Momma Meezer Monday

When the doorbell rings, it usually means something good has been delivered. I know that what is in the box matters to my mom, but if it doesn't smell like nip, it doesn't mean much to me. It's all about the box.

It's part of my job to show mom the pleasures of simple things.

It's also my job to make her laugh.

I meant to do that.

Easy Sunday

Grete likes to share her bed with me. She has for a long time. Because Grete is afraid of getting her picture taken inside the house, we have not been able to share our moments together with others. Slowly, Grete is getting to understand the camera is not as scary as she once thought.

Bittersweet Memories with Jonesie

After mom and I read the comments from my Thanksgiving post, we had a long talk. Mom had promised me that she wouldn't show the pictures from when I was found unless I gave my permission. Those pictures make mom cry and she wanted me to control when the pictures were revealed. I said it was ok, it's important for everyone to know what happens when a kitty is abandoned. It's so easy for a human to pack up, move on and assume the cat will be ok, assume it will be able to fend for itself. Those assumptions are wrong. I could not. Most cats can't. I never did understand why I was abandoned and I wanted to give up on living I was so hurt. I was hopeless at hunting for myself because someone had fed me my whole life. I always knew where I came from. After I was rescued and I started going back outside, I'd go back to the back of the yard by the apartments and look sadly in their direction. Once my mom said, it's ok, you can go back and check. They are not there anymore. It took awhile for that to sink in for me. Slowly I came to understand that I was going to be fine.

The hardest thing for me was not looking my best. I take great pride in my furs and when I had fur missing and it was a mess, my kitty self esteem was low. My mom brushed me and told me I was beautiful even though I knew I was not. I loved that she saw my beauty through the mess. My mom intended for me to be fostered and brought back to health and then find a new family for me. In the process of caring for me, my mom fell in love with me. So did dad. They knew I was very tied to them and the garden that became my own. I have been Queen of the garden ever since.

This last picture of me is one of mom's favorites. She thinks it makes me look triumphant. I overcame so much and she is so proud of me.

So when people say to mom, your cats are so beautiful...mom says all cats are beautiful. A little love and patience is all it takes to bring out our best. And those 2 kitties that led mom and dad to me? They are completely convinced that they were my guardian angel kitties. Mom and dad know all the kitties that visit in the yard and they had never seen those 2 before. They were playing by the bushes where I was hiding and attracted attention to me. Without them I would have not made it out of the bushes. They had been in the yard for a few days or so, and then when I was safely inside, they vanished.

Thankful Thursday in the Garden with Jonesie

Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for so many things. I am thankful for my wonderful family that loves me. I am thankful for all of my wonderful friends. I am thankful little squirt Cory got the idea to start this blog so I could realize my dream of sharing my garden with the world. It didn't start out easy for me.

In February of 2002 when my mom and dad think I was about 2 years old, I was near the end. I was abandoned and hungry and cold and I had given up on living. I wandered from the nearby apartments and ended up in the bushes of what is now my backyard. I didn't come out on my own. There were 2 other cats playing in the yard near the bushes. That's why my mom and dad came down to look to see those other cats. Then when mom and dad were focused on the others...I came out. They tried to feed me but I didn't want to eat. They were able to catch me and bring me in the house. They were patient and I slowly started to eat again. My fur was all patchy. I decided I did want to live. Mom and dad never saw those other 2 cats again.

Once I regained my strength and my beautiful fur I wanted to go out in the yard. At the time, Maxfield and Jonathan were the Kings of the yard. They were really good to me and showed me the ropes. It took awhile for me to really understand it was mine. I was a cat with real estate. After Maxfield and Jonathan got too old and ill to go outside anymore, it was up to me to carry on their legacy. I take it very seriously. Since I started out in life with nothing, I am thankful everyday for what I have.

So when it gets a little damp outside, and the leaves are everywhere, I am thankful.

When I get to snoopervise the clearing out of the garden beds, I am thankful.

When I get to sharpen my claws on mom's leg, I am thankful.

When mom and dad do all the hard work and I get to watch and approve, I am thankful.

Mom and dad will not be cooking today, they will visit family, but they always bring back slices of turkey to share with us. And for that I am thankful. Please leave a link and tell me what's going on in your garden or if you just want to share your Thanksgiving wishes.

Wordless Wednesday

Tabby Tattletale Tuesday

I'm just hanging out. It's been "interesting" around here. With all the talk of kitties going "raw"...and I don't mean going without collars, mom had to give it a try too. Mom worries about us and whether or not we are getting the right things to eat. We are already on grain free dry food, but mom had thought about cooking for us too. Now she's thinking about skipping the cooking part.

Ellie went nutso when mom brought home some sample beef frozen raw food. Mom thawed out these little nuggets and pandemonium broke out! Little Ellie. Momma to us all. Wee little pussy cat who weighs not a breath more than 7 pounds...pushed us all aside. Rudely. She dove at the food, inhaled it...and proceeded to push us all off our plates so she could steal the food!

Secret is...::whispers:: turns out it was doggie food! Yup! Mom researched the sample online and it was woofie food that Ellie "woofed" down! woooopsss!

Mom went back to the store and got us kitty chicken raw food from "Rad" cat. It's in the refrigerator defrosting so we'll see how it goes. Maybe this time I'll get to actually eat it. Mom said we can sample all the different brands and all the different flavors to figure out what we like. She even ordered a sample of supplements that she can add to raw meat from the grocery store. As long as Ellie doesn't take my share, I'm good with it. And uh, mom...please don't serve the Thanksgiving turkey raw, ok?

