Half of Ten Centuries

Cyndi:  Well, here we are again trying to come up with a post at the last minute.  Must be the heat and humidity fogging our brains.

Micah:  My brain isn't fogging, it's snoring.

Cyndi:  I thought it is Jan's brain that's snoring. 

Micah:  Perhaps.  Or fogging.  Whichever. It doesn't take much to confuse her as to which day it is any more!

Cyndi:  No, but after last week with the internet problems, it's no wonder she has a foggy, snoring brain.

Micah:  Right.  Jan called our isp (internet service provider) on Monday about our wading through molasses internet speed.  It was so slow we published our Tuesday post Wednesday. ( Our Wednesday Tuesday Post ) We didn't know if they fixed it or not because on Tuesday the green high speed cord came apart and Jan had to call again. 

Cyndi:  At least we had some internet speed when she plugged in our old white phone cord.  But was it fixed on Wednesday as promised?  We had no way to tell until we got a new green cord.

Micah:  She was surprised when she got an automated call just after 5 pm on Friday telling her someone would be here the next morning between 8 am and noon.  "Press 1 if you are still having problems."  Jan almost followed instructions, but she missed the 1 and disconnected the call.

Cyndi:  She went into a panic and immediately called the company.  "Don't worry,:" she was told.  I see your appointment was changed from Monday to Saturday between 8 am and 7 pm."  (What Monday appointment?  And the phone robot had said between 8 am and noon.)

Micah:  Jan was reassured someone would show up the next morning.  She hung up, glanced out the window and there was a company tech approaching our porch.  "Is it Saturday already?" she asked.  "No, I finished early and your ticket was pulled."

Cyndi:  Two hours later we had a new green cord and our internet was bouncing along at the proper speed. 

Micah:  Jan thanked the nice tech for not showing up the following Monday (yesterday) so he could keep the Saturday appointment last Friday.

Cyndi:  And then she was thoroughly confused as to which day is which.  But it's all sorted out now because today is a familiar day.  It's her birthday.

Micah:  I forge. How old Jan is today?

Cyndi:  I'm not sure.  I think she's half of ten centuries. 

Micah:  Oh, she's not as old as I thought.  She still has a few good years left. 

Cyndi:  Did you get her anything special?

Micah:  I've been lying here thinking she'd probably love to have a fresh caught mouse, but I haven't ever seen a mouse here.

Cyndi:  Neither have I, but I've heard you can order anything on Amazon.

Time Flies As Merci Ages

Merci:  It's hard to believe it's Friday again.  I heard time passes more quickly when one gets older and I guess it's true.

Taylor:  I don't think time passes quickly.

Merci:  That's because you're still young.  Time is flying by me so fast Marcus saw it yesterday and snapped at it.  He thought it was a bug.

Taylor:  What would Marcus have done if he had caught it?

Merci:  Eaten it. He thinks bugs are tasty.  It was before your time but he once put a young lady in shock when he leaped in the air, caught and swallowed a bug.

Taylor:  I'd have liked to have seen that.  Marcus is quite agile, especially when food is involved.

Merci: I'm glad he didn't catch my time.  I'm hoping to have more left so I can grow older.

Taylor:  You will.

Merci:  It's strange, but as I slow down, time speeds up.

Taylor:  Perhaps if you speed up, time will slow down?

Merci:  At my age, my "speed up" dial is broken.  All I have left are "slow down" and "Stuck in Reverse".

Buddy:  We would like to thank Chewy for the lovely St. Patrick's Day present.  Jan thinks those beer mugs are neat but they're too heavy for her to use as water glasses, so she offered them to Mr. Doug.  She's keeping the candy, thought. 

Cyndi:  It's time for another Mousebreath cat interview.

Rusty:  We enjoy meeting new furries and making new friends.

Micah:  We would love to meet you and be able to tell your story.  Interview slots are open for Cat Scouts, or kitties that blog or are on social media.  There's a contact box in our left sidebar. Drop us a note.

Percy:  This week we are featuring Hermes, Chip and Chessie Hauck.  Please stop by Mousebreath to meet this Cat Scouts family.


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

Cyndi Was 13

Micah:  Oh, no, not again!

Taylor:  Oh, no, what again?

Buddy:  Oh, no, we forgot Cyndi's birthday again.

Micah:  This is becoming an annual mistake.  Yesterday we were greeted on Facebook with this old memory from 2014 - Cyndi Turns 11.

Taylor:  Oh, dear.  Back in 2014, her birthday was posted a day late.

Buddy:  And this year it's two days late.  She turned 13 on the 21st.  I'm too embarrassed to face her and admit I forgot again.

Micah:  Wait!  I know how to save the situation.  We'll just re-post the old birthday post. It's still appropriate.

Buddy:  Okay, here is Cyndi's flashback birthday post from 2014, when Cameron was still with us.

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

PERCY:  *slaps Cameron in forehead*  Atttttttttgh!  How stupid!

