Leaving 2009 with a Laugh

We wish each of you a happy, prosperous and healthy 2010!

We are pleased to be able to end this year with yesterday's positive post on the 101 Lakemore Cats Revisited and today's video which should leave you laughing. It really tickled our funny bones.

Tennessee Ernie Ford singing Children Go Where I Send Thee -- with a little help keeping rhythm from his son Brian.

Read more: http://carolynspreciousmemories.com/Videos/childrengo-tennernieford.html#ixzz0bJSwasTZ

If the video doesn't play for you, click here.

As 2009 leaves with a laugh, we hope 2010 enters with one and blesses each one of you.

Lakemore Cats Revisited

We did a number of posts on the 101 Lakemore Cats. If you're a new reader and haven't heard of them before or have forgotten them, click on the label "Lakemore Cats" under this post. It is the story of one man rescuing 101 cats abandoned in a home in foreclosure. It took him 4 months to capture the last cat. Of those 101, he has 5 left in need of a home.

On Saturday, December 26, Cleveland.com published a "Whatever Happened To" story and the Lakemore Cats were one of the topics.

Yesterday someone left a surprise for Eric.

Anonymous donor leaves 200 pounds of cat food on Lakemore cat rescuer's porch
by Donna J.Miller

"Eric Schickendantz arrived home yesterday evening and found 200 pounds of cat food on his porch.

"The 10, 20-pound bags were likely left by someone who read the story in the Sunday Plain Dealer about Schickendantz's rescue of 101 cats from a foreclosed house in Lakemore, just south of Akron. Schickendantz, 62 and dubbed Katmandu Rescue, spent more than four months catching and taming the cats. He spent thousands on their veterinary care, getting them neutered, vaccinated and treated for respiratory infection." (Click here to read the rest of the story.)

We hope you will read the rest of the story. It has a couple photos of the shed Eric built for the 18 or 19 cats he was unable to socialize for adoption. And it has a link to the story that sparked the donation. In case you were catnapping and missed the link, click here to read the whatever happened to story. (We weren't aware Eric was bitten nearly 30 times and one bite became infected. Ouch!)

We're glad we didn't post about the first article when Eric emailed it to us. We are so pleased to be able to post the latest news with it. Eric did a great job and again we commend him for it.

Hawaiian Waves

We've been sneaking into Jan's email again and we found some beautiful photos emailed to her of Hawaiian waves by photographer Clark Little. We liked them so much we did a little research and found a video of his appearance on Good Morning America, so if you missed it, you can still see the beautiful photos he takes from inside the big waves ridden by surfers. Amazing. We don't mind looking at the photos but we think we'll skip riding the waves. We cats have a thing about water. And we dogs are landlovers ... or should that be landlubbers?



If the video doesn't play, click here.

And if you're interested, you can visit Clark Little Photography.

Why Email Was Invented

Jan laughed when she watched this video. It reminds her of her mother's two little dogs, Shorty and Benji. Her mother and both dogs are gone now, but they left Jan with some fun memories. She finally solved her mother's mailjacking problem by wiring a bicycle basket to the mail slot. Enjoy the video.




If the video doesn't play for you, click here.

Latin Labrador

Buddy: We hope you all had a Merry Christmas! We had a quiet day yesterday and even had a bite of turkey. That doesn't happen very often around here because Jan is sticky about .. What, Cotton?

Cotton: No, not sticky. They word is stickler. Jan is a stickler.

Cameron: That's strange. I thought Jan is a human.

Cyndi Jan is a human. Cotton is trying to say she's a stickler about feeding us people foods.

Percy: Especially the foods we really like. Fatty or sugary foods, chocolate .... She has this crazy idea we should eat dog or cat food.

Rusty: Yeah, the only way she'll give us turkey is to wring out the fat, pat it dry, and for good measure, blow dry it.

Crystal: We wish Jan would stop reading about what not to feed us and realize we like turkey, fat and all.

Sam: Yes, if we killed our own turkey, we wouldn't roast it and drain off the fat. We'd just spit out the feathers.

Merci: Isn't there a federal law that every dog and cat, especially the females, must be fed at least six pounds of chocolate a day?

Cotton: Yes, it's part of the Federal Animal Anti-Cruelty Act. But pet owners protested and now they're claiming chocolate is hazardous to our health. (We're joking here. Chocolate can be deadly to your pet!)

Buddy: Excuse me, but I was telling readers about our post before you interrupted. To continue, we feel like taking it easy today and figure maybe you do too. So we have a nice, calm dog dance routine to help you relax. Afterward you can resume your nap.

Merci: Buddy, you're looking at the wrong video. There's nothing calm and relaxing about this dance routine! It's pure fun.


If the video doesn't play for you, click here.

Christmas Music

We were going to post some of the beautiful email cards we received from some talented bloggers , but we decided to keep this post simple. It's Christmas eve and folks have other things on their plates. Besides, we couldn't show the cards we received by snail mail -- our scanner won't work unless we install an ink cartridge so it can set everything up for printing. Since we don't print with that all-in-one, we don't understand what the problem is, but then we're just dogs and cats. Thanks to each of you who sent us any type of card. We couldn't "borrow" any money from Jan's wallet (it was empty) to send stamped snail mail cards so we posted our homemade card. (If you haven't received your card yet, see post below this one)

Instead, we have a video for you. Beautiful Christmas music. O Holy Night by Celtic Woman. We hope you like it as much as we do.



If the video doesn't play, click here.

Have a blessed Christmas, filled with family, friends and fun.

Christmas Card 2009

We hope each of you will have the joy of Christmas as you remember why we are celebrating the day.
(Click to enlarge card.)

We are grateful to know every one of you. You each bring something special into our lives.

