Something about playing with feathers, being old, bathing and napping or something, I don't know.

 In captivity, many felines rely on their self-proclaimed "owners" for companionship, sustenance, waste removal, and leisurely activities. However, in the event none of said "owners" are available or are just too effing busy to care, some creatures must take it upon themselves to satisfy their need for amusement. As such, in the case of this one particularly lovely, extraordinary, allegedly senior individual, such needs are met as the infrequent longing for entertainment arises (and as the male "owner" sits lazily nearby, phone camera in hand) only when she explores a container of assorted playthings tucked beneath a wooden structure purchased for the sole purpose of the aging male "owner" to rest his derriere upon while placing fabric and rubber sheaths upon his massive, malformed hooves.

After brief distractions from some unknown item above, the camera's flash, and the sudden need to bathe, 

and having settled on a feather-tipped wand of sorts,

this exceptionally ravishing specimen of her species paws at said feather-tipped joystick only briefly before noticing the camera's intrusion, causing great annoyance. Surrendering in defeat, the moody morsel of feline exquisiteness succumbs in repose, the half-withered plume the final vision her drooping eyelids close upon. 

 Umm, okay. And they all lived happily ever after? What is this? Is there a moral here? What the fudge, dad? 

Things and Stuff

 One of my newly revisited favorite lounge spots in our place is the low window sill up in the extra bedroom.

When we first moved here, I enjoyed watching the world go by from on high but lost interest when the plastic went up last winter. The sill is only a few inches off the floor and is nice and wide so I can sprawl out leisurely. Plus, I get to spy on all the activity outside.

As you can see, Miss Ellen's nip mat gets a good workout, too. In case some of you are wondering or don't remember from old posts many moons ago, the sarcophagus is the final resting place for Angels Isaac, Orbit, Cleopatra and wee Grayson.

Downstairs, the sliders offer a different view of the great outdoors.

Here's where I saw my little hippety hoppety friend a few posts ago, and where I'm often found sprawled out when dad wakes up at idiot o'clock when it's still dark out but my silhouette is highlighted by a neighbor's obnoxious 24/7 patio light.

So there you have it. I'll bet your day feels more complete now that your brain's filled with all this fascinating good-to-know stuff. See ya.

Guest Post

 I guess I may be getting better about sharing in my old age. Or, dad wanted to post this and said I had no say in the matter. So one of his kids sent him this photo of her floofy feline, Bean, or Spicy Black Bean Burger. 

Sure seems like a mouthful when it comes to calling for dinner and whatnot. Unique name, sure, but I'm okay with my one-syllable moniker. Say, Bean must be related to dad- looking at this up close, those tufts sticking out from between her toes look an awful lot like dad's toes. And ears. And back. 

Rhyme Time with ol' Bonehead Dad

 Oh dear, here he goes again. Bear with me, folks- I have to live with him, so this should be painless for you.

An Assemblage of Legs

a very brief poem by dad

An assemblage of chair legs, 

and some table ones, too,

I'll give you one guess

who those others belong to.

Thank you very much. Please hold the applause.

Aww, come on, Smudge. I thought it was pretty good for being cooked up so quick.

Ooooh, I know- maybe I'll take a stab at a sonnet next.

Ahhh, feel the love...

A Comfy Place for the Road-Weary Travelers

During our trip out & back we stayed at a couple of pet-friendly hotels to help ease the drive. Funny story: dad learned some years ago to call ahead even if they say "pet-friendly" because apparently "pet-friendly" often only means "dog-friendly" at some places. This time, he called everywhere we stayed like three times to confirm, re-confirm and re-re-confirm that I'd be allowed.

We also stayed at one while visiting the grandboys, and although mom and dad appreciated the open invitation to stay with the family, they felt it was better to stay nearby, especially with me in tow.

Mom brought this colorful blanket from home because she's always cold and wanted to make sure she'd be warm enough wherever we went.

Don't much care where mom and dad sleep, as long as I've got my claim staked.

