Friday's Feast - One Hundred and Sixty-Six

Welcome to Feast One Hundred & Sixty-Six
for
Friday, October 26th, 2007..IT'S MY BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!!

Pull up a chair and dig in!
Friday's Feast is a meme of five questions
cooked up by the chef each and every week.
Enjoy!

Appetizer
Name a great website you would recommend to others.

MINE of course.....

Soup
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 as highest), how often do you dream at night?

I am on a scale of 0, because I don't dream, or at least I don't recall my dreams...I'm sure I must though, or I would be dead...which I am not, and I know that I am not because I am here celebrating another birthday!!

Salad
Did you have a pet as a child? If so, what kind and what was its name?

I had budgie birds. Three of them. PeeWee, Pudgie, and Nipper. I was allowed to have birds because they mostly were contained in their cages....except for PeeWee, who came out and flicked peanuts over his head.

Main Course
If you had the chance to star in a commercial, what would you choose to advertise?

I would love to advertise handbags....all the uses for them, and the hidden compartments, the smell, the touch....oh oh don't get me started..

Dessert
What is your favorite kind of hard candy?

Weeeeeerther's.......

BJ's Update: A Day in My Life

Hi! It's me, BJ, the cat!
I have received some really nice comments from fellow felines and canines, and I just want to say meooooow and thanks for visiting and dropping a comment.

A few of you had asked how I typically spend my day. I can simply answer that I pretty much do the same thing every day, and that is probably quite similar to what each of you do. Sure, there might be slight variations to this, but in the end it's same poo, different litter box.

Pretty much everyday, I am up before my parents, and that is because, in the colder weather the heat comes on and I find the air vents particularly warm. It is usually at this point that my parents find it quite cool in the room (because I am soaking up all of the warm air). As soon as I see any hint of stirring from the bed, I am alert and I might give a prrrt or a purrr, just to let My Parents know that I am here and waiting for them.

My parents will get up and go to the bathroom (one of their daily rituals), and when they head for the bathroom, I am right on their heels in the hopes that somebody will give me an elevator ride up to the sink and turn on the tap so that I can fool around with the water. I can pretty much stay in the sink all day if they'd let me, but I usually end up following My Parents downstairs, because I know that breakfast is coming....and that it will soon be time for m-i-l-k-y!!!!

My Mom will head downstairs, and I am usually close by, almost tripping her on the way down. She's smart though...she knows to get out of my way..heh. Breakfast noises begin, and when I hear the lid of my food box, I know that there are fresh cookies in my bowl.....mmmmm.

Then, I wait. I wait for them to get their breakfast going, and I wait for the white measuring cup to be placed in front of my little face so that I can lap up the remnants of milk. Once that is done, I wait for their cereal bowls, again for milk remnants.

Okay, so it's a tough morning so far. Lots of action. Time for a poop and a pee, and then to burrow down in one of my comfy cozy spots in the basement. On a sunny day, I'll usually pop out of my hidey spot so that I can visit and lie in the sunshine. I might hang around the back door so that I can watch the my little feathered friends eating their seeds (little do they know that my mouth is usually going smack-smack-smack.....). If I'm really lucky, I might even get to go out on the front patio.

By the end of the day, my dinnertime approaches. More cat cookies (don't ask how I can possibly eat the same thing day in and day out, but I do, and I seem to enjoy it).

After dinner, we watch TV, and if we're in the basement, I get to cuddle up with whoever has a warm spot beside them. This is probably the best part of the day.....aside from bedtime of course.

Bedtime is when I stake my spot out on the bed, but first I have to watch to ensure that My Parents are in bed, then I make my move with the most ferocious snuggle attack that you can imagine.

To some, I might seem to live a pretty simple life. I am spoiled. I am coddled.

But mostly, I am loved, and for that I am very lucky....Meow!

And Then, from the Other Room Came....ARGH!!!!

It was a quiet day in Sleepy Hollow. We had both been working throughout the day. My Sweetie had been very busy on calls all day, and I was on a call with a colleague.

