Writing Jan's Funny Farm

Rusty:  We were nominated to be part of the Writing Process Blog Tour by Dolly and The Lady She Rescued from the blog Dolly the Doxy.

Micah:  Their blog began as a fun and creative record of their life together in Chicago and expanded to include reviews, giveaways, resources and information.  The Lady had back surgery with complications in June and  is still not back to 100%.  You can read Sandra and Dolly's writing tour post here. 

Merci:  We have to answer three questions and then pass on the tour to three other bloggers.

Buddy:  Now here is where things become a bit delicate.  Jan claims the blog is hers so she should get to answer the writing questions.  But she turned over the blog to us and we have done all the work, so we will answer the questions.

Marcus:  So what are the three questions?

Cameron:  1) What are we working on?

Cyndi:  Well, that's easy.  We're working on more blog posts.  There's a group surprise post later this month.  We did a guest post on Team Beaglebratz last Friday.  It might be fun to write more guest posts, but we're not sure we'll have the time.  We will be doing more reviews, which are always interesting to write.  We don't have specifics yet, but ideas for other writing adventures are percolating around our heads while we maintain the blog.

Sam:  Percolating?  No wonder I feel like bobbing my head in time to music I can't hear.  I would suggest the concept of swimming, but Buddy would complain he's got water in his ears.

Percy:  And of course we Funny Farmer Felines are always working on future cat blogger interviews for Mousebreath.com.  Those are fun but a lot of time and work.  And we not only put together an interview but we volunteer Jan to make an original graphic to publish with each one.

Micah:  Of course, she might not do any more for us after we cut her out of this interview.

Rusty:  2) Why do I – strike that.  Why do we write what we do?

Merci:  Hmmm, we never thought about that.  Possibly because readers enjoy what we write?    What do the rest of you think?

Sam:  Well, of course we wouldn't write the blog if we didn't have readers with a sense of humor.

Cameron:  There's also the need to express ourselves.  We needed an outlet and writing the blog fills that voice.

Cyndi:  Don't you mean writing fills that void, Cameron?  No, guess voice is correct.  We do talk a lot!  And how would we meet so many nice furries and humans if we didn't write a blog?

Percy:  3) How does our writing process work?

Buddy:  Pretty well, actually.  We tried to write this like the other writing process posts we read but we drew a blank after the first sentence.  So we decided to let the creative juices flow and write in our own intimidating style.

Percy:  Psst, Buddy.  I think you mean inimitable style.  Defying imitation or matchless.

Buddy:  Yes, perhaps, but intimidating works too.  You'll notice when we told Jan we were doing this writing process tour on our own, she didn't argue, just left us alone.  She's intimidated.

Marus:  She is?  I thought she's leaving us alone because you locked her outside in the dog pen – without a key.

Buddy:  Never mind.  Let's carry on without her.

Merci:  We work best as a team.  We start with a photo or an idea and throw out comments while Percy, our nimblest typist, tries to keep up with our chatter.

Cyndi:  Of course, it isn't all tossing ideas at each other.  We have to research, check blogs and details and figure out what photos, if any, we want to use.

Rusty:  We are nominating these three blogs to carry on the Writing Process Blog Tour.

 1) We have followed Mark's Mews for years.  We cried when TBT (The Big Thing) lost Skeeter and then LC, and rejoiced when Ayla, Isa and Marley joined the family.  They always have great photographs and stories. 

Toby

Leia

2) The Whiskeratti. The theme of the Whiskeratti blog is “A Tale of Two Tails: Toby & Leia meow on life and current events.” We enjoy their photos and tails … er, tales. Toby has a problem with an Ebil Introoder in his yard. We're still scratching our heads (claws sheathed, of course) over Leia's nickname, Queen of the Q-Tips. But don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of it.

