International Box Day

KIZMET’S DISAPPROVING STARE & A SPARK

Awww Mondays

Grey cat sitting on a wrapped gift.

Kizmet parked herself on top of her dad’s Father’s Day gift and did not want to move, as you can see by the expression on her face. I suspect she knew that his gift was wrapped in a Cat Lady box, and she could smell the catnip toys that had once been inside.

Even if Kizmet appears disapproving, I still think she is awwwdorable enough to join the Awww Mondays blog hop at Comedy Plus. If you would like to meet her there, click on the Awww badge.

Kizmet is also participating in International Box Day

International Box day badge

Sparks

Purple Asian clematis with the following quote porinted on the photo, "I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. That myth is more potent than history. That dreams are more powerful than facts. That hope always triumphs over experience. That laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe that love is stronger than death." by Robert Fulghum

I found this Spark after our friend, Raz (Friends Furever), got his wings. I think you can intuit why it spoke to me.

The author of today’s Spark, Robert Lee Fulghum, is an 86-year-old, American author and Unitarian Universalist minister. Fulghum is best known for his first collection of writings, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.

The photograph is one of Dad Tom’s.

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

It’s time again for our fun-loving tabbies, Periwinkle & Stinky, to take-off on another adventure. You can catch up with them tomorrow over at Friends Furever. It is Periwinkle’s turn to select what they are going to do. Whatever it is, you know the two have more fun when you join them. So, they’ll be looking for you tomorrow.

Thanks for joining us today.

2022 INTERNATIONAL BOX DAY “SIT-INS”

Awww Mondays

Yesterday was International Box Day. That’s a holiday Kitties Blue do not like to miss. But with it being both Sunday Selfies and Father’s Day yesterday, they had to wait until today to share their love of boxes. They did receive a new box yesterday, of which Cooper Murphy and Kizmet took advantage.

International Box Day sit-ins collage with photo of orange tabby in box and grey cat trying to get in and of grey cat sitting in box.

Kizmet’s second birthday is coming up in a couple of days. With this in mind, she felt entitled to the first “sit-in.” Cooper Murphy did not agree and let her know. Kizmet eventually did get her turn!

The two are participating in the Awww Mondays blog hop at Comedy Plus.

Sparks

My Spark this week has a loose connection to Kitties Blue and International Box Day. I was thinking about how comfortable cats are in boxes. That made me search for a Spark having to do with comfort. This is what I found, and it turned out to be pretty much the opposite of what I expected to post.

Having “one go-round on this planet” struck a chord with me, as I am drawing closer each day to the end of my go-round. Time is precious.

The author of today’s Spark was unfamiliar to me. Here’s a bit about her. Jen Sincero is a 56-year-old, American speaker, success coach and #1 New York Times bestselling author. She is best known for her You Are a BadAss series.

The Adventures of Periwinkle & Stinky

Your favorite cartoon tabbies, Periwinkle and Stinky, will be taking their next adventure tomorrow, and Stinky has planned something extra special and super fun. These two enjoy taking you along with them, and I guarantee this is an adventure you do not want to miss. So, please plan to meet them right here tomorrow for an exciting time!

June 20, 2022 by Janet Blue Awww Mondays International Box Day Sparks 13

THE JOY OF FRIENDS

Sparks

Last week our friends, Teddy’s (Two Spoiled Cats) mom and dad, Pam and David, and Dad Tom and I were finally able to see each other after a much too long hiatus due to the pandemic. We live approximately four hours from each other and so meet somewhere near the middle. The photo Dad Tom took of Pam and I is the basis for today’s Spark about friendship.

friends

I know how I have cropped the photo looks a little strange. It’s because there is sign to the right that says, “LOVE.” Though it is backward, I still wanted to have it in the photo.

I don’t have a lot of friends, but the ones I do have are extra special, and I am blessed to have them in my life.

