Vote for Gracie! (Thank you!) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Sights from around Crooked Acres. Probably the last Rose of Sharon bloom for the season. I am now understanding why y’all were amazed that I planted Purslane. … Continue reading “10/6/11 – Crooked Acres Thursday”
Probably the last Rose of Sharon bloom for the season.
I am now understanding why y’all were amazed that I planted Purslane. Invasive is exactly the word I’d use to describe this stuff. It’s growing EVERYWHERE now. (On the plus side, next year I’ll just harvest it from the lawn!)
Left to right, Meyer Lemon tree, sweet gum tree (which started growing in the driveway, then Fred potted it to see if he could keep it growing. Because we don’t have enough sweet gum trees. Please, can we have more gum balls to slip on in the Fall and Winter?) and garlic chives, which didn’t do much this summer.
Leaves are finally changing.
Volunteer tomato plant in the middle of the row of butternut squash.
Teeny tiny butternut squash. Hope springs eternal, I guess.
If he plants Tabasco peppers next year, I’m going to kill him. What a PAIN to deal with, these tiny peppers.
Morning Glory, I love you.
Okra flower. So so pretty.
Sungold tomatoes. I finally started pulling up the tomato plants earlier this week – got about half of them pulled up – and got a huge bucket of split and chewed-on tomatoes for the pigs and chickens. I’m going to pull the rest of the tomatoes up later today. Time to put the big garden to bed.
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Charlie Peppers now has the nickname “Chuckles.” Patty’s nickname is “Sissy.” I remember a time when I thought Charlie Peppers was never going to meow, he was so quiet. Now he’s the whiniest little complainer I’ve ever seen. Good thing he’s cute.
“I sleep now. You go ‘way.”
“HEY. Where you goin’?!”
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Molly, near the laptop where Fred works on his book. One day he reported that when he sat down to write, the document had a row of Ts across the bottom. Clearly Molly wants to be a writer, too!
The face. The little crossed eyes. Doesn’t Lucy Peppers just kill you DEAD?
Molly makes herself at home.
Tree full o’ Peppers.
Pepper tree!
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In the evening, when it gets dark out, we call all the cats inside so we can close the back door. As a reward for coming inside, they get crunchies. Some cats like them, others don’t. These cats assuredly do.
Tommy, Jake, Elwood, Buster, Miz Poo, Corbie.
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Previously 2010: “I SAID stop making the googly eyes at me, Melodie!” 2009: I love me a good juicy Asshole. 2008: Pretty batshit crazy, as it turns out.
2007: No entry. 2006: You all have my full permission to skip the boring stuff to get to the cute kitten stuff. 2005: I forsee a lot of spud-teasing this evening. 2004: Phil Hellmuth is a whiny little bitch. 2003: “And then he told me he likes to have sex with you in the break room every day at 11!” he lied.
2002: No entry. 2001: Recovery. 2000: No one ever said I had a long attention span!
Vote for Gracie! (Thank you!) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Y’all, put on your advising hats, please! I’ve got two questions that I know y’all can help out with. First, Lori: I have a kitten question so … Continue reading “10/5/11 – Kitteh Wednesday”
Y’all, put on your advising hats, please! I’ve got two questions that I know y’all can help out with. First, Lori:
I have a kitten question so thought I would go to the expert. I have had all ranges of animals, but I have never had a kitten so ignore my ignorance please.
Approximately a little over a month ago, I suddenly aquired a tiny kitten in my horse barn. He/She has never allowed me close, as she runs and hides but loves to hang out with my horses. I purchased kitten food and have been feeding it daily in a protected old grainery. I have no idea whether the kitten has another home and/or is provided food, but it is eating well, so I guess not.
If it is to stay, which I do not mind, what is your knowledge about if, and if so, how to get it to interact with me in the future? If it stays, I do want it neutered and vaccinated. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
(Lori, I’m posting this at Love & Hisses as well, so make sure you check the comments over there, too!)
I’m going to bet that the best way to make progress in interacting with the kitten is to use food. Work on getting closer to the kitten as he’s eating – if need be, you can use canned kitten food or Gerber chicken and gravy baby food to make it more enticing. Once he allows you get close to him, start trying to pet him and go from there.
It’s hard to know whether that will work or not, though, because of course we don’t know whether he’s been around people before and is just skittish, or if he’s feral. In a perfect world, you’d be able to trap him and bring him inside and work on socializing him from there, but I know that’s not always possible. Hopefully other people will have other suggestions!
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I have a question for you & your amazing readers. My little boy, Vash (5 years old) has been very sullen lately. He lays around a lot (which cats do – but he seems excessive), and is whiny a lot. He also wants to play with Kairi (his sister), but most often she doesn’t want to play. Do you have any toy suggestions for him? He plays with lasers but gets frustrated because there isn’t anything physical to catch. He loves Da Bird, but breaks them quickly. We recently found some spring toys that he loves, but I was hoping that you (& your readers) could maybe suggest some more toys for him. I tell my husband I think he needs a little brother (a kitten) to play with, but that’s really NOT an option for us. I want to help my little Dude. If he spoke English I know he’d tell us what he wants, but he’s horrible at English and he can’t sign so he just MEOWS and MEOWS and MEOWS and we don’t know what to do!
A little more story – we thought he just might want more attention, but no matter how much attention we give him – whether we’re playing with him, petting him, or cuddling with him – he seems to get grumpy and sullen after a bit. I just want him to be happy!
Also – We don’t think he’s sick – he’s not losing weight & his diet hasn’t changed. He’s not puking or anything like that.
Oldcat suggested: Perhaps a kicker toy or suffed animal that he could wrestle with like another cat would help
And I said: I was going to suggest one of those toys that fits over a door, you know, with the toy that hangs down that cats can bat around and jump up after? We have one of those in the foster room and one in the guest bedroom, and they’re a big hit with the cats and kittens! The only down side is that eventually they chew through the cord holding the toy on and the toy gets lost, but I always just tie another one up there.
I know y’all out there have suggestions, too, so let’s hear ’em!
Edited to add: Doodle Bean said: Since he’s sullen and meowy, you might want to get him checked for a bladder infection. Neutered male cats are prone to that problem, and they don’t necessarily run a fever or show much sign of it until it’s well advanced. If it’s been awhile since he’s had a vet check, you may want to run him over to the stabby place.
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“Ho hum.”
“Hey. Something’s missing. Where…”
“HEY!”
“What?”
“Get over here! I’m bored!”
::thlurrrp::
::leap::
“Go ‘way, lady. No one invited you!”
Brats.
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I know that sometimes Molly looks brownish in her pictures, but here she is with Harlan, so you can see the difference in their colors. Also, Harlan’s going to be HUGE and Molly’s a petite little thing.