From the other room came the loud cry of ARGH...OOOMPH....OOOHHHH. This was followed by even more grunts and groans. The noises got so bad, that I finally had to find a way to end my call and go to see if I could help with whatever was happening.

When I went into the other room, there was My Sweetie, looking very much like Gollum in the Lord of the Rings....kind of standing upright but bent over slightly to the left.


The reason? Back Spasm, probably from the boat work that we did last weekend for haulout. Sitting down was no easy chore. Neither was applying a heating pad behind his back.

Oh, and guess what? He has to go out shopping this evening....I wonder why? Last minute perhaps?

p.s. - I forgot to add that at one point I was asked to put My Sweetie's socks on (on his feet of course...I already had my own comfy socks on thank you very much). THAT was an accomplishment, since the slightest move caused him pain. But I guess he had a choice...pain or cold feet.

s-p-a-m

To anyone who bothers to read my blog, I have enabled word verification, and am also moderating my comments.

Sorry. You can thank the s-p-a-m-m-e-r-s for this.

Then, there's this lady, from up in Canada way, who uses some really subtle humor, loves sailing whenever, wherever possible, enjoys knitting (my kind of gal there) as well as animals - especially cats! That would be Mau of It's About Time and her sister-in-law is Lattegirl, who received her TREAT on the second day of these little awards. I really should apologize to both of them for the photo on my Tour blog of the area where I live yesterday of my son-in-law with a deer he got two or three years ago because both of them are really big animal lovers. However, hunting -and fishing too - are both really big things in this neck of the woods. Lots of hunters/fishermen/sportsmen of that type come here frequently - many have camps in town here as well as back in the wilderness that does have a pretty good impact on the economy of the area year after year.

Jeni, from Down River Drivel posted those lovely words. Jeni has been a member of my sidebar for what seems like forever now, and as she wrote, we are like family. In fact, my SIL at Inner Dialogues is one family member who is also a blogger, though she has been doing it much longer than me. Family is a good way of describing the connection with fellow bloggers.

Jeni is an awesome writer, and has vast experience which she draws upon for her posts. As she mentioned, we have a few things in common, and that's really cool. She is keenly aware of keeping us informed of Dubya's pertinent words each day, and for that we thank her.

Jeni's award is quite timely for me. This is my time of year. I was born during this season, and feel that I am a fall person. So, why don't you click on her link and go on over and pay her a visit. You never know...you just might become addicted.

Reminiscing

What a weekend! Saturday was haulout day, and, in keeping with past haulout weather, it was cruddy. It was cold. It was very windy. It rained.











Now, Sunday was an entirely different story. The boat was out of the water, and of course it was splendiforous outside. Like 70 degrees or something silly like that.










Anyway, I had a bit of down-time, and observed a few things:
- various people sailing on the bay
- the grouping of eight Muskoka chairs around an imitation fire pit
- various boaters offloading their boats, in preparation for their upcoming haulout
- the glowing highlight effect that the sun had on the islands in the distance

And of course, I always sit and think about:
- how can we just cash it all in and sail south, and live on the boat indefinitely

That last one is the biggest threat to personal security for me. It takes a huge leap to actually be able to throw the docklines and head south for the BIG adventure. It certainly takes some planning and some money.


It would also mean that BJ would have to learn to sail very quickly.

BJs Update: The Trip to the Vet...The True Story..

Hi! It's me, BJ, the cat!
Well, by now you would have read my Mom's account of my trip to the vet. She tends to sugar-coat things, so I am here to tell the real story.

I had a few aches, relating to an injury that I sustained many years ago, while being accosted by a piece of duct work in the basement. There was a casualty....one of my toes had to be amputated from my left hind leg. Little did I know then, that my rambunctiousness would have me paying the piper as I got older.

Prior to this week's vet visit, my parents were staring at me, like I was going to drop dead or something. They would peer at me while I walked, or while I tried to jump up on that incredibly high bed that they have (why do 2 small people need such a BIG bed anyway???).

