Flashback Friday On Saturday

 From this week, 2010...

Proper claw grooming...

Lovely sleepy girl...

Heights...

More heights...

Cute sleepy...

Cute outside...

The sometimes lovey sisfurlies...

Again.  There WAS a time...

Twofur Tuesday

LAZ:   I like bein near ta Marley.  He tells me stuff I need ta know.  Mousies, birdies, about-to-rain, TBT, why he noses into my food-bowl (he is bigger and hungrier than me), stuff like that.

I never had a brofur before.  I'm still learnin how to get along here better, and he helps.  

I've learned he is basically unattackable.  I would have to get LOTS bigger, and it seems I wont.  I weigh today what I weighed when I arrived a year ago, so that isn't going to change.  I mean, when we wrassle, he just sort of plays with me and then holds me down when he gets tired of the game.  

But he is kind.  I've experienced "mean" and he isn't that.  So I appreciate him a lot.  Having a brofur like him is great!

Twofur Tuesday

LAZ:  Marley and I are sharing the day.   

MARLEY:  So I get MY turn right?  

So I was walking on the deck.  And Laz told me there were incoming control signals from the CIA (Cat Inspection Agency) and I had better get unner cover or they would take control of me.  

I had never heard of THAT, but it is good ta be careful.  So I went unner a mesh chair.  That should help, right?

Then he said "June Fools".  Well, OK, that was clever, but I really gotta take the kid aside and explain that "April Foolies" only happen on April 1st...

On the other paw, he is PRETTY SMART AND CLEVER.  I'm older and more experienced than him, but he thinks of stuff I dont sometimes.  I suspect my Good Brofur Laz and I will be trading thoughts for the next few years.  His cleverness for my experience.

I taught him ta hunt mousies among planty stuff by listening and pouncing.  But he does it a differnt way.  He stalks through the plants, careful paw-moment by careful paw-movement.  He is better at it than I am.    

Hey, it doesn't bother me ta recognize mousie-catching talent.  I have it; he has more.  He caught 3 shrews in a couple hours; it took me 2 days.  

I had in my own youth a habit of catching many mousies a day too.  But I'm heavier on my paws than I used to be,  so things change.  One nice thing about Laz is that he actually likes me and brings me one of his catches for a bit of playtime.

And I appreciate the way he likes ta nap near me.  TBT says there have never been Brofurs here before; just Sisfurs and a single Brofur.  He has become a good member of The Mews.  

Peace reigns...  And that is what I am here for.  I create peace among other cats.  Not the only reason I am here of course.  TBT and I have a special relationship.  The day he walked into The Lady's condo and she called me downstairs, TBT sat on the floor and I crawled right onto his lap.  I KNEW he was the right Bein (and Lady was allergic to me).  

She saw me go onto his lap and cried in relief, knowing I had made a choice and seemed happy with him.  She had been SO worried she would send me off to a "wrong" Bein.

If choosing "which corner of the bed" as the best place to sleep for the night, and you are safe and secure and loved, it means you are a very fortunate cat.  As I know most of you are.

A Tribute To Spitty

THE BIG THING here:  A tribute to Spitty through Iza's memories in pictures...  Iza adored Spitty from the day she found him.  He had many ladycats who loved him but she was completely devoted to him.  She went over The Bridge in April last year and I know she was waiting (and would have waited many more years).  I present this in honor of both Iza and Spitty...

She loved that he once drove her around in a Furrari.. 

And that he once gave her a whole Goth vest when she asked for one...

And that they once took a balloon ride together...

She loved him with all her huge heart.  And hearts...

Spitty stood by Iza in difficult times...

She wrote him poems...

TO MY DEAREST LOVE, SPITTIKINS –

How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways…

I love thee as I love my meals, warm and soft.

I love thee as I love my rattelly toys, noisey and whapable.

I love thee as I love a warm pillow soft and quiet.

I love thee as I love Birdie TV and Fishie TV and  Skwerl TV.