(s) JFF -- Crystal, Cotton, Merci, Cyndi, Percy, Cameron, Buddy, Rusty & Sam
and Jan

Cyndi Was 6 and Forgotten Dog's Christmas

Yes, you read that right. Was. Cyndi was officially 6 years old yesterday. And we forgot. Totally forgot. It's all Jan's fault again. If she would read her calendar book more often and remind us of special occasions, we wouldn't have to keep telling you all we inherited Jan's forgetfulness. It's a genetic trait passed on though handling our food or something.

Cyndi, we are so sorry we forgot about you. It has become a pattern with us. Too often any more we "remember" a birthday when the Cat Blogosphere posts it and we open our email to learn you all were celebrating while we slept. But now that we remember -
Happy 6th Purrthday, Cyndi!

We love you and hope to share many more purrthdays with you, at least a few of them on the correct day.

(s) Crystal, Cotton, Merci, Percy, Cameron, Buddy, Rusty & Sam
Oh, yeah, and Jan.

Cyndi:Thanks to all of you who came by yesterday with birthday wishes. So my family forgot my day. I forgot it too. What's important is I have a home, lots of siblings, a warm bed when it's cold, and all the food I can eat. I'm not forgotten like the dog in the following poem. My birthday wish is that every furry adopted by a human for Christmas be treated with love and kindness, so there are no more furry forgotten ex-Christmas presents.

Forgotten Dog's Christmas
Author Unknown

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there
The children were nestled all snug in their beds
With no thought of the dog filling their head
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap
Knew he was cold, but didn't care about that
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter
Away to the window I flew like a flash
Figuring the dog was free of his chain and into the trash
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear
But Santa Claus - with eyes full of tears
He un-chained the dog, once so lively and quick
Last year's Christmas present, now painfully thin and sick
More rapid than eagles he called the dog's name
And the dog ran to him, despite all his pain
"Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONNER and BLITZEN!
To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Let's find this dog a home where he'll be loved by all."
I knew in an instant there would be no gifts this year
For Santa Claus had made one thing quite clear
The gift of a dog is not just for the season
We had gotten the pup for all the wrong reasons
In our haste to think of the kids a gift
There was one important thing that we missed
A dog should be family, and cared for the same
You don't give a gift, then put it on a chain
And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight
"You weren't given a gift! You were given a LIFE!"

Lorenzo, Flying Frenchman

We all enjoy a good animal video and we loved this one. We're sure you will too. This is an amazing exhibit of strength (you try balancing on moving horseflesh), precision, courage and trust.

Lorenzo the Flying Frenchman and his team of grey Lusitano horses perform at the London International Horse show at Olympia in 2008.



If the video doesn't play for you, click here.

If you enjoyed this video, you might be interested in this one which shows him training his horses.



If this video doesn't play for you, click here.

Hope you enjoyed these videos as much as we did.
(s) Crystal, Cotton, Merci, Cyndi, Percy, Cameron, Buddy, Rusty & Sam

Star of Martha Mill

We have mentioned before that there is a crew working on reclaiming a local mill.(Tearing some of it down, reclaiming whatever possible for other uses.) Just recently we posted on the Doggy Christmas Surprise that Matthew, the project manager, and Drew, the supervisor, gave the 3 of us dogs. We haven't quite figured out what we're supposed to do with it yet. Jan imprisons us in it, then usually disappears into the house. It's very boring in there alone. We dig for pecans, watch the traffic and bark at passersby. Buddy is working on a plan to get over it so he can climb the tree after the squirrels.

We are in agreement that Jan should be imprisoned with us, not just checking on us every few minutes. Eventually she realizes that and comes outside to join us in prison. Then we run, play tug, Merci jumps on her, Sam body slams her, and we dogs get lots of exercise. Jan just stands there holding our leashes while we have fun. Guess Jan just doesn't know how to have fun. Maybe we should get her a tug toy for Christmas.

Oh, we got a bit off track. We started to tell you about the star of Martha Mill, which in past years could be viewed from Thanksgiving through Christmas. No one seems to know how old the tradition was. The oldest man living who worked at the mill started there in 1937 and there was no star then. There is a photo of it that was taken in 1989. It was last put up in 2004.

This year Matthew worked with the local archivist to revive the Christmas star. Jan knew Matthew intended to light it, but she didn't know when. It debuted Thanksgiving eve. It was startling when seen from a distance for the first time, like a beacon of hope in the darkness. If it hadn't been for us dogs having to pee that night, Jan would have missed it. We hope she realizes how fortunate she is to have us to show her the sights -- and to keep her company on her picture taking jaunts. It's not easy to take a good picture in the dark, especially when handicapped by hands shaking from the cold. Good thing she had the 3 of us leashed to her to keep her hands steady.

Here are a few of the pictures we helped Jan take. Oh, and Penny, Jan fibbed last night. She did come home to get her camera to take some new shots.

This is a photo we like. The star appears suspended without support.

Peekaboo. Through the branches of a tree.


The star shines clearer from this angle than from head-on.


Another peekaboo shot.


Here is the star under a full moon.


And a shot from across the street. The overhead branches make it look eerie.


Thank you, Matthew and crew, for being involved with and giving to the community.

(s) Buddy, Merci & Samaritan

PS -- Have you visited our new JansFunnyFarm store at Zazzle yet? We only have 9 designs so far, but we'll be adding more as we can.

Afghan Animal Rescue Shelter

It seems fitting during the 2009 Iams Home 4 the Holidays campaign to highlight a special rescue and shelter today.

But before we do, we would like to give a little background information for those who are new to JFF. So if you don't know of the Nowzad Dogs or need a memory refresher, right click to read our previous post, "The Nowzad Dogs."

Pen Farthing is a dedicated man who is committed to helping save as many of the strays of Afghanistan as possible. Unfortunately, that won't be nearly enough, considering the number, but it is more than were being helped when he served in Afghanistan with the Royal Marines. To accomplish this, he and his wife started Nowzad Dogs, a registered charity.

