A "Cat"astrophic Cat "Tail"
Part 2

Okay, maybe my sister, the nurse, was right. After having the second pill the kitty start to get real mellow, looking like she didn't have a care in the world. (Hmm, I'm thinking maybe I need that medicine, too;) Like I told y'all, the airline is real strict about the size of carrying case, etc. so my other sister and I had hit the pet stores, measuring tape in hand, in hopes of finding the perfect one. We were so happy to find one that fit the guidelines we bought it then and there. Now, let me tell you, they don't make carriers like they used to. As a matter of fact, if you just glanced at it you wouldn't even know that it was for carrying pets. My sister even jokingly said maybe I should go and buy you some bling to put on it like the stars have! HA!! No thank you, ma'am!

Now that kitty was mellow we decided it was time to put her in the "bag." It took a little maneuvering, but we managed to "stuff" her in without too much drama. On the drive to the airport I kept fretting about what would happen at the security checkpoint, surely I thought I wouldn't have to take the kitty out of the bag. As I walk up to the checkpoint I tell the guard that I have a kitty with me. He looks at me with a grin on his face, and says, "I never thought I'd have to say this, but you have to let the cat out of the bag!" Get it?!! I was thinking, surely you jest, but has was dead serious. So, I say a quick prayer and unzip the bag to get kitty out. Thank goodness she was mellow, because it could have gotten real ugly, really fast. Kitty and I proceed through the checkpoint, and I'm happy to announce she wasn't carrying any explosives!

By the time I got on the plane my nerves were shot. There was the sweetest family sitting in front of me. Mom, Dad, and two darling little boys. Dad and the little boy sat right in front of me. Come to find out, they were going to Disney and this was their first trip. If you have ever taken your kids to Disney, then you can imagine the excitement. He was pretty much bouncing off the plane walls, and was excitedly talking about Minnie, Mickey, and all the others. Dad looked very nervous at the prospect of traveling with such an enthusiastic traveler, and I was, too, because my kitty was sitting right underneath the little boy's seat. Dad and I got into a conversation (I think he was desperate;) and I ended up telling him that my kitty was underneath his son's seat. His face lit up like a light bulb, and I could tell the wheels were turning! He leaned in and told his son that a scared little kitty (just like they had at home) was sitting just below him, so he had to be real quiet so he wouldn't scare the sweet kitty. Brilliant idea , Dad!!!!! The plane ride was great, and at the end I told the little boy that my kitty was so happy he got to sit underneath him because he had such wonderful behavior. The Dad looked greatly relieved, but he had another leg of the trip to go on, so I could see the sweat starting to pop out on his forehead again!

I'm walking through the airport looking for my next gate, and all of a sudden I hear this awful howling, and I look down at the bag, and it looks like kitty is about to bust open the bag. If you've ever seen Christmas Vacation, it was kind of like Aunt Bethany's cat in the box that she wrapped up. NOT a pretty sight, I'm telling y'all. I felt like I was at the verge of hysteria, I really did. I am NOT a drinking woman, but if I could have had a drink I think I would have;) I find an out of the way seating area, and I start talking to kitty to try and calm her down. I thought maybe if I opened the bag a little I could pet her, and that would make her feel better. I did just that, but she didn't care a bit about the petting, she wanted OUT. I quickly zipped up the bag, and set it on the floor. She was moving around so much that every few seconds that bag would fall over on the floor. I kept putting it back upright, and then my eyes caught sight of some orange fur. There kitty was poking her HEAD OUT OF THE BAG.(In the frenzy I hadn't secured it back properly). Oh, my goodness, I about had a heart attack then and there. I grabbed the bag as quick as I could and fought and struggled to "stuff" her body back in. I really thought she was going to get out, and run all over the Cincinnati airport. (If that happened I would go into the ladies room and never come out;) Seriously, I am NOT kidding .......I somehow managed to "stuff" her back in, all the while she is howling and kicking. Finally, finally they call for my flight to board.

The whole time I'm walking to the plane, people are looking at me and the crazy moving, howling bag. I manage to get on the plane, and get her underneath the seat. I had to keep my feet around the bag the entire time so the bag wouldn't fall into the aisle. We had ONE WHOLE HOUR in the air, and she kicked and yowled the whole way. Can I just saw that it was the first time I was grateful for screaming children and crying babies on a flight, because they somewhat drowned out the sound of my kitty! After what seemed liked days, we finally landed in Richmond. I really could have kissed the ground I was so happy to be home! After our great adventure in the sky, trying to integrate a new cat into a home with two other cats and a dog seems almost like a piece of cake;)


Please meet "Sunny!"

Bless her heart, this is the only picture I could get of her. She spends most of her time under our bed ~ I think the poor thing is going to need therapy:)

Who Let The Cat Out Of The Bag?

A "Cat"astrophic Cat "Tail"

Y'all know how much I love pets. Y'all also know how much I love my Mother. So, when it came time for my Mom to go into the nursing home I knew that my Mom's cat was coming home with me. I would have it no other way. Only problem was, I live over 500 miles away. How was I going to get my new kitty home? I hemmed and hawed over it, and then finally decided that three 1/2 hours in the air would be better than 10 in the car. That's where I made the big mistake.

