The Lump in the Middle

Marcus:  Jaaaaaaan!  Percy didn't get up.  He's still in bed.

Jan:  No, he's not still in bed.  And stop racing around the bed screeching.

Marcus:  Yes, he is.  See the lump in the middle?  That's Percy.

Jan:  Well, that's okay.  He's an old cat and he's staying warm.  Let him sleep.

Marcus:  That's not fair!  You make me get off the bed when you get up and you don't let me go back to my bed the rest of the day.  You even put a couple of gates across it to block me.

Jan:  That's my bed, and you usually manage to find a spot to perch regardless of how I block you.  And if you remember, you have a comfortable bed of your own.

Percy:  Hey, you two, this lump in the bed is trying to sleep.  Wake me when breakfast is served.


Tomorrow is Halloween, so we thought we would post a couple of non-edited "Halloween" photos from our front porch.  Yes, that is our friend the spider from Open Invitation to Marcus.

Thanks to all of you who assured us this is a good spider.  Except on Halloween.  Come visit it if you dare.

 Happy Halloween.

Oh, and before we forget again, we won the washable piddle pads from the giveaway over at Dezi's World.  Thank you, Dezi and Raena.  Jan says they are really nice and handy to have around with older cats.  Uh, wait, who is she calling old?

We are participating in Happy Tuesday blog hop. Stop by Comedy Plus to see other posts or to join the fun.

He Said She Said What?

PERCY:  Hey, Merci, I realize you're a bit old and forgetful now, but do you remember the Rascal and Catzee blogs?

MERCI:  I sure do.  I'm old but not doddering.  We always enjoyed reading them.  After their mom lost each of them, she closed their blogs, but she has a personal blog called 5 Acres and a Dream.

PERCY:  She has a new book called Critter Tales. Both Rascal and Catzee are in it. And she is having a "finally got it done" celebration giveaway!

MERCI:  We are entering, aren't we?

PERCY:  We're entering right down to the wire, but we would sure love to win a copy of that book our old friend Leigh wrote.

MERCI:  So you think all females are old?

PERCY:  No, I didn't mean it that way.  I just meant we've known Leigh for a number of years now.  That makes her an old ... I mean, a long-time friend.

MERCI:  You do know you and Jan are a lot alike in speech.

PERCY:  In what way?

MERCI:  Jan has a strange way of stating things too.

PERCY:  I am not strange!

MERCI:  But you just implied that all females are old.  The other day Jan said to Mr. Doug, "Do you remember Tommy who used to live next door to Mother?

               Mr. Doug asked, "Used to?  Did he move?

              "No," Jan replied, "she did."

              Mr. Doug laughed.  "So the next time I need to say someone died I should just say she moved?"

PERCY:  You're right in one regard.  Jan does have a strange way of stating things.

It's time for the weekly Friday Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Roscoe.  It is co-hosted by Bionic Basil, Barking From the Bayou and Love is being owned by a husky.
 

Ollie Goldendoodle and 'Tocks

MARCUS:  Jan and I passed a goldendoodle and his human last week on one of our evening walks. I wanted to go see him but Jan said I have to learn to behave first.  She's kidding, isn't she?  I always behave!

BUDDY:  In your dreams, Marcus. You came home, Jan grabbed her little walking camera and ran out the door without any of us dogs to protect her.

SAM:  Guess she didn't need any protection that time. As they walked by on the other side of the street, Jan asked if she could take a picture for us to post on our blog.  They both said yes.

 
MERCI:  Here are Ben the human and Ollie the Goldendoodle. Jan said Ollie is so handsome.  And friendly.  He wasn't pushy, wanting all the attention for himself, as one of us is wont to do. 

CYNDI:  He is evidently trained and well-behaved.  Ben would like Ollie to be a therapy dog because he loves people and is so calm, even at eight months of age.  

RUSTY:  Unlike a certain big-eared brown dog we know that is so hyper and constantly talking in a high-pitched screech.  Yes, I am talking about you, Marcus. 

MICAH:  October will be ending in a couple of days and we have nearly missed Angel Derby's "Tocktober-fest".  His brother Ducky carries on the tradition in honor of Angel Derby's October birthday.