3) Elvira and Sneakers are the main writers of The Opinionated Pussycat.  Daddy Kiril is their human companion, but he has a lot to say too.  Daddy Kiril has been through some major life changes since we began reading this blog.  Health problems, a broken ankle from rescuing a kitty, a move from California to Texas, the loss of Nikita, and a new job.  He's rather like the Energizer Bunny, he just keeps going, despite continual setbacks and roadblocks.  We can't help but be inspired by his tenacity.

Celebrating July 4th

Happy 4th of July, America!

Percy, Buddy and all of us wish you a Happy 4th.

Buddy:  We are ecstatic to finally be able to do this post.  Jan thought we had our Blogger / Picasa problem "resolved" yesterday morning. 

Percy:  But it fooled us into a false sense of compromise.  When we tried to load this graphic, it threw us another curve.

Merci:  Jan's not tech-savvy but we leave the tech problems to her anyway. She might not have won the war, but she was determined to win this posting battle.    

Rusty:  After more hours of tedious drudgery, we can say without a doubt - it is not our problem, it is Picasa online's. Either they have changed something and it is deliberately designed to drive humans crazy, or they have changed something and now something is broken, and driving humans crazy is just a fringe benefit - for Picasa, not us. 

Cyndi: We all covered our ears in case Jan said anything from the bad word list but we didn't hear any.

Micah:  Of course we didn't hear any.  We had our ears covered. 

Sam:  Actually, I didn't have my ears covered.  That's kind of awkward for a dog my size.  So I can tell you she didn't say any.  However, I can't attest to what she was thinking.  Or if she was thinking.

Cameron:  To change the subject, we Funny Farmer Felines are not publishing a Mousebreath interview this week so Americans can celebrate the 4th offline, if they so desire.  

Marcus:  Or they can come online to read our blog post and join the Pet Parade blog hop.

Buddy:  Marcus, I'm very proud of you.  You closed this post very smoothly.  There just might be something between those big ears, after all.

Pet bloggers, be sure to enter your blog in Rascal and Rocco's Pet Parade blog hop.  Stop by their blog and learn which blogger is this Friday's Featured Favorite.  There are no rules and you can join any time during the week.

And don't forget to say hello to their co-hosts - Bionic Basil, Barking from the Bayou, Love is being owned by a husky, and us (Jan's Funny Farm).

An InLinkz Link-up

get the InLinkz code









get the InLinkz code

New Friend Alice Marie

Friday is one of our favorite days.  We get to publish a Mousebreath interview and we get to co-host the Pet Parade blog hop.

You can't beat a hop with no rules.  Anyone can join.  You, your cat, dog, goat ..

You don't have to jog,
sleep like a log,
walk in a fog,
or oink like a hog.
If you blog ... you can join.

 

Alice Marie is fairly new to blogging so we know a lot of you haven't met her yet.  Be sure to stop by her blog, Alice 101, to say hello and introduce yourself.  She's shy but she's excited about meeting new friends.   Don't be impatient, though, wait until after you read her interview, okay?

First, go by Mousebreath, that terrific ezine for cats by cats.to read Mum's Camera-Shy Helper...Alice Marie. 



We hope you will join us for Rascal and Rocco's Pet Parade, co-hosted by Bionic Basil and Jan's Funny Farm.

An InLinkz Link-up

Meet & Greet Susie and Sidebite

It's time for our weekly Meet & Greet. We finally posted a link from the Blogville Chronicle to last week's post.  We'll try to remember to post a link in a more timely fashion this week.  We've just been so danged busy that Jan forgets to remind us that we've forgotten we didn't remember to do something.  See, it's all Jan's fault!

On a less confusing note, we have two good-looking, mischievous Scotties, Susie and Sidebite, today.  We'll let them introduce themselves.

Susie

Hi, Blogville, we are Susie and Sidebite, best known as “The Mad Scots.”  Why?  Because we are.  So are our Mom and our really Mad Scot Dad!

