Mirror, Mirror on the floor

Mom and Dad were painting the powder room and took this mirror down. Huggy Bear started laying on the mirror almost immediately. He even got ahold of the ring from the milk jug and was huddled on the mirror giving the "keep away" low growl of his. Dad ended up just taking the ring away to calm him down. But I think getting twice the HB is very nice.

Supervising in the kitchen

Maggie supervised the preparation of Thanksgiving dinner from on top of the refrigerator. It seemed to be a good spot for her to watch, but not help too much.

Homeless cat shelter

Aunt Cathy's brother has built a shelter in his garage for the neighborhood homeless cats to get them through the winter. He built a heated two-story shelter inside the garage with a cat door from the outside so the cats don't have free access to the garage but can access the shelter unit. We need more people like that.

Riddle me this...

Q: What's black and white and red all over?
A: Josie on our new red couches!

After 11 years of marriage, Mom and Dad finally bought new furniture. Maggie and Josie were quick to give it a test run. Mom has coveted a red couch for a while, so she is so excited about her new living room.

Lucas in Cat Fancy Magazine

I just saw where Lucas (aka Prince Diaper) will be in the January issue of Cat Fancy Magazine. (brief excerpt) I'm glad Alisha let us know. We'll have to watch for that article...

At it again

Mom and Dad are at it again -- painting, that is. This past weekend was dedicated to the dining room. At one point, Maggie was a little too close to the lid of the paint for Dad's comfort (he was pouring more paint in the pan and Maggie was helping.) Because Dad was afraid Maggie would get in the paint he decided to pick her up and move her. Because he picked her up when she didn't want to be picked up she stretched out her leg and toes -- and got in the paint! All Dad's fault, without a doubt, but poor Maggie paid the price. Mom and Dad had to hold her in the air so paint didn't get everywhere (Dad's got the scratches to prove it), and they scruffed her and cleaned between her back toes on both feet. At least Dad accepted responsibility for this one -- he should know when to just leave well enough alone by now. We can walk along tiny, narrow places, and somehow he thinks she's going to get in the paint? Really, some days I just wonder about him...

Maybe I'll have soup for dinner

I love checking out the pantry. It's one of the coolest places, next to the garage, at our house. It's got shelves to climb on, our treats are in there, and there's always a bag of potatoes for me chew on. (No, I don't like potatoes, I like plastic bags.)

Sweet Maggie

Maggie is growing into such a sweet little lover. She has always been a sweet girl and very affectionate, but lately she's really been pouring it on. She bathes Huggy Bear all the time ... even started giving him a bath in bed the other night and fell asleep in mid-bath. Here she is snuggling with Mom on the couch after she and Dad returned from the mountains. Mom was so happy and Dad was a little jealous, so I hopped on the couch with Dad to make everything even.

Been sidetracked

I've been a little sidetracked lately, trying to keep up with the heartbreaking events at Atomictumor and helping Mom and Dad get the house ready for the holiday company ... so much to do and so little time. I feel like it will be 2007 before we know it! But I have some great pictures to post. I'll try to get them up soon.

What am I?

Mette had asked a few comments ago about what breed of cat I am. I was born in a shelter ... my mother had come in pregnant. She was a Manx. Unfortunately, like many of us, I have no knowledge of my father, no relationship with him at all. (I think this is a serious issue with us cats, and maybe should be addressed in public service announcements like these.) So I don't know if I have any Maine Coon or a Norwegian blood in me, just Manx for sure. Maybe I should get some DNA testing ... he he ... just the though of someone trying to do a mouth swab makes me laugh uncontrollably.

Send prayers and hope

Uncle Doug's friends over at Atomictumor are struggling with a strange, sudden, dire illness. Things are very serious, and confusing, and emotionally exhausting. Mom got teary reading AT's entries about his wife's struggles. Dad was so emotionally spent that he had to take a few breaks to get through. Please send your prayers and thoughts.

The events begin on the Nov. 1 post "It's been a loooong day," and continue for several pages (just click "previous page" at the bottom).

The blogosphere is amazing in it's ability to connect complete strangers like old friends in moments of need. Thank you all in advance for your positive energy.

Mom and Dad return

Mom and Dad went up to Tennessee this weekend to the mountains and visited with Dad's parents. At Christmas, Dad's parents and sister will be coming to visit us instead! This will be the first time we meet Aunt Kelly ... we know she's excited. Even though she has a dog, we're excited about meeting her, too.

When Mom and Dad were driving though the mountains, they saw three black bears (not three black Huggy Bears...) all up in a tree. Some crazy people were actually out of their cars and trying to get pictures. Dad took a drive-by picture that I'll try to zoom in on and post later, but Mom and Dad were both thinking, "If there are three babies, there a mom around here too," so they didn't stop.

It's fine when Mom and Dad go for a weekend or so. Usually someone checks in on us (make sure we're not throwing a party...) but we are happy that Mom and Dad are back home.

Cat glasses

Mom and Dad need these...