Eight Lives Left

Mum says she mentally has me losing one life. She had thoughts of caticide early this morning. Something about being awakened at 4 AM to the sound of something breaking.

You see, if I can move it, I will move it. So I moved her Galileo thermometer off the speaker. I have done this before, and nothing happened. The firsted picture is me, taken a few months ago, making room for me on the speaker. Move over vase, thermometer. Mum had even turned the speaker on its side, so a shorter fall. Well, this morning, I moved it off and it broked.
So there was mum, in what she termed the middle of the night, picking up the broken glass, the little temperature spheres and trying to soak up the fluid from the carpet. Seems this fluid is not water, but something else, mum says it smells like lighter fluid. So mum had to bring out the big carpet cleaning monster. The carpet still smells funny and now has a couple of bumps in it, instead of being flat. Mum thinks the fluid did something to the carpet fibers.
Sorry mum. I know you liked this. Can I get you a new one for Christmas????

More Planting

Mum founded a spot for the rest of the impatience that she had left to plant. Hmmm, where did she find that planter? It looks like Fat Eric! So we have decide to call him Phat Flower Eric or PFE (said like fee) for short. Here you can see PFE, Vir-ginger and me having a short chat while we watched mum water all of the plants she has put in over the past few days. Here they moved to the back on the patio. Both of the like the backyard better than the front, nice and shady. Can watch the birdies and such as well.

Vir-ginger is really trying to get a close look at the birdies. Figures she will just sit in the middle of the birdie bath. Hmm, have to wait and see if it works. Here, birdie, birdie. hehehehe.

Memorial Day

Honor and Remembrance to all who have served our country.

Thank you.

More New Plants

I showed you yesterday the big plants that mum digged holes for with Grampie. This is how she got so dirty. But she also putted out lots of little flowers too.
These little flowers are in the boxes along the front porch. It is hot and sunny here and these little guys do just fine. Mum planted these Friday night and one of the flowers has already opened. Mum says these things are called port-u-laca or moss roses.
Then mum putted im-patience in the big container, a couple of hanging baskets and another small container. Plus she has a few plants left that she needs to find a spot for.
OK, guess that is the report for now of all of the garden stuff. Taking the rest of the day to rest/nap, give the plants drinks, read the newsy paper and watch racy cars go in circles for the rest of the day.

New Plants

Mum's plants are still alive tonight. She has been out giving them lots of water to drink. It is going to be furry hot here tomorrow for the firsted time this year, up in the 80's F and humid. Not much rain, so mum gets out the hose to give all of them good drinks.

So here is what she did. The front of the house, once the tulips and daffs died back didn't have much there. So she wanted to put in stuff that will grow all the time, like shrubs. So there is now a tall arbor vitae (the tall green thingy) and two green and gold (hmm, Packer colors) euonymous. They should grow up to be just under the windows. There are two, one is on the other side of the green thingy.
Then mum putted a four-sy-thia in the front flower bed and two day lily things to give flowers later in the summer. As of now this bed was mostly spring bulbs. Plus there are some pee-o-nees, that are growing there too. With so much green stuff it is hard to see, but it is on the end of the flower bed here.
Then, one last thing was a a-zale-ya, a pink one this time. She already has an orangey one. This is one of mum's favorite plants and they finally have them where they can live this far north. You just gotta cover them in the winter with a blankie to keep the wind off. This is in the back where we can see it from the bedroom window.
But wait, there is more. But I will tell you about that tomorrow.

How Dirty?

How dirty can one woman get in just a few hours? Well, mum managed to gets real messy when she was planting this morning. Grampie, on the other hand stayed clean. But then he supervises and mum does the work.
So mum tooked off all of her messy clothes and is taking a shower to get herself clean. Plus the rest of the stuff in going into the laundry.
Me and Vir-ginger stayed out of the way. I watched for a little bit, then decided that my nap was much more important.
Pictures later of the stuff she actually planted.

Getting Ready to Purr for Edselsmom

Mum and I are just about ready to go outside. Mum will take me outside and we will face east, since the mitten state is to the east. All the better to get our purrs and healing vibes off to Edselsmom, Edsel and all of the family.

Oh, guess, mum is ready, so am I. PURRRSSSSS. PURRRSSSSS. PURRRSSSSS. PURRRSSSSS. PURRRSSSSS. PURRRSSSSS. PURRRSSSSS. PURRRSSSSS. PURRRSSSSS.

