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 … 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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2011-12-03
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.

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 … 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.

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“WHAT YOU DOIN’, LADY?!”

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Carrying the teaser up the stairs.

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Watching one of the big cats.

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Charlie interrupted a Jake/ Tommy lovefest the other night. They didn’t let it bother them, though.

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“What kitten?”

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“No kittens here!”

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Corbie in a basket!

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Corbie on a bed!

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Corbs, beautiful Corbs!

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Corbie on a stump!

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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.

12/1/11 – Crooked Acres Thursday

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 “12/1/11 – Crooked Acres Thursday”

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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Xmas2011

New month, new banner! I made this one myself. That picture is the one that was on last year’s holiday card, starring one Loony Jake, who looks very leonine in that picture, if you ask me.

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Sights from around Crooked Acres.

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Anyone know what kind of bugs these are? If I’ve ever seen them before, the memory has been wiped right off my brain, so I need to know again. What ARE they? Anyone?

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Observant George is observant.

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Mama hen and her chicks.

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White Silkie likes to teach her babies how to roost on the branches under the big tree.

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Quick learner.

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“Oh NO SHE DI-INT!”

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Pretty rooster.

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Another rooster. They’re so pretty, it’s too bad too many of them is a bad thing!

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Pretty little zombie hen.

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This is George, one of the few chickens I know by sight these days. She was so curious as a little chick that I named her George, and the name stuck.

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Girrrrrrl, I think you need some lotion on those feet!

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Hens, enjoying the sunshine.

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“I seem to have this feather stuck to my beak and no way to get it off. Give me a beak here, sister?”

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“I’ll take that as a ‘no.'”

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Since we had some water in the pond, we thought it would be a good idea to herd the ducks out there so they could go for a swim.

They did not care to be herded. We’re just lucky that the four of them stick tightly together – if they’d scattered in separate directions, there’s no way we would have gotten them out to the pond. We finally did, though…

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They were not as enthusiastic as we’d hoped.

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They got in, paddled around for PERHAPS 30 seconds.

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One of the girls flung a little water around.

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And then they were like “Okay, we SWAM. Can we go back home, now??”

Later, Fred went out to find that the ducks had gotten into the pig yard and were all four crammed into a tiny puddle of water. It’s like they said “I think that pond was this way!”, and tried to get back to the pond, but ended up in the pig yard.

We tried again to herd them out to the pond a couple of nights ago, but it was raining and muddy and we weren’t having any luck, so we gave up. I’m thinking our best bet is to start slowly moving their pool out toward the pond so that they get used to going out in that direction.

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I think the boy ducks are pretty.

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But I think the girl ducks are prettier.

Last week, at the end of a rainy day, we had a rainbow.

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Panoramic view (a little badly stitched together there at the top).

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Another panoramic, without the top part (still getting the hang of the panoramic feature, obviously).

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DOUBLE RAINBOW! What does it MEAN?! So intense!

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Pretty Patty on the cat tree in the guest bedroom.

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Snoozin’ Chuckles.

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They sure do like that cat bed!

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Maxi spends most of her time on the front porch these days, hanging out in the heated cat house (it’s got a heated bed in the house). If you open the door and go out there, she runs out to greet you.

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Then she stretches and sharpens her claws on the welcome mat.

I know I’ve mentioned that Maxi has her own theme song. Here it is, interpreted by the Talking Tom app on my iPod Touch. It would only be more perfect if Talking Tom did jazz paws at the end.

Why, yes. Yes I AM far too amused by myself!

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Previously
2010: She must have a digestive system made of Teflon®.
2009: I’m trying to convince Fred that we should take a vacation in the Spring and visit Polyface Farms.
2008: Now if you’ll excuse me, I believe the caramel popcorn is calling my name. It’s what’s for breakfast!
2007: Where Muh Daddy?! Starring Fricasee “Frick” And3rson
2006: You know, Maxi and Newt. The cats who AREN’T OURS.
2005: “Vivacious! Tell her she’s VIVACIOUS, Dr. Phil!”
2004: I eat too much of the wrong kind of food and am lazy.
2003: “IT’S JESUS DYING ON THE CROSS! HOW CAN THAT POSSIBLY BE CONFUSING YOU DUMB MOTHERFUCKERS?”
2002: No entry.
2001: No entry.
2000: Here’s a tip: If they’re your own children, it’s NEVER “babysitting.”
1999: I’m feeling incredibly lazy today (like that’s something new).

11/30/11 – Kitteh Wednesday

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 “11/30/11 – Kitteh Wednesday”

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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Brudderly Love.

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Jake and Elwood.

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Jake (front) and Elwood (back). (And Alice in the background.)

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I love that Sugarbutt and Tommy are now 6 1/2 years old, and they still occasionally snuggle like this.