The name Charles Swindoll was familiar to me, but I didn’t actually know who he is. In case you too are unfamiliar with him, here’s a little information.

Charles Rozell Swindoll is an 86-year-old evangelical Christian pastor, author, educator, and radio preacher. He founded Insight for Living, which airs a radio program of the same name in 15 languages on 2,000+ stations around the world. He’s also the current senior pastor at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas.

Awww Mondays

Kizmet, Cooper Murphy and their shadows are popping over to Comedy Plus from the cat tree in the bedroom for Awww Mondays.

friends

If you’d like to join them on the blog hop, click on the badge.

The Adventures of Periwinkle & Stinky

It is time to join Stinky & Periwinkle again tomorrow for a new adventure. They will be sharing it with you over at Friends Furever, and they both have their paws crossed that you will join them for some fun. Please don’t disappoint them by missing out.

If you’d like an extra helping of Periwinkle and Stinky along with their friend Marv, click on the badge below.

August 23, 2021 by Janet Blue Awww Mondays Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Dad Tom's Photography International Box Day Sparks 21

INTERNATIONAL BOX DAY WITH KIZMET

Caturday Art

Dad Tom was using the dehydrator to dry some mint, and the box from it was on the table in the catio. After spending the morning playing crazy kitten, Kizmet crawled in and slept for about three hours. I have two photos for her first International Box Day. I used two different effects from Painnt to create today’s art.

International Box Day

Kizmet was snoozing in this first photo. I used the Pastel effect, but I brightened it up considerably by bumping up the saturation.

International Box Day

Kizmet was awake for her second photo. To create the art I used the Explorer effect and added the hard light filter from Color Composition.

Do you have a favorite? I think I prefer the second photo. I have made a puzzle out of each photo for those of you who enjoy a challenge. The links are at the bottom of the post.

Kizmet is participating in the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty. You can do the same by clicking on Athena’s badge.

Sunday Selfies Reminder

Tomorrow is another special Sunday…Father’s Day! Kitties Blue and I encourage you to share the spotlight with your dad and do an usie or let your dad be the star all on his own. Whatever you decide, we certainly hope it will be to participate in our blog hop. If you are too busy tomorrow loving on and cuddling with your dad, you can enter the hop anytime through Thursday. Whether you hop or not, we are looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.

Jigsaw Puzzles

140 Kizmetart1

140 Kizmetart2

June 19, 2021 by Janet Blue Caturday Art Blog Hop International Box Day Jigsaw Puzzle Kitties Blue 15

INTERNATIONAL BOX DAY 2020 & FILL-INS

International Box Day

As cats, we all know the value of a good box. And if one is good, multiples are even better. See for yourselves.

Keep away and feign disinterest.

Cooper Murphy wins the standoff.

Boxes are nice, but boxes with treats are better.

Lisbeth, Sawyer, Cooper Murphy, Astrid and Mau not only enjoy treats and boxes, but they also enjoy joining the Feline Friday blog hop at Comedy Plus. You can do the same by clicking on the Feline Friday badge and entering the link to your post.

Friendly Fill-Ins: Week #213

It’s time for the Friendly Fill-Ins blog hop hosted by Ellen (15 And Meowing) and Lorianne (Four-Legged Furballs). The sentences to be filled in can be found each Thursday on both their blogs. Post your completed fill-ins on Friday. To enter the blog hop, click on the badge at the left. It will take you to Four-Legged Furballs.

I did all the fill-ins this week with no help from Kitties Blue. My completions are in teal italics.

1. Sunshine motivates me to work outside in our flower beds.

2. I put salt on eggs, potatoes and tomatoes.

3. When it comes to taking care of Kitties Blue and their health, I don’t cut corners.

4. Never forget black lives matter, in fact all lives matter.

June 19, 2020 by Janet Blue Feline Friday Friendly Friday Fill-Ins International Box Day 15

CATS’ CONUNDRUM

Wordless Wednesday: International Box Day

Please join Kitties Blue tomorrow as we celebrate Calista Jo’s birthday. We adopted her just a few months after the inception of The Cat on My Head. She turns seven tomorrow.

