Life is my litterbox ... Grab the SCOOP!

Monday, July 30, 2007

Microwave Monday: The BEST 'NIP EVER!

I've been cruisin' 'round the internet lookin' at bloggies featurin' 'NIP!

My mom does our 'nip in the microwave 'cuz dryin' it upside down from the ceiling takes too long (an' she gets tired of movin' it all over the place 'cuz Charmee keeps tryin' to "rescue" the dryin' 'nip).

Here's what she does ...

1. She harvests stalks of fresh 'nip leaves from our plants growin' outside in the backyard.

2. She carefully washes the 'nip in the sink while fending off Charmee's attacks an' Sparky Fuzzypants' head-butts.

3. Once washed an' dried off, Mom picks the leaves from the stalks an' places them in a single layer on a paper towel.

4. The paper towel is placed in the microwave an' nuked on "high" for 65 seconds.

5. The dried 'nip is removed from the microwave an' crumbled into 'nip flakes.

6. The dried 'nip flakes can then be spread on scratching posts, put into socks or toys for playin', or eaten!

YUMM-O!

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Saturday Photo Hunt #30: CREATIVE


CREATIVE!


The Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt theme for this week is CREATIVE ...

While I was over at Daisy the Curly Cat's bloggie, I decided to piggy-back on her "what to do in the event of a bad fur day" idea an' post some slightly embarrassin' photos of Charmee when he's been unable to do anything "ManCat"-ly with his fur.

Charmee has some toupees that he uses when he's experiencin' follicular difficulties.

Here's his Flirty Fur look for brunches an' the occasional playdate.

Sometimes ... especially when it's hot and/or humid ... Charmee likes to abandon the fully-toupeed look in favor of some "Heidi-esque" braids. Fetching, huh?

An' finally, when Charmee needs a more "full coverage" look, he wears the toupee, braids, and a detachable curly beard. I think that this look is kinda over-kill, but Charmee thinks that he looks marvelous!

Friday, July 27, 2007

Proverb Meme

My cousin Benjamin Fuzz of the Fuzz Factor tagged me for the proverb meme that's been goin' 'round the blogosphere of late ...

FIRST, HERE'S THE BLOG DEFINITION OF A PROVERB: A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of catkind.


Should Mom stock up on food or treat,
Turn up thy nose and refuse to eat!



I tag anyone who'd like to participate!

Friday's Feast #30

Appetizer
Describe a toy you remember from your childhood.


When I was about seven years old, I went to the San Diego Wild Animal Park with my parents, brother, and my Uncle Frank, Aunt Mary, and cousins (Zoey and the Furballs' momma and Gus 'n Perla's momma). While in the gift shop, I found a palm-sized stuffed green tortoise. He was about $3.00 and in my seven year old life, that was my allowance money for weeks! I must have stood there in the store for fifteen minutes mentally deliberating over my purchase.

I still have that stuffed tortoise nearly thirty-three years later.

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest) how observant are you?

I'm selectively observant. When I want to be, I'm about an eight.

Salad
Where would you rather be at this very moment?

Jedediah Smith campground near Crescent City, CA. The smell of the redwoods and the sound of rushing water are a balm for my soul. The temperature would be far cooler than it is right now and I'd be smelling campfires. And if I were really lucky, the fog would start rolling in or there'd be rain.

Main Course
When was the last time you learned something new?

I learn new things every day and not necessarily things that I would want to know. Today, I learned that it's really stupid to drink a large soda at a movie theatre while watching a long-ish movie like "Transformers" ... I had SERIOUS coolant issues by the end credits!

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I have ____________ but I haven’t ____________.

I have purchased a bunch of Harlan Coben thrillers (the Myron Bolitar series), but I haven't got enough hours in a day to read them all.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Thursday Thirteen #30: Scotch Packing Tape?

Our Aunt Montie sent us an email full of photos of neat-o Scotch Packing Tape sculptures! These works-of-art are the subject of this week's Thursday Thirteen!

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Help PetSmart to "DO THE RIGHT THING!"

