Moonflower Blooming

This is the Moonflower that I mentioned before. I can't wait to plant the seeds again this year!

Time To Play (For The Cats Anyway)

Cricket is showing off her big catch. These three mice had a nice roll in catnip, then they were perfect for playing with. The tissue paper that she is sitting on didn't last very long. I had a scarf wrapped in it and after unwrapping it I left it spread out on the floor. Cats seem to like smooth surfaces to lay on. Well Cody and Cricket had other ideas. After I took this picture they shredded it. Cody actually took a running start and landed on it with all of his claws out. The poor mice flew all over the living room. Cody did the most damage, but Cricket raked her claws through it briefly. I think the crinkly noise startled her. (Oh, those guitars are from my daughter's video game.)
She is kind of a nervous cat and some sounds send her running out of the room. She hates aluminum foil, so I try to wait with using it if she's eating in the kitchen. (the things we do for our cats!) It has been pretty quiet around here. Still cold, still snowing off and on. Blah. There was some excitement near our area yesterday. Just East of us is a neighborhood called East Town. It's an eclectic area of all kinds of shops and restaurants and the homes around it are older late 19th century. In the shopping district there was a natural gas explosion that destroyed the building that housed several stores. Seven people were injured, none severely and pieces of the building flew through the air. Car windows blew out, the neighborhood filled with smoke, flames shot up at the explosion site and many people lost power. Many residents were evacuated and the area will be a mess for a while. My daughter is worried about a coffee shop that she and her friends frequent and one of her friends actually lives in the neighborhood that had to be evacuated. We haven't heard from her yet, so they could be in a hotel for the day. That must have been terrifying for everyone! I'm glad no one was seriously injured. I think I'm grateful for nice, quiet days. That's the kind of excitement nobody wants to have! *-*

Mouse in the House

How cool is this toy? It's a bit expensive. But, I bet your cats would love it. I know mine would. I don't think my husband would be thrilled to buy it though. :)

A Little Soft Light

Cricket likes to curl up on the arm of the sofa. I'm not sure why, I guess it's just a nice little perch for her. Yesterday we had weak sunshine streaming through the windows, not enough to warm, but enough to give her flattering light. :) I haven't been feeling very good and I just didn't have anything interesting to blog about. But, my cats are always inspiring. I saw my doctor Friday and she wants to send me to a new Rheumatologist. My fingers are curling in more and my eyes have a bit of inflamation. They just look kinda bloodshot *-* and I'm a little light sensitive. So now I go see this new doctor in May. I'm told she is very nice and very thorough. I'm still hoping for mobility in time to play in my gardens. I bought a new candle Friday night. It's called Sun and Sand and it actually sparkles like sand when you look closely at it. Maybe they put some in the wax? It smells like cocoa butter and has a background note of fresh citrus. It reminds me of when you get to the beach and you immediately smell suntan oil and fresh air. It's so nice! The color is a creamy, sandy color and imparts a sense of calm and well being to people and pets. (According to my candle color chart) Cricket looks pretty calm huh? It hasn't worked on Cody yet. He seems to get bored quite quickly. I'm wondering if cats can have hyper activity problems? He's 13 and not calming down. We have had him since he was 8 and his friskiness has never wavered. He does sleep a bit more now and he is not nocturnal at all. I'm just glad he's healthy. That's the best we can hope for with our fur babies. Life would be sad without them. Well, I think it's time for me to take a hot shower and have some more coffee. Cookies won't bake themselves!

Cranky Cat

Cody is not happy. Winter is wearing on him. It's too cold to sit on the porch and the snow is too deep to walk around the gardens. He wants to eat. A lot. He has been begging for nip more often and he has started picking fights with Cricket just so he can chase her around. She will only tolerate so much of that before she starts hissing and crawling under the sofa. I can sympathize with him because I am so sick of the cold and snow too. Maybe in March we will finally turn the corner. I'm thinking that I might pick up some new cat toys this weekend. I need to find something that will appeal to his stalking and hunting instincts. My poor little cat bear! Hurry Spring, please!

