April 2022

NATIONAL TABBY CAT DAY ART

Caturday Art

National Tabby Cat Day badge

 

Today is Tabby Cat Appreciation Day, and we are celebrating by featuring our two current tabbies, Cooper Murphy and Sawyer. So, they are the subjects of today’s Caturday Art.

 

Art rendering of two tabby cats (orange & grey) for National Tabby Cat Day

 

I used the Vola effect from Painnt and a frame from favpng.

I made a puzzle for all you jigsaw fans.

preview140pieceTabby Cat Caturday Art

The boys are joining the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty. If you’d like to do the same, click on her badge.

 

Sunday Selfies Reminder

We’ll be here tomorrow with Sunday Selfies; though, I continue to have problems with e-mail notifications, and visitors are not coming here to read our posts. I am trying to set up notifications with another app, but have no confidence it is going to work. Quite frankly, I am seriously considering abandoning The Cat on My Head and doing something else with the remainder of my life. The frustration and stress are getting to be way too much.

If anyone using WordPress.org and an e-mail post notification system that is working for them can help me set up something else for this blog, I would be forever grateful.

Anyhoo, Kitties Blue and I definitely hope you will join us here tomorrow and share your selfie.

 

 

 

NEIGHBORHOOD CAT & FILL-INS

Feline/Friendship Friday

 

Dilute tortie cat drinking from rainbow colored water bowl on porch.

 

This is not one of Kitties Blue. She is a gorgeous dilute tortie and white cat that lives somewhere in our neighborhood. We have no idea where, but she is very well fed, and so is either hitting up lots of neighbors for food or has a good home. She often hangs around our yard and is drinking from the water bowl on our front porch, which is there for Misty May. I think she has a super sweet face.

She doesn’t know I’m sharing her on the Feline Friday and Friendship Friday blog hops at Comedy Plus and Create With Joy, respectively. You can do the same by clicking on the appropriate link(s).

Friendly Fill-Ins: Week #309

On Fridays Kitties Blue and I fill-in, along with friends, Lorianne (Four-Legged Furballs) and Ellen (15 And Meowing), who jointly host the blog hop and select the sentences to be filled in.

I had to get a little help this week from Sawyer. We both used teal italics for our fill-ins.

1. In May, I may plant some annuals in my front porch pots and the flower box below our bedroom window.

2. Ten years ago, I was thinking about starting a blog about Kitties Blue.

3. Sawyer: I hope for a future in which I have fewer and fewer seizures.

4. I would probably last an infinite number of days in solitary confinement.

If you’d like to participate in this hop, check out either Ellen’s or Lorianne’s blog on Thursday for the sentences to be completed. To hop, click on the Fill-Ins badge.

Note to Subscribers

I am certain you have noticed that e-mail notifications of the publication of posts are still not arriving in your mail box. I have tried numerous avenues to find a solution and keep coming up empty. If anyone reading this post uses WordPress.org and an e-mail plug-in other than Subscribe2, please let me know. After ten years of using Subscribe2, I am going to need to change my method of notification, and suggestions on what to select for this purpose will be much appreciated.

Thanks!

 

YEARLY ROUNDUP THANKFUL & POETRY

Thankful Thursday: Yearly Roundup

yearly roundup: collage of six cats, veterinarian and vet tech examining cats.

 

Tuesday was an exciting day at the Blue residence. It was the annual roundup. If you’ve followed us for any length of time, you know that our vet comes to the house once a year for the kitties annual exams and vaccinations. Dad Tom managed to get a photo of all the Kitties Blue except Lisbeth. To compensate for her being left out, she is included in the inspiration photo for Thoroughly Poetic Thursday.

Anyhoo, the entire gang, as well as Dad Tom and I are thankful the ordeal is over for another year. We do have a few things to report.

  • Cooper was the least well behaved, which was a total shock. Usually he’s easy going and doesn’t even mind a visit to the vet’s office.
  • Sawyer was the best behaved. He didn’t squirm, hiss or make any other sound. He has an aversion to being held and usually “melts down” quickly. Dr. Neel was especially proud of him as were we.
  • Cooper Murphy’s weight is holding steady at 19 pounds. That’s a lot, but we are delighted he’s not getting any bigger.
  • Misty May’s weight is down to four pounds nine ounces. She was forced to give up some of her blood and has hyperthyroidism, which I suspected. But all of her internal organs are in great shape. We are starting her on meds in the hope that she’ll gain some weight.