Mom got a disturbin' email from Best Friends Animal Society today. It's about PetSmart an' their decision to sell house bunnies! Mom was furry mad when she read the email an' quickly clicked on the link to sign the petition. She believes (as do the Feline Americans and I) that NO pets should be sold in stores while shelter pets die needlessly.

If you agree, please click on this link and go sign the petition for yourself. Our voices are furry loud and strong when the whole cat (an' woofie an' bun an' ratty an' swimmy turtle an' any others) blogosphere speaks up together.

Please tell PetSmart's President and COO, Mr. Robert Moran, that he needs to rethink selling house rabbits and instead promote adoptions!

Thanks!

BTW: This is the email that Mom received ...



Dear Friend,

After years of supporting pet rescue organizations by allowing the set up of adoption satellites in PetSmart stores across the nation, PetSmart has made the decision to sell house rabbits. This is a dilemma to rescue and humane organizations everywhere. Best Friends joins other animal welfare organizations by asking for your support. Ask PetSmart to do the right thing for all homeless animals by only allowing adoptions of homeless rabbits in PetSmart stores.

Our voice is not enough. We need you the member, the consumer, to let PetSmart know what you think. We ask you to send this to three friends and family members. Help us ask PetSmart's President and Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Robert Moran to reconsider this decision.


CLICK HERE TO READ THE PETITION

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Grandad's heart surgery

The surgeon called Grandma today at 12:30 PM to let her know that the surgery was successful, but not exactly the surgery that was anticipated.

Grandad was scheduled for a triple-bypass. It turned into a quintuple-bypass instead.

Efurryone is guardedly optimistic about his swift and full recovery.

Thank you so much for all of your purrayers, well-wishes, and healthy karmic thoughts.

DMM and fambly

Mr. Hendrix an' his squillion, "Mini-Me"



Mr. Hendrix got his prize pack in the mail yesterday! Look at how much his customized squillion ("Mini-Me") looks like him! Wow!

Monday, July 23, 2007

We need your good, healthy karmic thoughts ...

Efurryone!

Our grandad has his triple-bypass/open-heart surgery beginnin' at 5:30 AM Pacific Time on Tuesday, July 24th. We'd appreciate the positive energy of the cat blogosphere to help his surgery to be successful (an' uncomplicated) and his recovery to be swift.

Thank you!

DMM and the Feline Americans
(and their mom and grandma, too)

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Bad Pun Sunday

Mom's friend Steve is the king of bad puns an' often sends them to Mom via email ...


A man walks into a bar and orders a beer. As he’s sitting there, he hears a tiny voice say, “Nice shirt!”

The man looks around but doesn’t see anyone.

A little while later, he hears another little voice say, “That’s a really cool tie.”

He looks around to find the source of the voice. But again, he doesn’t see anyone.

The bartender notices him looking around and asks if everything is okay.

The man explains that he’s hearing small voices.

The bartender says, “Oh, that’s just the peanuts. They’re complimentary.”


Mom laughed at this one, but I didn't get it ...

Saturday, July 21, 2007

It's here! It's here! It's FINALLY here!

The man in the bloo shorts just dropped by our house with a package from Mom's good buddy Amazon.com!

What's in the box, Mom?

Is it what I think that it is?



Yep! It is! Our copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has arrived!

Open the box, Mom!


Ooooo ... Look how pretty it is! Oh, an' it smells so new!


We cannot wait to read this last book in the series to find out what happens between our hero Harry an' the evil Lord Voldemort! Is Professor Snape a furriend? Or is he Harry's foe? Only time will tell ...


Hurry up an' make a lap, Mom! We wanna hear what happens!

Whaddya mean you're gonna read it at school? What about US?!?

Pumpkin will be crushed if you don't read it to us first! Look ... He's got his costume on an' efurrything!

C'mon ...

Mr. Hendrix's squillion is on its way!

Mr. Hendrix was my seventeenth visitor on my first blogoversary (July 10, 2007). He won a customized squillion of his furry own.

It took ten days, but Mom finally got enough time together to paint the squillion, box him up with some additional goodies, an' drive him to the post office to fly to Mr. Hendrix's house.

