My Poor Cody

Cody has something wrong with his eyes. The eyelids are swollen and his eyes are leaky. Our V E T was closed today, so I will call asap in the morning tomorrow. I bought some eye rinse at Pet Smart and I am using that and bathing his eyes with cotton balls soaked in warm water. His appetite is good and he played with Cricket a bit this morning.
I'm scared. My husband thinks it's just a cold. He's kinda cranky because we have just the one car and I also need help carrying Cody in the pet carrier. (stupid RA!) I'm so worried about my Cody Mac Boldly. (That's my Scottish nickname for him.) Please Purr and Pray for him.
I'm very happy that Karla and her Husband and Miss Peach are home. It will be fun to read about their vacation. I will try to visit you all by tonight. I will keep you posted about Cody Bear.
Have a Happy Day.

Cricket Really Is A Bad Girl!

"They try to make Cricket go to rehab, she say no, no, no."

Momma has been singing that to me all day! She took that "What celebrity is your cat quiz" and guess what? I'm Amy Winehouse! So, I decided to live up to my celebrity twin and trashed the living room like a Rockstar while Momma was in the shower. She thought she heard a thud and when she opened the bathroom door, she peeked out and called, "Cricket!" I ran like a thundering herd through the house and she knew something was up.

When she came out she saw that I had scattered the Girl Who Ignores Me Most Of The Time's school papers all over the floor and dragged the Snuggle In Blankets off of the sofa. I, of course by then was resting prettily , waiting for her. Oh, but here is the best Rockstar thing I did. Momma found a small puddle in the parlor that she had just cleaned and aired out a few days ago. She had to get her special cleaner out for it.
My attorney says that as long as Momma doesn't see me do it there is no proof that I did.
Do you think I should get a tattoo?
In case anyone is wondering, Billie was Angelina Jolie, (ha ha ha Yea, right) and Cody was Simon Cowell. He does like to antagonize me when he's bored, like Simon does to Paula. Momma says Cody is too sweet to be Simon.
Whatever...!
Now, I need another nap. I am under house arrest, which really doesn't mean anything because I'm a house cat, but, I still have to behave for a while. I guess that means I better not score any Nip for a few days.
Do something naughty kitties, it really is fun!

Starting Off Monday Slowly

We are back to cold spring weather. Cricket is birdwatching through a closed window. No more fresh air for a bit. She is wondering when daddy is going to bring those bricks out there back to the backyard to finish a landscaping project. I'm wondering too. :) Daddy is notorious for starting projects and not finishing them. Like many really intelligent people he has ADD. Every room in this house is a testament to it. I'm patient. If he wants to sell the house someday, he knows he will need to finish things up. I told him maybe we could hire someone cute like Carter from Trading Space/ Carter Can. ;) He didn't think so. Oh well.
Billie is once again soaking up the warm air from the register in our small bathroom. The walls are painted a really deep sea green and our lighting
bouncing off the walls casts a strange greenish light when I take pictures. I have little mermaid figurines hanging in various spots in that room. It's kind of theme. I will take pictures sometime. You would think with all of that floof, Billie wouldn't need the extra heat, but she loves it. I don't blame her. That looks good right now.
I will go blog hopping this afternoon. It will be my treat after getting some work done. :) Oh, I am so glad that Cecil and his Mom will be blogging again on Thursdays! They have such a nice blog and I'm glad it's still going to be around.
Now, we just need to have Karla and Miss Peach return. I am really praying that Peach stayed healthy during her kitty hotel stay. Kitties are the ultimate homebodies aren't they?
I hope everyone has a chance to have a little relaxation time today.