June 19, 2019 by Janet Blue International Box Day Wordless Wednesday 15

NEW BOX FOR KITTIES BLUE

International Box Day 2017

What do cats and kids love more than toys? What is a cat’s favorite day of the year? Boxes and International Box Day, of course. To celebrate, Mom opened a big box that came for us a few days ago. Sometimes, she really comes through for us! Here’s a few photos from the box opening.

As you can see, it isn’t even necessary to get inside the box to enjoy its presence. The only one of us who didn’t show up for the opening ceremony was Lisbeth.

We wish all of our anipal friends a fun-filled International Box Day!

Now that we have shared our box, we bet you are wondering what came in that box. Well…you’ll just need to visit us again tomorrow for our review of a F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S new toy from jackson Galaxy. You can see a bit of it in the foreground of two of today’s photos.

Until then…

Purrs and paw-pats, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Angel Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth, Calista Jo and Cooper Murphy

June 19, 2017 by Janet Blue International Box Day 23

CATURDAY ART IN A BOX

Today is one of our favorite days of the entire year: International Box Day. That it is on Caturday this year made for a bit of a challenge. As we always pawticipate in Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty’s Caturday Art Blog hop, Mom needed a photo that she could turn into something that didn’t look like a big brown blob. Luckily we got a huge box containing litter yesterday. Dad put it in the foyer and waited for one of us to get in it. Here’s who showed up: The blog hog himself!

Two or three of us could have joined Mau, which would have made for a way more interesting photo. But just as Mom feared… she had a brown and boring boxy photo with which to work. So, you know what happened. She threw everything at it and then some. All the edits, including rotating the orientation of the photo, were done using PicMonkey except the last two things—adding the HDR effect and the black border. She used Picasa for those things.

If you’d like to join us for Athena’s blog hop or see the other submissions, click on her badge.

Father’s Day Sunday Selfies

Tomorrow is Father’s Day as well as our Sunday Selfies Blog Hop. We are thinking that it might be fun to include your dad in your selfie. If you’d like to have the day off from the pressure of taking your own photo, feel free to enter one with just your dad. It’s always impawtant to let your dad know how much you love and appreciate him. We know some of you don’t have dads, but please don’t let that stop you from joining us and hopping.

Until tomorrow…toodles and love to all.

Purrs and paw-pats, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

June 18, 2016 by Janet Blue Caturday Art Blog Hop International Box Day 26

CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL BOX DAY 2015

Yippee! Today is one of our favorite days of the year. Although, any day with a box in it, is a favorite for us and most kitties. They’re great to sleep in, play in, nibble on and shred. We don’t have any decent, empty boxes around right now. Our humans recycle and the present delivery man hasn’t stopped by in a while. So Mom is repurposing some photos from the past by putting them in a collage.

Only four of us made it into today’s post. Lily Olivia and Astrid, our two box-obsessed sisfurs, got two photos each.

We are joining our friends and hosts, Peaches and Paprika and Luke from Wag ‘n Woof Pets in celebrating today.

We also ar joining up with Magellan and Tsunami at Create with Joy for their Friendship Friday Blog Hop. We can’t think of anything more friendly than sharing a box.

Please join Kitties Blue tomorrow as we celebrate Calista Jo’s third birthday. There will be some BlogPaws loot up for grabs for those who leave a comment.

And our Sunday Selfies Blog Hop will be a special Father’s Day edition. Please take the opportunity to ask your dad to share your selfie or post one of him alone. We know some of our friends don’t have dads, so this is NOT a requirement to participate.

Happy International Box Day!

Purrs and paw-pats, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

June 19, 2015 by Janet Blue Friendship Friday International Box Day Kitty Written Blog 34

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.