Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Mom bought lots of treats, but we had only 12 trick-or-treaters this year! She was so disappointed. We usually have around 50. Now we have lots of leftover treats.

Here I am inspecting the treat bowl. Unfortunately, there is only ONE treat that I like, and you can see it here in the middle of the bowl.

Mom has a tradition of dressing in costume when she goes to work on Halloween. She pulled out her 20s flapper costume that she wore a few years ago. I liked last year's costume better--she was a black cat--but the feather boa on this year's costume is interesting. Last night Mom made herself a faux fur stole to take to work because this outfit is rather skimpy and she didn't want to freeze in the office. The costume also has elbow length black gloves, but Mom forgot to put them on for this photo shoot.

She wanted to get photos with us, but it is difficult to do with the timer function on her el cheapo camera. I was fairly cooperative and she was able to get the two of us in position within the ten seconds. Sorry about the laser beam eyes, but the lighting wasn't very good.

Bathsheba, on the other paw, was more of a challenge. She was mad about having to pose and Mom barely got the shot set up within the time. Grouchy Bathsheba would not allow a second shoot, so this photo was the best she could produce.

I can't believe that Bathsheba won Honorable Mention in the Spicy Vixen category of the Halloween Costume Contest! What were my fellow man cats thinking?

~Jake

I am so proud to have received an honorable mention! Thank you, Rocky, Chase, and all the other wonderful man cats. And thank you, Chase, for the Catster rosette! I know that my entry was unconventional, but I just had to put my paw down about posing in costume this year.

~Bathsheba

Cherish Meme for Miss Peach

Dear little Miss Peach's health is failing, but she is a shining example of love and devotion. Everyone's friend Adan wrote a Cherish Meme to honor her, and we decided to participate. Here's how it goes:

Hey, everyone, this time, I decide to start this cherish meme, here are some ways (depends on which person you write), and bring our love to Miss Peach~! She always makes us know what love is!

1. tell us what is the most sweetest warm thing you will do to your mommy (what is the sweetest thing that your kitty will do to you)

2. And, hug your mommy, tightly... (and, hug your kitty....tightly...)

3. Tag your good friend...

4. Leave your computer, and continuing hug each other...

Jake: I love to jump up in Mom's lap when she least expects it. Then I purr and purr as she pets and scritches me.

Bathsheba: I always go to Mom when she is sad and crying. I jump up next to her and let her pet me and I will purr. I don't like her to be sad. Also, while I dislike being held, I sometimes will let her hold me and I won't protest because I know that it means a lot to her.

This meme was already announced on the Cat Blogosphere so all cats were invited to participate. Hang in there, Miss Peach. We all love you very much.

~J&B

Weekend Work-Symbolic Sunday

After days of much-needed rain, the sun shone Saturday afternoon. Yesterday we went outside and enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine.

~Jake


I went out front. Mom had work to do there.

This dwarf Alberta spruce (which can be seen in Friday's post) is one of two that marked the driveway. Mom and Dad planted them the first spring when Dad lived with us. This one had been dying for a while, and Mom knew that it was time to remove it.

Poor little tree. It just didn't have enough sunshine to thrive.

As you can see, the one on the left grew tall and strong in the sunshine, but the other one struggled to survive and ultimately succumbed. Was this a clue that Mom should have figured out long ago?

~Bathsheba

P.S. Mom was lucky that she bought the Halloween chocolate candy early and has been able to dip into the stash this past week.

Foliage Friday

Following a record-setting drought, it has been a rainy week since Mom's return. I've been hanging out in the house a lot. When I'm not cuddling with Mom, I like to look out of one of the big windows to watch cat TV. I can see some of the yellow foliage on our hickory tree out front.

Here is a view of that tree from the street. This year isn't too good for colorful leaves. Many leaves whithered and dropped prematurely. The glorious red maples down the street colored and dropped their leaves within a couple of days. ~Jake
I've mostly been napping with Mom. The gloomy weather doesn't help the mood in this house despite the fact that as a gardener, Mom should rejoice in this rain.

~Bathsheba

We have been overwhelmed with the wonderfully kind and supportive words of our faithful friends in the cat blogosphere. Our dear friends Rosie and Cheeto featured us on their blog, and cheerful Daisy sent out a mission to the lovely Pink Ladies. Thank you all. Mom and Dad had a 13-year relationship, nearly all of Jake's life, so it will take time to sort this out.

Last, but not least, one of our favorite fellow geezers, Rocky the (former) Gutter Cat, bestowed an award on us. It made Mom smile. Thank you, Rocky!

We know that a lot of kitties have already received this award (some multiple times). If you're reading this and have not yet been an official recipient, consider yourself awarded by us. (And we mean it!) We love ALL of the cat blogs. Unfortunately, there isn't enough time in the day for us to visit them all.

~J&B

Sigh

Mom's trip to California did not go well for her. Dad broke up with her yesterday morning, and she took the next plane home. We're glad she's home with us, but we are all sad too.

~J&B

Out of Commission

Hello, everyone! We apologize for not doing much commenting lately. We have visited, but our secretary has been rushed lately and hasn't allowed us to comment as much as we would like. Now she is going to leave us for a whole week and go out to California to visit dad. We hope that we can make a comment or two, but it is possible that we won't be able to operate this computer all week. Mom is getting antsy right now because it is very late and she has to get up VERY early for her cheap 6:30 a.m. flight.

We wouldn't let her leave before helping us post Halloween costume contest entries. We did our costumes OUR way. We won't win any prizes, but we wanted to participate nevertheless.

Check them out:

Jake's entry (warning: violent content)

Bathsheba's entry (mature content - parental discretion advised)

Don't forget us while we're dark over here. At least we have a visit from Eric and Flynn lined up (courtesy of Chey).

~J&B

Jake's Halloween Costume

At first I thought that Mom had brought me a great catnip-scented animal skin for me to wrestle.

That was cool!

But, no! Mom thought that it would make a cute Halloween costume for me. I blame Karl for making her think about other species and how I might make a good giraffe.

I got very upset and would not cooperate by allowing her to put my front legs through the leg holes.

I am dejected, defeated, and humiliated.

But, maybe I can transform myself back to a handsome tabby cat.

Almost there!

Metamorphosis!




Last year I was a suave Frenchman for Halloween, but this year she tried to turn me into a giraffe. We haven't decided whether I should actually enter the contest since I wouldn't fully don the costume. What do you cats think?

~Jake

P.S. Time is of the essence because Mom is leaving for California early early on Saturday morning and won't be home for a week.

Washday Wednesday

To remain a handsome man cat, you have to be fastidious about the details--like always cleaning between your toes.

~Jake

Tuesday Treat Time for Tortie and Tabby

In our house we have a bedtime ritual. Mom climbs into bed, reaches into the nightstand drawer, and pulls out a package of Temptations to give us a snack. Here we are waiting for her to go to bed. She is trying to use the Temptations to get us closer together. She sometimes will hold that treat out for me very close to Jake. Oh, how I hate to be near him, but those Temptations are so yummy that occasionally I might even --shudder--touch him.

Mom's great desire is to have both of us sleep on the bed with her. I already do that, and I do NOT want to share with Jake. Dad had him well trained to stay off the bed because Dad did not like to sleep with cats. (Can you imagine?) Mom used to go to bed before Dad and I would sleep with her until I would be kicked out when Dad came to sleep. Being able to sleep with Mom all night long is the only positive result of Dad's move to California.

~Bathsheba

Mischief for Man Cat Monday

I was enjoying a perfectly peaceful late Sunday afternoon in my yard when a stalker/photographer spotted me.

Uh-oh. She's creeping in for a close-up view.

Now, as a Man Cat, I don't have to put up with stalkers. I'm going to give her the slip by going into my jungle, getting on the Jake Highway

and slipping through the Jake Passageway.