Pen has just visited the Afghan animal rescue shelter and has a video to introduce us to some of the animals there. We were amazed at the size of the multi-cat cages. What luxury (room-wise) compared to our local animal shelter's individual "shoeboxes." But their shelter facilities are very basic and the shelter faces many difficulties.

Come meet some of the lucky animals of Afghanistan. They're lucky because they are being saved.



If the video doesn't play, click here.

Pen writes: :Sidney and Watty, (Sidney is actually as close as you can get to a real Afghan hound),though both dogs were not in great shape at the Afghan rescue, I am happy to say that they are now safely in UK quarantine. Pictures and details on the website. Plus details of our other ongoing rescues. If you are stuck for a Christmas present idea then the book ‘One Dog at a Time’ the story of Nowzad Dogs, should make a great stocking filler and help support the charity! And please do remember that we are all unpaid volunteers – so any donations go directly towards making a difference for the dogs of Afghanistan.

Nowzad Dogs Mission Statement: To relieve the suffering of animals, predominantly stray and abandoned dogs, in need of care, attention and to provide and maintain rescue facilities for the care and treatment of such animals, especially the dogs of Afghanistan.

You can find photos and more information on the Nowzad Dogs website.

Jan is still stealing our -- uh, hogging her computer, so we're lucky to get this post finished. We hope you will stop by our jansfunnyfarm Zazzle store, check out our initial designs and bookmark us. We hope to be adding more designs soon. If you become a "fan," you'll receive an email notice of any new designs as soon as they are posted.

Some Homes 4 Holidays

Shelter animals are close to our hearts here at JFF, so we are happy to support the 2009 Iams Home 4 the Holidays. We're a little short of time for posting so we were going to rerun last year's post with an update or two, but when we checked it, we realized 2009 brought great change at JFF and the old post no longer applies. So we'll have to start from scratch.

There are so many animals in shelters awaiting adoption .... or euthanasia. And with the poor 2009 economy, some shelters have been swamped with owner turn-ins. This means more healthy, happy, adoptable animals are needlessly dying daily. We advocate for shelter adoptions but we also advise caution. Give it some thought. Are you ready for the responsibility of a pet? Can you afford to feed, shelter and vet one? Is this just a whim and you'll tire of the animal after the holiday excitement has dimmed, or perhaps you'll tire of it when the cute puppy or kitten reaches maturity? If so, don't adopt! You won't be doing the animal any favor. It will likely end up either abused, abandoned or back at the shelter.

We know of one adorable small dog that was adopted from a rescue. The family called the rescue afterward to say they they loved the little dog and it was sleeping on the daughter's bed at night. So the rescue was surprised when Jan contacted the rescue's owner one day to ask about this particular dog's history. How did Jan get involved? Well, when school started, no one had time for the adorable dog any more and he was relegated to the yard or crated for long periods. Eventually, someone Jan knows offered to take the dog in for a short period, until the family got less "busy." The person who took him in temporarily fell in love with him and was relieved when the owner relinquished him to her. Now he has a good home.

Please, adopt a pet from your local shelter or rescue, but only if you are truly committing to the physical, financial and emotional responsibility involved!

We found a personal video (as opposed to a professional video) on the 2009 campaign. We enjoyed watching it and hope you will too.



If the video doesn't play, click here.

You can find more information on IH4tH here. And you can follow 9Iams Home 4 the Holidays) on Twitter at http://twitter.com/IH4TH.

And we promised JC we would let you know of Beau Beau and Noni Noni, 2 cats that have been at the Petsmart in Renton, WA for over 4 months. They need a home for the holidays, too!

Dr Buddy is My Brain Surgeon

We had a creative message today from the Meezers. Sammy & Miles wrote, we likes your zazzle shop, but Billy wants a "Dr Buddy is my Brain Surgeon" shert!!

So guess what? Yep, we loved the idea and we made a Dr Buddy is my brain surgeon shirt for Billy Sweetfeets. If any of you kitties or woofies or even your beans' friends like this design enough to wear it, you have Billy Sweetfeets (& his conniving brothers) to thank for it.

We have made a few changes at our JFF Zazzle Design store. (Thanks for the tip on folders, Daisy.) Drop by and see our Dr. Buddy is my brain surgeon shirt. We considered I survived Dr. Buddy's Brain Surgery but Doc wasn't too pleased with that plan.

We have a funny video for you today.Silent Monks singing Handel's Hallelujah Chorus



If you can't view it, click here.

Reminders:

Don't forget to visit Sparky the dog's blog for the video of his painting which is being auctioned on eBay to benefit a shelter. Bidding is up to $56.00 as we type this Monday evening. Ends Dec 17, 200921:36:49 EST.

And Gracie kitty's blog for details of the auction to benefit Fiona.

Doggy Christmas Surprise

We have seen this video a number of times, but we still enjoy watching it. We think you will like it too.

As for the title, Doggy Christmas Surprise, Jan says if we did something like that around here, she would really be surprised! Do you suppose she is being sarcastic? We could do that. Especially if there was food wrapped in any of the packages!




If the video doesn't play for you, click here.

Don't forget to visit Sparky the dog's blog for the video of his painting which is being auctioned on eBay to benefit a shelter. Bidding is up to $53.80 as we type this Sunday evening.

And Gracie kitty's blog for details of the auction to benefit Fiona.

Painting for Pets and Auction

We might not have funds to donate but we love to help spread the word when animals are in need or when someone is having a fundraiser to help them. Have you met Sparky the Cavapapipoo (mixed breed) yet? Well, stop by his blog and meet him. He has been a busy dog. Last year he painted a picture that was auctioned off for 100 USD to help Australian animals that were injured in those horrible bushfires.

This year he has painted another picture and it is being auctioned off on eBay to raise money for the no-kill Coquitlam Animal Shelter so the animals there can have a nice Christmas. The bidding started at 99 cents and as we type this, it is at $26.39. Stop by Sparky's for the full story and the eBay link. You can even watch the video of Sparky painting the picture being auctioned at Sparky's blog.