Molly shows Sally who the boss is.
Sally shows Molly how sharp her teeth are.
“What?” (They moved the fight to the other side of the bed, so they could tussle in comfort.)
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Tommy, hanging out in his favorite hanging-out spot.
Yesterday morning at 4:41, when I was sound asleep, I apparently moved in a way that Tommy thought meant I was going to wake up and pet him. Tommy gets VERY excited about being petted, and he throws himself on his back and writhes around, flailing his claws in all directions. One of his claws sunk into my arm, and that was an unpleasant way to wake up, believe you me. Then he jumped down off the bed and proceeded to barf up a lung on the bedroom floor.
It was not the best start to a day, if you were wondering.
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Previously 2010: NOTES TO PAST AND FUTURE ROBYN FROM PRESENT ROBYN. 2009: We are far too amused by ourselves.
2008: No entry. 2007: I had NO IDEA Red Lobster was such a den of heathenry. 2006: The rags used on that closet: ONE MEELLION. 2005: And then the last straw came along and broke the fat woman’s back. 2004: Because he’s a skinny bastard.
2003: No entry.
2002: No entry. 2001: Day One. 2000: So obviously I don’t know nothing’ ’bout picking out no paint.
Vote for Gracie! (Thank you!) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ If you have BBC America and aren’t already watching 24 Hours in the ER, I highly recommend it. Fred and I watched the first two episodes of … Continue reading “10/4/11 – Tuesday”
If you have BBC America and aren’t already watching 24 Hours in the ER, I highly recommend it. Fred and I watched the first two episodes of it, and although there were times when I had to look away, or when my metaphorical balls crawled up into my body and hid (especially every single time they talked about the guy who was hit by a bus and then “folded in half” GAH), it immediately became one of my favorite shows.
The only problem was that since it was filmed in London, I have one hell of a time figuring out what they’re saying sometimes. I had to ask Fred several times “What the fuck are they saying?” and he’d translate for me.
I swear to god it’s about time to turn on the closed captioning when I watch TV.
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I got super excited yesterday afternoon, because someone was unloading a big backhoe on the access road across the street. The guy who is supposedly, someday, perhaps, no-really-I’m-gonna dig our goddamn POND told Fred they’d have to unload the equipment across the street and bring it across the street and down the lawn to get to the back forty because they didn’t want to park on the driveway for fear that they’d crack the driveway.
As it turned out, though, the backhoe was meant to do work on the land across the street, and they worked diligently all afternoon.
This whole thing where you hire someone to do shit is just SO FUCKING FRUSTRATING. It’s like we’re standing here with cash in our hands, trying to throw it at anyone to DIG THE FUCKING POND, and they’re all like “Um, yeah. We’ll get right on that. In seven to ten days. I mean two weeks. Oops, it sprinkled, it’ll be another month.”
The economy might be in the shitter, but apparently the guys who dig ponds aren’t hurting any.
After the pond guy came out last week and walked all over the property with Fred and discussed what exactly needed doing, he told Fred that he thought they’d be starting “The beginning of next week” – ie, yesterday. No one showed up. No one called. Nada, nothing, zip.
As far as I’m concerned, he moseyed his way out of a job, and last night Fred called the guy who dug the original pond, the one that we filled in a few years ago.
We’ll see if we get anywhere with HIM.
I say if this pond-digging nonsense doesn’t work out, we dig a random big hole in the middle of the back forty, call it good enough, and buy new living room furniture with the money we saved.
(I’m not holding my breath on the new furniture.)
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Charlie Peppers has been allowed some limited time out of the guest bedroom, running around the house with the big Peppers (and the rest of the cats). Patty Peppers has been out once or twice, but it makes her kind of nervous, so she tends to hide under the couch until we pull her out and put her back in the guest bedroom.
Both of the little ones are over two pounds now, but they’ve just turned two months old, so I’m not in any hurry to spay and neuter them. I’ll wait another month, most likely, and do it around the time they turn three months. Adoptions seem to have slowed down a bit, so there’s no rush to get them ready to go.
Charlie has turned into a total lovebug, and Patty’s starting to come around, too. Fred finally heard her voice for the first time yesterday (she’s been giving us the silent meows up ’til then). Her first instinct is to run and hide when the door opens, but she comes back out pretty quickly.
Charlie, keeping an eye on things.
“Tastes like.. chicken! I better send one of these to Dorothy, stat!”
I know that looks like some sort of dead rodent next to Charlie, but it’s not.
It’s NOT.
Poor, sad, deprived kittens with no toys to speak of.
“MY GOD, LADY, BEHIND YOU! IT’S A SERIAL KILLER AND HE HAS A KNIFE IN EACH HAND AND HE’S GOING TO EAT YOUR LIVER WITH FAVA BEANS AND A FINE CHIANTI! Oh, wait. No, there’s nothing there. Trick of the light. My bad.”
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Molly Peppers shows off her long, elegant fingers.
She is just SO pretty.
Not the best picture, but this is what she likes to do, lay there and have her belly rubbed while she makes biscuits on my leg. When I think of what a scared little hisser she was when we got her, it just blows my mind. She’s always the first to run over and demand love!
“‘Allo, lady. You see that I have razor-sharp claws on my back feet as well as my first? The better to mess you UP with, my dear. Now admire my one white whisker, give me a gentle pet, and be on your way.”
“Pet. Me. NOW.”
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These clothes were laying on the table, and Elwood decided it would be the perfect place to hang out.
Jake, on the other hand, prefers the bed. He’s no dummy!
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Previously 2010: Oh skimmers, why can’t I quit you?
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry. 2007: No, my number one concern is that a woman, somewhere in Alabama, might have purchased a device to ensure that she’s able to get off. 2006: The stinkin’ kitten is not so cute! 2005: Annnnnnnnd that’s just a little glimpse into the dorkiness that is my life. 2004: ARRRGH.
2003: No entry. 2002: Wow. Apparently I’ve been doing the pet store thing for three years now. 2001: Day Zero. 2000: I’m back!
New month, new banner! This was created by Christine, who’s done so many of my banners in the past. Doesn’t Joe Bob look faaaabulous in his fancy mask? Thanks, Christine. As always, you rock! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ … Continue reading “10/3/11 – Monday”
New month, new banner!
This was created by Christine, who’s done so many of my banners in the past. Doesn’t Joe Bob look faaaabulous in his fancy mask?
I went to Walmart last week for a reason I no longer remember. I desperately needed… something. What the hell did I need?