Our blog is mostly about the Adventures of ME, Susie, nut case Bites and our Dad. See, I was a very badly abused puppy mill rescue who was just about to be sent to the Rainbow Bridge, when they came along and I saved them. Heeheehee.  It took a very long and hard year for ME to become a real Scottie with the help of my bubby Sidebite, who taught me how to be a Scottie and my pal Shadow who showed ME the ropes and fun of being a dog. Now I am know as “Little Sweetie Petunia,” or as Mom calls me, “Little Miss Stubborn.” Well, after all I AM A SCOTTIE! Now life has become a bundle of happy all day long! My job is to guard the back yard.  I like protecting MY yard, barking and sleeping with Mom at Night.

Sidebite

Now about that Sidebite, AKA “Dude."  He really is a true Scottie from tip to tail.  See,he is an AKC registered Scottie with a real pedigree and a Krazy name of Sir Duffy Carbon “Sidebite” Bean. You would not believe he is a Sir, or AKC.  He told Dad right off that he was not a show dog and not taking training.  Nope, no way, not ever gonna happen so don't even try! His big thing in life is playing with his collection of 40 tennis balls with Dad, and taking naps in his chair with Dad, Ohhhhh, and doing zoomies with lots of BARKING!

Bites, is my real close bubby, we do everything together in the back yard, except when Dad is around and he tries to act like he doesn't know ME, but I know he loves ME. See the nut sleeps in front of MY dog house unless he can con ME into letting him in, and more than not I do! I Loves MY Bubby!

You can read more about Susie and her bubby Sidebite on their blog.  It's titled ... um, let's see, what is it called?  Oh, yeah, Susie and Sidebite.

Who would like to volunteer to be our next meet & greet blogging furry?  Send us something about yourself or a little information on a blog you enjoy - new or old.  

Meet & Greet 40 Paws Ham-Micks

We are moving our Meet & Greets to this blog.  This was published July 30, 2013.

We apologize for not posting a meet & greet last week, but we were swamped and didn't have time to go looking for blog info on our own.  We really need some reader help, so get on your toes ... um, paws and send us some info and photos of your own blog or another one.  We realize you are busy too but have some fun, tell us a little about some kit or pup's blog.

Today we're going to introduce a new spinoff from an older blog.  Many of you know Maw from Forty Paws.  She doesn't blog as often as she used to but she's still donating a ham-mick or two to fundraisers. 

We asked her to tell us a little about themselves and her ham-micks.

We started the blog back in 2007. At that time, we had Forty Paws (10 cats) at our house.

Bow and Jenny were the first 2 of the Forty Paws.

Although none of them look alike, Obi, Reno, Smokey and Sally are siblings we fostered. They were so ill with diarrhea that would not go away. Plus, they all have feline herpes, which affected their right eyes and occasionally gives them colds. Weird how they each have problems with their right eyes. We ended up keeping all four of them.

Dorf and G.T. are brothers. We fostered a group of 8 kitties and we kept Dorf and G.T. out of the 8 kitties. Mostly because they stayed with us for so long, that we couldn’t let them go.

We fostered Annie, who was a bottle baby, and I couldn’t let her go because I was so attached to her. She was “my” little baby. We also fostered Gatsbi, and she had some type of cerebral issue and had difficulty walking and leaping onto things, so we kept her.

In 2009, we lost Bow to renal failure, but we brought Orinch in from the outside when we moved to Royse City. He lived on our roof, under the patio cover. We had to trap him to bring him out here because we had never gotten close to him. We had trapped him earlier to have him neutered and to have his shots given to him. Over the years while he was outside, he acquired FIV. We don’t worry about that. The other kitties don’t like Orinch too much, and chase him when they see him walking around. They hiss and spit, but they don’t really attack the poor guy. Orinch has asthma also, so he has an inhaler and has to take prednisolone daily. After a couple of years of living inside, Orinch got used to the humans and now we can pill him and give him asthma inhalers, and he sits on our laps.

We lost Gatsbi and Annie, both to cancer in 2010 and 2011. In May, we lost Jenny to old age and Obi to renal failure, so we are down to 6 cats at Forty Paws. We miss all of the Angels who have crossed over, including Davy, who was not of the Forty Paws, but was extremely important to us.

