Poverty to Palace

Marcus:  I, the Great Swampi, predict the cats are going to do a post today.

Buddy: Of course, the cats are going to do a post today.  It's Funny Farmer Felines Friday.

Marcus:  Remember, you heard it here first.

Buddy:  Heard what here first?  You haven't said anything we didn't already know.


Cyndi:  While Marcus and Buddy finish their conversation, I'll go ahead and announce that we cats have published another interview.

Micah:  Our guest today is Erin the Cat Princess from the blog of the same name.

Rusty:  We had such fun interviewing her.  Her life changed from poverty to palace when she adopted her peep.

Taylor: I think she's my hero.  She is so dainty she rubs paws with the elite and yet catching mice to help feed her peep is not beneath her.

Micah:  Does anyone know if her peep eats the mice Erin catches for her?

Percy:  I doubt it.  Jan wouldn't.  But you can read all about Erin's rise to fame, Erin The Tuxedo Princess, at Mousebreath.  

We are joining the Pet Parade hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Basil the Bionic Cat, Barking from the Bayou and Owned by a husky.  

One Admiring Fan

Rusty:  Hey, what's the occasion, Marcus? 

Marcus: No occasion.  Just figured this is a good day to pose for a photo.

Rusty:  But this is Thankful Thursday.  Are you thankful for something special?

Marcus:  Yes, I'm thankful you all think I'm such a handsome dude.

Rusty:  Where did you get that idea?

Marcus:  Isn't that why you all agreed to post my picture today?

Rusty:  No!  We just didn't have anything else in mind and it's too hot to think.

Marcus:  Loulou (Living With Loulou) thinks I'm a handsome dude!

Rusty:  Okay, so you have one admirer.
 
Marcus:  Only one?  I used to have fans.  What happened to all my fans?

Rusty:  The only fan I've seen lately is sitting on the desk blowing hot air at the computer.

Marcus:  Oh, no, I'm a has been!

Rusty:  No, it's more like you've been had.

Marcus:  You mean you were joking?

Rusty:  Yes, Marcus you are ... I mean, this was a joke.


We're joining the Thankful Thursday blog hop at Brian's Home.

The Chicken Bribe

Buddy:  Seriously, Jan, you went out for Mexican and this is what we get to eat?  No doggy bag?

Merci:  Not even a shred of chicken from the chimichanga?

Jan:  How do you know I had a chicken chimichanga at a Mexican restaurant?

Buddy:  Oh, come on!  You downloaded the evidence from your camera when you came home.  You're wearing the restaurant's birthday sombrero in the photos with your friends. (Not sure they'd want their pictures posted.)

Merci:  And a chimichanga is your favorite Mexican meal.  I hope you had better manners than you had last time and didn't eat another meal by mistake.  (Quite An Impression)

Jan:  Okay, if you have to know, the meal was delicious, the company was superb and there wasn't a bite of chicken left to bring you.

Merci:  There never is.

Buddy:  I bet our friend Loulou's mama would share her chicken.

Jan:  Speaking of Loulou, it was such fun yesterday to find Loulou wrote a post titled Happy Jan Day.  And with a birthday cake!

Buddy:  Did you notice there were no candles?  She must have been afraid she'd burn down the blog if she added candles.

Merci:  Yes, 314 candles on a cake would be a bit much.  But Loulou is so level-headed, she would probably just use one candle for each century.

Jan:  I'm standing right here.  I can hear what you're saying.  Do you have to keep telling everybody I'm 314 years old?

Merci:  Are you going to bring us some chicken next time you eat Mexican?

Jan:  How about if I cook you some chicken today?

Buddy:  Then we'll tell everyone the truth.  You're only .... mmmmff mmmmff.


Thank you, Loulou, for the surprise post yesterday.  And thanks to all who left a FB or JFF birthday comment.   

The Standoff

Micah:  You're on my desk!

Percy:  You mean you're on my desk!

Micah:  You need to leave. 

Percy:  No, you need to leave.

Micah:  But I was here first.

Percy:  If you were here first, why am I lying down?

Micah:  You're older and you collapse faster.

Percy:  I'm not old!

Micah:  You're going to be 13 in two weeks.  That's old!

Percy:  13 is not old.  Ask Jan.  She's turning 314 today!

Micah:  314?  Perhaps we both should move in case she collapses over the desk.

