Twinkle

PASTICHE OF FILL-INS

Friendly Fill-Ins: Week #79

Today we are joining the Friendly Fill-Ins blog hop, as we do each Friday. The hop is hosted by Ellen (15 And Meowing) and Annie (McGuffy’s Reader). They each select two sentences for us to complete on Fridays and post them on their blogs on Thursdays. My completions are in teal italics.

The hop is conducted on Annie’s blog. You can go there and link up by clicking on the badge.

 

1. The best part of where I live is the home I share with Kitties Blue and Dad Tom.

 

Friendly Fill-Ins: Week #79

Friendly Fill-Ins: #79

 

2. The worst part of where I live is that it is a several-hour drive to the ocean, and then it is the Atlantic. I grew up less than an hour from the Pacific. In college I lived just a few blocks from it.

 

Friendly Fill-Ins #79

 

This is a photo that Dad Tom took on our recent trip to California. It is the Pacific Ocean at Big Sur with Highway 1 and the Bixby Bridge. If you are a follower of the Tuesday Teaser at Two Spoiled Cats, you will have seen this photo.

3. If I had the money and location, I would open a sanctuary for black cats in memory of our two panfurs, angels Thelma and Twinkle. Of course, no homeless cat would be turned away regardless of color or breed.

 

Friendly Fill-Ins: Week 79

 

4. My favourite article of cold weather clothing is a hoodie, preferably one with a cat on the front.

 

RAINBOW BRIDGE REMEMBRANCE DAY WITH OUR ANGELS

RainbowBridge-Web

 

Zee & Zoey’s Cat Chronicles have created a very special day, Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, to honor and remember “those cherished pets we have lost but not forgotten.”

Whether your beloved pet had fur or fins, scales or feathers, they had a special place in your heart of hearts.

Today we are honoring and remembering the nine angel kitties in our family as well as our honorary kitty angel, Nylablue.

 

Angel Skooter

Skooter

Angel Steamer

Steamer

 

Angel Daphne

Daphne

Angel Thelma

Thelma

 

Angel Louise

Louise

Angel Chloe

Chloe

 

Angel Twinkle

Twinkle

Angel Madison

Madison

 

Angel MacKenzie

MacKenzie

Honorary Sisfur Angel Nylablue

Nylablue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To learn more about them, you can visit our The Felines page.

We’d also like to remember and honor the two woofies who came before any of us, Smack and Poppy.

Please consider taking part in this first annual event. The hope is it will be the first of many to come. You are encouraged to post on your blog, your Facebook page, or any other social media of your choice in memory of your angel anipals.

This event is hosted by Purr Prints of the Heart. Although this was a day originally created in honor of  Zee and Zoey’s Mr. Jazz, it will now honor all those who have crossed their Rainbow Bridge.

Today, we are sending purrs and prayers to all the families and friends with angels who have crossed that Bridge.

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

CHRISTMAS CATURDAY ART

 

Christmas

 

Christmas is coming, the cats are already fat and sassy, and I am featuring our large (nine-foot) Christmas tree for today’s Caturday Art Blog Hop. We have three trees. This one is in the living room behind closed doors as it has all my glass ornaments on it. The second is the one you see to the left and behind this tree. It is on the other side of the pocket doors in the dining room. The kitties have access to that Christmas tree as it contains unbreakable ornaments.

The third tree is called Twinkle’s Tree. Twinkle is one of our angel kitties who lost her life to a car. Twinkle’s tree started as a two-foot tall, table-top tree but has grown over the years and is now a four-foot tree, also with unbreakable ornaments. It would be impossible for me to deny the kitties access to a tree dedicated to one of their predecessors.

All our Christmas trees are now artificial. It is less expensive, more convenient and avoids allergic reactions by the kitties and me. And Tom avoids the hours of watching me traipse through tree lots and farms searching for just the right tree.

ChristmasTo create the art today, I added a radiance filter in PicMonkey and a frame in PiZap. I didn’t want to do too much to disguise my beautiful tree. Here’s the original photo. It is easier to see the smaller tree in the dining room behind the pocket door windows in this photo.

When it comes to decorating, it is all about the lights to me. Our house has lots of leaded glass windows which refract the light and send it dancing all through the house.

We are joining Athena and Marie’s Caturday Art Blog Hop. It’s a fun way to explore your creativity, and I highly recommend joining. To submit art of your own or view the other submissions, click on the badge to the left.

Tomorrow is Sunday, and you all know what that means: Time for selfies and our weekly blog hop. It might be fun to submit a selfie wearing your favorite holiday apparel. This is, of course, is not a requirement but merely a suggestion. Hope o see you then.