We started making Ham-Micks before the blog started. We had purchased some that were made with wooden dowel rods. Well, large kitties jumping onto hammocks with wooden dowel rods holding them together can break those wooden dowel rods. So, we purchased PVC pipe and put together PVC pipe hammocks. Then we found that we could purchase the 3 way smooth connectors on-line because Lowe’s and Home Depot don’t sell them. So we were set with the on-line purchases. And then we just kept expanding the fabric choices. I like to purchase my fabrics at JoAnn’s, and am about ready to go see what winter fabrics they have right now. It’s that time of year for winter fleece to hit the stores. Although it will be 102F here in Dallas this week, the winter fleece is in the stores.

I typically donate the money that I make from the Ham-Micks to kitties needing funds on the blogosphere. It just seems like that’s the correct thing to do. Sometimes I donate the money to IEFS (International Exotic Feline Sanctuary) which is just down the road from us in Wylie, TX. Unfortunately, they have been hit with canine distemper, likely from raccoons in the area, and have lost 5 large cats so far this summer to the distemper. Very sad. The cats are so sick, and don’t want to eat their food which has their antibiotics in it.

A lot of kitties have the Ham-Micks, and we hope that more of them will order them since Ann of Zoolatry designed the new blogs for us, and now we have kitty testimonials on the blog. The fabrics can be washed and dried tons of times. The kitties at Forty Paws love to have fresh, clean hammocks to flop into. Then they put their fur back on them again, and the process starts over.

Oh, and now I have Forty Paws Pet Sitting, which is my business. I go into other people’s homes and feed/water and let their dogs out, scoop litter boxes, etc. My petsitting website is www.fortypaws.net. So, Forty Paws has gone a long way on that name.

Maw has been very kind and generous to bloggers in need, so be sure to check out the  Forty Paws Ham-micks blog at http://fortypawshammicks.blogspot.com/.

We hope to be back next week. 

Meet & Greet Zoe and Ku

We are moving our Meet & Greets to this blog.  This was published July 16, 2013.

We have fursiblings of different species as our guests on today's Meet & Greet. So pull up a chair while each introduces the other.

Zoe & Ku

Me-Ommmmm! Hello, my name is Zoe, but I am also known as Shri Swami Sattvapurrrrrananda, the great and most beautiful feline Swami. But enough about most beautiful me! I'd like to introduce you to my little brother Kuruk (kooo-roook).

His name means Bear, but he's really an Alaskan Malamute pup. He had a very ruff start in life, but Ku's famous rescue from that horrible puppy mill in Alaska was the start of his pawesome journey! He's been in a video and is the poetic pup behind the blog Haiku By Ku. He's also working on a book about his rescue and healing journey, which will also include some haiku.

Mama says Ku was like a feral wolf went he first joined our pack, but now with my great yogic influence and zen guidance, of course, he's now a happy and blissful pup. I love to kiss and lick Ku's super fluffy ears. He lets me even though he says it tickles! Me-Ommmmm!

Ku

Wooooowooooo! Helloooowooooo! It's me, Ku. This is my kitty sistah Zoe. She's the oldest of our pack, at twelve years old, but she doesn't look a day older than two. Well, that's what she says, and that's what you should say. You should also be sure to tell her how beautiful she is. Every day. Often. I've been told that Zoe was raised by a Husky, so she thinks she's a snow pup. She sure does act like she ranks high in the pack. Sometimes she comes across as bossy, but that's just her Zen approach to teaching.

Zoe is very pretty and most wise. She practices yoga and meditation almost all day every day. She even wrote a book: Daily Yoga for a Happy and Healthy Cat, and like me, she is going to donate some of the proceeds to animal rescue! Woooohoooo!

She also just started her own blog Swami Zoe's Yoga and Zen, where she shares some of eternal wisdom and pictures of her beautiful self. My sistah's wisdom and beauty sure helped me work through a lot of my emotional healing. Most of all she taught me how to relax and that resting is a productive activity in itself. Wooooowooooo!

