Lily Olivia

CATURDAY ART WITH ANGEL LILY OLIVIA

Caturday Art

I think about Lily Olivia often and miss her, so decided to feature her today. She looks super serious in this photo but adorable as well. What cat doesn’t look cute in a hat?

I used Painnt again this week, selecting the “VG Lines” filter, then adding the “Lomo” effect. Then I went to Picasa to add the “Comic Book” effect and the border.

Lily Olivia is joining the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by the lovely Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty. To join or view art by your fellow bloggers, click on Athena’s badge.

Sunday Selfies Reminder

Tomorrow Sawyer will be presenting a selfie of a selfie. If you are curious as to what that’s about, make sure you stop in to see us. Better yet, don’t just stop by, hop with us! We love seeing all your precious and sweet faces each Sunday, and we know your other friends do as well. Get those selfies snapped now, so you can enjoy a nice Easy Sunday.

August 10, 2019 by Janet Blue Caturday Art Blog Hop 12

MAD SELFIE FROM NAUGHTY SAWYER

Sunday Selfies: Week #184

So…it seems the humans I live with think a cat, whom they perceive to have been naughty, is required to take the selfie. Purrsonally I have no idea what I did that could possibly be considered naughty. Did I hork in one of their shoes? NO! Did I steal another cat’s food? NO! How could I? Those same humans make me eat by myself. Did I pee or poop outside the litter box? NO! Did I scratch either of their faces? ~~NO!~~ Well, maybe just a couple of times. See…I have been a purrfect angel kitten. Don’t you agree?

For some stoopy reason, those same humans think that bolting out the front door, whenever I have the opportunity, and having a little adventure is naughty. I don’t have a clue what the problem is. Do you think it’s because I did it two days in a row? You know, I lived outside before they brought me into the house. I swear I can take care of myself. Regardless, I was forced to take the selfie today.

Can you tell I was not a happy kitten? The woman had the nerve to tell me I cut off part of my ear, thinking I would take another photo. Yeah, ~~right~~ NO! I could care less about a missing ear tip. The man was holding me when I took this, and I do not like to be held. The woman put that fancy confetti stuff around the edges of the photo to try to disguise my frown. Why bother? I was mad. I’m not embarrassed to show you.

Honoring and Remembering Sister Kit

Sister Kit from Brian’s Home received her wings and halo on February 10. Just three days previous, her brother, Brian, reported that she was having good and bad days, but with a change of diet, her glucose had been regulated and she hadn’t needed to start on insulin. She also had gained more than one pound. That sounded encouraging, so we were shocked to find out on February 10 that Dad Terry had to help her to the Bridge.

Each week a member of Brian’s large family joins us on the Selfies blog hop. So, as we have done with other regular hoppers, we are honoring Kit today. She and Lily Olivia were Crotchety Cougars together, so we hope that Lily Olivia and the other Cougars who have gone to the Bridge were there to greet her.

Rest in Peace Sister Kit. You were well loved and will be remembered forever.

Another Good-Bye

We learned today that handsome, five-and-a-half-year-old, black panfur, Puck, from Bad Cat Chris passed suddenly on Thursday after a very brief illness. If you have not had the opportunity to visit and leave your condolences, click on the link in the previous sentence. Rest in Peace Puck.

Hopping

It’s time for you to share your selfie with us. And if you were mad, as I was, when you took it, forget about it. That’s our purrogative as kitties.

If you are new to hopping or to Sunday Selfies, here are some simple guidelines. If you are a regular, skip over this part.

The link to add your selfie to the hop is below.
You also will find below the code to use if you’d like the hop to appear on your blog.
Posting on Sundays is not necessary to join.
You do not need to be a cat to enter. All anipals are welcome regardless of species.
The hop remains open for entries through Thursday midnight.
Please be so kind as to display our badge and/or link to The Cat on My Head.

Thanks for hopping.