I love thee as  My Protector In The Halloween Adventure.

I love thee as dearly as the deer love to graze on the hostas and azaleas in the front yard.

I love thee as I love My meal, My litterbox when it is clean, and  the warm waterbed.

I love thee as I love the birdies that hit our deck door and wait for me to get out there.

And I love thee Furs of deepest Black, Shining eyes, Claws of sharpness, and deepest mancat mystery…

In my thoughts and in my dreams Thee constant comes; and in between I dream of thee.

In fact, and I’ll say this my King I even did this TWICE. 

Cuz the first version got deleted when TBT furgot to save, and that wasn’t very nice!

IZA-LOVEY

They shared the Scary Halloween Tunnel which was so frightening I will only give a LINK...

Iza loved to show him her silken tummy, and he loved to lay his weary head on it while she adored his company.

There were other (happier) adventures.  Iza and Spitty visited Washington DC monuments and once camped out in the backyard in a tent I made just for them.  Spitty was concerned about being "outside" but Iza reassured him I was watching over them and they were in an enclosed space, so he napped sniffing outside air safely with her.  But pictures get lost sometimes.

Spitty was very special to Iza (and yes some other ladycats).  But Iza nearly existed for his attention.  Now they are both Over The Bridge.  I'm sure Spitty has a clowder of Ladycats around him now...  But I know Iza pushed her way to the front just to see him again.

It is a sadder world without their love.

A Tuesday Ayla

AYLA:   I don't get the best pictures.  My face is really dark an TBT is trying to avoid the flashy.

See?

But I love the calm of the bedroom.  I stay there most of the time.

TBT is in there often, so I get lots of attention and scritchies.

Can't complain about THAT!

And because this is MY room, I get first shot at snuggling next to TBT at night.  Marley knows that.  It took Laz a few months ta unnerstand.  I'M his sweet wunnerful womancat!  He tells me so every day.  I never get tired of hearing that.

An Odd Surprise

TBT here:  I had a strange day yesterday.  I got up late and had to go visit the dentist for a 6 month checkup.  Everything is fine, but there is one tiny cavity that will be filled easily in 2 weeks.  I didn't eat before the visit.  And I didn't eat after.  I did some useful work around the yard and house.  And never got hungry.

Some days are like that.  And I wouldn't be posting this here (instead of on my personal blog) but it involves Skeeter.

I updated a few programs, and one tells me about blog visitors.  Don't worry, its nothing personal.  But it suggested that I had suddenly had some 1,000+ visitors.  Well, that happened many years ago and it turned out that some weerdos had gotten into really old Skeeter&LC posts and left ads in Chinese.  Took weeks to get rid of most of them and some are unremovable.

So, to look for new ads in old ones, I scrolled down my list of old posts and AT RANDOM, I  SWEAR, I landed on December 10, 2008.  Opened it.  Skeeter's Bridge Day...

I re-read the comments to that post for an hour.  And then the posts the next days.  It was hard, but sweet at the same time.  I still miss him so much after 11 years.  Ayla, Iza, and Marley have filled my life since he and LC went OTB.

I cried again reading the comments.   And so many friends.  Most don't blog anymore or have gone OTB themselves, or have changed blog names and I've lost track.  I clicked on a lot of the names to see if they were still blogging.  Well, back a few years when the "Prove You Are A Person" security started, I got annoyed and deleted some blogs from my Feedly list.  Stupid me...  I've been trying to find some of those bloggers lately and found most were unactive.

The list of bloggers who helped me through those dark days is very long.  And I was surprised at how many of you are still blogging.  Some I thought were "newer" were there then.  It was "enlightening".

Most wrote comments of support, some wrote poems, others encouraged me to pay attention to LC and Ayla.  All was so helpful to my grieving heart.  So I wanted to take time today to say "Thank You" to those of you who were there then.  And no disrespect to newer bloggers; you just weren't there then. 