Swami Zoe

Thank you, Zoe and Ku. It was a pleasure to meet you recently and we're so glad you agreed to participate.today.  We hope readers will go by to meet them if you haven't already.  Ku has quite an interesting rescue story and Zoe has much of interest to share.

Meet & Greet Sparky Spitfire

We are moving our Meet & Greets to this blog.  This was published July 9, 2013.

This week our meet and greet has been written by the very talented and imaginative King Spitty the Kitty.  We'll let Spitty tell you the story in his own words.

Sparky Spitfire

 I met the beauteous and clever Sparky Spitfire (whom I secretly call Cata-Hari, International LadyCat of Mystery) some time ago in a dark and dangerous Viennese alley, as together we plotted the overthrow of . . .Oh, wait. No--forget I said any of that! 

I met the darling Sparky Spitfire on her beautiful sunny blog one day last year. Yep, that's more like it. She and her devoted Human, Control--uh, no, I mean, Mrs. Whatsername--write engaging tales of Sparky's exotic adventures, from her very own back yard to the Old West to cloak-and-dagger missions across the world. Sparky is quick on the draw, quick to trap her prey and quick with the perfect comeback.

Sparky's one of my very favorite partners-in-crime, uh, I mean friends! And I know you'll love her too. You can visit her--if you dare--at sparkyspitfire.wordpress.com. I know she'll welcome you with open claws! Uh, no--wait, I mean paws!


Spitty, we're flabbergasted.   How could we possibly add anything to such a fine introduction?  We hope others will take note of your flair and try an introduction of their own.  It's fun, isn't it!  (Can you tell we had a lot of fun interviewing Spttiy for Mousebreath a while back?) You can find him at the Spitty Speaks blog.

Today is Percy's 9th birthday.  We hope you will come by to sing to the birthday tomcat.  And we're having a double giveaway.  You can read the details in Monday's post on Jan's Funny Farm.  Entries will be accepted until Saturday midnight.

Meet & Greet Jenna and Tofu

We are moving our Meet & Greets to this blog.  This was published July 2, 2013.

Hey, it's Meet & Greet Tuesday time again. 

Have you met Jemma and Tofu yet?  Well, you should.  Go right over and say hello to these cuties.  They used to have their own Blogger blog but didn't have enough time to keep it up, so as of  last month (June), they are mainly a photo blog.

Jemma of Jemma Chihuahua & Tofu Kitty Cat Tumblr

Tofu of Jemma Chihuahua & Tofu Kitty Cat Tumblr

 Be sure to go by Jemma Chihuahua & Tofu Kitty Cat's Tumblr home and say hello.


We're just including the one blog this time.  We're still waiting on readers to get back to us with suggestions or promised information. Plus, yesterday was Canada Day and Thursday is the US 4th of July celebration, so we know you're all busy.  Have a good week / weekend.  See you next week..

Meet & Greet Casey, Goathouse, Jolly Paw

We are moving our Meet & Greets to this blog.  This was first published June 25, 2013.

Welcome to our latest Meet & Greet.

We will let Casey tell you about our first meet and greet of the week. After all, who would know more about the blog than the chief blogger?

Casey

Hey, Funny Farmers, you asked for folks to send in info about their blogs for your articles, so I wanted to tell you about the Legacy Chronicles. We're at savetheboxers.blogspot.com, and we're the official blog fro Legacy Boxer Rescue, a boxer rescue located in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex in Texas.

I'm the chief blogger, Casey the Boxer. I'm a 5-year-old alum of LBR. I was rescued when I was about 10 months old and very sick with demodetic mange. I'd lost all my fur and was itchy and skeered. But LBR got me healthy, and after 5 months in foster care, I found my momma!! I live with my sissy Cinderella, a 12-year-old LBR alum, and my kitty siblings Scribbles and Pigeon.

Cinderella

At the Chronicles, I blog all about the goings on of LBR, so that I can share information about our pawesome dogs up for adoption and our fundraisers and events. I also share stuff about my life, 'cause face it, I'm pretty cool. :) I share stories about other LBR alums, and just generally try to share information about rescues and boxers and how totally cool both are.

