Thursday, December 31, 2020

Happy New Year?


 Might the old girl's facial expression be saying what many of us are feeling? 


Disclaimer-
Cleo was not being choked or in any way forced into this pose.  She was simply sitting on mom's lap at the kitchen island one day and rested her furry little head on the countertop like that.  And out came the cell phone camera.

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Post-Christmas Post

Well, another Christmas has come and gone, and things are back to normal (whatever that means).  Christmas Eve morning felt like a typical weekend morning, with the 3 of us snuggling and in no hurry to get out of bed.


 Although dad did get up earlier every morning to get a fire going since the outside temps were only in the teens.  Christmas Day brought all kinds of goodies, including some for me.  I got some of my favorite chewy treats and a toy owl, stuffed with something called silver vine. 

I played with it and played with it and played with it, and then I lost interest. I left it there on the living room floor,

where it still sits to this day.  Truthfully, mom and dad are playing with it now more than I am.  Before we opened gifts dad let me have a whiff of the owl and it drove me cuckoo. 

He took it away to put back in the pile of presents under the tree and I hopped down and went over to the tree, sniffing everything and everywhere.  And yes, before you say it, they did watch me to make sure I didn't try to eat that curly ribbon.

Mom and dad spent the day lounging, watching Christmas movies, sipping mimosas, working on a puzzle and napping. 

The Christmas shrub has now been un-decorated except for the lights and will become a year-round fixture (or until it withers from neglect, much like my toy owl), dad's back at work, and we're looking forward to 2021 with the hope that it brings better things than what this past year has.


We hope all y'all had a nice Christmas and enjoyed your families, some friends and maybe some peace and quiet.

Thursday, December 24, 2020

Season's Greetings!

As today progresses the wind is supposed to be whipping, the rain's supposed to be increasingly heavy, the temperature is gonna drop rapidly into tonight and we might even get a dose of snow 'round here, so mom, dad and I are just hunkering down for the next two days, not going anywhere and keeping the fire going.  The wine is in the fridge, the wood's been brought in and the Christmas DVDs are at the ready. We're gonna enjoy a simple, low-key uber-socially distanced Christmas, and we hope everyone makes the most of this Merry holiday season.  Y'all stay safe, warm and healthy.

 

Saturday, December 19, 2020

And This is Without 'nip


 Our looney ol' gal still gets a jolt of spunk in her now and then, and every once in a while she'll come whipping around the corner into the living room where her mom and I are sitting. 

Of course, now that we have hardwood floors throughout vs. the wall to wall carpet we had in Wilmington she tends to slide a bit when rounding said corner, though of course I can never grab the phone quick enough to snap a picture of this hilarious little move. 

Don't worry, she recovers quickly, and it's not like she's gonna break a hip or anything.  Anyway, we'll sit and watch her skirt behind the little table holding our Christmas Shrub and zoom for the drapes covering the picture window in the living room,

where she usually zips back and forth from one side to the other a couple times,

letting out a few meows that are more like moans and wails.  Occasionally she'll fly back out one end of the drapes and head back around the corner into the next room,

but most often she casually saunters out from behind the drapes with that "What?  What are you looking at?" expression she seems to do so well. 

And then she's back to the antique lady kitty we know and love.

Monday, December 14, 2020

Out for a Stroll. Sort of.

 Okay, so he was a handsome old mancat and I'm sure mom and dad miss him, but I'm the star of this show now, so can we please get back to me?


Yeah, so mom's been trying to get me to go out more, thinking the walk will do me good. 

These pictures don't really show it, but I'm still a little skittish about being out there.  They've always kept me inside, so this is kinda new for me. 

Maybe in time I'll get the hang of it.  Who knows.  I usually walk a little ways, then sit, then sniff here and there, then sit some more.  Maybe I'll go another few feet, maybe not. 

Then mom picks me up and carries me a little further.  And on and on it goes. It's a process for sure.  I tend to want to turn and go back to the house, though my curiosity is heightened by new sights, sounds and smells out there.  I suppose if we do this enough I'll learn to enjoy it.  Or not. 

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Memories

 This crusty old bugger, still sorely missed and always in our memories, has been gone for six years today.  Don't worry, Cleo, you're tops now, but I wanted to honor Orbit's memory on this date.  Sure, I'd never have remembered the exact details if it wasn't for Cleo's mom having it on the big whiteboard hanging on the wall in the kitchen.  That thing will come in handy in the coming years.   Anyway, here's to you, old buddy.  We miss you tons and will always remember what a sweet, awesome & funny house panther you were and the joy your companionship brought us.  I think I have something in my eye.  Don't worry old girl, we'll get back to you with the next post.   

Saturday, December 5, 2020

Ahh, Festive Times

 



Yep, so that's our Christmas Tree.  Mom and dad decided to go with a Christmas, umm, shrub, I guess, and once the holidays are over they plan on keeping it in the house year-round. I'm opening the betting window on just how long these two can keep this little guy alive.  Anyway, dad was gonna try to pass this next one off as "Oh my gosh, look how the tree shrub and hat ended up looking like they were on Cleo's head!" 


Nice try, ya boob.  He planned it that way.  Trust me, I was on his lap while he took far too many shots in selfie mode, trying to get the right angle.  I just wanted to sleep. Dad says this is my classic resting b-, I mean resting annoyed face.  Whatever.


This one, even I gotta say, is so gosh darn adorable, no?  Nighty night...

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Frying Pan What? And Where's the Turkey?

 It pains me to no end to have to write this post since it has absolutely nothing to do with yours truly, so bear with me.

So this Thanksgiving mom and dad did things a little different.  They had one of mom's friends over for the week, and they did lots of outdoor activities (translated: brewery hopping, with masks of course, and during non-peak hours so keeping socially distant wasn't an issue).  But seriously, they got in some good walks and even went hiking.  On Thanksgiving Day they drove about 40 minutes southwest of Asheville to the Pisgah National Forest where they hiked up to the Frying Pan Mountain Lookout Tower, which at 70 feet is supposedly the tallest fire tower in the entire state of North Carolina.  The ranger's lookout at the top is closed, but the views from the top of the jangly metal stairs just below it are spectacular, according to mom and her friend.  You see, dad's getting old, and can't do heights like he could in his youth, so he only went part way up, clinging to the handrail about a story and a half up, teeth chattering and shaking like a leaf, leaving mom and her friend to climb to the top for these photos. The 360 degree views were truly spectacular, or so they say. The hike was only a couple miles overall, but a good hike nonetheless, and when they returned instead of a turkey dinner they cooked a rib roast, had their homemade stuffing and fresh roasted Brussels Sprouts all garlicky and delicious.  Of course, ever the idiot, dad forgot to get a picture of his plate before chowing down, so here's where he stopped for a photo. 


Nice work, you dinglehoosie.  Anyway, yeah, it all smelled wonderful, and no, I didn't get to have any.  After some wine and some cleanup and some wine they were pretty well spent.  So that was their Thanksgiving.  Yaaay.  Woohoo.  Hip hip, who cares.  These photos are beautiful.  Oh, and the mountains are cool, too😄...