ANYway. I went to Walmart, and while I was there I wandered past a FUN da-middles* mixes display, and I impulse tossed a box of the chocolate cupcakes with vanilla filling into the cart, and I bought that box along with everything else I was buying, whatever the hell that might be, and as I was driving home, I thought “Why the fuck did I buy that box? I am three million percent sure that I could have found a recipe online that would give me a better end result than I’m going to get with this mix, I am such a fucking impulse buying lemming ASSHOLE.”
So, Friday evening I made those cupcakes. And the filling? Not a tasty vanilla filling, but really more of a Fluff-type filling which, don’t get me WRONG, I like Fluff well enough, but only when peanut butter is involved, and it wasn’t quite what I was looking for in a cupcake filling.
ANYway.
So I took a couple of bites of the finished cupcake, and I was like “Meh. This is not very tasty.”
Then I ate the rest of the cupcake.
(YOU SHUT UP.)
I said to Fred “Those suck” and then we went to watch TV. Halfway through The Office, I got THE WORST PAIN EVER in my gut, and I sat up and got all groany and drama queeny enough that Fred was offering to take me to the emergency room, and I was all “I guess I’m dumping, but it’s too low to be stomach pain and too high to be (censored), GAH THIS HURTS.”
I went to the bathroom and I’ll not share details with you (YOU ARE WELCOME), but things were flying in all directions for about the next five minutes, and when I came back out of the bathroom, I felt ten times better, but still kind of nauseated.
We started watching TV again, and a few minutes later when Fred was fast-forwarding through commercials, he said “Do you think it was the cupcake?”
“First,” I said. “Do not say that word again. Second of all, make sure you give the rest of them to the pigs because I never want to see them again.”
Fred laughed and laughed about me telling him to stop talking about FOOD when I was nauseated, but damn. Have you ever noticed that when you’re on the verge of barfing, no one ever EVER wants to talk about anything but food when that’s the last thing on earth you want to talk about?
“Was it the sardines, do you think? Was it the softly scrambled, still wet eggs? Was it the bacon where you were eating it and found a piece of bone? Was it that you ate half the chicken and then realized it wasn’t completely cooked? Could that have been it?”
GAH. STOP.
In conclusion: skip those stupid fucking cupcakes, they suck.
*Worst, stupidest, goofiest name on the face of the earth. Seriously, I’d like to find out who came up with the name so I can punch them right in their stupid face. The more I think about the name, the more annoyed I get. SERIOUSLY. What a godawful name.
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It was actually a banner weekend for the pigs – I spent time Saturday making apple dumplings from a recipe I won’t link because I didn’t really like the end result, and then I ate one and gave the rest to the pigs.
I think the pigs probably like it when I bake, since my average appears to be about 50/50 on whether it comes out any good, and if I don’t like what I end up with, they’re more than happy to take care of it.
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I tend to go a long time between checking my PO Box because I forget to, and it doesn’t get a lot of traffic, so sometimes weeks and weeks will go by before I remember to check it. When I was out running errands yesterday, I decided to stop and check.
Imagine my surprise when I had a package from the fabulous Charlene Butterbean!
As it turned out, reader Mari had ordered some Itty Bitty Kitty Committee sparkle balls and had them sent to me – and Laurie had (at Charlene’s directions, I’m sure) included some gorgeous postcards!
Well, naturally I had to see what the reaction was from the kitties. First, I tried Alice.
“I am sleeping, lady. You go ‘way.”
And then I took them in to Charlie and Patty Peppers to see what their reaction would be.
First Charlie knocked a blue sparkle ball off the bed and ran off to kick it around the room (he REALLY liked his sparkle ball, but every picture I got of him was blurry!)
And then Patty chose a pretty pink sparkle ball.
While Patty and Charlie played with their sparkle balls, I took some out to the living room, where the big Peppers were hanging out.
Everett’s pretty sure pink is his color.
Sally thinks pink goes nicely with her collar.
Molly, also a fan of pink.
Everett thinks perhaps blue works better for him…
Or red?
Harlan comes in to see what all the fuss is about.
Eventually, Everett settled on blue.
Thank you to Mari and Charlene (Laurie) for the cool gifts. I highly recommend the sparkle balls, and the post cards are even more gorgeous in person – and they’re nice, sturdy postcards, not those flimsy ones you find in the store. You can get your own post cards or sparkle balls here!
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“Hey…”
“What the – ?”
In the end, Alice smacked the ball and stomped off to take a nap.
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Previously
2010: No entry.
2009: No entry. 2008: Wouldn’t I be an excellent slacker vacation host? 2007: I was a little shaky as I looked around the first floor of the garage, then I said “I have a gun and I’m coming up there!” and I went upstairs. 2006: He’s always a party pooper. 2005: If I hadn’ta covered my head with my hands, I might be DEAD right now!
2004: No entry. 2003: “No,” Fred said. “You’re the muffinhead. DID SHE STAND OVER YOU AND MAKE YOU INSTALL IT??” 2002: Spanky is the Lance Bass of our family. 2001: I guess if tomorrow’s Day Zero and Friday is Day One, that makes today Day Negative One.
2000: No entry.
New month, new banner coming on Monday! (I’m about to go watch TV and don’t have time to upload it correctly at the moment). It’s another cute and funny one, created by the wonderful Christine! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ … Continue reading “10/1/11 – Saturday”
New month, new banner coming on Monday! (I’m about to go watch TV and don’t have time to upload it correctly at the moment). It’s another cute and funny one, created by the wonderful Christine!
Flashback! (I re-read this the other day in the entry where I originally posted it, in July 2008, and it cracked me up so much that I decided I wanted to post it again.)
The Catpranos.
Starring:
Sugar “Big Boss Sweet Ass” J. Buttocks
Stanley “Booger Eyes” J. Boogerton
Thomas “Black Pussy” J. Cullen
and
Joseph “Smilin’ Joe” J. Robert
When you woke up this morning,
When you woke up this morning,
When you woke up this morning,
You got yourself a gun……
“Smilin’ Joe.”
“Boss! What brings you around these parts?”
“That you even have the temerity to ask, Smilin’ Joe. That gets me so upset I can’t even look at you. It ANGERS me, Joe.”
“Boss?”
“You think word doesn’t get AROUND? You think I don’t KNOW what you’ve been doing?”
“Uh…”
“You think it’s a GOOD sign that I bring Black Pussy and Booger Eyes with me? You think this is a GOOD TIME CHAT? Are we chatting it up here, Joe? You want me to fetch you a cup of catnip? Can I be of SERVICE to you, you fucking assface?”
“Sure! Uh, I mean…”
“You think I don’t look at your stupid smilin’ face and want to smack it clear to the very back of the back forty? You think Black Pussy and Booger Eyes are back there looking around for their HEALTH? You messed up, Smilin’ Joe. You messed up BIG.”