Purrs and paw-pats, Sawyer

A SPARK OF THANKS

Sparks Blog Hop: Week #17

The outpouring of condolences after Lily Olivia’s death truly touched my heart. Those who make up the community of pet bloggers are the most loving, empathic, kind and considerate individuals I have ever come to know. This comes as no surprise to me. Those who love animals are generally nice humans to know.

I wanted to thank everyone individually who left us comments or sent e-mails. But it still remains too overwhelming. Until I can do this, my Spark today is my way of letting each of you know just how grateful I am for your love and support.

As I have stated many times now, Lily Olivia was my constant companion. She may appear to be sleeping here, but she has her paw on the trackpad in an attempt to orchestrate my every move. She spent hours each day sitting in my lap while I worked on this blog. I would remove her paws from the trackpad over and over again or move her head aside so I could see the laptop screen.

I sometimes still take get too many bowls when feeding the other Kitties Blue their breakfast or dinner. Lily had to be first to get her food and sat right on the counter yelling at me to hurry up. And she always licked the inside of the can lid.

I continue to call the other cats by her name, and I look for her constantly, wondering why she is not pestering me or trying to get Dad Tom’s and my food when we eat. The house is quiet and empty without her huge calico personality.

The remaining eight do keep us on our toes, but their antics will never take away my missing her or my Fiona (or all the others who have gone before.)

I am joining Annie (McGuffy’s Reader) for her Sparks blog hop. In establishing the hop, she wrote this, “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!” This is what makes Sparks so special and why I look forward to participating each week. I believe my Spark with Albert Schweitzer’s quote completely speaks to Annie’s intent.

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

Health Update

I had prayed I would not be writing another of these until every kitty was well. Unfortunately Cooper Murphy has had a flair up of the eye infection and now is sneezing as well. It is obvious he doesn’t feel well. He slept all day on Sunday. He has another appointment to see one of the vets at our animal hospital this afternoon. My biggest fear is that he will one again present with a high fever. Some purrs and POTP would be appreciated.

Thank you for your continued love and support as we deal with the loss of Lily Olivia as well as this persistent infection.

January 29, 2018 by Janet Blue Angel Cat Health Sparks 22

MINI RANT ON TUXIE TUESDAY

Tuxie Tuesday Doozy of a Snoozy

Since Sawyer came to live with us and Lily Olivia got her wings, the dynamic around our house is totally different. We are all a bit confused as to our roles. Misty May is trying to assert herself and take over Lily Olivia’s position as Commander of Everything and Everyone. Unlike Lily, however, she is needy, as opposed to demanding. The humans consider needy to be an annoying trait, and the remainder of us must agree. This isn’t to say that most of us don’t love Misty May. We just don’t think she is leadership material. After all, she is a bully. We understand many powerful people are bullies, but that will not be tolerated in our coterie of cats.

Misty May has been doing her best to curry favor with some of us to gain our support, especially the other tuxie female in the house, Lisbeth.

As you can see, she has taken Lisbeth under her ~~wing~~ paw, even when they are sleeping. We suggest that Lisbeth not get too cozy. We know this camaraderie will not last if Misty May takes over as Top Cat.

Misty May and Mau are the oldest of this rag-tag bunch, so one of them probably is next in line for the job. We suspect mild-mannered Mau will garner most of the votes. He is a good candidate, as he has learned many important rules with regard to leadership as an Order of the Arrowhead, Sabertooth Cat Scout.

Misty May is not suited to ascend to the throne (Mom’s lap) as she refuses to sit quietly in contemplation—a most important trait for all of those in power. Mau can get awfully wordy at times, but he does recognize the importance of a regal bearing while on the throne. MOUSES! Did we really say that?

The new hierarchy definitely has not been decided, and we suspect we can look forward—NOT—to a long campaign season. In the meantime most of us are keeping a low profile, except for Sawyer. He can’t help himself. He’s just a kitten and only understands three things—eat, sleep and play.

We’ll keep you posted as to how this all shakes out.