NATIONAL BLACK CAT DAY

National Cat Day in the USA was yesterday, October 29, and today is National Black Cat Day in the UK. We think everyday is Cat Day whether it is celebrated nationally or internationally, but Mom decided to pawticipate in this Black Cat Day being as it is the day before Hall-o-ween. And one of the most recognizable images at Hall-o-ween is the black cat! Besides, she loves the mini-panfurs!

National Black Cat Day Banner 
 
Thelma black cat

Thelma

Our humans had two black cats before we came to live with them. Thelma (Mom’s very first heart cat!) and Twinkle were both off-spring of the neighborhood stray who our humans called, “Mom.” Twinkle was the only kitten who got away when the neighbors caught Mom and her kittens and took them to the SPCA. Mom and Dad were away on vacation when this happened and found out too late to get them out of jail before they were euthanized.

twinkle black cat

Twinkle

Our mom and dad tried to trap Mom on several occasions to have her spayed but were never successful. Two other of her offspring were part of our household. Daphne and Thelma’s sisfur, Louise. Even though our mom wanted to keep some of the other kittens, particularly Skippy, Teddy and Alex, good homes were found for them and all the kittens from Mom’s litters.

Though today is Black Cat Day in the UK, many shelters and rescues in the U.S. will not allow black cat adoptions this week or sometimes for the entire month of October due to Hall-o-ween and mean people who might hurt these special kitties. But if you are in search of a new kitty, purrlease consider an older black kitty who may have been languishing in a shelter for quite sometime. They are consiered the least adoptable cats, but they are just as sweet, loving and adorable as any other kitty. Look at these faces of Thelma and Twinkle. What’s not to love?

Whatever color or breed of cat lives with you, purrlease be extra careful to protect them during Hall-o-ween. If you do allow them to go outside, consider not doing so at all tomorrow. At the very least, make certain they are in the house well before dark and have a place to chill-out away from the noise of the doorbell and squeals of the trick-or-treaters. A couple of us are super curious and want to see what the commotion is about. But most of us scatter as soon as the doorbell sounds. If the weather is warm, our humans sit on the front porch to hand out candy so we won’t be subjected to the hubbub and confusion. We won’t have to worry about all the racket this year. With Mom at Bark/Meow World, we won’t be participating in Hall-o-ween; though, we are praying cat sitter, Chris, will bring us a catnip treat like she usually does.

Stop by tomorrow to see us in our Hall-o-ween costumes. But most importantly, stay safe!

Purrs & paw-pats, Kitties Blue

ON THE EVE OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT

Today, Mom is planning to bake some cookies for neighbors. Well that’s what she says, but we know she and dad will eat as many as they give away. MOL. And Dad is getting ready to e-mail “Blues’ News,” our humans’ annual holiday greeting. The snail mail version will go out sometime before the new year.

For the last few days, we have been offering some of our on-line friends the opportunity to make a wager as to whether or not Mom would be ready for Christmas prior to Valentine’s Day. Well…we didn’t get any takers. Probably smart on their parts as the trees are finally decorated and the gifts are wrapped and beneath them.

Did we say, “trees?” Why, we did indeed. And that is where the whole story begins.

Twinkle's Tree 2013

Twinkle’s Tree 2013

We always have two trees. One is a small tree, which is called “Twinkle’s Tree,” and only has unbreakable decorations. We have had this since our angel sisfur, Twinkle, went to the RB after being hit by a car when she was only four years old. None of us lived here then. For some reason this tree is always crooked. We think maybe Twinkle’s spirit visits each night to climb it and play with the ornaments.

Our nine-foot tree in its glory days.

Our nine-foot tree in 2012.

Normally, our second tree is a nine-foot, artificial tree which is erected by mom over a number of days. This is an un-lit tree, which she usually spends a couple more days stringing with about 2,000 lights. Then even more days are spent adorning it with the ornaments she has been collecting for the past 40 years. Do not ask us how many that is ’cause we don’t have enough toes between us to count that high.

This year, however, we have three trees…yes, Santa Paws, there are three! Twinkle’s Tree, our now five-foot, formerly nine-foot, tree and our old, losing-all-it’s-needles, had-to-have-all-the-burntout-lights-cut-off-a-few-years-ago, seven-foot tree.

Seven-foot tree with five-foot tree in background behind pocket doors.

Seven-foot tree with five-foot tree in background behind pocket doors.

“So how did all this come about,” you ask? As mom was assembling the big tree, she found three limb supports near the bottom were broken. After multiple attempts to affix the branches, with various types of wire and then zip ties, to no avail, Mom removed the lights and deconstructed the tree. Being the queen of reuse, she dumped the bottom four-foot section, put the remaining two sections together and stuck them into the stand. That tree being way too itty-bitty for more than a couple of tubs worth of ornaments brought about the need for the third tree. Of course, after putting on too many ornaments to remove and start again, two entire strings of lights went out on this tree.