Percy:  Okay.  You move first.

Micah:  No, you move first.

Percy:  I'm not moving until you do.

Micah:  I'm not moving until you do.

Percy:  I guess we'd both better hope Jan doesn't collapse on the desk.  There isn't enough room.

Micah:  There will be when you move.

Over My Shoulder

Percy:  I guess this is life in the tech age.  Always having to look over your shoulder to see who is doing what behind your back.

Taylor: So who is doing what behind you, Percy?  I don't see anyone there.

Percy:  I don't mean physically behind me, Taylor.

Micah:  Then where is the cat hiding?

Percy:  There's no cat.  I'm referring to Windows 10.  Remember all the problems with the uninstalled printer this week after Winton installed Creator?  Mr. Doug finally fixed the printer problem.

Cyndi:  So you can stop looking over your shoulder and relax.

Percy:  Not really.  Last night Jan started to prepare some photos for today's Mousebreath interview and she discovered the text in Photoshop Elements was broken.

Taylor:  How do you break text?

Percy:  That's a good question.

Micah:  What's the answer?

Percy:  I have no idea!  But Microsoft managed to do it.  After a period of panic, Jan decided to check the web to see if anyone else had that problem and found a whole host of Adobe photo program users have had the same problem after Win 10 Creator installed.

Rusty:  So "Creator" is actually a misnomer?

Percy:  Right!  We want to let Adobe users know to expect this.  If the text engine can not initialize after Win 10 Creator installs, the solution can be found on an Adobe forum:  https://forums.adobe.com/message/9458385#9458385.  It does work, and when you restart your photo program, Adobe will replace the file. 

Cyndi:  Oh, good, that means we can finish our interview post and sleep well tonight!

Rusty:  We'd like to introduce Chuck from the blog Eastside Cats.  He lives inside with his sister Angel. The "O" Cats, Sweetie and Patty live outside.  You can read The Eastside Inside Outside Cats at Mousebreath.

Taylor:  I'm so glad Percy can relax now.

Percy:  I can't relax.  Who knows what other software Jan will find broken?

Cyndi:  Well, Jan is just about ready for bed as we write this, so you can relax for tonight, Percy, and go back to looking over your shoulder tomorrow.

Percy:  I'm not sure I can do that.

Micah:  Why not?

Percy:  I've been looking over my shoulder for so long I can't turn my head.  Do any of you know a good chiropractor that makes house calls?


We are joining the Pet Parade hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Basil the Bionic Cat, Barking from the Bayou and Owned by a husky.  

The Psychotic Printer

Marcus:  I guess we know what we're thankful for this week!

Rusty:  Yes, we finally get our computer back!

Marcus:  Back?  Where'd it go?

Rusty:  Jan was hogging it.  How quickly you forget.

Marcus:  I didn't forget.  I didn't know what you were referring to.

Rusty:  She tried to print something Sunday and discovered our printer was uninstalled again when Windows 10 updated to Creator last week.   Only this time, no matter what she did, it would not actually install!  It was there but it wasn't. 

Marcus:  Yes, it was the ghost printer - in the queue but not installed.  She would try to print a document and the lights would start blinking and it would start spewing out test page after test page - or some jibberish.  She had to resort to reusing the same paper and it would keep printing multiples over the old test pages.

Rusty:  And then there was the monitor.

Marcus:  What about the monitor?

Rusty:  It wouldn't turn on at first on Monday and then Tuesday it downright refused.  She untangled all the cords and made sure everything was hooked up properly.  Tried plugging it in different places.  Finally climbed up on Buddy's step stool and got the old monitor and prepared to hook it up.  Suddenly the one we've been using came on.  It's working fine now.

Marcus:  This just hasn't been Jan's week. First thing Monday after picking up poop in the dog pen, she tripped over a step and had to do some fancy "dancing" to not fall on the concrete. In the process, she twisted her already bad foot and ankle, so she's been derelict in her duty to play ball with me or to walk us properly.

Rusty:  But the good news is that while she was untangling cords, she discovered our 4 port usb hub was missing the power cord.  It's been missing for so long she found it packed away on the top shelf of the closet.  Evidently it fell off (again!) and when it was found she had no idea where it went and everything worked - sort of.  I mean, who makes a big heavy plug end with a very thin cord?  Even we furries could figure out it isn't going to stay plugged in.  It had fallen out again yesterday, so Mr. Doug taped the cord to the hub.