Jet-Lagged

Back Home

 But we drove, Smudge. No flying was involved, and it was only 20 hours and one time zone away.

Yeah, but it took a lot out of me. I thought riding from Asheville to this place when we moved here would be the last time I'd have to ride in a moving vehicle.

Oh, come on-  You were the best riding companion ever, and besides, you slept through most of it, right? I mean, once you settled down it was like you'd done it a hundred times in your howevermanyteen years.

I guess. Besides, I think I'm more exhausted from listening to you and mom go at each other about driving than I am from the trip. 

What are you saying? I did all the driving and for the most part, enjoyed it. I think I'm the one who should be exhausted. 

I'll let you in on a little secret- mom let you drive. From what I gather, you don't like mom's front-seat driving, and she doesn't like your back-seat driving. She just didn't wanna hear it. Got it?

Touché. Well, seeing this set of grandkids for the first time since before COVID-19 was a joy, and as always, the time was way too short. Sure, 4 days total of driving wasn't so great, but hanging out with three silly, overly energized grandboys was worth more than anything in the world, even if they had a little too much fun with Grandpa's hairy back and ugly toes. The mini-golf, fishing, smores & popcorn over the fire, and, especially, tubing behind the boat were a treat. And don't get me started on the giggly 9-year-old walking, talking fart factory. Who knew one wiry little body could harness so much gas. Anyway, perhaps one day if/when I retire, we'll be able to travel more.

Great. Looking forward to it.

Visitors and Visiting

 We don't get much company, but recently, a neighbor stopped by for a visit and got me chittering and running back and forth and back and forth from the sliders to the window over and over.

Regarding this next photo, I can hear mom saying how dad and I share the same shape: small in the legs & butt, and an all 'round muffin top.

 Anyway, oh, how I wanted to get out there and chomp on play with the little guy. He was checking out our patio and just kinda hanging around.

And then he came right up to the window to say hi or let me know he came in peace or wanted a carrot or something. I don't know. Anyway,

We stared each other down for a bit, then he scampered off towards the neighbor's patio and life went on. 

Oh, before I forget- we're taking a road trip. Dad's taking a week off and we're heading out to visit some grandkids somewhere about a thousand million billion miles away, so we won't be around much til sometime next whenever. See you then!

  

  

What's a Girl to Do?

Ahem. 'scuse me? I'm waiting. Hello? Dad, are you in there? I'm getting mad. You won't like me when I'm mad.

 Am I in this thing alone? Hello? We've got some catching up to do. Dad? Anyone? These darn posts don't write themselves. Come on, mister. Gather up your brains and get a move on. I'm waaaaaaiiting... 

A 2nd Anniversary Remembrance and 13th Blogoversary

Well, it's been just over two years now since our dear old Cleopatra crossed the bridge, and not a day goes by when we don't think of her. Her mom still has a hard time even looking at her pictures, so please accept my apology, Hon, when you read this post.

Just look at that sweet face

I can't believe how time flies, and we still- and always will- miss the old gal like crazy. While searching through countless photos, unable to single any out, it felt like some of them were taken only yesterday.

Mom's warm lap and an ice-cold beer from our time in Wilmington, NC

Orbit and I started this thing back in 2011, which seems like eons ago. I had no idea at that time how far we would take it, and even though there've been times when it was difficult to create posts, it's been a lot of fun. Orbit was pretty much like me: laid back, even-keeled (mostly), and just, like, "whatever" (frequently much to the mom's aggravation). More apologies, Sweetheart.

Orbit was a cuddler from the get-go

Orbit had been through countless life changes with me, and I'll be forever grateful that my better half (and mom to Angels Orbit & Cleopatra and of course, Smudge) fell in love with him way back when she and I first met.

Melts your heart, doesn't it?

Cleo, though somewhat crotchety, eventually warmed to us and had been learning to chill over the years. She grew on us like crazy, even with her occasionally anti-social ways, but she made sure we fell in love with her to no end.

Our sweet old girl on my lap

And now-

As usual, head turned away from us...