“I…”
“It just makes me so angry, Joe. That you’d act like this when I thought we were FAMILY. After all I’ve done for you, that you’d do this, it breaks my heart and makes me want to break your face. You get me?”
“Um…”
“You see this scar on my arm? You think I got this scar from rolling over and taking it from losers like you? You think just ’cause I got these pink and purple nails I’m some BITCH you can FUCK and then just walk away? I EARNED this scar, these nails. I earned them with HARD work and loyalty and NOT sitting around grinning like a fucking lunatic.”
“You think you move in a vacuum? You think you do shit and people don’t come running to tell me? You think I have NO power in this yard?”
“Boss, I….”
“I can’t even look at you, Joe. You make me sick.”
“LOOK AT ME WHEN I’M REFUSING TO LOOK AT YOU, YOU GRINNING MORONIC MOTHERFUCKER!”
“Are you HEARING me, Joe? You understand what I’m saying to you?”
“Not so much, Boss…”
“You think you can get away with the middle-of-the-night caterwauling, the stalking Black Pussy’s girl – SHE BELONGS TO HIM, JOE – the spraying the bed where I like to lay my weary head, the disappearing and not letting the Big Lady know where you are? You think it’s okay to make her worry and piss her off? You think you can do these things and not pay the price? Booger Eyes, you take care of this. I can’t even be near this douchebag any more.”
“Boogsie, what’d I do?”
“You pissed him OFF, Joe. Did you not understand that very basic fact of life? You pissed him off, and if I were you, I’d pack my collar and cat bed and find a friendlier place to be.”
“Booger Eyes, you ever think of taking care of Big Boss Sweet Ass and taking over yourself? I’m just wondering.”
“That’s not even funny, Joe. Don’t joke about that sort of thing. You scram before I get back or I’m going to have to make you gone. I’m feeling generous today, Joe, so I’m going to give you half an hour. You’re a blithering idiot, but you need to do what’s smart for once.”
“I hear you, Boogie. I appreciate that.”
Watching Booger Eyes and Black Pussy make themselves scarce, Smilin’ Joe wonders just how stu-
Vote for Gracie! (Thank you!) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Have you ever pickled green tomatoes? My husband does it every year and they are sooo good! I haven’t, but maybe I should. We tend not to … Continue reading “9/30/11 – Friday”
Have you ever pickled green tomatoes? My husband does it every year and they are sooo good!
I haven’t, but maybe I should. We tend not to eat much pickled stuff, but I’m thinking that it’s time to make a point of doing so!
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I love George and Gracie! So I know you used to say they are working dogs not pets, has that changed? I think if they decided to stop guarding the flock and the hens were taken by hawks daily you would still decide to keep them.
You know, I’d answer this question, but it truly is a moot point. If they up and decided to stop guarding the flock, I’d have to assume that there was something really wrong with either them or the flock – and I think they’d die from boredom if they didn’t have the chickens to guard. They are really good dogs and if the flock was completely gone for some reason I’m sure we’d keep them – but I still have NO desire to have them in the house, so I imagine we’d have to find something else for them to do!
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As for old man Spanky, he does indeed look good. The first cat late hubby & I ever had lived to be 20, Punkin. We got her the first year we were married, so you can imagine how hard it was to lose her — just old age health problems. I was 40 by then, and had several other cats too, but still. Punkin was almost completely deaf, and she had lost most of her teeth. I guess her eyesight was poor too. I’d have to gently shake her awake, since she could barely hear — sometimes I’d clap my hands over her, and she’d wake up. I’ve never had a cat live that long before, and maybe Spanky will set a new record for a long life. Does he have any health problems as of now?
Spanky has no health problems, amazingly enough! He moves with no problems, his senior bloodwork panel came back good. He’s crazy healthy for such an old guy, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him still walking around howling in five years.
Speaking of Spanky howling, this is from years and years ago (when we lived in Madison, so it may have been 7 or 8 years ago), and still my favorite Spanky movie, even though the quality is terrible:
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Just wondered if you keep a private journal only for you, besides your online journal? Do you use one of the many software available for journaling?
I actually don’t keep a private journal just for myself because I’m pretty sure I’d never take the time to write in it. If I did, I’d likely use the old-fashioned notebook and pen method.
I use WordPress for this site, Love & Hisses, and back when I had the Giveaway site, I used WordPress for that, too. I think it’s easy to use, and if I wanted to use it to journal stuff for myself, it would be easy enough to password. (Though with my luck, I’d forget my damn password!)
I used to use Movable Type, then I decided to switch to WordPress, but I don’t remember (1) how long ago the switch was (though I do know it’s been years and years) or (2) why I decided to switch!
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The movie cracked me up – Elwood MAY have a higher jump than George Costanza, but just barely! 🙂
and
Elwood is pretty slick on his feet for a big fella ay? He doesn’t get much vertical in his leap though does he?
Hey, that kind of mass will only move so far off the ground! 🙂
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Robyn, have you seen these? Chilli Willy. You should grow some next year, just for the giggles. Also, you could’ve had a Willy Peppers!
I totally should! (And Willy Peppers would have been an excellent name!)
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Today’s action series? Fantastic! Have you thought of making a “comic strip” type of book with sets of pictures & comments? Best of “Live Action” Bitchypoo or something less awful. Kidding on the title but serious about the idea. Thoughts?
I’ve thought about putting together a book of all the picture entries I’ve done, but man – I’m not sure I’m up to that much work!
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I thought Fred used to do a lot of hiking….didn’t he used to do that geocaching? I’ll bet there’s a really expensive GPS unit gathering dust!
The GPS Fred had back when he was geocaching would be, compared to the GPS units that are available now, like an 80s cell phone compared to an iPhone. (I also don’t think we have it anymore – and if we do still have it, I have NO idea where we put it!)
Maybe Fred needs a new GPS for Christmas so we can try our hand at geocaching again!
Fred used to hike several times a week, but that stopped pretty much when we bought this house. There’s not a lot of hiking paths convenient to where we are now, unfortunately – though I guess we could certainly drive into Madison and go hiking there!
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Robyn, have y’all been to the Nashville flea market before? If not, it’s really worth the trip. True, it does have some of the same old crap – tube socks, dvd’s, knock-off purses, etc., but out back where the…um…I don’t know what they’re called…big roofed areas that are open on all sides. You can find some *amazing* stuff out there. Lots of antique and vintage stuff, lots of it at really good prices. There are lots of interesting stalls in the enclosed buildings, too. I kind of giggled when you said you’d spend an hour then drive home, because we’ve stayed there four or five hours before, and didn’t come close to seeing everything. If y’all get antsy in October, I highly recommend a visit!
No, we’ve never been, but now I certainly want to go! It won’t be in October (I’ll be recovering from my neck lift revision when the October flea market takes place), but maybe I’ll convince Fred to check it out for real in the Spring. It really sounds like it’d be fun!