We would also like to mention an auction . Our friend Gracie who recently became the official CB VSquillion Shelter Keeper emailed us the good news: The CB VSquillions are hosting a fundraiser auction slated to start December 14 running through January 31. All proceeds will go to help pay for Fiona's medical expenses, she is having surgery the Tuesday after Christmas. There are a lot of great items on the auction block and hopefully new items will be added each week. I am going to be the auctioneer on this one and I am looking forward to this great event!

JFF Designs Is Now Open

Finally, the Jan's Funny Farm Design store at Zazzle.com is now open. It's bare bones, not fully set up yet, but we hope you will stop by and check it out. She tried to put in a little variety. You don't have to buy to browse. We will be adding new designs and products as we can, so please bookmark this url for the future: http://www.zazzle.com/jansfunnyfarm* Please, feel free to pass this link on to your friends, your family and even your enemies.

This is going to be short, as Jan kept us up until 2:30 am this morning trying to get these first designs posted. We could have gone to bed earlier but Jan goofed and goofed and goofed and ... finally she deleted everything and just started over, leaving only these 8 t-shirts. We think we deserve a special treat for keeping her company. She was so intent, she didn't even realize we were all freezing, including her. So she is creaky, cranky, stiff and sniffly. We're going to keep our distance in case she's contagious.

And now, back to our irregularly scheduled nap! Have a good day and we hope you like our ... well, okay, Jan's designs. These are the first she has ever created, so don't expect too much, but she would be interested to hear folks opinions, pro or con.

Best Christmas Lights Display

Since we don't have any Christmas lights on our house, we are going to adopt the Best Christmas Lights Display. It made us feel happy and Christmassy. (Is Christmassy a word? Hey, amazingly, it is.) We love the video. Hope you do too.

Amazing Grace Techno - Computer Controlled Christmas Lights from Richard Holdman on Vimeo.

If the video doesn't play for you, click here.

Sweet Brandi passed the Kreativ Blogger award on to all of us. We hope you won't mind, but we'll have to pass this on later. Jan is hogging the computer and we aren't getting much time online.

We will be able to get around to visit you eventually. Many thanks to all of you who have been coming by despite our absence. We think but aren't positive that we are closer to opening our Zazzle store. Jan is going in circles right tonight, trying to figure out how to set it up. We think we need to feed her some brain food before she's totally lost. We would give her a GPS for Christmas but she still refuses to give us an allowance.

Our Christmas Surprise

Merci: We're happy to report, the surprise Jan told us was going to arrive today is here. And it wasn't cleaning supplies, so sorry, cats, but we can't share with you.

Sam: But first, a little background. Do you remember our post on the two Chihuahuas that were dumped outside the mill gates last summer? (You can read it here.) That was when we first met Drew who supervises the crew working at the mill. Later we met Matthew, the project manager. Those guys aren't afraid of us. They think we're neat, even though Jan claims we're overenthusiastic and ill-behaved around other humans.

Buddy: Well, Matthew and Drew came by yesterday to let Jan know they were sending us a Christmas surprise. They talked outside so we didn't get to eavesdrop, but Jan says they were grinning from ear to ear, really happy about their news.

Merci: And today it was our turn to grin. Because look what arrived! An exercise pen for the three of us. Here is the nice man who delivered the pen putting it together.

Buddy: After he left, Jan took us outside and let us loose. We did a little sniffing.

Sam: And a little teasing.

Sam: And I kicked up my heels. Banged my rump on the fencing a few times, but what wondrous freedom.

Merci: Some more sniffing. Even a little pecan chewing.

Sam: I started to dig a hole but Jan stopped me. Just wait till she isn't around!

Sam: I got it, I got it, the tug rope is mine!

Buddy: Give me that, I'm in charge here.

Merci: Listen, guys, you had your turn. It's mine now!

Buddy: Okay, Jan, we're done for now. You can let us out now. Jan, Jaaaaaaaan! Put the camera away and let us out of here! I have to pee.

Merci: These nice guys were going to make us a pen from scrap at the mill but they're so busy with the reclamation project they sent us a new one instead. Thank you, Matthew & Drew! We really appreciate this pen.

Buddy: Yes, we do. And to return the favor, if you need any help dismantling the mill building, just call us and we'll bring Jan right over. She's an expert at knocking things down and breaking them.

Life's Railway

Rusty: We just realized we are posting an appropriate song for today. Life really is a train ride. And we must be riding in front of the engine. We can clearly hear the engine throbbing. Or perhaps that pulsing noise in our ears is left from Jan's loud screech, Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo, and a word Jan says is on our bad word list. (So how come it isn't on hers?)

Crystal: We'd like to forgive her because we know she had a bad day. She never even changed out of her wet shoes and socks until bedtime. She just sat at the computer and concentrated on redoing designs. She discovered Zazzle has two different PPIs listed and she was using the lower one. So she had to redo everything she's done so far. And then .... she got confused for a moment, clicked the wrong button, and two and a half hours of work went POOF and disappeared. That's when Jan screeched and we all ran around bumping into each other in absolute terror. We thought there was a fire or something life-threatening was happening. But no, it was just Jan having a seizure moment.

Buddy, to the typist: Psst, Percy, I think you mean a senior moment.

Percy: Well, whatever. The good part was we couldn't hear ourselves complain about our dinner being late. Very late.

Cyndi: We hope Jan will get her act together tomorrow and not accidentally asphyxiate a space heater's pilot light again. She might not have noticed, seeing as how she was dressed for the Antarctic, but it was cold in here while we waited for a neighbor to come by and relight it. She could have at least offered us a hot toddy or something warm.

Merci: Oh, and Jan says we dogs are getting a surprise tomorrow.

Cotton: Wait a minute, you dogs... What about us cats?

Sam: We don't know what it is. But if it's edible, we keep it. If it's cleaning supplies, you cats can share them.