And she still had to put lots of ornaments on garland around the door to the sun porch, which she does every year. But some poor, forlorn ornaments have had to remain in the tubs until next year.

Five-foot three with seven-foot tree in the background behind pocket doors.

Five-foot tree with seven-foot tree in the background behind pocket doors.

This actually has been a total win for us as the five-foot tree is in the dining room AND we have access to it. Astrid and Lisbeth spent Monday morning playing crazy cats and knocked several ornaments off. According to Mom we cannot break any of the ornaments on that tree. Now, that sounds like a dare to us.

So, what makes this story totally S-T-U-P-I-D in our opinion? Mom ordered a new nine-foot tree that was pre-lit and only had four pieces to put together. It arrived in two fifty-pound boxes, which sat in the foyer for several days. When she finally opened one box, put two sections together and looked at it, she decided she hated it and back it went!

She says the seven-foot tree will be donated after Christmas, and she is hoping a tree she has picked out from Sears on-line will go on sale. We really hope Santa grants her wish ’cause we don’t want to go through this craziness again in 2014.

Meowy Catmess! MOL, HO, HO, HO, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

 

 

CONJOINED TWINS?

If you follow my blog, you know that Lily Olivia is not a fan of her feline housemates and vice versa. She’s always hissing and growling. They are always hot on her heels as she runs from their imminent attacks.

But for some unknown reason, she and Lisbeth have never acted in this manner toward each other. Lily Olivia eats on the kitchen counter next to the sink. If any of the other kitties, except Lisbeth, get up on the counter, she has a meltdown and one or both sets to whapping the other. However, if Lisbeth encroaches, Lily either ignores her or they touch noses and have a brief sniff.

Lily Olivia and Lisbeth asleep.

Lily Olivia and Lisbeth asleep together.

But last night was a first! They were sound asleep, not just next to each other but touching. I am sure neither of them knew to whom they were snuggled against. And granted, they were lying back-to-back, but it was still a sight to behold.

To Lisbeth, of course, it wouldn’t matter which of the others had curled up next to her. To Lily, who knows? But as Lily Olivia normally only snuggles with her humans, we suspect that she sensed her sleep-mate was Lisbeth.

Is this the dawn of a new era? Is Lily Olivia making a friend after 14 years? Lily is the bridge between the angel kitties and our current feline population. The only one of our previous kits she didn’t know was Twinkle. And so, until Lisbeth, Twinkle was the only cat of the 16 others with whom she never had a disagreement.

Another view of the sleepers.

Another view of the sleepers.

Lily does seem to be mellowing with age. You can read about this in an earlier post, What Happened to Lily ‘s Naturally Snotty Personality?” She displayed this newly acquired confidence and goodwill again last night, not only by her sleeping position, but also by the fact that when she woke up and saw Lisbeth was her bed-mate, she simply moved a few inches away and curled up in the opposite direction. She didn’t huff, hiss, snarl, growl, bark or exhibit any of her normally anti-social behavior. To that I say, “Yippee!”

If you would like to see a new post with more recent conjoined twins, Check out this post.

CHRISTMAS: DAY 6

Getting ready for Christmas can be exhausting, especially if you are a kitty and self-appointed quality control inspector of all things Christmas.

These are eight of the things for which my eight take personal responsibility:

1. Tasting the butter before it goes in the cookies to ensure that is fresh, pure and yummy. Leaving some fur on the stick of butter is also very important as they don’t have any “inspected by” stickers to apply.

This being Calista's first Christmas, she had no idea as to the hard work expected of her.

This being Calista’s first Christmas, she had no idea as to the hard work expected of her.

2. Playing tug-of-war with all garland to make sure it is strong enough to swing from once it has been hung.

3. Nosing a few ornaments off of “Twinkle‘s Tree” (the only one to which they have constant access as it was named after one of our past kitties) and shoving them under the rug to assure themselves they won’t break and will be available for future play.

4. Nesting inside the wreaths prior to my hanging them as a check for symmetry and fluffiness.

5. Testing all light strings to make certain each bulb is securely inserted into its socket so no outages will occur after lights have been applied to the tree.

Image 1-009

Giulietta (the big ball of fur on the left) and her sister, Fiona, take inspector duties very seriously and napping just as seriously. Giulietta was snoring when this photo was snapped.

6. As they were not allowed near any gift wrapping activities this year, they are now responsible for clawing and sniffing each package, chewing on the bows and burrowing into the gift bags in order to ascertain that gift wrappings will hold up until presents can be opened.

7. Shoving the glass, votive candle holders off the counter and watching them crash to the floor just because she (Lisbeth) can!

8. Burrowing into all the stockings to look for any treats or catnip that may have been left behind last year while making sure plenty of space is available for this year’s goodies.