PERCY:  Here are our 'tocks.  Puppy Marcus and Sam represent the canines and I represent us felines.  Please take note of which one of us is exhibiting some modesty. 

SAM:  We have a winner in our Petsafe Breakaway Collar Giveaway.  We numbered all the entries and used Random.org to pick a number. 

BUDDY:  Our winner is Dennis the Vizsla and as soon as we receive his shipping information, we will start the ball rolling so that he - or one of his siblings - can travel to new adventures with a safety collar.  Click here for collar color choices and size chart.


Today is Thursday -

Pepi Smart Dog is hosting the Thankful Thursday blog hop.  (There is always something to be thankful for!)

And don't forget Ruckus the Eskie, Love is being owned by a husky, and Barking from the bayou for the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop.  

Bloopers, Winner and Cat Chats

MERCI: For those of you who marveled at how Jan could lose two of the three dogs she was walking the other day, (Packing Jan's Brain) without noticing any were missing, we just have to share this story.

BUDDY:  When Jan stood before the group to open the local Toastmasters meeting yesterday, she tapped the gavel on the podium and announced, "This meeting is adjourned."

SAM:  As soon as she said it, she realized she had just closed the meeting before it had even begun.  She saw shock, then laughter show on faces around the table. Yes, they were awake and caught the mistake.

MARCUS:  A momentary blip, a laugh, all is forgotten, right?  Wrong!  Her slip of the tongue is recorded for posterity, or at least for the Area Director to view. That meeting is on video.

BUDDY:  We have a winner for the Dogster's Ice Cream Style Treat coupons giveaway.  The winner is Jan - not our Jan - from the Poodle and Dog blog.  Congratulations.  We hope the dogs will enjoy the treats as much as we did.

MICAH:  As we have mentioned before, we are trying to streamline the Mousebreath interview process.

CYNDI:  So we have put out a call for new subjects to test the system. 

RUSTY:  We were going to post the instructions but decided not to do so.

PERCY:  Check out today's Mousebreath post, Cats, Chats and More Cats. And if we haven't already interviewed you, send us an email or use the comment form in our left sidebar.


Join the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Roscoe.  It is co-hosted by Bionic Basil, Barking From the Bayou and Love is being owned by a husky.

Kitten Versus Fawn

PERCY:  What happens when Miro the kitten finds a newborn fawn on the front porch?

RUSTY:  I don't know.  What's the punch line?

MICAH:  There is no punch line.  Just an inquisitive kitten. 


If the video doesn't play, click here.

CYNDI: In case you missed our post yesterday - Dogsters Ice Cream Style Treats-  our canines are giving away two free dog treat coupons.   They really enjoyed them but did not offer to share. 

The fawn was reunited with its mom in another video.

Dogsters Ice Cream Style Treats

BUDDY:  Come on, Jan.  How long are you going to make us sit here before we can eat our treat?

SAM:  I should have brought a magazine to read.

PERCY:  Hey, guys, those treats might not be for cats but at least we get some entertainment out of this.

CYNDI:  Yes, you guys whine and whine and then when Jan says it's okay you complain that you want to switch cups with Merci.  Buddy, they're all the same!

MICAH:  So Jan switched your cup with Merci's to shut you up, Buddy.  And then -

RUSTY:  And then Merci refused to eat on the same step with you guys.  This is better than a movie.  We should have made popcorn. 

MERCI:  Hey, it's safer for me to eat alone.  Those guys are piggies with no manners.

SAM:  Does anyone know what we're eating?  This tastes like peanut butter and cheese.

BUDDY:  These are Dogsters ice cream style treats for dogs.  Jan says these treats can be found in the frozen section of  U.S. grocery stores.  Even Jan, who gets lost easily, should be able to find them.

SAM:  It's taken long enough for Jan to let us taste them.  The weather has been wet and chilly so much recently, it's been hard to find a day we'd want to eat a cold treat outside.

MERCI:  Sam is a large dog and has a large tongue so when he ate as much as he could out of the cup, Jan emptied it out of the cup for him to finish.

