Challenge Walk MS

I've been away from posting because Mom and Dad have been busy walking -- first training for a 3-Day, 50-Mile walk, then doing the walk. This is their third year walking in the Challenge Walk MS 3-Day 50-Mile walk. The first two years the event was in Charleston, SC. This year they walked around Savannah, Ga. It was their first time in Savannah so they were very excited to explore a new town.


Mom and Dad walk for their friend Nikki, who was diagnosed with MS about nine years ago. (Well, they started walking for her, now they walk for Nikki and so many others.) Mom got to carry the Challenge Walk flag for a mile of the walk, which really meant a lot.


They had to get up bright and early every morning, beating the sunrise each day. Here's the sunrise at Tybee Island the final day. It was a beautiful place to stay and visit.


Dad met a bunch of cats along the walk. This one was really friendly and Dad got to love on him for a minute while Mom had a blister looked at.


Dad tried to get a good picture, but this was about as good as he could get. This guy was loving the attention, and walking in circles all around Dad asking for some love. He was a mix between my orange and Maggie's tabbiness.


Charleston was more of a dog town, and while there were plenty of dogs along the walk, Savannah felt a lot more like a cat town to Mom and Dad.


There were so many wonderful sights along the walk. This is the historic lighthouse on Tybee.


This is Mom at the final mile of Day One of the walk (21.5 miles the first day). It was a beautiful walk through a canopy of trees. Mom and Dad were told this was in a scene in Forrest Gump. It is the Wormsloe State Park.


There were some zombies at one of the rest stops, too.


The zombies provided "finger food" and brains.


Mom and Dad also saw the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile!


Be careful, because you might get attacked by sharks on Tybee Island!


Dad got attacked twice!


On their way home Mom and Dad found a restaurant for us to visit (if we're ever willing to go for a long car ride).

Walking to end MS

Mom and Dad have a good friend who has MS. Their friend Nikki was diagnosed about nine years ago, and while she has been doing well recently, it has not been the easiest journey. Several years ago, Mom and Dad started joining Nikki for three mile MS Walk events in Marietta, Ga outside Atlanta near where Nikki lives. Three years ago Mom and Dad did their first 3-Day, 50-Mile Challenge Walk. They did the same walk last year, too, and this past fall they biked 100 miles over two days with Bike MS.

They are gearing up for their third 3-Day, 50-Mile walk, this time in Savannah, Ga. So far, Mom and Dad have traveled 227 miles and raised over $7000 for MS research and patient services. Well, it's fundraising time again, and while I don't do this often on the blog, I wanted to put the request out there for a little support. Mom and Dad each have to raise $1500 to participate in the 3-Day walk. This is one of their favorite events, but the fundraising is so challenging (more challenging than the 50 miles, for sure).

Any support is welcome and greatly appreciated. You can click here to donate to Dad, or click here to donate to Mom. (It's not a competition ...)

Thank you so much! We love the support we get from our amazing cat friends!

Dad had a big bird encounter

Mom and Dad went to a friend's house for dinner this past weekend. They have a dog and a big bird. The dog was very friendly, but stayed away until after dinner, which we don't understand. You would think that she would have come and asked for a bite of fish. (Mom and Dad had salmon, but didn't bring us any.)


This is Jason, the bird. Dad was warned that Jason will bite, so he didn't get too close at first. Just close enough to take a picture. But as the night went on, Dad was told about how Jason likes to get loved on before going to bed. Jason is 36 years old, and goes to bed at 9 pm, and will squawk at you if his mom doesn't come and hold him and pet him. Dad happened to walk through the kitchen a little after 9:00 and Jason was still out, so the bird walked across his cage door and the top of the cage toward Dad. Then Jason leaned toward Dad a little and raised his right wing, asking to be pet. So Dad very carefully reached over and gave him some skritches on his back. A little bit later his Mom came in and held him and Jason just snuggled up against her and cooed. Mom and Dad said it was amazing to see. (He sounds cute, but looking at the size of his claws and beak, I'll just steer clear of this one.)