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Tommy is the only cat Sugarbutt will willingly snuggle with. If foster kittens climb into a cat bed with him, he’ll hiss and smack and eventually give up, but he actually seeks out Tommy for snuggle time.

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Elwood and Tommy.

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Tommy grooming Elwood. Every cat in existence just LOVES Tommy, and he’s so patient with them all. Is it so much to ask that he live forever?

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::thlurrrrp::

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Sibling-ly Love.

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Just a quick video of Charlie playing with his favorite toy (that noise in the background is the dryer; the laundry room is off the kitchen).

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Previously
2010: “Have you ever noticed that Greg Brady always looks like he wants to cut a bitch?” I said.
2009: Jesus, what am I, 95 years old?
2008: No entry.
2007: MOOOOOOOOOM! Make the shirt stop touching me!
2006: That’s really a bitch of a way to start the day.
2005: “Au contraire,” said the ringleader. “We found a SESAME SEED!”
2004: I give it two weeks before someone barfs on the new comforter.
2003: No entry.
2002: No entry.
2001: “What will I do now that I don’t have to clean dust off my ball?”
2000: I’ll just not think about that.
1999: When she came to a stop, she sat up and swayed back and forth, blinking sleepily up at me.

11/29/11 – Tuesday

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 “11/29/11 – Tuesday”

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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“Halp!”

FF
©Forgotten Felines

“I need a name!”

Forgotten Felines is having a raffle to name this sweet boy – $5 buys you one chance, and you can buy as many chances as you’d like. Go here to read about him, and enter the raffle to name him!

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So, recently I went back on the hormone replacement therapy estrogen patch. I was intending to go back on it at the beginning of the year, after my gynecologist strongly recommended that I do so. But I was having surgery in February (cue 103 of you searching frantically on “surgery” and “surgery February” and “what surgery?”), so my primary care doctor told me I ought to wait until afterward, because blah blah something about blood clotting or not clotting or bleeding or I don’t know. Something about blood. Come on, it was PRACTICALLY a year ago, I’m supposed to remember the specifics?

I waited until after surgery, and then I was about to go back on the estrogen (with a progesterone cream chaser) for real, but then I knew I’d be having surgery in October (cue the “October surgery” and “surgery” and “what surgery?” searches), so I waited some more.

FINALLY, when I got back from Pennsylvania a week and a half (ish) ago, I restarted the patch and the cream and it’s been fine.

Except, of course, for the hormonal swings as my body tries to figure out what the fucking fuck is going the fuck on. I swear to god, I feel like I’m 13 years old again, with the mood swings. One minute I’m all “HIIIIIIIIIII I AM HAPPY!” and the next it’s like “OH MY GOD THIS COMPUTER IS SO SLOW WHY DO I BOTHER TO LIIIIIIIIIVE?” Last night, I woke up a little after midnight with what I’m pretty sure was a HOT FLASH. Okay, maybe a mini hot flash. But why am I having goddamn hot flashes, mini or no, when I never had them BEFORE I restarted the damn estrogen/ progesterone?

The other night I was watching this video (of rescued Beagle puppies who’d always lived in a lab and were being rescued), and I was fighting back the tears so hard that if Fred had come in and asked me anything at all, I would have dissolved into an instant puddle on the floor.

I know it’ll take a few weeks (months) for my body to figure this shit out, but in the meantime AIN’T WE GOT FUN.

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When I was in Pennsylvania, someone asked in Nance’s comments (to this post) which Real Housewife we’re each most similar to. First we were horrified at the idea that we might be like ANY of those crazy bitches. Nance finally decided that she’s probably most like either LuAnn (NY) or Kim Zolciak (ATL).

I still don’t know that I am anything like any of those women, but I’ll admit that I’m worried that I’m probably most like Cynthia from Atlanta because she’s wishy-washy and spineless and boring (but beautiful!) and her blowhard husband irritates the shit out of me and I don’t WANNA be like HER, even though she’s super nice and everything. I’d like to think I’m most like Adrien (BH) sans all the Botox and lip injections, because she seems the most level-headed and seems to pretty much stay out of the drama, but she bickers with her husband way more than I bicker with Fred.

I like Bethenny, but I’m not anything like her because while I find her hilarious, she’s way too high-strung. She’s probably my favorite of the Housewives. I like Kim Richards from BH because she’s just so ODD, but she’s neurotic and I find her taste in men HIGHLY questionable.

Anyway. Um. So there ya go. Maybe I’m like Adrien, but I’m afraid I’m like Cynthia (please, god, noooooooooo).

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Sunday night dinner: chicken, sauteed chinese cabbage and onions, and Paula Deen’s Cheddar-Yeast rolls.

The chicken was a Crooked Acres chicken, of course, one that’s been sitting in the freezer for almost a year. I rubbed some spices on it, cooked it all day in the crockpot with a little stock, and it was so very good. We have a Ronco rotisserie which we occasionally use to roast chickens, but they’re such a pain to clean, given that the fat from the skin splatters everywhere, that I prefer the crockpot.

We ate our first head of chinese cabbage – I’ve had one head bolt, and a second was starting to, so I pulled it up. I’ve read that when they bolt they get bitter, and I’ve never actually (to my knowledge) had chinese cabbage before, so I didn’t know what to expect. It didn’t taste like cabbage to me; it tasted more like collard greens. It was definitely good, and I think next Spring I’ll actually plant a row of it in the big garden.

About the rolls, the only smoked cheddar I could find at the store cost almost $8 for a small block, and I knew I had sharp cheddar in the freezer at home, so I used that instead. The rolls were good, but I’m not sure I’ll make them again – not because they were hard to make (they weren’t), but they lacked… something. Fred said maybe just more salt, but I don’t know. I did like the clover look (I love it when rolls pull apart easily like that), but I wasn’t super crazy about the flavor.

Do you have a favorite roll recipe? Do share!

Side note: I cut the roll recipe in half (there are two of us and we don’t each that much bread; 18 rolls would sit on the counter ’til they got all moldy), and still ended up with a dozen (which means we’ll probably end up with moldy rolls on the counter. Unless I freeze them. But I think I didn’t like them enough to save them for another time).

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The many faces of Chuckles (AKA Charlie Peppers).

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Do you remember back when we had a turned-on-its-side trash can in the back yard under the trees? Sure you do, Sugarbutt loved to hang out in it all the time.

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Well, the trash can developed a hole in the end from being tossed around when it was windy, and so we tossed it and for a while there was nothing under the trees for the cats to hang out in. Then we got a small dog house and put it on the patio, and this past weekend I had Fred move it so that it was under the trees where the trash can used to sit.

It was, to say the least, a hit.

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Sugarbutt on top, with Corbie sitting on the stump behind him, trying to figure out what’s going on.

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Corbie in the house!

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Alice on top, while Jake and Elwood supervise (I shot this out the window while sitting at my desk, thus the cloudiness. Someone oughta clean that window.)

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Jake’s wondering how Alice got up there.

These last few days it’s been raining almost constantly, and last night at snack time I went out to call the cats in, and the little house was like a clown car, cats pouring out of it. Sugarbutt, Tommy, Elwood AND Jake had all stuffed themselves in the house somehow. I need to put a towel or bed in there so that they don’t have to shiver on the bare wooden floor, the poor dears.

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Previously
2010: *That’s a lie. I love to be a stickler for details. I THRIVE in the stickler-detailed environment. My tagline should be “Detail-sticklering since 1968.”
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: Why can’t I just buy bubble clothing that only touches me at the neck and knees? WHY?
2006: On my way to somewhere important, I’m sure.
2005: Perhaps I’ll make it my New Year’s Resolution to not fill my house with crap in 2006.
2004: Ever had one of those days when you just can’t remember the name of anything?
2003: No entry.
2002: I keep wanting to use the phrase “Sweet crappin’ Jesus!”, and just haven’t determined the right moment to do so. Maybe in the middle of sex?
2001: Her name is Brady James.
2000: If I knew whodunnit, I’d beat that $300 right out of his ass, the little bastard.
1999: They all tend to sound alike, you see, and hearing basically the same sound over and over ain’t the thrill at 31 that it is at 11.

11/28/11 – Monday

Here’s a teaser for those of you who have read (and liked) Fred’s writing. He put his latest novel on hold to write this longer-than-a-short-story-shorter-than-a-novella piece of fiction about the holes (longtime readers will remember the holes.). He’s classified it as a horror story, and from what I’ve read, I agree. He’s going to release … Continue reading “11/28/11 – Monday”

Cove_Final

Here’s a teaser for those of you who have read (and liked) Fred’s writing. He put his latest novel on hold to write this longer-than-a-short-story-shorter-than-a-novella piece of fiction about the holes (longtime readers will remember the holes.). He’s classified it as a horror story, and from what I’ve read, I agree.

He’s going to release it later this week, hopefully, and it will be available for the Kindle, the Nook, and just about every other reader out there at a cost of 99 cents.

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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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I know we’re running full-tilt into the holiday season and a lot of people are tight for cash, but there are a couple of sweet kitties who could sure use your help if you have a little to donate.

The first kitty is one who was found half-dead in a gutter and rescued by a good samaritan. When the vet examined this sweet guy, he found that the cat was microchipped. When the owners were called, they reported that the cat was “acting sick,” so they put him outside. What is WRONG with people?! He’s currently being cared for by City Kitties in West Philadelphia. You can see pictures of him here.

The second kitty is Lily. She was found Thanksgiving weekend, dumped off in the country. There was an injury to one of her legs, and a trip to the vet showed that the injury was caused by Lily being SHOT. Again, I say to y’all: What is WRONG with people?! Her leg is full of shrapnel and very well might need to be amputated. She’s not being cared for by a rescue, but by some people who have fallen in love with her and are planning to keep her. Her care will cost in the area of $2,000, so if you can help out (I always say it, you know it’s true – every little bit helps!), you can read more about Lily here, and about how to donate, here.

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In case you missed it, I posted a couple of short videos on Saturday, declaring it “Kitteh Video Saturday”, though probably I could have shortened it to “Video Caturday” and gotten the meaning across. I don’t know yet if it’s going to be a regular thing or not. I do have some video that I thought was gone forever in the Computer Crash of (Fall) 2011, but as it turns out, I had backed it up to Carbonite. So now I have to stitch the videos together and edit them (they’re of Snackin’ Time when all the Peppers were still here, and I was attempting to show how it was a complete madhouse, but also how well-trained the Peppers were, so it’s kind of long), so maybe I’ll post that next Saturday. Or maybe not. We shall see!

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I spent a good part of the weekend decluttering and organizing around here. It started Saturday, when I thought I’d clean out and straighten up the pantry. I figured that would take about 10 minutes, then I’d go take a nap on the couch. Two hours later, I was finally done, and I have to say that I did a kick-ass job. I also found out where the pantry flies were congregating (a couple of packages of tortillas) and got a bunch of stuff set aside for the chickens. I decided that it’s time to stop buying rice in bulk, because (1) we hardly ever eat rice and (2) there are TWO of us, and thus we don’t need that much pantry space devoted to rice.

I swear, it feels like I clean out the pantry at least every three months, and yet somehow I still find packages of food that are at least two years old and need to be tossed out.

Also on Saturday, Fred and I moved the dresser (which he doesn’t use) from his room to mine so that we could set up his desk in the cubby in his room (I’ll try to remember to take pictures at some point). This works out well because he doesn’t actually use that dresser; his clothes are in the closet and the dresser in the guest bedroom (he prefers the downstairs bathroom to shower in, and so it makes sense to keep his clothes down there), and so I get a second dresser to store some of my clothes – and my summer clothes – in. I had to move the little bookcase that was in my room into the hallway, though that kind of makes the hallway look crowded, so I may find another place for it.

The main reason we moved his desk into his room was so that in the evenings when he’s writing, I can watch TV if I want to. We only have one TV in the house (I KNOW, what kind of craziness is this?!), and his laptop was set up in the front room, which meant that if he was writing, I couldn’t watch TV. This way, he’s got privacy and won’t be disturbed (though the cats like to go up and visit with him while he’s writing) and I can watch TV to my heart’s content.

It started raining Saturday night and rained almost all day Sunday. The pond is starting to hold water (tune in Thursday for pictures from last week when we herded the ducks out to the pond so they could splash around, and being herded kind of terrified them), and I have hopes that by the end of the Winter, we’ll have a pond full of water. A girl can hope, right?

I decluttered the secretaire Fred’s mother passed on to us several years ago. I love it, but I tend to stick things in the drawers when I can’t think of where else to put it, so it gets cluttered and impossible to deal with. I expected it to take about ten minutes – and it did! I also cleared off the dresser in my room, and dusted the rest of the furniture upstairs. If I were really motivated, I would have dusted the entire house, but let us NOT get crazy, y’all.

Okay. That was my exciting weekend. I actually did NOT take naps on Saturday or Sunday, but I may have to make up for that later today. I sense some dozing in front of the TV in my future.

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Have I mentioned that Charlie Peppers enjoys a good snuggle with a big cat?

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Sugarbutt put up a leg to block the snuggle…

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But Charlie snuggled in there anyway. (Love the resigned look on Sugarbutt’s face.)

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Getting some grooming from Ellie-bellz (Elwood).

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And some snugglin’.

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Tommy loves to throw his leg over whoever tries to snuggle with him. If they truly want to snuggle, they’ll put up with it.

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“Halp. Cannot. Breathe.”

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After I made mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving, Charlie tried to lick the bowl clean, while Alice fumed.

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And yes, sourpuss, you were correct in your comment. Teeny tiny Alice, who the vet told us would probably never get bigger than 7 pounds somehow morphed into a full-figured gal. We were scammed in this deal, y’all. TOTALLY. She does, however, still love Fred with a passion, and when we watch TV she climbs up on him and lays there like a big ol’ self-satisfied tick.

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Patty Peppers is more of a loner than her brother. She’ll play with the big cats – loves to chase their tails – but when it comes to sleeping, she prefers to go it alone.

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As a reminder, this is what sweet Miss Patty looked like two and a half months ago:

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She’s come a long way, baby.

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Sugarbutt, watching squirrels run around in the side yard.

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I love it when he sits up like this to get a better look (picture would be better without all the background clutter, but eh. Whatcha gonna do?)

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Previously
2010: No entry.
2009: No entry.
2008: That campaign’s not going to run itself, Jane!
2007: So I’ve signed up for Holidailies, and I’ll be updating every day in December.
2006: Go! Shop! Buy!
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!”
2004: No entry.
2003: Fred’s sister nodded. “That’s what I figured.”
2002: I forgot that teenagers are, on the whole (though yours may be different, or at least pulling the wool over your eyes) bone idle.
2001: McAfee rocks.
2000: Recent purchases.
1999: I informed him that there was no way he was getting out of taking me to the emergency room for this.

11/25/11 – 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 … Continue reading “11/25/11 – 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 share this picture of yours smugly (please ignore the desperately-needing-to-be-colored hair) so that Nance can be horrified at the size of my earrings, which I bought solely to horrify her (well also, I like them). I think for Christmas, I’ll just bedazzle a couple of kittens and hang them from my ears and call it done.

Okay, just a quick one. A few pictures from Thanksgiving Day, and then some pictures (with captions) from a reader who cracked me UP, and then I bid you adieu ’til Monday. Sound good?

We went to Fred’s sister’s house for Thanksgiving. Their Dad and stepmother were there, too, as well as Fred’s nephew, who’s in his 20s. We got there around 10:30, and were home by a little after 2. We would have stayed later, but we were seriously ready to fall asleep after dinner.

Fred’s sister has two little long-hair dachshunds who are super cute, but all kinds of wiggly and it was hard to get a decent picture of them. The bigger of the two was pretty amorous and apparently really liked my leg. Like, seriously. I think my leg is engaged.

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“Hallo, leg. You sure are lookin’ nice today.”

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“I’m the good one.”

It would have been more annoying if the amorous dog was a Great Pyr or some other large breed (no, George doesn’t do that. He’s a gentleman!), but in this case I was able to just kind of push Amorous Andy off me with very little effort.

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I didn’t get a picture of the table before we ate, but I did get a shot of the coconut cake! It was quite tasty indeed.

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“Leg humpin’ is exhausting work.”

Then we came home and did this for a couple of hours (which is what Thanksgiving afternoon is FOR, after all) :

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and that was our Thanksgiving, in a nutshell.

It is my plan to not step one single toe into a store until sometime next week. You loons who are hitting the Black Friday sales today, good luck to you.

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I got an email from reader Robin the other day that cracked me up.

Read your blog every day . . . you make me howl!

But since I’ve been reading you blog we’ve added 3 cats ! Which takes us up to a grand total of 6! I know, I know . . . only half of what you have but dang!

So . . . . with that being said . . . last month we travelled to NC to watch our daughter ride. (she is in college and competes on the western team). I called her one last time to see if has remembered anything else she forgot and wants us to bring. After a couple minutes of chit chat, I ask the question and her response . . .two words . . . cat carrier. My thoughts . . . . FUCKME. I say nothing to her dad . . the less said the better. Cat carrier makes it to the truck and he says ” what’s that for?”, i say “what’s what for?”, he says “the cat carrier”, i say “what???” He’s not dumb, we’ve been doing this dance for 25 years and he knows. In one last feeble attempt he says “we’re not keeping it . . . . right?”, I say “right”. AHAHAHAHAHAHA

My plan was to have it vetted and hand it off to our friends a few farms down for their barn. It’s been six weeks and we are the proud owners of Dr. Perry Cox, TM (trouble maker) Light of my life, pain in my ass, cock bird to our hen house! He’s not going anywhere, I’ve nursed him back to health and I think the boys like the extra testosterone (even though they won’t admit it) that is currently coursing through the sea of estrogen that is our house . . .

Below are a couple pictures of Dr. Cox . . . thought you might enjoy.

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Dr. Cox reading the latest medical journal.

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Dr. Cox ” ass detective ”

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“this patient needs more milk”

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Dr. Cox after a long night in the ER

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no words necessary

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seriously

Dr. Perry Cox, if the name doesn’t ring a bell, was the Scrubs character played by John C. McGinley. I loved that show – at least until the last couple of years, when the entire cast left.

Thanks for sharing, Robin!

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Lest you forget the beauty of young mister Corbie:

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(Ahem, Andrea, you’ll note that Corbie fits nicely in a medium flat-rate box. Which leads one to believe that Charlie would fit nicely and there would even be room for a tiny litter box and maybe some food! Just saying.)

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::smack::

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Corbie senses a disturbance in the box-force.

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I don’t know what was going on over there, but it caught both their attention.

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Silly Corbs.

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Previously
2010: No entry.
2009: No entry.
2008: Unhappy because I hadn’t found any curtains, I actually texted “Curtains, Huntsville, Alabama” to Google, who texted me back, in essence, “Wtf?”
2007: I am vowing to be more organized in 2008.
2006: No entry.
2005: All I can guess is that with the holiday season coming on, our defenses are low, and we go a little crazy with the kitten love.
2004: No entry.
2003: I think our kitchen is cursed.
2002: Me, behind the wheel of a minivan? Watch out, Nashville!
2001: No entry.
2000: No entry.
1999: So, I got a kitten.

11/24/11 – Thanksgiving!

“Happy. Freakin’. Thanksgiving.” (Yeah, yeah, it’s a chicken hat, not a turkey hat. It was the only poultry hat we had on hand. Ya do what ya can with what you’ve got.) See you on Monday, wherein we begin the regular, normal posting schedule again. Have a good weekend! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ … Continue reading “11/24/11 – Thanksgiving!”

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“Happy. Freakin’. Thanksgiving.”

(Yeah, yeah, it’s a chicken hat, not a turkey hat. It was the only poultry hat we had on hand. Ya do what ya can with what you’ve got.)

See you on Monday, wherein we begin the regular, normal posting schedule again. Have a good weekend!

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PS: 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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Previously
2010: Have you ever seen a happier cat?
2009: I REALLY LIKE CHECKING THE MAIL. IT’S THE HIGH POINT OF MY DAY.
2008: Google is such a goddamn know-it-all.
2007: Questions, answered.
2006: No entry.
2005: I think I need to go eat some deviled eggs to assuage the pain.
2004: And I just glared at him and thought to myself Just because you’re too stupid and scatterbrained to read and watch TV at the same time doesn’t mean I am, jackass.
2003: “Purring? You don’t like the sound of them purring?”
2002: No entry.
2001: No entry.
2000: Just a little more knowledge o’ Robyn y’all can add to your notes.
1999: No entry.

11/23/11 – Kitteh Wednesday

“Halp!” ©Forgotten Felines “I need a name!” Forgotten Felines is having a raffle to name this sweet boy – $5 buys you one chance, and you can buy as many chances as you’d like. Go here to read about him, and enter the raffle to name him! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ … Continue reading “11/23/11 – Kitteh Wednesday”

“Halp!”

FF
©Forgotten Felines

“I need a name!”

Forgotten Felines is having a raffle to name this sweet boy – $5 buys you one chance, and you can buy as many chances as you’d like. Go here to read about him, and enter the raffle to name him!

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I dropped Everett off bright and early yesterday morning. He was NOT a happy boy on the way to Petsmart, and he let me know repeatedly and at top volume just how not happy he was. When we got there, I let him out, and I let Lucy out to run around, so they could get reacquainted while I gave Harlan and Sally some snuggles. When I put Lucy and Everett back in the cage together, Everett was a bit hissy, but Lucy was pretty unfazed. I left a note on the cage asking the cleaners to give Everett some extra love, and left. When I came back a few hours later (I ran errands to Sam’s Club and Target since I was in the area), Everett was curled up in the bed, and Lucy was asleep nearby. I think he’ll be fine.

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Charlie Peppers….

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..is one stressed out boy.

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And he’s not the only one around here. It’s a total stressapalooza around here these days. (That’s Corbie’s delightfully spotted caramel belleh, in case you didn’t know.)

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I love how everyone else is finishing up their snack and checking to see if anyone else left some food behind, and Corbie’s all “I’ll be in my box.”

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“I SAID GOOD DAY.”

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“Sitting in boxes is the ONE THING I do for ME. All day long I do and do and DO for everyone else. I need some CORBIE time!”

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Same box, different day. Note that Jake has his loony butt crammed into a tiny, flat box. Somehow, he makes it work.

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Then Miz Poo and Patty Peppers had to come in and investigate, and Joe Bob stomped off in a huff.

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Tommy and Chuckles get along quite well, thank you. Have you ever seen a happier little face?

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Previously
2010: Why the fuck is Justin Bieber all over my radio, and how the hell does Fred always know that it’s him? Never mind. I don’t want to know.
2009: I am entirely VERY FUCKING TIRED of cats trying to put their assholes directly on my face.
2008: No entry.
2007: The woman did 9/10 of the work to be done, and I was NOT complaining.
2006: No entry.
2005: I think he might be half skunk.
2004: I do love, love, love the gmail!
2003: No entry.
2002: No entry.
2001: No entry.
2000: No entry.
1999: If you look closely at the picture, you’ll note that it’s very close to the color of bile.

11/22/11 – Tuesday

Forgotten Felines is having a “Name that Cat!” raffle – go on over, read about the sweet (not) feral they rescued, and for $5 you can enter to name that cat! I know how much y’all love to name cats, so here’s your chance to name that sweet boy! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ … Continue reading “11/22/11 – Tuesday”

Forgotten Felines is having a “Name that Cat!” raffle – go on over, read about the sweet (not) feral they rescued, and for $5 you can enter to name that cat!

I know how much y’all love to name cats, so here’s your chance to name that sweet boy!

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Sherry reminded me in yesterday’s comments that I haven’t followed up on the Cat’s Pride Fresh and Light litter that I was trying out. It’s been, what, two or three weeks now? Something like that, and I have to say that I’m pretty impressed – not only is the litter low-dust, it also clumps well, and at this point, the litter box full of Cat’s Pride Fresh & Light still doesn’t stink.

I like all of those attributes of the litter, of course, and I also like the bonus feature, which is that it’s a lighter litter. While 20 pounds of litter is, of course, going to weigh 20 pounds*, a container of Cat’s Pride F&L that is the same size as a container of Fresh Step weighs less, but seems to last the same amount of time as far as I can tell. And my back likes having less weight to lift when it comes to the 40 bazillion containers of litter we use every month. (I know your next question is “How much litter DO you go through in a month, crazy lady?” and I have no idea. I’m not sure if I WANT to know, but I’ll see if I can’t manage to keep track through the month of December and get back to you on that.)

I don’t know what the secret ingredient is that makes the F&L do such a good job of holding down the stank (“Holdin’ Down the Stank” would be an excellent title for a country song), but if I had to guess, I’d say it’s probably activated carbon. The litter’s a bit darker than some other litters I’ve tried, and activated carbon holds down the stank fairly well, or so I’ve heard. It might be something else entirely, but that’s my guess.

So in conclusion, I’m planning to stick with the Cat’s Pride Fresh & Light. It’s a decent price, I can get it at Walmart (it’s not available at Publix just yet, but they carry other kinds of Cat’s Pride, so I expect the F&L will get there soon enough), and it works really well. I’ll supplement it with Cat Attract litter, and hopefully the cats won’t have an issue with it (the litter box with F&L in it certainly gets plenty of use!)

Edited to add: The Cat’s Pride Fresh & Light I tried and am recommending is the Fragrance-Free version. They also make a scented multi-cat version, but the problem with that is that (a) it’s scented and (b) I’ve read online that it doesn’t clump as well.

*I once belonged to a weight-loss mailing list, and there was this woman who was INSISTENT that 5 pounds of muscle weighs less than 5 pounds of fat. Which it DOES NOT – five pounds is five pounds, whether it’s five pounds of lead or five pounds of feathers or five pounds of marshmallows. FIVE POUNDS IS FIVE POUNDS. When I told her that I was pretty sure she meant that five pounds of muscle takes up less space than five pounds of fat, she called me an idiot and told me I didn’t know what I was talking about. It’s probably been seven years – if not more – since that happened, and I still kind of want to track her down and pop her in the face for being such a dumbass. Lucky for her I’M A LAYDEE.

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I got an email from Cheryl, who asked:

I hope to solicit your cat wisdom. My husband and I have recently taken in an abandoned cat who had been living outside for about a month. She is a very timid little thing, but we are gradually making headway and she is learning to expect lots of love and belly rubs from us. However, as she was outside before we took her in (she had belonged to our next-door-neighbours and was outside a lot), she is starting to get very restless and begging to go back outside. We would rather that she remain an inside cat. We are pretty sure she would bolt if she got outside, and the yard is patrolled by her sworn enemies: the cats who live in the suite upstairs from us. We are concerned that the territory dispute would prevent her from recognizing our door as hers, and just bring discord to the established household.

This brings me to my question; do you have any ideas for making an outside cat more content to be an inside cat? She is about 3 years old, and probably needs a lot more to do than our 600 square foot home can easily give her. I have a Feliway plug in the house, but she still really wants to get out and go adventuring.

Does she have any place to climb? Cats really like vertical space, and the higher they can get, the happier they are. I’d recommend a tall cat tree, or a set of shelves with a platform that she can climb up to. Even a bookcase that has a chair next to it, so that she could jump up on top of the bookcase from the chair might work.

Also, if you don’t have a set play time with her every day, I’d suggest giving it a try for 15 minutes or half an hour (depending on her energy level). Use a laser light or a feather teaser or something similar to get her running and jumping and working off some of that energy.

One suggestion that I’m going to throw out there (though I’m sure that you’ve thought of it – and also, may not have room for it!) is adopting another cat so that she’ll have someone to play with, chase around, and cuddle with. Cats tend to be social creatures and that could stave off the boredom for her.

Mostly, I think what it’s going to take is time. Cats who have been outdoors have a tough time transitioning to being indoor-only cats, but it can be done, just hang in there with it.

If you guys have suggestions other than the ones I came up with, please feel free to share them!