A Visit To The Garden

Yesterday was very warm. 80 degrees! Cody couldn't wait to go outside with me. He is a bit of a camera hog. After I took one picture of him he kept trying to get into the other shots of the flowers.
The pink heart shaped flowers are called Bleeding Hearts. The white daffodils with the peach ruffles are called Salome. Then there are some early blooming tulips and pansies.
Today and for the coming week it is going to be quiet cold. Bummer. I will probably get some more cleaning done and bake some cookies. My husband and daughter are in the basement building a bookshelf. The house smells like sawdust. I think I will just visit some more blog friends before I get to work.
Tomorrow I will try to post some more Billie and Cricket pictures. They are back to power napping and bird watching.
Cecil and Cecil's Mommie; If you come by to visit; I will miss you very much! :(
I hope you will still leave a comment just to say hi and let me know how you are doing. Please take care and I will keep you in my thoughts. Cecil you are the stripiest cutest cougar ever.
Happy Weekend Everyone.

Thursday Evening Poem

Cody and I are enjoying another nice spring day. Next week it's supposed to get cold again, but we will not think about it right now.
Tomorrow I will try to snap some more pictures of the daffodils and tulips that are blooming. Billie needs a new picture taken too. :)

All your wondrous wealth of hair;
Dark and fair,
Silken-shaggy, soft and bright
As the clouds and beams of night,
Pays my reverent hand's caress
Back with friendlier gentleness
~Algernon Charles Swinburn
Taken from the book Cat Angels

Good Night =^. . ^ =

Mid Week Catch UP

My three days of off and on fevers has ended. Yay! Yesterday afternoon I napped with Cricket. But, before I did, I eased my guilt about feeling lazy by doing some spring cleaning. My body decided that I was not listening, so my joints locked up and my temperature soared. So, I went to bed and Cricket happily joined me. She can be a very sweet kitty sometimes.
The weather has been so pretty here this past week. 70 to 75 degrees and sunny. I actually like it around 80 to 85 and humid. I know many people are not fond of humidity, but to me it feels wonderful. My husband agreed that if we ever have the chance to move out of state, we can move to Florida or Georgia. But, our home has to have central air and a pool would be nice too. The only thing that scares me about Florida are alligators. Did you see the one that actually broke into a lady's house? He was huge! She found him in her kitchen. She took out her camera and filmed him from a distance of course. At least I think she's the one that filmed him. He hissed! Yikes!
This afternoon and evening after dinner I need to play catch up and visit some blogs. I miss visiting Miss Peach. I hope she's ok and that Karla and her husband are enjoying Hawaii.
Today's picture is titled "Playtime". I hope every one manages to have some playtime this week. =^.. ^ =

Putting Monday To Bed

Cricket is her own cat and she choses carefully those she will grace with her presence. ~ Me, thinking that as I watched her resting.~

It is a mild Monday evening here. Our living room window is open. I have books to read, kitties to pet and talk to and the internet to mess with. The internet isn't that fun. My husband is doing programming on his computer. My daughter has an essay to finish. I guess I'm just feeling blah. Maybe I need more sleep. Those kitties are really on to something with that catnapping business!
I have been a little feverish for the last two days. That would lead me to believe that's probably why I'm feeling run down. Duh.... :) Yes, more sleep is surely in order. I'll visit later friends. =^ ..^ =

"I give very good advice, but I very seldom follow it." ~ Alice in Wonderland~

Another Weekend Has Passed Me By/Sunny Sunday!

I survived the mall! I'm tired today though and am anxious to go outside and get some sun. Right now Billie is on my lap, so I will wait until she decides to get up. She's not sleeping, just purring away.
Miss Peach's Mommy, Karla and her husband, (Lapdaddy) are going to Hawaii for a week! Miss Peach will be going to a very nice Kitty Hilton. I will keep them all in my thoughts for a nice vacation and a safe trip home. I'm sure going to miss them!
While I was waiting in the changing area for my daughter to try on things I met a cute little girl who was waiting for her mom and sister as they tried on things. She asked me who I was waiting for. After I told her my daughter she asked how old she was. "Sixteen" I said. "My sister is seventeen." She said, and then asked me if my daughter was "mean", because her sister was mean! :) I replied that mine could be rather grumpy. She sighed, "My sister is grumpy. I have five sisters."
This little girl was so cute and so bored! My daughter came out of the changing room huffing and puffing and complaining. I glanced at the little girl and she smiled and I smiled back. Yup, grumpy teenager. Someday, that little girl will be a tempermental teen too.
I'm going to take my meds and soak up some sunshine now. Billie has left to nap elsewhere. I hope you all have a nice Sunday!

