You know you want a Crooked Acres holiday postcard. YOU KNOW YOU DO. You better hurry up! (And yes, of course I’m happy to send cards to other countries!) Send your name and mailing address to hollydays@gmail.com . I’ll take names and addresses until December 20th. If you’d like to send me a card as … Continue reading “12/11/11 – Gracie Sunday”
You know you want a Crooked Acres holiday postcard. YOU KNOW YOU DO. You better hurry up! (And yes, of course I’m happy to send cards to other countries!) Send your name and mailing address to hollydays@gmail.com .
I’ll take names and addresses until December 20th.
If you’d like to send me a card as well (never ever required, but always appreciated – I don’t keep track of who does and doesn’t send a card, I promise!), send it to: Robyn Anderson, PO Box 461, Athens, AL 35612 USA.
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Only a few more hours to enter to win a copy of this adorable book, here! You can enter ’til 3 pm (US Central time). I’ve got two copies to give away, so your chances are good! Again, go here to enter.
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Gracie is a good watchdog. She keeps an eye on everything. While George is off snoozing under the coop, Gracie makes sure that all is as it should be in the back forty.
(When she’s not snoozing under the coop with George, that is.)
First, she goes for a run.
Gotta keep warmed up in case she has to chase off a predator or chase down a snack.
Stopping to keep an eye on the chickens.
Doesn’t she look like something has amused her?
“Am keeping an eye on you, lady.”
Grinning.
Laughing at her own joke.
Pretty, pretty girl.
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On the cat tree in the foster room (before the new guys took it over).
“What?”
Patty pouts because she can’t go into the foster room.
Patty and Charlie are NOT sure what’s going on in that foster room, but they know they don’t care for the fact that they can’t get in there.
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In case you missed it yesterday, I went back to post that the new guys, despite Clay, Tig and Opie’s lack of tail, seem to be A-OK. Many of us remember sweet Jerry Lee Pickett over at Itty Bitty Kitty Committee. Sometimes cats with little or no tail suffer have nerve issues in their back ends. These guys are getting around just fine and they’re all using the litter box with no problems.
I also went back and added that the new guys are named after characters from the TV series Sons of Anarchy, and they’ll collectively be known as the Sons.
(Perhaps someday I’ll get the hang of that whole proofreading thing. Probably won’t be today, though.)
A baleful look from Opie.
Jax and Clay, under the little bed.
It probably comes as a surprise to you that kittens love sun.
Jax is so gorgeous.
Tig and Opie under the scratcher.
::thlurrrrp::
The Sons are starting to come around. At least now when we walk into the room, they don’t run and hide. They still cringe away from us when we reach for them, but that’ll go away in time, I suspect.
The boldest of the four is Clay. He acts like he doesn’t want us to touch him, but once we start petting him, he’s like “Okay, ya got me!” and flops over onto his side. Clay’s the one with the little nub of a tail, and he actually wags it when he gets excited and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be the death of me because SO CUTE.
Oh, and someone asked if their lack of tails affect their balance. The answer, as far as I can tell, is not at all. It would be one thing if they were born with tails and then had to have them removed for one reason or another – in such a case, they’d have to adjust to the sudden lack of the tail that they’d always used to balance themselves – but these guys were born this way, so it’s all they’ve known. And it doesn’t slow them down in the slightest!
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Why so stressed, Suggie?
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Previously
2010: No entry. 2009: That would be the alternate, much less fun and much more pungent definition of a Dutch Oven! 2008: You know how a body at rest wants to stay at rest? 2007: Mister Boogers regarded me 2006: How these cats aren’t the size of Tubby, I will never know.
2005: No entry. 2004: And if I ever get the urge to go shopping at the mall on a Saturday two weeks before Christmas, I’ll lay down until it goes away. 2003: Thank god I’m not famous. I could handle being followed around by the papparazzi, but live interviews on the TV and radio? Fuck THAT. 2002: My favorite Christmas entry, ever. Chock-full of the Bitchypoo Christmas Spirit. 2001: Of course my world revolves around me and the people I care about. And yours revolves around you. Except when it revolves around me. 2000: I think they should hire me to play his girlfriend – the stripper with a heart of gold – because I just love that man right to pieces
1999: No entry.
You know you want a Crooked Acres holiday postcard. YOU KNOW YOU DO. You better hurry up! (And yes, of course I’m happy to send cards to other countries!) Send your name and mailing address to hollydays@gmail.com . I’ll take names and addresses until December 20th. If you’d like to send me a card as … Continue reading “12/10/11 – New Guys Saturday!”
You know you want a Crooked Acres holiday postcard. YOU KNOW YOU DO. You better hurry up! (And yes, of course I’m happy to send cards to other countries!) Send your name and mailing address to hollydays@gmail.com .
I’ll take names and addresses until December 20th.
If you’d like to send me a card as well (never ever required, but always appreciated – I don’t keep track of who does and doesn’t send a card, I promise!), send it to: Robyn Anderson, PO Box 461, Athens, AL 35612 USA.
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One more day to enter to win a copy of this adorable book, here! You can enter ’til 3 pm tomorrow. I’ve got two copies to give away, so your chances are good! Again, go here to enter.
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Meet the new guys!
Jax, Clay, Tig and Opie.
They’re eight weeks old and a bit shy, but they’re already starting to come around, especially when Fred waves a feather teaser at them.
Their story is that they were born to a momma who’d had at least one litter. They were living on the porch of a woman’s trailer, and she was overwhelmed and asked Challenger’s House for help. Since I’d sent the shelter manager a “my foster room is empty, GIVE ME KITTENS” earlier in the week, she asked if I wanted them. Did I? Of course I did!
(The woman who owns the momma cat will likely have her spayed through SNAP.)
They’re in good shape so far (of course, ask me in another couple of days, which is when the diarrhea usually hits!), and like I said, they’re nervous, but interested in playing.
Edited to add: They’re named after characters from the series Sons of Anarchy, and they’re all boys. We’re calling them the Sons collectively!
Tig likes the covered bed.
Clay’s wondering what’s going on over THERE? (Jax behind him.)
Opie, keeping an eye on me.
Jax is such a gorgeous boy.
“What’s she doin’?”
“I dunno.”
Tig and Opie, hanging out under the scratcher.
Oh, and one note of interest: Clay, Tig and Opie (the tuxies) don’t have tails! Jax has a regular tail and Clay has a tiny little nubbin of a tail, but Tig and Opie don’t have tails at all.
Edited to add: Also, despite their lack of tails, they seem to be using the litter box and getting around just fine. Some cats born with little or no tails have nerve issues in their back ends. It’s possible that an issue will present itself with one or more of these three, but at this point they seem to be okay and don’t have any problems climbing up the cat tree in the foster room.
Opie shows off his lack of a tail.
On another note, Sally, Lucy, Harlan, and Everett are still at Petsmart waiting for their forever homes. If they’re there too much longer – another week and a half, they’ll have been there a month – I’ll probably see about taking Charlie and Patty down and replacing Harlan and Sally, keep Harlan and Sally here for a couple of weeks to give them a break, and then switch them out with Lucy and Everett, and repeat as needed.
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Now, for some Crooked Acres profanity. Apparently herding the ducks out to the pond makes us feel the need to swear. It’s a short video, and I’m really posting it more for the sound than the video, but there are some flashes of the ducks.
We’ve watched this video about 20 times and laugh our asses off every time. Who says we can’t amuse ourselves?
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Y’know…
As long as you guys are comfortable. But there ARE two empty beds on the other side of the desk!