BUDDY:  The treats are low fat with no extra sugar or added milk, or artificial flavors or colors.  I guess that doesn't mean no taste. 

MERCI:  Will you guys slow down?  I'm smaller than you and I don't want you to steal mine.

MARCUS:  Finally, it's my turn!  I'm trying the Minte Kissably Fresh flavor here.

BUDDY:  If you notice, in the above picture of Marcus, he is not looking at the treat.  His eyes are locked on something above.  Can you guess what that something is?

SAM:  All I did was say if Marcus isn't hungry, I'd be glad to eat his too. 

MARCUS:  No, sirree, Sam is not going to eat my treat!  I am perfectly capable of eating my own!

BUDDY:  We have two free coupons for Dogsters ice cream style treats to give away.  (A list of the stores that currently sell this product can be found at jjsnack.com/dogster.)  If you live in the US and would like for your dog to try the Dogster treats, please leave a comment in this post telling us you would like to win the coupons.  We will use Random.org to pick a winner on Thursday, October 8.

Dogster provided us with two packages of four cups to review.  Any opinions expressed are completely our own. 

Marcus Flashes

Rusty:  We just have to tell this story on the devil dog.  Oh, sorry.  On Marcus.

Merci:  The things this pup finds to get into often curls Jan's hair, even when the humidity is low.

Cameron:  Here is Marcus posing as if he is checking out a cat ball toy and actually behaving himself for once. 

Cyndi:  Doesn't he look innocent?  It never lasts, though. He'll do anything to get his picture taken.  Even behave.

Buddy:  Saturday morning Jan was talking to Mr. Doug on the phone.  Marcus walked up and opened his mouth a little.

Micah:  In case you aren't aware, it is dark in there.  In Marcus' mouth, I mean.  .

Sam:  So when Marcus walked up and opened his mouth, Jan almost freaked out.

Percy:  "Cause from this dark cavern bright colored lights started flashing. 

Sam:  After a slight scream and a second to blink, Jan reached in Marcus' mouth and pulled out that innocent little cat ball toy in the first photo.

 

Buddy:  See the cat toy flashing in the picture now that Jan has turned it on?

Percy:  It has a little button.  When pushed, colored lights flash.

Rusty:  Jan is working on deep cleaning the house, so no telling what else will show up, but Marcus found the lost toy somewhere. 

Micah:  And when he closed his mouth, he pushed the button.

Marcus:  So what's the problem?  I found the cat's ball so I should get a reward.  Instead you call me "devil dog".

Cyndi:  Marcus, you eat everything you can get in your mouth.  What if you had swallowed the ball?

Cameron:  You would be walking around flashing colors until the battery died.  Or you had to have surgery to remove it, whichever came first.

Marcus:  But I could have walked Jan to and from the human litter box so she didn't kick another door in the dark.  

Merci:  Right this moment, I'd give most anything for a video of that!

Marcus:  I would too.  I could have been an internet celebrity. 


Only a couple of more days to go with the voting.  Hang in there.

Daily reminder:  If you don't have a favorite shelter in the Vetericyn giveaway, please consider voting for PAWS, Norwalk CT once daily through October 15.   Many of you know of PAWS through Kevin from Animal Shelter Volunteer blog.  Your vote matters. 

1. Click on this link.  bit.ly/1qVZSBi  (it will open a new tab)
2. Click on "Click here to vote for a small animal organization". PAWS, Norwalk, CT will appear.
3.Click "Vote".

B&W Selfie Smile Winners

Cyndi: Happy Sunday to all our six of our readers.

Rusty: Are you serious, we only have six readers?

Merci: No, Cyndi is exaggerating. We actually have seven.

Micah: I thought exaggerating meant inflating the numbers, not deflating them.

Camreon: I think you mean depreciating the numbers, not deflating them. Unless someone stuck a pin in the numbers.

Sam: That would likely be Jan. She's in such a crabby mood since she started deep cleaning the house and cut a chunk out of her hand. If there are any numbers floating around, she's more likely to stick a pin in them than to dust or vacuum them.