Purrayers for Edselsmom

Well, firsted we all need to keep Edselsmom in our purrayers. She is going to need surgery soon and the family is concerned. Just when Edsel got the long arm of the Canadian law off of his tail, now this. Please keep them in your thoughts.

Mum has been going crazy with bring home plants, big and small, from the stores. Three nights in a row she has broughted home stuff. Some of this is as tall as she is. Guess she will have lots to work on this weekend. Mum says Grampie will be coming over to help dig holes for the plants.

On the way home tonight, mum was driving when an animal ranned across the road in front of her. At firsted she thought it was a cat. But then on a second look the back and tail looked funny. She drove slowly but gotted close enough to get a really good look. It was no kittie but a RACCOON! Who was that masked animal? Rocky?

Big Cold Box Magnets

Mum decorates the big cold box door with magnets. Some are of purrty pictures, some of them are of kitties!
Mum says this one is a famous French poster of a place called the BLACK CAT in Paris very long ago.


These are lots of little magnets with kitties who look like some of my blogging buddies. Maybe Max, the Meezers, Brandi. Looks like our gang is making it into some purrty places.

Shopping Spree

Well, maybe not an exactly a spree, but mum broughted home the weekly food stuff from the store, and other stuff from other stores. I jumped into the car to check out to see if she gotted me anything. Hmph, I didn't find anything for me, no food or treats, but one bag was shut real tight and mum putted it in my section of the cupboard. Hmmm, I wonder what she got me??!!
While I was out there I checked out some more of the stuff in the garage. I ended up in the recycling bin. Yes, that is me, a recycled kittie!

New Grass

Here I am supervising mum as she is putting the grass seeds into the dirt so they will grow. So I am checking this out. Don't think I wants to eat this stuff just yet.
Maybe in a week or so I will want to eat the grass. I am not a horse, I wants to eat the green stuff, not the seeds.

Mum maded a few changes to the blog. Thanks to The Crew who found the new kittie clocks. Now we have a ginger clock, not a red one. Plus mum took the old big counter away. Said it was counting all of her visits from work, but the BlogPatrol counter thingy sometimes isn't there. Oh, well.

Mum agrees that the champagne lake was a nice spot. Maybe a spot to go to sometime and not for work. Yes, she said she did work. But after they were done, she said they had to eat and have a place to sleep. So that is where she gotted her pictures, from the hotel room and a place where she had dinner one night.

Catching Up

Firsted, mum messed up yesterday. When she picked me up, she was so happy to get me that she forgotted something. When I wented to the spa she let me take my blue mousie with me. My favorite toy. But then she forgotted to bring it home with me. So she called them and yes they had it. So mum wented and picked it up for me. Thanks mum for getting it back for me.

Well, I managed to do a quick pass through what has happened over the past few days. What worried me the most is Edsel. But he is back home now, safe and not on the lam from the long arm of the law. He went to hang with the Calico Girls for a few days. The girls and their mum is a good place to hang.

Well, mum's trip. She wented some where with a lake that had champagne in it. That was a business trip?? Wait, mum is saying it was a town on Lake Champlain, not a lake of champagne. Oh sorry, hehe. And she did bring me back something. A little teddy bear from Vermont, so she gotted another bear but will share this one with me. As soon as I gots home I went to gets a snack and she putted it down by me. Thanks mum!
So she and the other person who wented on the trip gotted lots of works done and trained some people to do new stuff. They even hadded a nice view of the lake from the hotel She gotted a few pictures from her room and from a place where they ate dinner one night.
They had some rainy times so not many really nice pictures. And on the planes rides mum said she flew over the area where the Meezers are from. And on the way back had to stop and find a new airplane to ride in the mitten state. Edsel, Kukka and Brach lives in the mitten state, but mum said she didn't see them.

Anyway, that is the scoop on the trip. It was nice last night we just cuddled on the couch and I got lots of scritches, mum told me her stories and she showed me the pictures. So I guess things are getting back to normal.

MUM'S HOME, ME TOO!

Well, I am back from the spa. It was OK, but I would much prefer mum didn't have to go away. I had a single 'condo', they have doubles which are big enough for two kitties, but mum didn't spring for the extra cost on that for me. Hmph. But then they were all full too!

Mum dropped me off on Sunday night and picked me back up tonight on the way home from the airport. So not a long time, but I missed mum. I also missed being able to wander around at will.

But I did have play time every day with the spa people. They would take me out and let me run around the kittie room. They had chasing and pouncing toys that I could work with. Mum also brought along my blue mousie so I had one of my own toys.