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As a looooong time reader, Miz Poo and Spanky are my favorites by default (Okay, mainly Miz Poo) and I must have missed the original post with the cat chart because now I am heartbroken that Miz Poo gets no kitty love. So very sad. And probably entirely her fault, but still, I like to picture her as the “cat who oversees all” that the other cats come to. And on that note, I’ve obviously spent too much time imagining your cats interacting. LOL
Do not cry for Miz Poo, the reason she gets no kitty love at all (except when she’s sound asleep and a kitten climbs into the bed with her) is because she has NO USE for other cats. She doesn’t want them in her space, she doesn’t want them head-butting her, she doesn’t want them snuggling with her, and she will whip out the Paw o’ Doom in no time flat if they invade the bubble. However, she canNOT get enough love from any human who crosses her path. Woe betide anyone who steps through the door and doesn’t pay attention to her, because she will NOT be ignored. I’ve always said that if I put her in a baby carrier and strapped her to me 24/7, she’d be SO happy.
I mean, she’s pretty happy anyway – I’ve never known another cat who purrs constantly the way she does. I go to sleep with her purring in my face and wake up the same way. No wonder I sleep so well!
Ok…so are you taking all these action shots by yourself?? or is Fred assisting?? They are just awesome!!!
The action shots I posted this week of the big Peppers, I had Fred assisting – same with the pictures/ video of Buster, Elwood and Alice. The pictures I took of Charlie in action yesterday, I took alone. It’s easier to get pictures when Fred’s running the feather teaser, but if pressed I can get some fairly decent shots on my own.
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Will Charlie have to have his damaged tooth pulled or is it a kitten tooth?
It’s a kitten tooth – but even if it was a permanent, I don’t think he’d need to have it pulled. It’s just the very tip that chipped off, and it doesn’t interfere with his eating and doesn’t cause him pain. It kind of gives him a jaunty air, actually – I’ll have to see if I can get a picture of it.
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and WHEN are you going to get those poor kittens a few toys!!
I know, isn’t it disgusting? I’d tell y’all that I’ll take pictures of all the cat toys in the house AND the ones I have secreted away in my closet, but I’m too afraid you’d call the people at Hoarders on me!
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Here’s a little something to put a smile on your face.
Crack me UP!
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Seeing the photos of Miz Poo brings back memories. She looks very much like our Sunshine, who passed away in 2001. Sunshine was a ‘talker’. She had a very distinct trill-like meow that she would raise or lower depending on what she was trying to say. She mostly ‘talked’ only when spoken to, and ALWAYS had to have the last word. Just curious if Miz Poo happens to be a talker as well.
Usually Miz Poo does most of her talking when she’s trying to soothe me. If I yell or laugh really hard or get mad, Miz Poo decides that I’m in distress and she must soothe me, and she rubs against me and trills softly at me. If she walks into the room and I greet her, she’ll brighten up and usually responds to me with a trill. For the most part she’s pretty quiet, though.
She’ll go through stages, though, where she finds a toy and decides it’s her “kill” and drags it through the house, keening the entire time. She’s fond of doing that in the middle of the night, and she doesn’t just do it for, oh, ten feet or so. No, she appears to find the toy at the farthest possible point in the house and then drags or carries it through the house, keening as loudly as possible, the entire way to my room where I’m usually yelling “Oh my god, Poo, please stop!!!”
Here’s a video I shot years ago showing what it sounds like (I posted it on YouTube in 2008, but I made the video when we lived in the house in Madison, so it would have been before 2007).
She is SO PROUD of herself!
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Anyone in the NW Virginia area want a very friendly, very purry tortoiseshell kitty who likes belly rubs?
Mrowbecca, send me some pictures, I’ll post ’em!
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My lady cat says that ladies NEVER FART. In a book by Anne Perry, a Victorian lady was said to make a “personal noise”, which cracked my DH up, so now we say that our ladycat makes a “pawsonal noise”. She also reckons that tabby brudders are ALL HORRIBLE*. I must explain that while not suffering from farting, she does suffer from a tabby brother.
*this opinion is not shared by the author of this comment.
How much do I love the phrase “personal noise”? SO. VERY. MUCH.
(Also, Miz Poo suffers from tabby brudders, and she agrees that it’s pretty horrible.)
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What pretty blue eyes the Buster Man has. Or is that just the camera angle?
They’re green, actually – and very pretty, the way they’re dark green in around the pupil and then lighter around the outside.. All of the Bookworms have really really pretty eyes. What’s that, you say? You need proof of that? Well, if I MUST.
Buster (about a year ago) :
Reacher (in February, right before Kathy came and stole him away) :
Corbie in February:
Rhyme, last October:
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Robyn, you *need* one of these! Think of the photo opportunities!!!
That is HILARIOUS!
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How old are the chicks, relatively? Small children, tweens? Never had any, so I’m curious!
At this age – a week to ten days old – I’d call them preschoolers, they still stick pretty close to their mothers. In a couple of weeks they’ll be a little taller and a bit ratty looking as their feathers start to come in, and I’d call them maybe middle-schoolers. I’ll try to remember to get pictures of them as they grow so you can see the various stages!
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Please link the fountain again? Or just give me the name. Does it have ‘pool’ at the top and then cascade down? Is it easy to clean? I am sorry I have not paid attention to it before…
The ceramic fountain that someone else mentioned in my comments was this one, the Pioneer Big Max. It is very very easy to clean, and after you put it together the first time, it’s very easy to take apart, clean, and put back together.
HOWEVER, someone who is a klutz, was cleaning our Big Max a month ago, and dropped the top piece, and it broke. Grrrr.
I did have an extra fountain on hand, the Cat Mate fountain, so I set that up where the Big Max had been, and the cats like it just fine. My cats seem to prefer the fountains where there’s a pool at the top and then the water cascades down over the ones where the water pours out into the bowl at the bottom, so both the Big Max and the Cat Mate are fine with them.
My only issue with the Big Max is that the hum of the motor was loud enough that when I put it in the bathroom across the hall from my bedroom, I could hear the motor through the ear plugs that I wear at night, so it didn’t work for me. At the moment, I’ve got Cat Mate fountains in the laundry room, upstairs in the bathroom, and in both kitten rooms. I like how quiet they are, and I like that they can go in the dishwasher (I run each of them through the dishwasher once a week). They aren’t the prettiest fountains on earth but, well, you’ve seen my house. It’s not like they detract from our fabulous decor!
On a side note, reviews of the Cat Mate fountain on Amazon have pointed out that the pump doesn’t last, and that the company doesn’t sell a replacement for it. My fountains are working okay so far, but I’ll report back when/ if the pumps break!