Precious To Me

The man in the picture is my maternal Grandfather. He was a lovely, kind Irishman who grew catnip in his garden for my Grandmother's cats. He made violins by hand with no modern power tools. He was always humming, especially while he painted. The kitty salt and pepper shakers are circa 1950 something. They are exactly like the ones my Grandmother had on her Knick Knack shelf that Grandpa made for her. After they passed away (nine months apart from each other, first her, then him) I never saw her knick knacks again. Then one day I found these kitties in an antique store. I think it was their way of saying hello. :) The flower print box, it's Tookie's ashes. Now, I'm close to crying. Just typing that hurts so much. Anyway these treasures are on our antique buffet. They mean very much to me and I wanted to share. You can bigafy if you'd like. What are some of your treasures?

Happy Birthday Mo!

Today is Mo's Birthday!
Mo is everyone's favorite blogger from It's a Blog Eat Blog World and Purrchance to Dream. He's a super nice person and he's as cat crazy as I am! :)
I love to acknowledge people's birthdays, so if you want to tell me when yours is I'll make a note of it and leave a message in your comment box about your special day from my Hidden World of Birthdays book. And I'll try to mention it here too. So many of you have had birthdays already; Miss Peach, Daisy, Karla, and I know there's more. (That's why I need to write them down.) Now, let's all have a treat today and raise a cup of tea, coffee, or beverage of your choice to Mo.
= ^ ..^ =

Noodlelicious

Hello. Momma said I could blog for her today because she has too much housework to do. She is grumpy because the Big Man and the Girl Who Ignores Me Most of The Time sat around all day yesterday and didn't help to clean anything. She has just finished the dishes and must now pick up papers and video game wires off of the living room floor. I personally do not care how the house looks as long as I get food. I did help her a little today though. I showed her where a spider was hiding. I tried to catch him, but he was very fast. Momma noticed me watching something and when she saw what it was she made a scared eek sound, then scooped it up with a kleenex. She was more afraid of it biting me than of it biting her. I think that must mean she loves me, because she is very afraid of spiders. I think if given time I could have caught it myself, but I had important nap taking to do. I wish Momma could take an afternoon nap with me, but she doesn't think she can spare the time. Maybe Cody will nap with me. His growly bear sounds annoy me but I will try to ignore it. Oh, don't I look pretty on Momma's plaid scarf? She set it aside before going out and left it there. Now I have decided I like it and I do not want her to move it. She just shook her head and muttered something about the living room never being tidy. Poor Momma. I almost feel sorry enough for her to not be naughty for a while. Mmm, maybe a day would be enough? Well, I am Naughty Noodle after all! Okay, This is Cricket signing off. Remember kitties: being naughty can be fun!

I'm Wating Along With Demeter

Today while grocery shopping I picked up potting soil so I can start my seeds. I actually can't start seeds until around March 10, then supposedly by mid May I can set the seedlings out in the ground and in the pots on the patio. These pictures are copies of antique seed packets. They are also two of my favorite flowers. I have read that the Fairies love them too. ;)
I think I will start some catnip sometime this week though. They like the dried and they like it when I roll their toys in it, but fresh nip really gets them excited.
*Sigh* The snow is still so deep and it's so cold. It feels like Spring will never come. I gazed out my kitchen window this morning and the sun streamed in. It felt warm on my face and I imagined I heard a whispered, "I am coming. Hold on." Maybe it was Persephone. :) That was one of my favorite Greek myths as a child. Pandora's Box scared me. I don't think the illustrations of all the nasties that came from the box helped. Yes my imagination gets out of hand sometimes. Now, I must face reality and finish making dinner. Then hopefully I can get back to my Mrs. Murphy mystery: The Purrfect Murder, by Rita Mae Brown and her co author, her cat Sneaky Pie. Happy Weekend!

Flowers From My Sweetie And Greetings From A Friend

These are the flowers my Husband Roger gave me for Valentine's/ Anniversary Day. They are in my favorite colors purple and orange. There are roses, tulips, sweet little Daisies, and a flower that begins with an "R" that I will misspell. :) You can click to bigafy. I hope my mantle isn't too dusty...
The card with the little kitty is from a certain Peachy Cat and her Mommy. We have never formally met in person, but how dear and kind and lovely of Karla to send me this! I will treasure the card and the picture of Miss Peach forever. Thank You Karla and Peach!
We didn't do anything super fancy yesterday. It's been 22 years now and we celebrate quietly, doing things we like. We went to a very nice quiet bookstore with a really pretty little cafe and had a late brunch and just relaxed. We had our hot mochas which is always our favorite treat when we go there. By the time we got home and my daughter came home from school I was tired and achy again. So I took a short nap then Rog and I made dinner together. I know, not very exciting. But, you know, we spent the day together doing things we like to do and that's how days like that should be spent. I must confess I thought of Tookie. I think of her everyday, but at each holiday I think "my first ____without Tookie" I don't ever want to not think of her. I guess that's love never fading. Flowers will wither, but love always blooms.