Casey & Cinderella

Casey and Cinderella invite you to stop by the Legacy Chronicles.

We were going to include the Goathouse Refuge, a no-kill animal sanctuary in Pittsboro, NC, lat week but their internet was down at the time. They are “dedicated to providing cage-free care for cats regardless of age, medical issues or disposition until a permanent loving adoptive home can be found.”

Goathouse Refuge

Why are we including a cat sanctuary? Well, why not? It just might turn out to be in your area and you or someone you know just might have a need for the information. Later, if not today.

Adopt, volunteer, become a sustainer, join their “Coffee Cats” (for those who are allergic or can not adopt a cat for whatever reason), or become a friend and tell others about them.

The Goathouse Refuge was suggested by Selina the Uniocular Kitty & star of the “One Eye on the Future” blog. Selina said, "They are SUCH a pawsome rescue, and we support them 100% just on our own. But they are small and could really use the exposure."

We would like to introduce Jolly Paw Prints. JPP isn't a pet blog in the usual sense, i.e. by or about pets. But it does feature occasional modeling by cocker spaniels Cocoa and Chanel. They are the inspiration behind mom Stephanie's custom-made, handmade pet collars. Your cat or dog would look very stylish in one of their dressy collars.

Jolly Paw Prints

If any of you have ever aspired to wear a mustache, you'll enjoy their mustache collar. The mustache is worn at the back of the head where all the girl dogs following you can see it best.

They are currently holding a photo contest with a nice prize. There's no mention of Australia-only, so we guess it's open to any cat or dog who'd like to enter. The deadline is June 30, so be sure to check it out today at Jolly Paw Prints.

And perhaps they could be persuaded to post photos of Cocoa and Chanel more often?

Send us your meet & greet suggestions.

Meet & Greet Colehaus & Barn Cat

We are moving our Meet & Greets to this blog.  This was first published on June 18, 2013.

Sparkle the Designer Cat suggested we include the Colehaus Cats because she thinks they're awesome.  We agree, Sparkle, so here they are.

Well, here's Maxx.  We hope they won't mind us borrowing him to be their representative for the day.

The Colehaus Cats are a big family – Maxx, Miss Newton, Tessa, Pia Bean, Olivia, Quint and Ruby.  Let's see, that's one, two … seven!  And what a handsome clowder of kitties.  Each with a distinctive personality., each one rescued and each one loved.

Drop by the Colehaus Cats blog to meet them.  We believe you'll keep going back.

We came across  Cattales from Barn Cat Mansion quite a while ago and really liked it, so we've pleased the Tabbies O Trout Towne suggested them.   If you have ever thought the life of a barn cat is boring, you will be surprised..

Stop by and meet the stars of the blog, from the top tom to the young kittens, and enjoy the daily glimpse into their lives.  Great photos and stories at the Barn Cat Mansion.

Miley & Maggie

Miley's Daily Scoop is a family friendly blog, which features Miley the golden retriever and Maggie the golden labrador.  They do reviews and giveaways, offer pet information, and post fun photos.  If you drop by at the right time, you might get to hear their dad sing.  Oh, and if you're ill, call Dr. Miley. (If he's busy, call our Dr. Buddy.)  Stop by Miley's Daily Scoop and meet the goldens.


Send us your suggestions for blogs to feature - new blogs, old blogs, perhaps a favorite rescue...

You can also suggest your own blog.  Perhaps you could tell everyone about the purpose of your blog – entertainment, meeting other pet bloggers, hospitality, rescue, reviews, educating pet parents ….????   And include a photo. Email us at jansfunnyfarm (at) gmail (dot) com.

Meet & Greet Charliepuss, Bama & Boise

We are moving our Meet & Greets to this blog.  This was first published June 11, 2013.

We came across a new-to-us blog called Charliepuss.