Here's a photo of Mr. Hendrix's customized squillion gettin' ready for his journey.



So, whaddya think Mr. Hendrix is gonna name his doppelgänger?

I'm guessin' "BENDRIX"! Mwaaahhhh haaaa haaaaaaaaa!

Saturday Photo Hunt #29: TINY


TINY!


The Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt theme for this week is TINY ...

As I thought, efurryone in the cat blogosphere seems to be postin' a "baby" photo for the theme this week ... I have chosen this photo of Feline American Sparky Fuzzypants ...


In addition, I have this terrific item that illustrates the "tiny" theme!
A week ago, Mom's cousin, Michele (Perla and Gus's momma an' the sister of Zoey and the Furballs' momma), sent us a package. Inside the package was a present that Cousin Michele had been workin' on for over a year!



Mom's cousin made us a cross-stitch of five kitties! If you look furry carefully, you can see TINY "x"s made with colored string called "floss". Mom said that makin' a cross-stitch tapestry is furry difficult, an' that you have to have excellent eyesight and tons of patience.

What's especially interestin' is that the back side of the cross stitch looks almost as neat an' perfect as the front. Mom says that lookin' at the back of the cross-stitch shows that Cousin Michele is a careful and skilled artist. Efurry TINY stitch has been meticulously executed.

Since Mom likes the cross-stitch so much (Mom doesn't have the skills to do such fine work with such TINY stitches), she put it in a frame and hung it on the wall so that efurryone who visits us can see what marvelous work Cousin Michele does.

Thank you for the beautiful kitty cross-stitch, Cousin Michele. It's beautiful and we LOVE it! Wow! Those stitches are tiny, tiny, tiny!

Friday, July 20, 2007

Friday's Feast #29



Appetizer
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest) how much do enjoy watching sports on television?


Gosh ... Since "zero" isn't a choice, I guess that I'll have to go with "one" ... My students are always asking me which professional sports teams I like and I have to tell them that I really don't like any of them. However, I do enjoy watching high school sports "live" at my school.

Soup
If you could completely memorize any one work of fiction, which one would you pick?


Hmmm ... I've already memorized a sizable portion of Macbeth ... so I'd probably choose "The Ballad of Kubla Khan" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge because it sounds so neat: "In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure-dome decree, where Alph, the sacred river, ran through caverns measureless to man down to a sunless sea ..."

Salad
What is your favorite breakfast food?

Without a doubt, I have to go with those little greasy McDonald's hashbrowns. Second place would be extra crispy bacon.

Main Course
Name something fun you can do for less than $10.00.


I could go to Mission Beach to a place called Belmont Park and ride the famous "Giant Dipper" rollercoaster at least once. Then I could sit on a bench and watch the tourists ride again, and again, and again ...

Dessert
How long does it usually take you to fall asleep?


I can't fall asleep on my own at night (but I can during the day). I take two Tylenol Simply Sleep tablets about a half an hour before bedtime. I putter through my nightly routine, and when I finally hit the pillow, I start counting backward from 100. I'm asleep before I reach thirty-five.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Thursday Thirteen #29: Maya Angelou


One of Mom's absolute favorite writer-poets is Maya Angelou. For this week's TT, I offer you thirteen (plus a couple more) things that every modern woman should know about herself and about life.


A WOMAN SHOULD KNOW
by Maya Angelou


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
Enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
Something perfect to wear if the employer, or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
A youth she's content to leave behind....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
A past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .....
A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
One friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
A good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
Eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
A feeling of control over her destiny...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
How to fall in love without losing herself..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without ruining the friendship...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
When to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that her childhood may not have been perfect..but it's over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to live alone even if she doesn't like it...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW..
whom she can trust, whom she can't, and why she shouldn't take it personally...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
Where to go... be it to her best friend's kitchen table... or a charming inn in the woods... when her soul needs soothing...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she can and can't accomplish in a day... a month...and a year...

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Movies instead of bloggin' with ME?!?