Finding out how I would be able to transport my cat was an ordeal in and of itself. I called the airlines 1 800 number, and after a half an hour was connected to a representative who happened to live in India. Try as I might, I could not understand what she was saying. After many, "excuse me's" I finally deciphered that the cat could fly home with me. Not only could she fly home with me, she was going to be traveling in the cabin right beneath my feet! What? You've got to be kidding me. During all the transfers my Dad has made in his life, our pets always flew in the cargo plane, never ever in the cabin with the other passengers. I broke into a cold sweat just thinking about it.

A call to the vet was placed and she assured me that she would be able to give the kitty some medicine that would make her sleep for at least eight hours. Hmm, okay, maybe I need some of that, too! The morning of the big adventure my sister and I chase down kitty (who is no fool). She knows when the tuna comes out it can't be good;) After unclenching her tightly closed mouth we manage to pop the pill in. Off we then go to meet my other sister for breakfast before I am to fly back home. We are positive that when we return she will be fast asleep enjoying her kitty slumber. But, OH NO.......... We open the door, and she runs to greet us as if she were ready for the cat Olympics! I gasp in horror and then the panic really starts to set in. I tell Betsy that there is no way I can take her on the plane like this. She is a nurse so she takes matters into her own hands. She says that we can give her another half a pill, and that will do the trick. Now, mind you, my flight leaves in just an hour. Will it work????? Stay tuned tomorrow!

~ In Loving Memory~


" Buster Brown"
2004-2010
Every tear we have shed tear today is coupled with beautiful memories of our cherished friend. Although his years on this earth were short, the joy he brought our family was unmeasurable. He will be sorely missed.

We Went "Over The River

And Through The Woods" . . . .

And Now It's Time To

"Deck The Halls!"

With a little bit of help, of course;)

Jake is trying to get the reindeer antlers off of his head. He says, "what I have to do to put up with these humans ~ the indignity of it all!"

Annabelle must supervise to make sure we get it right!

I'll be back on Monday with a quick and easy craft that Miss Bonnie did over the holiday break.

"Cat Nap"

This is the scene I came upon this afternoon as I walked into our bedroom. Count em . . . 1, 2, 3! They look pretty comfy, don't you think? Hmm, maybe I'll join them.


Do you think there's room for me? lol

Bailey

Buster ~ I think he's annoyed that I'm interrupting his beauty sleep:o)

Annabelle
Wow, now that's what I call relaxed!

Guess What I've Been Up To?

All you have to do is take a look at these pictures of my puppy, Jake, and I'm sure you can guess. I guess the title of the post should have been, What Jake Has Been Into! After shedding many tears I can now laugh about (almost) the incident ~ just imagine puppy dog paw prints made with my beautiful Clair de Lune paint going all the way down our carpeted steps. Sniff, sniff. . . . I was running after him yelling at him to stop and that just caused him to run faster because he thought it was a fun game. Grr! Now, my question to y'all. Can somebody P L E A S E tell me how to remove paint from carpet. If your idea works you will win a free trip to Bermuda (just kidding;o) But, I promise I will love you forever!!

Edited to add: Ladies, thank you SO MUCH for your wonderful advice as well as your sympathies;o) Unfortunately, nothing seemed to do the trick and since new carpeting is NOT in the budget at the moment, we will be admiring Jake's "artwork" for quite awhile! Oh well, at least I don't have to buy a plane ticket to Bermuda;o)

Scavenger Hunt (Day 3)
Craft/Sewing Bins




I was so excited when I "found" this toile fabric because I had stashed it away for "another day," and forgotten about it. Please tell me y'all know how that is! Anyway, I wanted to make a simple coverlet for the bottom of our bed and it only took a few minutes to whip up. Eventually I plan to make curtains to match. I'm happy with how it turned out and I think kitty Bailey is, too! I'm off to do some more scavenging.....

Guest Post
Jake


"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, it's S N O W I N G!" "Hurry up Bonnie , tell Mama we don't have time to take pictures ~ we have more important things to tend to!"



"Why are you just standing there, Bonnie"? "Let's get a move on!"



"All right, would y'all stop it with the pictures..... enough already!" "Golly, you'd think they'd never seen a snowflake before!"

"Finally, this is more like it!" "Keep up the pace, Bonnie, I've got places to go and people to see!"

Fat and Happy!

When I saw Buster Brown "reclining" on the chair I just had to snap a picture of him. I think it speaks perfectly as to how we all felt after our Thanksgiving meal yesterday:o) Hope y'all felt the same way, too!

Eat More Turkey!!



I had just returned from the grocery store and was unloading all of my groceries when I looked over at the table and saw my kitty, Annabelle. She had decided that the turkey roasting pan wasn't just for cooking turkeys~ it also makes a nice, cozy bed for kitty cats! Lucky for me I had an extra pan and lucky for her the oven wasn't on! LOL Gotta love your pets:o)

Baby, It's HOT Outside!