"Crotchety" has taken on a whole new meaning since Smudge became part of this family, and her duck/frog quack/croak of a meow makes her sound like a 98-year-old lifelong smoker.

So sweet, yet so cranky

Do we wish she'd show us a little more love? Sure, but we'll take her begging for attention and then walking away when we try to give it over, well, let me get back to you on that. 

One of the rare moments she actually looks at us😁

So anyway, frequent side-eye and completely ignoring us aside, Smudge is our sweet, occasionally loving, kinda bitchy & always annoyed senior housemate who we wouldn't trade for the world. No, really. What's not to love about this: 

 Safe Fourth of July greetings to all, though I know Smudge will be hiding in one of her usual spots once the noise starts. I'd say the rain we might get will erase that, but the sound of rain freaks her out as well. 

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie... Alone Says I

Canine Cuteness  (I didn't write that!)

 Dad's just home from another brief mutt-sitting stint, and he's officially a butt munch in my book. Think you're funny, don't you, Mr. Big Head Muffin-Top Butt Wipe Dingle Ninny? Like it isn't bad enough that I have to share your attention!

This. Is. Not. Real.

Sorry Smudgie Wudgie, it's part of my job. You know I have to take care of them now and then. I was just having a little fun.

(in mocking, whiny tone) Sorry, Smudgie Wudgie, it's part of my job- Spare me. That's it. No more Lunapic for you. You're on my poop list now, you mumble-minded wiggle-chinned dingweed. 

Aww, lighten up. It's only a picture. Besides, you could say you improved it immensely, no?

I am so done. I want mom to take over. Mom! Mom?! MOM!!

Hot Hot Hot

You know, for all dad's bellyaching this past winter about the chilly tile floor in our downstairs, I've gotta admit, it's kinda nice now that the outdoor temperatures are approaching inferno degrees. One day recently when the temps were still more tolerable, I enjoyed the cool floors while also getting in some wildlife-watching from our sliders.

The drapes were shut to keep the late afternoon sun from heating things up, but that also created a place for me to sort of hide. As is usually the case, it's not long before mom or dad eventually bothers me, desperate for my attention the way they are pretty much 24/7, and dad and his pain-in-the-arse phone ruined my few moments of peace. 

Here, on another cooler day before mom took up all of the rugs, I spent hours just watching the world go by from our front door. 

 We're putting off as long as we can firing up the mega a/c since it's still not too bad in here, but what do you, my fellow felines, prefer as the leading intelligent species on this crazy human-controlled planet- fresh air and breezes or closed up confined air?

Sssssssss

 Since the warmer weather has been here, I've gotten glimpses out our front door of the local wildlife. Even though we can hear the stupid noisy traffic, our neighborhood is teeming with birds, rabbits, squirrels, and humans. The other day while mom and dad were sitting in the living room, dad said he saw me pacing back and forth, nearly frantic and all but trying to go through the screen door. If you look real close, you can see our newest visitor slithering through the mulch. I wanted to pounce something fierce, let me tell you.

I couldn't take my eyes off the intruder. Oh, how I wanted to play with him, and dad was like "and what would you do if you could get him?" and I was like "give me a second" and dad was like "you'd probably freak out and run upstairs and hide" and I was like "listen mister, I'm scared of lots of things but I'd pounce on his tail, whap him around a bit, let him get away a few inches and then pounce some more" and dad was like "right, right. You're afraid of your own shadow" and I was like "don't you have somewhere to be?" and he was like "just saying" and I was like "I think mom's calling you. Get out of my face" and then the not-plaything wound his way across our welcome mat and off into the grass and life went on. 

 

Scenes From Mom's La-Z-Boy

 I call this one 

"Get That Effing Thing Out of My 

Face!"

Nothing to see here, folks. Just an old gal stretching out & having a snooze.

Not sure what's going on here, but I guess I'm comfortable.

Dad says this next one's a rarity. I figured I'd give 'em a treat now and then.

And lastly, dad says this is the most beautiful picture ever of Yours Truly. And here I thought they all were. Can't have everything, I guess.