I could check out the other kitties, but we were not all allowed to get out and play at the same time. We had a few chats and none of these kitties have blogs. I told them all about the kitties I have gotten to know all over the world from blogging. They were impressed that we have such a great community of kitties out there. Mum saw one very cute kittie when we checked in, a small tiger. But she wented home on Monday. Then today mum liked the calio who was there. But once she was there, I got out and right into the carrier so we could go home.

Plus you could hear and smell woofies. Mum says the other part of the building is for woofies to stay and a beauty parlor for them. I am sorry, nothing, no amount of time and money spent on woofies will ever make them look as good as us kitties. Our natural beauty just shines through.

Mum hasn't had time to fill me in on her trip, so now we just need some snuggle and story time.

Off to the Kitty Spa

Happy Mum's Day to all of the mum's out there. Mum and I had a nice day, taking it easy. Mum said I didn't need to get her anything, flowers, candy or such. Said just having me is the bestest purresent. Aww, mum you know the right things to say to me.

Mum is off to visting people out of town for business. So I gets to go to the spa in a little bit. Mum says they won't let me blog from this place. Guess they don't believe that we kitties do this sortta thing.

So catch you all in a bit. I will give you a report on the place when I gets back. Take care.

Before.....After, Plus a Cocktail Anniversary

Mum has been in and outs of the house all morning. Which I like 'cuz each time she comes back I gets a batch of coming home scritches. Plus each time coming back with more stuff. Even stuff for me. So when she tried to get my stuff onto the shelf she was running out of room.
So she figured it was time to take all of the stuff out and see if she could fit this stuff all in, but with more room. Plus with the door open for a long time I could check out all this stuff that she has in her that I thinks belongs to me. You know, treats, extra toys, the 'nip stash and such.
So she took all of the stuff out, got on a chair so she could reach the top shelf and manged to get all of the stuff back in, plus have one shelf all for my stuff. So now we both can see all of the goodies in here. There is one toy that I tried to pull out, but I couldn't get it to come out. Mum says that for now that toy has to stay in the cupboard. Says I already have one that I am playing with that is the same. She just gotted two when she saw them since she liked them. Plus I play with this a lot. You can open it up and put 'nip in it.
There is even room for me on this shelf too. Mum, can I just stay in here with the treats and 'nip? I will be just fine for now, OK? No? Oh, mum, what a spoil sport. But she did give me a bag of the tender vittles to try. Not bad for a change of pace.
Plus mum says she heared on the radio this morning that May 13, 2006 is the 200th anniversay of the cocktail. So that all poodins and beans should have their favorite tonight when the "sun gets over the yard arm"?? What ever that means. Well, now I have to decide what to have. A niptini, meowgarita, a russianless white russian? Maybe mum can dig out her book of drinks and whip me up something new!

CHEERS!

My Magnetic Purrsonality

Mum founded this at the store. Hmm, I don't remember posing for this, but it sure looks like me. I figure I better check this out closer.

I couldn't quite get it off the door to really play with it. But it sure is cute, just like me.

Ohhh, I didn't tell you guys, for my Gotchaversary, mum gotted me some Stinky Goodness. Just for a treat.

Today, mum came home a little early from work and then worked on her 'puter here. Said it was safer to drive home when there was less traffic.

It has been windy and rainy all day. The purrty flowers from the crabby apple tree are coming down. So it looks like there is pink con-fet-ti all over the grass. I have been sitting on the heaty spot to stay warm, 'cuz it is not very warm today.

Vir-ginger, Out and About

Vir-ginger went 'sploring outside last night while mum didded some yard work. She kept moving around and hiding on mum, hehe. So mum had to hunt her down a couple of times. She maded it up into the crabby apple tree and then was on the ground hiding in the plants. Can you find Vir-ginger in the plants?
Plus the crabby apple tree is looking very purrty. Mum can lay in bed and see all of the flowers on the tree. It sure looks different than what it look like back in December. No leaves or flowers, just bare branches.

Found a New Home

I would like to thank all of the kitties for their kind words about my adoption story. I even gotted called an Adonis by the gang over at "...Its all Good". Mum says that means a handsome young man. Wow.

It did have a happy ending. So it would be nice to hear other kitties adoption stories too.

Mum wanted to add a few words as well.