Friday Afternoon In The Garden With Cody.

Cody and I relaxed outside yesterday. It was 75 degrees! He seemed a little high strung yesterday, my husband noticed it too. We think the earthquake aftershock bothered him. The early morning one was barely noticeable, but Cody has always been sensitive to things like that; thunderstorms, fireworks, garbage trucks. :) I'm just glad here in Michigan we will probably never have an actual earthquake.
The tulips haven't opened yet, but when they do I'll take some pictures. I have to take a teenager shopping today. (my daughter) I fear this will not end well. sigh... ;0
Have a Happy Weekend Everyone!

Mr. C's Turn

Hi everybody! Cody here and it's my turn to blog! I am a very easy going, fun loving mancat. I like to play and eat and nap. Momma says I have Spring Fever. I hope I do not have to go to the V E T. I feel fine, though I am driving Momma crazy with wanting to go out to my porch all the time. I can only go out when she can supervise me because she wants to keep track of where I am. I get impatient waiting for her to be able to watch me. She makes me wear a collar with a tag just in case I take off and she can't catch me. I usually keep very close to my porch and the gardens though. Our yard has lots of birds and squirrels to watch. I'm actually a little afraid of those squirrels. Those sneaky rodents are mean!
My tag on my collar is a fishy. It has a bell and so does my collar. It helps to wake up Momma when I want breakfast. I jump on the bed and jog across it a few times. That gets the bells ringing really good! I may be 14 years old, but I still have a lot of energy. This makes Cricket mad at me sometimes. I just want to play, but she gets annoyed very easily and hisses and smacks me. She is very moody! Billie is nice. She doesn't play much, but I lay down next to her sometimes. She's the nice sister. Tookie was a nice older sister. We never fought and she loved to watch birdies when she sat in the window. I like being the only brother in a house of girl cats. Well, I hope to blog again. It was nice to meet you! Have Fun today!

Another Week Is Moving Along

Quote from my page a day cat calendar:

~A Kittie's prayer;~
Let the sun shine where I lay,
Keep me young so I may play,
And most of all, bless the
people I adore,
And guard me from the dog
next-door.


( I know there are a lot of dogs that like their kitty friends, but it's still cute.)


Happy Birthday to Princess The White Curly Cat! She's 17 today! Billie will be 14 July 10. She still seems like a kitten to me.

My daughter is finished with spring break and is now back at school. My husband is back to work. The house is quiet. I love them, but quiet is nice. I am tired, but I have plenty to keep me busy. So I will try to visit as many blogging friends as I can and then get some work done. I'm still not sure why I'm the only one who sees the messes that need to be cleaned. I am waiting for one of them to trip on their stuff that they leave scattered about. Usually though, it's me that trips. *-*

I hope you have a lovely day and I'll try to stop by as soon as I can. =^.. ^=

Srormy Weather Part 2 And Cricket Wreaking Havoc

See the poor terra cotta kitty? See Cricket sitting in front of the terra cotta kitty before he was broken? Well, she got a little wild playing with Cody today and knocked the cat over as she ran by. It's not the first time Terra Cotta has been broken. He's been glued back together from previous rough housing incidents thanks to Husband and Daughter. I'm not sure if super glue is going to be enough this time. Cricket was a black blur right after it hit the hearth. She ran upstairs and I didn't see her again for quite a while. (oh, that's Billie's white paws. She's surveying the damage) I'm not mad at her, but I am bummed about about Terra Cotta. Cricket certainly keeps me busy!
See the ominous sky? I took that picture from our backyard this afternoon. We were under a tornado watch for a couple of hours. It was actually warm and a bit humid for a little bit. Nothing severe ever materialized and the cold front came through. This weekend will be icky, which means more indoor spring cleaning.
Our old house is a little large for us. We bought it 14 years ago and it needed a lot of cosmetic work. We're still not done. At least the kitties have enough room to run around and cause havoc! Happy Weekend!

Stormy Weather Part 1

This is our house. I took some pictures of the scary looking sky we had this afternoon too, but blogger is being really slow, so I will post them later. It has been a really strange day. I will also try to post some pictures of some major naughtiness that occurred this afternoon. Can you guess who? =^..^ =
Our house looks a little creepy , but I promise it's not haunted. :)
Have a Happy Evening!

Would Anyone Like A Piece Of Cake?

The mermaid is the work of artist Renae Taylor. I cut out that picture from Fairie Magazine a few months ago, pasted it on posterboard, cut it out again and put clear plastic over it. Then I punched a small hole in the top, threaded a ribbon through and hung the picture from a kitchen cabinet handle. It hangs over the coffee maker. :) I would love to order an actual print from the artist someday.
The mermaid needs her coffee to cause mayhem. Cricket prefers her stinky goodness and crunchies in the morning before she begins a long day of shredding furniture, playing with toys, and napping.
I'm sorry if my blue mood is bumming you out. I don't mean to be a big ball of sad. Warm weather is slow in coming here and even though I love summer I'm dreading the month of June. Tookie went to the Bridge on June 4 last year. I'm just not ready to face the fact that I haven't had my kitty for a year. You all would have loved her. Oh, she was the best! So good natured, really smart and talkative. Please don't think I love my other 3 kitties any less. I love them very much. But, Tookie and I were just so close. I think that cat understood me better than anyone else. It's hard to lose someone like that.
Keeping busy is helping a little. Yesterday I baked a chocolate cake and my husband and I went to the bookstore and out to dinner while my daughter went to movie night at her friend's house. You would think that with all the baking that I do I would weigh 300 pounds. Actually, I'm fairly petite, thanks to RA. Not that an auto immune disease is a recommended way to lose weight mind you, but it does affect my appetite and the low grade fevers I get raise my metabolism. No, I'm not skinny and I really need to tone up! I like baking though. It's creative and the end result makes everybody happy.
Oh, a couple of nights ago there was a f1 tornado west of us in a small county. It moved east through a few more miles before it fizzled out. There was some damage, but no body was hurt. Michigan has 3 seasons; winter, road construction, and severe weather. Sigh.... I need more coffee...

Keeping Busy While Kitties Nap

Yesterday we went out and about for a while and ended up at Target. I was looking for that really cool jungle gym that Cecil's Mommy found, but no luck. I did take advantage of their sale on plastic storage boxes though. Today I packed up CD's ,Tapes, Crafting stuff, and flashlights and odds and ends. Each in their own special boxes. I still have clutter around the house! I think I need more boxes...
This week I want to get some more inside stuff done. It's supposed to be kind of rainy anyway, so it's a good time for spring cleaning. Maybe I'll do some baking too. The kitties are all being sleepyheads. Cricket snoopervised while I put things away in the storage boxes. She jumped in the larger one and for just a brief moment she looked like she might have been thinking of using it for "you know what" ! I said her name and she jumped out and gave me The Look. I'm wondering if she did that just to tease me. She's such a stinker sometimes. :)
Well, soon I'll be off to the store again. I still need to get batteries and we are nearly out of dishwasher soap. And of course I must get more Stinky Goodness.

Bloom - Casey Stratton

Casey is an amazing singer/songwriter from West Michigan. I have seen him in concert twice. This song pretty much leaves me a teary mess, but his voice is angelic. I will post others sometime.

