Routines- Part Something or Other

 So, routines are a thing with us felines, and I’ve certainly developed enough of my own. I know we’ve posted about this topic more than once already, so bear with me here. Dad said, “We’ve done this already, Smudge”. Like he has any say. “You don’t want to bore them to death.” 

I said, “Listen, mister, this is my blog, and I’ll post whatever I want.” I turned away from him as I often do with him and mom. 

“But you couldn’t do this without me,” dad whined. “You need my help even logging into Blogger.” 

“Fair point, I guess, but you’d be surprised to discover what we cats can learn.” I turned and headed for my food dish to let him know this conversation was over.

Dad snorted at this, dribbling his coffee onto his bare chest (unnecessary detail, sure, but it’s been hot lately and, well, anyway) and began snickering like a lunatic. “Yeah, right. You know you can’t do this by yourself, Miss Snotty Pants. Cats aren’t that smart.”

Ooooh, the gloves are off now.

“Don’t even get me going on who’s got more brains here, father!” He knows I mean business when that one comes out. “Who’s the one who can’t keep a checkbook? Who’s the idiot who forgets things all the time? Who needs mom to write everything down for him? Hmm? Checkmate.” 

Where was I? Oh yeah, my routines. So every morning, before he even pours his first coffee, before he has his first pee (I know, I know, more unnecessary details), I get what mom and dad call giving me loves. I guess simply “petting the cat” is no longer fashionable.

 

I’m bored now. And the big guy has to get ready for work. So, yeah, routines. I’ll let my expression in this last one say it all. Smudge out. 

Summertime, Summertime, Sum Sum Summertime

Well, the Jamies' 1958 single may celebrate the end of the school year and swimming, dancing, and, ugghh, romancing, but this is MY idea of what summertime means. 

Can I get a Woop Woo- ZZZzzzzzzz...

A Dang Whirlwind

 Smudge here. Yeah, I'm back, and things are starting to calm down some. Dad's been helping the boss's family move across town in preparation for a large renovation project, and dad's kinda sorta maybe a little confident hopeful that his phone won't be ringing off the hook (any of you young 'uns know the origin of that one?) this weekend. So Dad's Day was relaxing in spite of the above. As always, we keep things simple and low-key. Mom and I found the absolutely most perfect card for me to give dad, and he and mom say it's me to a tee, whatever that means. 

They also managed to make it to Princeton, NJ, again for a No Kings protest. They said the crowd was HUGE and peaceful, and they were proud to have participated in it. 

So, what's everyone been up to?

As Always, It's What I Do

 Dad's brain has been kidnapped by his work for a while now, and he barely has the mental capacity to pay attention to me and mom these days. I've had to take the reigns here for now, so you get what you get. At least until things settle down at work. We typically only work on posts in the early AM hours, and that precious time's been sucked up by his boss's needs. I'm fine taking over for a bit, but I can only do so much and my paws aren't all that great with a keyboard. Okay, bye. 

Stationary Play

 Playing's not my thing, and that's okay.

I'm a mature gal, as you know, and not all seniors like to play the way we might've when we were tots.

Of course, every now and then, the mood might strike, and I'll have a go at a shoe lace.

Sure, I've been known to chase a string around in a circle or maybe move a step or two to swat at it or grab it in my chompers.

But I must admit, my preferred method, when I do get a rare burst of playfulness these days, is a little more stationary.

And of course, if it involves the footrest, all the better.

As often happens, even a little bit of play wears me out, and there's nothing better after expending a bit of energy than a nice snooze. Wouldn't you agree? 

Vacation and Feet and Sunpuddles & Stuff

So mom and dad finally got their staycation week before dad's job gets crazy with big upcoming projects, and they decided to keep it close and simple so they didn't have to worry about leaving me for too long. I won't bore you with all the details, but they walked the Cape May, NJ beach one day, hiked in the Poconos another, and spent several days knocking off miles and miles of walks along both sides of the Delaware River Canal Towpath, which cuts right through New Hope. All that walking is good for them, but it seems to have taken a toll on dad's right ankle, seen here hogging a bit too much of my footrest space.

 

Anyway, enough about mom and dad and that ugly foot. This post was really supposed to be a simple reminder to take advantage of sunpuddles and enjoy some relaxation and peace & quiet, especially in the face of all the stupidity and craziness that seems to be worsening everywhere right now. So, yeah-

Now THAT'S more like it, am I right?