CAMERON:  Hey, what did you do that for?  I'm not stupid.

RUSTY:  Did he really call you stupid, Cameron?

MARCUS: Yes, he did.  I heard him.  And he hit Cameron too.

MERCI:  Yes, you did do those things, Percy.  Why did you hit Cameron in the head?

PERCY:  I suddenly realized we've been so busy we totally forgot about Cyndi's birthday yesterday. 

BUDDY:  But if you suddenly remember something you forgot, Percy, you're supposed to hit yourself in the head, not Cameron.

PERCY:  Why would I want to hit myself in the head?  That would be ... well, stupid.

MICAH:  Never mind that now, guys.  We really did forget all about Cyndi's birthday.

SAM:  Cyndi, we'd like to apologize for being forgetful.  You are very special to us so we got you something special.

CYNDI:  Aw, thanks guys.  I really ...

BUDDY:  *whispers*  Pssst, Percy, if we forgot her birthday, when did we get her a present?

PERCY:  *whispers*  Uh-oh, we forgot to ...

CYNDI:  ...appreciate this empty box.

MERCI:  It's not really empty, Cyndi.  It's filled with ... with ....

CYNDI:  Air?

MERCI:  Love, Cyndi.  It's filled with our love.

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

Taylor:  We don't even have a box for you this year, Cyndi, and we didn't realize the cake in the kitchen was for you, so we ... er, nibbled on it, but we are sincere in wishing you the best of everything for your special day, even if it was two days ago.

Cyndi:  So I get a recycled birthday post, no cake, no party and no present?

Buddy:  *clears throat*  Yes, that about sums it up.  But the greatest gift is love and we've got lots of that to give you.

Cyndi:  Thank you. I appreciate that.  Do you suppose you could put it all on an Amazon gift card for me?

Note:  Today was going to be our Christmas post, but as you can see something came up and we had a change of plans.  We will be posting it tomorrow instead.


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

Micah has a Brand New Box

Micah - 

What a present.  A heavy duty cardboard box top.  Brand new.  Pristine.   And no one else knows it's here.  What shall I do with it?

I could sit it in and pretend it's a choo choo train.

I could nap in it in the sunshine.

I could chew on it.

I could pee in it.  No, that's not a good idea.  It's a box.  Boxes are valuable.  Of course, if Percy thinks it's my box, he'll pee in it.

I could push it off the cupboard to hide it behind the washing machine until Ifigure out what to do with it.

Wait!  I know what to do with this box.

Yes, I sharpened my claws in it to leave my scent so everyone knows it's mine.

Little Squirt Portrait

MARCUS:  Hey, look at that cute puppy portrait.  Is it someone we know?

PERCY:  You could say that.  Doesn't it look familiar? 

MARCUS:  Yes, it does, but I can't put my paw on it.  Who is it?

PERCY:  Look in the mirror.  No, never mind.  You were a little squirt then and don't look quite the same today.

MERCI:  Here's the photo that was used to make the portrait.  Do you recognize him now?

MARCUS:  Hey, that's me!  Did Jan paint it?

MERCI: You're joking!  Jan can't paint.  It was a present to us from Chewy. 

PERCY:  They sent 6" x  6" portraits to the bloggers who have been doing reviews for them.

MARCUS:  You mean they're bribing us?

MERCI:  No, no, not a bribe.  They have never asked us to do anything but to be honest in our review of a product.   

PERCY:  When we learned other bloggers were receiving portraits, we wondered how they were going to handle all of us Funny Farmers.  They picked you to represent us.

MERCI:  They think you're cute.  

MARCUS:  Wow, I'm representing the Funny Farmers. Who would have thought?

PERCY:  Definitely not us! 

FUNNY FARMERS:  Thank you, Chewy.  It's a great portrait. The photo doesn't do it justice. 

Cyndi Turns 11

PERCY:  *slaps Cameron in forehead*  Atttttttttgh!  How stupid!

CAMERON:  Hey, what did you do that for?  I'm not stupid.

RUSTY:  Did he really call you stupid, Cameron?

MARCUS: Yes, he did.  I heard him.  And he hit Cameron too.

MERCI:  Yes, you did do those things, Percy.  Why did you hit Cameron in the head?

PERCY:  I suddenly realized we've been so busy we totally forgot about Cyndi's birthday yesterday. 

BUDDY:  But if you suddenly remember something you forgot, Percy, you're supposed to hit yourself in the head, not Cameron.

PERCY:  Why would I want to hit myself in the head?  That would be ... well, stupid.

MICAH:  Never mind that now, guys.  We really did forget all about Cyndi's birthday. 

SAM:  Cyndi, we'd like to apologize for being forgetful.  You are very special to us so we got you something special.

CYNDI:  Aw, thanks guys.  I really ...

BUDDY:  *whispers*  Pssst, Percy, if we forgot her birthday, when did we get her a present?