Those are the highlights of the roundup. No bandaids were needed—just a lint roller at the end of the visit. Dad Tom and I are super thankful for Dr. Neel (who is officially retired) and our favorite tech, Tomika, for coming to the house again this year. We are truly blessed that Kitties Blue get this special treatment.

Additional Thankful

Kizmet has another thankful. If you read yesterday post, “I Bought My Cat an iPad,” then you already know her thankful. And if you read the post, “Mouse Game Fanatic,” you know she is addicted to the Mouse for Cats game. It had reached a point where neither Dad Tom nor I were able to use our iPads without her crawling all over them and us or trying to knock the iPads out of our hands. So, I went to Ebay and purchased a refurbished one at a super reasonable price. She and the others who enjoy the game (Misty May, Sawyer, Cooper and Calista Jo) can now play all day if they so desire.

Thankful Thursday is a blog hop hosted by Brian. To participate, post on your blog for what you are thankful. Then enter the URL on the badge below in your browser to go to Brian’s blog.

Thoroughly Poetic Thursday

Thursday is also poetry day thanks to Angel Sammy and Teddy from Two Spoiled Cats who provide an inspiration photo. As I have been doing for several weeks, I added one of the Kitties Blue to the photo. Lisbeth is sitting in front of the rocking horse, but she is not the subject of my poem.

 

Two senior citizens: one driving electric wheel chair pulling the other on a rocking horse mounted on a platform. (yearly roundup)

 

Ride ‘Em Urban Cowboy 

When you cannot walk and need to ride
Why not have some fun
With your feline sidekick at your side
Get your trusty steed and toy gun

For a gallop to a cafe or park
Find someone reliable to drive you
Before on your adventure you embark
So you don’t take a tumble and get a boo-boo

Don’t jerk your reins too hard
As your driver may get off course
And you could end in a stranger’s yard
On the ground without your horse

Some may think you’re off your rocker
At your age you deserve to do what you want
So ride ‘em urban cowboy
Without fear of embarrassment

© Janet Buickerood Blue – 04/28/2022

If you’d like to join us in writing poetry, click on the poetry badge to go to Two Spoiled Cats to find next week’s inspiration photo. Please read Angel Sammy’s poem when you visit. You won’t regret it, as he’s a terrific poet.

Thanks for joining us today.

 

THE ADVENTURES OF PERIWINKLE & STINKY: PART CXXXII

Stinky anxiously awaits Periwinkle’s arrival. He’s excited for today’s adventure but uneasy. After the trip to Disneyland Paris, Periwinkle might find today’s adventure pretty tame, especially as they aren’t leaving the country much less the state. As Stinky paces and frets, he hears the whoosh of the teleportation tunnel and Periwinkle comes tumbling out. Catching her in his paws, he gives her several whisker kisses before leading her back into the tunnel. 

A Visit to Historic Jamestowne

 

 

When they pop out of the tunnel at their destination, Periwinkle says, “Wow, Stinky, you didn’t even let me catch my breath before jumping back in the tunnel.” After looking around her she asks, “Where the heck are we?”

Stinky replies, “We are in Historic Jamestowne.” 

Periwinkle asks, “Did we travel back in time?”

“No silly, we are in Historic Jamestowne as it is today. And I bet you are curious as to why. Four hundred fifteen years ago today, April 26, 1607, the Jamestown expedition made its first landing in America at Cape Henry. There were three ships (Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery), which left from London in December, 1606. Then on May 14, 1607, a group of roughly 104 passengers and 39 crew, members of a joint venture called the Virginia Company, founded the first permanent English settlement in North America on the banks of the James River. The settlement had the names, James Forte, James Towne and James Cittie before becoming Jamestown.

“There is more history about Jamestown than I can ever share with you and our readers, but I thought it would be fun to look around. My mom and dad have visited several times, as excavations continue and more and more things are being discovered.”

“Stinky, where should we start?”

“Let’s begin where the original settlers did.”

Ship Replicas

 

Periwinkle & Stinky at replica of Susan Constant ship in Jamestown, VA.

