On the Eve of the Eve

We got snow yesterday and last night, kitties.      Dad has just gone outside to try to move it around with his blower masheen.     Hopefully it is not too icy for that, which would then require shovel labor instead.    

As we get close to switching over to a new year, here are some of the last pictures taken of us by The Baby's Mama while she was here.  

I guess the next pictures from here will be 2013 pictures!

In case we don't get back to the blog in time, we want to wish all a Happy New Year!    Tell the humans to celebrate sensibly and stay safe.    Maybe even just stay home with you and snuggle.

Updated:   We just noticed this is our 800th post!!  ( Now Mom is doing the Math:  if each post only took 10 minutes, that is 133 hours spent writing blog posts!   And that doesn't count READING other blogs!    And we have really gotten much slacker with posting lately.   Yikes!  ) 

The Day After the Day After

Srsly, Mom needs to shape up.     Our blog is languishing while she attends to "life".   She had a work deadline of 9 am this morning.  What kind of job has a deadline like that?

The Baby and her parents left on Christmas Day to go home, dodging various snowstorms at both ends.   We had snow yesterday and then rain on top of it overnight.  Yucky.  Good we don't have to go outside.   Now we hear from the humans that more snow is coming on Saturday.     Audrey is getting a little bored by it all:

I do have considerably more patience than her:

Audrey thinks maybe Mom will give her some treats to keep her occupied:

Don't count on it, girlfriend.   She is immune to the "cute face".

Acknowledgements and thanks to the Baby's Mama for the "portrait" pictures using her nifty Canon lens.     

Peace on Earth

We wanted to wish all our sweet friends a very Merry Christmas.    We haven't done any great Christmas Card to share with you but our wishes are sincere all the same.       May you all, furry and human, have all the blessings of this special day.  

We have had a great time with our visitors and managed to score a few extra meals.    We are now good friends with The Baby.  Here is the evidence:

She can't crawl yet, and we don't sit TOO close in case of tail pulling.      They have to leave tomorrow at Noon to go back home.  

She loves music, and the thing she is playing with is a little music player that plays about 5 different classical tunes.   She can start and stop it, or change tunes herself, by pushing the buttons on the front of it.   Right now her successes are a bit random, but she will quickly learn exactly what to do.  We know it, because we can tell she is smart.  

We HAVE had to endure being closed in  the basement a few times, when Mom did not want us jumping up on the dinner table.   So though we will be sorry to have everyone leave, we will regain full reign of the house.  

How our Christmas is Shaping Up

Of course the Mom and Dad are thrilled to  bits to have her here.       We are still deciding.   She shrieks like a pterodactyl when she sees us.     I don't mind so much, but Audrey turns tail and leaves when she hears it.  

Monday

What comes after Easy Sunday?     Well, Easy MONDAY, of course!

With a bonus Paw-Over-Eyes.  

Why?

Thank you Gracie for providing us with this Graphic as a way to give some expression to our shock and sadness.

Some of our kitty friends have been far more eloquent that we could be, so we are not going to try to put many words here.    Please read some of our friends' posts here:

http://prancerpie.blogspot.com/2012/12/speaking-from-heart-on-saturday.html

http://www.glogirly.com/2012/12/broken-hearts-broken-dreams.html

http://gabbygracie.blogspot.com/2012/12/sadness-prayers.html

http://darlingmillie.blogspot.com/2012/12/sad-sad-saturday.html

http://thepoupounette.blogspot.com/2012/12/sorry-seiturday.html

http://www.atonkstail.com/2012/12/memoriam.html

http://zeezoey.com/blog/a-moment-of-silence-and-prayers-for-the-newtown-community/
My human siblings went to a school like Sandy Hook elementary with just children in grades K-3 at the school.    How unthinkable that somebody could go there and shoot innocent little children.    

Don't feel a need to comment, friends.    We know there is really nothing that can be said.  

Feline o' MINE!!

Kitties, we got a package in the mail today and Mom cut the end open to take a look at the nice things inside, that were all nicely enclosed in plastic baggies.  Turns out it was our Christmas toys from Feline O-Mine.      Then she went to do something else and the next thing, I was up on the table rubbing against the package.      So she put it on the floor, with the SNAKE toy in its plastic peeking out.     I went crazy pants!      Sorry for the blur in some of these pictures but that is because I was bunny kicking and moving so fast!

Kitties, I can vouch for the fact that these are some VERY attractive toys even before the plastic comes off!      Mom has now hidden the package!   Thank you very much, William's Mom.   Your store is super!

Wednesday Wordless Whiffies

Wordy Wednesday - Another Awardie

Kitties, Miss Katie Isabella has given us an award!   She calls them "awardies" so we will too (isn't she the cutest girl cat?).

It is the Blog of the Year Award.

Here is how this one works.     You don't have to DO anything like tell stuff about yourself but you send it back to the cat who sent it to you and then to as many other friends as you like.  Anybody can get it up to 6 times and each time you get it, you add another yellow star filled in (we don't know HOW to do that yet but hope we will learn *).   We have added our stars up to 5.    C'mon, kitties, somebody get us up to six!     Later:  we did it!

We are going to pass this one to:

Katie Isabella
Pikku Pinapippuri and siblings
Chey, Gemini and Ichiro
The Poupounette
Bugsy and Knuckles
Brian and siblings
Mariodacat
Katnip Lounge Kats
Ms Stella O'Houligan
Katz Tales
Sparkle

*Here is a link to the blog starting out this award, with all the badges with the different numbers of stars.  
http://thethoughtpalette.co.uk/our-awards/blog-of-the-year-2012-award/

Tabby Cat Club

Kitties, as you may know, Audrey and Simba are members of the Tabby Cat Club.      Though we both are rather lax with posting on the Tabby Cat Club website, we sure are proud and happy to be members.     Recently we missed the first blogoversary of the club on November 15th, when the humans were visiting The Baby for her Baptism.   We wanted to show you the awesome new banner from the club website with our new Clubhouse and ALL the members!    This super graphic was done by Gracie's human.

Can you find us?

Any tabbycat with his or her own blog can become a member of the Tabby Cat Club!!

Seven Things Award

The sweet cats of Twinkle Toe Tails gave us the Seven Things Award on November 11th and we have not yet gotten around to posting about it.  Wonder who's responsibility THAT is (cough cough)?

Thank you, Oui Oui, Mica Minnie Moo, Julie, and Carlos Raphael Camaro.     We feel very honored that you passed this award on to us.  

We will take turns for the Seven Things about us:

1.  Simba:   Though I don't like to sit on laps, I always try to sleep smushed up very close to Mom.

2.  Audrey:  I have very good hearing.  If the cabinet where the food is kept is opened, I will awake from a deep sleep instantly.

3.  Simba:  I don't like to be brushed much, although I do enjoy when Dad runs the brush across my head and down my spine.  Just no sides or tummy are every allowed, or else the bitey will follow.

4.  Audrey:  I will eat anything!  Even Tostitos and Saltines.

5.  Simba:   I am a picky eater.  Even my favorite foods sometimes just don't taste right to me and I leave most of my meal in the bowl.

6.  Audrey:  I make Mom itchy if my fur rubs against her skin or get near her eyes, or if I lick her or nibble her.    She is definitely allergic to me.

7.  Simba:  Although my long fur tickles Mom, she never seems to get allergy symptoms from me.

Now we are supposed to pass this award on to 7 other bloggers.  Because we were so slow and pokey about getting around to doing it, we expect many of our friends have had it already.     However we will try awarding it to the following cat bloggers, but also want to say that we would be happy if any of our friends grabbed it and told us 7 things.  

Katie Isabella
Angel and Isabella
Nerissa
Island Cats
William and siblings
Margs Animals
Cody

Happy Thanksgiving!

To all our friends and furriends in the USA, we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving.      We have so much to be thankful for this year (our humans do too!) .     Here to help you celebrate (and salivate) is our very own turkey visitor from the past Spring.     He is one of the ones who isn't anybody's dinner today!

Wordless Wednesday

Our Excuse

Kitties,   the humans abandoned us to go and visit The Baby Grandchild for a few days.   So blogging has been a challenge to say the least.    Here's the little pumpkin all dressed up on Sunday for her Baptism - she did wear a long white dress for the service, but this outfit for going to the church and afterwards.     Mom and Dad say she is an utter delight.   She was smiling and laughing all the time.

