New Years Eve

US:  Does Sandy Claws come again tonight?

TBT:  No.

US:  So why are we still being good?

TBT:  Because ChissyMouse Day is only 12 Big Moons away.

US:  Oh.  AAAACCCKKKKK!

TBT:  And because you are good kitties all year.

US:  So?  We got 11 Big Moons, right?

TBT:  And for good foods...

US:  ACK!

TBT:  I can order more duck and cow and chickie and tuna.  Or I can give you basement-sweepings...

US:  You mean Sawdust?

TBT:  If you are lucky.

US: We are good kitties, yes we are.  We love cow and tuna and duck and that stuff!

TBT: And you will have them my friends, all year long.  I was making a joke.

US: Dont joke about FOODS!

TBT:  Sorry.  Never ever fear guys...   There will be bacon and ham and steak too.

US:  Can we sit on yer warm lap too?

TBT: Always and forever!

US: And play toy toss?

TBT:  Every evening, like (almost) always.

US:  We think 2018 is going to be our favrit year!  Is it sleepy time yet?

TBT:  Would you like a fire?

US:  Ooh we havent seen one in a long time.  Yes.

TBT:  Well, let's have nice little one in the fireplace.  It is traditional and I actually cleared some space around it today.  Then we will all share some shrimpies and curl up together and see the New Year in.    And tomorrow we'll start a whole new year together...  Another new Spring, and Summer!

And to all our friends, near and far, known and unknown, a Happy New Year full of love, happiness, companionship, and foods and toys and more love...

Caturday Saturday

IZA: A box...

A small box...

A cat in a small box.

Hey gimme a break.  That a really small box!  I mean, Ayla couldn't, um well yes she could...   Hmmm...

TBT tried a tossed toy.  And I was tempted.  But I knew what he wanted me ta do.  So I didnt.

 I looked it all over...

Tried it again.

No way...  But it made a great place ta hide behind fer a pounce.  

And yes Ayla did come around all unsuspecting.  And she puffed up like a 14" pine cone tail.

But TBTs camera isnt THAT fast...  So you'll just have to imagine it.  MOL!

Friday Flashback

AYLA:  I used ta get up on the roof.  5 feet from the deck rail to the roof...

Ah, THOSE were the days...

Toesie Thursday

MARLEY:    Yay! Its Toesie Thursday!

What, it sposed ta be Tuesday?  Well how would *I* know, Iza allus does it!  Well I'm on now, what am I sposed ta do, dance?

I declare it to be Toesie THURSDAY!

Good...  Now TOESIES!

Flyin High, in the air...

Way down low, on TBTs lap...

Resting calmly, not a tap...

Let them almost touch...

And that's a wrap!

The Day After The Day After ChrissyMouse

IZA: I am werking the new ESS carefully.  Its a little different of where ta claw from the last one,

But I learn FAST!

 Find the hard spots, and CLAW IT!

 Spin it around...

Rip it front claws and backs...

 Pull it around...

 Ask it surrender and then REFUSE the offer, MOL!

There is NO END to my joy with an ESS.

Until I wear it out to soft comfy fuzzes...  Then it is good fer nappin on...

PREZZIES!

Ooh we got nice prezzies!   Sandy Claws was GOOD to us.  Not that we dint deserve it, as we are GOOD KITTIES (usually), but we were still all happy.

There was a new ESS.  An we sure needed it.  We have worn the last couple out VERY WELL and PROPERLY.  They were nothing but fuzz...

And there was OTHER COOL STUFF!  Skiterry rings fer Ayla, new mice fer me (Iza), and  a Fkicker Ball fer Marley.  We think its fer Marley.  He likes tricky stuff.

And bows wrapping paper too!  Fer all of us, we agreed...

All in all, we think it was very good an we will make sure to enjoy these gifts from Sandy Claws all the year.

How could we not?  Sandy Claws spends time creating these wunnerful things JUST FER US.  Well, and the stuff YOU all got fer YOU all too...

Chrissymouse Day

Mousie-Plum Dreams...

MARLEY'S VERSION:

The Big Thing was snuggled deep into his bed,
Not the slightest intelligent thought in his head.

We Mews were all sleepy, having been quite well fed
But still having visions of mousies well led

To our eager and happified paws so it were
In our dreams, but that was before

The noise in the basement became quite extreme
And we heard a weerd sound like a fat man a-scream.

"Fess up" said Young Marley, "which one of you put
The rat-trap in fireplace ta grab the old coot"?

Ayla and Iza began hems and haws,
But Marley saw soot on both of their paws!

"How dare you entrap Sandy Claws", you old coots
"And all that you did was grab one his boots"!

You jeopardized all my wand toys and Nip-fish"!
And Iza, you forfeited all your treat-ish.

You must now go, loose him, and soothe his poor hurt,
By looking all cute-eyed and rolling in dirt.

He'll forgive and forget, and you know that quite well,
So get down there right now and make sure you do tell,

That old Sandy Claws that you meant no harm at all
So he'll leave us some presents meant for us all!

  .............................

IZA'S VERSION:

Sandy Claws, spirit so Merry and Bright,
Came down our chimbly, during the night.
He tripped on the Yule log needing some light.

I sat there awaiting his glorious presence,
Hoping for multitudinous presents.
And he, seeing me, said "You deserve endless".

Rattely mousies and balls he did pour
Around me and endlessly onto the floor.
And Nip by the pound, the most and then more!

  .............................

AYLA'S VERSION:

I napped on the bed with TBT to wait
For the visit of old Sandy paws coming late.
I asked him for nothing, I have all I need.
With the milk-rings, TBT,  and food that I heed.

  ----------------------

We've all had our strange dreams
And all that we want
After waking up is to find
Things are normal-like.

We know this part never will rhyme,
But if you search in YOUR hearts,
Perhaps you will find
You had strange dreams like we did
And when you awoke,
Were happier discovering that they were fake.

Let there be HAPPINESS THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE

OK, we think we completely weerded out this time...

ChrissyMouse Eve

All is silent, all is calm.  We are sleeping the day away waiting for Sandy Claws to come finally!

It is safer to sleep than take a chance of getting on the naughty list this last day.

Rumor says there is a new ESS involved and maybe a few new NIP toys.

Good 3 kitties we be...

Caturday Saturday

MARLEY:  I'm safe here.  It's where the bedroom door opens to. 

TBT allus looks and never opens the door enough ta disturb me. 

Freaky Friday

MARLEY:  Sisfur Iza has the force strong in her she does!  So do I. 

Mousies come to me when I call.  But the Evil Skwerls not yet come.  More learning I require.  Think harder, I must...

Thursday Throwback

But just to last week.  We didn't want to lose the pictures of us looking at a 2nd snow.

Better late than never, right?

Womancat Wensday

AYLA:  Lest nokitty misunderstand.  I AM a Princess.  The pose, the ruff, the properly-curled tail, the straight front paws.  THE LOOK!

Ignore the twisted whiskers... 

Toesie Tuesday

IZA:  Forgive me Willie Nelson (Down The Road Again)...  Some Karaoke!

Here I go again (da,da,da,da,da) Showin off my toesies once again (da, da, da, da, da)

Knowing that you all are such my Special Friends, I just have to show off my toes again (da,da,da,da,da)!

Forgive me Willie, we LOVE yer music...

Holiday Tree

We have a Holiday Tree.  It has been a few years, and this one is REAL small.  TBT separated our cat trees and put it on a small table between them.  We aren't sure quite what to make of it. 

I sometimes eat a late meal up on the cat tree (just for a change of spot from the bathroom windowsill and the shoe rack) .  It was an odd change to see a tiny tree below me, but it didnt stop me from eating there.  I was hungry.

I DID kinna snicker-meow at it.

The Thing At The Top  looks innerestin.  THAT wont last long.  A little push an the whole tree will Fall Right Over.  Where's the challenge in THAT?

Marley came up to lick the bowl  and ignored the tree utterly.

TBT says we should make sure to not knock it over, as our "flats" are guarding it.  Yeah, right!  Oh, BTW, that stocking on the table is TBTs childhood stocking.  He says it turned up in a box of stuff his Sister found at their parents place.  The other side has a nieces name on it, so it got used plenty.

We have decided we will just ignore the whole thing...  TBT can do better than THIS!

Easy Like Sunday

IZA and MARLEY:    Some days are good fer sitting in a lap and grooming yerself...

 But Special days are good fer sitting in a lap

And grooming

 Each other.

 Especially, those spots

Ya cant get at easily!  Ah BLISS...

And then falling asleep.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ...................

Caturday Saturday

AYLA:  OOPS!  TBT caught me "wet-pawed", so I figured I better skedaddle...

Usally, I just sit and watch the fishies, and TBT doesnt mind that.  But this time he saw my paw moving slightly and knew what I was up to.  I think I'll just go nap in the bedroom fer awhile...

Garden Tour Thursday

IZA:  

I thought we were done with plants and such fer the year, but I keep finding surprises around the house.   So lets have another tour!

The Venus Fly Traps arent tropical, but we are just a little too cold here for them to stay outside.  And there arent ezactly lots of flies around in Winter annyway, right?  So they need to go dormant when it is cold.  TBT read up on how they like to spend the Winter and there was a lot of conflicting information; evrything from bsgging them up in a refrigerator to burying them outside under a bale of hay.  But he decided to be a bit standard about it.

The garage is IN our basement, and gets cold enough (45-50F) for them to stay dormant.  But they still like SOME light (fer reasons I WONT bother you with (unless ya ask).  

So TBT added a small unner-cabinet light unner a garage shelf he cleared for them.  Its on a timer set to 9 hours so they THINK they are in their natural North Carolina home (and he will adjust that as Spring approaches). 

The traps are dying back, as is natural.  There are base leaves at the bottom that stay green.  I must say, TBT is REALLY getting into these insect-eating plants.  He may try other kinds next year and even make a bog garden of them. 

That stalk in the center is a FLOWER!  We will have to wait to see it...

We also have a lot more Snake Plants.  All these came from one overgrown 12" pot.  I watched him hack chunks of roots apart (I watch him all the time when I can).  They were all tangled with thick roots so there was no separating them.  It has been 2 weeks, and they seem to be doing OK.  I'll know better in a moonth...

This is a Nandina.  Also called "false bamboo" .  It grows about 4' high, is evergreen, and grows tons of red berry/seeds.  The birds dont like to eat them much (they are still there in Spring), but they are very pretty.  Deer dont like them either, so TBT wants to grow more.  So, as an experiment, TBT just pulled up one seedling and potted it to see if it survives.   Its been a week and the leafs arent falling off, so that is good.

The cuttings of the Waxy Hoya plant seem to be surviving after a month.  But they have thick leaves and roots, so we cant tell if they are just "surviving" or actally rooting.  If they live, good.  If not, I think it was worth a try.

It is a bit late, but iffen anykitty wants to come by an look at the plants with me, you are welcome.

We have H-A-A-A-M...