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Previously 2010: You see how I can go on and on and ON about this shit? 2009: THEY’S TOO GODDAMN MANY CATS IN THERE 2008: I AM BESIDE MYSELF WITH EXCITEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2007: It’s a pisser that the things that are the least fun – cleaning, laundry – are a neverending cycle.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry. 2004: I want to marry you, Consumer Reports. 2003: The Bean’s nickname for today is “Stanley Rotten.” 2002: Xmas meme. 2001: And then Miz Poo SMACKS him again.
2000: No entry. 1999: I’m just saying.
Attention, those of you in the Phoenix/ Scottsdale, AZ area residents – two cats who were abandoned by their owners desperately need a safe home, whether it be a temporary foster, or a loving forever home. ALSO, if you are in northern New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, or that general location, either (or both!) of these … Continue reading “12/9/11 – Friday”
ALSO, if you are in northern New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, or that general location, either (or both!) of these cats could be delivered to you later this month, if you’re interested in either (or both!) of these sweet boys. Go read here for more information!
Please help if you can – and please spread the word!
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You know you want a Crooked Acres holiday postcard. YOU KNOW YOU DO. You better hurry up, you’ve only got ELEVEN days to get your name and mailing address to me! (And yes, of course I’m happy to send cards to other countries!) Send your name and mailing address to hollydays@gmail.com .
I’ll take names and addresses until December 20th.
If you’d like to send me a card as well (never ever required, but always appreciated – I don’t keep track of who does and doesn’t send a card, I promise!), send it to: Robyn Anderson, PO Box 461, Athens, AL 35612 USA.
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Enter to win a copy of this adorable book, here! You can enter ’til 3 pm Sunday. I’ve got two copies to give away, so your chances are good! Again, go here to enter.
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What camera did you use for those closeups? They’re great. And what kind of non-electric heating pad do you use for the kitties? I think you mentioned it recently, but I can’t find the entry.
The camera is a Sony SLT-A55; I bought it after I dropped my A100 a few months ago. (I swear dropping it was an accident, but I sure do love my new camera!)
And the non-electric (self-heating) bed for the cats is called a “Slumber Pet Thermal Cat Mat“; I got a bunch of them off of Amazon and they’re quite popular with the cats! I should add, as a side note, that the thermal mats make a crinkly noise when the cats step on them (I think they’ve got Mylar or something similar inside – it reflects the cat’s body heat which is what keeps them warm). It doesn’t bother my cats, but keep it in mind because it might bother more sensitive kitties.
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When I see your photos of Rock Star, Tina Turner always comes to mind.
“What’s cluck got to do, got to do with it?”
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I cannot watch Sons of Anarchy! It’s a great show . . . but my blood pressures goes up 200 points and I find myself holding my breath . . . . um . . . . lol
TELL me about it! We just watched the season finale and I swear I thought I was going to have a stroke!
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What kind of geese is Fred looking at? I’m considering getting a pair myself, to act as guard dogs for my poultry. I have a psychopathic neighbor kid climbing the fence and messing with them, and while I am working on locks, camera, ect., I’d also like to fix her wagon with geese. I can’t use my dogs as guard animals or I wouldn’t have any poultry left, and I happen to have a friend with more geese than she wants. I think they’re Chinese, but I’m not sure.
Fred reports that he’s looking at Embden or Pilgrim geese. Though I still don’t particularly want a goose, I did read that Pilgrim geese are relatively calm and sweet-natured (unlike whatever the hell kind of goose it was that bit me on the ASS several years ago when we were feeding ducks and geese), so I could probably live with one of those.
I hope that you get some geese that are particularly good at biting kids on their asses, and I further hope that you are able to document the said ass-biting to share with us all. 🙂
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Wow, Elwood is a uh… um… thick cat, isn’t he?
Jake Sprat can eat no fat, his bro can eat no lean. Heh. Actually, although Elwood is a really big cat (and getting bigger by the second, it seems), I really don’t see him eating all that often. He’s not nearly as aggressive when it comes to food as the much skinnier Jake is. Of course, Jake runs and plays more than Elwood does, so perhaps we need to get Ellie Belly on an exercise regimen.
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The Grinch. That’s who Jake reminds me of in your banner.
(I was 9 years old when I spotted the resemblance between the Grinch and my father. Every time we point it out to someone new the response is always the same: A puzzled look, a slight gasp and widening of the eyes, and a hasty and embarrassed, “Oh, now, that’s silly” type of denial, followed by frequent sidelong and trying-to-be surreptitious glances. We were banned from watching The Grinch for two or three years because he’d get so bent at how funny we thought it was. So, the moral of this comment is, your cat looks like my father. I’m so sorry.)
I’m pretty sure I speak for everyone when I say I would like to see a picture of your father, please. (But we also understand that perhaps that might get us ALL banned from watching the Grinch, so maybe not!)
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Ok…you seem to have knowledgeable and intelligent readers…anybody out there know where I can buy…
(1) a heated water bowl…something solar that does not require being plugged in.
(2) a heated shelter…again, something that does not require being plugged in…my feral cat feeding station is in the middle of a field with no access to power.
Any suggestions would be appreciated : )
Oldcat has this suggestion: Maybe what you need is a battery powered weatherproof converter that gives you normal power in the field. Then you can just get normal outdoor pet items.
Maybe campers have that kind of stuff.
I myself have no ideas, but I know you guys out there must have some suggestions – we’re all ears!
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Who says you can’t train cats?
The funny thing is that I didn’t actually realize I was training all the cats to go to their different places for snack time. It was just through several days of taking the big Peppers upstairs and not letting the little Peppers in their room, and then putting the little Peppers in the guest bedroom with their snack (and not letting the big cats go in there) that the cats all figured out where they were likely to get their food, and staying there. Kind of neat, isn’t it?
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This makes me wonder what each individual kitty sounds like. I picture Alice with a dainty little kitten mew, Miz Poo with a loud but loving meow and Stinkerbelle with a gruff, throaty mrow!
This gives me an idea – I’m going to do my best to get each cat’s meow on video and make one video with each of them meowing!
I can tell you, though, that Alice actually sounds almost exactly like Marty in this video:
Which is why Fred is 100% convinced that Marty and Alice were from the same litter.
Also, if you watch the Snackin’ Time video and forward to one minute and 59 seconds, you’ll hear a high-pitched “Me-ewwww!”, and that’s Stinkerbelle. She has quite the imperious meow, that one.
You’re right about Miz Poo, though – she certainly does have a loud but loving meow!
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Robyn, I met a guy named Marty at the vet’s office on Saturday that has 35 cats!! Well — “only” 32, really… he has four of his mom’s on a temporary basis. So, 32 permanent indoor cats, almost all rescued from the street or from abusive situations. He showed me pictures of all the cats on his cell phone (they looked healthy and happy)!! So there you go, another person you can refer to when someone questions how many cats YOU have… hey, it’s definitely not as many as are at Marty’s house!!
(and then)
I just had to correct the above statement, before anyone accuses me of being mathematically challenged. Reading the above, you’d think the cat total should be 36 — but I should have said that Marty has “four of his mom’s animals on a temporary basis”. And the animals from mom consist of 3 cats and 1 dog. So… the cat total is 35 🙂
My newest best friend Marty, you mean?
“How many cats do you HAVE, Robyn?”
“You know, it’s funny you ask that, I was just thinking about my best friend Marty. Would you believe he has 35 cats in his house right now? Boy, I could never imagine having that many cats, but they all seem happy!”
Have you ever noticed that we people who have TOO MANY cats will always qualify the answer? “Well, I HAVE 13 cats, but two of them are outside most of the time and one of them is kind of feral, so she spends all her time on top of the kitchen cabinets and only comes down to eat and use the litter box. Actually, they can all go outside during the day, so it’s not like ::embarrassed laugh:: we have 13 cats inside all the time, because THAT would be complete lunacy!”