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I was wondering, if a person has catnip tea, if that person is then found rolling on the floor in delirium?
I spent a little while reading about catnip for humans yesterday, and it appears that catnip has the exact opposite effect on humans. It relieves anxiety, helps with insomnia, and with nightmares. There are a whole list of things catnip helps with. It’s a miracle drug!
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My coworker and I both have kitties who scratch at the door jams. My sweet girl has all but engraved a novel on three door jams around my house and her kitty has one that she is set on destroying. Is there something all natural we can spray on the door jams to get them to stop or is there a commercial spray available that works?
The only thing I can think of to suggest is to try putting double-sided tape on the door jam – cats don’t like the feel of tape on their paws, and they’ll avoid scratching there. I don’t know of any natural cat repellents – that is, I’m sure they’re out there, I just don’t know of them! Anyone out there have suggestions of repellents or other ways to keep cats from scratching on door jams? Please share!
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“OH, scratching post, you are so big and strong!”
::kiss::kiss::kiss::kiss::
(Like YOU never kissed your pillow when you were a kid!)
“Stop kissing the scratching post, WEIRDO, I’ve got places to go!”
“Four o’clock and all is well!”
::fume:: “I was NOT kissing the scratching post. We were having a deep, meaningful conversation!”
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So, one thing that Lucy Peppers does that I have been completely unable to capture on video, is that when you’re petting her, if you start scratching her back, she humps up her back, then she does this very dramatic looking thing where she straightens her legs completely, and she slow-motion flops onto her side. It’s hilarious and impossible to accurately describe, but SO funny.
Fred says she looks very much like Nature Boy Ric Flair when he flops. I didn’t know what he meant (I’m not a wrestling fan), so he sent me the link to this video and I have to say that yeah, she totally does.
I tried for the zillionth time yesterday to get her flop on video, but didn’t really have any luck. I did get a video of all the Peppers milling around, purring their heads off. Crank the sound and ignore the idiot (me) who occasionally says something. It’s a purrapalooza!
She does kind of do a modified flop in the last ten seconds of the video. I’m going to keep trying to get it on video, though!
Molly and Everett watching something. Probably the rest of the litter running around like goofballs.
“What?”
I used too much flash here, but you can see Sally’s stripes, which is neat.
Playing on (and around) the Ham-mick.
“Hey! Where’d everybody go?”
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It’s FRIIIIIIIIIDAY.
And you know what that means!
MORE BEAUTIFUL BOOKWORM BOYS!
Buster, on one of the cat walkways in the kitchen, keeping an eye on… who knows? One of the other cats, I’m sure.
Corbie wondering why, once again, my collapsible laundry basket is sitting under the tree. (Answer: because Tommy dragged it there!)
Buster, investigating.
Corbie and the ears of semi-annoyance.
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Previously 2010: House tour, part one. 2009: Flat Holly 2008: “Paul Newman is dead too! What are the chances that… Oh.”
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry. 2005: I’m a badass, that’s right. 2004: I 2003: In adults, I am anti-”bye-bye”. 2002: Day in the life.
2001: No entry.
2000: No entry.
I think I’ll be pulling up tomato plants this weekend. The green tomatoes look gorgeous, but they split (or get eaten by worms) before they can ripen – and the ones that ripen are really bland. On the up side, I’ll have a ton of green tomatoes to freeze, to make green tomato chili this winter!
Carrots have finally popped up – took them 10 days to germinate, I’d about given up hope. (I really should have planted them three weeks earlier, but I just couldn’t get motivated!)
Of the 30+ cabbage seeds I planted, I ended up with 10 regular cabbage and 5 Chinese cabbage. I don’t know how we’ll eat alllll that cabbage (and that’s assuming we actually get full-sized heads, which you can never assume here at Crooked Acres. We haven’t had much luck with cabbage, but that doesn’t stop me from trying!)
The catnip is happy. Next year, I’m planting it in the BIG raised bed. You can never have enough catnip. (On a side note, I read that you can make tea from catnip leaves. What I wonder is, do you then walk around with catnip breath and the cats following you around trying to climb into your mouth? Anyone know?)
Chickens looooove watermelon.
A lot!
I was focusing on the chicken on the log and didn’t realize that the pigs were posing prettily in the background!
Pretty little chick.
Mama hen and babies.
Another mama hen (and one of her babies in the background).
Pretty little hen.
It is absolutely amazing, how fast these ducks are growing!
I love the white at the tips of their wings. Still no idea on the sex of any of them.
Considering his/ her next move (the other three were just off-camera).
I’m not sure what Gracie was looking at, here, but it certainly had her attention!
::thlurrrrp::
George enjoyed his evening snack.
“What?”
Time for the nightly ear rub. If dogs could purr, that’s what he’d be doing.
Checking for cookies.
“If I smile at you, will you give us cookies?” (Answer: NO. They’d already had their cookies!)
And, some sounds from Crooked Acres – whenever we walk out to the back forty, the chickens know they’re very likely going to get some scratch, so they come running from all over. (Special appearance by George, who hopes there’ll be a snack for him, too.)
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Guess whose turn it is to attempt to get the feather teaser THIS time?
Patty looks like she’s thinking “Why, that’s simply AMAZIN’!”
So close!
Taking a break to show off their pretty eyes.
Be vewwy vewwy quiet. He’s huntin’ wabbits.
It looks like he snagged a fuzzy blue ball that he’s juggling, but that’s actually laying on the floor a few feet away.
I swear, Patty DOES do more than just sit around and watch what Charlie’s doing, I swear she does. But sometimes she just can’t take her eyes off him, I guess!
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I love Everett’s brown-orange eyes.
Molly loves her belly rubs.
Three-way fighting (l to r: Sally, Everett, Harlan)
Nyah.
Lucy and Molly partake of some refreshing cool water.
Harlan relaxes.
Lucy keeps an eye on things.
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Stinkerbelle, atop the kitchen cabinets, keeping an eye on Buster.
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Previously 2010: Martin and Jake: it’s a love-hate-love-hate relationship. 2009: Is it not amazing how the tiniest things can make the worst smells? 2008: Did I mention SHADDUP, YOU?
2007: No entry. 2006: No need to send out the announcement that we’re freaks just yet, I suppose. 2005: What a fucking day, I tells ya. 2004: Which makes me think he’s out there talking shit about me, of course. 2003: I know I’ve lived in Alabama too long when 70 is a bit too cool for me.
2002: No entry. 2001: I swear, my work is NEVER done.
2000: No entry.