Marcus:  It's been that kind of a week.  But things did improve yesterday.  Mr. Doug came by to take Jan somewhere important and afterward he sat at the computer, read some online Microsoft printer tech stuff, and in a while we had a printer again.  It actually prints real words and stops at one copy.    *sigh*  It's almost boring now that the lights don't flash and Jan doesn't have to catch all the papers spewing from the printer.

Rusty:  Thank you for fixing the psychotic printer, Mr. Doug!

Marcus:  Do you think we should thank Jan, too?  She did do some things right this week and she has been entertaining.

Rusty:  Dancing With The Stars on TV is entertainment.  Dancing on the steps or tangling herself in cords is part of what Jan signed on for when she adopted us.  But, yes, we're thankful for her too.


On a different note, we mentioned a while ago that service cats Dezi and Raena's mom Audra has some dental needs. She has found a dentist to do the work and could really use some help to go forward.  Those who know Audra and her cats through her blog or Facebook know her story.  Donation information is in her post.  If you can't donate, please share her fundraiser.  Her blog is DezizWorld.


We are joining Brian for Thankful Thursday.

Outside Inside Talk

Jan:  Marcus,  you have a new blue ball (Thankful Thursday Thursday) and a new new blue ball (My New Blue Ball).  I thought we agreed that one is to play with inside the house and the other is to play with outside in the muddy dog pen.  You do remember our agreement, don't you?

Marcus:  Oh, yes.  How could I forget.  You interrogate me every time I come in the door.

Jan:  And why would I do that?

Marcus:  That's what I'd like to know.

Jan:  It's because you are constantly racing the ball by me and when I call your name, you drop the ball in another room and return to the door with mud falling off your chin while you try to look innocent.

Marcus:  I would never!

Jan:  You do.  In fact, I'm looking at both balls on the living room carpet.  Would you care to explain how they got there?

Marcus:  No!

Jan:  You didn't bring the outside ball inside?

Marcus:  It must have followed me. 

Jan:  It just followed you inside?

Marcus:  Yes. 

Jan:  Then I think your outside ball needs a time out.  Out as in outside. 


The next day -

Jan:  Marcus, why are both blue balls outside in the dirty dog pen? 

Marcus:  I don't know. 

Jan:  Go bring the least dirty ball inside.

Marcus:  Okay, if you insist.

Jan:  Marcus, I said the least dirty!

Marcus;  Don't worry.  It will be as soon as I wipe it on the furniture.

Boxing on Box Day

Percy: Hooray, it's Boxing Day! I get to box Micah's ears.

Buddy: No, it's not Boxing Day. It's International Box Day.

Percy:  I can still box Micah's ears, can't I?

Buddy:  No, but you can admire him as he sits in a box today.

Percy:  Booooring!  I want to box.

Buddy:  Why do you look sad, Micah?  Percy won't bother you today.

Micah:  Percy isn't bothering me.  It's that we were planning to do a big box post today but I guess now I'm the whole post. 

Buddy:  It's Jan's fault.  She hogged the computer yesterday and we didn't get the computer until bedtime so we had to hurry, but it was more that stupid Winton (Windows 10) Creator update that trashed the post.

Percy:  Yes, Jan got quite the shock when she tried to print an Amazon order and discovered the printer had been deleted again. 

Buddy:  Hours and hours of boredom as we waited our turn.

Micah:  Jan wasn't bored, though.  I'm sure I saw steam coming out of her ears. 

Percy:  That must be why her glasses steamed up.  I thought it was just from the heat.

Micah:  Well, Winton did something more than uninstall the printer when it upgraded this time.  It's been reinstalled numerous times but it doesn't work. 

Buddy:  Percy, if you really want to box someone's ears, forget about Micah.  Please, box the daylights out of Microsoft!

Percy:  Okay, has anyone seen my virtual boxing gloves?

Micah:  Where would you find virtual boxing gloves?

Percy:  Microsoft is trying to take over the world, so they have an app for just about everything.

Buddy:  You mean they have a virtual boxing app?

Percy:  Not yet, but they will after they read this post and realize they're going to have to protect themselves from Percy, the Funny Farmer with the mean right cross.