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I’m still overwhelmed by the care that goes into snacktime at Crooked Acres! (Speaking of which, it was great to see that shy beauty Stinkerbelle in action.) And how many times daily does your dishwasher take a beating?
I only run the dishwasher once a day, at bedtime, believe it or not. I do wash the cats’ snack dishes, too, or if the dishwasher is full, I wash them by hand. Usually they’ll all fit in the dishwasher, though.
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My DVR is filled up with all the Walking Dead episodes from this season i haven’t gotten a chance to watch a single one 🙁
Well, don’t be too sad – you’ve got ’til FEBRUARY to catch up. February. Seriously. I object!
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Are you or Fred watching American Horror Story? I’m loving that one too.
We watched about half of the first episode. Fred wanted to keep watching it, but I wasn’t feeling it. We may give it another chance at some point. Pretty often, we don’t get into a show when we first watch it, then we give it another chance and end up falling in love with it. Case in point: we didn’t care for Arrested Development when it first came on, and then decided to give it another try once the series ended, and have since watched the entire series at least twice.
Zombies! I’ve never been a huge fan of zombie movies, but I really like this series (which is based on a comic book, or so I hear.)
I like Friends, too. Robyn, why not just buy the dvd’s? or is there no storage space for dvds?
There is storage space for DVDs, but I’m all about the instant gratification. You meant I have to GET OUT the DVD and put it IN the player and then SIT ’til the menu pops up and then CHOOSE the episode? I don’t want to do THAT!
Although I did recently figure out that I could buy the entire series through Amazon and then watch it on my Kindle Fire. I am very tempted.
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I have to say thank you. I adopted my cat as a 4 or 5 year old, and so I never got to see her as a kitten. Now I have, because she looks EXACTLY like miss patty! Although in personality she’s more of a Miz Poo. She has no truck for other cats.
::fume::
“She. Is. TOUCHING. ME!”
Miz Poo is no fan of Miss Patty – but you’ll note that Miss Patty is not fazed in the slightest.
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Stress runs in the family.
Hanging out in the foster room.
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It’s CORBIE TIME!
“What?”
“You can’t move this basket up to the foster room. It’s MINE.”
I may have mentioned in the past that one of the toys we have for the cats is a mink tail. I got several of them from my sister many years ago – someone gave them to her for her cats to play with, and they weren’t interested so she passed them along to me. My cats and fosters always really liked them, would carry them around and growl at the other cats and just basically act like the mink tails were their prey.
So then.
When I got back from Pennsylvania last month, I noticed that the cats had a renewed interest in one of the cat tails, they were playing with it all the time, carrying it around, and so on. But one day I happened to take a close look at it, and. Um.
It’s not a mink tail in that picture with Corbie. It’s a squirrel tail. Apparently, at some point while I was gone, the cats caught a squirrel in the back yard and, shall we say, separated it from its tail, and brought the tail inside for super fun playtime.
A squirrel tail, for some reason, grossed me out in a way that the mink tails don’t, and thus I tossed it out the door (the side door, not the back door. They can’t get to it in the side yard.) They were SO mad at me, but they got over it next time snack time came around.
2009: I HAVE THE SOLUTION FOR YOU! 2008: Fred laughed and laughed and laaaaaaaaughed, because it’s always funny when someone else is the idiot, isn’t it? 2007: Miss Stinky Seethes.
2006: No entry. 2005: It’s the little things that amuse us, obviously. 2004: Mister Boogers does his Donald Trump impression 2003: FUCKING spam. 2002: Are you an innie or an outie?
2001: No entry.
2000: No entry. 1999: God, the smell.
Attention, those of you in the Phoenix/ Scottsdale, AZ area residents, two cats who were abandoned by their owners desperately need a safe home, whether it be a temporary foster, or a loving forever home. Please help if you can – and please spread the word! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ … Continue reading “12/8/11 – Crooked Acres Thursday”
Please help if you can – and please spread the word!
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What? You think you’re too good to get a holiday postcard from me, is that what you think, huh huh huh? This is the thing I do every year to get in the holiday spirit, and it is so NOT a bother! Get yer postcard here! (And yes, of course I’m happy to send cards to other countries!) Send your name and mailing address to hollydays@gmail.com .
I’ll take names and addresses until December 20th.
If you’d like to send me a card as well (never ever required, but always appreciated – I don’t keep track of who does and doesn’t send a card, I promise!), send it to: Robyn Anderson, PO Box 461, Athens, AL 35612 USA.
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Enter to win a copy of this adorable book, here! You can enter ’til 3 pm Sunday. I’ve got two copies to give away, so your chances are good! Again, go here to enter.
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Sights from around Crooked Acres.
Squirrel outside my window. Whatcha doin’, Mister Squirrel?
“Oh, nothing.”
“Just gonna climb down this branch…”
“And get me…”
“A little snack!”
“Which I will sit right here in front of your window and nom! Ha ha!”
I sent this picture to Fred and said “Look, a hawk eyeballing the chickens!”
Fred said “I’m pretty sure that’s a turkey buzzard, not a hawk.”
I said, “Look, a turkey buzzard eyeballing the chickens!” He said “I see that.”
(The dogs eventually roused themselves from their slumber and chased said turkey buzzard off to greener pastures.)
Playing with my long lens (it’s a 4.5-5.6/ 75-300. I don’t know what those numbers mean, but I do know that I can be a long, long way from whatever I’m taking a picture of and have it come out looking like I was RIGHT THERE with amazing detail.). This is a rooster.
This is the other rooster.
This is the Rock Star (she’s a Golden Polish). I’ve probably never told you that I think she’s the prettiest chicken we have, have I?
So so pretty.
She needs a haircut, though. We trim her head feathers away from her eyes so she can see better.
She doesn’t like it when we mess with her ‘do, though.
She prefers to stay fabulous.
Angry Muppet (white Silkie) is angry.
We chased the ducks out to the pond again last weekend. When we finally got them out there, they got into the water…
…paddled around…
…paddled around some more…
…drank a little water…
… said “Hey, that was yummy!”…
…said “Okay, we swam. Can we go HOME now?!”
And out they ran.
One of the males gave an indignant flap of his wings.
And back home they waddled.
“OH LOOK, WATER! WE WERE SO THIRSTY!”
But of course, words do not do the waddle justice. You’ve got to see it for yourself (sorry about the part halfway through when I start giggling and the camera shakes all over the place. But you’ll see why I giggled. They’re so funny when they waddle!).
On another topic, those of you who were horrified by these bugs I posted last week:
In case you missed it in the comments, those are ladybug larvae. I saw them again this week, and they’re clearly in the process of changing. This is to give you a better idea of their size.
They just looked so big last week because I was super zoomed in on them to get details so someone would be able to tell me what they were! I can’t believe I’ve never seen/ noticed them before.
Here’s a closer shot to how they look now. You can see they’re changing; they’re not quite to where they’ll be (and actually, as cold as it’s been the last couple of days, I wonder if they froze up and died instead of changing all the way), but they definitely look different than they did in the other picture.
Now that it’s gotten cold and the bugs aren’t as plentiful, the birds are hanging around the bird feeders a lot more. We get a LOT of Blue Jays and Cardinals.
Male Cardinals are brighter.
But I think the females are prettier.
We have a ton of Chickadees flitting around, but they flit so fast that I haven’t gotten a single decent picture of a single Chickadee, awesomely long lens or no. Maybe next week!
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Patty hanging out on top of the bookcase in the front room, refusing to look at me.