This is their dog Rachel. She was very sweet and well-behaved. She did like to lick a lot, which Mom is not a fan of. Dad was OK with it. He made sure to wash the dog stink off before coming into the house, though.

And since we're talking about stuff that's not us, here's a picture from the roller derby last weekend.


Mom and Dad went to the roller derby in town (our team is really good, and fun to watch) and they ran into Lauren, the coordinator of the Walk MS events. She was in town signing people up for the Walk MS event in Columbia in April. But she recognized Mom and Dad from the 3-Day, 50-Mile walk last year, and they talked about the upcoming walk at the end of this month. It was really nice for them to be able to catch up and helped re-invigorate Mom and Dad about their big big walk. Mom and Dad are still fundraising. You can support Mom here or Dad here.

Mom and Dad do the Walk MS events to support their good friend Nikki, who lives outside Atlanta. Nikki was diagnosed about eight years ago. Fortunately, she has no new plaque developments since 2010, and some on her spine have healed. Mom and Dad also walk for all those they have met along the way whose lives have been touched by MS. They have other friends who have MS, or friends who have family with MS, or some of Dad's patients have MS. So this has become an important cause for Mom and Dad, so I guess we can let them have a weekend to walk and walk and walk.

OK, one last picture ...


Dad took part of a World Record-setting event last Sunday. Columbia set the World Record for most bow ties tied at one time (yes, that's a recorded record). This is Dad with his friend Annie. They both successfully tied their bow tie. Dad even got his done on his first try!

If you want to learn how, this is the video to watch. Lucky is from Britton's right down the street from where Dad works, and he is who taught Dad the first time, in person, and the second time, on video.



If you made it this far, thanks for reading this long wrap-up post. I don't do a lot of long posts because I know I don't like to read really long posts, but this let me cover a bunch of things all at once. We are getting snow and ice and sleet and freezing rain today and tomorrow and maybe Thursday, so think good thoughts for us. It means more time with Mom and Dad. Let's just hope we don't lose power. Stay warm, friends!

3-Day, 50-Mile Walk for MS

Mom and Dad are a little nuts, I think. Getting inspiration from Max's Mom and DKM, Mom and Dad did a 3-day, 50-mile walk last year in Charleston, SC. It was a fundraiser for MS research, which is a very important cause for Mom and Dad because a dear old friend has MS.

Well, they had such a good time getting blisters and sore knees that they are doing it again this year. One of the big challenges to doing the walk isn't all the miles but raising the money to qualify to walk. Mom and Dad each have to raise $1500.

If you are feeling generous and would like to help them out, I know it would be greatly appreciated. Every bit helps. You can donate to Mom here, or to Dad here.

Thanks so much for your generous support!

The betrayal of the treats

It happened again this weekend -- we were betrayed by the treats. You'd think we would learn, but those treats are just too good. Mom and Dad had a surprise party for Aunt Tiff's 40th birthday, but of course that means we get sequestered into the big bathroom. But that's also where we usually get our treats, so it's pretty easy for Dad to lure us in. Josie has actually learned to stop just short of the bathroom for her treats. Huggy Bear has learned to recognize the level of simultaneous cooking and cleaning as a sign for him to hide under the bed to avoid getting locked in the bathroom. He's very funny about it, because Dad will try to lure him out from under the bed with treats. But he'll just reach out one long arm like Hungry Hungry Hippos and pull the treat under the bed and eat it. This weekend Dad even wrapped Tiff's gift right by the bed thinking Huggy Bear would come out and help. Eventually Dad gave up and just locked HB in the bedroom. (Mom later came up and he was up on the bed, and she put him in with the rest of us, so he had food, water and litter box.)