Cameron: While we recuperate from today's mishaps, we will leave you with something upbeat. To read the poem "Train of Life" and listen to Patsy Cline and Willy Nelson sing "Life's Railway to Heaven," click here.

Greatest Christmas Decoration

Definitely a digital camera moment in the Christmas decorating hall of fame.

No, this didn't happen at our house. We could use some excitement around here, but if there were a guy hanging from our roof, Jan would take his picture and then turn the hose on him while she called the police. Since we can't identify him by his face, we wonder whether the police have butt recognition software today.

"Good news is that I truly out did myself this year with my Christmas decorations. The bad news is that I had to take him down after 2 days. I had more people come screaming up to my house than ever.Great stories. But two things made me take it down.

First, the cops advised me that it would cause traffic accidents as they almost wrecked when they drove by.

Second, a 55 year old lady grabbed the 75 pound ladder almost killed herself putting it against my house and didn't realize it was fake until she climbed to the top (she was not happy). By the way, she was one of many people who attempted to do that. My yard couldn't take it either. I have more than a few tire tracks where people literally drove up my yard."

***************

Fortunately, Jan did manage to find the Text Tool in PSE. And a Crop/Resize Tool. They must have been on vacation Sunday, but they were back Monday morning, and Jan has f-i-n-a-l-l-y finished one whole design for our Zazzle store. We have tried to explain to her that one design does not provide enough variety to interest us, let alone customers. So we're not open yet.

Comments on Billy' Sweetfeets

Yesterday's post on Billy's Brain Surgery brought some interesting comments. We're still exhausted so we're just going to share some of them with you today.

Eric & Flynn left a message on The Meezer's blog: We googled green spots in the brain and it appears that Billy has been taken over by aliens!

We left a comment at the Meezer's too: Hey, guys, we're relieved to read Eric & Flynn's comment above. So that's what happened to Billy's brain. We're glad you enjoyed the surgical experience, Billy. Or at least most of it. We hope your head isn't too sore today. Miles & Sammy, we hope you are happy your little brother is home safe and sound. Buddy turned out to be a very competent surgeon. Much more competent than when he tried plumbing. (You can read about that at The BMP Plumbing Service.) Billy's The Mom Lady, we know you are taking good care of Billy's booboo. Thanks again for your permission. (s) Dr. Buddy & the rest of the FF

Annie, Mollie & Gyp think the green dots are smart pills Billy takes to fool people.

Freckles & Deb wonder if those green spots give him his great dancing talent which only shows up on Tuesdays.

Khyra regrets not being there for the surgery. Her excessive shedding in the operating room wouldn't have been a problem. And perhaps she could have taken Cyndi's place while she was unconscious.

Sweet Asta was so overcome by the scary saga she fainted several times while reading it.

MissBreezyBox believes the spots might be M&Ms he ate.

The Meezers disagree over whether those green spots are the jelly beans Miles tried to shove in Billy's ears or they are mold and Billy needs to see a brainwashing specialist for a brain bleach.

Dr. Buddy will always treasure Billy's comment: huh, maybe that's why ME always sees green spots. ME hadded fun!! well, exsept the head smashing and the bleeding. and the staple gun. but ofur than that ME hadded a good time.

The general consensus seems to be that everyone loves Billy Sweetfeets just as he is. And we agree.

Dr. Buddy: I am so glad you had a good time, Billy. And I appreciate you and your family allowing me to do exploratory surgery on Billy. It was my first operation and I know all my friends and family expected me to fail. But I succeeded. Even in the midst of chaos -- Cyndi barfing on me, Percy mistaking the operating table for a litter box in his shock at the sight of spurting blood, Crystal supplying coffee filters instead of cotton -- I am finally vindicated as the Funny Farm klutz. I have found my niche. The only question now is ..... who will be my next patient?

Jan finally got one photo partly done in PhotoShop Elements yesterday. And then she discovered there is no text editor so she couldn't finish it. So she was not a happy "creator" yesterday. So again we just didn't get to visit.


We borrowed this photo from the Cat Blogosphere. Thanks.

Except we did try to stop by Alasandra & the Cats & Dog blog after Jan saw Khyra's comment on Facebook that Charbydis had died. It was a shock to all of us. Their butterfly wouldn't even let us read the post. For some reason it often locks up our browser. Jan was beating the mouse on the desk in frustration. But Khyra sent us a copy of the post. There is a special blog set up to leave photos, and/or memories of Charbydis. There are no other details. Whatever happened, it was evidently sudden and unexpected. We send warm purrs and tail wags to our good friends Socks, Scylla, Fenris and their family.

Billy's Brain Surgery

Percy: Well, today was Buddy's big day. His first scheduled brain surgery is finished. Billy Sweetfeets was volunteered by his brothers, Sammy and Miles Meezer. They wanted to find out why Billy is "weerd."

Cyndi: I was Dr. Buddy's assistant. I was afraid I would pass out at the sight of blood. I didn't. I barfed. All over Dr. Buddy. At least I missed the patient and the sterile instruments.

Sam: Then she passed out. Instead of falling backwards so I could catch her, she fell sideways, landing on Merci, who screeched and dropped the emergency phone. It rolled out of her reach under the operating table.

Cameron: Perhaps we should begin at the beginning and give you an abbreviated account of our day in the operating room.

Cotton: Yes, everything was going well. Percy knocked Billy over the .. uh, knocked Billy out with the anesthetic.

Rusty: Dr. Buddy asked me for the x-ray of a cat brain. I showed him the one he'd left lying on the computer desk.

Dr. Buddy: Rusty, this isn't the right picture. This is a CAT scan of a brain. I need a scan of a cat brain.

Crystal: Here you are, Dr. Buddy. I remembered you were looking at it when you were looking for food on the table. Just brush off the crumbs.

Merci: Everything is ready for you, Dr. Buddy. Are you all positive you want to go through with this? What if something goes wrong?