Speaking of Lily Olivia

We want to share with you the Angel vSquillion Lily Olivia we adopted. She joins the ranks of all the other Kitties Blue angels (except cat #1, Skooter) on our vSquillion page. If you’d like to visit, click on the The Felines tab at the top of the page and then the vSquillion dropdown.

Thanks for joining us today. We’ll see you tomorrow for Wordless Wednesday.

Purrs and paw-pats, angel Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Giulietta, angel Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth, Calista Jo, Cooper Murphy and Sawyer

January 23, 2018 by Janet Blue Angel Cat Cat Scouts Doozy of a Snoozy Kitty Written Blog Tuxie Tuesday vSquillion 18

FRACTURED FELINE ART

Caturday Art

Today’s art was created exclusively with LunaPic. While browsing through their artistic style effects, I found one entitled, “Lily.” I had never noticed that one previously, so it seemed to me that Lily Olivia was sending me a message. Had I not already selected this photo of Astrid and Sawyer on the cat tree, I might have tried this on a photo of Lily Olivia. I may still decide to do that in the future. Following the Lily effect, I applied the “photo spread” effect and finally the taped border.

Here’s the original photo. As you can see it is slightly out of focus, making it a prime candidate for art. I also thought the colorful artwork on the wall behind Astrid and Sawyer would add more interest to whatever I created.

This is our entry in Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty’s Caturday Art blog hop. To join in the fun and/or see some of the other arty entries, click on Athena’s badge.

Sunday Selfies

Another week has zipped on by, and it is already time to think about snapping your selfie for tomorrow. We have no idea who will be hosting from here. We think we’ll check out the archives and see which of us hasn’t had the honor recently.

Hope to see our old friends and some new ones hopping with us tomorrow.

January 13, 2018 by Janet Blue Angel Cat Caturday Art Blog Hop 21

FRIENDLY FILL-INS FEATURING LILY OLIVIA

Friendly Fill-Ins: Week #88

1. I would like to ask God why our pets cannot live as long as we do? Lily Olivia is officially home in the special urn we selected for her. As she was my sidekick and helped me each day on the computer, I probably will make certain I keep her by me each day.

2. My favorite fast food restaurant is Five Guys.

3. If I could go to any concert of someone still performing, it would be Pink. If I wasn’t going to the BlogPaws Conference, I would be able to see her as she’ll be close to our area while we are in Kansas City. (I’d also like to see Eric Clapton.)

4. My Winter pastime is usually staying in the house, because I have serious circulatory problems. This winter has been particularly brutal with frigid temperatures. It’s a good thing I have lots of kitties to keep me busy.

Friendly Fill-Ins is a weekly blog hop started and hosted by Ellen (15 And Meowing) and Annie (McGuffy’s Reader). If you’d like to participate, you can find the sentences to be completed on their blogs each Thursday. On Fridays, you can post a link to your blog at McGuffy’s Reader. To go there now, click on the badge below.

We’ll be back here tomorrow for Caturday Art.

January 12, 2018 by Janet Blue Angel Cat Friendly Friday Fill-Ins 18

ONE OF A KIND

Thoroughly Poetic Thursday

As we do each Thursday, we are joining Teddy and Angel Sammy’s Thoroughly Poetic Thursday. Mom Pam posted a really cool photo last week for inspiration. I had been looking forward to writing that poem, but that was not to be. I have written a poem to and for Lily Olivia.

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.

To find Angel Sammy’s poem, which he transmits each week from the Rainbow Bridge, click the badge below. You can also find links in the Comments to other poems as well as see the photo prompt for this week and next week.

Thankful Thursday

It is beyond difficult to be thankful today. Losing Lily Olivia is not a good start to the new year. I am, however, thankful to have had her in our lives for nearly nineteen years. And I am grateful to everyone who has left comments on our “Saying Good-bye” post as well as on the Cat Scouts and Crotchety Cougars websites and Tom’s Facebook page and sent e-mail messages and texts of condolences. Thank you. I will do my best to thank each of you personally during the next few weeks.