Buddy:  Well, I guess we better get right to our post before she sticks a pin in that too.  This is our black and white version of a photo we published yesterday.  To see it as our Saturday art in sepia, the original, and HDR-ish, visit Today We Are Ish.  Go ahead.  Click on the link.  We'll wait.


Marcus: We promised to announce the winners of our Howloween ... um, Halloween costume giveaway today.  We used Random.org to pick the winners.  Congratulations to -

Miley from Miley's Daily Scoop.
                  and
Dory from Dory's Backyard. 

Please send us your shipping address ASAP and Entirely Pets will send you both a costume.  Be sure to include the costume you would like from the Entirely Pets link and the size. 


Percy: Our Sunday Smile is a very short video of a cat using sign language to ask for food from his human.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Daily reminder:  If you don't have a favorite shelter in the Vetericyn giveaway, please consider voting for PAWS, Norwalk CT once daily through October 15.   Many of you know of PAWS through Kevin from Animal Shelter Volunteer blog.  Your vote matters. 

1. Click on this link.  bit.ly/1qVZSBi  (it will open a new tab)
2. Click on "Click here to vote for a small animal organization". PAWS, Norwalk, CT will appear.
3.Click "Vote".

We want to support the Kitties Blue Sunday Selfie blog hop, so we will pretend our black and white photo for today is a selfie.  (We did pretty good, didn't we?)

The Black and White Sunday blog hop is co-hosted by Sugar the Golden Retriever and Nola the Dachshund.

Today We Are Ish

Cyndi:  Before we do our post, we need to tell you we have not been beating up Jan.  She has been busy beating up herself..We are innocent.  See my halo?  Wait.  It must have fallen off when Marcus body slammed Sam into me.

Micah:  This is true.  Somehow Jan managed to bruise the back of one hand some days ago and now it hurts. Wonder why it has taken so long for the pain to reach her brain?  She claims it's because her brain has been too full of things to do.

Cameron:  Yesterday she was running around like a crazy person, as she started clearing and moving furniture in the bedroom.  She took a big pedestal fan apart but the pole slipped and took a chunk out of her finger.  So her left hand now sports a big bandage.

Sam:  This is what happens when she starts cleaning.  Any wonder cleaning is sporadic around here?  I think she needs to hire a housekeeper. 

Rusty:  I think she needs to hire a keeper.  Or at least someone with two hands to feed us.

Merci, Sam & Marcus

Buddy:  We looked soulful (glared) until Jan agreed to do a Caturday Art picture for us. This is called HDR-ish.  HDR is High Definition Range and is made with layered multiple exposures of the same scene.  This is "ish" made in Picasa of only one layer. 

Merci:  Here we are in sepia.  I don't know why Marcus is glaring.  He loves sepia.  It reminds him of dirt.

Marcus:  This is an illusion.  It doesn't exist until tomorrow, which is black and white Sunday.  I'm kidding.  We're just posting it early with the other versions.

Percy:  This is the original.  Notice how dark Marcus has become over time.  He used to have a dark face with a lighter body, but guess he's been rolling in the Georgia red clay long enough he's changed color.

Marcus:  You shouldn't tell readers that.  They'll believe you.

Percy:  Don't worry, Marcus, I was joking.  You aren't red.  You're dark dirt.

Sam:  Our dog costume giveaway entry ended at midnight last night. The winners will be announced Sunday.

Daily reminder:  If you don't have a favorite shelter in the Vetericyn giveaway, please consider voting for PAWS, Norwalk CT once daily through October 15.   Many of you know of PAWS through Kevin from Animal Shelter Volunteer blog.  Your vote matters. 

1. Click on this link.  bit.ly/1qVZSBi  (it will open a new tab)
2. Click on "Click here to vote for a small animal organization". PAWS, Norwalk, CT will appear.
3.Click "Vote".

Ruckus the Eskie and Earl co-host the Sepia Saturday blog hop.

The Caturday Art blog hop is hosted by Athena.

Crash Bang Oops

Cameron:  Last Friday, October 3rd, we heard thunder rumbling closer.  All of a sudden B- A- N- G!!!!!