Dr. Buddy: Don't be a pessimist,. Merci. What could go wrong? Cyndi, scalpel!

Percy: Yikes! That's a lot of blood. Is he supposed to bleed that much?

Cotton: It's a head wound. I read they always bleed profusely.

Sam: This is when Cyndi barfed and fainted.

Dr. Buddy: I can't see what I'm doing. Cotton!

Cotton: Yes?

Dr. Buddy: No, hand me some cotton! I have to sop up some of this blood so I can see.

Crystal: Here you go, doc.

Dr. Buddy: What .... This isn't cotton. It's a coffee filter! Where's the cotton? Who's in charge of supplies?

Crystal: Sorry, doc, I am. I couldn't reach the cotton, so I grabbed a pack of coffee filters.

Cameron: We'll stop there. You get the idea. Things didn't go exactly as planned.

Rusty: And now the operation is over and Dr. Buddy has to give the bad news to Billy's family.

Percy: Dr. Buddy, would you rather one of us tell the Meezers and The Mom.

Dr. Buddy: No, that's my job. Here come the Meezer brothers now. Pull up a couple of chairs for them, will you. They'll need to be sitting down when they hear this news.

Cameron: Those of you who know the Meezers know they have a particular speech pattern and spelling which we don't want to try to copy for fear they'll think we're trying to imitate them. They'll have enough to deal with in a moment.

Sammy: We're here to pick up Billy's remains. Uh, I mean we're here to pick up Billy. Is he ready to go home yet?

Dr. Buddy: No, he's not quite ready yet. And I need to have a serious talk with you two about what happened in the operating room.

Miles: You mean he's .... gasp ... er ...

Merci: Dead.

Sammy & Miles, in unison: Billy's dead!

Merci: Oh, no, Billy's fine. I was just finishing your sentence for you.

Cameron: Yes, Billy's still sleeping off the bop on the .. uh, the anesthetic.



Dr. Buddy: Yes, Billy is fine. But I need to discuss what I discovered during the operation. After I sopped up the excess blood with coffee filters, I found something very mysterious about Billy.

Sammy: What's that?

Dr. Buddy: Billy is weird.

Miles: But we already knew that.

Dr. Buddy: But he's really weird. Here, let me show you what a normal cat brain looks like. See, how pink it is. Now this is Billy's brain. See the difference!

Sammy: What are those green spots?

Dr. Buddy: I'm not sure. Perhaps Billy is a secret nip addict. Or maybe Shaggy, Scooby & Scout were right and Billy's brain needs a good wash. But I didn't feel qualified to do that. You'd need a brainwashing specialist. Oh, it sounds like Billy's waking up now. He should be ready to go home soon. Just don't drop him on the way. The staples will need to be removed in a few days, but your The Mom probably has a staple remover at home. Thank you both for volunteering Billy to be my first surgery patient. I think it has been an educational experience for all of us. If you'll excuse me, I need to go find a tree. I've had my legs crossed for the last 3 hours.

Merci: Hey, doc, Cotton helped me scoot the phone out from under the table. But it's all wet. It smells of pee.

Percy, mumbling: When all that blood started spurting, I nearly joined Cyndi on the floor. But I took it like a man. I didn't barf. I didn't pass out. I just missed the litter pan by about two rooms.

PS -- You can leave get well wishes for Billy at the Meezers.

Dr. Buddy Prepares for Surgery

Jan left this comment on The Meezers blog: Hey, Meezers the Mom, Freckles and Deb suggested I ask you if you are aware Sammy & Miles told Buddy they are sending Billy over for brain surgery? They even offered to sign the pre-surgery forms since Billy is underage. Buddy is sharpening his scalpel. Is this okay with you?

The Meezers: Deer Jan and Buddy, I is aware that Sammy the great and Miles the wonderful haf signed Billy the weerd up for brain surjery. I am hopeing that Buddy can find out what is wrong wif him. Sin-seer-lee, MeezerMomMerry

Jan: Uh, the Meezer Mom, this is Jan again. I received your permission for Buddy to operate on Billy's brain but I'm a little suspicious. The spelling looks more like Sammy and Miles' pawwriting. Did they intercept my message and "give permission" or are you actually in agreement?

The Meezers: Deer Jan, Hmm, we needs to improve our spelling it seems. Our the mom is a little "tied up" right now, but when we ungagged her, errrr, ran in and hollered "Buddy wants to operate on Billy's brain" she said "ok dears, whatever you want is ok with me". So that should give you her approval. Billy is 'acited about it too! um, will the surjery make him SMARTER?

Percy: Okay, now that Billy's mom has given permission for Billy's surgery, Jan has reluctantly given Buddy ... er, Dr. Buddy back his scalpel and her permission to operate.

Dr. Buddy: I am very much looking forward to this. Sammy & Miles Meezer have signed the consent forms and they will send Billy over as soon as he has finished annoying his The Mom for the day. He's too excited to concentrate on counting backwards to go under an anesthetic at the moment. I do, however, have some rather bad news for the Meezers. I doubt very much if this operation will make Billy smarter. It is, after all, only exploratory. Perhaps more protein in his diet would be of benefit.

Percy: I have volunteered to knock out ... uh, put under the patient.

Cyndi: Dr. Buddy has drafted me as his operating assistant nurse. Buddy, are you absolutely positive I won't pass out at the sight of blood? I've never seen a friend cut open before. Anyway, isn't looking at a guy's brain kind of intimate? And I'm not sure it would help Billy any if I fall over onto the operating table while he's unconscious. Wouldn't that contaminate the field?

Dr. Buddy: Don't worry about it, Cyndi. If you pass out, just make sure you fall backwards over Sam instead of forwards over the patient. Cotton will step forward and take your place. There is one main rule in my operating room --- NO SHEDDING! Any cat or dog caught shedding will be banned for life. Or at least until I need your help again. And with that said, I do believe we'll be ready for the patient when he arrives tomorrow.