Micah:  I believe you, Percy, but you've lost a little weight, and it will be hard for anyone to take you seriously if your trunks fall off.

Our N Rated Blog

Taylor:  Hey, who is that?

Cyndi:  That's Buckwheat, our Mousebreath interview subject this week.

Percy:  He's from the Phin, Feather and Furr Gang.

Micah:  Gang?  I don't see any gang tattoos, at least not where they're noticeable.

Rusty:  I should hope not!  We're a NNNVNP blog.

Taylor:  We are?  No one has ever mentioned that to me.

Micah:  Me neither.  This is the first I've heard of it.

Percy:  What does NNNVNP mean?

Rusty:  We're a No Nudity No Violence No Profanity blog.

Cyndi:  Does that mean we're boring?

Rusty:  I hope not!

Taylor:  Are we just NNNVNP or are we NNNVNPNToB?

Micah:  What?

Taylor:  No Nudity No Violence No Profanity No Tattoos or Bikers. 

Cyndi:  I was under the impression we allow non-gang tattoos but not bikers because we have no parking.

Micah:  We don't have very much on this blog then, do we?

Rusty:  We have love, kindness, sibling rivalry, interviews, outtakes, uptakes, cupcakes -  Scratch that last one.  My stomach is rumbling. In short, we allow pretty much anything that doesn't violate our N blog rating.

Percy:  Excuse me, but we're supposed to be introducing our interview for today, Great Lap Warmer Buckwheat.  It can be read exclusively at Mousebreath.   



We are joining the Pet Parade hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Basil the Bionic Cat, Barking from the Bayou and Owned by a husky. 

Race You To Sleep

Buddy: It's so late I cant think of anything to be thankful for this week. Can you?

Micah:   I can. I'm thankful for my red scratcher.

Buddy:  But you don't have that scratcher any more.  You shredded the top.  Jan turned it over and you shredded the bottom. 

Micah:  It doesn't matter.  I'm still thankful for my red scratcher ... the one I deaded with my shredding claws.  It was mine, all mine.  None of you had any interest in it.  In fact, I miss it.

Buddy:  Why are you fixated on an old scratcher Jan threw out some time ago?

Micah:  Because I'm tired, you're tired, Jan is so tired she's sliding down the seat of the chair.  We have to be thankful for something! 

Buddy:  Why didn't we do this earlier  when we were still awake?

Micah:  Because Microsoft waited until we were ready to write our post before it suddenly announced it was ready to shut down to upgrade us to Windows 10 Creator.  Now that it has finished and Jan has given it a once over to see what's new, none of us can stay awake long enough to remember what we planned to post.

Buddy:  But surely there must be something more recent to be thankful for.

Micah:  Okay, I'm thankful the upgraded operating system will boot without a hitch after a good night's rest.  At least I hope I am. If not, it's going to be embarrassing when we don't show up in Blogville today.

Buddy:  First, you're thankful for the past, now you're thankful for the future.  Don't you have any current good news?

Micah:  Yes, I'm going to hit publish now and then snore the night away.

Buddy:  Good idea.  I'll race you to sleep.


We're joining the Thankful Thursday blog hop at Brian's Home.

The Good Kitty

Percy:  Hey, remember me?  I'm the good kitty.

Buddy:  You are not!  You're a sometimes good kitty.

Percy:  I am always a good kitty! Okay, stop glaring.  I'm a sometimes good kitty.

Buddy:  That's more like it.  Jan says we are always to tell the truth.  Except, of course, when we don't.

Percy:  If we don't always tell the truth, why did I just have to admit I was fibbing?

Buddy:  Because I heard you.

Percy:  I heard you telling Marcus you didn't know where his outside blue ball was, but I saw you hide it behind the dog house.

Buddy:  Ah, but I was playing a prank on Marcus, not fibbing.  There's a difference.

Percy:  I wonder how Marcus will feel about that when I tell him who hid his ball.

Buddy:  Percy, come back here!  I'll let you think you're the good kitty if you don't tattle to Marcus.

Percy:  You will?  So, who's the good kitty around here?

Buddy:  You are, Percy.

Percy:  Why, thank you, Buddy.  It's so kind of you to say so.  I didn't realize you feel that way.

Buddy:  *under his breath*  I didn't either.

A Good Mud Bath

Micah:  We had a rainstorm yesterday, but a real downpour the Sunday before.  Can you see it coming down in sheets? 