Miss Personality

Hello. Cricket here. Momma's camera needs new batteries and she is in a grumpy mood, so I'm giving you an encore picture of me and blogging on her behalf. She said she has nothing new to tell and she feels blah and boring. I have no idea what that is like because I'm young, pretty and full of energy. Too bad Momma isn't a cat huh? She is enjoying the warmer weather, but she is frustrated because when ever she starts yard work her fingers start to hurt, then they stiffen up. Thank goodness she can still pop open a can of Stinky Goodness! Why must beans work so much? It's a puzzle to me. The past few nights I have been sleeping on the end of the bed and not on Momma's tummy. I don't know why, I guess I just wanted a change. This seems to make her sad, but I'm not trying to make her sad. I'm just being a cat. Personally, I think she's being too sensitive. She tends to be that way.
Well, it's almost 11:00 pm here and my tummy is on a schedule. Time to act cute to get her attention and then trot into the kitchen. See you later. Find something interesting (naughty) to do! Purrs.

Just Hanging Around The House

Cody takes hanging around very seriously. He reminds me of a bat, sleeping (almost) upside down like that. Oh, no sign of Batly yet.
I decided to take some random pictures of some neat things in the house. That hinge is made of brass and is original to the house which was built in 1891. It was covered in layers of paint. We removed as many doorknobs and hinges as we could and dunked them in paint stripper. After the paint was removed and they were polished, my husband put a coat of varnish over them so they wouldn't tarnish. Our house isn't a super fancy Victorian because it was built by a working/middle class family. But, it does have some pretty touches here and there.
My daughter painted that picture for me for Halloween. I love the show Bewitched and I told her that as a little girl I pretended to be Samantha and I named my dolls after characters on the show. :) She saw a picture similar to this in a magazine and painted this for me. Now, my hair is auburn, but I'm not as lithe and beguiling as this pretty witch. But, I love this picture and I think my daughter is very talented. When I framed it, she seemed a little embarrassed but I think she was secretly pleased that I hung it in the living room.
I'm hoping for a quiet weekend. I have to grocery shop. (Yuck!) If it's warm enough I'd like to go for a walk. I just need my body to cooperate. I was stubborn yesterday and changed litter boxes and hauled a vacuum around even though my back was hurting. But, you know, sometimes you have to get things done, because if you don't do it it won't happen. (Even scoopable litter has to be dumped eventually, eew!) .
I hope Spring is finally here and the sun finds you all!

Cricket On A Wednesday

"To understand a cat, you must realize that he has his own gifts
his own viewpoint, even his own morality."

~Lilian Jackson Braun~


Take Cricket for example. She has absolutely no guilt about lounging in the afternoon sun. And why should she? She looks fabulous while doing it. :)

Lost, One Toy Bat. (And My Mind)

I'm finally posting. Yay! I'm finally coming out of a pain medication stupor. I had a really bad flare in my ribcage yesterday. All the cartilage on my right side was inflamed. Ouch! I'm a bit better today. At least now I can sit upright. :)
See the rubber bat on the chair? That is Batly. He belongs to Cricket. He started out as a Halloween party favor that my daughter came home with a few years ago. Then Cricket discovered him and started carrying him around in her mouth. We tied a black ribbon around him so we could make him fly for her. If you do it just right, Batly really looks like he's flying! When she carries him around, sometimes Cricket will stop, put him on the floor and start meowing in a very plaintive manner as if she wants us to come see.
Well, this picture was taken a few weeks ago. Now we can't find Batly. We think Cricket hid him somewhere, but so far we haven't been able to figure out where. This old house has a lot of good hiding places for a kitty to hide toys. I know he's on of her favorite toys and I worry that she misses him. But, if she hid him then she must know where he is, right? Maybe if we find him she won't feel the need to be so aggressive with Cody when they play. Nah, I think it's just in Cricket's nature to play rough, still it would be nice to find Batly.
Tomorrow I have to go to the dentist so I hope I'm more mobile. At least I get to lie down for a while. ;) Oh Mother Nature play a really mean April Fools joke today. Yes, we had snow flurries. Fortunately , they didn't stick, so I guess her mood wasn't too bad. I hope no one had any bad joke played on them today. Some times it's fun, but I'm not really into April Fools Day. Besides, there's no candy involved! =^..^=