Mom threw me over for an afternoon with Bruce Willis! Can you believe it?!? Me either ...

After school today, Mom "zip-zipped" up to the AMC where she met Grandma and Grandad for a flick.

They watched "Die Hard 4" aka "Live Free or Die Hard." An' guess what?!? All three of them loved the movie.

Mom described it as the ultimate "popcorn flick" with a little "yippee-kai-yay motherf***er" thrown in for good measure.

She's also mentioned that, while he's not great looking, she'd pay to watch him read the phonebook (or at least blow up the phonebook).

So, I guess that if you've seen the other three ... theatrically or just on the late-late-show ... you couldn't go wrong spending a couple of hours on this movie.

Or you could be a GOOD Mom (this means YOU, popcorn breath!) and come home to your cats an' boot up the computer so that we could do some bloggin' ... an' while you're at it, you could feed us some dinner and break out the Temptations ...

Hey! It's a reasonable request!

Monday, July 16, 2007

Just an F.Y.I.

I just wanna give efurryone in the blogosphere a little "heads up" ... I might not be visitin' many bloggies or postin' furry much in the next couple of days 'cuz Mom officially starts school today. When she's "freshly back" an' startin' a new school year, she forgets to turn the computer on for me. That's not too big of a problem unless she forgets to tell time after the bell rings to end school. If she forgets to tell time an' gets furry busy, sometimes she doesn't come home 'til dark.

She's got a new custodian, an' he's not as good as her old one who got moved to another part of the school. Her former custodian, Ferdie, was really good about pokin' his head in the doorway an' reminding her that it was nearly seven o'clock in the evening an' she stopped gettin' paid three hours ago an' maybe some someones at home might be hungry for some dinner (US!!!!).

So, don't worry 'bout us too much if you don't see any new posts on my bloggie ... or I don't leave furry many comments out there in the blogosphere. I'll be back ...

DMM

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Happy Gotchaversary, Cocoa Puff!


Today is Cocoa Puff's tenth gotchaversary!

Puffy is the only one of us that Mom actually "bought". She had been at the South San Diego Veterinary Hospital to pick up my brother, Huckleberry Finn, after his dental work. She noticed a little cage in the waiting room and went over to sit beside the cage. Inside was a little black froot bat. The froot bat wanted Mom to pet him, but Mom didn't know if she should open the cage and take him out or not.

The little fellow kept trying to get Mom's attention. He finally tipped over his water dish (a margarine tub) and pulled it into his litter pan. He stood on top of it and reached his tiny black paw through the bars on the cage to tap Mom's arm. He was very gentle, but insistant. Mom thought that he was very sweet, so she opened the cage and took him out.

The veterinary assistant manning the front desk asked Mom if she wanted to take "Killer" home for a $20.00 adoption fee. And the rest is history ...

Of course, his name is Cocoa Puff now (Mom was gonna name him Chocolate Mousse, but "Mousse" sounds too much like "Maus") ... I call him Puffy Stuff.

Happy Gotchaversary, Dood!

DMM

Furry Funny Sunday: Bear or Birdie?

What's the deal with this black bear? Aren't there sufficient nuts, berries, or small woodland creatures in the forest for him to eat? Couldn't he eat a vishus deer or somethin'? Why is he botherin' the bird feeder? Is he practicin' his act so that he can be a performer in Miss Daisy's circus?






Gosh, an' the beans thought that they had a problem with a few squirrels in the bird feeders?!?

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Lookie! I'm a SCHMOOOOOOZER!


I am so honored that the amazing Pablo ... hero of the Pablo Fan Club
... chose ME to be a "Schmoozer"!

Here's what it's all about:

"As it goes, schmoozing is the natural ability 'to converse casually, especially in order to gain an advantage or make a social connection.' Good schmoozers effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don’t limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello - all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship."

Gosh! I'm still stunned. As it is, winning is special, but the real pleasure comes from bein' nominated by a peer. Thanks, Pablo! This means a lot comin' from a cat (an' blogger) of your stature.

Hmmm ... Who can I select to join this storied group? Who else is legendary in the blogosphere? Oh, I know ...