Merci:  Even Marcus didn't want to go outside.  He did try to sneak his outside ball inside so it wouldn't be scared, but he was caught.  

Micah:  He threatened to sue Jan for making him leave it exposed to the elements - namely, thunder and lightning - but Jan said he'd have to get a job to pay for his own attorney and he changed his mind.

Mercy:  Come to think of it, I'm surprised Marcus didn't volunteer to stay outside and keep his ball company since he loves mud so much.

Micah:  Thunderstorms make him nervous.

Merci:  That must be why he decided a good mud bath would do wonders for the life of the ball.

Micah: Surely you noticed how pretty and soft the ball was after the mud bath?

Merci:  No, and neither did you.  You were in the nip again, weren't you!
 
Micah:  How did you know?

Merci: For a moment you sounded like Marcus.

Second Bandana Rusty

Cyndi:  Is it Friday already?

Rusty:  Yesterday was Thursday and tomorrow is Saturday, so, yes, this would be Friday.

Cyndi:  Good.  That means it's time for another Mousebreath interview.

Rusty:  Who do we have this week?

Cyndi:  You know who we are interviewing, Rusty!

Rusty:  I know I know, but they don't know.  I was pretending to be your second bandana.

Cyndi:  I think you mean my second banana.

Rusty:  No, I don't.  I don't like bananas.

Cyndi:  You don't like bandanas either, so why don't we just tell everyone the subject of our interview.

Rusty:  Okay, we -

Cyndi:  Hey, stop!  This is my post and I do the announcing!

Rusty:  But you said to tell everyone.

Cyndi:  No, I said we - meaning me.

Rusty:  Since when does we mean me?

Cyndi:  Not you-me, me-me.

Rusty:  I think I'm getting a headache.

Cyndi:  I know just the cure for that, Rusty.  Our interviewees this week will make you smile.

Rusty:  *silence*

Cyndi:  Speak up, Rusty.  You're supposed to ask who our interviewees are.

Rusty:  I already did and you called me a banana.

Cyndi:  I'm about to call you fired.

Rusty:  I was never hired so you can't fire me.

Cyndi:  I have an idea.  Why don't you tell everyone the news.

Rusty:  You've confused me and I can't remember.  You tell them.

Cyndi:  Okay, This week we interview the cats from Clarissa's House of Cats.  Their interview, Clarissa and 13 Furblings, can be read at Mousebreath, the ezine by cats for cats.

Rusty:  Let's not forget to post Johnny's photo.  Their mom didn't send a picture of all of them, so Johnny sent his own. 

Johnny

We are joining the Pet Parade hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Basil the Bionic Cat, Barking from the Bayou and Owned by a husky.

Washing Dirty Mud

Micah:  Does anyone have something special you're thankful for this week?

Marcus:  I do.

Micah:  What's that?

Marcus:  Dirt.  I'm thankful for dirt.

Micah:  We sure have enough of that in your dog pen.  But everyone already knows you love dirt.

Marcus:  They haven't seen the hole I dug.

Micah:  Speaking of the hole you dug, why did you dig it?

Marcus:  Because it feels so good to be one with the dirt.  I could live here if Jan would serve my meals outside.

Micah:  But the dog pen has been mud for a while now.

Marcus:  So?  What's a little mud between friends?

Micah:  I don't think Jan feels very friendly when you wipe off the mud on the furniture.

Marcus: Rolling in a mud puddle is pure bliss.

Micah:  I've seen the look on Jan's face when she plays ball with you and you kick mud at her.

Marcus:  I've heard humans love a good mud pack.

Micah: I don't think they use dirty mud in a mud pack.

Marcus:  Humans are so strange.  Washing the dirt out of mud would be like washing vegetables before eating.

Micah:  Then don't look now 'cause Jan is washing lettuce.


 We're joining the Thankful Thursday blog hop at Brian's Home.

Biscuit at the Bridge

Two Fridays ago, at the end of a post, we mentioned our new friend Biscuit (Safe At Last).  His Mousebreath interview posted the same day.  It was different than the others we have done. He didn't have a blog and wasn't on social media, so he wasn't promoting himself.  He was a senior cat with an interesting story.

Two weeks later, on Saturday, June 3, he left for the Bridge.

