Happy Halloween --booooooooooooo

meow o' weenie
purrs,

Jack o'Lantern Folklore

The story of the Jack o'Lantern comes from Irish folklore. Jack was a crafty farmer who tricked the Devil into climbing a tall tree.

When the Devil reached the highest branch, Jack carved a large cross in the trunk, making it impossible for the Devil to climb down. In exchange for help getting out of the tree, the Devil promised never to tempt Jack with evil again.

When Jack died, he was turned away from Heaven for his sins and turned away from Hell because of his trickery. Condemned to wander the Earth without rest, Jack carved out one of his turnips, took an ember from the devil, and used it for a lantern to light his way. He became known as "Jack of the Lantern."

I found the story here, including a recipe for roasting pumpkin seeds.

Another interesting fact to share, "Today, pumpkins mean big business at Halloween: U.S. farmers grow over a billion pounds a year, worth about $106 million."

To Autumn

Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and blessWith fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shellsWith a sweet kernel;
to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.
- John Keats, To Autumn

Femme Friday --Halloween Edition

Boo looked likes she has been boooooooo'ed.

Thankful Thursday

We are so thankful that we have a nice window to whiff out of...

purrs,
Jinx & Ping

Update On Mr.Kitty

Dad wasn't home to feed Mr.Kitty, so Mom knew he was hungry. After feeding us she saw him waiting for his dinner, so she went and got his food. She walked out there and he saw her and he got a bit scared. She told him that she had dinner for him and talked to him, but he backed away. She put down his plate full of food and asked him if it was OK he she took a picture of him. He sat real still and seemed to say it was alright, so Mom took a few quick pictures. He is a handsome orinch boy. We only wish Mr. Kitty wasn't feral, Mom and Dad know that being feral he won't let us near him, but we'll do our best to keep him as happy as can be. We are already worried about him for this upcoming winter weather. Although we are blessed to be in a temperate climate, it still goes to below freezing a few times each year.

Wordless Wednesday

Miss Boo

Tuxie Toosday Seeing Double

Ok Mom yes we're on the same bed and even on the same blanket, but we'll never like one another.

Thank YOU

Miss Boo got a wonderful package of goodies for winning BEST TUXIE Q in Monty Q's contest.
Miss Millie sponsored the BEST TUXIE category this year.
Miss Boo wants to thank those that voted for her
and also
A BIG KITTY FANK YOU
to both
Millie & Monty!

Mancat Monday With Ping

Ping Faces

Sunday is a Funday

Look deep into my eyes...
you are getting sleepy
sleepy...sleepy
OK Now crack open that can of tuna.

Lights Across The Sky

Will Rogers said, “It’s not the things we don’t know that are the problem. It’s the things we know that ain’t so.”

Feral Fun on Friday

Gracie says she knows what it's like to live life as a feral, and she much prefers the life of a domestic goddess indoor kitty.
Please remember our Mr.Kitty in your purrs, he is feral, and young, and scared,and we worry about him. Daddy built him a nice house and we feed him twice a day. He mews when he sees my Daddy, but he is still hard to catch. Please purr for all those who are without a indoor home, we will.

Thankful Thursday

Ping gives thanks and meditates in the sunbeam.

An Oldie But A Goodie

Abby tocks ROCKS!

Tick Tock Tober

Ping shows off his handsome 'tocks.

Wordless Wednesday

Mr Jinx

Tuxie Toosday With Abby

purrs,

ManCat Monday With Ping

ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Happy Birthday To My Brother

Long long ago
In a galaxy far far away....

Happy Birthday wishes to my brother!

Moonlight And Dreamers

Oscar Wilde wrote: "A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world."

National Feral Day

I still remember.
Yes, I do.
I was very young, but the memories haunt.
To this day.
I was unwanted and unloved.
Somebody just dumped me at Animal Care & Control.
Even they didn't want me.
I sat right outside the front door and sweetly mewed at every purrson that came in.
I play with the children.
I rubbed up against the Moms and Dads.
I hoped for a home.
I was hungry and thirsty.
I was lonesome and afraid.
Then ... this Mom and Dad sat inside and watched me.
Their hearts were breaking because they were looking for a lost tortie.
(They didn't find her -- never found her)
They found me.
I found them.
Once they realized that their missing kitty was not there, they looked at me.
They said to one another.
"do you want to take her home"
And the humans at ACC gave them a something for me to be taken home in.
That was the beginning of my new life.
****
The life of a feral cat is not a happy one.
It is always cut short.
That is why we must do what we can to help.
We help out in our area with First Coast No More Homeless Pets, which is TNR organization affiliated with Best Friends.
Today is the 10th anniversary of National Feral Day started by the Alley Cat rescue organization.
Please purr for the ferals, and help any way you can.
******
We feel very lucky that we took Gracie in because of what we saw at the ACC, if she had been taken inside the ACC, being just a gray tabby kitten there is no way she would have stood a chance. They were so overwhelmed with animals, and after being taken to the "back" where up to 6 cats were huddled together facing their last day...it was the most overwhelming thing I have experienced. I wanted to save them all, but couldn't, and still feel despair over it. But I did save one, or did she save me.
My saving Grace.