Over the years, I still sometimes cry when I think of Skeeter (and LC).  But there is less pain when I do.  When I sometimes call Marley "Skeeter", it is just an accident of memory, not a wish he could be replaced with Skeeter. 

Skeeter was the first cat I had for so long from kittenhood to death.  That was profound.  Someone commented this year (I have the world's worst memory for names) that I shouldn't think in terms of "A" heartcat and she was right.  They are ALL "heartcats" now.  I could not choose among Ayla, Iza, or Marley for "heartcat" today. 

Ayla and I struggled together through 3 spay operations before it got done right.  And she HAS to greet me in the morning at eye level on the dresser or shoe rack.  Iza is so attached to me that she cries if we are both outside and she loses track of where I am.  So I always have an ear open.  And she is distressed if she isn't in the same room.  Marley is a lot like Skeeter.  But he wants to know where I am too.  Outside, he is MANCAT, Grim Reaper of mousies.  Inside, he wants my presence.

I cherish them all.  I know that someday, they too will leave.  And they will leave a huge hole in my heart when they do.  I have trouble imagining a time when one or all are gone.  They are my constant companions.  I talk to them and they talk back.  I speak basic "cat".

I tried to imagine my life without cats in it a few days ago.  I couldn't.  There will be cats in my life until they haul me off to the crematorium.  Or the hospice or nursing home, whichever happens first.  I understand them (a brave statement to make but one I am sure of).  They are not my "pets" or my "children".  They are my housemates and my friends.  Yeah, maybe they require more care than other housemates (but you should have seen SOME I had in apartments). 

Anyway, this, I suppose, is a post of joy to The Mews.  Long may they walk with tails high, use the litterboxes. cost more in food than I spend on myself, and gladden my life every day...

BTW, I never found any "chinese ads", so I don't know what Statcounter was telling me.

10 Years

TBT here:  It seems strange that Skeeter went over the bridge 10 years ago.  It doesn't seem like it was that long ago.  I still miss him.

Protector of sisfur LC...

Such a handsome and loving cat...  He could slip under the covers at night and rest next to me without disturbing my sleep.  Happy to be close to me.

He had gorgeous fur patterns.  Spots...
He had a wonderful send-off...


And he stays in our thoughts every day in the yard...

Almost Werdless Wensday

AYLA:  I did this to their picture from Sunday...  MOL!

I'll get pounced, but its worth it.

BFFs!

IZA:  What can I say?  Well, I'll try.  Im feelin the power of LOVE today...

1. 
Han to Paw,
Paw to Han,
Heart to heart,
Cat to Man.

Pat an Tap,
Tap an Pat,
Heart to Heart,
Man to Cat.

2.
I am on two arms
An unimportant chair arm
And the arm I love

3.
I think that I shall never see
An arm so friendly, TBT.
An arm that ends in fingers strong
To give my muscles what they long.

The arm that curls me on his lap
The hand that gives my head a tap
When in my pleasure, claws slip out
An make him wince but never doubt
It is just trust, no harm hes sure.
And I will trust he will endure.

And unner blankies near to dawn
I slip inside with furs of tawn
To warm his tummy; in return
He warms mine too, as I so yearn.

4.
TBT loves us all.
But I have no doubt
That I am his favrit
Inside an oubt!

(A play on speling, an that was really triksy fer me as my grasp on the subjekt is a little vage at best)

5.
Iza an TBT
Sitting by the (cat) tree,
P-L-A-Y-I-N-G!
He tosses them
I chase 'em,
M-O-U-S-I-N-G!

MOL!

6.
Letter replacement game...
CAT
TAT
TBT

Unimpressive...

IZA
IRA
IRS
IBS
TBS
TBT

Better?

All the middle ones are, um, Meaningful Letters (TBT:  "Acronyms", Iza)  Oh, right, thanks.  I saw them in the newspapers I lay on while he tries ta read, an memorizd some...

Yeah, BFFs, Iza...