Chuckles…
…giving me the bratty attitude.
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“I really want to make some feral shelters to put out by the old coop so that any ferals who wander along will have a place to stay warm,” I told Fred. There’s the cat house on the front porch with the heated bed in it where Maxi can usually be found, and the little house on the other side of the front porch with the self-heating bed in it where Newt can often be found (though he more often comes inside -and if he looks particularly pathetic, Maxi will share her heated bed with him. He’s the only cat she can stand.), but both Newt and Maxi tend to be somewhat territorial, so if a poor lost/ dropped off cat needed some warmth, I feel that Maxi would probably chase them off.
Fred had a better idea. “What about the littlest coop?” he said. The littlest coop is the very first coop he built, way back when we had our original flock of 12 hens.
So he bought some straw and put it in the littlest coop, and he left the door to the coop open in case someone came along who needed some warmth.
And someone did. Joe Bob, to be exact.
“What? Am just making myself comfy. Isn’t that what this thing is HERE for?”
Silly Joe.
Smilin’ Joe.
Head scratch AND a chin scratch. Score!
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Previously 2010: That was Maxi. 2009: This fucking horseshit sure is moving at a fucking snail’s pace. 2008: ::DESPAIR:: 2007: Stinkerbelle: “I have put my stamp of love upon him, and now I shall lay here and seethe with hatred for those hussies who think they can have him. THEY CANNOT.” 2006: Newton (full name: Newton “Newtie” McNewterton, the salty country kitty) is pretty, yet aloof. It drives the wimmins CRAYZEE. 2005: “Us”? Who’s this “us” kemosabe? 2004: I suppose I need to actually start buying lottery tickets to make these dreams come true. 2003: And also because you Canadians are so cool that I want to canoodle with each and every one of you.
2002: No entry.
2001: No entry. 2000: God bless the internet and online merchants, god bless their little black hearts. 1999: More Christmas talk.
Attention, those of you in the Phoenix/ Scottsdale, AZ area residents, two cats who were abandoned by their owners desperately need a safe home, whether it be a temporary foster, or a loving forever home. Please help if you can – and please spread the word! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ … Continue reading “12/7/11 – Kitteh Wednesday”
Please help if you can – and please spread the word!
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What? You think you’re too good to get a holiday postcard from me, is that what you think, huh huh huh? This is the thing I do every year to get in the holiday spirit, and it is so NOT a bother! Get yer postcard here! (And yes, of course I’m happy to send cards to other countries!) Send your name and mailing address to hollydays@gmail.com .
I’ll take names and addresses until December 20th.
If you’d like to send me a card as well (never ever required, but always appreciated – I don’t keep track of who does and doesn’t send a card, I promise!), send it to: Robyn Anderson, PO Box 461, Athens, AL 35612 USA.
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Enter to win a copy of this adorable book, here! You can enter ’til 3 pm Sunday. I’ve got two copies to give away, so your chances are good! Again, go here to enter.
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If there’s one thing Chuckles does and does well, it’s make himself at home.
To Chuckles’ eyes, that is NOT Elwood. That’s a big heated bed for Chuckles!
As long as you’re comfy, Chuckles. I guess Elwood doesn’t mind – I suppose it helps that you’re such a light little thing.
I’m surprised you’re not perched on top of his head.
Keepin’ warm and watching the birds out the window. What better life for a kitten, am I right?
Such a smug little brat.
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Newt says “Pardon me, kind lady. Please let me in. It’s collllld out here. I’m going to die of hypothermia!” (And then I go open the door and he looks in and says “Oh. Nevermind.” and walks away. Oh, that drives me NUTS, but I fall for it every time!)
Then he stands outside for a while and watches the birds and squirrels, and eventually he comes back to the door and allows me to let him inside. (Maybe.)
Then he goes directly to his bed on the table and zonks for like 15 hours, eats a little, and asks to go back outside.
Rough life, Newtles.
I haven’t been able to get a video of Newt walking through the door, but when he does, he looks around in this certain way that reminds me SO MUCH of something from an episode of Friends. I finally happened to see that exact episode, and so I captured it for y’all.
When Chandler walks in the door and looks around? Newt TOTALLY does that. It cracks me up every time.
(That’s from the episode in Season 2 entitled “The One Where Old Yeller Dies”, which you can actually see online here. Friends is my favorite show EVER. I set up the DVR to tape every episode that comes on, and finally had to stop taping when I had 130 episodes for fear that it would fill up the DVR and we’d miss taping Sons of Anarchy or The Walking Dead.)
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Previously 2010: I could probably pull off a credible “Bless her heart” if I needed to. 2009: Guess who played Santa at Petsmart on Saturday?
2008: No entry. 2007: That’s approximately 100 pounds of litter every two weeks. 2006: “I LOOK LIKE SID VICIOUS!” I said. 2005: I AM SO HAPPY, YES I AM. 2004: (I never claimed not to be a dumbass) 2003: I would be ever so grateful if you would restrain yourself.
2002: No entry. 2001: I knew y’all were a hip and happenin’ bunch of readers! 2000: Stuff I’ve bought. 1999: And it tasted excellent, of course, which made the eggfart stenchiness more than worth it.
Attention, those of you in the Phoenix/ Scottsdale, AZ area. Two cats who were abandoned by their owners desperately need a safe home, whether it be a temporary foster, or a loving forever home. From Abigail: I’m trying to help two cats in fairly desperate need of foster or permanent homes in Phoenix/Scottsdale Arizona. Details … Continue reading “12/6/11 – Tuesday”
I’m trying to help two cats in fairly desperate need of foster or permanent homes in Phoenix/Scottsdale Arizona. Details can be read here.
The short version is that friends of mine have been caring for two cats, Red and Scoots, who were left behind when their owners were evicted and chose not to take the cats with them. They didn’t have room to foster the cats due to their resident cats, but they set up shelters, food, and made arrangements to get the cats neutered. This weekend Red was attacked by a dog, and will probably lose an eye as a result. They’ve brought him in to recuperate, and through donations we’re close to having the vet costs covered, but his presence is making the resident cat sick, and his brother is still outside and unsafe.
We’re desperate to find homes, foster or permanent, for these delightful and sweet-natured cats, who retain affectionate and loving natures despite the poor way they’ve been treated. If you know any foster or adoptive homes in the area, can you please contact Project Cat, or pass the word so we can find them a safe harbor?
Please spread the word!
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Fred’s long short story/ novella is now available for 99 cents! You can buy it at Amazon here, or Barnes and Noble, here. (He’s working on getting it put up on Smashwords.)
If you’d like to read a sample to decide whether or not to download it, you can do so here.
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Time to let me know if you want a holiday postcard! (And yes, of course I’m happy to send cards to other countries!) Send your name and mailing address to hollydays@gmail.com .
I’ll take names and addresses until December 20th.
If you’d like to send me a card as well (never ever required, but always appreciated – I don’t keep track of who does and doesn’t send a card, I promise!), send it to: Robyn Anderson, PO Box 461, Athens, AL 35612 USA.
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To address some comments y’all left last week (because I have nothing to write about today), I did not in fact use the SCOOP HANDS to help herd the ducks out to the pond. This is because I think SCOOP HANDS are in the garage somewhere, and I didn’t think about it before I went out to the back forty. And oh, y’all, the trek from the back forty to the garage is soooooo lonnnnnnnng and I didn’t waaaaaaanna, so I didn’t. (Can you imagine what a big whiny baby I’d be if the back forty was actually forty acres?) Luckily, the ducks all stick together so closely that the SCOOP HANDS were unneeded.