My Dad made me this passageway when he built the fence. "Mr. Stuff,"* the neighbor who lives on the other side now, put this ladder on his side of the fence, but that doesn't deter this Man Cat.

Here I am in Stuff's backyard. My stalker does not have a telephoto lens, so chalk one up to the Man Cat.

~Jake

*Named because he has so much stuff/junk in his backyard--though not much is visible in the photo here.

Spots for Saturday/Sunday

We now present our spotted cousin, Freckles, a seven-year-old Bengal.

Though strictly an indoor cat, little Freckles is quite wild. Mom was very fortunate to get a picture of her during her recent visit. Freckles lets no one pet her except for Mom's niece, who was pictured with Shoogs in Friday's post. Mom says that Freckles' meow sounds like she is getting stepped on. (Ow!) Freckles enjoys hanging with Shoogs and is trying to teach her to be more aloof. Freckles used to torment poor Zoey, an older cat that used to be in the family until she died. Zoey did not enjoy Freckles' antics.

Freckles is a beautiful kitty, but she is a one-person cat. Some of the other people in the household refer to her as "the devil cat." They probably just wish that she had picked them for her special brand of love.

~J&B

Formerly Feral Friday

Today we introduce our youngest cousin, Sugar Magnolia, a pretty tabby who lives in North Carolina.

She is about a year old, and she is Mom's sister's kitty. Her nickname is Shoogs (we're not sure of the spelling), and she was dropped off as a little kitten at the home of a family with three small boys. Luckily, Mom's brother-in-law knew that family and brought Shoogs home with him. Mom found Shoogs to be very affectionate and endearing. Mom said that her appearance reminds her of Tripper!


Here Shoogs is sitting with one of Mom's nieces. This young lady loves kitties and has her own cat that we will introduce another day. It's too bad that Mom's niece can't afford clothes without big holes.

Shoogs is getting to be a big girl, and she loves to eat!

We're glad that you were nice to our mom when she visited, Shoogs, but she is OUR Mom, and we cannot let you steal her affections.

~J&B

Desktop Meme

Our friends Eric and Flynn tagged us some days ago for the Desktop Meme. Their family is going to leave them alone for three weeks, so we will try to teleport to England to visit them, and we know that a lot of other cats (like their girlfriends Rosie and Grr) will too.

Here's what you do for this meme:
1) Upon receiving this tag, immediately perform a screen capture of your desktop. It is best that no icons be deleted before the screen capture so as to add to the element of fun. Here’s how to do it: Go to your desktop and press the Print Scrn key (located on the right side of the F12 key).
2.Open a graphics program (like Picture Manager, Paint, or Photoshop) and doing a Paste (CTRL + V). If you wish, you can “edit” the image before saving it. (If you have a Mac, it's different. You just open the Screenshot programme and click on photo and that's it!)

3.Post the picture on your blog. You can also give a short explanation on the look of your desktop if you want. You can explain why you prefer such a look or why it is full of icons. Things like that.

4.Tag five of your friends and ask them to give you a Free View of their desktops as well.

5.Add your name to the list of Free Viewers with a link pointing directly to your Desktop Free View post to promote it to succeeding participants.Others who have played: Francine of La Place de Cherie Chez Francine, Bloggishi, Unchained Melody, LadyJava’s Lounge, Mariuca, Revellian, Dot ComDesktop, Emila’s Illustrated Blog, Spiff, The Spaceman, Rolando, Brown Baron, The Kat House, MAX Mother's Home!, I Was Born2Cree8, Skittles' Place, Faz the Cat, Yoggie,Jimmy Joe, Kellie the Orange cat,Black Cat and us Eric and Flynn.
(We're not so sure about number five because none of them are showing up as links.)

Here is our home desktop. We have never been to this place, but Mom tells us that it is the view from Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park, about 90 minutes from our house. It's her favorite local mountain hike, and she's hiked it about 15-20 times. She was 15 the first time she hiked it, but now it is so popular that she will only hike it during the week when she has to take a day off from work. There's enough traffic on our roads; she doesn't want to encounter lots of traffic on a mountain hike too. She says it's a fun circuit hike of about 7.5 miles. The first part is up the ridge trail and involves lots of rock scrambles near the top, and the descent is along an easy fire road. Our friend Daisy once hiked it. You can see her posed atop it here. As for its funny name? Well, most of Virginia's mountains are rounded; Old Rag appears jagged (ragged) from a distance.

You may ask why we are not featured on the desktop. Well, Mom says it's because we are right here at home with her. She said that her office at work is a different story. We ARE her desktop there. This is the only picture she has of the two of us together looking at the camera. (Bribes of Temptations played a big part.)

If anyone else would like to participate in this meme, go for it!

~J&B

P.S. Thank you for all the well wishes for our cousin Chelsea. Mom promises to pass them along to Chelsea's family.

No Longer a Widebody for Wednesday

Today we present our oldest cousin Chelsea, who is 14. Last year we featured her as an example for Widebody Wednesdays. Unfortunately, Chelsea was diagnosed with kidney disease a couple of months ago. As soon as Mom saw her, she knew without anyone telling her. Chelsea's eyes told the story, and her weightloss was apparent. It's fortunate that she had a few extra pounds on her. Her appetite is poor, but she's hanging in there, and her family is trying to feed her only the best of canned food. We wish her the best.

For the lady of our friends; Grr, Midnight, and Cocoa; we present another photo of floofy Sophie, Chelsea's much younger sister.

~J&B

Tail for Tuesday

Mom is giving us lots of loving attention so we're feeling generous about sharing our blog with our cousins this week. This is Sophia Mittens, aka Sophie. She is a young kitty with a very floofy tail. She's full of energy, is athletic, and loves to play. She even likes to wrestle with the d-o-g.

She lives in the same house with Toby, but they aren't buddies.

Visit Sophie at Catster.

~J&B

Meezer Man Cat Monday

This is our cousin Toby who lives with Mom's brother and family in the Richmond, VA area. He used to be Grandpa's kitty, but Grandpa died ten years ago. Then he was Grandma's kitty, but he went to live with Mom's brother when Grandma went into assisted living. He would have come to live with us, but Dad knew we wouldn't get along.

So, Toby moved to a household of cats--plus one dog. Early on Toby fought with one of the kitties there who ended up biting his ear and inflicting a permanent battle scar. Toby turned 13 last month.

Why are we featuring Toby? Well, it turns out that Mom went to visit him--and her sister as well. We thought that Mom would return on Friday, but we heard secondhand--through our nice catsitter Kathy--that Mom decided to extend her trip and visit her brother and sister. She didn't even consult us!

Plus, NOW she thinks we broke the computer. It's grinding and grinding when she logs on, so she thinks it may have some kind of virus or something. It's NOT our fault!

We're glad she's home, but we don't like the way she seemed to forget about us and visited other cats.

~J&B

Not a Party Animal

Bathsheba, yur one to tock! U think Im sulking--well, looke at u! yur just sleeping all the time.

At leste sum lovely gurlkitties came to visit with me! It wuz party time for us!

~Jake

Sulking

Gess whose sulking just becuz our mom went awae and none of the gurl cats came to visit him? He's thinks i dont no where he is.

You think yur so clever!

But you are so busted, jake! I found you sulking under the chare.

~Bathsheba

Man Cat Monday - Hello, Ladies!

Hello, Ladies! My deck was stained today and Mom is keeping me in the house so I won't get stained. Would any of you ladies (DaisyMae, can you hear me?) like to hang out with me on my loveseat in the living room?

Mom is going away for the rest of the week to a training academy related to her job. The training is in Virginia Beach. She assures me that she will be in class from 8:30-5 with an hour for lunch, but I can imagine that the beach would be a great place. All those fish, birds, a giant litterbox--sounds good to me--if I liked to travel. Instead, Kathy the pet sitter will feed and care for us twice a day.

We're hoping that Mom will leave the computer on so we can try our hand without our secretary's help, so who knows?

Purrs to all you lady cats,

~Jake