But Aunt Tiff was very surprised by her party, which makes getting locked up OK, I guess. Tiff wanted a nice, low-key dinner with a couple of friends, so Mom threw her a big party instead. You only turn 40 once, and they've been friends for 35 years, so it had to be done.

Once the party was winding down we did get to visit and get some love and attention and wished Aunt Tiff a proper happy birthday with purrs.

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In other news, Dad has almost reached his fundraising goal for their big MS 3-day, 50-mile walk. Mom still needs some help. If you have a few dollars to help her out, every bit is appreciated. You can donate here. Thanks again for all your support.

Sick dog...

Aunt Tiff's mom adopted a cute dog from a local shelter a few months back. He is a very sweet dog named Droopy. Unfortunately they just found out that he has heartworms. He's on medications for it now, and has to be for the next month, at least. It is a little scary, but it can be fatal. So they have to keep a close watch on him. So please purr a little bit for him. As dogs go, he's pretty cool.

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Mom and Dad continue to walk and walk and walk in preparation for their big 3-day, 50-mile walk. They are still collecting donations to help reach their goal of $1500 so they can qualify to walk. If you have an extra dollar or two (or 20, or ...) please consider helping them out. You can donate to Dad here, or to Mom here. Thanks for you support!

Challenge Walk MS

In March, Mom and Dad are participating in a three day, 50 mile walk to raise money for MS research. This is a cause that is very near and dear to Mom and Dad because a very good friend of theirs was diagnosed with MS about eight years ago. Mom has been working very hard to get in shape so that she could do an event like this. Today she was able to give away 231 articles of clothing that no longer fit!

The last few years Mom and Dad have walked in a 5K with their friend in Marietta, Georgia. But this time they're going BIG, with 50 miles in Charleston. They have started preparing for the big event by walking when they get a chance, and they have spiffy new shoes, too.

The biggest hurdle for Mom and Dad right now is the fundraising. They each have to raise $1500 to do the walk! Any support you can give will be greatly appreciated. You can DONATE HERE to Dad. (Yeah, the MS Society people think his name is Richard even though he goes by Dean, so don't let it throw you.) Or you can DONATE HERE to Mom.

Dad is trying to figure out some kind of raffle to make the fundraising more exciting. But don't worry, if you donate before he gets the raffle figured out he'll find a way to include you.

Thanks so much for chipping in. Every bit helps. And if you can't donate, then keep them in your thoughts March 1-3. They'll appreciate that too.

Why I have issues with Hobbes

So when Mom and Dad were in Atlanta visiting friends last weekend, their cat Hobbes got some love from Mom and Dad -- lots of love.


He is a very cute cat, as you can see here. He got on the back of the couch, except he but his paws and chest on Dad's shoulder, then fell asleep. This, in turn, forced Dad to have a nap too.


He even put his stink on the t-shirts that everyone got for raising money for the Walk MS.

He looks an awful lot like me, so I guess Mom and Dad got confused and that's why they were loving on him this weekend. Maybe he was just a surrogate since I stayed at home. Yeah, that's it...

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Everyone's posting diva pictures in honor of Sweet Praline ... you'd think this would be easy to find with the sisters I have...


Here's Maggie demanding Mom's attention by laying across her grocery list.


Josie is so sweet it's hard to call her a diva, but here she is claiming a new blanket and ball.

I'm so happy that I was able to introduce the Cat Blogosphere to Sweet Praline. I wish she was still here, I know we all miss her. But I always try to look at the positive -- she had a full life and gave her Mom so much love. And she trained her Mom for those two sweet kittens.

Walking for MS

Mom and Dad did their 5k walk for MS this weekend in Atlanta with their friend Nikki (and several other friends, too, but Nikki is the one with MS). It was a very good weekend for them. Thanks for all the purrs of support for Mom and Dad.

But we are going to have to have a little talk with the parents when we can sit them down.