PERCY:  *whispers*  Uh-oh, we forgot to ...

CYNDI:  ...appreciate this empty box. 

MERCI:  It's not really empty, Cyndi.  It's filled with ... with ....

CYNDI:  Air?

MERCI:  Love, Cyndi.  It's filled with our love.

Time, Focus, Camera

Cameron:  I thought things were supposed to change around here and we were supposed to get better quality of photos to post.

Rusty:  I did too, but let's give Jan the benefit of the doubt.  After all, she keeps saying she doesn't even have time to take a break and breathe any more.

Marcus:  Isn't that dangerous?  When I run and play too hard, I have to stop and catch my breath.  Doesn't Jan know to do that too?

Merci:  It isn't that she doesn't know to catch her breath when she's running in circles, it's a matter of not having enough hours in the day to stop to take a deep breath and de-focus.

Cyndi:  What does de-focus mean?  Is that when Jan takes a picture and we're moving so fast we're just a blur?

Percy: No, that means Jan gets so focused on what she is doing, she forgets to come up for air.

Marcus:  She's drowning?

Sam:  No, she has a one-track mind.  Give her two or three things to do and she de-rails.  By the time she's back on track, she has to rush to make up time.

Marcus:  So Jan has two or three things to do.  What does this have to do with the quality of our pictures? 

Micah:  No, Jan has more than two or three things and she's an old fogey with a leaky mind, so when all these things pile up every day, she gets rattled and confused. 

Marcus:  I think I know how she feels.  I'm a bit confused myself right now.

Buddy:  When Jan gets a chance to breathe, she wants to learn how to use her new camera.  She's been wanting a decent camera for years and finally had an opportunity to get one.  At least she hopes this will be a decent camera. 

Percy:  This is her old one.  As you can tell, there's going to be quite a learning curve.  Sorry for the photo quality of both but we were lucky to get these. 

Merci:  So what can we do to help her find the time to learn the new camera?

Cameron: I know.  We can set her watch back an hour a day to give her extra time.

Sam:  That sounds like a good idea.  Let's do it!

Graphic by Ann of Zoolatry.

Thankful Thursday blog hop is hosted by Pepi Smart Dog.

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

Happy New Year

 

Is there good luck in multiples?  Then Happy New Year times 8.  That's how many times the above graphic finally posted.  We've been trying for 10 minutes to get just one to post and suddenly there were 8.  :)

We know 2013 has been a very hard year for many of you. A number have lost a close relative or friend - or more than one - or had a major illness in the family.  Some humans have been laid off from their jobs. So many cats and dogs have left for the bridge, including the beloved cats Skeezix and Ginger Jasper..

There have also been positive happenings:  births, travel, adoptions, rescues and other good news.  It has been a year of caring, sharing, uplifting and supporting one another. 

We look forward to 2014 and hope it will be a happy, prosperous year for all.

 

We weren't able to participate in the Cat Blogosphere's Secret Paws Christmas present exchange again this year, so we were quite surprised to receive this box from "A Truly Secret Paw."  We have no idea who sent it but so we are posting it in hopes the sender will know it arrived safely and we really appreciate it. 

Jan kept trying to keep us from it until she could take a picture (excuse the newspaper but the photo was taken on our dirty porch) but Percy kept breaking into it and stealing the feathery toys. Now that it's posted, we can have the contents.  Whoopee!


Puffy has been blogging since October and would love to make lots of new friends.  If you'd like to meet this cutie - sorry, this handsome tuxedo cat, stop by his blog, keep calm and catch a mouse-a day in the life of puffy.

And now, it's New Year's Eve.  Go party, but don't drink and drive, furries, or you'll get arrested.

Flowers for Buddy

Percy: You might remember Buddy had a birthday last Wednesday. Jan came home Thursday afternoon to find the man in the brown shorts (we hope he's wearing long pants now - it's cold!) had delivered a big box of flowers - not for her, but as "A belated happy birthday, Buddy" present.

Percy checking out Buddy's flowers

Buddy:  This is the first time I've ever received flowers.  This is what they looked like before Jan stripped off most of the leaves and put the flowers in water.

Percy:  Buddy thinks he has a secret admirer, but I know who sent those.

Buddy:  Who?

Percy:  I'm not supposed to say.  Jan figured it out, but she said that since he or she didn't sign the card, we shouldn't tattle.

Buddy:  I would like to thank the person responsible.  Since Jan has a black thumb, we're more likely to be holding a funeral for flowers than admiring them in a vase.  Yep, we sure don't see many live flowers around here.

Percy:  We're not seeing much of these.  Jan has them high on a shelf so we can't reach them.  I know; I tried.  We're only allowed to admire them from afar.  She wouldn't even let me taste one. 

Buddy:  To change the subject, we have a Sunday Smile for you.  Faline the fawn and Boots the kitten are best friends and cuddle buddies. Enjoy.  And have a good day.


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