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Do you remember Bill? Of course you do! He was one of the True Blood 6 (the litter that brought a LOT of new people to Love & Hisses). He looked like this:

2009-08-11 Bill

2009-08-27-3

2009-09-21-09

He was such a sweet boy (of course, all the True Bloods were, but Bill with his sweet, quiet ways just completely made us fall in love with him), and I was pleased to hear that he’d been adopted. I was even MORE pleased to hear that he’d been adopted by someone who was willing to update me regularly on how he and his sister Izzy are doing! I got an update email from Ann last week, and she said:

I am sitting down this afternoon to send you photos and update you on our WONDERFUL TWO YEARS with Bill… The official date is tomorrow but I’m starting early for his celebration!

He is definitely a happy cat! Although he still hasn’t yet won big sister Izzy over with his cuteness, most days they hang out in peace with a few hisses coming from Izzy. Just not snuggled up together. Occasionally they will both occupy the same piece of furniture – the bed or couch. But mostly, Izzy just puts up with him. He keeps trying to win her over though. He’s an eternal optimist!

He loves to bird watch. Chase the little fishie toys (I’ve bought about 30 but can only find 7 right now!). Climb the cat tree. Run thru the house at 90mph. Snuggle with momma. Snooze in the sunbeams. Beg for bacon, cupcakes, waffles, ham, and turkey. Loves to come get in ‘cave’ – when I’m on the couch with a blanket he will want under it to snuggle up and sleep! And he makes us smile with his antics.

Now for some photos:

Thank you again for raising such a good kitty!

Ann & BillCat

Thank YOU for the update, Ann! I can’t believe it’s been two years – it seems like it was just yesterday the True Bloods were running around freaking me out and making me worry that they were going to hurt their eyes after surgery. I’m so glad that that litter all found happy, loving homes!

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Everett is off to PetSmart in a little while (when I take the kittens to PetSmart, I try to get there very early so that the kittens have time to get adjusted before adoption hours start. Everett will probably need a little time to get reacquainted with Lucy, too, with whom he’ll be sharing a cage.). We are going to miss having him around, because he’s the sweetest, most laid-back kitten. He’s just an awesome cat, and he supports my theory that all black cats are completely amazing!

I’m sure that Patty and Charlie will miss him, too, they love following him around and harassing him and playing with him. I’ve ordered Lisa (who’ll be doing adoptions tonight and Friday) to get those Peppers adopted STAT.

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Poor Tommy. These little cats just can’t get enough of grabbing at his tail.

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Then Everett’s all “LET ME SNIFF YOUR PAW.”

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Chuckles. PLEASE. Am I going to have to get you a valium? Calm DOWN.

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Corbie’s all “That’s MY spot for chillin’.”

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Patty’s on the other couch, hanging out with Everett.

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“Lady, why you all up in my face?”

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Because you’re so CUTE, Miss Patty!

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“That’s right, I AM! And don’t you forget it!”

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Check out the big ol’ rabbit foot Charlie’s sporting.

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All kidding aside, our boy Charlie? A very, very hard sleeper. I don’t think a nuclear bomb going off would budge this boy when he’s snoozing.

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Snackin’ Time! There are 13 cats in this picture, click on the picture to go over to Flickr and see them all if you can’t see ’em here. The Peppers get to take part in Snackin’! Time! with the big cats. It’s a lot less hissy and smacky than you’d think.

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Stinkerbelle used to take her snack on top of the refrigerator. She’s gotten bolder, though, and now she takes it down on the counter. I have no illusions that we’ll ever give her her snack on the floor, but this is an improvement. She seems to get bolder when the days get shorter, for some reason.

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Newt fits pretty well in that basket, no?

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Previously
2010: YOU ARE MY BACKUP, NOT MY MAIN SQUEEZE ANYMORE. YOU DONE DID IT TO YOURSELF WITH YOUR ROTTEN ATTITUDE, YOU FUCKER
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: And then last night I was informed that people would start showing up between 9 and 9:30 (for a meal that will take place at noon), so I spent two hours cleaning the house whilst shooting hate rays at Fred.
2006: Barium scars a motherfucker for life.
2005: But I could manage a paper cut/ in the name of love
2004: “Oh, my heart,” I moaned.
2003: This perpetually surprised look of Michael Jackson’s makes me laugh until I wheeze.
2002: “YES, JESUS CHRIST! I DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS GOING TO BE SUCH A FRIGGIN’ BIG DEAL!” I bellowed. “I NEEDED TO BE AT MY COMPUTER, BECAUSE THAT’S WHERE THE PHONE NUMBER WAS! JESUS!”
2001: No entry.
2000: I’ve visited Wal-Mart three times in the last five days. I think they’re about to name a parking space after me.
1999: F: In Michigan, you can take this bottle to the recycling center and get ten cents for it.