Merci: I don't know, Buddy I still think this is a bad idea. You have a history of bright ideas that morphed into broken water mains. I think I'll volunteer to help with the operation too. I'll hold the phone so it's handy to dial 9-1-1.

Balecti on Russia's Got Talent

Hey, furries, today's post is for your humans. Go round them up, then watch them smile and go, awwwww, as they watch this video. Furries and kids have that effect on most of them.And you might even reap a belly rub or a special treat for sharing this cute video with them.

These kids are young and talented. The video is titled "Baletaci on Russia's Got Talent." We can't find out what Baletaci means, or even verify that it actually is from Russia. But who cares? Just enjoy their performance.



If the video doesn't play for you, click here.

Dr. Buddy has some very good news. The Meezers left a comment on yesterday's post, the one where Buddy asked for volunteers needing brain surgery. He has to keep up his medical skills, you know. Well, the Meezer brothers, Miles & Sammy, said their brother Billy Sweetfeets needs brain surgery and they were sending him right over.

Buddy can't wait to do his first major surgery. Billy is too young to sign the pre-surgical forms, but Miles & Sammy offered to sign as surviving ... uh, we mean, next of kin. Buddy is sharpening his scalpel. We hope he'll wait till morning so he can get in a good night's sleep or he might fall asleep mid-operation. He's been kind of tired and sluggish ever since Jan's rolls came up missing.

As to the subject of the rolls, we received this comment from Chey yesterday: Today the Woman found that someone had vomited up something that looked like toilet paper. She is thinking about calling your human to blame that all on me. I just want to say: I did not eat all nine rolls of your toilet paper!!!! Chey, Buddy would like you to know (but can't bring himself to utter words that would lay the guilt back on his plate) you don't have anything to worry about. It was 9 baked yeast rolls, not 9 toilet paper rolls.

Our only other news is that Jan had a breakdown yesterday. A big one. She gave up, gave in, swallowed her determination to NOT install Works Suite 2005 after doing a clean install of Windows XP fairly recently. When we asked why she broke her word, she claimed she didn't install Works, only Microsoft Picture It. We tiptoed out of the room when she started mumbling, Scissors, I have to have scissors, how can I cut out anything without scissors? We decided we would be safer in the same room with a hyperactive hound handling a scalpel than in the same room with a wild woman waving virtual scissors.

Revenge of the Old Lady

We have been wondering what will happen to Jan now that she's old and slow and grumpy. We found our answer at YouTube. We'll have to bail her out of jail.

Whatever you do, don't mess with Jan either! She might fall asleep standing on the curb but her reflexes work just fine. Once you wake her up.

Have fun.



If the video doesn't play, click here.

Percy: And speaking of Jan, can anyone point us to a simple explanation of layers in photoshop or any other photo editor? We said "simple." We need to understand it so we can explain it to Jan. When she made a design a while back, the design looked fine in the viewer but the dots in the "see through" area printed out on the printer. Ruins the design if you don't want it to print. Dots, dots, go away. Jan is confused enough and we need to straighten her out ASAP.

Buddy: This photoshop program is harder to learn than medicine. I breezed through medical school when Jan had the splinter under her nail. (Miss it? Click here.) By the way, does anyone reading this need brain surgery? I can't seem to find a volunteer.

Model T Assembly

Do you remember the Model T? Of course you weren't around when they were built and you've probably never ridden in one of them! It was before your time and ours. But we'd like to share the Model T video with you. It's a piece of American history. And it is a lot more interesting than we would have thought.

We hope you enjoy this video. And thanks for the link, Bill.



If the video doesn't play for you, click here.

Buddy: Hot dog! That car looks easy to drive. Perhaps we can borrow one and take it for a spin like we did Jan's that time? Guys? Guys? Where'd you go this time? I was just saying.

Buddy: Well as long as they're all gone, we can have a private chat. I want to thank all of you who backed me up yesterday. (If you missed that post, you can read about it here.) Khyra said it was the squirrels who broke in and burgled the house -- stealing only Jan's 9 rolls. Shaggy, Scooby & Scout agree with Khyra. Inigo Flufflebum & d'Artagnan Rumblepurr believe it was the evil walking fish. Essex & Deacon think we should call in CCSI to investigate the theft. Eric & Flynn are concerned it might be Not Me, but they're not sure whether Not Me only frames kitties. Grrreta thinks we should be commended for protecting the house from losing more than 9 rolls. She's right. No telling what else would have disappeared had we woofies and kitties not all been home. .

Thank you all for your support and suggestions. I feel so much better that so many of you believe I was framed. It was a very long, restless night. I tossed and turned from the stress. The moaning must have been from something I ate.

Missing Rolls

Merci: Jan is on the warpath. I'd hide if I were you two.

Buddy: What's her problem?

Merci: Someone stole her rolls. 9 of them to be exact.

Sam: I'll take a look around for them. Where did she lose them?

Merci: On the stove. She baked a dozen rolls. She ate three. When she went to put the rest away, she found this.

Sam: That looks empty. Except for a crumb. Can I have it?

Buddy: What do you think happened to them?

Merci: I think one of you two stole them.

Buddy: What makes you think it was one of us? What about you ... or the cats?

Merci: The cats would have taken a bite or two and left evidence behind. I'm too short to reach the stove. That leaves you two as the only suspects.

Sam: Well, it wasn't me! That leaves .....

Buddy: Don't look at me. I could be innocent too. Why am I the one that always gets blamed when something happens?

Merci: Because you're usually responsible for whatever happens. And besides, you have a history of stealing Jan's food.

Buddy: Name one time I ever stole Jan's food!

Sam: You stole the top piece of bread from her sandwich once.

Merci: Twice. And you ate the cheese Jan grated for an omelet.

Buddy: I said to name one time. Besides, she shouldn't leave food where I can eat it.

Sam: Buddy, you steal right off her plate. Jan has never fed you at the table. And you counter surf looking for crumbs.