It was 100 degrees in the shade today. I took my Boston ferns down to give them a good drink and my kitty Bailey decided they would make a wonderful cool retreat from the blazing hot sun! I spy two little white legs and tail "peeking" out ;o)

Spring Fever

Even my kitty is experiencing Spring fever as he enjoys the golden rays of the sun. Soon there will be butterflies to chase and sweet choruses of birds to listen to! Oh, happy day!

Friday Favorite :
For The Love Of Our Pets
I snapped this picture yesterday. Bailey keeps climbing up into the rafters of our porch and then he can't get down. Mr. P has to stand on a ladder and rescue him, but first he has to catch him!! NOT AN EASY TASK!!!

I love this quote by Mary Bly, "Dogs come when they are called, cats take a
message and get back to you later!"

Mr. P. and Jake warming up by the fire. He has been Mr. P.'s constant companion for the last eleven years. He is a very gentle, kind puppy. He loves to romp in the backyard and wags his tail a "mile a minute" when you pat his head or talk sweetly to him. He also loves his walks with Mr. P! I tell you it almost looks as if he is actually smiling when he know he is going for a walk! He is a real sweetheart:)


Buster and Bailey playing hide and seek! All of our pets were adopted from the rescue shelter in town. We don't know what kind of life they had before they came to us, we just know that we try to provide the best kind of life for them now. We love each one of them and they bring us much joy and happiness:) ****If you ever want to adopt a pet PLEASE go to your local rescue shelter because there are so many unwanted cats and dogs. All they want is a dry place to sleep, some food and water, but most importantly, they want lots of LOVE and a place to call HOME. I can promise you that you will receive love back from them ten fold!

Our Feathered Friends
I have said many times that my favorite window in our home is the kitchen window. One of the reasons I love it so much is that I can look out and see all the different varieties of birds that come and visit us. As you can see we have many feeders! Probably my favorite is the finch feeder, those little cuties eat upside down! I also love to see their color change from winter to spring! We also have a lot of cardinals (our state bird) titmice, wrens, juncos, black capped chickadees, blue jays, morning doves and sparrows. They feed everyday like clockwork, eight in the morning and four in the afternoon:)


We also have several birdhouses located throughout our backyard!



Of course the squirrels have to eat, too!











Bailey and Buster also love looking at the birds! They would be more than happy to join them:) LOL

Pets, Presentation, and Porches!

How's that for a post title. I couldn't think of a thing to post about today. Do you ever have that happen?? Anyway, this is a post about a lot of "nothing!" I'll try to be brief, I know I am a rambler:)

Pets: We have many: black lab named Jake, three cats named Buster, Bailey, and Annabelle, a parakeet named Birdie Boy (how original, huh?) and my daughters guinea pig named Hershey. Okay, I think that's it! Maybe I better double check! LOL. Anyway, we had to take two of the cats for their shots this morning. Try getting a 16 pound cat into a small carrier, NOT FUN!! Did you know that cat's shed like crazy when they are nervous?? I left the vet looking like a very "hairy chested" woman! The vet's waiting room is the only waiting room I don't mind "waiting in!" It is almost entertaining. People with pets are about some of the friendliest people you would ever want to meet. Watching the big dogs interact with the little ones can be quite amusing. I also love to chat with the owners and hear all the names of their pets! Anyway, I'm $90.00 poorer and a lot hairier, but we all survived. BTW, I need to post someday about the time I went to the vet and ended up in the sewer!! I'm NOT KIDDING!


Presentation: I am going to tell you a secret. I love EASY. I love to bake but sometimes in this heat I just don't feel like turning on the oven. So, what to do when you have friends coming over? You hop in your car and drive to your nearest supermarket and buy something that THEY baked. I always have two things on hand at my home and they are dolies and powdered sugar. Those two things can make anything taste better! See below:

Before Remember: "Appeal is half the meal!"

Porches: Mr. P and I have been building (oops, I should have said Mr. P HAS been building) a screen porch. I am his ever faithful helper! I supply plenty of refreshing cold water and am always ready with a big smile and lots of words of encouragement. ( Y'all he's doing this screen porch all by himself!) We were hoping to have it ready for the fourth of July but with all the excessive heat and his work schedule it has almost been impossible for him to get a lot of work done. We are now shooting for Labor Day. Will take pics of completed project while we are rocking in our wicker rockers sipping lemonade!

CozyUp

I try to make my home as inviting and as "cozy" as I possibly can. I have to do this with a limited budget so I try to find things from around my house and work with those. I love how by adding just a little touch something "ordinary" becomes "delightful!" Not only do I want it to be pleasing to the eye I always want it to ekoke the feeling of "welcome" to family and friends. My kitty Bailey agrees!
Do you have a little nook in your home that you can "cozy" up?

Before & After

Cat Nap
It is raining "cats and dogs," (pun intended LOL) in my little corner of the world. This is how my "boys" are deciding to spend their day! Oh my goodness I wish I could join them! SIGH!
What's the weather like in your little corner of the world?