janet Blue Feline Friday Friendly Friday Fill-Ins Friendship Friday Thankful Thursday 13

LAZY DAY FOR KITTIES BLUE

Wordless Wednesday

Kitties Blue lazy day

Kizmet, Cooper Murphy and Calista Jo are joining the Wordless Wednesday blog hop at Comedy Plus.

December 8, 2021 by Janet Blue Wordless Wednesday 15

YOU
For Fiona

It seems like only yesterday…
You were just a kitten.
When I saw your pleading look,
I was completely smitten.

Now at only six years old,
You are getting ready to leave,
Soon you will have your wings.
I’ve already started to grieve.

You’ve fought hard for the past year,
And I’m not ready to say good-bye.
I can’t imagine you not in my life
I am so sad…today I had to cry.

I am grateful and blessed
For my six years with you.
You’ll live in my heart forever.
You’re one of the best ever Kitties Blue.

YESTERDAY

Many yesterdays have passed since
You gained your angel wings. Today
Is six months since you left us behind
To remember and mourn. Our hearts
Continue to hurt, and we miss
You as much as the day you left.
Giulietta whined from the catio
Yesterday as I worked in the yard.
I know you put her up to it. That
Was your way of getting me to,
Allow you to join me as I
Gardened. You were there with me
In spirit. With every meow
I thought of you and how much I miss
Your sweet face and disposition.
In these past few months, many friends
Have traveled your same path in your
paw-steps. I am certain you were
Waiting to greet them with purrs and hugs.
I pray you and your friends are laughing,
Frolicking and having fun together.
Picturing that makes me smile, but
Does not lessen my sadness at your
No longer being here to snuggle
And receive our love, care and kisses.
Fiona, please do not ever forget
You are still and always will be loved.

ONE YEAR MISSING YOU

One year has passed since you flew away,
And I still think of you everyday.
I see your sweet face in my mind’s eye
And wish we’d never had to say good-bye.
It’s nice you’ve sent us kitties needing a family,
But my dearest love, we are now at capacity.
You thought it would take more than one cat
To take your place in our habitat.
We love Cooper Murphy and baby Sawyer dearly
But thinking either could replace you makes me teary.
You were one-of-a-kind and will stay in my heart
Until the day I join you and we’re no longer apart.
When once again I can hold you in my arms
And revel in all your love and feline charms.
Together with you and all who have passed.
I will spend eternity contemplating how blessed
I was to share my life with my furry children,
Each and every one of you one-in-a billion.

UNTIL

I miss you each day.
Until we meet in heaven,
The pain will remain.

ONE OF A KIND

I don’t know how to say good-bye.
I thought you were invincible; though,
You used up many of your nine lives.
You ruled us all with an iron paw;
Never took “no” for an answer
And always got your way.
If not, you’d bark to signal your
Displeasure and sometimes raise a paw.
I always joked that you were bi-polar.
When I told people you were a calico
They immediately understood what I meant.
Today was unnaturally quiet in the house.
Can a home seem empty with eight cats?
I will miss waking up at night to find you
Sitting next to me and staring at me.
I will miss you yelling at us as you did
When you wanted breakfast and dinner.
I will miss watching you lounging and snoozing
On the porch settee on a warm afternoon.
But most of all I will miss your kisses!
When kitten Sawyer befriended you,
We suspect you were imparting your
Wisdom and secrets for controlling us.
Time will tell if he was a good listener.
But whatever he may have learned,
Neither Sawyer nor any other cat
Can or will replace you in our hearts.
Lily Olivia, you were one-of-a-kind.