Love Is All Anyone Needs

Billie, her secret squirrel and I would like to wish every one a very Happy Valentine's Day. If you have the love of even one fur baby you are blessed, because it is unconditional love.
(Oh, Mo reminded me about the cartoon "secret squirrel" and that's why that name had been rambling around in my brain) :)
I consider every one who's blog I visit a friend and even if I don't always comment, please know I enjoy visiting you and your kitties if they blog too. I hope all of the kitty couples out there have a nice Valentine's day and can "teleport" to go on their dates. ;) (Valentine's Day is our wedding anniversary so I may not be able to post if we are able to go out for the day.)
Love and Soft Purrs to you all!

Cat Naps And Hot Cocoa

It has been extremely cold here . I am a little under the weather with a RA flare and a sinus headache that won't seem to go away. Every time I try to read or do some writing, my head starts throbbing. :(
Since it is so cold and I'm feeling blah, and the kitties are sleeping and not doing anything entertaining to photograph, I thought I would post a hot cocoa recipe. I found those mugs online. I did not order them, though I would like to. My husband doesn't like to use the credit card over the internet so I don't think I will. *sigh* They are cute and very true.

Hot Cocoa
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup white sugar
1 pinch salt
1/3 cup boiling water
3 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup half and half cream is optinional

Combine cocoa, sugar, and pinch salt in sauce pan. Blend in boiling water and bring mixture to an easy boil while stirring. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes and watch that it doesn't scorch. Stir in 3 1/2 cups milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide into 4 mugs.
Add cream to mugs of cocoa to cool down if desired, or give cream to your cats. ^,^ (unless your cat is lactose intolerant like Billie)
Well, I'm going to take a hot shower and some meds now. I hope to post some new pics soon, if the kitties stop acting like lumps and actually do something. ;)

Snuggle Down Sunday

He blinks upon the hearth rug
And yawns in deep content,
Accepting all the comforts
That Providence has sent
~Alexander Grey

Quote: from my page a day cat calender.
Kitty: Cody on his blue fleece blanket. :)

Secret Squirrel

Yay! It took forever, but here she is! This is Billie with her "Secret Squirrel"
We call him that because his tummy has velcro that you can open to stash nip in. This is Billie's favorite toy. In fact it's the only one she plays with. My husband thinks the problem is with our internet provider. He ran a trace route on it. I have no idea what that means, but he's very good with that kind of thing. He's troubling shooting with them on the phone right now. Well, at least I got the picture posted. I probably should have removed the glowing eyes, but I need to work on that. I'm such a newbie! Happy Saturday!

Foiled Again By Mercury

Nope still not working. I will have to figure this out myself. Weird... I'm also missing a magazine that was supposed to come in the mail a few days ago and I had to e-mail them. I'm not sure now if my e-mail is sending out because I tried to send one out today and got an error message. Mercury is in retrograde until the 18th. It is the planet of communications and travel. When it's retrograde things tend to go wonky. I know it sounds silly, but I have noticed this kind of stuff happening before when Mercury gets in a mood. :) Well, I better get on with my day, because if I ruminate and fuss with blogger I won't get anything else done.
I hope everyone who isn't feeling well like Miss Peach's mommy Karla feels better very soon. And I'm sorry for the loss in Nancy's family. (from the Goat Rodeo) Take care everyone.

Well blogger is just giving me a hard time today. I'm trying to post a picture of Billie, my floofy girl. I will keep trying because it's very cute. Our internet service provider has been flaky since last night. They claimed they knew the problem was on their end and would have it taken care of by this morning. Today is another gray, cold day. A day for reading, straightening up the house, making tea and working on a grocery list. I might try writing a little if I can shake my brain fog.
I will try to get pictures posted later. Gee, I hope I can post this. I wish I knew if it was blogger or jasnetworks. (our IP)
Think warm spring thoughts!

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Real Intro

This is for Daisy the Lizard Slayer. :) Her blog is very inspiring.