Derby's Mum: This is to add to the adoption story. Yes it seemed to take forever. But this is how it happened over the time span of a 10 days or so. Derby ended up spending a little over 3 weeks at the shelter, so not a real long time. Some kitties spend much longer. I had been watching the HAWS website and looking at potential adoptees. Some of them were on the website for a month or more.

This shelter has a policy of a 24 hour waiting period before actually taking home an animal. Also, once you select your animal you must come and get it the next day, otherwise, they go back into the adoption pool. So I did my selection on a Friday, pickup on Saturday. Then would have most of the next two days together, before I had to head back to work.

Even though I had seen the cats, both Mikey and Derby, the week before (April 25), I didn't select then as I was out of town for a few days in between. I didn't want to get a pet and then totally leave them alone for a couple of days. That made no sense, so I delayed my actual selection day until a Friday, taking a very long lunch hour (I am salaried and put in tons of hours), then I could do a pickup on Saturday as soon as the shelter opened.

Visitors are not allowed to take cats or dogs out of their pen or cage. If you want to interact further the shelter people bring the animal to you in a quiet and closed room. First, then you don't have someone coming through and letting the animals out. Second, then you can interact without interuption and see behavior without any other distractions.

You also have to have an application on file, and I found one question interesting. They ask if you own your home or rent. Probably typical, but if you say you own your home, you have to prove it by showing a property tax receipt. So if you really rent, you can't lie about it and not have a letter from your landlord. So less likely to have adoption returns or abandoned pets, due to not having permission to have a pet. Also, they ask about previous pets, if you have given them up for adoption, how many at home etc. They do reserve the right to refuse adoptions.

And why Derby (or Benny, as he was previously called) versus Mikey? Derby interacted with me. The other cat was not interested in playing, when I tried to get him to respond to toys, he just didn't respond. Derby on the other hand, had personality. He did react to me and wanted to play. Also the other cat had been ill, kennel cough/URI, and had just been put back on the adoptable list. That is another reason I liked this shelter. They will pull an animal off the list of adoptable animals and put them in foster care and isolate them from the rest of the animals until better. Max of Crew's Views was adopted from the same shelter.

The shelter also asks if for any reason you need to give up your pet that you adopt there, they would be happy to rehome them for you. So bring them back and they will make sure they get a good new home.

Considering it is roulette to if you get a good animal or not, I think I hit the jackpot. Derby is socialable, so when I have company, he is out greeting the guests. People who have visted and have cats, comment on how lucky I was to get a good one. Derby does get a bit sassy, likes to nip with those sharp teeth, especially since he can't claw me. But I can deal with that, and I know when he is getting into 'biting mode' and leave him alone. Hopefully to reinforce that I won't play if he gets too rough with those teeth.

I love my little furguy. Hard to believe it has already been one year. Thanks to all of the blogging buddies and their beans. Your stories are fun to read and helpful in the situtations that all cats seem to face.

Gotcha Day - One Year Ago

I was so excited knowing that my blonde lady would be back. Our morning was pretty routine at the shelter with feeding and getting our cages cleaned.

But then after lunch all of a sudden one of the shelter techs came, took me out of my cage and into a back room. They gave me a stabby shot in the back of my neck. The tech was very nice and said she was giving me a chip to make sure I could be found, if I ever gotted losted. Then she put me inside a carrier, which had soft towels on the bottom and carried me out to the lobby.

The lobby had lots of people and was very noisy, but they sat me down on the floor and I looked up and there was my blonde lady. She leaned over and said hello. Then after a few more minutes, she gathered her stuff, some papers and ME!!!!!! She was taking me with her!!!!! She wasn't just coming to play with me she was taking someplace else to play.

She carried me out to her car and carefully loaded the carrier into the car and secured it with the seat belt. Then got in and started the car. Plus she leaned over and said the the majic words to me. "Derby, lets go home". HOME, I was going to my furever home. Plus I learned my new name. It had been Benny, and I liked Derby better.

On the drive home, I did lots of talking. The blonde lady just kept softly talking to me. Saying we are going home, I love you, don't be scared. So after a bit I quieted down and even took a very quick nap.

Then the car stopped, the blonde lady got out and took some stuff in the house and then came and got me in the carrier. She just left me in the carrier for a few minutes while I adjusted to being inside. She got some food and water ready for me and then opened the carrier door right by the feeding bowls.

Well, I didn't waste any time. I came right out of the carrier, sniffed at the food and then went and jumped into the kitchen window. FREEDOM to wander!!! Very important to us kitties.
The blonde lady just watched me and let me wander around. So after checking out the kitchen, I did the family room, living room and then down to the dungeon. Down in the dungeon, I found my litter box. I just continued to check out the house for the rest of the day.

