Wild Insect Kindgom at our house

We have had a crazy rainy summer and it has turned our house into a Wild Insect Kingdom.


The other night Mom and Dad were playing on the Wii (Lego Harry Potter) when they noticed this giant moth. At first Mom questioned if it was a bat, but no, it was a moth.


For the most part we ignored it, but Maggie did give it a passing glance. The thing is as big as her head!


Every year our beautiful yellow writing spider returns. He is usually in the shrubs, but this year he decided to make camp on the cafe table in the front porch. Look at that amazing web!


He really is something to behold.


Part of me wants to "play" with him, but I'm afraid it would end poorly.


Of course, this isn't an insect, but we had a lizard visitor the other day, too. He stayed away from the garage so we didn't get to hunt him.

But Josie did get to catch a roach in the house the other day. (Just reality of living in South Carolina. Rarely happens to up, but it happens.) But Dad was quick and made her give it to him before she could eat it. She did get a bunch of treats for being an excellent huntress, though.

Rest in Peace, Abby

We just learned that Abby from ManxMnews went to the Rainbow Bridge last night. She had been ill, but that really doesn't make it easier. We met Abby through Secret Paws. She was one of our first Secret Paws back in 2007. Although I don't get to make the rounds to the blogs as much as I used to, I always enjoyed keeping up with Abby when I could. She is such a beautiful cat with such a great spirit. She will be missed. Our hearts go out to her family, and to Boo, Gracie, Jinx and Ping.

Happy World Cat Day

Of course, we all know every day is world cat day, but today is World Cat Day! We're celebrating by showing a couple of Josie pictures. (Josie is so under-represented in the blog anyway.)


The other day, Josie went into the garage and preceded to spend the next few hours right here, watching the little gap in the garage door, waiting just in case something tried to creep through. She didn't catch anything, but you just never know.


This is how Josie tries to keep Dad from going to work. As he's putting his shoes on she gets all cute and goes into rub-my-tummy mode. Then she'll grab him and try to make him stay. It hasn't worked yet, but she's determined to keep trying.

Have a very happy World Cat Day! We're trying for extra treats today.

---

We saw a crazy huge moth on the back door the other night. Dad has a few pictures of it he needs to upload, then I'll post them for you. Just you wait... it's nuts!

CB Calendar

We are working on our submissions to the CB Calendar. We are sneaking in at the last minute, of course. I hope it's not full already. Big thanks to Paula for getting this together.

Happy cat

If you've ever wondered what a happy cat looks like, it looks something like this:


Maggie loves her cat bed, especially since it has a blanket in it too. Win-win!

Enjoying some box time

We've had a lot of good boxes in the house lately and we've been taking full advantage of it!


Mom got new biking shoes that clip onto her pedals. I got a cool box to lean on.


We've been getting all kinds of shipments of costume pieces for the upcoming play at the theatre. Since Mom used Amazon, they come to the house. I like this box a lot!


Josie really likes it, too.


Sometimes, if you are very quiet, Huggy Bear won't see you in the box.


It took some work, but I managed to get into this box too.


There were lots of shoes bought, too, since Dad's sister got married this past weekend. When the fit is tight, it's about doing it with style.


See, almost all my floof is in!

Putting on the pink for Skeezix

Today the Cat Blogosphere is going pink in honor of Skeezix. I would change my template to pink, but I'm not confident I would ever get it back right again. So my text is pink instead. Skeezix, you are missed...

And in keeping with the pink theme we're also posting pictures of Huggy Bear's favorite pink friend -- pink mouse:


Huggy Bear loved pink mouse the most. He didn't care if people say pink is for girls -- this was HIS mouse. 


Sometimes he would share pink mouse with Josie (but you can see Huggy Bear snoopervising way in the background).


You can see how he loved all the feathers off pink mouse's tail.


Eventually pink mouse was loved a little too much... We need a new pink mouse, but Target doesn't carry it anymore and we can't find it. This makes us sad.

Sad day for the Cat Blogosphere

Skeezix went to the Bridge yesterday. His passing has brought all kinds of sadness to the Cat Blogosphere. He truly was an icon among the blogging cats with such a huge personality and presence. He leaves a large void that will be hard to fill. It's a tough reality check when our blogging buddies pass. We are purring extra hard for his family, and for all our blogging friends out there for health and happiness in whatever you are dealing with.