Buddy: But that doesn't mean I stole food off the stove. It could have been a burglar.

Merci: A burglar that breaks in just to steal 9 rolls? Buddy, give it up, you've been busted. You stole those rolls. Admit it.

Buddy: Never! I've been framed! ***Burrrrrrrrp***

Zeppelin Eureka

We're going to be a bit different today and show you something really neat. It made Jan a little airsick, even though she's still on the ground, but even so she enjoyed the photos too. These are photos from a flight on the Zeppelin Eureka, the only Zeppelin in the United States. We think you'll enjoy the pictures. We did.

Just click here.

Please keep Rocky & Bear's mom in your prayers. She's having a full body PET scan this week to find out if the cancer has spread. We hope not!

We hope you will bear with us if we just do short posts and little or no visiting for a while. Jan is struggling with trying to figure out Photoshop Elements on her own so she can open our Zazzle store. She really has to get some green papers coming in or the Funny Farm will no longer exist. We kind of like it here.Two round meals a day, part time computer access, furniture to shed on, a maid and a chauffeur. So if we don't get to visit your blog for a while, we hope you won't forget us or think we're ignoring you.

Percy: We're practically offline again and it's all Jan's fault. Are we going to have that much trouble learning new things when we reach her age?.

Sam: I don't think we can live long enough to be as old as Jan. She's ancient!

Buddy, poking Percy in the ribs: Quick, Jan's coming. We don't want to be totally banned from the computer. Delete that last part. Nooooo, Percy!!!! I said Delete, not Publish!

Wreaths Across America

Since the Christmas season has officially opened, we decided to post a seasonal video. We have posted on this subject in past years but this is the 2009 updated version of the Wreaths Across America tradition. We think you will enjoy the story.



If the video doesn't play for you, click here.

Furry Random Keywords

Did you notice our new holiday header? No, Jan didn't make it. She's still Photoshop Elements ignorant. Most of you can guess who did. Yes, the very talented Zoolatry Human.

ZH, we are very grateful for such a lovely surprise!

We were checking recent keyword activity for JFF and found some more interesting ones.

passed out gave him a makeover -- Buddy was not passed out, he was sleeping when we gave him a facial..

furry random blogspot -- Well, we're furry, a random mix of cat and dog breeds, and our journal lives at blogspot. But what does furry random blogspot mean to the one who was searching for it?

funny military animals-- We didn't know military animals are funny. Did you?

Mama took those batteries tabs -- Jan just takes aspirin when we get on her nerves. Are these batteries over the counter or by prescription only?

funny family portraits -- Well, we are the Funny Farm. We probably do take funny family portraits. Or we would if Jan could get us to pose together.

old skhrap -- We have no clue!

abuse of a public animal -- We have never abused a public animal. Not in public or in private. By the way, what is a public animal?

Hope you of you in the US had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Jan did finally share some turkey with us before the day ended. Reluctantly. But she refused to let us have the skin. If we caught a turkey, we'd spit out the feathers but we would eat the skin. But would Jan give us any? Nooooo.

Our Very Own Modkat

Percy: Hey, we have a new box.


Cyndi: It doesn't look like cardboard. Wonder what it's for?



Percy: I don't know. It has a shovel. Maybe it's for gardening.

Sam: It has air holes. Maybe it's a jail for Buddy.

Cyndi: What did Buddy do?

Sam: He lost some weight, so the other day while Jan was vacuuming, he squeezed himself around the wooden barrier Jan built to keep us dogs out of the cat boxes.

Cyndi: Oh, I remember that. He got stuck and couldn't get back out. He started whining, so Jan caught him red-pawed.

Sam: And Buddy is still in the doghouse.

Percy: If you two had read the packing slip, you would know this isn't a jail for Buddy. It's a Modkat Litter Box for us cats. Guess Jan thinks we're going to test it.

Sam: A litter box? You mean it's just for you cats?

Percy: Yes, but look at the size of that opening and then look at the size of Rusty. Do you think he can fit through it?

Cyndi: Well, if Buddy could get past that barrier .... But we better make sure. Percy, where's the tape measurer?

Buddy: Hey, if you remember I graduated from medical school when Jan had that splinter under her fingernail. If he's too big to fit through the hole, I can always perform surgery to make him fit. Rusty, I'll just need you to sign a few pre-surgical forms ... Rusty? Hey, where did you all go?

Thanksgiving 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope your day will be a day of thankfulness for all your blessings.

We are thankful for each of you. We enjoy your blogs, your comments, your emails and your friendship. We're thankful you overlook our occasional bloopers -- whether mis-steps, mistakes,or mis-spoken.

GI Joe

We are on a roll here! For those of you who saw this as our post yesterday, well, what can we say -- we forgot we already had a post scheduled and rushed to get one done at the very last minute. The we snoozed. So if you did read this but missed After the Rescue about a few successful rescues and happy endings, we hope you will go read that one as today's post.

When we discovered we had published this on the wrong day, we unpublished it. (Is unpublished a word?) We corrected it. But dang-nab it, we forgot to auto post it! So yesterday we were early and today we're late. But we are finally publishing it on the correct day.

Jan likes the Oak Ridge Boys and we've learned to tolerate them. Okay, we like them too. So we stole -- um, borrowed this link from Jan's email.

This is an older song, but when you watch this once, you'll likely want to listen again. It's a good song and has special meaning.



If the video doesn't play for you, click here.

After the Rescue

Cynthia Smoot wrote, Sometimes it seems as though we have a constant stream of stories in the news about animals being abused or neglected.

But after the puppy mill bust or dog-rescued-from-a-hot-car story airs, where do the animals end up?

I tracked down a few dogs from some of the worst stories of abuse and neglect we told you about over the past year and a half.

Here are a few of those successful ending stories. We wish there were many more happy stories than sad ones.



If the video doesn't play, you can view it here.