Letting The Sun Shine In

Isn't it cool? That's the mixer that I have been wanting for a while now.
It's a Kitchen Aid and I think the copper finish is so pretty. Unfortunately it is out of my price range. Like over $550 out of my price range! *o* Our kitchen is in need of a serious makeover too. I would like to change the paint color from forest green to a pumpkin or citrus bright orange. We get a lot of morning light because the windows are on the east wall, so when the sun streams in it would be really pretty. I know orange isn't everyone's cup of tea, but our ceilings are high and this old house seems to really lend itself to bright colors. Besides, life is too short to not paint your rooms in your favorite colors. I visited www.sherwin-williams. com to play with their color visualizer and it was fun. I will probably buy the paint at Home Depot or Meijer because it's cheaper. Today I'm trying to not look out the windows because snow is falling at a rate of about 2 inches an hour. I can't take much more of this winter weather. Stir craziness has set in. Maybe that's why I'm daydreaming about painting in warm sunny colors. Now if I can just get my husband to go along with it... ;)

James Taylor Something In The Way She Moves

I used to listen to this song all the time and sing it to Tookie. She's around me now all the time. She's been with me now, quite a long long time... Today she's been gone 8 months.

Our Little Cat Bear

Cody loves his naps. I think next to eating, sleeping is his favorite thing. He's around 13 years old now, but he still likes to play with Cricket and when the weather is nicer he likes to sleep on our front porch. When he is in deep sleep he makes little groaning sounds that to me sound like a bear. So, he's our little bear cub. :) When he's bored with waiting for us to wake up in the morning he likes to run across the bed. Sometimes, he jumps over our heads. Thankfully he has never missed, though he did nick my husband's head once with a claw. He really is a very good kitty boy and he makes friends with everyone he meets. He's terrified of garbage trucks, thunder storms and fireworks that people in the neighborhood set off in July. I always make sure he's safe inside in the summer well before all of those scary things happen. He truly believes he owns the front porch and on a quiet nice day that's where you'll find him. Right after the sun sets he immediately wants in and he eats and goes to bed. I can always count on Cody to be my good boy. :)

Can't We Let Poor Phil Sleep?

This is Brigid the Bright. She's the Celtic goddess of Imbolc; What we now celebrate as Groundhog Day. The light is beginning to advance. Winter, (hopefully) will soon be on the wane. Now would be a good time to clean and de-clutter the house in preparation for Spring, then our chores begin outside. :) This is a good month to clean out the cabinets, make soups, use up the flour and baking supplies in the pantry, and stock up on herb and flower seeds on sale right now. I know we have at least 6 weeks of winter left, but it's nice to look ahead. Too bad they had to wake up that poor little Phil. I always feel bad for him, blinking against the harsh glare of lights and cameras. If that were me, I'd probably bite somebody. ;) Just let him sleep. Nature will take her course.

Life Would Be more Fun As A Cat

I'm sitting at the desk typing on the dinosaur computer today. My poor little laptop has become just a word processor now until we can get the wireless connection for it back up. It all started when we bought the new printer/scanner. It's a confusing mess that actually made my husband very frustrated because he's usually so good with this kind of thing.
Well, for now, I'll make do. I'm going to upload my pictures into this thing and try to post some later.
Last night was crazy. We had forgotten that Friday was our new trash pick up day and so at around 9:30 pm we were gathering trash from the waste baskets in the bathroom and bedrooms and doing the litter boxes. While we did that, Cody and Cricket decided to play thundering herd of rabid elephants throughout the house. along with that, my daughter announced that she had lost her Spanish workbook and expected me to know where it was. *-* Now, granted I am usually good about finding things that nobody else seems to be able to find, but she was the last one to have held it in her hot little paws. Why does it always end up being mom's fault? I guess we'll be buying a Spanish book soon.
So, while all of that's going on, I kinda pestered husband about adopting Callie, from Mo. (You can read about her at It's a blog eat blog/purrchance to dream)
"We just changed 4 litter boxes, those two nuts are tearing the house apart, ( I he dforgot to mention that Cricket had been playing Tarzan on the drapes and got caught in them, needing a rescue from me earlier.) and we just bought more cat food today. I don't want to be a crazy cat lady."
Oops! I decided not to point out that he couldn't be a lady anyway, but I didn't.
Anyway, the answer was a resounding "no". :(
Now, I'm going to finish cleaning, make some tea, and mess with my camera. I hope tonight is more calm. I will try to light my candles for people and fur babies in need and in memory of and dream of melting snow and blooming flowers.