First, there's the issue of our food. Thank goodness Aunt Tiff was coming by to check on us because while Mom and Dad were doing their walk-a-thon, we were having an eat-a-thon, and finished off all our dry food. All of it! Even the morsels that Huggy Bear drops on the floor for Mom to step on. So Aunt Tiff got us some wet food. Savior!

Second, there's the issue of Nikki's cat Hobbes. Now I'll give him a little bit of a pass because he's an orange cat, too, but he was loving on Mom and Dad just a little bit too much. And I heard they were singing his praises about how good he is (even though he slipped out the front door and hid under the bushes), and how Mom and Dad would bring him home if they could (seriously, are we not enough to handle?).

And lastly, the walk ended at a farmer's marker in Marietta Square (a very nice farmer's market that Mom and Dad love and wish was here), and there was a lady trying to give away some kittens. And you know what? Mom looked! Yes, she looked, and even said to Dad, "do we need a kitten?" If they weren't so far from home we might have had a kitten. Yikes! What has gotten into Mom?!?

But they are home now, and we have food, and all is good. (Although I'm going to get some pictures off Dad's phone as evidence as to why Hobbes is in trouble...)

Spoiled Huggy Bear

Dad has gone and spoiled Huggy Bear. Now, sure, we're all spoiled because we know that, after Dad is finished shaving and deodorizing and tooth brushing, we get treats. Well, Huggy Bear was snuggled up with Mom one morning so, instead of making Huggy Bear leave Mom for his treats, Dad gave him his treats in bed. That way Mom was able to still get her Huggy Bear love, and he could get his treats. Well, now that this has happened a few time, Huggy Bear expects the treats to come to him. So Dad is trying to retrain Huggy Bear to come when he hears the treat bag shaking. This has several benefits, like if we are where we aren't supposed to be and need to come somewhere else. But in the meantime it is a tough time for Dad and for Huggy Bear. Mom and Dad like spoiling us, but we have to follow certain rules (not many, but a few...)



But look at that cute face ... how can you not spoil him?

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Mom is still raising money for the MS Walk. Thanks to anyone who can chip in, and thanks to all who already have!

Walk MS

Mom and Dad have a dear friend (Nikki) who was diagnosed with MS several years ago. Three years ago she decided she was going to participate in the Walk MS 5k in Marietta, Georgia, which is really out of character for her. So when she said she was in, Mom and Dad signed up right away. The first walk was a little more than she expected, and Nikki needed a little break midway through. The Georgia heat, combined with the exertion, is a little tough on the MS. Last year's walk went better, although Nikki was having some issues with sensation in her feet and legs. But Nikki powered through. This year looks to be a great time for the walk. Mom and Dad will be joining Nikki in two weekends as she does another 5k.

Now I don't often try to fund raise on the blog, but the walk is quickly approaching and Mom is off her goal. Mom set a big goal of $750. Dad, knowing they pull from many of the same donors, set a "free t-shirt" goal of $100, which he has met thanks to the wonderful generosity of DKM and Max's Mom. (They've done their share of walking, so they understand.) I know times are tough for everyone right now, and we all like out catnip and treats, but if you have a spare dollar or two and are able to support this worthy event, I know Mom and Dad would appreciate it greatly. I don't have fun prizes to raffle off, but maybe we'll do that for next year (I think Mom's looking at trying to do a big walk with DKM and Max's Mom).

If you'd like to support Mom, you can donate here.

Thank you for any support you can give. If you can't donate, then purr. That helps too, and we appreciate purrs just as much.

Happy Cinco de Meow-o

Happy Cinco de Meow-o! Have some catnip and celebrate!


Mom and Dad were in Atlanta last weekend for a very meaningful event -- they do the 5K MS Walk each year to support their dear friend Nikki. This big drooler wasn't with their group, but he was all-in with the walk -- he even had his own t-shirt.


Here's Mom and Dad at the finish line at Marietta Square. They had a farmer's market there too. Mom saw an awesome t-shirt there -- it speaks for itself: