Long Winter's Night

Hmm, Cricket has some explaining to do. :)
Last night I listened to the wind howl and pelt snow against the windows. My husband snored peacefully, unaware of the storm. I heard a cat meowing and got out of bed, fearing for a kitty that could be out there and prepared to bundle up to rescue him. The thing is, it sounded like Billie. Sometimes she wakes up meowing as if she's had a bad dream. Downstairs I found Billie, just awake, blinking up at me. Just in case I went from window to window, looking for pawprints in the snow and listening. Nothing. No sign of a kitty anywhere. Whew! Well, now Cody was awake along with Billie and they wanted a snack. Hey, Momma's up why not?
Finally, I got back to bed and my husband asked, "are you just coming to bed?" *-*
"No, I'm back from investigating noises and I can't sleep because of the wind."
He mumbled something and promptly fell back asleep, then resumed snoring.
Everything is closed today. Blowing snow, below zero windchill, and glazed iced on the roads. My Daughter let out a hoot of joy when she heard school was closed and went back to bed. My Husband stayed home from work. I am so tired. I'm either going to consume lots of coffee or take an afternoon nap. Maybe both. ;)
I've said it before and I'll keep saying it until the tulips bloom. I want Spring!

Naughty Noodle

Hello, I am Cricket. I have taken over Mama's blog. I am very pretty, no? I am also very naughty. It's fun being naughty! I encourage every kitty to take a walk on the wild side and do something you know you are not supposed to do. And if you get caught do not blame me, because I will deny everything. Let me tell you, it's not easy being pretty and being an evil kitty mastermind, but it sure makes life more interesting. OH OH! I hear Mama! Gotta go! Have a wonderfully naughty day!

Friday Has Come Again

We are going to try the going out thing again tonight. Probably just dinner. The bookstore would be nice, but I'm not sure yet. Tomorrow is grocery day and that can be exhausting for even the most robust of people. :) I'm having a hard time making an appointment with my doctor, because the office tends to overbook appointments. So, I'm looking at next month towards the middle of the month. Until then, I'm on anti-inflamatory pain relievers and a stronger pain reliever to take as needed when I can't sleep. There have been days when I have taken it in the afternoon, when all I really want is a nap.
Cricket likes that because I go upstairs to my bed and she can nap with me. That's the only time she's affectionate and only with me. She will flop on the floor in the living room and show her tummy when she wants to play and put on her cutesy act. (She's such a cute little evil genius) As I grit my teeth after putting a blanket that she peed on in the laundry.
We've had her checked for this behavior. She's very healthy. She just expresses her anxiety or anger by peeing. *-* Usually it's directed at my husband when he ignores her when she wants to play. So I buy this product called Kids and Pets and use it liberally. It really gets the stinky out too.
Oh, my husband promised to have some camera training time with me, because I really want to post pictures. For some reason I'm having trouble getting the lighting right. And, we are going to get re chargeable batteries for it, because it really sucks the life from regular batteries fast.
Well I'm going to take a hot shower and find something other than flannel pajama pants to wear today. I hope I remember how to put mascara on, it's been a week since I wore any. It goes on the lashes, right?

Avoiding Mutiny and Waiting For Spring

This morning I realized we were running low on cat food. That's a crime in this household. "Mommy How could you?" So I made a list of the favorite stinky goodness flavors and entrusted it to my husband. He promised to stop and pick some up on his way home. (We only have one car right now, so he's the kittie's hero)
Well, Cody took the low supply of stinky goodness the hardest. I rationed out enough for all three and Cricket likes crunchies with hers any way. Billie will happily snack on crunchy food during the day too. Cody seems to be getting surly in his advancing years. So,I did something that I always worry will set a precedent. I opened up the Tuna Fish. Oh, the little piggy noises he made while he ate! Billie had some too and Cricket, odd ball that she is doesn't like tuna.
My daughter has exams this week and her second semester starts next week. She is also starting internship at the nearby college owned theater. And it really is nearby; she can walk there from home. :) I hope she likes it and has fun. I also hope it warms up so she doesn't freeze her butt off when walking. Brrr...
Speaking of warming up: I have determined about when I can start some seedlings indoors to be ready to plant outside after the last freeze. I plan to start Moon flowers around mid March and maybe some other annuals that also take a long time to bloom. Moon Flowers are so cool. They open at Twilight and only bloom once, so you need to be sure to plant quite a few. The blooms are about the size of a desert plate and look like a full Summer moon. By dawn they close and fall off the vine they grow on. I didn't know that at first, so I was worried when I saw the spent flower on the patio. But internet research explained the habits of this unusual plant. Moths pollinate it! So if you have a moon garden it's a neat plant to add and it's fun for kids to watch too. If you're very patient you can watch the flower open as the sun sets on a balmy Summer's evening. I'm so ready for Spring :)

7 Things About ....

JB the cutie from JB's Small World tagged me for a seven things about me meme. So I will give 7 Things about my cats because they're cuter and way more interesting than me right now. ^..^

Billie, my 12 year old Persian was named after the blues
singer Billie Holiday.

Cody is the only boykitty in the house right now and he
is only cat wearing a collar. (Don't tell him it's pink)

Cricket is 5 years old and she is the heaviest cat. We
do not discuss her big butt. ;)

One of Cricket's nicknames is Naughty Noodle. See,
her tail is long and thin like a noodle and she's
naughty. And, I think I heard it on a cartoon before.

When Cody wants to go out to the front porch or wants
stinky goodness he scratches at my books and
magazines in the basket by the sofa. he knows this
drives me crazy.

Billie's afraid to go upstairs because Cricket thinks
she owns the litter boxes up there, so Billie uses her
special box hidden behind a door near the front
entry. (Cricket chases her and jumps on her)

All three kitties like affection, like petting, tummy
rubs and playtime with cat toys. Sometimes
Billie will curl up on my lap. Cody likes to stand
on people. Cricket sleeps on my tummy at night
and dreams about taking over the World. :)

Tookie was my best friend. I'm glad I had my other three silly babies to take care of and keep me company when she went to the Bridge. In their own way they miss her too. They have their own personalities and they are fun to have around. I do wish they would snuggle more, but I can't force that on them, so I'm happy to sit back and watch them act goofy.

Shivery Sunday

Guess what I bought yesterday? A digital camera. :) Yup, I need to load the software in my laptop and play with it a bit, but I'm hoping to start posting pictures this week. It's so very cold here! We stayed in all day which was fine with me, because I'm so sore.
I think it's time to go on the disease modifying drugs. Last night my husband and I went to the bookstore for a date night. My daughter was at her friend's house,so we were looking forward to it. We had a table by the fireplace and our drinks and our books and magazines. But, I was in too much pain to enjoy it. All of my larger joints and my back just throbbed. My toes felt like they had been hit with a hammer. So we had to go home. My husband understood, but I felt bad because it had been awhile since we had been out. :( This morning the kitties were ready for breakfast and I was in bed, dreading getting up. Not good. Like I said, when I can't feed my kitties it's time for the strong medication...
I think it will be ok. And if they work, then by spring I'll be able to get in my garden and those weeds will not win this year. Life shouldn't be lived feeling miserable. Besides, I don't think the cats will accept daddy feeding them.

A Warm Glow Of Comfort

Isn't this pretty? It was in my e-mail from someone in my pet loss group I joined. (It's a Yahoo group) It's a memorial candle for remembering anyone, person or pet that has passed on. I love candles and I have lots of them in various sizes and lots of fragrances. Last night I lit a lavender candle and it really did seem to impart a sense of calm. Daughter worked on homework after dinner without complaint, and she didn't complain about dinner either, come to think of it. :) I have to keep all my candles on our entertainment center because of the cats, especially Cody and his tail. I swear that tail of his can clear off a coffee table in seconds flat. If we have a beverage on it we immediately move them by pushing them aside until he passes or actually picking up the glass or mug and holding it until he walks by.
My favorite all purpose go to candle to light for people and animals that need prayers and blessings is a Guardian Angel candle that I found in the Latin foods section of the grocery store. I'm still not sure why it's there, but okay. It's just an unscented white candle in a glass holder with a picture of an Angel guiding two children over a bridge. It gives off a comforting soft glow and I try to envision it's light washing over those who I light it for. Which reminds me... it's over half burned, so I better add a new one to my grocery list today. Because there is always someone who could use a little light on the path of life. Oh, I keep a little kitty figurine by it, but I will light it for any fur baby. (sigh, even skunks) So, if you'd like me to light it let me know and I will. :)

Home Is Where the Heart Is

It's a sick day at my house today. Daughter is home with a head cold/sinus thing, my head is filling up with yuck and we're both tired. Ho hum... I asked my husband what he thought about getting me a digital camera and he said it would be ok! :) He's been putting in some overtime and he also understands how blue I've been. Creativity has always been an outlet for me when I'm stressed and I think he wants me to find things like picture taking and blogging to keep my mind occupied. I used to take a lot of pictures with an "old school" camera, but I guess it's time to succumb to technology. Besides, my kitties are too cute to not share with fellow kitty friends. Movie mode would be cool, especially when Cody and Cricket are playing. Our living room turns into a wrestling ring and sometimes mom must play referee when the hissing and spitting starts.
Oh, before I forget: Sunrunner who is a fellow ghost hunting fan, Paranormal State is on A&E at 10:00 pm Mondays and they re -play episodes on Saturday afternoon beginning at 2:00 pm. It's scarier than Ghost Hunters on SciFi, but really good. The magazine about ghosts and paranormal stuff is called Haunted Times and I found it at Barnes and Noble. (She's been sick for a while and I wanted to let her know about that stuff.)
I'm so happy for Mao's and Annie's families that these runaway kitties have returned home safely. I hope they've figured out what Dorthy did in The Wizard of Oz. ^..^