Thilly Thursday

Whaaaat?    Do you have food?

Photo Hunt - Kite

Dad enjoys flying his kite when the humans go to the beach.   Mom knew she had some pictures somewhere, but she had to hunt a lot through the photos to find these.      In the past he has usually used a traditional long tail, but on this day he also tried out a new whirly tail for his big kite.     He got this kite over 37 years ago in Nantucket, but it still does well.    We have to just believe what Mom says about it because we don't go to the beach.

Mom used lots of zoom to get this picture:

Dad reeling the kite in:

Here is the traditional long fabric tail on the same kite:

Femalecat Friday

Audrey's first Mom sent a snuggle sack to us with her, but since being here she hasn't used it until the hurricane.    One day we found her like this:

Thursday in OUR Garden

Kitties, the Nor'Easter was OK for us.     The roads were rather sloppy yesterday afternoon but Mom got herself home from work as early as possible and the humans hunkered down.   There was a lot less wind than they had thought at our house, and so in the end it was a nice little snowstorm for us.   We probably got about 3-4 inches. Things are already warming up and melting here.

Being in such good shape, we still are purring for all those humans and animals for whom this storm was just the last straw on top of evil Sandy.  Fortunately the temperatures are warming up the next few days.   We hope that helps them out and that power can be restored to all those who are still without it.

Wednesday Weather Issues

Kitties, would you believe it, the Northeast is awaiting yet another serious weather situation.      A Nor'Easter storm is headed this way, possibly to bring us significant snow as well as wind, and those on the coast will get more flooding to add insult to injury after the hurricane.    More downed trees and power outages are predicted.    This is getting SO OLD.   Summer and Fall, where did you go?

I am headed back to Dad's pajamas.   This was me last Sunday before we got our power back.

Added 5 pm:     here is a link to Mousebreath which reports on Jeter Harris and siblings on Long Islland where they are still without power from the hurricane Sandy and now also enduring this Nor'Easter.    His humans have bailed and gone to a warm house but the cats are still there without warmth.     So far we have some snow, not too much wind, and everybuddy in the family is inside and still with power.    Though our Police Dept made an automated call saying half our town has no power.    As we said, this is getting OLD.

Sad

We are sad, but Squashies is healthy and running free at the Rainbow Bridge.    Fly high sweet angel girl.    We will not forget you little friend.

Please visit their blog here to leave some purrs and prayers for her family, especially her Mom and her kitty bro TK.

Power Back

Kitties, we are finally warm again!  Our house got its power back last night around 7:30 pm.    Ours was one of the last streets in our neighborhood to be powered up after the hurricane and we were all thinking it would be another shivvery night in the cold, but after cooking "dinner' (for them, not us!) on the grill around 4 pm, the humans went off to Target and Dunkin Donuts just to have something to do and when they got home, the lights in all the houses were blazing!    It took several hours for the house to warm up, but even those first 6 degrees of warmth were a big help.    Mom says she will never take a warm house for granted again.  

We missed a lot in blogland - Halloween, Blog Blast for Peace, etc.    Instead we were doing a lot of this:

It was Easy on Sunday every day!

Update

We were so glad Audrey's first Mom was able to post for us last night.   No changes really, but Mom has gone to her work today for a few hours so can finally get on the internet.   We expect no electricity for 7-10 days according to our power company.  Many trees are down around our neighborhood, some on houses even.  Roads are difficult to get around, but the important thing is that most people in our area do seem to have been safe, and it is not winter yet, so a chilly house is still habitable.     After all, we have fur!    

Mom had some naughty thoughts and wondered what will happen to the birth rate in 9 months' time in the places that are dealing with power outages.   Or she figures she doesn't even have to wonder!

Purrs for all those even more badly affected in places like the coasts of several states, and those affected by the flooding in New York.     It will be a lot of time before that problem gets sorted out.

Snuggle some loved ones, kitties!

Still here!

(This is our human sister and Audrey's first Mom posting on all of our behalf.)

Thank you all for your good thoughts and concern.  We are doing fine.

We have no electricity or phone service (and no internet) and Mom and Dad are saving the charge on their cell phones.  It has been difficult to get through on cell phones anyway because the networks are so busy as everyone tries to check up on their friends and relatives.  However, our house and yard are in good condition and we have plenty of food to eat.  Audrey's automatic feeder runs on batteries so she should not miss any meals. 

We are purring for everyone who lives closer to the coast line who experienced more severe effects.  We will be in touch when we are back online.

Clearing the Decks

Around this time of year the humans bring the deck plants in for the winter.    In some cases they have extra plants that cannot be brought in due to space considerations (such as having 2 spider plants etc) and they choose the best one to come inside.    Due to the tropical storm/hurricane  expected to affect us tomorrow till Tuesday, today is going to be the day for getting the deck cleared and secured.     Here is a fun picture of Audrey from earlier in the summer when we still had impatiens plants blooming.   She jumped up onto the table to check out the plants Dad had put there.  Notice that even then, the Spider plant had plenty of "spider babies" on it: now there are even more.

With so many trees in our area, we will not be the least bit surprised if we lose power early in this storm, and it may take a lot of days for the power to get back on.   Which means no internet!!   How will we cope?    We will all have serious withdrawal symptoms.     Anyway, if we go silent, that is why.   Maybe Mom will be able to connect to the internet sooner at work than at home.  

Hurricane Preparations

Last year in late October we had a minor snowstorm that caused lots and lots of tree limbs to break because of the fact that the trees still had their leaves on them.   Now we are anticipating a combination of hurricane Sandy and an arctic storm bringing cold air to the northeast.  Whether we will only have rain and wind, or snow again we do not know, but it is not likely to be a good situation.  As Cathy Keisha said, the storm will blow the leaves off our deck!  But I expect that it will blow even more ONTO our deck.   Dad cleared all the leaves off the lawn and gave the grass a final mow of the season yesterday.      I think we and many other coastal kitties are going to need your purrs, furriends.

Thursday in the Garden - Sorta

Dad snapped some "garden" pictures of Simba the other day when he jumped onto the deck railing.    Fortunately Audrey was inside because the humans don't want her to get the idea of jumping up there herself.      

Our leaves are coming down fast now, so the greenery is going to have to come inside, or be gone, till next Spring.

Audrey ate not only HER breakfast, but also all of Simba's yesterday.   She went into a very long food coma.

Easy Sunday

Dad was surprised to find me having squooshed myself into one of Audrey's beds.     I don't usually sleep in beds at all.   But I seem to like this one.     So I plan to spend a lot of time today taking it Easy there.

Remember Us? Wordy Wednesday

It seems Mom has forgotten we have a blog or something.       Here's an older pic of us when the catnip was at its best.    It still looks pretty good.     Dad is home from many travels now and so he brought the camera Mom usually uses back to her.  So just maybe she will take more new pictures and get her act together with our blog.    Anyway, having Dad home means more decktime for us.  Hooo hoooo!

Photo Hunt- Empty

This is the inside of Audrey's dry food  feeder when it is EMPTY.

For comparison, this is what it looks like when Mom has filled it:

And this is what Audrey sees when she is waiting for it to turn and have one of those full compartments turn into the open position so she can eat it all up!   The sign on it is for the cat sitter.  

Just so all you kitties know, Audrey gets a good breakfast and dinner of wet fuds every day but she finds it hard to wait long for her food and so the humans have the feeder give her these in between snacks, mostly to get her through the night so they can sleep.     Simba never bothers to eat from it.  He will eat a little dry food from a bowl during the night but he much much prefers his food wet and gravyfied.

One Word Wednesday

SAD. 

 

Sunday 'Tocks

The tabby Cat Club posted pictures of their 'Tocks a few days ago, and Derby's birthday is not for a little while, but we have decided to post pictures of our 'Tocks for 'Tocktober today.    Mom decided to go with more modest shots than in the past!    Happy Sunday and Happy 'Tocktober!

Photo Hunt - Hands

Audrey thinks Dad has great hands when he uses is iPod like this:

Simba shows off his big "hands":

And Mom likes these sweet hands from when the Baby was about 5 weeks old: