Jake and Bathsheba

Emerson's Blog

2009-12-24T18:05:00.001-05:00

Please visit me on my blog.

~Emerson

She Did It Her Way

2009-11-14T14:53:00.011-05:00

My dear Bathsheba died last week.

She was getting progressively weaker and ate next to nothing, but she still enjoyed drinking water out of the bathroom sink, petting, and going out and around the deck in the mornings. Perhaps she was remembering her glory days when she spent a lot of time outside and was a very successful squirrel hunter.

She didn’t wait for euthanasia; she died in the garden on a bed of leaves.

Some of you may remember Bathsheba’s story. I had lost my six-year-old black cat Gus to stomach cancer in August of 1991, and by October of that year I was ready to add a kitten to my household. I was seeking a male to join my 13-year-old Maine coon named Precious. I had a friend in my office who always seemed to be in the know when cats or kittens needed a good home. A friend of a friend of hers had a cat with kittens. They were barn cats that were born under the back porch of a farmhouse that was enveloped by creeping suburbia. All were polydactyl—having extra toes.

The males of the litter were already spoken for, but I chose feisty Bathsheba at 8 weeks from the females. She and Precious got along from the start. When Jake was added to the mix two and a half years later (through that same friend), she became the odd girl out because she barely tolerated him.

For a while, I kept Bathsheba inside and would only let her out under strict supervision. Of course, she loved the outdoors. When my ex-boyfriend moved in with me and worked from home, he allowed the cats much more outdoor freedom. Bathsheba became a masterful hunter and was remarkably successful with our abundant squirrel population. She once nabbed a squirrel as I hosted a public garden tour. Some guests were appalled, but others asked if I would rent her out to them!

Unfortunately, Bathsheba’s love of the outdoors caused me considerable consternation on several occasions. Sometimes she would spend the night outside, but on two separate occasions, when she was about five and six years of age, respectively, she disappeared for more than a week. Both times she simply reappeared from the woods calling me with her baby meow as if nothing was wrong. Never mind that I had scoured the neighborhood, put up signs, and called the local animal shelters. She also managed to lose the collars I would put on her back in those days.

Bathsheba was never what you would term a “cuddly cat,” but she did have a special connection with me. Whereas Jake would flee from me when I would cry, Bathsheba always came to me and offered a head to scratch and a soft purr. She did not like to sleep up close to me, but she would sleep down by my feet. When I worked in the garden, she liked to watch me, staying just out of reach.

As she aged, Shebie became more of a homebody, knowing that she was safe inside. She lost her hearing and, near the end, became blind in one eye with limited vision in the other. She did still enjoy sniffing the air on the deck, but she no longer ventured beyond the fenced yard that had never confined her in her youth.

Eighteen years is a good, long life for a cat, and she enjoyed good health for nearly all of them. I will miss my dear Bathsheba and love her always. She will never be forgotten.

Thank you all for being such good friends to Jake, Bathsheba, and now Emerson. I'm not sure whether I will continue to blog now that both Jake and Bathsheba are gone, but maybe I will start a new blog or post occasionally with Emerson.

Love,

~Nancy

Sad News

2009-10-23T00:03:00.002-04:00

Hi, Emerson here with some sad news. My big sister Bathsheba is not well. She has a tumor in her mouth and it is something called squamous cell carcinoma. That's a fancy way of saying she has the dreaded cancer. She is hardly eating. Mommie is very sad about this turn of events. Only something called palliative care is really an option for Sheba now. I will try my best not to be a pest to her.

Love & purrs,
Emerson

Meet Mr. RW Emerson

2009-10-04T23:07:00.017-04:00

Hi! I'm Emerson, the new kitten here.

Finally, I get to tell you my story.

I was born in June, and when I was a tiny kitten, someone brought my sister and me to the animal shelter. I don't really remember that time, but we were fostered for a while. My sister found a forever home, but I had to wait longer because I had a virus. I was finally given a clean bill of health by the doctor, and on Friday, September 11, my mommie visited the animal shelter after work and she saw me all alone in my cage. That's me in my cage in the photos in the previous post.
I played with my mommie through the little holes in the glass. She had to wait until almost closing time before she got to play with me in the play room because the staff was busy with some other people and their adoptions.

She filled out the paperwork to adopt me and learned that she could not take me home until I was "fixed." She was surprised that 12-week old kittens could be neutered because her previous kitties had the operation at six months. The shelter staff made the appointment for Monday, September 14 and the plan was for Mommie to pick me up the next day.

Mommie got a call from the veterinarian on Monday.
I was very sick with a high fever and viral infection--much too sick for my operation. The animal shelter director even called my mommie and asked her if she wanted a different kitty since I was so sick. Thank goodness she said no.
I was hospitalized for several days, but on Thursday, September 17 my mommie paid lots of green papers and got to bring me home.

I was so excited, but she was told that I had to stay in a confined place and remain relatively quiet. I had three different medicines. I wasn't allowed to meet the big kitty that already lived here. Mommie put me in the room she calls the library because it has many books and bookcases. She named me Mr. Ralph Waldo Emerson. I think she has high literary hopes of me and expects me to be a great writer or something. But I'm just a little kitten and I want to PLAY.

I had a checkup on Monday, September 28 and I was finally well! Except that I had a clogged tear duct in my right eye which might be chronic. Sigh. Mommie made an appointment for my neutering operation which some of you call a hooha-ectomy. That was done on September 30 and I got to go home that evening. The vet staff told Mommie that I was to remain confined and quiet for another TWO WEEKS. NO! I wanted to play and meet the other kitty.

I was fine after my operation and my mommie decided that I could assimilate into the family sooner rather than later. I got to meet Bathsheba. She greeted me with a hiss--and more hisses, but she has never hit me. In fact, she usually walks away from me and I just want to get to know her. I follow her around sometimes; she is my idol. I don't know why she doesn't seem to want to be my friend.

Here we are together on the deck. My orange coat makes me almost invisible.

Here I am with Bathsheba while she sleeps in her favorite spot in the kitchen. I love the bay window.

I know that I cannot fill the hole in Mommie's heart that Jake left, but I intend to bring joy to her life because I am very happy to have a forever home. Here I am posed next to a photo of Jake in a frame that Jeter's mom made for Mommie.

Thank you for reading my story.

Love and purrs,

~Emerson

Uh-Oh: Coming Soon

2009-09-11T21:18:00.004-04:00

I'm 18 Today!

2009-08-12T22:10:00.008-04:00

Yes, I'm 18 today! Mom is late with this post, and I see that many friends have already sent well wishes in my previous post. Thank you! Maybe I'll even register to vote now; Virginia has an election for governor this fall.

For my birthday, Mom found a purple zoom groom for me. I love being scritched along my spine and now Mom can do it with this new tool. Who knew that a tool could feel as good as Mom's fingers?

And look at all the fur it stole from me!

I had a nice, quiet birthday--the way I like it. And my servants let me go IN and OUT many times.

Mom will be going on vacation soon to Nova Scotia and she says that when she returns, we may get an addition to the family. That sounds ominous, but I'll worry about that when the time comes. Stay cool, everyone.

Love, ~Bathsheba

Enjoying the New Deck Furniture

2009-07-23T21:14:00.004-04:00

Yes, I'm still alive! Just a few more weeks and I'll be celebrating the big one-eight like Rocky the Gutter Cat and Calvin.
Mom finally bought some new deck furniture and I decided to try out the chaise lounge.

Yes, I think that it passes the "Sheba test." I was a lucky girl today. Mom teleworked and I got to spend time out on the deck with her. This new wireless FIOS we have is great!

It was getting near dinner time when Mom snapped this photo. I was licking my chops at the thought of some great kibbles. (Or Mom just caught me at the end of a wash session.)

Have a great summer, and I hope you enjoy the outdoors safely like I do now.

~Bathsheba

Mom Met Rosie and Cheeto in Chicago

2009-05-31T22:22:00.008-04:00

Hi Everyone -

Sorry I rarely blog or visit any more. Things are going well with Mom and me. Mom recently went to a conference in Chicago and visited my first blogging friends, Rosie and Cheeto. I was disappointed not to get to visit them myself, but I'm not too keen on the idea of an airplane ride, and Kathy the catsitter took good care of my needs while Mom was away.

Here is Mom giving a good scritchin' to Cheeto as he lies in the sunshine.
Rosie gave Mom a nose kiss!

Here is Mom with Rosie and Cheeto's lady just minutes after they met. Jake and I had been friends with R&C since August of 2006. R&C's Lady is the first blogging cats' person that she has ever met. Too bad Mom isn't in Chicago now; a group of cat bloggers are getting together there to meet for the first time.

Mom and I send our condolences to Chey and family upon the recent loss of dear Georgia.

~Bathsheba

Garden Cat

2009-04-28T19:40:00.010-04:00

Hi! It has been forever since my last post, and the mood has changed dramatically around here.

Spring is here, and Mom LOVES spring. She also has a very loving man in her life. We still miss Jake very much, but Mom no longer bursts into tears at the mere mention of him.

Our garden was one of three featured for a local wildflower garden tour on April 19. Our Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) were in full glory that day.

Mom asked me if I wanted to participate in the tour by being outside,

but I told her that I would rather nap. We had 117 guests visit our garden that Sunday afternoon. Refreshments were served on our deck and the guests had a good time. The non-floral stars of the tour were a pair of flickers who were busy carving out a nesting cavity high in our dead ash tree.

It has been very warm (HOT) lately. Mom had to work late last night, but she came home tonight and took me outside with her. Can you find me in this photo amidst the wild geraniums?

She stalked me with the camera.

I showed my displeasure by slipping under the shed. A groundhog and an oppossum lived here at different times.

Mom continues to be busy with work and her activities. She is co-chair of a native plant sale that will take place the morning of May 9. I continue to conserve energy and nap.

Love,

~Bathsheba

Almost Spring

2009-03-19T00:01:00.012-04:00

Hi! Today is Mom's birthday (I'm not the only geezer in this household!) so I thought that I'd let her post some flower photos on my blog. These are crocus in the flower bed next to the driveway.

And this is a photo of our first daffodils. As you can see from the date, they bloomed March 10. These ones are on the sunny side of the house.

Here are some mixed flowers: snowdrops, crocus, hellebores, and winter aconite. In the warmer parts of the yard, the snowdrops have already gone by. Mom is exasperated by the squirrels. They keep tearing up the crocus flowers. Too bad I'm retired from squirrel hunting.

Mom decided that she'd better get busy cleaning out bird houses. This is the "chickadee condo" that Dad built in 2001.

Mom cleaned out all three apartments.

These are the three nests that were removed.

This was built as a winter shelter for the birdies.

Guess who took up residence in it instead?

Over the weekend Mom noticed that a wren with nesting materials in its mouth kept flying into the yew bush out front. Mom checked it out and found a neat little nest yesterday afternoon.

I refused to pose in the posies as Jake used to do. I decided to hide in the shrubbery by the house.

Happy Birthday, Mom. I'm sorry that you have been so sad lately. I'm not very good at cheering you up.

Love,

~Bathsheba

Fickle March

2009-03-09T22:21:00.007-04:00

March sure is a changeable month. Just last week I wanted to step outside onto the deck and this is what was out there! My pawprints makes it look like I have a lots of extra toes, but it's only one extra on each paw.

Mom was happy that she finally got to use her cross country skis--first time this season! She doesn't get too many chances around here.

Then spring came! It was in the 70s this past weekend. Here I am in the flower bed with some crocus. I would have posed better had Mom brought some treats outside with her. Last year Jake posed only because she bribed him with treats.

I think that I can go for a nice afternoon snooze in the sunshine.

~Bathsheba

Not Too Old to Be Playful

2009-02-28T19:15:00.007-05:00

Hi! Here I was getting comfortable on my bed in the computer/cat room when Mom decided to take my picture. Look how I've made the formerly white bedspread into my own by putting my grey fur all over it.

I know I'm an old kitty and some people think I'm dull and boring, but something about that camera strap brought out the kitten in me.

Perhaps I wanted to cheer Mom up because she's been down in the dumps lately.

See, this old girl can still be playful and kill that evil camera strap.

Mom was very touched by all the heartwarming comments everyone left about Jake. She is going to try very hard to visit everyone and personally thank them for their support during this difficult time. She still thinks of Jake often. This afternoon when she was working in the garden (in the COLD), she almost imagined seeing Jake near her. More time will help her to heal. This is the final photo she took of Jake, on his last morning with us. (The heart in the corner is SO appropriate!) Oh, no, the tears are streaming down her cheeks again. I will have to let her pet me some more . . . .

~Bathsheba

Goodbye

2009-02-06T21:11:00.008-05:00

J&B's Mom here:

My beloved Jake was euthanized late yesterday afternoon.

I thought that I could have him with me for a few more weeks, but I came to realize that would not have been in Jake's best interest. He was very ill. Jake had always loved to eat; he'd inhale everything in his dish then try to nudge Bathsheba out of her bowl to eat her food. That led to separate feeding areas. But for weeks now, Jake has not eaten well. He had been on some different appetite stimulants and, while they did help, they did not work well enough. I could have tried some other meds to increase his appetite, but I asked myself, "Why?" Who would that serve? Jake or selfish me who wanted him to live with me forever?

Until last weekend, during Jake's illness he slept on my bed in my sunny room during the day and slept tightly beside or on me there at night. Beginning last weekend, he chose to sleep on a sofa in the dark and cold family room. I could bring him up to bed with me and he would snuggle and purr for a while, but he would leave to return downstairs once I was asleep. Why did he want to be alone?

Wednesday I spoke at length with his new vet. Jake's cancer was very advanced. One thing she said was that euthanasia is one of the greatest gifts we can give our animals. I thought about those words a lot. I kept thinking, "Is it about me or about Jake? What is best for my little boy?" Jake's appetite was poor on Wednesday, though he did eat some of the special chicken that I cooked for him, and he licked the gravy out of the Fancy Feast. Wednesday night I never even changed clothes from work and settled in with Jake on that sofa. He slept tightly next to me all night. I did not sleep well because my decision was becoming apparent to me.

I took Thursday off from work. Jake limped to his food bowls that morning, but barely ate anything. He was on pain meds, but his vet said that once the cancer is in the bones, as his was, it can be very painful. I did not want his rapidly deteriorating health to lead to loss of dignity. I cuddled Jake a lot, and he snuggled next to me on the love seat in the living room as I tried to read the newspaper. I held him in my arms and took him outside to survey his domain: his deck and gardens and the little patch of woods beyond the boundary of my small subdivision lot. At 12:30 p.m., I finally decided to call the vet's office to make the dreaded appointment for later that day.

As some of our longtime readers know, Jake's dad moved to California in the summer of 2007 and he and I formally broke up in October 2007. He and I did a lot of talking recently about Jake. Using my hands-free device, we talked during the half-hour car trip to the vet yesterday. He supported my decision.

The actual procedure was the first euthanasia I ever witnessed. With my 19 year old Maine Coon "Precious" who died in 1997 of kidney failure, I vowed to have her euthanized if she did not make it through the night when she became very weak. She died as I slept next to her on the guest room bed so she spared me that decision. In 1991 my dear Gus was euthanized on the operating table when the vets determined that he had advanced stage stomach cancer. They called me on the phone to advise that course of action. I was not there with him.

So, I was with my dear Jake until the end and a bit afterwards. He trusted me to do the right thing and I think that I did so, but it doesn't stop all the tears and second guesses.

In my gut I feared cancer for Jake when he became ill because my dear Gus's only apparent symptom of stomach cancer had been a similar loss of appetite. Part of me feels guilty for putting Jake through all the tests just to determine conclusively whether it was cancer and where. I guess I hoped against hope that it might be something treatable, but it was not.

Jake lives on in my heart and mind in delightful memories. He was such a handsome boy with a beautiful face and expressive loving eyes. He had the longest white whiskers and the longest striped tale. His fur was silky soft and his marble tabby stripes were striking. He was huggable.

Jake enjoyed the outdoors so much. He would lounge in his bed under the table on the deck, sleep in the dirt under a shrub, or pretend he did not know me when he was stalking around as a great hunter on his back 40. He cruised the Jake highway, so-named because he raced from the Jake passageway in the fence across the deck and to the other side of the yard. He would fly home from the woods when he heard his dad call him with his special whistle tune. He loved to hunt bugs, especially ones that would flit against the sliding glass door adjoining the deck. Jake always had a serious expression on his face as he would mark his territory around the yard. When he was a kitten, he would play with fishing pole toys and launch himself from the stairs in pursuit. He loved to share buttered popcorn and would try to catch kernels thrown to him in mid-flight. He enjoyed the avocado and cantaloupe rinds that he would find in the compost pile, so I had to do a better job of burying them. He could deftly catch crinkle balls. He was wild about catnip. He would greet me at the front door when I got home from work.

But he was also naughty and would spray in the house and mark some of his dad's equipment. He loved to slam-dunk Bathsheba as I was dishing out their food for meals. Scratch, scratch on the door, he had to be let out. Scratch, scratch again, he had to be let in. Over and over.

I once dressed him up as a French artist for Skeezix's first Halloween costume contest, and I thought he looked adorable.

We first started blogging in August of 2006 after joining Catster and we met the most wonderful people and cats from around the world. We were inspired by Kismet and Skeezix and encouraged by Rosie and Cheeto. Jake was paired up with "spicy vixen" DaisyMae Maus of San Diego in the 2007 Valentine's Day match ups. We were honored to join the supportive cat network and become part of a big family. But, by joining this big network of cats, we make ourselves vulnerable to emotional pain as well. We get to know these cats and they feel like family. Some get sick; some die. Those times are hard on all of us. And cats don't live as long as humans. They give us great joy while they are alive. We mourn their passing with torrents of tears. For those of you faithful readers who have read to the end of this post, thank you. Thank you all for the wonderful support you showed in the previous post. It means so much to me. Please join me in celebrating Jake's wonderful life that was just seven weeks shy of 15 years. If there was anything you particularly noted or liked about Jake, please post it in the comments. I will miss him and cherish his memory always.

Goodbye, dear Jake.

I Have Cancer

2009-02-03T22:40:00.008-05:00

It's confirmed--my mysterious illness has been diagnosed, and it's cancer. I am a VERY sick kitty.

I spent a lot of time with doctors last week, and I got to visit at Mom's office again. (Here I am in her lap at her computer.) Physical examinations, soakings, pills, X-rays, sub-Q fluids, IVs, sonograms, needle biopsies: I had 'em all. But it's cancer and I'm an old kitty. I told Mom that I don't want extraordinary treatments; I want my dignity and I want to be comfortable. She promises to try to do the right thing by me.

Can you see how swollen my right paw is here?. What started out as a sore paw that seemed to have an infection between the toes, morphed into full blown cancer of my two middle toes. The toes are growing ever larger, and I don't put weight on that paw. My holistic vet took X-rays of my paw and sent them to a radiologist because she feared it could be something called lung-digit syndrome found in cats. The radiologist suspected cancer and recommended a chest x-ray. What showed up on that x-ray (and I wish that Mom knew how to post the x-ray since she has the disk) was shocking, but turned out to be incidental and not related. I have a (small) BULLET lodged in my chest. Now, am I a manly ManCat or what! It's an old injury, but puzzling. Mom never knew when it happened. As most of you know, I was indoor-outdoor, but how I managed to take a bullet without my mom knowing is beyond her comprehension.

Anyway, back to my X-ray. My right lung is collapsed and apparently my heart has shifted its position. I also have some fluid on my lung. My next medical procedure was a sonogram which revealed that I have one very small kidney, yet my kidney function is fine for now. I do have a large mass on my small intestine. That lead to some needle biopsies which concluded that all three areas (foot, lung, intestine) are malignant carcinomas. Mom and I got the ultimate news today.

Mom asked the doctor how much time I have left and she said that it's probably only a matter of weeks unless I'm able to eat better. I did get a new appetite stimulant and ate a little more tonight. Mom also made me some boneless chicken breast which has always been one of my favorites. See all the foods she offers me: chicken, Fancy Feast, Whiskas duck and chicken from a pouch (suggested by one of you!) and my regular crunchies.

Here is another photo of my paw. It is discolored from betadine soaks. You can also see where my leg was shaved for the IV.

So, that's my story. I'm hanging in there for now, but I have had a wonderful life and done most things that would be on a cat's bucket list. Tomorrow Mom is going to consult with a vet about comfort care.

~Jake

P.S. Thank you for the Catster Valentine, dear DaisyMae Maus. You are the best girlfriend cat ever!

Mancat at the Office

2009-01-25T22:03:00.007-05:00

Hi everyone, Jake here. Some of my friends know that I have not been well lately. I have no conclusive diagnosis, but it's probably related to my hyperthyroidism.

Mom became unhappy with my regular clinic, so she decided to get a second opinion from a holistic veterinarian. She practices conventional medicine plus things like acupucture. Unfortunately, she is located several towns away. I had my first appointment there on Monday, January 19 when Mom was off work for the MLK Day holiday. The new doctor mostly agreed with the conventional treatment for me, but I was in bad shape. I would not eat and she was very worried about my anorexia. She gave Mom more meds for me, took my blood, and administered sub-Q fluids.

My follow up appointment was Wednesday at 11 when Mom was to drop me off for the rest of the day. Because the new doctor was closer to where Mom works, she took me to her office in the morning.
I had never been there before, so I had to try out Mom's chair

and explore around the office. Mom's colleagues were surprised that I was so sick because I was very alert and wanted to explore.

The afternoon at the vet's office was almost like I imagined an afternoon at the spa. I was treated very well, the air was wonderfully humidified, there was soft stress-reducing music, and the place smelled good. The doctor said that I had made a lot of progress in those two days.

I am on three different meds, Tapazole for my thyroid, an antibiotic for an infection, and something that acts as an appetite stimulant. The doctor gave Mom some tips on medicating me. Now she wraps me in a towel with just my head poking out so I can't bat her away with my paws. I guess it's for the best, but I hate having pills shoved down my throat.

I'm eating a little better, but still not enough to satisfy Mom. I think the only thing that satisfies her is that I snuggle close to her and purr and purr.

I do a lot of sleeping and this is my favorite spot on Mom's bed when she is not there.

I still feel that I have a lot of life left in me and hope to enjoy Valentine's Day with the lovely DaisyMae.

~Jake

Cousin Edgar - Mancat in Training on ManCat Monday

2009-01-12T22:04:00.007-05:00

Mom visited our handsome Maine Coon cousin Edgar last month and has been meaning to post photos. So here, late on Mancat Monday, she is finally doing so. I'm told that these photos don't do justice to his magnificent tail.

We introduced him back in October. In these photos from December, he is eight months old.

Edgar was named for Edgar Allan Poe by Mom's niece. Mom's brother used to work part-time at Richmond's Edgar Allen Poe Museum and her niece volunteered there.

Maybe if Edgar ever met the famous raven, it would say "Nevermore" no more!

~Bathsheba

My Christmas Vacation Report by Bathsheba

2009-01-04T11:15:00.023-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

The holidays are coming to a close and, after a four-day holiday for New Year's Day, Mom goes back to work tomorrow. We had a nice Christmas Day at home and our new year was uneventful as we like it.

Our main gift was this crazy contraption. Mom thought that we would like to rub on its bristles since we are always rubbing our cheeks against walls, doors, furniture, you name it. I think that it looks like something to clean the human toilet so I'm not so sure I want to use it on my face.

For Christmas I guess I liked the extra Temptations treats best.

The day after Christmas we both were put in PTUs and went on a weekend trip with Mom. She picked up her brother (and his dog Rags) near Richmond along the way, and we all ended up at Mom's sister's beach house near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Thank goodness Rags seemed oblivious to the fact that Jake and I were in the back seat. We kept quiet the whole way and that pleased Mom very much.

We made ourselves at home at the beach house. We had a different guest room from the last time we were there, but this one was very nice and also had a private bath for our litter box room.

Jake was still not feeling well, but seemed to eat a little better when we were away. He never left the room and seemed to enjoy the comfort of the bed very much.

I did not witness this, but Mom actually went wading in the cold ocean surf. And with a DOG! The dog is named Skillet and is a three-month old black labrador of Mom's nephew and girlfriend.

Mom is making me include this cute picture of him with sand on his face. When I met him, he steered clear of me with my fierce hiss and extra claws that are super sharp.

I didn't fare as well with this other puppy named Brewster whom I had met on my previous visit.

He seemed to be fascinated with my butt. Dogs!

Here are the other dogs that were there - Rags

and beagles Pudge and Roxy

Crazy puppies Brewster and Skillet

Now Mom wants me to include some other stuff. You may know that she is thrilled by plants and flowers. She was very impressed with rosemary shrubs in flower that her sister had planted at the beach house, and here is one.

She also tries to have something in bloom outdoors every month of the year. December is rather sparse, but we have a clump of snowdrops to bloom reliably that month every year.

It is even bigger now.

Even a little periwinkle flower bloomed here in January.

Mom didn't celebrate New Year's Day with a hike up our local Bull Run Mountain like she did last year, but she did go there yesterday.

The air was crisp and cold, and once again she sat on the rocks for about an hour before she got too cold.

We worry about Jake's health this year. He went back to the vet on Tuesday, December 30 and will return again on the 10th. He remains lethargic with little appetite. He is very loving with Mom, and I must admit that I'm just a little jealous of all the attention Mom gives to him.

Thank you for reading this long post. Again, Happy New Year, and best wishes for health and love this year.

~Bathsheba

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T00:52:00.007-05:00

Merry Christmas, everyone! In the interest of world peace, we even posed together!

Mom put lights on the dwarf Alberta spruce by the driveway.

This is our tall Christmas tree. If you enlarge the photo, you can see that we have many cat ornaments (and yummy birdies).

Christmas tree water is the best! Maybe that's what Jake needs because he still doesn't have much of an appetite. Mom even tried to feed him baby food, but he didn't like that too much. He is now eating a crunchy natural food called "Life's Abundance." We remain hopeful.

~J&B

Hospital Visit

2008-12-18T22:01:00.008-05:00

Hello, it's me, Jake, and I am in the hospital. I have an IV in my leg for fluids. I know that Skeezix would disagree, but I don't think that pink is a good color for this ManCat. Mom came to visit me tonight and that made me so happy that I purred and purred. I am feeling a little better since the staff gave me some fluids and administered meds. I even ate some of the crunchy bits and used the litter box.

I have to stay here overnight? Mom, do you really have to go? I hate being sick. I wanna go home.

Thank you all for your good wishes. They mean a lot.

Friday evening update: I am home and I feel MUCH better! Thank you for your positive thoughts.

I Don't Feel Good

2008-12-17T19:26:00.006-05:00

I don't know what's wrong, but I just don't feel like eating. Mom worries because this is SO out of character for me. I haven't been feeling very good for a couple of weeks. None of my foods appeal much to me. I still like Temptations so Mom decided to feed my regular crunchy food to me by hand and I liked that--I just didn't eat very much. Mom also came home to some barf today--undigested, of course.

Mom took me to the vet one evening last week and he couldn't find anything wrong with my vitals. He decided to treat me for gastritis and he gave Mom this awful liquid stuff (Cimetidine) to give me twice a day. I put up a fight so most of the stuff just got on my fur; Mom decided to stop forcing it on me two days ago. She worried because I didn't even clean it off my fur. Well, it tastes icky; why would I want my tongue to wipe it?

Today I did something that I'm sorry about: I bit Mom hard on her index finger. She was on her third try to force the thyroid pill Tapazole down my throat when I let out a cry and then bit her. We both cried. She said that her finger still throbs and it's her mouse clicking finger. She was glad that a document she was supposed to sign today at work had a typo because the finger started bleeding again (under the bandage) and she got blood on the paper.

Anyway, back to me. I have an appointment for my regular blood work for my hyperthyroidism on January 10. I don't know if I'll stand for my medicine any more. I used to let Mom put pill pieces in my Fancy Feast and I would eat them just fine. Then I got tired of FF. I liked the pill pockets for a while and now I like them even better because I've discovered how to eat the yummy treat and leave the pill behind! I used to be cooperative (for a kitty!) when she would put the pill down my throat, but no more Mr. Nice Kitty from me.

Oh, what to do? Mom doesn't know whether she should take me back to the vet tomorrow or just give me love and attention. At least she is taking tomorrow off! I slept close to her on the bed last night and that is something I didn't use to do. (I didn't know what I was missing!) She is nice and warm.

Well, if anyone can give us advice on what I should do or what might be wrong with me, please leave us some comments. It sucks feeling sick.

~Jake

Update from Bathsheba, 12:30 p.m., Dec. 18:

Jake is in the hospital.

Well, of course, Mom took Jake back to the vet. Jake's vitals, like his temperature, were all normal, but he lost a pound of weight. They did blood work and all that was abnormal was some kind of amylase levels. He could have pancreatitis or something worse that begins with a C. He will stay in the hospital for some fluids and medication. The vet will call Mom later today with an update. Even I want my pesky brother to feel better.

Mancat Monday - Ready to Snuggle with DaisyMae Maus

2008-12-07T23:54:00.002-05:00

Well, it's another Mancat Monday and

I am ready to snuggle with my lovely girlfriend cat, DaisyMae Maus. I need to let Rocky know that, while she and I love to flirt with other cats, we really are special to one another.

It may be cold outside, DMM, but it's warm next to me.

Smooches,

Jake

Beware of Bathsheba, Meezers!

2008-11-30T18:33:00.006-05:00

Some of you think that Bathsheba is a really nice kitty. Well, I have news for you!
See where she is here? She is drinking out of a goblet in the plant window behind the kitchen sink. She got up there by jumping on her step stool to her chair to the counter next to her chair.

Now look more closely. See the circled items? (You may have to click to "biggify.") Those are MEEZER parts. Two meezers used to hang on the sides of that goblet. Well, mean ol' Bathsheba knocked them off, breaking their legs! Just so she could drink from the goblet!

See how satisfied with herself she appears. She licked her chops afterwards.

And can you believe that Mom decided later to put the goblet down on the floor for Sheba to use as her personal water dish! I can't get over the fact that she wasn't punished for this cruel act on the ceramic meezers. She could probably get away with murder just because she's old.

~Jake

It's the Season . . .

2008-11-15T13:54:00.009-05:00

. . . when all these pretty leaves fall to the ground and Mom has to rake and blow and shred and rake and blow and shred and rake and blow and shred endlessly.

The front sidewalk fills with leaves and Mom tracks them in when she gets home from work.

My deck becomes a mess and leaves fly into my water dish. We have our deck built around a maple tree so lots of leaves fall on it.

~Jake

But it's also a sad time when all the potted impatiens on the deck are killed by a freeze as they were the night before Veteran's Day. Late last month Mom brought inside all the house plants that summer on the deck. It's a ritual for them - six months inside and six months outside.

The same day that the impatiens croaked, Mom found blooms on the witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) that she had just planted this spring. That turned her frown into a smile.

Today's weather is very weird. There was rain early, then it let up and was windy and warm (70 degrees F.) so I was outside with Mom as she took advantage of the weather and read her newspaper on the deck. It rained again just a little time ago and is supposed to get very cold here in the days ahead. I like to be outside when it is warm and that Pesky Jake is inside.

Here's a parting shot of me. Notice the dirty spot on the door? That's from Jake who scratches on the door when he wants to go in, then prompty scratches on the other side when he wants to go out again.

Enjoy the weekend.

~Bathsheba

Peace Globe Day

2008-11-06T18:07:00.002-05:00

See this, this, and this.

We Voted . . .

2008-11-04T19:05:00.005-05:00

. . . or maybe Mom just stuck these stupid stickers on us because she wanted us to copy Daisy. I was a little more cooperative than Bathsheba because Mom held my pill pocket treat out in front of me for the photo.

~Jake

I DID NOT want anything stuck to my furs so Mom stuck it on my head as I ate dinner. How rude!

~Bathsheba

Mom voted around 10:30 this morning when there was almost no line.

Today's election is important for Mom at work. She holds a non-partisan job in local government where she serves at the pleasure of the governing body. The head of her governing body is running for Congress and is widely expected to cruise to victory.

~J&B

Bewitched & Tocktober

2008-10-31T23:49:00.005-04:00

We hope that everyone had a happy Halloween this year. This witch who is holding me is actually my mom. She went to work dressed like that, and she answered the door for our 20 trick-or-treaters in costume.

The month is over, but Bathsheba and I still wanted to participate in Derby's "Tocktober."

~Jake

Not my most flattering pose, but I tried to be a good sport.

~Bathsheba

Mancat Monday and an Award

2008-10-27T20:07:00.010-04:00

The things a Mancat must endure:

Here I was enjoying the view out of the computer/catroom window, when Mom had to document my every move with the camera.

She wanted me to look directly at the camera, but I showed her who was boss. Besides, she had that awful camera flash and my eyes would have looked like headlights had I cooperated.

Next she caught me sleeping on the living room sofa. Can't a mancat get any rest around here?

I'll show her!

~Jake

Way too long ago, our friend Karl of the Cat Realm presented us with the Premio Dardos Award! "With the Premium Dardos, recognize the values that each blogger shows each day in commitment to transmit cultural values, ethical, literary, personal etc. that, in short, demonstrate their creativity by alive thinking that remains intact from their letters and words."

We are very much honored that he bestowed this award on us. We think that it was our environmental post that made him think of us. Thank you, Karl!

In the spirit of the award, we must pass it along to five other deserving bloggers. Because we don't blog as regularly now, we don't have a good sense of those who already received this. Excuse us if some are multiple awardees. We choose these wonderful blogs:

Skeezix the Cat (He probably received this five times over, but we think he is just great!)

Rosie and Cheeto (Unfortunately, they don't blog very often any more either.)

The Cats P (What a gorgeous family!)

DaisyMae Maus and the Feline Americans (Jake's girlfriend and her four brothers)

The Ginger Darlings (Breathtaking photos with a home setting of the coast of Wales coupled with delightfully descriptive passages)

~J&B

Introducing . . .

2008-10-13T17:58:00.009-04:00

This is Edgar, who lives with Mom's brother and family in the Richmond area. Mom visited her brother a few days ago and finally got to meet our young cousin. Edgar is a Maine Coon and nearly six months old--almost ready for his "operation."

Edgar's tail is ginormous as are his tufted paws.

Edgar dreams of when he can explore his suburban jungle.

Meanwhile, Edgar has to content himself with the sunroom. Mom sure thinks that Edgar is extremely handsome. We are trying our best not to be jealous.

Then there's Zak. He was seven weeks old when Mom met him last week and fell in love. Now we ARE worried. Mom tried to steal him from his lady by putting him under her shirt when she was leaving. She seems quite enamored of kittens lately. Is she trying to tell us something?

And this is Max. He is handsome and dashing. He is also a deaf senior citizen kitty like me. Obviously, kittens don't have a lock on cuteness.

Sorry we haven't been able to visit lately. We'd fire our secretary if we could, but she's all we have available.

~Bathsheba

We Took the Environmental Dare

2008-09-18T23:09:00.018-04:00

In memory of Anastasia, our friend Karl asked the cats of the blogosphere to come up with a fun dare. Many cats, including us, submitted suggestions, but Mr. Chen's dare impressed the judges enough to win. Thus, we were all dared "to come up with one creative, fun, useful way to save the environment and put a picture of yourself doing it on your blog!"

We are not particularly creative, so we decided on quantity, not quality. Our mom considers herself very committed to being sensitive to the environment, so she welcomed this dare.

First off, instead of driving to work, we offer teleworking, which Mom did today. We highly recommend this--it's win-win for everyone. We get a servant at home to cater to all of our needs and she gets to enjoy us and have less stress doing her work on the computer and phone.

If you have to report to the office, one thing you can do is ride your bike to work. Mom tried this for the first time back in May for "Bike to Work Day" and has been doing it at least once a month since. Yesterday was a beautiful day and she rode in--12 miles one way, 24 miles round trip. It helps to keep her in shape. She's lucky to have showers at her office--or rather her office staff is fortunate!

I didn't like having to pose on that bike pack. I work from home as deck patrol so I don't have to ride to work.

On those days when she has to drive, Mom takes her Prius. We highly recommend this hybrid vehicle because it has low emissions plus gas mileage in excess of 50 mpg.

On the home front, there are lots of things you can do to make your yard more environmentally friendly. Here is our brush pile at the bottom of the yard. This is a great place for little critters and insects. Birds love to peck around in the brushy leaf litter.

You can also make a compost pile. Though I have been known to raid the compost pile for avocado rinds in the past, this time, Mom placed me in the midst of this stuff. There are lots of shredded leaves and vegetable waste. You can see that some of the cantaloupe seeds sprouted and a vine is growing. This pile is super high in the late fall when Mom rakes and shreds leaves, but a lot has decomposed by now.

Then there's garden plantings: try to plant for wildlife. Mom uses lots of native plants and no pesticides. So what if our lawn is "weedy"; at least it's healthier for me to walk on.

See the tall "stalky" plant here? It's a milkweed, the only plant that monarch butterflies eat in their larval stage.

During Tropical Storm Hanna, one of the big Bradford pear trees in our neighborhood split. The neighbors cut it up and put the wood out with the trash. Mom knows that it makes better firewood than fodder for the landfill, so she took it home. We just have to wait a while for it to season.

How about some solar power? Ours is old technology, but it's a renewal resource that could be viable in many sunny climates out west.

We also recommend natural cleaners like vinegar rather than harsh chemicals.

And reuse your plastic take-out food containers. They're great for lunches and leftovers--or for carrying our food on long trips.

Of course we recommend recycling. Just be sure you know the rules in your area and don't contaminate the recyclables.

We aren't showing them, but we assume that all of our friends reuse plastic bags for the daily scooping of the litter box. And those plastic newspaper sleeves are great for those of you with dogs and need a disposable pooper scooper. Sure, reusable bags are great for groceries and shopping, but you still need something for the stinky stuff.

Yes, Mom still gets the dead tree version of the newspaper. She's a geezer and loves to read her hard copy version. She especially likes to read the Sunday edition in bed. She likes to think that by being a paid subscriber she will do her part to keep the newspapers in business because online versions still don't pay for themselves with ads.

Just remember - CATS are NOT recyclable! They all deserve forever homes.

~J&B

Safe on Sunday

2008-09-07T11:12:00.004-04:00

It's the day after Tropical Storm Hanna dumped lots of rain on our area, and I am checking the rain gauge. Just less than 5 inches of rain fell at our house, but our county was one of the most affected by the storm in all of the state. Many areas received closer to 10 inches of rain.

We did not have high winds, so only a few tree branches came down. We are grateful that the rain started slowly. It softened up our ground for the big rains that came in the afternoon. The ground was rock hard because we've had a dearth of moisture since July. Many trees are stressed in the area, and our big elm tree had already shed a lot of leaves as it does when there is little rain in August.

Yesterday was the first anniversary of the passing of our grandma, and Mom wanted to put flowers on her grave. She waited until late afternoon to do so--once the rains had subsided. She had to take an alternate route because some of the roads were closed from swollen creeks flooding the pavement.

Today is beautiful, but after inspecting the yard, I decided that I wanted to nap on my bed inside.

Please stay safe from the hurricanes, earthquakes, or whatever else Mother Nature throws at us. Be prepared.

~Bathsheba

Mancat Monday

2008-09-01T16:02:00.005-04:00

Mancats need BIG water dishes!

This morning was exquisitely beautiful here on the first day of meteorological fall in Virginia. Mom and I hung out on the deck. She watched the birdies and did some pondering. I napped as a proper mancat is supposed to do. Mom enjoyed watching those hummingbirds for me. As William said, they aren't worth the effort of hunting because there's not much to them.

~Jake

Second Blogoversary on Mancat Monday

2008-08-25T10:46:00.009-04:00

It's our second blogoversary! We started blogging back in 2006 after being inspired by our friends Kismet and Skeezix. Our first post was rather lame, but our secretary was thrilled just to be able to upload photos. Our dear friends Rosie and Cheeto were our first visitors. We have made the most wonderful friends across the US and around the world. This is such a great supportive community. I have a beautiful girlfriend cat DaisyMae Maus in San Diego and Bathsheba even found a nice mancat Bubbles to like and admire her. (Why, I'll never understand.)

As most of our friends know, I like to hang out on the deck. Here I am with a pot of cardinal flowers (Lobelia cardinalis), and I am just waiting for a tasty ruby-throated hummingbird to alight.

Why don't they ever seem to visit when I'm standing here? Mom recently heard some cool hummingbird facts from a dear friend that she wanted to relate, but I told her no because this is MY blog and is supposed to be all about ME.

Well, if no birdies are going to come by when I am out in the open, I must go undercover and await them. You may think that I'm asleep, but this mancat is always on alert.

P.S. From Bathsheba: Jake, this is a joint blog, and it's NOT all about you. I want to let all our dear friends know that I really appreciated all the birthday wishes and hope to visit all of your blogs soon to thank you personally. I was overwhelmed by your sentiments.

P.P.S. We accepted Karl's challenge in memory of Anastasia and we encourage you to do the same.

Happy 17th!

2008-08-12T00:09:00.006-04:00

It's my 17th birthday on this Tortie Tuesday! Here's a picture from a couple of years ago when Mom stuck a paper birthday hat on my head in celebration of Skeezix's birthday. I was not amused.

I know that I should probably have a big celebration with all of you in the Cat Blogosphere, but I don't really do much partying any more. I much prefer to nap! If anyone would like to join me in a group nap, you're more than welcome.

Mom, what's that?

Oh, that is too silly. A little birthday cake candle. I'd rather pay attention to my crunchies. Then it's back to my nap.

Life is good.

~Bathsheba

Special Post

2008-08-09T23:52:00.010-04:00

Hello, dear friends!

We have not blogged in such a LONG time! This is a very special post, and not just because it's our first one since June. If you are the first to guess just why this is a special post, our Mom will make a donation in your name to your favorite animal charity and award you a prize too.

~Bathsheba

I just want to shout about this special post, but I'm also tired, so I'll just lie here and yell.

Maybe I should enter the Monty Q contest if it's not too late.

~Jake

Have any of you seen the beautiful Smilla from Germany? She looks like me and I am honored that she visited our blog this past week.

Mom promises that she will start letting us post and visit friends more regularly--perhaps weekly. We had a very sick home computer for a while. The computer lady doctor had to make it well. The McAfee anti-virus messed everything up so badly that we could not even log into our mail or into blogger! And just going online took forever! We have an old computer and it needed more memory. The computer lady told Mom what to order and she was able to install it all by herself.

We are so pleased that you stopped by to visit us. Be sure to make a guess about this special post.

~Bathsheba

We have a winner! Please see the comments.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-06-25T09:54:00.004-04:00

Traveling Cats for Tuesday

2008-06-24T07:07:00.006-04:00

Hi! We have turned into traveling cats! Mom has taken us down to her sister's beach house for a few days. We have never been to the beach before and Mom says that we probably won't get to play in the big sandbox while we are here. Mom's sister has her THREE dogs here and her kitties had to stay home.

Here I am by one of the windows in our bedroom. We have a view of the lake out back and there is a hammock on this deck. The ocean is a short walk away.

Oh, this cord MUST be adjusted! What fun!

Thank you, everyone, for the concern you showed to me when I was sick. Man, I felt BAD, but I am MUCH better now. I'm eating better and I like to play again. I had to take medicine and the stuff that Mom gave me with a syringe actually tasted YUMMY. I would chew on the syringe as she pulled it from my mouth. Mom said that the doctor put chicken flavoring in it. I wish my thyroid medicine came in a yummy flavor rather than a bitter pill. Because I don't like "stinky goodness" anymore and am back to my crunchies, Mom cannot hide them in my food and has to force the pill down my throat. I try to be cooperative because I know I need it. (Note from Mom: Jake has been amazing about taking his pills. If it were Bathsheba who needed twice daily meds, I don't know what I would do.) Mom says that I have a follow up appointment with the doctor on July 3. I hope they don't take my blood again.

~Jake

Everywhere I go, I must check out the water from the bathroom sink. Mmm, pretty good.

That's the report from Avon, NC, our dear friends!

~Bathsheba

We're Still Around!

2008-05-26T03:37:00.008-04:00

Hi, Everyone! Yes, we are still around! Mom has been too busy with "things" to help us blog and comment, but we have lurked in the background trying to keep up with some of you.

We were so saddened to hear of the passing of Bonnie Underfoot. Her situation with Victor was similar to mine with Jake.

See this beautiful sink here? Well, we are on a road trip right now. Like last December, we are in North Carolina at Mom's sister's house. Mom is chaperoning her 17 and 18 year old nieces to ensure that this house does not become "party central" while Mom's sister and brother-in-law celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary at their beach house. We have settled in nicely even if our two cousin kitties aren't very welcoming. Hisses all around!

Last week Mom had me pose on the fence just like Jake did last year. I wasn't too happy about being put up there (it's six feet high) so I gave Mom a nice scratch.

No birdies here this year.

I guess I should tell everyone about Jake. He has been VERY SICK. He wasn't eating, was very lethargic, and did quite a bit of spitting up. Mom got very worried, but didn't take him to the vet until Monday, May 19. He had to stay overnight in the hospital for tests and treatment. He had a fever of 104.5. They decided he had an infection and put him on antibiotics. The doctor thought that it might be related to gingivitis because his dental hygiene suffered ever since he started on Fancy Feast so Mom could hide pills for his hyperthyroidism in the wet food. (I will only eat crunchy dry food.) He also was given an IV because he was dehydrated.

Mom brought Jake back home on Tuesday night and had to give him antibiotics in addition to his Tapazole for hyperthyroidism. The doctor also wanted Jake to have some plain yogurt to reestablish to good bacteria in his tummy and he gave Mom some bland prescription canned food. Jake would have none of it! His lack of appetite continued so Mom took him back to the vet on Friday. Another vet in the practice gave Jake a full exam, reviewed the blood test results, and consulted with the first vet. They decided that maybe Jake had a bile buildup that may be caused by a gall stone. They immediately suspended the antibiotic treatment and put Jake on another medication called Ursodiol and added some chicken flavoring and something that would restore the good bacteria like yogurt would. ANYWAY, he is feeling MUCH better and is eating again. Mom is so relieved. Everyone knows that I don't like him, but I would feel very bad if anything happened to him. He is my brother, after all.

We don't think that we will ever get to blog much any more. Mom's love life has taken a turn in her favor and she is also busy with work and activities. (She even took the day off and hiked Old Rag Mountain on Thursday, Daisy!) She prefers that her quality time with us to be sans computer. We miss all our wonderful friends, but will continue to try to check in periodically even if we cannot comment.

Cheers from Wake Forest, NC!

~Bathsheba

Man Cats Hate Taxes

2008-04-07T22:49:00.001-04:00

Taxes? Due when?

The thought just puts this Man Cat to sleep. I'd better call my accountant before it's too late.

~Jake

P.S. Thank you all for the wonderful birthday wishes. You all are the greatest friends a guy could have.

It's My Birthday

2008-03-27T22:35:00.004-04:00

I'm 14 today! Happy Birthday to Me!

~Jake

We're Still Here

2008-03-24T01:25:00.011-04:00

Hi, everyone! Yes, we're still here, but as you can see, Mom won't let us blog much. We try to visit when we can, but don't leave many comments.

We had big excitement at our house for the Ides of March. Mom had a HUGE party - 59 guests came. She called it an "Open House in Celebration of 50 Years." She didn't want to call it a birthday party, though that's what it was. With all the things that have gone on in her life over the last year, she decided that she should truly celebrate the big 5-oh.
Mom baked and prepared foods for several days leading up to the party. I, Jake, had to supervise the preparations. Despite the fact that we have lots of daffodils in our garden, Mom bought 200 daffodils to decorate the house.

I, Bathsheba, also supervised. Here are two of the three cakes that Mom baked: a German Chocolate cake (her favorite) and an angel food cake, another favorite. (She also baked a sheet cake.) These photos were taken in the wee hours of March 15. The party started at 2 p.m. and, with the help of her sister who came up from North Carolina, the kitchen and the rest of the house were transformed in time. Mom, however, was too busy to take any photos once the party started. Jake stayed outside for the party because Mom knew that he would get into trouble, and she put me in the cat/computer room. She came up to check on me midway through the party, and I told her that I was willing to socialize. I was quite popular until I decided to jump on the food table. Mom didn't think that I would be able to do that because it's too high for me, but I hopped on the chair by the bay window, then leaped from the window onto the table. Mom was down in the foyer greeting guests at the time. She heard me let out a terrible "mmRRROOOOWWW!" She thought that someone had stepped on me, but really it was just my expression of indignity when someone immediately picked me up and removed me from the table. I do NOT like to be picked up. Good grief! It's MY house; who are they to keep me off my own table?

Mom's actual birthday was March 19 and she had a nice time taking a day off and relaxing.

Yesterday was a wonderful day. Mom had to go to work in the morning, but we spent the afternoon in the garden. I love to walk along the garden timbers. The wall here is part of the side of the sheltered part of our deck. It had been covered with (native, not Japanese) trumpet honeysuckle until last fall when Mom had to cut it back in preparation of the staining by the painters. The honeysuckle is returning (see plant on left), but she needs to replace the nylon mesh support that she used to have for it. The lattice on the right supports clematis.

Mom likes her little blue scilla, so despite the fact that I did not pose in it, she asked us to include a photo. I would have been happy to pose if she had remembered to bring Temptations out with her.

Here are some of our hellebores, or Lenten rose, in bloom with some later blooming daffodils in bud in the foreground.

Now here's a good photo of ME. And I posed without receiving a treat.
I, Bathsheba, did not feel like venturing out into the garden and chose to rest on this comfy deck chair.

We have been meaning to participate in the Seven Weird Things meme that our friends Rosie and Cheeto invited us to complete, but we have been sadly negligent. We helped Mom to compile a list a while back, but it was challenging because we aren't very weird. And Mom misplaced the list that we developed. Sigh. So, this is what we submit off the top of our heads:

Jake: I like to slam dunk 'Sheba before dinner. I get rather frisky, and it's a way to pass the time as Mom prepares our dinners.
Bathsheba: Everyone knows that I have extra toes. Those extra toes on my front paws don't fully retract so I make a clicking sound when I walk on bare floor. At least this never interfered with my stealth in my hunting days.
Jake: I sometimes like to jump into our large compost pile and help myself to leftover cantaloupe or avocado. Mom gets mad at me when I do that and tries to remember to bury table scraps like that.
Bathsheba: The water that I drink must be moving. Usually I insist that Mom turn on the water from her bathroom sink, but I will drink out of my water bowl once I have moved it a little so that it sloshes around. I do NOT, however, like those water fountains they make for cats. Mom (um, Santa) bought one for me, but I refused to use it. I ended up sending it to my friend Kismet.
Jake and Bathsheba: We CANNOT share Mom's queen-sized bed. If one of us is there and the other jumps up, one of us (usually Bathsheba) will leave. Mom did capture on film a moment when the two of us were on the bed together with her, but it was only a MOMENT.
Jake: I don't think this is weird, but I have a VERY long tail and very long whiskers.
Bathsheba: And now for the confession to which we alluded in a previous post. It's really not so much a confession as a revelation. A confession implies that I did something wrong, but that is NOT the case. I just hope that none of you cats thinks less of me for this. Okay, here goes: I am deaf. Pretty much totally. I tried to cover it up for some time, but my secret came out early this year. Once I realized that my hearing was declining, I knew that my outdoor hunting days were over. I decided I'd stay closer to home and indoors more. I used to always come when Mom called, but last fall I couldn't hear her unless she was in the same room. She thought that maybe I didn't love her as much because I didn't come, but that was NOT the case. What ultimately gave my secret away was my lack of a reaction to the ringing telephone. Mom has a telephone on the nightstand next to her bed. Mom keeps Temptations in the nightstand drawer and I often sit on it in anticipation of a treat. Despite the fact that the ringer was on LOUD, I did not even twitch when the phone rang. It used to be that Jake and I would scatter when the phone rang no matter where we were at the time. After seeing my non-reaction, Mom did some other "tests" on me and concluded that I am deaf. She has not taken me to the vet about this and just thinks that it is age related.

It's okay being deaf. I'm a smart kitty and know that the outdoors is not a safe place for me without all my senses. I do startle when Mom touches me when I am asleep because I cannot hear her address me. That is unfortunate. But life is good inside the house. I love to sleep; I have some great cat TVs (windows), and the food tastes great.

That's the news from us here in Manassas, Virginia. We love you all and will try to visit when we can.

Love,

~J&B

Man Cat Monday - Spring Has Sprung

2008-03-03T01:17:00.005-05:00

Mom and I could not let the deadline pass without entering the Simply Siamese "Spring has Sprung" Contest. Mancats always like to help out their fellow felines; in this case it's Sammy and Miles Meezer. True mancats aren't afraid to pose with flowers since we know how popular flowers are with the ladies.

These are snowdrops.

And these are yellow crocus.

And these are miniature iris (I. reticulata).

We also have winter aconite and hellebores in bloom now in our garden.

I have a confession to make since Bathsheba will rat me out otherwise. Mom had to bribe me with treats to pose with these flowers. She tucked the treats in with the flowers so that's why my nose is stuck in the iris here.

Happy Meterological Spring!

P.S. One of these days we will complete the 7 Weird Things Meme and there will be a startling confession from Bathsheba.

~Jake

Jake's Mancat Monday

2008-02-03T22:28:00.000-05:00

Hello, everyone! Thanks for stopping by! It's been ages since I last posted. Blame it on my worthless secretary. It's unfortunate that I'm so dependent upon her. She said that she's trying to have a "social life." I might just have to fire her and hire a new secretary--if only I could find one.

I'm dedicating this post to my girlfriend cat DaisyMae Maus who still likes me despite the paucity of my visits and posts. She's very understanding of my clerical predicament. It was a great weekend, and I spent a lot of time patrolling my deck.

Here I am checking out the bird feeders.

And here I am below the feeders seeing if I can catch any slow moving birdies. No such luck this time!

And for Mancat Monday, I show you my outdoor scratching post. I've torn it to shreds. My grandpa made it years ago (for another kitty), and it is very sturdy unlike many of the ones you can buy in the stores. I just wish that Mom would recover it for me because it's not very satisfying to scratch on the bare metal post.

Our dear friends Rosie and Cheeto tagged us for the Seven Weird Things meme. We'll try to complete that this week.

~Jake

2008 Musings on Tortie Tuesday-Wordy Wednesday

2008-01-15T23:09:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year to our dear friends. Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for your concern about our dropping out of the blogosphere for a couple of weeks.
I had hoped to post more photos from our Christmas travels, but that seems so long ago now. If you look closely at my neck in this photo of me on our deck, you can see something pink. Yes, I am sporting a collar. Mom gave us both collars and heart name tags for traveling, and we have kept them on! Mom had given up on collars for us years ago because we ALWAYS managed to take them off. I decided that this one was rather pretty, though it does make my neck itch.

Mom has been thinking very hard about her life, and on New Year's Day she decided to climb our local Bull Run Mountain and sit atop the rocks and be inspired by the view and fresh air.

She went alone and sat on the rocks until the cold wind finally got to her.

She even managed to use the camera timer and took a self-portrait. Anyway, she thought about things that have happened to her recently, but she also thought about all the wonderful things for which she can be thankful. This beautiful natural world nurtures her spirit. She has a good job and is financially secure. She has family and friends that love her. She is in good health and can hardly believe that she will be 50 in March. She decided that she will focus on these great things in 2008, take some risks, and try to live life more fully. One consequence of that may be that we will probably blog less as she tries to connect with people she can meet locally. (Drat! We have fewer than 10 posts to get to #300!)

Unfortunately, life sometimes throws us a curve ball! Despite her more positive thoughts, Mom had a serious car accident on Friday, January 4 that tested her resolve. BUT NO INJURIES! The airbag did what it was supposed to do.

Do you remember when she bought her Prius back in August? Here's a picture of her car now. She was driving home from work, had the right of way on a road, and a guy who had stopped at a stop sign, pulled out directly in front of her to make a left turn. Mom's thoughts when she knew she was going to crash were, "OMG, my NEW CAR is going to get SMASHED!"

Of course, she should have been thinking, "OMG, I could be seriously injured or killed!" The people in the other car were uninjured also, and the driver was only 19. He said that he never saw Mom's car. He was cited by the police. The accident caused a major traffic jam and firetrucks, an ambulance, and police all responded. Mom dismissed the offer to be taken to the hospital, but a police officer took her to a local police station where her best friend picked her up. She felt very alone when the accident occurred, but she was glad that her friend was at home.

Mom hasn't heard for sure yet, but her beloved new car is probably totalled. It was four months old and had 4300 miles on it.

Meanwhile, Mom is driving a fairly nice 2007 Nissan Altima rental car. It's only fairly nice because the interior smells--not quite as bad as the smelly car from Seinfeld, but smelly nonetheless. She thinks someone must have smoked in the car, then someone sprayed a nasty "air freshener" to try to mask the odor.

So, that's what's been going on. Remember that we love you all and that even if we don't post or comment, Mom will pop in on your blogs to see what's new. Thank you, Latte and DaisyMae for the undeserved awards. You are wonderful friends. And we hope that Latte and his Meowmy are feeling better.

Love,

~Bathsheba

Mancat Monday - Happy New Year!

2007-12-31T21:33:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year, Everyone! And Happy Gotcha Day Anniversary to my lovely girlfriend cat DaisyMae Maus!

Big man cats start the new year with an excellent credit rating. Mine is so good that I am receiving credit card offers in the mail!
Look! Zero percent APR!

And no annual fee! Just think of all the great gifts I could order on the Internet for my beautiful DaisyMae! Now I just need that secretary of mine to verify my income and I'll be all set.

My friends Rosie and Cheeto made some word puzzles of some of our cat friends' names including my grumpy sister Bathsheba. See if you can guess this one:

plus

Again, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

~Jake

I'm not grumpy, and I wish everyone a Happy New Year, too!

~Bathsheba

Holiday Roadtrip

2007-12-23T23:33:00.000-05:00

We're on our first long distance roadtrip! Mom didn't want to spend Christmas without us so she decided to take us along with her.
I got to sit in the front seat because I'm the oldest . . .

and Jake had to sit in the back seat with the Grinch. Mom told us that we were very good because we didn't cry much at all.

First we went to the Richmond area to visit Mom's brother and family. Here we are in the house with our cousin Sophie giving us the laser beam eyes.

Then we went to Mom's sister's house in North Carolina. We crossed state lines! We have a nice suite here, but I stayed under this table except to come out to eat.

Jake hid under the bed, then under the chair. He came out just enough to reach his dinner. We're getting more accustomed to our surroundings now, though we didn't start out well. Our tabby cousin Sugar Magnolia greeted us at the front door with a hiss, and Freckles the Bengal cat come into our room and stole some of Jake's food when Mom left the door cracked. I'm not so sure about whether it's a good thing to spend the holidays with your relatives, but I'll give it a go this year to humor Mom. It's almost Christmas!

~Bathsheba

Secret Paws Gifts

2007-12-22T12:33:00.000-05:00

We haven't been able to blog or visit much lately because Mom has had to "schmooze" at a bunch of office parties and receptions.

But last night was very exciting for us! We finally got to open our Secret Paws gifts from Mr. Chen and Ollie!
I laid first claim to the box and told Bathsheba to back off.

I got first crack at the toys. Look at this cool Tail Chaser toy! And we even got a card-with photos of Mr. Chen and Ollie!

Mmm, this sure smells good.

Mom made me give Bathsheba a crack at the loot.

But I told Bathsheba that most of it was MINE since she's old and doesn't play much anymore.

Mom caught me with my tongue hanging out while playing with the Tail Chaser!

There was a bag of these cool balls called Catnip Puffs, and I batted a couple all over the floor. What fun!

We both love the yummy treats. And there's such a wide variety. We got some at bedtime last night. We are two very lucky cats. Thank you, Mr. Chen and Ollie! And Happy Birthday to your mom today.

~Jake

Easy Like Sunday Morning

2007-12-16T12:43:00.001-05:00

Here we are relaxing on the bed while Mom reads the Sunday newspaper.

(Note from the Mom: This lasted all of five minutes. Bathsheba was on the bed with me as she often is, then Jake jumped up and made himself comfortable on top of me. Even though there was plenty of room, and no touching involved between the cats, Bathsheba got mad and left. I'm just glad I had the camera within reach to capture the moment-literally.)

Present from My Girlfriend DaisyMae Maus

2007-12-14T23:49:00.000-05:00

Oh, look, I got a package in the mail from my beautiful girlfriend DaisyMae Maus!

~Jake

Hey, Jake! I see that it's addressed to ME too!

Mom made us wait till tonight to help us open the box. It had a lot of tape on it. (Please excuse the date; Mom had a problem with the batteries, and the camera defaulted to 1/1/05.)

Look at what was inside the heavy box! Ceramic cats! Aren't they beautiful!

~Bathsheba

Not as beautiful as DaisyMae.

~Jake

Well, Mom LOVES them! She is especially fond of the sitting tabby because it reminds her of Precious, our long ago sister who was a torbie Maine coon.

Thank you, DMM and the Feline Americans! What wonderful gifts.

~Bathsheba

Mailing Our Secret Paws

2007-12-10T22:48:00.000-05:00

Last week Mom crocheted some funky catnip mice as part of our Secret Paws gifts.

She made them freeform and they're way too long, but they might be better for bunny kicking that way. I did give them my seal of approval.

~Bathsheba
Though Mom had everything ready to go for the box last week, she procrastinated about packaging it up so she didn't have it ready for the post office on Saturday morning. Our PO has evening hours so she put it in the mail tonight after my final inspection. This is our first time at participating with Secret Paws. We hope our recipients like their gifts!

~Jake

A Little Bit of SNOW!

2007-12-08T11:41:00.000-05:00

A few days ago we had our first snowfall of the season. It was only about two inches or less.

I HAD to go out in it after my dinner.

I think that I'm going to venture off my deck and go play.

I'm off to explore the jungle in winter!

I only stayed outside about a half hour, but later that night, about 3:30 a.m., I started my "scratching on the bedroom full length mirror" routine. That's usually my signal to Mom that I want to go outside or have my breakfast. Mom yelled at me for about 30 minutes to go back to sleep, but I was persistent. Because she knows that I sometimes punish her by doing something "inappropriately" in the house, she decided to get up and let me out despite the cold. I got to stay out for several hours until breakfast! I love my freedom and my fur coat kept me warm.

~Jake

Tabby and Tortie's Tongues on Tuesday

2007-12-04T06:05:00.000-05:00

Thank you for visiting us today. We are mad at our secretary because she is not giving us time to visit our friends. She claims to be "busy" or working late at her "paying job." We are sticking our tongues out at her.

~J&B

Man Cat Monday

2007-12-02T23:28:00.000-05:00

Hey, "Man Cat!" The sunbeam has passed you by!

Serves you right for hogging the top of the stairs and not letting me pass!

~Bathsheba

Wednesday Workday

2007-11-28T21:42:00.001-05:00

Do any of you know where your people go during the day when they go to work ("go hunting")? Mom has never taken us to her office, but we would often wonder about a place that takes her away from us every day. She finally shared with us some photos that she took there last week.
She said that this is the entrance she uses every day. Unfortunately, this lovely red maple tree is naked this week.

There are lots of red maples around the front parking lot.

Mom is always telling us about the wonderful walks she takes at lunch time. Her office has lots of trails through the woods out back.

With all the leaves on this trail, it looks like our yard!

Mom said that there are two ponds and a stream behind her office building. This is a view of the building from the back. Mom's office is on the front side facing west. She can see awesome sunsets from her fifth floor windows.

This is the view from the lower pond. Beavers have a dam just out of sight on the right. It makes the water flow over the trail a bit. For the first few years after the building was built in 1992, when Mom walked down here she could imagine that she was way off in the country. Unfortunately, a few years ago, a road, townhouses, and condos were built near this end. It's still rather peaceful, but there is no escaping the fact that development surrounds the area.

This is the view coming around the side of the building. The trail away from the building leads to a shopping complex that bills itself as an urban town center. There are many good chain restaurants, such as PF Chang, and fancy stores like Ann Taylor, that are just a short walk away.

We will begrudging admit that Mom works in a pretty campus setting, but we'd still rather have her home with us all day.

~J&B

Man Cat Monday - Leaves

2007-11-26T00:00:00.001-05:00

Mom went away for Thanksgiving, and while she was gone, the weather turned sharply colder and most of our trees finally lost their leaves.
Just look at my side yard! You can hardy see the grass underneath all those maple leaves. Somebody's got a lot of work ahead.

But it's not me. Being a MAN cat, I think I hear a football game calling to me on the TV. I'll let Mom work on these leaves.

~Jake

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T03:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We are very thankful to have a mom who loves us so very much. We are thankful for our warm home and regular meals. We are also thankful for all the wonderful friends we have made through the cat blogosphere.

Last year at this time, our dear friend Skeezix held a contest where our people wrote "Tales of Devotion" to us. Mom recently returned to that site, reread the heartwarming tales, and shed some tears. Some of you were not blogging at the time so your people missed this opportunity to write about how much they love you. We highly recommend giving this site a read as we give thanks this time of year.

Mom will be spending Thanksgiving with family in North Carolina and will be driving down on Thanksgiving Day. Unfortunately for us, that means no big turkey at our house for us, but she promised to return quickly and give us lots of Temptations and other treats to compensate. Again, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Love,

~J&B

Man Cat Monday Adventure

2007-11-18T23:29:00.001-05:00

When I'm outside, I don't like to be coddled by Mom. I have my Man Cat image to uphold after all. She followed me down to the bottom of the yard hoping to snatch me up and cuddle.
I jumped into the empty firewood stand (Mom doesn't feel like bothering with firewood and fires now that Dad is gone).

From there I decided to hop the fence into Mr. Stuff's yard. He has something called a "catch basin" in the easement between his yard and mine.

I like to explore around the catch basin.

And sometimes I like to jump in there! If it hasn't been rainy, it's not TOO wet down there. I can follow the sewer down to the creek, or I can go in the other direction and end up at the street gutter. I'm not going to let Mom baby me; a man cat's gotta have his independence.

~Jake

Saturday Scavenging

2007-11-17T23:54:00.000-05:00

Mom worked in the yard this afternoon. Before she tackled the leaves, she replenished the suet for the birds. She set the empty plastic container down on the edge of the deck, and I spied it.

Mmm, this suet stuff isn't half bad. 'Tis a pity there isn't more for me.

Mom decided to use her mulching lawn mower for the leaves, so it was noisy outside. She used the bagger attachment and emptied it onto a big tarp she put on the driveway. She has a big shredder machine, but decided not to use it because it is very hard for her to start. She likes to compost all our leaves, but the compost area is way at the bottom of the yard. She drags the big tarp down there and dumps it.

Daisy had asked if we could just wait for the leaves to blow away. Unfortunately, the answer is no. We live downwind from neighbors with many big trees and all of their leaves blow our way since they almost NEVER rake. We have lots of plantings, rocks, and shrubs in our front yard so they catch the leaves that fall. Most of the trees are oaks and they continue to drop their leaves all winter long. Leaf-raking and collection is a long-term activity in our yard.

Tonight Mom had phone calls from her two bestest friends. She was going to help us blog more, but we know that those long phone conversations were important for her.

~Jake

Foliage Friday

2007-11-16T21:41:00.000-05:00

The weather has turned sharply colder and we've had some brisk winds. The leaves are falling fast now. We haven't been able to blog much lately because Mom has been very busy with work. Last night she didn't get home until 10:30 p.m. While I miss her when she works late, I think that it's good for her to stay busy right now.
Before the leaves are all gone with the wind, I thought that I'd share some of our fall foliage. Here's a shot of our dogwood tree as I can view it from the chair at the front window.

And here's a view of it from the street.

This is a view from the small upstairs bathroom window. It's the only window on this side of the house. The yellow leaves belonged to a hickory tree a few days ago, but by now it has lost most of its leaves.

This is from the same window slightly panned to the left because the hickory is nearly bare today. The brightly colored leaves belong to an amelanchier, known as a juneberry or serviceberry tree. The color is slightly off in this photo since the leaves are more orange than red in real life.

Mom will have to get busy this weekend and rake leaves. If it is not too windy, I think that I will join her as I did last weekend. Unless she gets out some noisy power equipment, I like to be with Mom when she gardens.

Jake and I both are purring for Mr. TF because we really need him to get better.

Purrs,

~Bathsheba

Tall-Tailed Tabby versus Tortie for Toesday

2007-11-13T22:17:00.000-05:00

Bathsheba: After a dreary morning, it cleared up a bit yesterday afternoon and I went out on the deck to look around.

Jake: Oh, Bathsheba, you don't know how to patrol and guard my deck.

Let me show you how it's done.

Bathsheba: This deck isn't big enough for the two of us. (Note from Mom: It's 20x24'.) I'm going back inside. I'm moving so fast, my face is a blur.

P.S. Mom says thank you to the Castro Valley
boys. They're lovely.

Jake's Man Cat Monday

2007-11-12T12:03:00.001-05:00

Enough sadness! It's Man Cat Monday and it's all about ME!
Look where I am. On THE BED! It used to be strictly off limits to me as was the whole room. Now Mom actually invites me in with Temptation treats at night. Usually I vanish as soon as I've had my Temptations, but I've done some sleeping there with Mom, much to Bathsheba's chagrin. Last night I slept snuggled next to Mom all night.

Bathsheba used to have exclusive rights to the bed as long as she left when Dad came to bed. Now she's all mad that I'm invited too and she'll usually go off in a hissy fit when I join Mom. Heck, it's a big bed, and Mom says there's room for all of us, but don't tell Bathsheba that.

In other bedroom news, this is the view from the window. The leaves are falling fast in our backyard, but the colors have been muted. I haven't been in this window much since I was a kitten and scratched up the screen. Maybe I'll check out the windowsill in the spring when the warm air returns. It's cold and dreary today and I'm probably going to nap on my favorite loveseat.

~Jake

RIP Chelsea

2007-11-11T19:13:00.000-05:00

Farewell, dear cousin Chelsea.

Sad news. Mom's brother called her today, and one of the things he told her was that poor cousin Chelsea was "put to sleep" last week. She wouldn't eat, wanted to stay under the bed, was down to less than five pounds, and was extremely weak.

Here is an undated photo of floofy Chelsea that Mom used for a "Widebody Wednesday" post last year.

This photo was from a visit a year ago.
Mom took this photo when she last visited. At that time Chelsea was just a shadow of herself.

She and Mom shared the same March birthday. Chelsea was well loved and lived to the age of 15.

Good bye,

Love,

~J&B

Sad on Saturday

2007-11-10T22:17:00.000-05:00

Mom continues to feel sad and mopey. She says that she feels the way these impatiens look.

We've been visiting our friends, but not leaving comments since we need Mom's help with writing them.

~J&B

Dona Nobis Pacem

2007-11-07T21:06:00.000-05:00

Tolerant Tortie on Toesday

2007-11-06T21:46:00.000-05:00

I was napping peacefully on the bed when Mom rudely starting snapping my photograph.
It's hard to sleep when there's a flash going off in my face. But I endured.

She found me irresistible and had to pick me up and hug me. I DON'T like to be picked up, but I do try to be a tolerant cat sometimes. I know that Mom needs lots of comforting lately so I put up with more than my usual limit for hugging. My annoying brother doesn't mind hugs at all, so I realize that I need to step out of my comfort zone, so to speak, to compete with him. He's been trying very hard to charm himself into first place in her heart. At least I have history on my side because I've known Mom longer.

~Bathsheba

Anastasia's Dare: DUYS

2007-11-04T20:41:00.000-05:00

Anastasia returned to issue her final dare and we were eager to participate.

Here is Anastasia’s last Dare in her own words:“I Dare You All to Dress Up Your Staff. Dress up your humans in the most ridiculous, silly, weird, comical, insane, funny, humiliating, splendid, outrageous outfit you can imagine, post their picture on your blog.”

As some of you may remember, Mom went to New Orleans in May. She bought some Mardi Gras masks there. You may also recall that she has a pink wig because she made us wear it for the Pink Wig Challenge.
I made her dig deeply into her drawers to find an old T-shirt from the 1970s. (She keeps things forever.) So here she is in blue and pink.

I decided that she should try on some other masks too. Here's a green feathery one. Green is her favorite color.

And here's a bright orangey/red one!

And get a load of this animal mask.

Unfortunately, I think that the point of this exercise was lost on Mom. We were supposed to humiliate her, but I think she was having entirely too much fun.

Which one do you like the best?

~Bathsheba

Better Than an Official Toy

2007-11-03T22:32:00.000-04:00

The other day, Mom flung her suit jacket over the back of one of the kitchen chairs.

It just happened to have a skinny dangly thing called a belt hanging from it.

It taunted me.

I must get into position

and attack!

~Jake

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T22:21:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-29T22:50:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-28T20:46:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-26T20:08:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-23T21:33:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-19T23:00:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-18T23:47:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-17T05:19:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-16T02:42:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-15T00:00:00.001-04:00

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

2007-10-13T23:22:00.001-04:00

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

2007-10-12T20:24:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-11T20:04:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-10T20:03:00.001-04:00

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

2007-10-09T20:34:00.001-04:00

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

2007-10-08T20:31:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-04T22:33:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-03T21:16:00.000-04:00

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!

2007-10-01T21:36:00.000-04:00

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

Gus Chang and an Intruder Cat

2007-09-29T22:05:00.000-04:00

There she goes again. Mom continues to read that newspaper.

I told her to stay away from those sad obituaries, but this time she found one on the front page of the Style section of The Washington Post. Gus Chang the cat died. He had patrolled a block in Washington, D.C. Of course, Mom burst into tears when she read about Gus Chang. This Gus was 17 and had cancer, but 16 years ago Mom had a cat named Gus. He had stomach cancer and died at the young age of 6. I was born a week after Gus died and came into Mom's life a couple of months later.

~Bathsheba

On another note, we had an intruder in my yard this evening! Mom had her camera with her, and she had just fed me my dinner on my naked deck.

She walked down into the yard while I ate. Little did I know, but while I was busy eating, there was an evil intruder in my yard! Tiger! Mom didn't inform me while it was happening, but later she showed me the photographic evidence that I have posted here. Tiger was at the bottom of the yard by the brush pile, which is next to my natural outdoor litter box. You can see his vishus laser beam eyes here. Mom thinks that he is handsome with his floofy orange fur, but I can't let this rival steal her heart. Tiger lives next door and sometimes we don't see him for months. He stays inside for long stretches then gets let out and roams the neighborhood for days. One winter, after Mom had cleared all the plant debris out of the front window box, Tiger used to like to nap there in the sun. Mom would see him there at 7:45 a.m. when she would be leaving for work. Sometimes in the summer he would sleep in the vines on top of the lattice over the swing. Regardless, I DO NOT welcome him into MY yard. He is NOT my friend.

~Jake

Wordless Wednesday

2007-09-26T23:08:00.000-04:00

Sharing on Saturday-Sunday

2007-09-23T22:09:00.001-04:00

When Mom pours her milk to have with dinner (yes, she still likes milk!), I always beg her for some because I love milk, too. Mom says that cow's milk isn't good for cats, but she still gives me a taste. Yesterday, she decided to put two "tastes" on my dish. She thought that Jake and I might drink side by side. Ha!
I'm going to have the milk she put on his side.

~Bathsheba

Hey, I'm supposed to get some too! Mom said so!

~Jake

Okay, you brat! I'll drink some water instead. Sharing is for kindergartners.

~Bathsheba

Laurel Burch

2007-09-22T21:52:00.000-04:00

I'm a little worried about Mom. I fear that she may have an obsession with dead people. What with Grandma's death just a little over two weeks ago, I would advise her not to read obituaries for a while. But, no, she reads them anyway. She read one today for Laurel Burch, the designer of the pretty tote bag behind me in this photo.

Mom gave me the newspaper and urged me to read the obituary since the lady really liked to use cats in her designs.

I didn't really want to read it, but I decided to indulge Mom this time. Ms. Burch did have an interesting and successful life for a high school dropout with a debilitating bone condition. Survivors were listed as a human son and daughter, but surely she must have left cats behind too. I hope that someone will take good care of them.

Mom, let's concentrate on the funnies in the newspaper. We don't want to be sad all the time.

~Bathsheba

Mail from Taiwan!

2007-09-20T22:16:00.000-04:00

Aarrgg! We missed Meow like a Pirate Day! Mom was just too busy to help us blog. She certainly spends a lot of time talking with Dad on the phone. We think they talk more now than when he lived with us!

We both were very excited to receive mail from our friends Adan and Michico who live far away in Taiwan.

Mom let me look at it first. Adan's picture was even on the mailing label. Cool! ~Jake

I love the photo we chose. Adan's eyes are round and big, and he looks ready to pounce! I wonder if he would like an old girl like me if we met in real life rather than cyberspace. He certainly is handsome. ~Bathsheba

Thank you, Adan and Michico. We are very pleased to be your friends.

~J&B

Happy Birthday, Skeezix!

2007-09-15T22:34:00.001-04:00

Sunday, September 16 is the third birthday of everyone's original best friend and blogging inspiration, Skeezix the Cat! Skeezix has been a little down in the dumps lately, but he is usually very optimistic and happy. We love him dearly and wish him the best birthday ever! (And we hope that he doesn't mind that we used his birthday card creation.)

Love,
~J&B

Flower Friday

2007-09-14T21:50:00.001-04:00

Here are some of the lovely flower arrangements from Grandma's funeral.

It's been nearly a week since the funeral and I need to inspect how the flowers are holding up.

They're losing some petals, but still look pretty.

But as a Man Cat, I'm more interested in the bug on the mat.

We're sorry we haven't visited and commented much lately. We really do appreciate all the expressions of sympathy everyone sent. Mom has spent a lot of time on the phone this week after work so she hasn't made time to help us blog. We have sneaked a few peeks at friends' blogs, but without the assistance of our secretary, we cannot comment.

We hope that Mom will snap out of her funk so we all can get back to the fun of visiting and blogging.

~Jake

Thanks

2007-09-09T21:53:00.000-04:00

Mom is very touched by the outpouring of loving support from all the blogosphere cats and their people. It means a lot to her during this difficult time.

Love,
J&B on behalf of Mom

Farewell, Grandma

2007-09-06T16:07:00.000-04:00

Grandma: June 3, 1930 - September 6, 2007

Grandma had been ill for some time and was under hospice care in a nursing home since June. She died in peace.

Mom is going to be busy for the next few days, but she finds our cat blogs a happy diversion. We will try to give her extra snuggles.

Rest in peace, Grandma. We love you.

Love,

J&B

Middle Name Meme for Tortie Tuesday

2007-09-04T22:08:00.000-04:00

Since Jake got tagged for the middle name meme, I decided that I would participate for Tortie Tuesday. My middle name is Everdene. I was named for the main character in Thomas Hardy's novel Far from the Madding Crowd, Bathsheba Everdene. As you can see, there are 4 e's in my middle name so that posed a significant challenge for this meme.

Here are the rules: List one fact that is somehow relevant to you and your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had. When you are tagged, you need to write your post using your middle name and facts about it. At the end of your post, choose one cat to tag for each letter of your middle name. Be sure to let each cat know she/he has been tagged. (It's okay if you don't do this... tag who you want to tag.)

Here goes:

E - Enigmatic. I am hard to figure out, and I keep people guessing. Sometimes I can be very nice, but I can also change in a heartbeat and hiss, curse, and scratch or bite.
V - Voluptuous. I've put a pound or two on since I retired, but I think that makes me all that much more attractive as a spicy vixen.
E - Erratic. This is sort of like enigmatic in that my behavior is unpredictable.
R - Revered by Mom. I am a cat, after all.
D - Divine. See R.
E - Exalted. See R and D.
N - Nimble for an old geezer lady cat of 16.
E - Ecstatic. That's how I feel when I am nipped up, but the high only lasts a few brief minutes.

I invite you to participate if you like. Some names are hard.

~Bathsheba

In the News on Man Cat Monday and Middle Name Meme

2007-09-03T21:50:00.001-04:00

It's Man Cat Monday and I am in the news. The other day Mom was talking on the phone with Dad and they were discussing the death of some guy named Peet who had a coffee business. Dad had told her about some coffee shop by that name in Santa Cruz. Mom remembered that when she looked at some obituaries in the newspaper. (Don't ask me why Mom reads about dead people; she just does.) Anyway, she spread out the newspaper and set out to fill Dad in on some details of the dead guy's life when I said to myself, "Now who is more newsworthy, me or some dead guy?" I promptly jumped atop that newspaper and made myself comfortable. Mom had no choice but to pet me. She even let Dad hear me purr through the phone. I am NOT going to be upstaged by a dead guy. I mean, hey, I'm Jake, and I am the center of the universe. I AM the news.

And while we're on the subject of ME, as we should be, let me complete the Middle Name Game meme since Rosie tagged me a while back.

Here are the rules:
List one fact that is somehow relevant to you and your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.When you are tagged you need to write your post using your middle name and facts about it.At the end of your post, choose one cat to tag for each letter of your middle name. Be sure to let each cat know she/he has been tagged. (It's okay if you don't do this... tag who you want to tag.)

Well, I have a complex name. I was named for my great-great grandfather in Germany. His name was August Jacob Julius __, but I don't know if that's exactly how it is spelled. Grandpa was supposed to have been named for him, but he was relieved that his parents decided on Karl Heinz instead of that long distinguished name. Mom thought that it was perfect for me and decided that she would use a nickname for my middle name Jacob. That is the name I'll used for this meme.

J for joyful because Mom says that I bring her a lot of joy.

A for alluring because of my pretty eyes, long white whiskers, and silky soft striped fur.

C for very cute and charming (see previous letter).

O for original. There is only one ME.

B for bothersome because Mom says that I bother Bathsheba too much, and I'm also bothersome when I want to go out or want to eat. Hey, I know what I want, and I want it when I want it.

I didn't want to do that last one, but my secretary said that I have to show that I'm not perfect. If Bathsheba and people would do what I wanted, then I wouldn't be bothersome and would be perfect after all. See, it's all Bathsheba's fault.

The meme has been around a while so if anyone would still like to play, join in!

Happy Man Cat Monday!

~Jake

Sunday Solitude and Silence

2007-09-02T21:36:00.000-04:00

With Jake in the house, I have the deck all to myself. Sometimes I like to sit and just think about things.

In my 16 years, life's been good to me generally, and I've tried to live it to the fullest. I had my wild times in my youth, and now I like to stay close to home and Mom. Many of my fellow kitties in the world don't have good homes, some have life-threatening illnesses, and some have lives that are cut way too short by accidents.

It's a lot to contemplate. I think that I will retreat beneath this schefflera plant and nap on these thoughts. May this coming week be a good one for everyone.

~Bathsheba

P.S. Yesterday's Washington Post had a nice article about Becky Robinson, the founder of Alley Cat Allies, as well as some photos. It's a good read.

Remembrance

2007-09-01T22:43:00.000-04:00

It's Not a Banana Slug, but . . .

2007-08-30T23:02:00.000-04:00

It looks like my dad is going to settle down in the Santa Cruz Mountains just outside the city of Santa Cruz, California. Mom plans to go out to visit him again in late October.

As Grr, Midnight, and Cocoa pointed out to us recently, the University of California at Santa Cruz has the most unusual of school mascots: the banana slug.

Here I have one of our common Virginia slugs out on my deck. Mom cruelly poured salt on him and he shriveled up. It was fascinating to watch. When Mom was a girl, her first cat Tony loved to eat bugs including slugs. Unfortunately, it would get his chin and neck all slimy, and Mom would have to help clean him up. I don't care to eat slugs.

Here's to you, Dad!

Your son,

~Jake

P.S. Our hearts go out to our cat friends as we end a very sad week in the Cat Blogosphere. For a little cheer, visit the adorable kittens staying with Grr, Midnight, and Cocoa.

Love,

~J&B

Meme Answers on Tabby and Torbie Tuesday

2007-08-28T22:29:00.000-04:00

The famous Skeezix tagged us for the Scattergories Meme. RULES: Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following...they have to be real places, names, things...nothing made-up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

We will combine our answers.

What is your name? Jake and Bathsheba

4 letter word: Jerk, Barf

Vehicle: Jaguar, Bentley

TV Show: Jetsons, Bob Newhart Show

City: Jamestown (in honor of its 400th anniversary in Virginia!), Berkeley (in honor of Dad who is in California)

Boy Name: Jeter, Benjamin Fuzz

Girl Name: Justine, Brooke (two of Mom's many nieces)

Alcoholic Drink: Jagertee (I had to look that up on the Internet), Beer

Occupation: Janitor, Butcher (two jobs that could serve us well)

Something you wear: We don't wear anything besides our furs, but people can wear Jeans and a Belt

Celebrity: J-Lo (Is she still called that?), Britney

Food: Jolly Time Pop Corn (I'll share some with you, Daisy), Banana (for Daisy's big sister Pixie)

Something found in a bathroom: Jars, Bathtub (and Bathsheba)

Reason for being late: Just fell asleep,

Because I didn't feel like conforming to someone else's idea of time

Cartoon Character: Jerry (of Tom &), Bill the Cat

Something you shout: Just hand over the food! But I want Temptations NOW!

This was fun. We tag anyone else who would like to give it a try.

~J&B

P.S. The great Jeter was also tagged and I swear that I did not cheat by looking at his answers before posting mine. Mom says that I can compare after we publish this post. ~Jake