Micah:  Jan was sitting at the kitchen table balancing her checkbook.  She shot straight up in the air from off the stool, and ran for the back door. 

Merci:  Just as she thought, another accident. The white truck on the left and the truck in the middle of the intersection had collided.  The one on the right stopped to help.  (This photo was taken through the chain link dog pen.)

Percy:  No sooner did she snap the photo, the storm hit. Vehicles came and left, two police cars arrived, one from the county Sheriff's Dept., and a State Trooper.  It was pouring rain but due process prevailed.

Sam:  Eventually, a tow truck arrived for the smaller truck.  The rear driver's side door was caved in on the big white work truck but it drove off under it's own steam.  Is that correct?  I didn't see any steam.

Rusty:  By that time the rain had stopped.  Eventually, everyone pulled away and the neighborhood returned to normal. 

Cyndi: Yesterday (Thursday) as Jan walked home from Toastmasters Club, the mail truck was parked in front of our house away from the intersection, a usual.  A few minutes later, the mail truck was directly in front of our house behind a car with a new mail carrier (ID but no uniform yet) talking to a little old lady parked in the road in front of him.

Marcus:  Jan looked at me and asked why a little old lady would stop a mail truck to chit chat with the driver.  I dunno, I replied.  Why don't you ask her?  No, I don't want to be nosy, she answered.  Really?  Since when?

Buddy:  It took a few minutes but we all finally realized they weren't chit chatting. One vehicle had sideswiped the other and they were waiting for reinforcements.  After a bit another mail truck arrived and there was a lot of chatter.  Then a non-postal pickup truck arrived.  We guessed a postal supervisor because there was a lot more chatter.

Micah:  Finally a police car arrived.  More chatter and moving around.  And then a State Patrol Officer came.  Lots of back and forth movement and chatter. 

Caemron:  All that exercise they were getting made us tired.  We didn't think they would ever leave!

Merci:  But they did.

Buddy:  The moral of this post is to stay away from our house for a while unless you have good collision insurance.

Percy:  Well, at least we don't have to worry about there being an accident in our alley.

Marcus:  Why is that?

Cyndi:  Because we don't have alley access, silly.

Marcus:  Oh, right.  I forgot. 

Sam:  We don't have any pictures of Thursday's accident.  Jan didn't think it was a good idea to go outside to take photos of a federal truck after a minor incident, especially since she would have had to take pictures of any damage from the middle of the street. 

Cyndi:  We tried to tell her no one would notice but she wasn't fooled ... I mean, she wouldn't listen.

Rusty:  We don't have a Mousebreath interview today. Hopefully, we will next Friday.

Daily reminder:  If you don't have a favorite shelter in the Vetericyn giveaway, please consider voting for PAWS, Norwalk CT once daily through October 15.   Many of you know of PAWS through Kevin from Animal Shelter Volunteer blog.  Your vote matters. 

1. Click on this link.  bit.ly/1qVZSBi  (it will open a new tab)
2. Click on "Click here to vote for a small animal organization". PAWS, Norwalk, CT will appear.
3.Click "Vote".

Oh, and we almost forgot to remind you that our Howloween ... uh, Halloweeen dog costume giveaway ends at midnight tonight.  To enter, leave a comment on Clown Soccer.

 The Pet Parade is hosted by Rascal and Rocco.  Stop by their blog to learn this week's Featured Favorite.

The Pet Parade is co-hosted by Bionic Basil, Barking from the Bayou, Love is being owned by a husky, and us (Jan's Funny Farm).

There are two parts to this hop - the linkz and the social media, so be sure to enter both.

An InLinkz Link-up

get the InLinkz code









get the InLinkz code

Sharpen Your Mice

Buddy:  Hey, everyone, clean the wax out of your ears and listen up!  We're having a dog Howloween  .. um, Halloween costume giveaway.  So sharpen your pencil and enter.

Cyndi:  Furries don't use a pencil, Buddy.  We use a keyboard and mouse.

Cameron:  Okay, so everyone can sharpen their keyboards and mice!

Rusty:  That makes no sense, Cameron.  

Micah:  Things seldom make sense around here.