The blonde lady just left me do my thing, she worked on her house works stuff and laundry. Plus we watched the Kentucky Derby on TV. She didn't try to smother me or pick me up. But she did give me a few treats from her hand and scritches when I came around to sit by her. I felt so comfortable that by night I even jumped on her bed to sleep. Purrrrrrssss. It was a good night and I slepted real well and kept watch as well. I figured I had a keeper here and didn't want her to disappear.

The next morning, Sunday, I had been awake and 'sploring the house some more before anyone else was outta bed. I came up from the dungeon with my face full of spidey webs. Mum, yes I could call her mum now, laughted and helped get the mess off. She knew I had been in spots she didn't or couldn't get at to clean.

We just spent a quiet morning, me checking out the rooms mum hadn't closed the doors to, mum reading her newspaper. Then in the afternoon, I got to meet mum's Dad, Grampie. He was very nice, even though he kept calling me 'Gary'. He learned my correct name real soon.

Again, I felt safe and comfortable, with this nice blonde lady. Thanks for giving me a nice home, Mum. Purrrrs.

Derby Day - My Day

This is the first Saturday of May. The day they run the Kentucky Derby horse race. I was broughted to my new home 52 weeks ago today. So mum and I will always celebrate Derby Day. I did well at my one year vist with the VET earlier and am safely back home.

I will finish my story tomorrow on my true Gotcha Day, which was May 7. Now I have to watch horsie races with mum for the rest of the day. Bye.

Finding A New Home - Part Three

I was just relaxing after lunchtime and then this blonde lady came into the kittie room at the shelter. Hey, I remember her. She was here last week and played with me. She came over to say hello and I wanted to play with her. But then she also went down to play with another kittie named Mikey.

After a few minutes she left and I was disappointed we didn't get to play longer. Then a few more minutes and then one of the shelter people came in and took Mikey out of his cage. What I didn't know then was that the tech was taking Mikey into a special room to meet with this blonde lady.

About 15 minutes later they brought Mikey back, but then I gotted taken out of my cage. They took me to the special room and there she was, the blonde lady. Well, I figured now was the time for me to shine.

Firsted, I meowed 'Hello' and rubbed up against her. Then she had some toys and we had such a good time playing. We played for about 15 minutes and I thought this was so much fun. This blonde lady needs to come and play with us kitties every day.

But then this she lefted the room for a bit, and I was there by myself. I was ready to keep playing all afternoon. But then she came back and gave me some scritches and then said something very wonderful. "I'll be back for you tomorrow".
Ohh, Ohh, she would be back to play tomorrow. More play time.... or did she mean something else??

To be continued.......

My shelter mug shot that was on the website for HAWS, this is why Patches Lady calls me Smiley Boy.

Cow Pies for The Calico Girls

Patches Lady posted that her beans gotted lots of cow pies to put on their garden. There are lots of cows here in Wisconsin so mum knows all about the pies that the real cows make.

But mum founded a kind of cow pie that you can eat. Mum said it was delish!

Here, Birdie, Birdie

Mum boughted two of these birdies nest things at the store. Hmm, do I see a some similar things to us wonderful ginger kitties? Grampie thinks they were kinda silly. What self respecting birdie would want to live in a birdie house that looks like a kittie head?

Well, we have at least one sparrow who is checking out the place. So maybe soon we will have a whole family here.

Plus a big cuddle to the Meezers and their beans. Grampa Norton wented to join Ralphie at the Rainbow Bridge. Purrs to you.

What a Bleeding Heart

Yes, this is another purrty plant that mum has in the yard. I don't see any blood, but you can sorta see that it looks like a heart. I can see that the neighbor next door has one of these plants too.

Mum was out inspecting all of the plants in the yard tonight. Says that all of the plants in the back garden are growing. She also thanks the kitties who suggested plants to grow. She says she wants to put in purr-en-e-alls. That means plant it and sort of forget them.

Visitors

Mum caughted me looking out the windows very intently tonight. Wanna know what was so interesting out there???? Well?
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Two, not one, but two buns!! They were eating some of the nice fresh growing grass. As long as they don't want to come inside and eat the grass mum grows for me.

Finny and Buddy had a couple of buns visit them too. Mum says these guys are probably distant cousins of Mr and Mrs Bernard.