MY Footrest

 So, dad and I are always fighting over space on MY footrest. Oh sure, the chair may be his, but the part where his stinky feet are supposed to go is mine. Where will his feet go? Don't much care. Will he be comfortable dangling his feet over the sides to make room for Yours Truly? Again, don't much care.

This one particular night, dad was, I don't know, eating dinner, reading, doing something or other that really annoyed me. I wanted the footrest, and even though there was plenty of room for me, I wasn't in the mood for sharing. So I sat on the coffee table in front of him and gave him my best stink eye. 

Unfortunately, I can't tell you how long this standoff lasted or what the outcome was because one of us has a shitty memory and the other is a cat. My point is- wait, what's our point, dad? 

A Brief Scare and a Snooze

Hey all. What's up? Dad decided to get his butt moving and help me put up a new post. Sometimes it's like pulling teeth, I swear. Anyway, he and mom finally got to take some time off starting with today, and they're just gonna keep things close. You see, I gave them a scare a few days ago. I all of a sudden wasn't interested in food or water, and didn't seem to be myself. Mom took me to the V.E.T. to see what was up, and after bloodwork, tests, fluids, x-rays, and more tests, it was determined that, other than something about my ol' ticker and a slight wheeze, there wasn't really much wrong with me. I'm sort of back to myself now, but I freaked them out. Mom and dad are thinking I may have gotten a lick of my monthly flea stuff they usually put way up high on my neck where I'm not supposed to be able to reach it, or maybe I got a taste of something I shouldn't have on a plastic bag I seem to have a thing for when they weren't looking. Who knows. I'm a little more me now, so I guess that's a good thing. 

As you can see, they used a stupid boy-colored wrap when they were done with me, and I took a much-needed snooze after this ordeal.
When dad got back from his week of pooch-sitting, the three of us were exhausted, so after unpacking dad's stuff, we decided to take a nap together. I had a hard time trying to whittle down the pictures I wanted to post, so dad just dumped them all in here. Enjoy!

Dad here- Smudge's mom and I thought it was cute how she slept touching both of us, her back against her mom and her feet on me.

Hi

 Hey all. So things've been a bit busy lately. I'll spare you the boring details, but it's been a stressful, somewhat disappointing week or so. Meanwhile, dad was pooch-sitting again all week as the bosses were away, and on this particular day, the two old guys finally had a decent warm day when the winds weren't blowing a bazillion miles per hour to take another walk up to Bowman's Hill Tower. Afterwards, they basked in the warmth of the sun, one taking the picture, the other out cold from his walk.

Anyhoo, since my interest in any of the above is nonexistent and this is MY blog, I'll show you how much I care about this stuff by sharing my typical reaction whenever mom or dad tries to talk to me.

 Yep, even if I'm initially looking in their general direction, once they start talking to me, I simply turn to the side and ignore them like they're not there. Works wonders.

No Vacation/Paws Off

So we were all set for a week of vacation (translated: mom and dad were going away and leaving my daily needs to someone else) when things kinda fell apart. Dad put in for the week off and they planned a road trip, starting with finding someone to take care of Yours Truly. They met with a wonderful local person who agreed to stop in every day while they were gone to take care of my food, water and litter box and give me a bit of attention if my mood so desired. And then, right at the last minute, they received a notice on their door that the roof on our building would be replaced over several days- WHILE THEY WERE GONE! As we've mentioned before, I'm quite a Nervous Nelly when it comes to loud noises and such, and I freak out over every boom, bang, screech, scream or anything else out of the ordinary. Mom and dad did not wanna leave me alone while that kind of noise was going on right above my head. Fortunately, they'd been holding off booking a hotel and rental vehicle, and the only thing they'd confirmed was the person who was going to take care of me. She was very understanding, I was relieved, and mom and dad were mad as hornets. Dad's work is getting busy, so it might be a bit difficult, but I think they're gonna try again in the next few weeks. They did manage to hit the "Hands Off!" protest in downtown Princeton, NJ this past Saturday.

They said the crowd was huge but peaceful, and some of the signs were quite, umm, creative.

The supportiveness, cheers, and oneness were truly inspiring, and they only saw two very vocal dissenters, the loudest of whom got into a face-off with the very bold and fearless young woman on the right. 

Now, I know mine isn't a blog about politics, but now is NOT a time to be quiet. Anyone else get to attend one of these?