A. Zeus of the Zeus Excuse who schmoozes better than anycat I know and has his human pet wrapped tightly around his paw!
B. Casper of Casper & Cleo, et. al who is always ready with an appropriate quotation or verse.
C. Cocoa from Grr, Midnight & Cocoa who brings calm energy to the blogosphere an' has a way of ingratiating himself into situations ('specially if the situation involves oodles of Temptations!).
D. Calais from Down Under at Crazy Meezer 'cuz you just gotta know that Calais is a talkative one who's the life of the party!

Saturday Photo Hunt #28: SHADOW


SHADOW!


The Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt theme for this week is SHADOW ... an easy theme for us 'cuz we've got lots of photos of him!


Many of you know that we've got a woofie cousin who's the son of our Uncle James and Aunt Lori. His name is Shadow Saluki an' he's about five years old.

This is a photo taken of him at his birthday party. His birthday theme was Spongebob Squarepants ... Can you tell by his pointy party hat? We weren't invited to the party, but Mom brought us some of his cake. It had frosting and it was pretty delicious.

Check out Shadow's laserbeam eyes! Furry scary, huh?

Friday, July 13, 2007

Friday's Feast #28



Appetizer
What is your favorite fruit?


DMM: Is pizza a fruit?

Mom: No, pizza isn't a fruit, but you CAN put some pineapple on pizza. I LOVE pineapple ... and limes and pomegranates, too.

Soup
Who is someone you consider as a great role model?


DMM: I think that my mom is a furry excellent role model, but I'm REALLY biased.

Mom: Is this where I say "aw, shucks"?
My role models are my parents. Immediately after them comes my professional mentor ... Dr. Helen ... whom I've mentioned in the past. She is why I am the way I am in my adult life. She won't want to take the credit because she's very self-effacing, but I owe her so much.

Salad
If you were to spend one night anywhere within an hour of your home, where would you choose?


DMM: Nowhere. I don't want to leave my home.

Mom: There are a pair of beach-front camp grounds on Highway 101 between Del Mar and Carlsbad where I'd go. The air smells amazing. I could have a campfire and fall asleep to the sound of crashing waves.

Main Course
Name something you do too often.


DMM: Oh, I whip up on the Feline Americans too often. They NEED it, though.

Mom: Shop. I shop WAY TOO OFTEN. I don't often buy things for myself, but I do know all the quick ways to get to my favorite haunts. Oh, and I eat lunch out too often, too.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I really like ___________ because ____________.


DMM: I really like Temptations because they are good.

Mom: Well, that was a no-brainer, huh?
I really like weekends and vacations because I can go to sleep very late and wake up around lunchtime the next day.

A tiny update

Thank you to all of my bloggin' furriends for all of the positve energy, purrayers, purrs, and healing karmic thoughts. It will help assuredly ...

Grandad is resting at home (I'm told that he's actually watching his favorite softball player ... Kat Ostermann ... on the sparkly box).

His doctor thinks that he will have his open-heart surgery next week (after Wednesday's appointments). I'll update you on the actual surgery date/time so you can start your purrs ...

Mom has been cleansing her karma by doin' good works for people at school. She is actually ready for Monday 'cuz she's furry organized and kinda a neat-freak 'bout her classroom. She stayed late yesterday gettin' books stacked under the student desks an' using the Xerox machine to copy syllabi, student contracts, open house letters, hall pass requests, and applications for the club that she sponsors. She got efurrything finished, so she had free time this afternoon. Did she leave early? Nope. Did she lolly-gag about in air conditioned splendor? Nuh uh. So, what did she do? She helped the librarian with textbooks, schlepped empty boxes to the recycling dumpsters, and delivered materials to other teachers in their rooms. Cleanse, cleanse, cleanse that karma!

She intends to rest this weekend ... I hope that she'll still help me with the Friday Feast an' my Saturday Photo Hunt ... Mooommmmm?!?

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Thursday Thirteen #28: STRESS!

It's been an odd Thursday.