As a tribute to Lily Olivia, I am sharing a few photos from the afternoon of New Year’s Day. These are the last photos taken of her. I apologize for the quality. Lily was enjoying her last sunpuddle, and Sawyer was soaking in all those secrets she was sharing.

Thankful Thursday is a blog hop hosted by our friend, Brian. To share your “thankfuls,” click on his badge.

January 4, 2018 by Janet Blue Angel Cat Poetry Thankful Thursday Thoroughly Poetic Thursday 31

SAYING GOOD-BYE

January 2, 2018 by Janet Blue Angel Cat 88

FRIENDSHIP KNOWS NO AGE

Sparks: Week #13

All of us were surprised when we came upon this scene. The youngest among us has befriended the oldest. And this was not a one-time occurrence. There is photographic evidence that this is now a regular event. Granted this is a very warm spot in the house, and the temperature has been staying below freezing. But that Lily Olivia is allowing this camaraderie is truly a holiday miracle.

Our quote this week is from Hans Göran Persson. He served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1996 to 2006 and was leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1996 to 2007.

Sparks is a weekly blog hop established and hosted by Annie at McGuffy’s Reader. In establishing the hop, she wrote this, “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!”

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

As we close out 2017 and welcome a new year, we wish you all only good things in 2018. Thank you so much for being our friends and supporters.

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

January 1, 2018 by Janet Blue Kitty Written Blog Sparks 23

LILY’S SELFIE & MEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

Sunday Selfies: Week #177

My fursibs indicated yesterday that they thought I would be uncooperative and refuse to do a selfie for the last hop of 2017. I couldn’t let them be right, so here I am. Of course, being Lily Olivia and a Crotchety Cougar, I had to be a bit of a stinker and close my eyes. That means I didn’t do a very good job of lining up the shot and cut off one of my ears almost entirely. I did even worse on the second photo and cut off part of my nose as well. So, this may not be purrfect, but it’s the best you are going to get.

Mew Year’s Resolutions

This seems like the appropriate time to share our Mew Year’s Resolutions. Most of these are not new. We have shared them previously, but we are certain some of you have not seen them. And we made a few changes, as well as an addition, for 2017.

1. Get more scritches.
2. Get more belly rubs.
3. Get more treats and nip.
4. Always come when called unless napping, playing, eating, watching bird TV, day dreaming or participating in other cat-approved activities.
5. If in, demand to go out.
6. If out, demand to come in.
7. Refrain from washing our butts in front of company unless it is an emergency.
8. Refrain from eating Mom’s flowers when she’s watching.
9. Take up as much space in the humans’ bed as possible by sleeping east/west instead of north/south.
10. Clear the kitchen counters of all items whenever possible.
11. Pretend to be deaf whenever a human is speaking to us.
12. Always help Mom with her crossword puzzles, blogging and coloring.
13. Put our paws down and not allow Mom and Dad to adopt any additional kitties.

Time to Hop

Last week’s blog hop was really well attended; though, it occurred on Christmas Eve. For that we all want to thank you from the bottom of our furry little hearts. Today, of course, is a holiday as well, but hopefully you will not start celebrating until later this evening.

If you are new to hopping, here are a few tips to help you join our hop.

The link to add your selfie to the hop is below.
You also will find below the code to use if you’d like the hop to appear on your blog.
Posting on Sundays is not necessary to join.
You do not need to be a cat to enter. All anipals are welcome regardless of species.
The hop remains open for entries through Thursday midnight.
Please be so kind as to display our badge and/or link to The Cat on My Head.

Thanks for hopping. Wishing you every blessing and happiness in the Mew Year.

Purrs and paw-pats, Lily Olivia

December 31, 2017 by Janet Blue Crotchety Cougars Club Kitty Written Blog Sunday Selfies 38

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.