As all of us who have lost a furry can imagine, this is a painful time for his mom Leslie.  Whenever there is a loss in the community, pet bloggers support one another.   Since Leslie doesn't have a blog for Biscuit, we thought we would do this short memorial post. 

Biscuit, you may not have had a lot of years in your new life with Mom Leslie, but you left a big hole in her heart when your time came to leave.  You were loved - from the moment she met you.

You can read his interview, The Story of Biscuit, on Mousebreath.

Invisible Trampoline

Buddy:  Some of you might remember back in December of 2016 we were accosted by two dogs, both the size and breed of Marcus, on our walk.

Micah:  I remember.  The dogs weren't trying to fight but they wouldn't back off.  You and Merci were trying to hide behind Jan and Marcus was being protective and trying to run them off, so it could have had a disastrous ending.

Buddy:  Yes, unleashed and leashed dogs do not mix!

Micah:  Come to think of it, we posted a couple of pictures of the one dog a while back.  (Capital Hockeysticks)  Jan kept trying to catch some photos of him in action but all she could catch were a couple of lousy shots.

Buddy:  Until now.  Jan finally caught some action photos in April.  And last week she heard the owner call the dog "Nautilus".  This is how Nautilus greets us when he hears or sees us coming - unless he's inside the house at the time.

Micah:  Frankie Furter once suggested in a comment we should call the dog "Toaster" since he keeps popping up.  I can see why. 

Buddy:  In this picture between leaps, the bottom of his legs are missing.  That's because he's standing on a hill.

Micah:  That would make his invisible trampoline act more impressive!

Buddy: It certainly does.  We've gotten used to seeing him popping up and down with his tail going twenty miles an hour.  (Jan used the camera's zoom to catch these photos.)  Marcus doesn't even bark at him any more.

Micah:  He looks more like a clown than an aggressive dog.

Buddy:  That's what Jan says.  She'd love to meet him sometime when we aren't with her.

Micah:  Marcus leaps when he's excited, too. We should put the two on a real trampoline and call them the Popup Pitties.  We could make a lot of money.

Buddy: Hey, that's not a bad idea.  If Mudd can do it, the Popup Pitties should be a hit!


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Percy Runs With Idea

Percy:  All right, you guys, listen up!  You've all had turns posting lately.  It's my turn today!

Merci:  What are you going to post about?

Percy:  Whatever I want!  Uh ... do you have any ideas?

Merci:  Mmmm, let me think a moment.  I know!  We can post on why Jan abandoned us last Thursday.

Percy:  Oh, right.  But remind me again, why did she abandon us?

Merci:  It was one of those rare times Jan was invited anywhere besides Walmart, church, Walmart, Toastmasters, Walmart ... and did I mention Walmart?  She often longs to get out of town for different scenery.

Percy:  That's right.  She has said that a few thousand times or more.

Merci:  Well, her friend Teresa took her to lunch at Brian's Buffet in Griffin.

Percy:  So she abandoned us to stuff her face?

Merci:  Yep!  And as Jan has said a number of times, you never know who you will meet when you get out of the house.

Percy:  Who are these people in the photo?

Merci: Elsie (left) and Darlene (background) work for Brian's Buffet.  And Teresa is on the right.  As soon as she saw the camera, Teresa started scooting out of photo range, but Jan has a fast trigger finger.

Percy:  These ladies look familiar.

Merci:  Elsie and Darlene were in the other picture.  They were so sweet and helpful and even told Jan they wouldn't mind if we post their pictures on our blog.

Percy:  If they like to be helpful, they could come to our town and serve us furries our meals.  I'm sure they wouldn't just slap the dishes down in front of us.  Unlike Jan, they'd sprinkle in a little catnip or something tasty, I'm sure.

Merci:  Elsie has written two books for children, Thank God for My Stepfather and Are You Man? According to her bio on Amazon - "Elsie was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti ...  was inspired to write this fable by her great-grandmother, who couldn't read or write but shared her stories in the hopes that one day they would be passed on. Elsie speaks and writes English, French, and Creole..."

Percy:  She sounds very talented. Has Jan read her books?

Merci:  No, she just learned of them the other day and we don't have any children in this house to read them to.

Percy:  Doesn't Marcus qualify as a bratty kid Jan could read to?