Mom got home later than usual today, but she's ready for school to start on Monday, 'cuz the classroom is prepared, the Xeroxing is complete, and she knows that rosters/classes are completely out of her control. She's choosing not to worry 'bout that.

Grandma is furry worried and frightened (as is Mom) 'cuz Grandad is gonna have to have open heart surgery. He's at the hospital 'cuz he was supposed to have an angioplasty this afternoon ... Purrayers and healing karmic thoughts would be furry welcome from the blogosphere.

An' it's nearly 6:30 PM, but I smell bacon ... Mom's makin' a BLT without the "T" ... I wanna have a nice big bite of that turkey bacon! PLEEEEEEZZZZEEEE?!?



Mom's friend Lana, who's living the sweet life in "small-town" South Dakota, sent this message in an email 'cuz she knows how stressed Mom's been this week ...

A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.

In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. "

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can."

So, my friends and colleagues, put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested awhile.


And for this week's THURSDAY THIRTEEN, I present ...

Thirteen great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

1. Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

2. Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

3. Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

4. Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

5. If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

6. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

7. It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply be kind to others.

8. Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

9. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

10. Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

11. Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

12. You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

13. Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Wordy Wednesday with a "What The HECK?!?"

I need to send a "whoo hoo" and a "concatulations" to Mr. Hendrix the Kitty for winning a customized squillion for bein' the 17th "commenter" on my blogoversary post! (Email me, dood! I'm at daisymaemausATcoxDOTnet).

Thanks to efurry cat who wished me a happy one year blogoversary yesterday. Wow! I cannot believe that I've been bloggin' for a whole year and I've already made more than 530 posts! Boy are my paws tired.

To those who asked how Mom's first day went (keep in mind that there are no kids 'til Monday): She came home, ate some dinner, and went to bed. Sigh ...

There's no master schedule, so no one knows what they're teachin' starting next week. There are no rosters of kids, 'cuz there are technically no classes. Mom's got a migraine.

She went to "escape" by watching "Harry Potter V" ... She LOVED it.

Uh, oh ... It's nearly nine o'clock and her migraine isn't gone ... she's gettin' ready for bed 'cuz she's frustrated with school.

Later! It's cuddlin' time ...
DMM

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Sunday Meme ... On TUESDAY! An' it's my BLOGOVERSARY, too!

My cousin Ben tagged me for this meme that's been makin' its way 'round the blogospere. Here are my answers ...

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was livin' outside. I "belonged" to the woman-who-had-too-many-awful-kids, but I spent nearly 24-hours-a-day at Mom's house. I'd protect the porch and the patio swing from interlopers during the day and I'd sleep atop Mom's old shed at night where I could watch Mom sleep and fantasize about what it'd be like to live inside.

More than nine years ago, my dream became a reality!

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Pretty much the same things that I do efurry day: Eat, sleep, snack on Temptations, use the litter box, pick on the Feline Americans, beg for porky goodness ...

AND START MY BLOGGIE!
Whoo hoo!
Today is my ONE YEAR BLOGOVERSARY!


Five snacks you enjoy
1. Temptations ... All flavors
2. Cheetos cheese-flavored puffs
3. Any kind of meat that's bein' eaten at the table
4. Greenies
5. Vanilla ice cream (milk makes me barf)

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics
I'm a cat ... I know two songs:
1. The "Bing Bing" song -- "Bing, buh, buh, bing-bing, buh, bing, bing, bing! Bing, buh, buh, Mausie, buh, bing, bing, bing!"
2. "Mousie Butt-cheeks" -- "Mausie ... Mowwwww-seeeea butt-cheeks ..."

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire
1. Donate the money to no-kill shelters to help unfortunate kitties and woofies who haven't met the right bean(s) yet.
After that, I'm outta money ...

Five bad habits
1. Gettin' fur on Mom's pillowcases while she's at work.
2. Gobblin' my food and then asking for more. I wanna be the clean-up eater, but Sparky Fuzzypants is faster than me!!
3. Bossing the Feline Americans around.
4. Not wipin' the wonk out of my eyes.
5. Scattering litter on the carpet instead of using the littermat.

Five things you like doing
1. Cuddling with Mom (or in her absence, Grandma).
2. Takin' naps ... especially when Grandad is available.
3. Blogging.
4. Eatin' things made of pork.
5. Visitin' my friends' bloggies and leavin' comments.

Five things you would never wear again
1. The I "Heart" Sanjaya t-shirt is so over.
2. Whisker mousse ... It made them unmanageable an' a little crispy.
3. Tongue stud and the "hoot" ring ... Attracted the WRONG element to my bloggie and made bathin' myself difficult/painful.
4. Anastasia's pink wig. It itched and drug on the floor when I walked to the litterbox. Don't get me started about AFTER the box.
5. Fur ... Someone else's, of course.

Five favorite toys
1. Mom's hands when we're playing "What is under the comforter?!?"
2. Whirly-Bird.
3. Laserbeam pen with all the living room lights off.
4. Fev-ver butt mousie hockey: Me versus the 'fridgerator!
5. Sparky Fuzzypants' tail: Good for practicing attack skills.

I'm gonna tag:

A. Skeeter AND L.C.
B. George
C. Bathsheba AND Jake
D. Maobert


PeeSss: My seventeenth (July = 7 plus the 10th = 10 ... Total: 17) UNIQUE commenter on THIS POST will win a customized squillion painted by my Mom in honor of my one year blogoversary. By "unique," I mean that each blogger can only comment ONCE on this post ... Efurry commenter has to be different. In other words, one visit/comment per blogger. Please note that squillions can only be done in "kitty" and "woofie" ... Good luck!

Monday, July 09, 2007

ManCat Monday: Cuddling with Mr. Pumpkin

ManCats have big whisker humps, paws the size of baseball mitts, an' deep voices ('mraw, mraw' like Mr. Kismet) ... But they also have plushy fur for extra soft cuddles.

ManCat Pumpkin demonstrates the proper form for extreme full-contact cuddling. Maximum belly surface area MUST be exposed ... an' it's a good idea to make your abs ripple a whole lot.

Sunday, July 08, 2007

A dare from Anastasia!


Anastasia from The Cat Realm dared me to wear a pink wig ... The magenta color of the wig wasn't exactly me (an' Mom really sucks at Photoshop), so my wig is more padparadscha in color. I must say that the Veronica Lake look suits me!

Oh, Happy Day! It's HERE! It's HERE! Yay!

Our furriends Millie and Jasmine live in New Hamster. As you know, their momma makes gorgeous Gizzy Quilts. Our original "Gizzy" is purple and it lives on the headrest of our La-Z-Boy so that we can sit on it while we're restin' with Mom.

When Mom went to our mailbox, there was a little key inside. Joe, the man in the bloo shorts, leaves those little keys to signal that we have a PACKAGE that's too big to fit into our letterbox!

We love packages ... especially when they are for us! An' it WAS for us!

We sniffed the package to see who sent it.

The package was from Millie an' Jasmine, and it contained our PATRIOTIC GIZZY!

Isn't it great? It's got stars and stripes, and red/white/blue designs all over it!

Here's Charmee modeling our new Gizzy Quilt. He likes how it "pops" next to his white fur ...

I think that it looks nicest with my Tuxie fur ... Don't you agree???

Don't forget that there are gonna be Holiday Gizzy Quilts comin' up next month! They're gonna be limited edition. You can find out all about what they look like, how much they cost, and when you can pay for yours by visitin' Millie and Jasmine at their bloggie. Their momma posted instructions about what to do when they go on sale. Don't miss out! We're gonna make sure that we buy one for the holidays!

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Rude and Noisy Neighbors

It's warm today, so Mom opened all of the windows and has both security doors in place so that we can have a cross-draft. Usually, the open doors/windows coupled with the ceiling fans keep us cool enough that we don't need to put on the a/c.

Here's the problem: Our up-the-street neighbor has elected himself entertainment director for the entire street and is playing some particularly tuneless music (narco-corridos) at full tilt with enhanced bass. The baseline is so repetitive and the "music" so annoying that Mom can't think ... She can't focus on a book ... She can't watch television ... Nothin' 'cept be annoyed. It probably wouldn't annoy her so much ... 'cept she understands Spanish ... Narco-corridos are "songs" (loosely interpretted) that glorify the drug trade, drug dealers, and lawless behavior of all types.

Since we live in a "structured community," there are rules about when you can call the police about noise disturbance ... and there are rules about what constitutes a noise disturbance. Since it's still late afternoon, the police won't come and tell him to shut off his music or at least turn it down. So, unless she wants to shut the doors/windows and turn on the a/c, or leave the house and go elsewhere, she gets to suffer in silence.

What are some beans so darn rude? Is it right to inflict your musical choices on others around you just because you can? BTW: This is the same guy who allows his woofie to bark for hours on end (the same woofie that bit Grandad a couple of years ago), shoots off his handgun on New Year's Eve, gets drunk and starts "singing" while sittin' on his porch, and generally acts like a fool. He lives in the house that I USED to live in when I "belonged" to the lady with the horrible child posse.

I think that house is cursed with terminal stupidness.

UPDATE: Vecino Borracho FINALLY turned off his stereo and stopped his tuneless "singing" at 12:32 AM on Sunday, July 8th, after the police arrived.

And no, Mom didn't have to call the police this time ...

Saturday Photo Hunt #27: FAKE/FAUX


FAKE!


The Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt theme for this week is FAKE, but I prefer to call it FAUX instead!

We've got lots of fake stuff: Fake mice to play with, fake plants ('cuz we munch on the real ones!), fake wood furniture from Sauder®, some fakey-fakey diamond earrings, an' even fake butter in the 'fridge!

Let me tell you 'bout our FAVORITE fake ...

A couple of months ago, Mom made us a kitty bed (kinda like a hammock) out of some plastic sprinkler system pieces and two-thirds of a yard of fleecy fabric that she found at Wal*Mart. The fabric that she bought was a black-and-white leopard print, but no leopards were injured in the making of the fabric.

She liked the results so much that she made three more beds: One for Benjamin, one for Perla and Gus to share, and one for Zoey and the Furballs to share. They have the leopard print, too.

Well, Feline American Cocoa Puff LOVED the kitty bed so much that he slept on it efurry day. He wore out the leopard fabric. Or, more accurately, he stretched a hole in the stitching holding the bed cover together. He was furry unhappy that he had broken his bed, so Mom went back to Wal*Mart for another piece of fabric ... and she found THIS! It's FAUX tiger an' we like it even better!

Friday, July 06, 2007

Public Service Announcement 'Bout Brown Recluse Spiders! Warning: The photographs are graphic and shocking!

Mom has a friend named Elaine who works in the healthcare industry and sent Mom this email when she found out that the shed had been finished ... This was just the reminder that Mom needed to get out the caulking gun and get busy with the caulk!

I'm warnin' you now that the photos are enough to put you off your Fancy Feast ... Thoughts of spiders alone make me itchy, but the bite looks really awful and horribly painful.

Subject: REMINDER about the Brown Recluse


It's summertime ... Be careful where you put your hands. Spiders like the Brown Recluse like dark spaces, woodpiles, and cool areas in the attic. People digging, doing yard work, cleaning, or working in attics/basements should be aware of the dangers.

The following illustrates the progression of a Brown Recluse spider bite. The affected skin actually dies on his body. The Brown Recluse spider is the most dangerous spider that we have living in the United States. A person can die from its bite, so think what pain a kitty or woofie would go through after tangling with this spider! Please be careful. Spider bites are dangerous and can have permanent and highly negative consequences. They like the darkness and tend to live in storage sheds or attics or other areas that might not be frequented by people or light. If you have a need to be in your attic, go up there and turn on a light and leave it on for about 30 minutes before you go in to do your work.

This unfortunate man was bitten by a Brown Recluse spider and didn't visit his doctor until the bite became devastating!
Day 3

Day 5

Day 6

Day 9

Day 10

The Dangerous Brown Recluse Spider