The Long and Winding Road

Putting Tookie's picture up was not easy for several reasons. That picture was in our desktop computer as my user icon. My daughter had put in for me about a year and a half ago when our scanner was still working. It's not working anymore, not sure why. I tried to get the picture to use because I figured it was in my pictures folder. It wasn't. It wasn't in shared documents either. I have a lot of pictures of her, 20 years worth, but I couldn't scan any. (Vicious circle that life can be) Well the picture for some reason was in daughter's files and she has her stuff password protected. I asked her to please find it, e-mail it to me, then I would have it in my laptop. She asked why. I told her for my blog. She thinks my blog is depressing. She's right.
As I put it in, first on the side bar and then in the post I started crying. I kept it quiet, sniffled a lot and got a sinus headache. Seeing her spirit leave her body, getting her ashes and pawprint in the mail; that you think would be enough to tell someone it's final, over. Well making a memorial, that's when it hit me again.
I don't have a lot to blog about as far as my daily life goes. I don't lead an interesting life. I write when creativity nudges me, I read a lot, I do some crafting. But, mostly I'm home not feeling well. Every single joint in my body usually hurts on some level. Joints I didn't even know I have. I get fevers, cartilage and soft tissue pain. All of it conspires to leave me tired, cranky and boring.
I have some days that are better than others. Sometimes I can make it out for trips to the book store,or dinner and shopping. Not exciting, but at least it's doing something. I look forward to visiting other blogs and "visiting" with very kind interesting people and their beloved pets. I love the time I spend with my three kitties. They aren't velcro cats like Tookie was, but they give and accept love in their own sweet way and I'm so glad they are with me. =^..^=
I'm not sure when I'll feel better again. I just try to take each day as it comes. Thanks to the nice people who comment here. I appreciate it so very much. I will try not to be so down, but again Miss excitement I'm not. I'm still hoping for a digital camera. I want to share more pictures of Billie, Cody, and Cricket monster.
When we get a new scanner, I will post more pictures of Tookie. She loved the camera and posed like a model whenever I took a picture. Like Daisy without the fashions. Well, that's it for now. I will post again when I think of something interesting.

Why my heart is broken

This is Tookie. Her full name is Jake Tookie Woo. Silly I know, but she loved to hear me sing it out. She was with me from the beginning of Autumn 1987 to June 2007. I can't say more right now. I will continue when I get myself together again.

Happy Birthday Miss Peach!

Today is Miss Peach's 15th birthday. Happy Birthday to a very sweet kitty and congratulations to her Mommy Karla for being such a good and loving "bean" to her. :) I added her picture to my blog in her honor and I will start adding more friends as space allows.
I am thinking of making a little memorial to Tookie. I need to get a picture of her in my blog and that's going to be hard for a lot of reasons. I will figure out the technicalities, but emotionally I need to be ready.
The skunk has not been back as far as I can "smell." As Daisy said and I agree, that was just very rude of him! My husband said he saw a yellow cat with darker yellow stripes in our yard! It could be the kitty that's been eating the food. I will have to sneak some more out and hope Le Pew does not come around. I will update when I find out more about my fury visitor.

No, That's Not A Kitty!

"The cat is cryptic, and close to strange things
which men cannot see."

~H.P. Lovecraft- Science fiction author



Have you ever noticed your cat looking at something and following it with their eyes, but you don't see any thing? I think H.P. must have a cat. :) That was the first quote from my new calender.
Speaking of fury critters... Last evening we began to smell the unmistakable odor of skunk. It lingered in our living room for quite a while, so he either sprayed our foundation or on our front porch. My husband thinks that the dogs next door must have startled him, so he sprayed as a warning. We have lots of wildlife that wanders around our neighborhood despite living in a city and very close to the downtown area. We are also surrounded by lots of old trees. We have seen possums, skunks, several raccoons, bats, and even one time a deer while we were on a walk. I have no idea where the deer came from. I hope she made it to a wooded area safely, she sure was running fast.
Anyway, I agreed with my husband's theory even though I think there's another reason that I have no intention of telling him. A couple of weeks ago I noticed paw prints in the snow on our front porch. They looked like kitty prints which worried me greatly. I didn't want a kitty out in the cold wandering around. I put out a plate of dry cat food thinking at least kitty could get something to eat and maybe if I was lucky I would see him and bring him in from the cold. I would deal with Husband later. ;) Well, every morning the food was gone. I would put more out and check several times during the day and night, but I have yet to see a cat. Now, I'm wondering if I have actually been feeding a skunk. *-* I love animals so if a hungry animal enjoyed a good meal I'm glad, but I don't think spraying is a nice way to show gratitude. My husband doesn't know about the leaving food out and I'll keep it to myself. I'll keep an eye out because maybe there could be a cat eating the food and what he's not finishing maybe Mr. or Miss Le Pew is. I suppose they're could be worse things lurking around, (like teenage boys waiting for my teenage daughter.)

January Thaw, Yea!

All of the snow is gone! The temperatures here in W. Mi. reached up to the low 60's. I opened a window on the back porch for Cricket and Cody went out to sit on the front porch for a while. He didn't seem to want to walk around the yard, probably because everything was so wet and mushy. When my husband came home from work we went for a walk. Oh the balmy air felt so nice! I had to wear my coat, but I didn't have to bundle up like an Eskimo. I know it won't last, but the taste of Spring was great while it lasted. I did notice that some pansies planted in a large planter on my patio were still in bloom. It's amazing how something so delicate can be so resilient against the harshness of icy snow and freezing wind. Maybe the fairies attended them. ;)
Well it's 6:30 pm here already. The sun has set and soon dinner will come out of the oven. Time for me to get back to work. If I get any free time at all I would like to try to get some writing done, but between dishes, and cleaning the kitchen, and making lunches ,I'm not sure about that. Maybe it would just be easier to go to bed with a book and read while Cricket makes me her personal chaise lounge. :)

Another Fun Filled Satuday

I like finding stuff on youtube for Saturday posts. I even figured out how to post videos to my blog all by my self. For me that is huge! Today was a very typical Saturday; grocery shopping, baking, making dinner. By evening I'm always so tired. I told my husband I'm going to mummify myself with those adhesive heat patches. :) They don't take away joint pain, but they help quite a bit. Oh, and they work great for cramps.
Cricket, after several days of being good, has now gone back to the dark side. She's flinging her dry food all over the floor instead of the neat piles she had been doing. She peed on the quilt Billie had been sleeping on, (jealousy) and she's been running like a crazy thing all over the house. Maybe she's just really bored. I wish she'd let me put fashions on her like Daisy the Curly Cat, but I don't think any amount of Temptations will get her to do that. Well, not much new to report. I'm going to put my jammies on and make some tea. Hugs and purrayers to everyone; kitty, doggy, and human that's not feeling well.

Drama Prairie Cat

I think this kitty is saying, "What? Moi? Why I never!" Cricket gives me this same look.

Starting The Year On A Wing And A Prayer

It's Thursday? Where did all the other days go? I wrote a check yesterday and I actually remembered to write 2008, so I'm not as braindead as I thought. :) My husband went back to work and Daughter returns to school Monday. I think I'm ready to get back into a writing routine. I still have bouts of grief that I quietly deal with, and my RA is amping up a bit, so I need to work around, or with those two issues. I really can't say that I'll be okay. I'm taking one day at a time, going on because I need to. Maybe someday that will change to; because I want to.
I'm trying to take small moments of happiness as little gifts, before I'm buffeted by another wave of sadness. So I read fun magazines like Fairie Magazine. It's a beautiful magazine full of ethereal creatures, created by artists who truly believe in Fairies. It comes out four times a year. Already I'm di -secting it and using images for crafting. They offer a free paper doll in each issue created by artist Jessica Galbreth. I cut the doll out and her outfit. Then I glued her to some thin card board, cut that around her and then I cut up an old magnet and glued it to the back of the paper doll. I added glitter to her wings and small bits of magnet to her dress and hair wreath and voila, a refrigerator magnet/paper doll. I had to use an exacto knife to cut the doll out once she was glued to cardboard and even though my hand ached I stubbornly finished it. I might take a picture with the cell phone camera, but I'm not sure if it will turn out.
So, that's one of the fun things I've been doing. (Well, fun for me anyway. A party animal I'm not.) Billie is on my lap purring away, Cody found a sunny spot under the Christmas tree by the bay window, Cricket finally settled down somewhere, and my Daughter is out like a light, a snoring lump under a quilt on the sofa. She has not been pleasant to be around lately, so I'm hoping a long nap cures her of her snarkiness. If I didn't have so much to do today I would take one too. As it is I just don't have the heart to move Billie right now, so here I'll sit. For a while any way.

kitty picture time

Here's some more pictures of my kitties. The white floofy is Billie. She's 12 and very sweet. Cody is the black floofy boy. He's a cuddly bear of a cat. He loves everybody. He's 12 too. Oh, that's me holding him. I need to get a better one of Cricket. I will figure out this whole picture thing eventually.