Happy birthday Maggie!

Happy birthday to my little sister Maggie! She turns eight today (the same day Mom turns 40). We'll be having some stinky goodness cake tonight. Mom and Dad took the day off for her birthday (or maybe for Mom's) and are giving us extra snuggle time. I'm happy to have my sister. She started life a little rocky and touch and go, but she's a force to reckon with now and always good for a wrassling match or a chase.

Negligent blogger

I have been a bad blogger. I had no idea that almost two weeks had gone by since my last post. Mom and Dad traveled to Cincinnati over Memorial Day weekend which threw off my routine a little bit. I try to blog at least once a week. I've been even worse about visiting, and I apologize for that. You are all so nice about still coming and commenting and I owe visits and comments as well.

This past weekend was an adventure. Mom and Dad were babysitting their friends' two 15-month-old twins so their friends could go to Savannah for their anniversary. There's a boy and a girl (Elliott and Eliza), and they are very sweet. Or so I'm told. I stay upstairs away from them. So does Maggie. Sometimes Huggy Bear will venture through the room they are in, looking for treats and fallen food. He managed some chicken lunch meat, so I guess it was worth the risk. And then there's Josie, who for some odd reason decided to hang out with these two. She would sit in the room, even getting near them. At one point, she even let Elliott "pet" her. (He needs to work on his petting technique.) She was very brave, and I'm mixed between being proud of her and being concerned about her judgement.


Here's Josie hanging out on the DJ cat scratcher. This turned out to be the babies' favorite toy. We ignore it more than we play with it, so at least someone is enjoying it. But Josie decided to sit on it for a little bit, just to make sure they knew who it belonged to.

Test driving the box

I love when Mom gets new shoes. She and Dad went to Cincinnati over Memorial Day weekend to visit with Dad's parents and sister (she's getting married and they had showers and such to go to). So Mom had to get new shoes for the event. Which meant new shoe box for us!


Here I am first checking out the box to see how I fit.


It seems an OK fit. (Sorry, I didn't realize this one was blurry until just now.)


I had to do a curly Q tail to get in just right.


See ... just right!

It's been a tough week

It's been a tough week in the Blogosphere with bad news about Skeezix, and Ginger Jasper struggling ... so I figured we needed to see a video of kittens to make things better.

Maggie's new spot

Well, there's still areas of the house that aren't quite put back together since the awful flood a few months back and the repairs that took longer than expected.


Maggie is benefiting from the stack of pillows on the guest bed. She likes to get way up on there and perch and sleep. Who wouldn't like to sleep on a giant stack of pillows? The guest room has become our new hangout. I sleep on a suitcase that needs to be put away (but couldn't during the repairs since it gets stored in the secret storage space we're not supposed to know about, but is off the room we were locked in during the repairs). Josie has been sleeping under the guest bed. I think Huggy Bear is the only one who hasn't migrated to this room. He still hangs out on Mom and Dad's bed.

Baby birds

Mom is not a fan of birds, but she likes these baby birds on our porch. She does get a little nervous that momma bird is going to dive bomb her is she's on the porch too long.


Here are the four babies a few days ago, on the fourth.


And here they are now, just five days later. You can really see how well their feathers are coming in. I doubt they'll be hanging out in that nest much longer.

Happy Cinco de Meow-O!

We hope all of our cat friends and their people have a very Happy Cinco de Meow-O! We don't put hats on for just anyone -- this is special just for you! Go easy on the nip as you celebrate. Those nip hangovers are no fun, and if you're going to be catnapping, let's make it because we're cats and not because we're still loopy! 

Mom time

Sometimes Mom and Dad get stressed out. Mom works for a non-profit, so you can image how it wears on her some days. I can't fix the things that stress them out, but I can do this:


And I think that's a pretty good thing to do.

An old box picture

I was looking through my pictures on Flickr looking for one of me standing on top of a door. I know there has to be one out there, but it's not in my Flickr set. But I did find this old picture of me in a box from December 2010, and I liked it so much I decided to repost it.


I think I need to go find another box.

11th birthday stinky goodness cake

Thanks for all the birthday wishes! It makes my day so special and enjoyable. I am so blessed to have such great friends in my life.

-----

It was a few days late, but we finally got to enjoy my stinky goodness cake!