 

“This is a replica of the Susan Constant. It carried the largest number of passengers, a total of 71. Its Captain was Christoper Newport.

“Can we go onboard?” asks Periwinkle.

Stinky tells her that they can, but there is so much to see that they will have to return for that. Periwinkle pouts but knows with their short legs they can only cover so much ground in the allotted time for their adventures. So, the two move forward. Periwinkle is thankful Stinky did not try to climb the ship’s mast, which she knows would have happened had they gone onboard.

Cannon & Fort

 

Periwinkle & Stinky in Jamestown with Stinky sitting atop a cannon.

 

“Where are we now Stinky?” asks Periwinkle right after she admonishes Stinky for climbing on the cannon. (She knew it wouldn’t take long for him to start climbing.) Stinky hops down and informs her that the cannon is called a falconet. It’s a light, cheap cannon that fired a small but lethal iron shot. It was used to protect the fort, the replica of which sits behind them. 

“Wow, Stinky look how pretty the sky and water look. I bet that’s one reason the original settlers picked this spot. So what’s next?” asks Periwinkle.

Stinky knows Periwinkle is a true romantic and doesn’t burst her bubble by telling her beauty did not play a role in the selection of the locale for Jamestown.

Jamestown Church

 

Periwinkle & Stinky in Jamestown at Jamestown Church Tower.

 

“This is the remains of the 1639 Jamestown Church tower, with 20th century reconstruction on the original foundations,” Stinky explains from his perch. Once again, Periwinkle must ask him to get down before he hurts himself.  Stinky continues, “You can see from here the excavation of the church where Pocahontas married John Rolfe in 1614. It has been excavated and is in the process of being rebuilt. Since I brought her up, let’s go see the statue of Pocahontas.”

Pocahontas

 

Periwinkle & Stinky in Jamestown with statue of Pocahontas

 

Periwinkle asks, “What to you know about Pocahontas?” 

Stinky replies, “Lets see…she was the daughter of Chief Powhatan and was born around 1596. Her birth name was Amonute, but she was known as Matoaka. Pocahontas was a nickname, meaning playful one. She was captured and held for ransom by English Colonists during hostilities in 1613. During that time, she converted to Christianity and was baptized Rebecca. She and Rolfe had a son, Thomas. Pocahontas died in March, 1617, in Gravesend, England. She is buried there at St. George’s Church.”

The statue has been moved several times, and Pocahontas’ hands are worn a bright copper color because visitors hold them while posing for photos.

“Stinky, I always love that you research about our adventures. I learn so much.” Stinky blushes and thanks Periwinkle. He then takes her paw and leads her to another statue.

John Smith

 

Periwinkle & Stinky in Jamestown with statue of John Smith.

 

When they arrive at the statue of John Smith, Stinky gets ready to climb it, but Periwinkle convinces him not to do it. He’s a little miffed but gives her a very brief history of John Smith. Smith was among the first settlers of Jamestown and played an important role in its establishment. He was leader of the Virginia Colony from September 1607 to August 1609 and led an exploration along the rivers of Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay. Smith became the first English explorer to map the Chesapeake Bay area.

Stinky also tells Periwinkle that Smith was charged with mutiny by Captain Newport during their sailing from England. Smith was under arrest for most of the trip. He was spared from execution when the group landed at Cape Henry and unsealed orders from the Virginia Company designating Smith as one of the leaders of the new colony. Smith trained the first settlers to work at farming and fishing, saving the colony from early devastation.

Periwinkle tells Stinky that her head is beginning to spin from so much information, so he promises to show her just one more monument.

Tercentennial Monument

 

Periwinkle & Stinky in Jamestown with Tercentennial Monument.

 

As they approach, Periwinkle says, “Hey, Stinky, this looks like the Washington monument.”

“That is a very good observation Periwinkle. The United States government placed the obelisk on Jamestown Island in 1907 for the 300th anniversary of the settlement. It’s hard to believe it is over a hundred years old; it looks brand new. The monument is called the Tercentennial Monument. It cost $50,000, stands 104 feet tall (one foot for each of the first settlers) and is made of New Hampshire granite.”

Stinky notices that Periwinkle’s energy is beginning to lag, and his is as well. Even though there is so much more to see and learn about Jamestown, he senses it is time to head for his house for a snack and a nap. He tells Periwinkle they can return in the future to learn about the graves of early settlers, which have been found and excavated, as well as something about the “starving time” when settlers resorted to cannibalism. They also can visit the ship replicas and museum. Periwinkle agrees that is a good idea.

The tabbies enter the teleportation tunnel and moments later arrive at Stinky’s house. They enjoy the warm weather on the catio where they visit with Stinky’s folks and fursibs before taking a well-deserved nap. Soon, it is time for Periwinkle to head home. She and Stinky share lots of paw hugs and whisker kisses before Periwinkle enters the tunnel and with a wave departs in a whoosh.

The End

Periwinkle and Stinky are joining the Happy Tuesday blog hop at Comedy Plus. Click on the badge below to join them.

SPARK OF ENTHUSIASM & ITS ANTITHESIS

Sparks

Graphic with Dale Carnegie quote: Today is life-the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto.

 

I’ve been wanting to post a Spark about enthusiasm, mostly to perk up myself. The issue from last week with my e-mail and now the problem with my subscription plug-in are starting to wear me down.

I couldn’t find a photo of any of the Kitties Blue that fit this quote to use as a background. The graphic I used is from favpng. As evidenced by the title of this post, I did, however, find a photo that contradicts this post.

 

 

Misty May is snoozing here, but at almost 19 she still has loads of spunk—she plays with toys and antagonizes others of the Kitties Blue. She’s also proficient at whacky paws and the mouse game.

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

Misty May is joining the Awww Mondays blog hop at Comedy Plus. You can do the same by clicking on the Awww badge.

E-Mail Notifications

I apologize that subscribers did not get an e-mail notification for today’s post. And you will not be getting one for “Periwinkle & Stinky” unless a miracle occurs. I have been unable to find a person or web-site that can help me. The last thing I want to do is abandon this plug-in and make everyone subscribe again. My suggestion is the add The Cat on My Head (https://www.thecatonmyhead.com) to your reading list, so you can easily check in with us each day.

Thanks for your understanding and support.

The Adventures of Periwinkle & Stinky

Our awww-adorable tabbies, Periwinkle and Stinky, will be taking their next adventure right here tomorrow. These two adventuring youngsters have lots of fun when they are together and love taking you along with them. So please plan to join them tomorrow!

 

 

LONG-AWAITED SAWYER SELFIE

Sunday Selfies: Week #401

 

Sawyer Selfie: portrait of grey tabby cat with green eyes.

 

Well, it’s about time I got to host Sunday Selfies. My last hosting gig was on January 16. To be fair, I am not a selfie fan, but I think I should get equal time to show you just how darn adorable I am. Actually I’m pretty darn surprised I made it here today. Mom has a selfie of another one of us, but she decided to save it for next week.

I have my tracker on my collar, which is why it looks so bulky. It doesn’t bother me. Mom got me the “I Have Seizures” tag when I returned from my walkabout. It’s in addition to my regular I.D. tag.

So, I have my paws crossed that my girlfriend Noelle (Friends Furever) likes my selfie. Do you think she will?

Note to Subscribers

When our e-mail went kablooey about ten days ago, it messed with our subscriber notifications of posts. Mom’s been tinkering with the settings trying to get it working again, but as of Saturday it still wasn’t. If you did or didn’t get an e-mail notification of this post, can you please let us know in the Comments. I am uncrossing and recrossing my paws with the hope this feature has decided to work again. If we find out it hasn’t, I know what Mom will be doing today.

For Your Amusement

Dad made a short video of Cooper Murphy and me playing yesterday morning that I think you’ll enjoy. If you’d like to see it, click on the Instagram mouse in our sidebar. I’ll just say that Cooper Murphy was being much more tolerant of me than usual.

Hopping Time

Finally! Of course, by now you all know the procedure for hopping. We have no idea what happened last week as to why the gallery of selfies ended up on a separate page from our post. Mom does think, however, that she has corrected that problem! With everything that’s been happening lately with the blog and e-mail, we think Kizmet is getting up at night and playing with the computer. We’ll have more about that in a future post.

Anyhoo, I sure hope you’ll join me today with your own selfie. You know you want to show everyone who stops by just how cute you are. And invite a few friends to join in the fun. We love meeting new anipals.

Thanks for stopping by today. Your friendship and support are so important when it comes to keeping Mom engaged and wanting to post about us.