Sam:  Prepare the paw.  How's that?

Merci:  It's easy to enter.  Just visit yesterday's post, pick out the costume you would like to win and leave us a comment. 

Percy:  Go ahead.  Pop over to read "Clown Soccer" and leave a comment there.  We'll wait.

Marcus:  We will?  I was just about to sneak off for a game of soccer.  Oh, sorry, Buddy said I wasn't supposed to mention that word today.  How about if I just mention there will be two winners picked to win a costume?


Daily reminder:  If you don't have a favorite shelter in the Vetericyn giveaway, please consider voting for PAWS, Norwalk CT once daily through October 15.   Many of you know of PAWS through Kevin from Animal Shelter Volunteer blog.  Your vote matters. 

1. Click on this link.  bit.ly/1qVZSBi  (it will open a new tab)
2. Click on "Click here to vote for a small animal organization". PAWS, Norwalk, CT will appear.
3.Click "Vote".

Pepi Smart Dog hosts the Thankful Thursday blog hop.


Thoughtless Thursday is co-hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Love is being owned by a husky.

Clown Soccer

Micah:  I guess you all know Halloween is this month and it's fast approaching.. 

Cyndi:  We're going to celebrate with a dog costume giveaway from our old friends at Entirely Pets.

Merci:  They offered to send us costumes but we dogs weren't too cooperative last year so Jan declined.

Cameron:  And if you think the dogs were uncooperative last year, wait till you see what happened this eyar.

Marcus:  Jan was going to get a costume for me since I'm the only furry here who doesn't mind wearing a costume, but she said my ears are too big to know whether a costume would fit them.  Why would she say I have big ears?

Sam:  Because you have big ears.  And no sense.  Look what you did when Jan put a clown costume on you.

Marcus:  I was playing soccer.  And I had an audience. You don't interrupt a guy to take pictures of a costume in the middle of a game!

Rusty:  Well, the costume didn't slow your game any.  You look like a clown with the hat hanging off the side of your head. 

Percy:  Look at the colorful hair dragging on the ground.  It's all mixed with leaves.  What a mess, Marcus! 

Buddy:  I can't believe you let Jan put that outfit on you if you weren't going to wear it properly.  It isn't a soccer uniform. 

Marcus:  It isn't?  It worked.  I played a good game.  Everyone laughed and had a good time watching.

Buddy:  That's because you looked so ridiculous.  You got the costume dirty.  Jan had to wash it.

Merci:  You look really sad, Sam.  Or were you plotting revenge?

Sam:  I was wondering what we can make Jan wear to make her look as dumb as a big male dog in a size medium pirate hat..

Percy:  Well, if I were Jan, I'd be afraid, very afraid of that look in your eyes.

Buddy:  Get this hat off my head right now or I'll take it off!

Cameron:  You wouldn't.  You didn't. 

Buddy:  Of course I did!  Would I lie?

Micah:  Well, now that we've all had a little fun, let's get to the giveaway.  We know that many of you like to dress up in a costume.  Marcus does but he was having too much fun to pose yesterday.

Sam: So check out the dog costumes at Entirely Pets  and leave a comment telling us which costume you would like to win.

Cyndi:  We're sorry but the giveaway is only open to the US and Canada.  Be sure to leave some way to contact you should you win.  If you have any problem leaving a comment, use the contact form in our left sidebar to contact us and we will post a comment for you.

Merci:  We were going to test Giveaway Tools but we've had some technical problems and  decided to stick with Random.org to pick the two winners this time.We will try it next time.

Rusty:  Entries will close at midnight Friday, October 10.  Winner will be announced Sunday, October 12.


Daily reminder:  If you don't have a favorite shelter in the Vetericyn giveaway, please consider voting for PAWS, Norwalk CT once daily through October 15.   Many of you know of PAWS through Kevin from Animal Shelter Volunteer blog.  Your vote matters. 

1. Click on this link.  bit.ly/1qVZSBi  (it will open a new tab)
2. Click on "Click here to vote for a small animal organization". PAWS, Norwalk, CT will appear.
3.Click "Vote".