Charlie began blogging April 1st - April Fool's Day -  of this year. We figure the date was well-chosen as it seems his mudda's friend didn't believe he would actually become a cybercat.  Charlie is a really handsome 11-year-old, blue-eyed Ragdoll who hails from Australia and has a doggie friend named Whackie (Paddy Whacket).  Charlie has been having some health problems, but is doing better. 

We looked through his archives and can tell you, he's witty and fun, so drop by his blog Charliepuss and say hello.


From Twitter, we found these ginger cats Bama & Boise's blog.

Bama and Boise are battling for world domination but specialize in napping, so they are a pair to keep an eye or two on.  They have lots of fun photos on their blog.  Stop by The Shat Cast blog to meet them.

Since we found them via Twitter, we'd tell you their Twitter name but .... wait, we did save it - @ShatCast.  They have someone managed to make their Twitter profile pictures alternate.  Wonder if that would work for the 8 of us?


Sorry but we don't have a dog blog to include this week. 

A number of you have said you're happy to see a meet and greet  column, but if it is to continue, you're going to have to help with it.  We only get so much computer time, so we need some volunteers and some blog nominators, especially those willing to send us a photo and small write-up to post of blogs. So get busy and tell us a little about yourself and your blog - or another blog you fancy or is new. If you can include a photo, great.  If you can't, we'll look for one. 

So put those paws to work and send in a meet and greet blog we can include - a new blog, an old blog.  We'll include a link to your blog for recommending them.  

Meet and Greet Launch

Well, we don't have any streamers, balloons, blinking lights, a buffet or whatever, but today we have launched our new weekly Meet & Greet column for The Blogville Chronicle.

It isn't any big deal.  We starting with two links - Gizmo Geodog and Sticky the kitty -  for the premier but we've worked our little paws to blisters and there will be more next week.  For now, we think we deserve a snooze. So zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.  And when we're done, we'll need to take another snooze cause we're tired. 
 

Meet & Greet Gizmo & Stinky

The Blogville Chronicle does not appear to be reopening, so with sadness and thanks to the BC staff, for inspiring us to start this project, we are moving the first of our Meet & Greets here to our own blog. This was published on June 4, 2013.

Welcome to tour new Meet & Greet column.  We're your hosts the Funny Farmers..

We ("we" as in us and you, not just us) are all a bit pressed for time.  New blogs are springing up daily.  Hey, by the minute is probably more like it.  And we all have favorite blogs we try to visit regularly.  But sometimes we lose a link and can't remember the name of the blog. Or we wonder how to meet and make new blogger friends.

Well, you can come by our Meet & Greet each Tuesday where you can read a short description of a few blogs - old or new - and pop by to paw a greeting.  You just might meet your new best friend here.  So pull up a chair and we'll dive in.

Gizmo

Gizmo's Terrier Torrent (Gizmo Geodog)

Hi! I’m Gizmo…a handsome terrier-about-town with a distinct point of view. I write about whatever interesting things come across my desk, appear on my twitter feed @GizmoGeodog, or meet me out on the geotrails of Florida. I love to geocache cause it takes me to all the wild places & I can get back to being a real dog andI believe in being a fit dog so I'm part of K9 Kamp this year. I care about all my brofurs & sisfurs who haven’t found their own forever homes yet, & raise funds to help them whenever I can. My girl brought me home from the shelter & together we explore our world. I do my best to make her smile, & she does her best for me. We are a team.

Blog link: http://www.terriertorrent.com

Chasing Feathers  (Sticky the Kitty)

Sticky is a new blogging kitty who lives with unfurry people, loves chasing feathers, and has just acquired a new house panther brofur named Sylvester from a shelter.  They have their own Twitter accounts but share the blog.

Blog link:  http://stickythekitty.wordpress.com/



Thank you, Gizmo, for bravely volunteering to be the first to send us a write-up about your blog. And thank you Abby of  Manx Mnews for sending us the link to Sticky's new blog.

Now that you have seen a sample of how easy it would be to send in a write-up on your own blog or info on one you'd like us to mention, we hope readers will participate. Blogging animals - dogs, cats, guinea pigs, etc. - are welcome to participate.  Send in the blog name and url, along with a blog description and photo, if it's your own blog or your human's..  If you're submitting one other than your own, please send us whatever you can about the blog.  It will get posted quicker if we don't have to research it.

Okay, we have finished the meet.  Now it's time to greet.  We hope you will stop by these two blogs, sniff around, and introduce yourself if you haven't already met.

Barbarian and Slash LaRue

This week we feature the Celestial Kitties, Barbarian and Slash LaRue .... um, we mean Leo and Star.  Leo has a special rescue and adoption story. (He was a Winnie's Wish kitty.)  But Star is aptly named.  She, too, shines.

You can read our interview, The Celestials ... Star and Leo, exclusively on Mousebreath the ezine by cats for cats.

We hope you have a great weekend. 

Not A Rembrandt

Good morning, Cameron here to share something nice with you. This was supposed to publish yesterday but our church changed our Wednesday Bible study to Tuesday this week and we got a bit confused when Jan came home and, thinking it was then Wednesday, we scheduled the post for Thursday.  Are you confused?  You've got nothing on us!  And Jan is always confused so if we had asked her what day it was, she would have told us it was already Thursday. 

Things have been kind of ... well, discouraging around here for some time, so when Jan got an opportunity to design a photo canvas for our wall, she decided to uplift us (translate that as uplift herself) with a special design, one to remind her we are blessed despite the trials.

She chose some light, cheery colors.  We helped her pick out some photos with a positive theme, so of course we Funny Farmers got a place of honor.  We insisted our Georgia "angel" furries - Jenny, Grayce, Crystal and Cotton - be included since we loved having each as part of our family and each is greatly missed.  Jan tried to take a photo of the finished product but none did it justice, so we're just going to post a copy of the original graphic.  (The canvas is 16 x 20".)

All we have to do now is decide where to hang it.  It will probably end up on the wall facing us as we take turns working at the computer.  It isn't a Rembrandt, but hopefully it will be a positive reminder to Miss I-Can't-Remember-Anything of some positives in her life.

We hope all of you have many positives in your life too.  (There is a second part to this post but it won't arrive until next week.)

As long as this is publishing on Thankful Thursday, we'd like to express our gratitude to a couple of very dedicated and generous neighbors who traveled to Atlanta every week for the past nine years to pick up a truckload of bread and rolls and, occasionally, sweets to distribute to local residents.

"The bread truck" was an old panel truck purchased specifically for the purpose.  One had to step waaaay high to get into it, so they built a ramp with a rail so even the old and disabled could climb inside to "shop" for bread. 

One morning a week, folks would gather in a local church parking lot.  Some drove a nice vehicle but were perhaps out of work or with a large family, some from a nearby assisted living home, folks from any walk of life.  Sometimes Jan would see a trash truck stop and the driver get in line.  It didn't matter who you were, if you needed bread, you could help yourself to whatever the limit was that day.  One day all you needed, some days only two loaves of bread and some bagels or English muffins.

When they first started, the bread truck would be crammed chock full of break and goodies, but over time, more groups vied for the same amount of bread and then sometimes the pickings would be mighty, mighty slim.She always came home upbeat when she'd found some rye bread among the loaves and even happier when she could get an extra rye for her brother, Mr. Doug.  They both love it.  Rye is too expensive for our budget, so she's going to miss it. 

There was no charge, but Jan always tried to remember to drop a dollar or two into the jar to help with the price of gas. It's sad to think of those who depended on the bread truck to help stretch their budget, but we were so fortunate to have had the help for all these years.

Lamar and Charles, you provided a needed service, and we know if it were possible, you'd continue to make the long drive each week, then stand in the rain, or the cold, or the heat and humidity for hours to distribute it.  We don't eat bread, except when Jan tosses us an occasional crust, but we'd like to thank these men for helping Jan and so many others.  We hope God has a special blessing for them.