Purrs and paw-pats, Sawyer (with whisker kisses for Noelle)

 



EARTH DAY CATURDAY ART

Thanks to Astrid and two devious groundhogs, I didn’t get a post written yesterday. Because of that, our art today is representative of what we would have posted yesterday.

Caturday Art

 

 Graphic of a tree sitting on the earth with seven cats sitting on the earth and in tree for Earth Day Caturday Art.

 

Our Earth is about 4.54 billion years old. The National Center for Science Education has been able to determine this approximate age through dating rocks and meteorites found here on Earth. Today our planet is at risk from warming temperatures, pollution, drought, wildfires, floods, melting glaciers, rising sea levels, tornados and hurricanes.

Kitties Blue are here to remind you that each of us is responsible for doing our best not to compromise our planet. We must preserve it for future generations.

I did make a puzzle for you. It’s pretty easy.

preview132pieceEarth Day Caturday Art
We are sharing our art on Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty’s Caturday Art blog hop.


Sunday Selfies Reminder

One of the gang will be here tomorrow to welcome you and host our weekly blog hop. As usual, they invite you to participate and to ask your friends to join in the fun. Your participation, support and friendship is what keeps us posting and sharing the lives, adventures and antics of Kitties Blue.

Have a terrific Caturday.

 

 

 

DOGS VS. CAT POEM & THANKFULS

Thoroughly Poetic Thursday

I had so much fun writing my poem for today’s Thoroughly Poetic Thursday. This week, Kizmet is joining the two dogs in the inspiration photo provided by Angel Sammy and Teddy from Two Spoiled Cats. It’s a narrative poem in the voice of the large, white dog.

 

Dog vs. Cat: Large white dog staring at puppy with grey cat by its side.

 

Dogs vs. Cat: Safety in Numbers

Hello little puppy. I hear your name
is Cosmo. My name is Ralph. I am
your big brother. We are dogs.
This furry, grey thing is the cat.
She too has a name, but I just
call her cat! Don’t worry about
the names for now. You’ll learn
them in time. I do think the cat
knows her name, but she doesn’t
come when called. The big, two-legged
creatures don’t care. But when
you learn your name, you must
come when called. That’s what dogs
do—we are people pleasers.
If you don’t obey, you’ll be in the dog
house aka time-out! There are some other
rules as well. Do not bite or scratch the cat
even if she annoys or taunts you, and she will!
If she wants to play and you don’t, walk away.
If she wants to sleep with or on you, close
your eyes, pretend she’s a furry pillow.
And stay out of that box with the granulated
stuff. That’s where she does her business. If you
eat the poop, that too will land you in time-out.
She will definitely try to eat your food and steal
your toys. Whatever you do, don’t get annoyed.
Why we must obey, and she can do what she
wants has something to do with her being
royalty. I don’t know what that means, but
it definitely works in her favor. I’m just happy you
are here. There’s always safety in numbers!

© Janet Buickerood Blue – 04/20/2022

Writing poetry is oodles of fun. If you’ve never tried it, check out Two Spoiled Cats by clicking on Angel Sammy’s poetry badge. That’s where you’ll find next week’s inspiration photo as well as Sammy’s poem. He transmits it to Teddy from the bridge, and it is always terrific.

 

Thankful Thursday

I have the thankfuls this week for Brian’s Thankful Thursday blog hop.

  • Dad Tom and I got our second COVID, vaccine booster this week.
  • After a week of having a totally messed up e-mail account, making it impossible for subscribers to get notifications of posts and me only being able to send e-mails from a webmail account that was a pain to use, everything is back to normal. It only took six hours yesterday, which consisted of a “chat” with my hosting company and me reconfiguring everything. If you are a subscriber, you should have gotten an e-mail notification with regard to this post.
  • Astrid somehow managed to get herself outside yesterday. When she didn’t show up for dinner, I discovered her outside the screen door to the catio. She was loudly requesting to be let in. I am super thankful she didn’t wander off and decide to take a walkabout.

That’s it for the week, except for the Kitties Blue and my continued thanks to those of you who follow and support us and give so freely of your friendship.

Kitties Blue and I are joining Brian’s Thankful Thursday blog hop. If you would like to do the same, enter the URL on his badge in your browser.