In any case, I guess they figured they had seen enough. My Dad hauls this little box with a cage-like front door which could be locked from the outside. I was unceremoniously dumped into the box with the door locked behind me! Hey! What is this anyway? Let me go back to my hidey place in the basement, the place that I covet, which makes me feel safe, and long to be in forever!! But no, my Dad had to go and grab me and insert me in this box, and then lock the door. By crappy!

To make matters worse, Dad got his coat on and took me out to the truck. Let me tell you, this was the ride from hell. Bumpyy? Man it was a noisy, bumpy ride. I was rolling from side to side mroooooowwwwing all the way. There was no way that I was gonna shut up, that was for sure. At least I didn't puke, pee, and poop like CoCo would have done. I am above that sort of behaviour.

The trip lasted for about 10 minutes, then Dad carried me into this strange building....a building that had a number of stupid barking d-o-g-s! Not one single cat! I felt outnumbered and definitely threatened. The only saving grace was that I was inside this locked box, and not too excited about getting out at this particular moment!!!

My name was called (How did they know my name???), and we followed this lab-coated person into an examination room (eek! no way out!!). They petted me and cooed and made all doe-eyes at me in the hopes that I would trust them (hah!). I recall them saying how cute my little pink nose was (a boy cat with a cute pink nose....how unmanly!). They checked my ears and teeth, stuck their fingers in my stomach, and then pronounced that I was fine but arthritic in one joint.

The long and short of this visit was that I am just getting old. No drugs for me, nah uh. No drugs to even get me home in that stupid truck. Oh the INDIGNITY! They stuffed me back in the %#!@$* container again and back home in the noisy, bumpy truck. I forgive them already...Meow!

These Boots are made for...uh...well, never mind!

I was going to take part in Wordless Wednesday, but instead I was drawn into another "wordless" arena....BJ the Cat had a little something to do with it.

BJ the Cat gets his daily 'bit' of milk at breakfast every day. We don't give him too much because he sometimes pukes it back up along with some of his dry food breakfast. Not a pretty sight!

Today we heard the typical "growlp-growlp-growlp" auditory warning of impending milk treat rejection. First he targeted a kitty basket. As usual, one puke is not enough for BJ. The second installment, a minute later, landed directly in Dad's shoes (BOTH OF THEM, INSIDE!!!)

After that, I broke into a fit of laughter, the kind of laughter that I typically break into when My Sweetie trips or falls or whatever. All I could hear was My Sweeties voice..."my f*&^%ng shoes...my f%^*&#g shoes".

My Sweetie had to wash his shoes out in the sink and now put them away to dry - growling all the time.

Poor BJ - He is now in his hidey spot in the basement, the place where he goes in order to get away from whatever made him puke in the first place.

Poor Sweetie - I told him to put his shoes in the cupboard but he wouldn't listen!
:-)

One Kitty Left.....Still

How do you like that for a picture of an unhappy kitty with a little yellow mousey sitting on his head? Well, he was a tad unhappy in that picture and he has been slightly unhappy lately too.

Yesterday, BJ, our only remaining kitty, went to the vet. He had been walking around favoring his right side, and we became increasingly concerned. He looked uncomfortable, and we had no idea what was going on. So we made an appointment for him. Both of us were nervous as to what they might find, but we were adamant that he would be coming home with us that evening.

The trip to the vet is always an ordeal. He constantly mroooooowed during the drive, but at least he didn't poop, pee and puke the way poor CoCo used to do.

When he got there, he became Mr. Curious, exploring every surface and corner, and then he turned on the charm for the staff. They were particularly taken with his little pink nose (so are we hee).

Now, mind you, he is 15 years old, that dreaded old age number for a cat, so we shouldn't really be too surprised that he may have ailments associated with aging, but BJ's behaviour is very much like that of a kitten sometimes. When we still had CoCo, she would, at times, appear older than BJ.