We discovered over the weekend that there’s a good reason that the ducks don’t go out to the pond. And that reason is that Fred moved the bale of hay (or straw, I don’t know which it is, and I don’t care. Probably straw, though.) away from the hole in the fence between the chicken yard and the pig yard, and the ducks went through said hole in the fence.
What did the ducks discover in the pig yard (side musing: is it still a pig yard if there are no pigs in it? I say yes.), you ask? They discovered the pig wallow. Thus the reason the ducks aren’t hauling their cookies out to the pond. They’re paddling around in the damn pig wallow!
Super awesome good news that we dug a pond for them, isn’t it?
Okay, we didn’t have the pond dug FOR the ducks, we mostly did it to help with the winter time flooding in the back forty and so that Fred could harass me to get a goose (JESUS CHRIST GET THE GODDAMN GOOSE AND SHUT YOUR PIEHOLE), but we did hope that the ducks would use the pond. Hopefully if/ when the pond is full, the ducks won’t be able to resist all that water. I guess if they prefer the pig wallow, though, they can have at it.
Also (saving the pics for Thursday), we herded the ducks back out to the pond over the weekend. I think part of the reason they’re not using the water in the pond is because it’s so low that the side of the pond looks kind of like a cliff to them, and they probably feel hemmed in and threatened. We got them to go into the pond, they paddled around for a few minutes, and then they were like “Okay, we swam. WE WANNA GO HOME!”
They certainly are amusing birds, those ducks.
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Oh, and last week when I was talking about the mood swings and such, several people emailed and commented to suggest that I was probably going through peri-menopause or menopause.
While I won’t completely discount the idea that perhaps they are being kept alive in a lab somewhere and sending out evil rays to make my life difficult, I think the more likely explanation for the mood swings is the one I mentioned: I recently started back on hormone replacement therapy, and it took two to three weeks for my body to acclimate to the hormones last time, thus I expect it will be the same this time around, too (I already am starting to feel better.)
I’ve got to say that I’m still not sold on the idea that I need hormone replacement therapy – I felt perfectly fine after I went off them last year, and it’s only because my Gynecologist strongly recommended that I go back on them that I did. I’m giving it a full three months this time around, and then I’m going to decide whether to go off of them or not, and if I decide to go off them and she gives me shit, I’ll goddamn well change doctors. The entire reason she’s my doctor is because 15 years ago when I was looking for a gyno, I wanted a female doctor, and she was the only one in the entire yellow pages that I could tell was definitely female. I’ve never really warmed to her – I love my Primary Care Physician and my Gastroenterologist, I’ve always told myself that I don’t have to love every one of my doctors – but I wouldn’t object to a Gynecologist with a warm and fuzzy bedside manner, y’know?
I will say this: almost two years after they were yanked out of my body, I do not miss my uterus OR my ovaries one teeny tiny bit. BEST SURGERY DECISION EVER.
Also, that hot flash I thought I was having last week? Turned out to be less of a hot flash and more a matter of Fred failing to turn down the heat at bedtime. The heat vent is directly over my bed, and thus the reason I woke up so damn hot.
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Lita asked in the comments just what exactly the words to Maxi’s theme song are. This theme song right here, which I play at least three times a day and laugh like a dork every time:
The words are thus:
Porkin’ along
Singin’ her song
It’s Out! Side! Mama! ::jazz hands::
Explanation: Maxi’s other name is “Outside Mama” (Kara is “Upstairs Mama”) and she’s, well, a bit portly (especially when she’s bulking up for the winter), and usually when she walks toward us, she meows constantly. So I started saying “There she is, porking along, singing her song”, and that’s most of the theme song right there.
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Patty would like y’all to know that Charlie’s not the only one with pretty, pretty eyes.
Nor is he the only one who knows about chillin’ like a villain.
“My brother is NOT the only talented one, you know!”
Jake’s face cracks me UP, here. “Can’t you make him stop?”
I’m sure I’ve mentioned that Charlie and Patty adore batting at the big cats’ tails. Jake and Tommy are most often the victims because they’ll put up with it the longest. Please note that Patty’s arm is sticking through one of those holes as she smacks at Charlie who’s smacking at Jake.
Patty joins in smacking at Jake’s tail.
Poor Jake. He puts up with a lot from those kittens, doesn’t he?
That thing Jake’s laying on, by the way, is a Bootsie’s Bunk Bed and Playroom. We have one upstairs and one down, and sometimes they’re popular with the cats, and sometimes the cats are like “That thing? Ugh.” I had to toss the red bed that goes on the top because I washed it, and then it was all lumpy and annoying and grrrr I just hate it when that happens. So I usually keep a folded blanket or towel there, and the cats seem to like it. (Some day I’ll sew a pad that will fit there perfectly, but it won’t be today. Tomorrow’s not looking good for that, either.)
My only gripe with that thing is that eventually the kittens yank the toys off the little sticks that screw into the side, and despite repeated queries to the company that manufactures the thing, I’ve never gotten a reply on how or where to get replacement toys. Look, I’m WILLING to pay for them, and I’m SURE I’m not the only one who has the issue, you’d think the company could offer replacement toys, am I right?
Patty eventually gave up on Jake’s tail and went to lay near Fred’s dirty shoes and play with other toys.
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It’s da Poo.
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Previously 2010: Speaking of hair, I do not believe that the Navy would have allowed one of their hotshot pilots to sport hair of this altitude.
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry. 2007: I’m a Grinch, and not only a Grinch, but a LAZY Grinch who doesn’t want to have to pick shit up all the time. 2006: I need a vacation, is what I need. 2005: When and if – and I mostly mean “when” – these two break up, I hope there’s a lot of interesting drama. 2004: It’s now my goal to make him CRY when he tries the next batch of chick peas. 2003: “What the FUCK? That is my BUTT you’re sniffing. And it TICKLES.” 2002: $4.49 for a freakin’ book? What the hell are they wrapping it with, gold? 2001: Is that a sex thing? 2000: Damn, isn’t Christmas here yet? 1999: Someone shoot me and put me out of my fucking misery, won’t you?
Fred’s long short story/ novella is now available for 99 cents! You can buy it at Amazon here, or Barnes and Noble, here. (He’s working on getting it put up on Smashwords.) If you’d like to read a sample to decide whether or not to download it, you can do so here. ~ ~ ~ … Continue reading “12/5/11 – Monday”
Fred’s long short story/ novella is now available for 99 cents! You can buy it at Amazon here, or Barnes and Noble, here. (He’s working on getting it put up on Smashwords.)
If you’d like to read a sample to decide whether or not to download it, you can do so here.
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Time to let me know if you want a holiday postcard! (And yes, of course I’m happy to send cards to other countries!) Send your name and mailing address to hollydays@gmail.com .
I’ll take names and addresses until December 20th.
If you’d like to send me a card as well (never ever required, but always appreciated – I don’t keep track of who does and doesn’t send a card, I promise!), send it to: Robyn Anderson, PO Box 461, Athens, AL 35612 USA.
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In case you missed it, I posted a Snackin’! Time! movie on Saturday, and some George and Gracie pics yesterday.
I’m planning to post every day through the month of December, and the posts on the weekend will be pretty short and quick ones.
It’s my gift to youuuuu, you lucky lucky people.
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I spent almost all day Saturday cleaning the house. I cleaned the bathrooms (I don’t do that nearly often enough), I vacuumed and cleaned the floors (also don’t do that often enough) and I EVEN DUSTED.
I hate dusting. I also hate cleaning the bathrooms. But I always say to myself, after I’ve done both chores, Well, that wasn’t so bad. Maybe I should get into a routine where I clean every (certain day)!