Merci:  Can you picture Marcus sitting still long enough for Jan to read him a story?  He couldn't even stop talking that long.

Percy:  Thanks for the idea, Merci.  My post is finished.  All I needed was an idea and I ran with it.

Merci:  I think you ran with more than an idea.  I think you conned me into writing a post for you.



(Hey, Elsie & Darlene, if/when you see this, there is a contact form in our left sidebar.  Send us a message with an email address and we'll send you a copy of the pictures.)

All That Noise Yesterday

Rusty:  Do you think we'll get an award for this?

Micah:  Probably not, but we deserve one.

Rusty:  It's not easy putting an interview post together each week.

Micah:  I know.  We didn't make it last week and almost didn't make it this week.

Rusty:  But we did.  Despite Jan leaving us without computer access while she gallivanted off to who knows where while we sat here listening to you know what.

Micah:  Storms, Rusty.  It's okay to say "storms".

Rusty:  I don't want to say it.  It serves her right having to walk the dogs in the rain.

Micah:  Yes, but despite her disrupting our schedule, we managed to post our Friday cat interview.

Rusty:  Yes, our friends can stop by Mousebreath to read  Athena the Creative Cat. 

Micah:  We're not expecting any storms today, are we?  I need to catch up on my naps.  All that noise yesterday kept me awake.

Rusty:  Most of that noise yesterday was you snoring. 


We are joining the Pet Parade hosted by Rascal and Rocco, Basil the Bionic Cat, Barking from the Bayou and Owned by a husky.

Thankful Thursday Thursday

Cyndi:  Okay, Marcus, what was so important you switched my Thursday post to Thankful Thursday Wednesday?

Marcus:  I wanted to tell everyone about my new blue ball.

Buddy:  You already told us about that.  It's old news.

Cyndi:  You've had it over a week. 

Marcus:  But this is about my new new blue ball.

Buddy:  There is no new blue ball, only a used blue ball.

Marcus:  Here, let me show you.  These are my new blue ball and my new new blue ball.  

Buddy:  I don't believe it, Cyndi.  The old new blue ball has a twin!

Marcus:   ♫ My new new blue ball.  My new new blue ball.
                    I luv, luv, lu-u-uv my new new blue ball.

               ♫  I bite it and chew it and nudge it with my nose.
                    I hold it, then shove it, and follow where it goes.
                    I roll it and bounce it.  It travels everywhere -

Cyndi:  Stop singing! Where did you get a new new blue ball?

Marcus:  Amazon sent it.

Buddy:  Amazon just sent you a new new blue ball?  For no reason?

Marcus:  Of course there was a reason.  Astro and his mom read my My New Blue Ball post and thought I am deserving of a new, new, blue ball to play with outside.  So they ordered me one.  And then Jan insisted I take my old new ball outside and keep the new new ball - the one without the slobber - inside.

Cyndi:  It took less than two seconds to cover the ball  in slobber and dirt.  That is one reason Jan won't let you bring your outside toys inside.  Another is that piece of shredded football next to the new ball.

Marcus:  But I like the taste of dirt!  And it's fun to shred my toys.

Buddy:  You won't be shredding this ball any time soon.  Hopefully.

Marcus:  I love you new new blue ball.  I'm sorry Jan won't let me take you back inside so you won't be lonely, but she says you're already on the grocery list.

Buddy:  Gross list.  It's already on the gross list.

Cyndi:  Marcus, you're talking to an inanimate object.  You don't expect it to answer, do you?  

Buddy:  He probably does.  After all, he thinks he communicates with geese.

Marcus:  They're making fun of us, but don't worry, we're going to be the best of friends.  I'll come out to visit and exercise you as often as I can. 

Thank you Astro and mom.  I'm so grateful!

Finding safe toys for me is hard.  In case you, too, need an almost indestructible toy, here is a link to where my two were purchased.  (Purchased - this is NOT a product review!)

Yesterday a comment was left on My New Blue Ball post: This is Paul from Rocco & Roxie, the maker of the ball! If this ball is chewed/chomped on, it will last a long, long time. However, if it gets picked at by small bites, it can be torn into small pieces fairly easily. In the last pic above, it looks like Marcus is picking at it!   

Buddy: You must have lost your toothy touch, Marcus.  Both balls are still in one piece. 


 We're joining the Thankful Thursday blog hop at Brian's Home.