In the end, BJ came home with us and got lots of cuddles and treats. He is just an old guy who has a bit of arthritis linking back to an injury that he had a few years ago, when he got his foot caught in a crevice in the basement and had to have one of his toes amputated. When his foot got caught, he probably twisted his knee as well, hence the difficulty later in his little life. He was never quite the same after that I guess.

But at least we still have him, hopefully for quite some time.

Blog Action Day - Blogging for the Environment

"Blogging for the Environment. Today is Blog Action Day, and the theme this year is the environment. If you have a blog and want to join in, all you have to do is use today to post something related to the environment, in whatever way, shape, or form you prefer. You can pick an environmental issue that has meaning for you and let us know why it's important. Organize a beach or neighborhood cleanup and tell us about it. If you're into fiction writing, give us a story with an environmental theme. Have a podcast, videoblog, or photoblog? Join the fun! The idea here is to have a mass effect on public awareness by sharing as many ideas in as many ways as possible. If you're game for participating, go register your blog Blog Action Day with the 7,000+ other blogs (with 5 million readers!) that are already signed up. Also, see the Blog Action Day blog for more on how bloggers can change the world."

Happy Blog Action Day.

We all do little things to make our environment. It might be something as small as recycling our plastics or turning the lights off if not being used.

Our household actively tries to do the following:
- use energy efficient light bulbs (the curly Q type)
- use green waste boxes for food to be recycled/composted (the City provided everyone with a small one for kitchen use and a large one which goes out on garbage day)....the red one is coming in the future (for hazardous waste)
- use brown leaf bags to recycle lawn/tree cuttings
- use blue boxes to recycle glass and hard plastics
- use grey boxes to recycle paper and cardboard
- when we eat out, will bring home the containers and recycle them if the establishment does not recycle
- use less plastic water bottles. Buy a Rubbershmaid bottle and refill it!
- speaking of Rubbershmaid, if your old containers have bit the dust, don't throw them out. I use old ones to store a variety of things, from matches to tealight candles.
- when shopping, bring your own bags. We do this especially for food shopping. As a matter of fact, we no longer do huge groceries. On our fridge, we keep a list of things that we 'need', and we only buy those things. It sure saves money!
- recycling is relative to shopping. Before purchasing something, ask yourself 'do I really need this?'


Everything makes a difference. Remember, we're all in this together. Life is good. Let's keep it that way.

Friday's Feast - One Hundred and Sixty-Four

Welcome to Feast One Hundred & Sixty-Four
for
Friday, October 12th, 2007

Pull up a chair and dig in!
Friday's Feast is a meme of five questions
cooked up by the chef each and every week.
Enjoy!

Appetizer
When was the last time you were surprised?

In August, when we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary, we received some nice cards from some very close friends.

Soup
Fill in the blanks: My eyes are ________, but I wish they were __________.

My eyes are hazel, but I wish they were nothing different than what they are. I happen to like my eyes the way that they are.

Salad
If you were a Beanie Baby, what would you look like and what would your name be?

I would probably morph into a kitty Beanie Baby....and I'd be called Minky.

Main Course
Name two things you consistently do that you consider to be healthy habits.

Gosh, I do many things...exercise regularly, eat fruits and veggies, track my food intake, drink lots of water.

Dessert
What brand of toothpaste are you using these days? Do you like it? Why or why not?

We use Colgate, and we like it.

BJ's Update: Election Day

Hi! It's me, BJ, the cat! Well, yesterday was election day here in Ontario, Canada, and my parents, were involved in getting the vote out. They also offered our house to be one of the host houses.

This surely spelled trouble for me.

A host house is when an individual's house becomes a mini command central on election day. It serves as a central meeting place for the volunteers who are working the polls in the related riding. This means that people have a place to get their instructions, use the phone, washroom, have lunch and dinner, take a break, get a drink and a snack. It becomes their home away from home.

This also means that I got to spend my day hiding out in the basement, in my snuggly place, with my litter, my food, and my water. This also meant that I was subjected to loud blaring stereo music, altering between heavy rock and soothing classical.

