A Tale of Three Kitties

This post is nowhere near epic as the title suggests. Sorry, Mr. Dickens, for any copyright infringement. ~grin~ But I just had to share each of our girls’ unique quirks.

Polly is known as The Great Ribbon Slayer. I think she wanted her sister’s assistance when this image was taken.

I just needed a beauty shot before continuing...

This time, Terra did not assist in killing ribbons. She enjoyed peering out the bedroom window before jumping to the top of my dresser. For reasons I cannot comprehend she occasionally becomes fascinated by my fan, which was running when she made the leap.

Your photos cannot do my majestic beauty justice...

Our One Fanged White Wonder (so nicknamed after her expensive dental extractions) received a very unprofessional haircut from me. At the right angle viewing her backside, it looks like she’s wearing a frilly miniskirt. Alas, my botched job did not prevent the buildup of a hairball.

Excuse my superior digestive system,
frail human...

In my effort to apologize for shaming her I took this much more flattering photo of her lounging. It disturbed her nap, though, so I guess a further apology is needed.

I am gorgeous no matter what you do to my fur...

Should I expect a thanks from craft stores for protecting their stock of ribbons? Do you think I have a future as a pet grooming trendsetter?

My Little Helper

Starting seeds in our basement has been both relaxing and successful. We already had a warming mat to help them propagate as well as other equipment to aid seedlings. The one thing I do not have is a proper potting bench, and my video proves the point.

Do you think I should offer some of my extra little vegetable plants to friends and neighbors? Would you accept such an offer?

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The Floof of Doom

As mentioned before, our kitties each have multiple silly nicknames. Polly with all her extra toes and fluffy fur still earned some boss ones, or what I like to call Biker names. One of them follows the theme from my title: Floofing Thunder. I literally knew some bikers who went by Lightning and Thunder, some of the sweetest guys you can imagine.

The one used specifically for my title is especially appropriate for this post. I had my Suncatcher unit that simulates sunlight, gifted a few years ago by my husband. She got on the cat tree beside my desk and sat just far enough forward that the bright beam below lit her fur just so.

She believes in catch and release, even
for the most annoying bugs...

Is she adorable even looking somewhat villainous? Are you familiar with products that allegedly lessen depression from Seasonal Affective Disorder?

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My very Biased Toktoberfest 2024 Family Winner

My husband accused me of faking this... Nope.
How can anyone fake silly Polly's pose?
All I can say to our silly girl is,
"Please don't ever change."

 

It's Tocktoberfest! And here's Terra...

She is Our Sleek Multi-toed Athlete...

It's Tocktoberfest! Dandelion offers our first entry...

Finally, a Fan of the Tunnel

Old Timers Moving On – & – an Apology

First, I want to let our blogger friend Strayer know that her tireless work is much appreciated. I’m sorry that no web browser I’ve tried will let me comment today. ~rolls eyes~ Be that way, Google…

So, anyway, my husband and I moved into our home in 1994. We bought a flat screen television that year, an expensive investment. Years ago we planned on buying a high definition unit when the old Sony died. But it’s hung on all these decades (!) and weighs more than we can now lift together.

Together deciding we would finally replace it, my husband did excellent research. He discovered a unit that fit our living space and even the old stand (!), whose own heavy components I assembled.

Before this new Samsung arrived we needed to clear space and contacted 1-800-JUNK. These crews don’t just haul things to a garbage dump, they donate/recycle everything possible; I’ve seen their work on shows about hoarders.

This super kind and competent duo gave a fair estimate, we agreed, and they quickly loaded up a broken treadmill, miscellaneous outdated electronic devices, plus the dinosaur television. This all happened a day earlier than expected, mere hours after our new TV was delivered.

Impressed by their service, my husband added a tip to the reasonable fee. And I made sure to leave a good review. Even our cat Dandelion was happy because the guys doted on her while the twins hid.

The way things worked out is awesome,
and "Titan AE" looks amazing...

Can you believe our receiver has since died? How lucky are we that the television has decent sound?

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Pumpkins – & – Lucy the Octopus

As our growing season winds down I’m happy to have harvested four Jarrahdale pumpkins. They are more gray than blue but much like those seen at a garden center last autumn. These last three will be indoor décor until winter, when I’ll process them for foodstuffs.

I would be devastated if some prankster smashed these...

 

I’ll make an effort to display them through a front window. Meanwhile, I hope to try growing more colors as shown below. The one problem is having enough space for their vines. My husband joked about buying a patch of farmland and I am starting to think we should look into it.

I could buy 3 packs of seeds for the cost of 1 of these...

Before processing my first one, Terra had to investigate. In other words, she decided to provide an adorable photo bomb.

“I’m all you need for fall decoration, Mom.”

Last but not least, here is a video my husband discovered. If you think octopuses are creepy, feel free to skip. They sure are smart. It’s a true shame most species only live two years.

Does your area provide community garden spaces? Should I see if any neighbors would be willing to invest in some land?

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Why Our Carpet Looks Awful

This house, built in 1978, has all original carpet as far as we know. My husband and I had one bathroom and the kitchen renovated years ago, plus new entryway flooring installed. Outside is another story altogether. Anyway, the following illustrates why we’ve left the carpet alone.

While I make grooming attempts, Terra and Polly wrestling gets the job done better. Check this out…

I must be clear that we’d rather have our silly kitties than a neat and tidy house. They are well behaved felines with only the expected issues.

Meanwhile, Dandelion is a long legged female with great strength. We think she never enjoyed a proper kittenhood before we took her in. By the way, my husband doesn’t know she’s shredded anything but cat furniture.

Look at those pink ear tips as she
surveys her efforts...

Do you prefer rugs and carpeting? If not, what is your favorite flooring material?

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How Old Are You, Exactly?

 

Sharknado!

I don’t know if you’ve even heard about the spoof disaster series involving man eating sharks getting pulled into a waterspout and raining down on unsuspecting citizens. Seeing the first (also maybe second), I found the premise delivered a fun and silly popcorn movie night.

Well, Terra discovered my cute stuffed shark, an adorable reminder of those films. This is probably not the healthiest (communist Chinese made) human toy for pet play. However, she appears to use her paws more than teeth. I didn’t know cats batted prey out of the air like that.

Wouldn’t she make a great huntress? Do you think I should be on the safe side and take the stuffed animal away?

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My Sweet, Gentle, Silly Terra

 

Three's Company

Upon returning from the grocery store this afternoon I was pleased to see Terra about a foot away from Dandelion on our bed. Several minutes later, Polly had joined her sister for a mutual grooming session. This development made us very happy.

Before I got up, Dani had settled on my side. We have the sweetest cats. And I can say the same about the three who lived here before passing away.

I like having my smart phone handy...

I took the next image a while back. This little unicorn tent sits on the guest bed. If Terra had a bushy tail like Polly’s I might assume there is just one cat in there.

I once feared the tent too small for a cat;
Obviously, I was wrong...

Can you see the second pair of kitty ears in the tent? Isn’t it funny that I sort of ‘photo bombed’ both of my own images?

A Strange Day

Our cat Dandelion woke me early this morning jumping on the bed seeking attention. After telling my husband, on his computer at the time, I returned to bed.

Ornery Terra later woke me by knocking my phone off the nightstand. To my shock, it was past 11:15! No wonder she wanted me up.

Discombobulated, I thought I might still be asleep and dreaming when my husband then told me about a derecho sweeping through the central United States. Unfortunately for those living in this weather pattern’s path, it’s very real and I wish them all the best.

On a lighter note, I opened a box just delivered. I turned around moments later and found the aforementioned kitty Dandelion sitting there.

Is that expression adorable or what?

Isn’t nature's force often either wondrous or terrible? On a different topic, did you know that the wonderful character actor Dabney Coleman passed away?

There’s a fabulous homage on the blog Shadow of a Doubt. By the way, I do not think the bubbles forming in the rain were caused by any chemicals but rather ideal conditions. It probably would not have happened had the guy who replaced our driveway done a better job years ago.

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One Wild Bird and Six Pet Kitty Names

Our kind friend Strayer expressed interest in video I took during my riverside walk. Here are two, in fact. ~grin~ The first shows a very determined crane on the hunt. I’m impressed by how still they can stand even near raging waters.

Then I must have gotten too close, which made me feel bad. At least I got to see its majestic flight.

On her blog, Pam shared a cute game in which you try to describe a pet’s name without declaring it outright. I just had to join the fun. I’ll start with the three sweethearts we’ve lost over the last decade, listing each in order of their arrival into our hearts and home. Of course each is listed under my blog’s labels but I’ll put the answers below…

Our Earth’s moon in Latin
Actresses Meg and Jennifer
The wicked wife of Israeli King Ahab
The Earth, ‘firma’
Who wants a cracker?
A prolific yellow flowering weed

Do you think the bird recognized my predatory ocular orientation? And since cats are both predator and prey, why don’t they have a second set of eyes on the sides of their heads?

Here are the girls’ names:
Luna
Tilly
Jezebel
Terra
Polly
Dandelion


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A Very Silly Girl

 

A Curious Analysis Has Me Baffled – & – Our Silly Polly

Yesterday morning I took Terra and Polly for their annual vet check-up. Last year the clinic sent me home with Gabapentin for their next visit. It irked me that I was expected to drug my cats.

Worse, the listed expiration date was sometime last summer, so no way did I plan on using it. I told the technician they hadn’t been given this expired (!) medication but that I’d trimmed their front claws the day before. Well, the girls did great other than some hissing and growling.

Apparently they have a reputation, though, as the veterinarian I’d never met before mentioned Terra climbing on top of the wall mounted computer monitor and heading for the built-in high cupboards last time. She didn’t try any stunts yesterday.

He did have to wait until her lengthy low growl subsided in order to hear her heartbeat. lol They each received a CVR booster shot and we came right home.

My husband is equally confused by the vet’s diagnosis of mild obesity and thought perhaps it was to sell me some expensive diet pet food. But the doctor’s sole suggestion involved set feeding times. In agreement, I can’t convince my spouse to stop leaving kibble constantly available. ~sigh~ Meanwhile, neither gained weight over the past year.

Our athletic Terra remains at eleven pounds, her sister at eight. I do agree that Polly’s long coat needs more attention. For that matter, so does Dandelion’s; she will get her check-up sometime in late spring.

Should I be more open to sedating my pets? For experienced cat caretakers, do you think the vet rightly judged them overweight by feel despite lack of any gain?

 

My Year?

My dentist prognosticating 2024 as “my year” leaves me in doubt as to specifics. February hasn’t started off so great.

Dandelion decided to jump onto my side around midnight, January 31st. Slipping, she dug her claws into my right forearm. While painful, it didn’t give me much thought until later. I could have sworn she left a shed claw in my flesh.

After consulting my primary care physician via phone I visited a local urgent care facility. The nurse practitioner who treated my topical foot infection last spring retained his dry humor.

“Now, the fun begins,” he quipped upon entering the examination room. His magnified close inspection revealed no foreign object, much to my relief. I’m simply on a seven day antibiotic course.

As in May of 2023 he again said to avoid folk remedies like warm compresses followed by squeezing the wound site. I replied in agreement and how I declined my husband’s suggested ointment and bandage.

Acting impressed, he immediately asked if I had a medical background. Far from it, mere bad luck and being a klutz have taught me a lot over the years.

Did you know that antibiotics help push intruding objects out? Isn’t a good sense of humor important in most any upbeat workplace?

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The Sweet and the Tangy

I’m happy to report that Dandelion has not avoided me since she came out of hiding yesterday afternoon. I will not attempt peering into her ears for a few days. She really is a sweet kitty.

As for the tang in my title, I discovered an easy recipe on the inside of a Philadelphia cream cheese box for mini lemon-ginger cheesecakes. One ingredient I didn’t recognize is lemon curd.

These folks charge $12.95(US) per jar!

A quick search answered my question and uncovered a recipe for making instead of buying it. Believing homemade is best I also do not plan to purchase ginger snap cookies for the cheesecake bottom “crusts”.

I cooked up the curd yesterday and ate some in my morning yogurt, also homemade. lol Yum! I plan to freeze and vacuum seal most of the curd since my husband bought ingredients for banana chocolate whole wheat muffins.

He baked them in the 2000’s and I’d take some to my office. I still joke that the guys stampeding from the factory floor put me in danger; they were that popular a treat.

Funny enough, I’ll be freezing and sealing some upcoming muffins plus both my lemon juice and zest had been processed from fresh fruit, then frozen and sealed. It’s so rewarding being able to preserve bargain food purchases.

A key to using my FoodSaver is freezing the food stuffs first. Before learning this I ruined some packages via liquid breaking the seal in progress. So far nothing has gotten irredeemably freezer burned.

Besides meats, fruits, and vegetables, baked goods should be pre-frozen. I once crushed room temperature corn muffins. Hitting the seal button early would have prevented this. ~rolls eyes~ Thawed, my muffin pucks at least tasted fine.

Is it silly that I enjoy running my FoodSaver? Should we offer some of those banana chocolate muffins to neighbors?

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The Good, the Bad, and the Sweet

This morning our cat Dandelion delighted me by coming out of her comfort zone, joining me in an another room. It was so sweet seeing her enjoy a good scalp massage despite the mess her fur left on my clothing. While unrelated, a bag of store-bought cherries also made me happy.

I like how these cherries look like Valentine hearts...
I will ignore any remarks about the crevices ~grin~

Unfortunately I also noticed Dandelion’s terribly dirty inner ears and used an ear cleaning solution which she did not like one bit. While she didn’t run from me or struggle much, I should have left well enough alone after swabbing one ear instead of going for a second cotton ball. She bolted under the couch we’d shared earlier and hasn’t come out since.

At least treating her ears removed a fair amount of gunk; I can only hope she’ll forgive and forget. It’s always me that notices and treats these types of things. ~sigh~ As soon as my husband sits down to watch television he’ll no doubt have Dandelion on his lap in minutes.

As for my clothes, I used leftover sticky fly paper to clean my sweater. It worked quite well.

Finding the stuff reminded me how Terra somehow got a piece stuck to her underbelly as a kitten. I didn’t panic and she calmly let me cut her free. Ah, memories.

Isn’t it funny how playing the mean role translates to raising both pets and young kids? Wouldn’t it be nice if either comprehended loving good intentions?

If you want to see how gross my hairy black sweater looked after petting Dani, keep scrolling down…

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