Yeah. Don’t hold your breath on that.
I even pulled everything off the big shelf unit in the laundry room, wiped down the shelves, and put everything back in an orderly fashion. Then I stood on a chair and pulled everything off the top of the laundry room refrigerator and freezer, wiped that down, and carried some litter boxes out to the garage.
Everything was covered in about an inch of dust. Which makes sense, because there are three litter boxes in there, and I hadn’t cleaned off the shelves and the top of the fridge and freezer in… well, I don’t know how long it’s been. Probably saying it’s been a year wouldn’t be untrue. Ugh.
I was about halfway through scrubbing down the laundry room when Fred wandered through and asked what had gotten into me with all the crazy cleaning. I’m thinking someone must have slipped some uppers into my Diet Coke.
I washed the upstairs floors with a combination of vinegar and water with a few drops of olive oil thrown in to hopefully add some shine. When it dried, it looked like crap, so I went over it again with my All-Purpose Cleaning stuff, and it looked a lot better. Not shiny, but definitely clean. I’m thinking that perhaps my floors aren’t meant to be shiny, so I’ll accept clean.
Speaking of cleaning the floors, I bought a Libman Freedom Mop a couple of months ago and have been using that to clean my floors. At the time, I bought some extra cleaning pads (my floors, you will be shocked to find out, get pretty dirty with all those grimy cat paws running around), but I recently read that you can buy microfiber cleaning cloths at Bed, Bath and Beyond (or any store like that) and cut them to fit the mop, and they work just as well. And are less expensive! I like that you can use your own cleaning solution, and I like that the bottom of the mop is nice and wide. I’ve used cleaning rags tucked onto a Swiffer and while it does a good job of cleaning, I had a real issue with the mop flipping over, which is seriously irritating. I don’t have that issue with the Libman.
I recommend it!
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Lisa came over on Friday and brought this wonderful item with her for the fosters. She got a Black Friday deal on it, but it didn’t work for her cats, so she passed it along to me. Er, the fosters.
We put it in the front room, and just about every cat in the house came to check it out. Tommy jumped from the floor to the top of the cottage – a move I wouldn’t have expected to work – and stayed there for a long time, flicking his tail to tease Charlie. Charlie thought the cottage was THE BOMB, and Patty came to check it out, too.
After Lisa left, I decided to move the cottage to the foster room, since the cats really like to hang out in that room during the day (it stays pretty warm and gets plenty of sun).
And OF COURSE not a single cat has gone near it since I moved it!
That’s okay, brats. Hopefully soon I’ll have more fosters in there, and they will LOVE climbing around in that cottage. You snooze, you lose!
(And would you believe I didn’t get a single picture while Lisa was here? Didn’t even occur to me to grab the camera! Duh.)
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No Peppers adopted over the weekend, unfortunately. Adoptions are super super slow right now. I hate it when adoptions are slow. I know that adoptions will pick up sooner or later (they’ve been slow like this before, this certainly isn’t the first time), but I wish those Peppers and Buster would find their forever home so I can stop worrying about them!
Miss Patty is annoyed.
SO stressed.
Spanky was sound asleep in this bed, and Charlie climbed right in, snuggled up, and went to sleep.
Zzzzzzzz
Half an hour later, Spanky woke up and was like “What the-?”, hissed, and stomped off in a huff.
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Sheriff Mama is making her rounds.
Takes a moment to roll around in the sun. Even the most hard-working law enforcement officers deserve a break!
The Sheriff is concerned that you might be misreading the way this picture happened. The Sheriff was NOT running from that wanted criminal (Elwood) in fear for her life. The Sheriff is not scared at ALL of evil wanted criminals. The truth is that the Sheriff had accidentally left her handcuffs in her office on top of the dryer, and she was RUSHING inside to retrieve them so that she could handcuff the evil Elwood and haul him off to prison. She did NOT run away from Elwood because he makes her nervous, and she did NOT sit on top of the dryer and hiss at him when he strolled through with his evil-gangster stroll. That did NOT happen, and anyone who told you different is just a big liar. In case you wondered.
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Previously
2010: No entry.
2009: No entry. 2008: Those wily damn Australians! 2007: I assure you that if Stinkerbelle saw those hussies all snuggled up with HER MAN, she would NOT be pleased! 2006: Le sigh. 2005: no, I didn’t take anything for the pain. Then I couldn’t bitch about the pain. DUH! 2004: Yep, fuck that. 2003: The child is evil. EVIL, I say. 2002: (Close your email clients, you damn Crimson-heads. I know you lurrrve your football team and all, but really. Breaking news?) 2001: Woman of the Year. 2000: What can I say? I’m just the kinda gal who likes profanity in her daily email… 1999: “Let’s kill the Mommy bitch and eat all the canned cat food in the house, then lay around and lick the litter out from between our toes.”
Fred’s long short story/ novella is now available for 99 cents! You can buy it at Amazon here, or Barnes and Noble, here. (He’s working on getting it put up on Smashwords.) If you’d like to read a sample to decide whether or not to download it, you can do so here. ~ ~ ~ … Continue reading “12/4/11 – George and Gracie Sunday”
Fred’s long short story/ novella is now available for 99 cents! You can buy it at Amazon here, or Barnes and Noble, here. (He’s working on getting it put up on Smashwords.)
If you’d like to read a sample to decide whether or not to download it, you can do so here.
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Time to let me know if you want a holiday postcard! (And yes, of course I’m happy to send cards to other countries!) Send your name and mailing address to hollydays@gmail.com .
I’ll take names and addresses until December 20th.
If you’d like to send me a card as well (never ever required, but always appreciated – I don’t keep track of who does and doesn’t send a card, I promise!), send it to: Robyn Anderson, PO Box 461, Athens, AL 35612 USA.
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When Gracie wants to play, George has no choice. She will harass him and harass him until he gives in and plays with her.
“I make heem play with me, ha ha!”
Oh, she just annoys the snot out of him.
Tongue action closeup:
Poor George. Don’t you just feel so sorry for him?? (Don’t. He loves it!)
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Although I’ve had it hanging on the fridge for months, I forgot until Kristen reminded me yesterday that this is the page in the Cute Overload daily calendar for December 3rd/ 4th:
Speaking of The Seven, I have been meaning to mention this for ages now but kept forgetting. You remember Beulah, right? Teeny tiny, half the size of her brothers and sister, alien-looking Beulah? Here’s a refresher pic:
Well, Beulah was renamed Pumpkin and she is now at NINE pounds. I never would have guessed that she’d get to be a full-sized cat, but then again we never expected Alice would either, did we?
What’s cool, though, is that – remember Macushla? Maggie’s baby? The one with the cheekbones of a model?
Well, Macushla has been renamed Loki. And his father and the woman who adopted Pumpkin (Beulah) are brother and sister – so Loki (Macushla) and Pumpkin (Beulah) are cousins – and both former fosters of yours truly. How neat is that!
(Thanks for the news, Frances!)
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For those of you who are new to the whole holiday card exchange, I used to buy cat-themed holiday cards at Hallmark or Target or Walmart and send them out. Then several years ago I decided to get more personal, and since then I’ve used permanent residents on the holiday cards. In case you missed out, here they are in order (not including this year’s card, of course).
Mister Boogers hates you (inside: but he loves presents. Happy holidays!)
Tommy.
That’s Spot. Inside, the card said something along the lines of “Luckily, Santa likes it naughty.”
And Loony Jake from last year.
Also, I didn’t use this picture for a holiday card (I’m sticking to permanent residents for that), but I think this picture of Reacher from last year came out so good that I’m currently using it as wallpaper on my computer.