And they kept ringing that darned doorbell! Now that really makes my fur stand up!

This entire day lasted from about 8 o'clock in the morning, til my folks got home around 1AM. Then I quietly creeped back upstairs and crawled into bed with my 2 favourite people.

p.s. - my folks were out so late because they were celebrating!!!!! Yay to our lady who took Barrie!!!

For My Ontario Voters

Get your Vote Out TODAY!

I am on vacation day - working on the Provincial election to get the vote out.

Our house is one of five command centrals.......Yay!!!

I Am An Alien

But then some of us already knew that...right?

Found this at Skittles' Place....and while I thank her for the link, I must say....AN ALIEN!!!! REALLY!!

Your Halloween Costume Should Be

An Alien

What Should You Be For Halloween?

Bloggy Fall Cleanup

My blog was overdue for a facelift. I was getting tired of the dark colors of my previous blog, and there was a general sloppiness about it that needed some attention. Hopefully this new look will alleviate some of that sluggishness.

I learned a few things about myself through this process (okay, I probably already knew these things).

I am organizational freak. I like to have a place for things and things in their places. I am obsessed about having organized spots.....hence the reason for the new pockets of links at the side. Everything in a neat little bucket. I also detest having and maintaining long rolling lists of links. I absolutely hate scrolling and scrolling to try and get anywhere. I find it a pain.

Motto: don't hide your good stuff at the bottom.

Through this cleanup process, I also, sadly, removed some links, either due to lack of recent updates or due to lack of interest (ie, lack of interest for me). That hurt, because I know that some of those people gave up blogging. *sniff*. My old faithfuls are still there, and even some which you can't see, and there are some new links that I enjoy visiting.

So, with that, I hope you enjoy the new look.

Happy Thxgiving....and remember...it's not about the food.....

Friday's Feast - One Hundred and Sixty-Three

Welcome to Feast One Hundred & Sixty-Three
for
Friday, October 5th, 2007

Pull up a chair and dig in!
Friday's Feast is a meme of five questions
cooked up by the chef each and every week.
Enjoy!

Appetizer
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you look forward to your birthday?

Because my parents always made a big deal of my birthday, I get excited, so it would be a 10, but I usually get let down once it actually arrives, so that 10 drops to about a 2.

Soup
What is one word you don’t like the sound, spelling, or meaning of?
There are many words that I dislike. Here are a few which particularly irk me: any swear word, chill, addy.

Salad
Do you wear sunglasses when you’re outside? If so, what does your current pair look like?

When it's sunny out I wear sunglasses. I have 2 pair right now. One is a pair of RayBans and the other pair I got at Harley Davidson...black with rubber around the inside to prevent slippage..great for the boat..

Main Course
If you were to write a book, to whom would you dedicate it?

I would dedicate it in memory of my parents.

Dessert
Name a beverage that you enjoy.

Iced Capps!!! Made with milk of course.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody.

BJ's Update

Hi! It's me, BJ! My Mom thought it would be a great idea if I did a post every now and then, and so here I am, hiding under a pile of tissue paper. I just luv tissue paper.

A little background about me. I'll be 15 years old this month. I'm just an old fart of a cat. My Mom and Dad found me in Midland, on a farm. I was advertised as a free kitten, along with my sibling. Because I was just so adorable, I was scooped up and brought home to join Muffy and Cleo. CoCo later joined the household, and we became a cat house of 4. Eeek! Muffy went to kitty heaven in 1999 and Cleo in 2000. Then it was only me and CoCo....and little did I know that she would smother my space!

Now, you know I am the Top Cat now, since the other one (CoCo) left. I don't know where she went, but now I seem to have the entire house to myself. I have My Mom's lap to sit on whenever I want it, and I don't have to be afraid of getting kicked off. I have My Dad's stomach to lie on when I go to sleep with them at night. I get to eat MY food whenever I want, without being pushed out of the way. I even go out on the patio (with someone of course) so that I can roll around and smell the air.