The cake was very yummy, and, as usual, in the shape of the birthday. The 11 was easy for Dad to make. I was pretty quick to help myself t the cake, so the 11 got messed up pretty quickly.


I was enjoying the stinky goodness so much that Dad didn't even make me share. He opened a second can of food for the others.


Huggy Bear and Maggie are nice enough to eat next to each other.


Josie wasn't too far away, but it's best to give her a little space so she can enjoy the food without Maggie stressing her out.

Happy birthday to me!

Today is my 11th birthday! I really can't believe I am 11. That means I will get some yummy stinky goodness cake tonight. It has been a wonderful 11 years. I have had great adventures over the years, and was lucky to get to share most of them with you. Stay tuned for cake pics...

It's not ALL Dad's fault...

...but I'd say it is easily 90 percent Dad's fault.

As you know, Mom and Dad have been having to deal with some renovation issues in the house following the upstairs water pipe breaking. The master bathroom is almost done, thankfully. The new tile is in and looks good. Mom and Dad bought a new toilet, so they decided to paint the part of the wall they couldn't get to because of the old toilet. Dad did a good job painting, and didn't get any paint on the floor.

BUT, he left the paint lid on the bathroom counter right beside our water bowl. And Josie hopped up to get some water and got paint all over her side and one back paw. Fortunately Dad realized before she got down and tracked paint everywhere. She was such a trooper while Dad held her and Mom bathed off the paint. She's all cleaned up and OK, but it was no fun at all.

We're locked in the garage today (a new sequester since we started tearing up the carpet in the room we were in trying to get out). But today should be our final lock-out day. Please keep your paws crossed that this ordeal will end today and we will get our house put back together. It's about to drive Mom crazy (Dad's already crazy).

De-matting injury

I have some really bad mats and knots that Mom and Dad have been working on. Last night they were trying to get some off my belly. Dad had gotten a bunch of hair and clumps, but the mat was really close to the skin. Well, Dad got closer with the scissors than he realized and grazed me slightly. I fussed, but didn't run off so Dad didn't even realize he snipped me. But after I got up Mom saw a little red on my tummy (about the size of a dime or a nickle). I wasn't bleeding, exactly, but just a little ooze or seep of blood. Just enough to get them excited. Mom held a cold wet cloth to my tummy and cleaned me up, and Dad checked it this morning and cleaned it again. Other than having a bald spot that I want left alone, it looks OK. But don't you know I'm going to work this for all kinds of extra treats and attention.

Repairing the house

We have had repair guys in the house this past week working on the damage from the water pipe that broke about a month ago. The pipe was upstairs, which meant that there were water marks on the ceilings downstairs. So the guys were in the house working on that, patching holes from the drying out process, priming over the water marks and repainting. They made quite a mess, and Mom had to call the contractor who came in and made them start over. If they had done it right, they would have been done today, but since they didn't they spent a good bit of yesterday cleaning paint off of our cabinets and appliances and re-patching the holes. They should be painting today (and hopefully doing a better job).

What this has meant, though, is that we have been locked in the back room over the garage all morning while the guys are here. Fortunately Mom has our neighbor come down and lock up when they leave, and let us out. But we did get some stinky goodness the past two mornings to make up for the inconvenience.


In the aftermath of the pipe break all of Mom's shoes ended up in the guest room and most of the in a heap on the guest bed. I love sleeping on that bed, and on shoes, so I really couldn't think of a better combination!

Rest in peace, Eric

We are so terribly sad about the news of Eric's passing. We have followed the adventures of Eric and Flynn for a good seven years, if not more. I don't get to visit the blogs as much as I used to, but when I do, his blog was one that always made the list. I loved watching as he would explore the countryside and dig for mice. I remember him hanging out on top of the hedgerow, and relaxing in their outdoor enclosure, and taking pictures with his camera on him collar. I really feel for Flynn, who lost his partner in crime. There's just an emptiness right now. We'll be purring extra hard for Flynn and his Mom and Dad. And I know we'll be getting some extra love from our Mom and Dad as we are all reminded how precious life is. Rest in peace, old friend...

Resting on a Publix bag

You really can't beat a re-usable shopping bag for a nap ... that is, until your little sister decides to interrupt your nap. It's a good thing Maggie is cute.

Contractors coming

The contractors will start next week to repair the damage from the pipe breaking. We are not real excited about the pending exile to the back room, but we will be happy when the work is done and the house is put back together.

In the meantime, Mom and Dad are working on The Color Purple at Mom's theatre, and they have been very busy and coming home late. That is unacceptable, but should get better soon, too.

50 mile walk

Mom and Dad kick off their 3-Day, 50-Mile MS Challenge Walk today. We are comfortably warm at home while they were up at 4:15 am and getting ready to walk in 45 degree temps. Please purr for them this weekend.

Forced feline fun...

Well, in the aftermath of what we are now calling the Great Flood of 2013 (aka, the pipe bursting upstairs and getting nine rooms wet), we were forced to spend some time in the bonus room over the garage. It was a safe dry space, away from workers and the fans and dehumidifiers, with the laundry and a place for the litter boxes, and a TV.


Strange things happened because of this, like Josie and Maggie sharing a blanket (although they were not touching).


I really enjoyed some extra snuggles with Dad before Mom got back home.


Mom and Dad tried their best to make it a comfortable and safe-feeling place for us. They brought in our favorite blankets to make it smell like us, and make it a place where we'd want to be. You can see the orange blanket that we all love to curl up on.


Huggy Bear and Maggie are best buds, so it was no surprise to find them hanging out together.

We are out among the normal space now. The fans are all gone, and most everything is set back where it goes. The contractor looked at everything and thinks he can knock it out in about a week -- baseboards, paint one wall (the one they had to cut to get to the pipe), drywall, repaint every ceiling downstairs. That week we'll be back in captivity -- at least during the day when work is being done.

Fortunately the carpets were saved. The bathroom floor -- not so much. But Mom thinks she wants tile in the bathroom now. They had to pull up the linoleum and left some staples in the floor (pokey side down). I managed to bruise my paw pad on one, jumping down from the counter, and limped around for a few days. This made Mom very sad, but I'm OK now -- just sneezing a little from all the dust that got blown around by the fans. It'll all be OK. It can just be a bit overwhelming.

Party Cat

Here's the first in a series of Party Cat comics. We can relate...
http://nedroidcomics.livejournal.com/222317.html

Home improvement?

On the plus side, with all the work in the house, maybe we can talk Mom and Dad into making our house more cat-friendly like this place.

I just realized I haven't posted any picture in a month. I'll make up for that -- maybe some pictures from our "slumber party" away from the mess.

Monsters in the house

We had some excitement this weekend -- unfortunately, it wasn't the treat bag being left out kind of excitement. It was the wrong kind of excitement. We had a pipe burst upstairs. Water was everywhere, including flowing through the ceiling fan in the living room like a fountain. Fortunately Dad was home. Unfortunately, it took him some time to get to the water shut off switch because it had been buried over time. Now there are fans running constantly, and strange people in and out of the house.

We've been locked in the room over the garage, living with Dad like a couple of college roomies. Mom is up in Cincinnati until Tuesday night, so she's stressing from afar, and imaging the worst possible scenario since she's not there to see it for herself. We all were having a really good weekend until late Saturday.

The cleanup crew is really good, and Dad has a lot of confidence in them. But in the meantime we'll protest about our captivity, and wake Dad up at 5:00 am talking because we want to go battle those loud fans that sound like monsters.

It has been very stressful. In the midst of all the chaos Dad managed to wrangle three of us. Poor Huggy Bear was scared to death and was hiding in the garage under a piece of furniture. Dad got him safely into the bonus room over the garage with the rest of us, but I'll tell you, there was a moment when Dad couldn't find him that he worried HB had managed to sneak out. Thank goodness that wasn't the case.

Like Mom said, it is all being taken care of. The carpet isn't ruined, no furniture was ruined. The house is still standing. It's just not fun right now.

On the bright side, we all took turns snuggling with Dad last night. Josie even got under the covers with Dad.

Cool collars

I am really impressed with the concept of these collars ... http://furcode.corecommerce.com/Breakaway-Kitty-Collars-with-FurCode/. I just wish they had better design variety.

Getting our revenge on the treats

After explaining the betrayal of the treats earlier today, we figured we needed some revenge. We managed to open the pantry door, get out a fresh bag of Temptations, and chewed a hole in it so we could just help ourselves. Who needs thumbs?

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.

---

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.

Purring for Eric

We are worried for our friend Eric. I just saw that he's having some liver issues. Please purr for him.

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.

-----

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.

Calling in work for a Josie Day

Josie really didn't want Dad to go to work today. She rolled on her back and let him rub her tummy when he was putting his shoes on. And when he started to leave she grabbed his hand with we paws and claws and gently used her teeth to try to get him to stay. Mom said maybe Dad needed to call in and have a Josie day, but there's this whole house payment thing...


This is what Josie and Dad would like to do all day ... a little nap, a little Wii Lego Batman 2, and just hanging out. What more could you ask for?

Stay home!

Just for the record, I wish that Mom and Dad could stay home all the time. We want them to snuggle against. We love our couches and blankets and sunny spots on the beds, but we prefer Mom and Dad. I wish they didn't have to work. On the plus side, it is supposed to be up in the mid-70s this weekend, so hopefully we'll have open windows.

Take that, iPhone charger!

Last night I had an embarrassing mishap with the litter box. I blame Dad, because we're out of our good food, and we're using some standby food until he can get to the store (New Year's messed up his shopping, he claims). So our diet has been off, and as a result ... well, anyhow, I got some poop on my furs last night. Now this happens every now and then because I'm a pretty floofy cat, and I am very good about going straight to Mom and Dad and letting them know, then going straight to their bathroom so I can get cleaned up. But last night's was the worst ever. I might as well have taken a bath by the time Dad was done cleaning me with a wash cloth, and there aren't enough treats to make up for the indignity. It's embarrassing enough without getting soaking wet and chased around the bathroom with a wash cloth. So once I was set free of the bathroom, I went over to Mom's iPhone charger and bit the cord. It still works, but I just wanted to make a point -- I was not happy, not happy at all. But once I expressed myself we were all even, and OK. I even purred on Mom's head last night. And Dad said he's getting us our good food today, because he wasn't happy having to clean me either.

Happy New Year!

Mom and Dad are gearing up for their New Year's Eve party. They are having a Roaring 20s party and turning the house into a Speakeasy. It will be lots of fun for them. We will be ushering in the new year in Mom and Dad's bathroom, safely away from the people and Aunt Tiff's fireworks. Everyone have a safe and happy start to the new year.

Happy Secret Paws!

We received an amazing Secret Paws package all the way from France from The Poupounette Gang. They sent us some great stuff, including two packages of Catisfaction treats and some great cat toys. We also received from chocolates for Mom and Dad.


Here we all are checking out all the prizes.


Josie really enjoyed the Catisfaction treats (French Temptations).


See -- Catisfactions...


I was reading the card, but got distracted by the box.


Here is a closeup of the front of the card.


And here's the inside.


Thanks Poupounette Gang for the incredible Secret Paws gifts! And Merry Christmas to everyone. It was a great day.

Secret Paws is here!

Our Secret Paws package arrived today. Unfortunately both Mom and Dad are sick so we're going to wait to open it. Their illness has also delayed us sending our's out ... Sorry.

Ready for dinner.

Ready for dinner.
Originally uploaded by jenianddean

Tree inspector

Maggie is in charge of inspecting the Christmas tree.


So far, so good...

Josie snoopervising

Josie is a big big helper this time of year. I'm not sure why the picture became "unavailable" on the previous post, maybe because the Flickr app rotated the picture and we had to rotate it back, but here she is again.



Of course, she's not the only helper. Mom has a bunch of pictures of Maggie all in the tree, and an exciting video of her jumping out of the tree. Of course we have to test the tree each year to make sure it's OK. Additional lights and ornaments go up tonight, and you can expect a similar theme of pictures.

Big big helper

Big big helper
Originally uploaded by jenianddean

THoE and milk

This remains the eternal question: Why is it that Thundering Herd of Elephants is best played in the middle of the night. We were playing so hard last night that Dad heard us at 1:34 am. He couldn't see which of us was playing but we rumbled up the stairs, into the bedroom, made a U-turn, and back down the hall, and possibly back down the stairs. As a plus, there was no hissing, so it was just us having a big fun time.


Last weekend, Josie was very interested in Dad's glass of milk, so Dad was nice enough to give her the remnants of what was left. We don't get a lot of milk, but we do enjoy a little sip every now and then.