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Previously
2010: No entry. 2009: My palate does not discriminate. 2008: (you’re welcome for that visual) 2007: She’s a force to be reckoned with, that one. 2006: They are NOT OUR CATS. They have owners, damnit, and they’re not us!
2005: No entry. 2004: It is FUCKING cold downstairs in our house. 2003: And then I got the Best Picture EVER Taken. 2002: Fluff? Perhaps. But very entertaining fluff. 2001: “Who’s Robyn?” said the realtor. 2000: “You little bastard!” I yelled, and then ran at him 1999: Through three moves and a name change,
they’ve managed to keep up with me, sending address labels all the way.
Time to let me know if you want a holiday postcard! (And yes, of course I’m happy to send cards to other countries!) Send your name and mailing address to hollydays@gmail.com . I’ll take names and addresses until December 20th. If you’d like to send me a card as well (never ever required, but always … Continue reading “12/3/11 – Kitteh Video Saturday”
Time to let me know if you want a holiday postcard! (And yes, of course I’m happy to send cards to other countries!) Send your name and mailing address to hollydays@gmail.com .
I’ll take names and addresses until December 20th.
If you’d like to send me a card as well (never ever required, but always appreciated – I don’t keep track of who does and doesn’t send a card, I promise!), send it to: Robyn Anderson, PO Box 461, Athens, AL 35612 USA.
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Welcome to Kitteh Video Saturday! (I decided that I’m going to post every day in the month of December – weekend posts will be pretty light and will likely be either videos or some pictures.)
This video was shot in the middle of November, before the Peppers Gang went off to Petsmart. Snackin’ Time had become this whole PROCESS, which you’ll see in the video. It’s longer than the videos I usually post, but I didn’t want you to miss a single scintillating moment of Snackin’ Time!
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Smilin’ Joe
the tuxedo
sure does love that scratcher, yo.
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Previously 2010: “Saint Robyn” does have a nice ring to it. Patron saint of crazy cat ladies, obv. 2009: I calls him “SnuffleFLOOFaGus.” 2008: I’m off to get my boobs squooshed! 2007: Sitting in the portal, waiting for the mother ship to arrive.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry. 2004: Meester Boogers howled even more forlornly. 2003: I’ll be ONE OF THOSE FUCKING PEOPLE WHO WALKS AROUND SMELLING LIKE CAT PEE WITHOUT KNOWING IT! 2002: Lay on it! 2001: Fred smiled his asshole smile.
2000: No entry.
1999: No entry.
Time to let me know if you want a holiday postcard! (And yes, of course I’m happy to send cards to other countries!) Send your name and mailing address to hollydays@gmail.com . I’ll take names and addresses until December 20th. If you’d like to send me a card as well (never ever required, but always … Continue reading “12/2/11 – Friday”
Time to let me know if you want a holiday postcard! (And yes, of course I’m happy to send cards to other countries!) Send your name and mailing address to hollydays@gmail.com .
I’ll take names and addresses until December 20th.
If you’d like to send me a card as well (never ever required, but always appreciated – I don’t keep track of who does and doesn’t send a card, I promise!), send it to: Robyn Anderson, PO Box 461, Athens, AL 35612 USA.
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I have a Kindle related question for you… I was in Barnes and Noble over the weekend, standing in the checkout line, when I heard the Nook guy going on and on and on about how the Nook is better than the Kindle. That’s fine. I have a Kindle and I like it, but I’ve heard nice things about the Nook too, and I’m sure it’s a fine fine product. However, then the guy started talking about how you have to pay extra for storage on the Kindle and how Barnes and Noble believes that if you buy an ebook it’s yours and blah blah blah. Having missed most of the conversation, and not being entirely sure of the facts, I didn’t jump in, but it really annoys me. I bought a Kindle 15 months ago, I’ve read 175 books and I still have tons of space. I know with the Kindle Fire you can download movies, etc, so I’m sure that takes up more space, but that’s kind of a different issue isn’t it? Is it true that if you get over a certain limit on books, they’ll charge you? I couldn’t find anything specific to books, although I did see that music storage is free.
Mostly, I think I’m just annoyed at the Nook guy. They just about mug you when you walk in the store anyway to tell you about the wonderful Nook. To make up shit just aggravates me.
I hadn’t heard anything of the sort, so I’m no help on this – anyone out there able to shed some light on this for us?
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Just wondering how you are liking or disliking the Kindle Fire? My hubby got me one for Christmas and I’m liking it enough to keep it. How are you doing with yours?
I’m really liking it – like I mentioned, I use it mostly to read books, blogs, and to check my email when I’m not near my desktop computer. I also got caught up watching a streaming episode of Arrested Development the other night (CHICKENS DON’T CLAP!) and it was really crisp and clear and I didn’t have any problems streaming it. The Fire will never replace my desktop or even my laptop (I have too many computer-type things, clearly), but I really really like the size and the weight and everything. I wish I could play Snood on it, but that’s not available yet (the Snood guys are “working on it”, I hear, and that’s been the word for at least a year), but other than that I like everything about it at this point.
NO WAIT. I really really wish – even more than I wish I could play Snood on it – that the Kindle Fire had a camera built in. I imagine that’ll be coming down the road a ways, but I think that would make it just about perfect for me.
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If you were a newbie to the e-reader world , what e-reader would you get? Thinking about it.
When I was a newbie to the e-reader world, I chose the Kindle because it was pretty much the only e-reader around. These days, there are tons of them out there, but I’m such an Amazon whore that I’d still stick with the Kindle. But since I AM such an Amazon whore, you can’t go by me. It seems like you’re either a Kindle person or a Nook person, and never the twain shall meet. Fred’s sister is hardcore Nook, and when we showed her the Kindle Fire she was NOT impressed.
(Side note: they should make a Kindle/ Nook hybrid and call it the Nookle.)
So really what I’m saying is that you should handle both the Nook and the Kindle and play around with them a bit to see what works for you. I believe that Best Buy carries both of them, so it might behoove you to make a trip there.
Anyone who wants to weigh in on the topic, jump right in!
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I has a question…how do you select your quotes for previous entries? Randomly? The one line that makes you guffaw? Because on some days, taken together as a paragraph, they’re hilarious, almost as if you planned it that way.
Usually I skim the entry and if I read something that either makes me laugh or even just smile, I’ll use it. For the years before 2010, I just cut and paste the code from the bottom of 2010’s entry to make life easier for myself.
There are some quotes – like this one, from 2005: “Well, GODDAMN,” I said. “NOT NOW, I won’t! I was GOING to, but now that I know you’d be sitting there all horrified about me reclining my seat in front of your parents, all worried that they’d be thinking ‘Good christ, look at her over there, so fucking LAZY she can’t expend the ENERGY to sit upright!’, I won’t! I wouldn’t DREAM of reclining on my OWN couch in my OWN home, I would HATE to embarrass you!” – that I immediately know what’s in the entry. And then there are others that catch my attention and I have to go back to read because it doesn’t sound familiar to me at all.
This is post #3,050, by the way. I sure do have a lot to say, don’t I?
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Been thinking about this all day.
“her blowhard husband irritates the shit out of me”
How do you handle people like this in real life (which includes the internet, but not reality TV)? If I were to make a list of “Favorite People Ever,” about half of them would have a spouse who’d go on the “Fuck Off And Die Now” list. It doesn’t seem like it’d be very productive to ever say, “I adore you, but please don’t ever mention your husband in my presence because just the thought of him sours my day,” but (with two people in particular, one f2f friend and one internet friend) I’m finding myself spending less time with them, because they either talk incessantly about the spouse or invite him along to whatever we’re doing.