Now, this is not to say that CoCo was a brute, but she certainly did command her space. She just seemed to dominate everywhere.

I am so glad that My Parents have decided not to bring home another cat. I really am enjoying the spotlight.

Have a purrrrrfect Thanksgiving.....til next time....meow xx

That Time of Year

Fall is here....sort of. Some days it feels like a hot summer day outside, while the nights get downright chilly. From my window I see the trees losing their leaves. We all know what that means.

This year, fall is also wrapped around a Provincial election. My Sweetie and I are working with one of the local candidates, and hoping for a win, and most assuredly a change, since it appears to be time for one.

How did this start? Well, a few years ago, we got involved as a way to funnel my frustration. It was a great experience. Even though we worked long and hard, our candidate did not win, but we learned so much and met new people. So, it seems that in small cities/towns/whatever, one hand washes the other, and here we are again working.

Now, I have always been kind of shy about discussing this other side of my life. I am not a political activist by any means. Neither am I a protestor. I am simply involved in this group endeavour along with a number of other really fine people. Sometimes, there are events to which we get invited, and I need to rearrange my gym/work schedule to accomodate. Sometimes people are curious as to why I can't be at the gym for example. The other night I finally told someone what we do. To my amazement my blurt was received positively (which surprised the heck out of me). I didn't really feel uncomfortable talking about it either (although my tone of voice was certainly waaaay quiet, in case others would hear). I was asked if I ever got frustrated while calling on people at their homes. I guess I mostly get frustrated when people say that they don't vote, but moreso if a woman says she never votes, and even moreso if a woman says that she votes the same way that her husband votes. Other than that I don't get too frustrated. We are merely messengers.

So far it is great. We can even feel the momentum working in our favour...at least we'd like to think so.

~`~ V~`~O~`~T~`~E~`~
(don't let others speak for you)

Update as of 8:30ET - We just got back from our very first political rally, where the premier came to speak. How can I best describe this? Exciting, full of energy, fun, alive, crowded....WOW!

Disturbed People's Day

Today is International Disturbed People's Day !


Please send an encouraging message to a disturbed friend... just as I've done.


I don't care if you lick windows,
take the special bus
or occasionally pee on yourself...
You hang in there sunshine,
you're special.

*sent to me in email, thankfully from a crazy friend*

Stuck In The Bathroom With You

Yes I'm stuck in the bathroom with you,
And I'm wondering what it is I should do,
It's so hard to keep this sweat off my face,
Losing control, yeah, I'm all over the place,
Throne to the left of me, Shower to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the bathroom with you.
*Stealer's Wheel lyrics modified somewhat*

My Sweetie and I used the marina showers on the weekend. Because these are showers in individual rooms, we usually share so that frees up a shower for someone else. So, we did our thing, and were just gathering our things to leave, when we couldn't...leave that is. I unlatched the deadbolt, turned the doorknob, but the door she no open.

*note - I am claustrophobic in these situations, and proceed to panic, sweat, scream, pull clothes off...etc*

So I did what I should do, and started to knock on the adjoining walls and scream at the back of the door, all the while My Sweetie is telling me to calm down and be quiet.

Of course I can't.

After some time, a voice from the free world responds, and says that they will try to get us out. So they try. They jiggle the little metallic piece which has become jammed, but nothing is happening. We are still held captive in the washroom (good thing neither of us had offloaded a stinky bowel movement!).

So we continue to watch the crack of the door, in the hopes that the broken latch will soon become unjammed.

Now, picture if you will, that My Sweetie has his face planted pretty much right up against the door, peering closely at the latch. At the very last second, he moves away....good thing too because just at that particular moment, there was a loud *BANG*. Someone kicked the door in, the door flew open, and we were free!!!

But we couldn't help thinking about My Sweetie's predicament if he had not moved away from the door when they kicked it in, since they gave no warning that they were about to do so.

He could have had his nose broken. He could have had his face smashed. He could have been knocked out cold. He could have been spending his evening at the Emergency and not just the washroom.

Enjoy the pseudo earworm.....