Vote for Gracie! (Thank you!) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Yesterday, Oldcat did a post about Kara and her kittens and determined that the kittens’ father mostly likely looked a lot like Spanky! Go check it out, … Continue reading “9/28/11 – Kitteh Wednesday”
I swear, that cedar scratching post is one of the best things we’ve ever made. Every single kitten who’s been in that room just loves it like nothing else.
Patty enjoys ripping toys apart to get to the tasty fiberfill center (and got mad at me when I took it away).
Checkin’ out the toys.
Charlie supervises.
“Oooh, what’s THAT?”
::chomp::
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When he’s not jumping for the feather teaser, Everett likes to talk to it.
And yes indeed, Everett DOES have some fearsome claws, doesn’t he? He’s very careful not to use them on humans, though. He knows we’re big wimps (and yes, I do try to keep their claws trimmed, but sometimes it gets away from me.)
Invisible shifting while driving the invisible 18-wheeler.
Well THAT’s an awkward land, Everett.
“Let the party begin, I HAVE ARRIVED!”
Harlan critiques Everett’s form.
Talking to the feathers.
Checking out Harlan’s pot belly.
He flails! He misses!
More talking to the feathers.
Talk…
Talk…
Jump!
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Just in case you thought that the fosters are the only ones who get in on the feather teasin’ fun…
He totally looks like he’s break-dancing here.
This picture makes me dizzy. So I had to see if it made you dizzy, too!
And, a video of the permanents (Elwood, Buster, Alice) making a play for the teaser. What amazes me is how lightly Elwood lands for such a big cat.
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Previously 2010: Also, swearing a lot helps, too.
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry. 2007: Everyone, go forth and give me a “hubba hubba” in your blogs! 2006: YOU’RE WELCOME. 2005: Phear my l33t fotograffic skillz. 2004: Dear Stephen King: Stop defending what you did, and just write the goddamn story.
2003: No entry.
2002: No entry.
2001: No entry.
2000: No entry.
Vote for Gracie! (Thank you!) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Yesterday, my parents had to say goodbye to their sweet dog Benjie. Benjie was such a good guy – he’s one of those dogs who makes people … Continue reading “9/27/11 – Tuesday”
Yesterday, my parents had to say goodbye to their sweet dog Benjie.
Benjie was such a good guy – he’s one of those dogs who makes people like me, who has no interest in having a dog in the house, change their mind. He came with them a couple of times when they visited us, and he was so sweet, he’d just sit there and watch the cats circle him.
The first time he came with them to visit us, a little beagle showed up, and they were immediately the best of friends, running around, playing together, even (if I recall correctly) curling up to rest together, too.
(The lady two doors down eventually adopted that beagle and named her Sugar.)
He was just a real character – everyone who met him loved him.
He traveled all over the place with my parents, and he was a good little travel companion and the best errand assistant.
He will be very much missed.
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You didn’t think that Everett was the only jumpin’ Pepper, did you?
First, Everett displays the correct jumping form, while Molly gets into catching position…
Then Everett’s all “Remember, VERY IMPORTANT: Jazz Hands!”
“No, no, NO! You must BELIEVE that you can flyyyyyyyyyyy! Like THIS!”
“LIFT off! Like so!”
“Jazz hands like this? Am I doin’ this right?”
“Fly! FLYYYY!”
“This doesn’t feel right. You sure this is a real jazz hand? It feels awkward.”
“I am FLYING!”
Sally is awestruck. “Look at his FORM! The pointed TOES! My god, he’s PERFECT!”
Everett says “Yes! YES! That is perfect! Beautiful, perfect jazz hands! Pointed toes! You’re a natural!”
Harlan begins to lose his perfect form.
“Reach for it, Harlan! REACH!”
“I… who taught you the Invisible Motorcycle move? That’s far too advanced for your skill levels!”
“By god. Jazz hands with his BACK paws! He’s a prodigy!”
Later that day, Everett was walking along, minding his own business, when out of NOWHERE, smacking him RIGHT in the face…
Stupid feather teaser.
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Charlie looks like he’s making fun of the size of Patty’s belly.
Charlie givin’ me the ‘tude.
Laughing at his own joke.
More attitude, while Patty’s all “Whuh?”
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Judging by the look on Tommy’s face, there’s either a knife-wielding serial killer behind me, or nothing at all.
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Previously 2010: We are some meatloaf-loving motherfuckers.
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry. 2007: Little kitties on my desk top, little kitties made of fur and hate, little kitties on the gatetop, little kitties, not the same. There’s a gray one and a black one and an orange one and a calico, and they’re all made out of fur and hate and they look not the same. 2006: Hey, we’ll only be living here for another six months or so. Let’s BURN THOSE BRIDGES! 2005: Did I bring “a book” with me? HELL NO I didn’t bring “a book” with me – I brought FIVE books with me. 2004: No offense to you stoners out there, but the Warrens totally look stereotypical stoners.
2003: No entry. 2002: I think I’m going to start calling him The Todd. 2001: Does that kid’s face just scream “dilemmanated”, or what?
2000: No entry.
Vote for Gracie, pleeeeease! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ From Elayne: Can anyone recommend a WordPress expert who won’t charge thousands of dollars? My site’s seriously outdated (my fault entirely) and appears to have been compromised and … Continue reading “9/26/11 – Monday”
Can anyone recommend a WordPress expert who won’t charge thousands of dollars? My site’s seriously outdated (my fault entirely) and appears to have been compromised and I would deeply appreciate any help in getting it sorted, where by “help” I mean “someone who’ll say, ‘I’ll handle all this, you just give me some money and appreciation at the end’ because I’m utterly clueless.”
The only place I could think to recommend would be Make My Blog Pretty. I haven’t used them myself (because CLEARLY I’m a super-awesome blog designer myself ::coughcoughHAHAHAHcoughcough:: ), but I’ve read enough blogs who recommend them that the name has stuck in my head.
Y’all have any other suggestions? Please share!
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Fred had Friday off (he’d worked enough hours the week before to earn the day off), and we talked about going up to Nashville to visit the big flea market up there – my idea – but I decided that it wasn’t going to be worth the drive, because when it really comes down to it, (1) we don’t need any more shit in this house, and (2) flea markets tend to be the same old shit, no matter where they are. Would it have been fun to to visit and people watch and see what there was? Maybe. But I didn’t want to make the drive to get there, spend an hour walking through, and then have to drive all the way home.
We tossed around ideas for things we could do (a day trip to Gatlinburg, you might be amazed to hear, was not something I could interest Fred in. What? It’s only a five hour trip each way!), and finally Fred suggested that we check out the Unclaimed Baggage store in Scottsboro. I’ve been there twice – once with my parents and the spud, once with Nance and Rick – and found it pretty interesting, and got some good buys.
So early Friday morning, we headed out. It took us a little over an hour to get there, but Fred took us on an alternate route down some country roads with pretty scenery, so I had no complaint.