I’ve tried looking for and focusing on the good qualities in the obnoxious spouse and reminding myself that I’m no prize either, but increasingly I think the only option is to limit the time I spend with the Wonderful People, and that makes me sad. Which I suppose is the only reason for this comment; I don’t expect anyone to have any actual tips other than the obvious (limit time together, change the subject, get over your dumb self) but sharing always helps.
Y’know, that’s a good question and I don’t really have any suggestions. Fred and I really almost never do anything with other couples due to his reluctance to do anything social, so most of my interactions with real-world (married/ coupled) friends is with just one of them. I even have a couple of friends whose husbands I’ve never met.
The two instances where I’ve had friends with spouses who I absolutely hated, both couples lived nowhere near me so I only saw them every now and then. And at this point, both couples are divorced, so I don’t have to deal with the irritating spouses at all YAY FOR ME.
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So which duck did you name Peanut?
The one on the left, of course.
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How do you keep the ducks on your property. Have they tried to fly away?
The ducks are Rouen ducks, and Rouens don’t fly because they’re too heavy. These particular ducks are so attached to their current home that we can hardly get them to go out to the pond – I imagine that if they somehow managed to escape the back forty, they’d all just stand at the fence and look sadly at the coop ’til we let them back in.
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As for Charlie:
I love Simon’s Cat SO SO SO much. He always gets it spot-on, and that kitten acts EXACTLY like Charlie – and about a million other kittens we’ve had.
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I just love sweet Charlie Peppers! What color are his eyes now? They look almost turquoise in these pictures!
They are kind of turquoise-y. They’re still not at their permanent color, I don’t think, but in the meantime they’re bluish-greenish and very very pretty. Fred helped me get a picture of Charlie’s eyes yesterday. Charlie was less than thrilled by Fred holding him still so I could get the picture, but lucky for us he forgives easily.
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Who is meowing in the video? Sounded like a “whatcha doin?”
I believe that that’s Everett meowing in that video. I’m not sure why he didn’t join in on the tail-smacking game because that is a game he loves a LOT.
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Re: heating pads, do you use crinkle blankets? Like this one they have this crinkly layer inside that reflects kitty’s body heat back to her. My vet turned me onto them, my cat *loved* it, and no electricity involved.
Oddly enough, I just got a couple of those EXACT blankets (in blue) and a couple of these as well. They’ve been enough of a hit that I’m likely going to switch over to the blankets and put the electric bed warmers away.
In the past, the only thermal blankets I could find were in a hideous pattern that I didn’t like. Now that they’re available in different colors and patterns, I think they’re awesome!
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That first picture of Bill reminded me of Oskar, a blind kitty (he made the front page of Reddit yesterday). His owners have a video of him first playing with toys:
A sillier one shows him battling a hair dryer when he’s a bit more grown:
They’re worth watching if you haven’t seen them. Couple more cute ones on their channel, including Klaus.
What a CUTIE! When I first watched the hair dryer one, I thought it was adorable, but felt like it was kind of mean. Oskar’s owner said in the comments to that video, though, that Oskar comes running when he hears the hair dryer turn on, and that the hair dryer is running on cool, not hot. I figure, hey – if Oskar’s happy, I’m happy. 🙂
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I have 17 and that’s what it looks like when I feed them each day. Mine are pretty good about not getting hissy when its food time too.
Much in the way that other people use me as their “How many cats do you have?” defense (“Not nearly as many as Robyn! She’s got THIRTEEN!”), you, Renee, have become my new best friend. From now on when someone asks “How many cats do you have?”, I will immediately respond with “Not nearly as many as MY NEW BEST FRIEND RENEE. She’s got 17!”
I think it’s amazing that cats who hiss and smack at each other on a regular basis (Kara and Corbie do not care for each other at ALL) can be seen rubbing up against each other when it’s time for their snack. It’s like the prospect of food makes them temporarily insane.
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Any updates on how Buster’s doing?
Buster’s still at Petsmart waiting for his forever home. I’m afraid it may be a while for him – he really isn’t crazy about other cats at all, and of course grown cats generally take longer to be adopted than kittens. And currently, adoptions seem to be practically at a standstill. This happens every so often; I’m hoping that adoptions pick up again SOON. Molly’s still the only one of the Peppers Gang who’s been adopted. What’s up with THAT?
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So, how much does Alice weigh in at these days?
Alice Mo, who – let me remind you once again – the vet told us would probably not get much over 7 pounds is currently weighing in at 10 pounds, 5 ounces. Not the tiny thing we thought we were going to get, let me tell you. TOTAL SCAM.
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I’m amazed at the number of cat beds you have. We USED to have a whole bunch but one of our cats is a bitch and she pees in every single one of them! I would soak the hell out of them and wash them and as soon as I put them back she would go around and pees in all of them! So my poor cats have no beds.
We’re lucky in that every once in a while a bed gets peed in, but for the most part they prefer to sleep in them, thank god.
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Is it just that Patty wasn’t opening her eyes all the way, or are they really set at an angle like that? I wish I could make hand gestures on the computer because I’m not sure how to articulate what I mean. It looks like, if you drew a line under each eye heading to the nose, the lines would form a wide-angled V, instead of a more or less straight line like on most cats. It’s beautifully exotic, but I wonder if it’s just the way she was looking at you.
They really are kind of tilted, which gives her a bit of an exotic look. She sure did turn out to be a pretty girl, didn’t she?
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Have you ever tried the K&H Outdoor Heated Kitty Camper? The neighborhood kitty (she’s about 2 years old and floats between neighbors – and one takes her to the vet when needed) is spending more and more time with me and sleeps on my porch a lot. Now that the temperature is dropping at night, I worry that the makeshift tent I made her on my rocking chair is inadequate. I’m thinking if I buy the camper I won’t be tempted to bring her in at night and upset Jinx and Trixie (who cry and shoot “eyes of het” at me through the windows when I sit with Stalker in my lap!).
I haven’t tried that exact outdoor house, but I’ve tried other K&H products – in fact, I have this unheated cat house, right here (which is currently unavailable at Amazon, apparently there’s a big demand for it) – and I think that they make pretty good products (I have a thermal cat bed in that house, and Newt uses it every night. Maxi uses the other house, the one with the heated bed in it, and she’s not much for sharing.)
I think that the Heated Kitty Camper would probably be a good idea for your shared kitty – it’ll keep her warm on those cold nights. Actually, it’ll probably keep her warm on those warm days, too – sometimes I go out on the porch when it’s 55+ degrees out, and Maxi comes strolling out of her heated house. Spoiled rotten kitty.
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Chuckles and Miss Patty, playing on the stairs.
“WHAT YOU DOIN’, LADY?!”
Carrying the teaser up the stairs.
Watching one of the big cats.
Charlie interrupted a Jake/ Tommy lovefest the other night. They didn’t let it bother them, though.
“What kitten?”
“No kittens here!”
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Corbie in a basket!
Corbie on a bed!
Corbs, beautiful Corbs!
Corbie on a stump!
And one to grow on.
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Previously 2010: I like the color, but let me point out that the purple isn’t quite as eye-searing as it looks here.
2009: No entry. 2008: Pics from around Crooked Acres. 2007: Forbidden Love.
2006: No entry. 2005: Ha on her! I DO have a kid! AND a husband! AND 6,000 cats! Look at me, I’ve got it ALLLLLLLLL! 2004: The internet just ROCKS, doesn’t it? 2003: Her date (”But not a DATE date!”) was more dressed-up than she. 2002: I did mention that I have airhead tendencies, did I not?
2001: No entry.
2000: No entry. 1999: I am obviously not one to wallow.