Monday- Breakfast of Champions

What did you have for breakfast today? Did you know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? My dad knows this and shares his with us every morning. I love his toast. I always get little bitesies. I'm really good about taking it out of his hands very daintily.

If he's lucky, I'll lick his fingers. He likes that.

Yummy! And you know the secret that makes it so yummy?

If you guessed Tillamook butter, you are right! Not only land of the cheese...it's land of the butter.

Easy Sunday

I love the weekends! I get to go to the dog park and run and play and squeak my ball in the faces of other woofies. This past week was special because I met a new friend. I just love it when I see other dogs that look like me. This wonderful new friend is named Raven. She is only 5 1/2 months old and she thinks I'm cool. We played and played and I loved it.

Back at home, my kitties have a different idea on how to spend a fall weekend. When I got home, I was shocked to find out that they were taking over my toys. Mom had picked up all the toys from the floor so she could vacuum. I'm mean why would she do that? I don't have that many toys...why would she need to move them at all? Now how is a dog supposed to get a toy to play if this is what she is dealing with?

Jonesie was wondering why she has so few toys too. If it's raining and windy and she can't go outside, Jonesie thinks there ought to be way more toys. Time to start our Christmas list, don't you think?

Purrfurmance Review Time!

I gathered together all 8 of us kitties plus Grete to put together the review for our mom. It wasn't easy since we don't always agree on stuff, but we did our best. It is my blog after all...I'm just nice enough to share.

1. Quantity of Output: Mom purrson does not help us post each and every day, but most of the time she will help us post about 6 times a week. She also is good about "auto" posting so if she gets busy with her own stuff, she still purrforms for us. There is hissing and swatting among us because we think she should be posting even more since there are so many of us. Ginger is upset because she doesn't have her own blog. Madison and Cecilia are hissed off because they don't get to post as much as the rest of us. Grete is wondering if there is a DB-dog blogosphere. I can't post everyday because I have to share. Ellie just wants us all to be happy. Jonesie is the only one who feels she is famous enough.

Rating- 2 paws

2. Quality of Output: We like what mom does for us and we are really happy with the photos. Ginger is still hissed off because mom learned photoshop and turned her into Bozo the clown on one post, but the rest of us are still laughing so we are cancelling out her opinion. We still think she could improve. We'd like to see more videos. We know she is holding out because she takes video clips of us being ridiculously adorable and she is keeping them to herself. She claims she is "busy". We also want her to continue to learn photoshop so she can put holiday hats on our heads without having to actually put hats on our heads.

Rating- 2 paws

3. Client Pawticipation: I love that mom provided me with my very own email address...although she forgets to check it every day. But still, I got it. I don't have my own Facebook page and I'm not allowed on Twitter...so I guess it's ok for now. Mom does help me visit as much as possible and she really tries hard here.

Rating: 3.5 paws

4. Pawticipation (part 2)- Mom has really stepped up her purrformance in this area in the last year. When I first had my blog, I wasn't allowed to pawticipate in anything because of that word "busy". In the last year, I had so much fun running for Cat President of the World and being selected Secretary of Socks, hosting Sock it to Me Sunday, pawing it forward twice this year, Jonesie got to live her dream and start her Society of Feline Gardeners, we are going to get to play Secret Paws this year, we got to go on the Hams of the Werld tour (and got nip piggies)...so much fun! Mom still is slacking in the holiday card exchange accountability and all she says is "maybe next year".

Rating: 3.5 paws

5. Client Satisfaction: We, meaning us kitties and Grete, were negligent and we failed to send out 360 feedback surveys for mom. We have combed through the prior comments on my blog and based on the quality and quantity of comments we feel comfortable giving mom a good rating.

Rating: 4 paws

Overall Rating: 3 paws

Mom is doing a good job, but she can always improve. Unfortunately until we each have our own blogs and Facebook pages, we unanimously refuse to give mom a 4 paw rating.

My Fair Share Friday

You have no idea what it's like trying to get equal time around here. Between Cory being America's sweetheart, and her momma Ellie being momma to all (ok, including me too), and Ginger being such a gossip and sassy and Jonesie being such an awesome gardener and Nigel being the new kid and Grete being the only woofie...sigh. Me and Madison and Cecilia get the short end of the stick. I for one, got fed up. I stood in front of the computer monitor and demanded my fair share. My nickname should be "Sally" from Peanuts. All I want is what I have coming to me. All I want is my fair share. I demanded the lap time...took over Ellie and Cory's blog time spot. I got the fleece. I got mom's lap. I got the attention.

And...I got the post. Finally.

Thursday in the Garden with Jonesie

"Meow". I like how that rhymes with ciao! Welcome back to the garden. I feel like a leaf gardener.

Good thing I don't have to help pick them up. I so stand by and make sure the work is done. My first job is to make sure the gas powered mulcher is in proper working order. It makes a whole lot of noise but it turns a pile of leaves into useful mulch. It beats pawing at it for hours on end. A girl's gotta love power tools! Once it turns on, I'm outta there!

It takes all of this...

And turns it into this...

After the mulching was done...ok, round one of the mulching...dad drove the trailer to get some plants for the fence line. I had to make sure he got good ones. Someone has to do that.

Sometimes when it all seems like too much I sit in my garden and just look at it. I know when I close my eyes and dream, it will all be ok. Mom and dad will pull out all the dead stuff, the mulch will go on top of all the beds and we can put the garden to sleep for the winter. It will be a few more weekends of hard work before it's done.

In the meantime, you can count on me to be snoopervising every paw step of the way.

What's happening in your garden this week? Please leave a link and don't forget to visit all my garden pals.

Wordless Wednesday