Femme Friday

The lovely Miss Abby

purrs,

Thoughtful Thursday

purrs,

UPDATE:
It is amazing what a little tube of auntee-by-oot-ics will do!
My eye isn't weeping anymore, and I don't keep my eye shut.
Momma feels such relief that I am better.
*woo hoo*

Abby Update

This is how I felt when I was put into the PTU! I holler pitifully and cried 'let me out' and no one listened.
Then I got put inside that metal monster and we had to ride forEVER! Then the place we stopped at had
sooooooooooooo many woofies. I remained silent. Finally we went into a room and Mom opened up the top
of my PTU and I tried to hit under my blankie, but there was no place to go and a strange girl picked me
up by the nape of my neck and weighed me. (I have gained 6 ounces). She said 'oh you are so petite all of my
kitties are huge'. She was nice. The Vet lady came in and Momma could see the scratch on my cornea, so
someone (Gracie or Boo) nabbed me with a quick jab. Momma got some ointment to go into my eye twice a day,
and I'm supposed to be all better in very short order. The Vet said my ouchie was already healing, but
I do have a lot of weeping. So Momma's got to keep a close watch and if I'm not better in a few days I may
have to go back.

Can Anyone Help Me Find Mr.Right

purrssssssss

Abby Has an Ouchie

Momma came home today to find me with gunk all in my eye socket. She took a warm cloth and wiped my face, but she thought I had something in my eye last night. She felt so bad for me...so bad that she is going to take me to the V-E-T tomorrow unless I have a miraculous healing overnight. She said I am favoring my left eye -- she fears someone put a claw in it. She hates it when any of us kitties is not 100% well. Mom said she would give an update tomorrow if we have to go on a little trip.

Homer's Odyssey

Mom has been a follower for some time of author Gwen Cooper, the lady who is Homer's Mom and author of Homer's Odyssey. Many of you may be familiar with Homer, he is a blind kitty who picked Gwen as his Mom when he was only a couple of weeks old. Mom knew some of their story but did not know all of it, at least in any depth, she didn't. Well she finally got Homer's book and read it all in one day. She said she give it 5 paws. She knew that Homer's Mom, Gwen was a good Mom but as with so many things it is so much more complex.

In one story,Homer's Mom moved from Miami to NYC in January of 2001, she was lucky enough to find a studio apartment not far from the Twin Towers. On 9/11 she had gone home to feed the kitties (she has three -- Homer, Vashti, and Scarlett -- unfortunately Vashti just recently went to the Rainbow Bridge) because her office was not far from her home, and then left to go back to her office. After returning, as the nation and world watched madmen took down the Towers. She was cut off from returning to her home and she was so afraid that the destruction had impacted her apartment building and all she could think of was her three cats and especially blind Homer with broken windows throughout the building. Early on during 9/11 no one knew what was going on and she like millions of other New Yorkers were forced to leave Manhattan. But once they realized the 'danger' had passed, people, including Gwen tried to get back into Manhattan. She was turned away countless times, but after three days she was finally able to appeal to some soft hearted NYC police officers who had been stationed at blocked off points and make it to her apartment building. She did find that the building was undamaged, which for her was the first major relief. Then she had to climb 31 stories in a dark building to Homer, Scarlett and Vashti. They were all fine, scared I'm positive but fine. She was able to take them all out and everything worked out. I was especially struck by the rising fear in her heart while she retold this story, because it is one of those situations that all of us kitty Moms worry about. Our babies being stuck someplace where we cannot get to them. I sat with Abby on my lap and tears fell from my eyes as I placed myself in her shoes.

Homer's story is one of great resilience and it makes you realize how much better cats adapt to being 'physically challenged' than humans do. Homer is older now but he is still the same spirited inspiring kitty he has always been. I truly encourage you to read this book because it will make you laugh and cry and most of all it will inspire you.

Mancat Monday With Ping

Mr.Handsome

Mr Kitty Update

I thought I would let everyone know how Mr. Kitty is doing.

Can you see the little house in the back?

Daddy made that for Mr. Kitty. He doesn't use it but if he ever gets ready to move in, it's there for him.

He was waiting for dinner.

Meow Sunday Is A Funday

purrs,

Sequoia pinecone

The leaves are falling,
falling as from way off,
as though far gardens withered in the skies;
they are falling with denying gestures.
And in the nights the heavy earth is falling from all the stars down into loneliness.
We all are falling.
This hand falls.
And look at others:
it is in them all.
And yet there is one who holds this falling endlessly gently in his hands.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Autumn

Fun Friday

Ping: Why do I feel like I have someone looking over my right paw?
***
Mom has had too much 'stuff' to do.
She has not been letting us go and visit our
furfriends!
THIS MUST STOP!
We don't care about your excuses.
Get with it Momma!
Or else there might be some
more 'stuff' you'll have to take
care of
but this will be
'cat stuff'!
~the kids

A Warrior

I have noticed recently the condition of Abby's ears. You can see the the right ear has a divot in it. One morning I noticed blood on the flood and wondered where in the world that had come from,well now I think I know. I looked at the back of her ears, and both of them show missing fur which has never grown back. It hasn't always been like that. She is very combative with her siblings. Mainly when I am near any of them she will come after them with that green eyed monster look. She does NOT back down, and if one of them gets a swipe in, she will pursue whoever did it vigorously until she has gotten back the upper paw. She is relentless. I have seen them (especially Boo) bat her pow-pow-pow around the ears and head. Before I can even attempt to stop it, the blows land. It isn't because any of the others are aggressive, it's Abby, she's protecting her property (me). So my dear little teeny tiny warrior has battle scars all over her ears just like any battle scarred veteran.

Wordless Wednesday