Unfortunately, in the years since the last time I visited Unclaimed Baggage, they’ve apparently wised up to the fact that they had really good, really low prices, and have upped the prices and gone a little more commercial looking. The electronics were not priced low enough, in my opinion, and the clothes were way too expensive. The books were, well, a little pricier than I would have liked, but I did end up with two hardbacks in spite of myself. In short, we drove over an hour to get there, spent $15 on books (Fred bought one, too), and drove over an hour to get home.
We really need to take up hiking or something, I guess, something to do that will get us out of the house on nice days so we’re not sitting at home 24/7 and slowly going crazy.
(I should add that it doesn’t really bother me to sit at home all the time, I manage to keep myself busy, but by the end of a three-day weekend without going anywhere, Fred is on the verge of losing his MIND.)
So we were on our way through Madison, which is on the way from here to Scottsboro, and I realized that the land where they’ve been promising a Walmart for at least the past five years was completely cleared. There’s been a sign up on that property (which was about 85% forested) since we bought the house in 2006, and I’m pretty sure that originally it said that Walmart was coming in 2010, and then the date kept getting pushed back.
Apparently I hadn’t noticed last time I went up the road that they’d started clearing the land in preparation for actually building the Walmart, which is now slated (I think) for Spring of 2012. I suspect they finally got moving on building the Walmart because a Target is in the process of going up just down the road, and it’s slated to open on March 11th.
(So instead of having to drive 30 minutes to Huntsville to go to Target, I’ll only have to go 20 minutes to go to the Madison Target!)
(Also, it’s rumored that one of the stores going in around the Target is a HomeGoods store, which I’ve heard about but never been to, so that’s a potential “Woohoo.”)
ANYWAY.
Right next to the Walmart site is a strip club, Jimmy’s. I love to drive by Jimmy’s because there’s a billboard next to Jimmy’s, and of course some church or another is always advertising their Sunday services or whatever in hopes of guilting the god-fearing men who might potentially be about to have a weak moment. I can only imagine how much money Walmart has offered Jimmy’s to vacate the premises, but it appears that Jimmy’s is owned by someone who has no intention of moving.
I kind of look forward to seeing Walmart and Jimmy’s existing side by side, is that wrong?
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Saturday morning, I got up and went out to work in the garden. I pulled up four or five tomato plants that were on their way out, and tossed them on the compost heap. I picked tomatoes from the remaining plants and ended up with just a handful worth keeping, but a bucket’s worth for the chickens and pigs. Honestly, the only reason I haven’t pulled all the tomato plants up is because the chickens love nothing so much as tomatoes, ripe or not, and they especially like the wormy ones, so it’s worth going out there and pulling tomatoes for them a couple of times a week.
The okra plants are still producing, but very slowly. They’re on the way out too, I suppose.
I got half a bucket full of bell peppers, which I sliced and put in the dehydrator. I don’t like peppers – bell or otherwise – but Fred does, so he’ll have plenty ’til next year.
Fred picked the muscadine vines clean. We ended up with exactly a gallon of them, so I made a batch of muscadine jelly. I still find it amusing, how much jam and jelly I make, given that we hardly ever eat the stuff.
Sunday I did laundry, cleaned the bathrooms, and just kind of puttered around. I made a batch of Green Tomato Chili for Fred to divide up into single serving containers and stick in the freezer to take to work as lunches. Since I was making it just for him, I added several bell peppers to the recipe, and then he went out and picked a couple of Ghost peppers for me to add as well. When the chili was done, he tasted it and said he couldn’t even taste the heat of the Ghost peppers.
(Which made me roll my eyes, because I’m SURE anyone with NORMAL taste buds would have detected them just fine!)
All in all, a really good, productive weekend here at Crooked Acres!
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Update on Coriander and Ciara! No pictures, but one of the Saturday adoption counselors reports:
The girls are doing great. The mother & sister (and 2 year old nephew) of their new mom came by Petsmart today. The extended family thinks the girls are the greatest cats in the world. They are getting along with the Lab and Coriander runs to the door with the dog when their humans get home. Coriander likes to play soccer with her ball and the girls take up the whole sofa
I can absolutely see Cori racing to the door with the dog when their humans get home. How CUTE is that?!
I love hearing that my girls are happy. And just so y’all remember what they look like, here’s one of my favorite pictures of Cori:
And I just love this one of Ciara:
I love SO MUCH that those two went to their forever home together. I love that Ciara was Maggie’s only girl, she had ALL those brothers, but she ended up with a forever sister anyway!
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In the last few days, when we go into the guest bedroom to hang out with Charlie and Patty, they do their level best to get out the door. This is normal kitten behavior, of course, but new behavior for these two. They’re easy enough to catch – or stop from escaping the room – but I had stuff in my hands Saturday evening and before I could stop him, Charlie went marching out the door and down the hall to sniff wildly around the living room before Fred scooped him up and returned him to his sister.
For a very short period of time yesterday, Fred took first Patty and then Charlie up to see how they’d react to the Peppers Gang. Both kittens were interested but intimidated by the bigger kittens, and after a little while Charlie went into the closet and hid behind the door. Patty hid, too, and watched them play. The big kittens hissed and growled at the little ones and then ignored them.
After that, Charlie and Patty didn’t try to get out of the guest bedroom. I guess now that they know those BIG SCARY KITTENS are out there somewhere, the guest bedroom isn’t so bad!
Pretty Patty Peppers.
Charlie Peppers, the little poser.
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When the feather teaser comes out, Everett gets…
Oh, what’s the word…
..it’s on the tip of my tongue…
…it’ll come to me…
“dramatic” isn’t it…
“grabby” doesn’t quite cover it…
..what’s the word?…
FLAILY. That’s the word. He totally gets all flaily, with his claws flying.
What? Flaily IS SO a word!
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“Hey, you little whippersnappers! Get off my lawn!”
Old man Spanky keeps on rollin’. He just turned 15 on the 15th. Looks good for an old guy, doesn’t he?
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Previously
2010: No entry.
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry. 2007: So am I getting this right – if you have nothing of substance to mock about a woman, you talk about her huge v@gina? Is that how that works? 2006: Sugarbutt lolled seductively on the counter, giving me his best “Hey Momma, what you got there for the Sugarman?” eyes. 2005: I’m sure I’ll get used to it, though, the way I got used to the neighborhood kids always running across our yard and always setting up shop in our driveway.
2004: No entry. 2003: Immediately, screaming like a little girl, Fred levitated across the room to the fireplace, where he began dancing a jig, slapping at his legs, and screaming intermittently. 2002: But it’s still tempting. 2001: J’accuse.
2000: No entry.
