Friday the 13th

I have a question.

You usually do.

Quiet.  This is serious.  Besides, Mom told you to be nice.

What is it now?

Why are some humans and fur people afraid of Friday the 13th?

I’m not sure.  It has something to do with the number 13 and if it falls on a Friday it means bad luck.

That makes no sense!  Fridays are right before Saturdays and Saturdays are part of the weekend so all humans and fur people should be excited.

I agree with you.

So, let’s change how the humans think about Friday the 13th.

How?

Let’s tell them to think of 13 things they really like to do, see, read or eat and they can do them all on Friday the 13th.

That’s a wonderful idea.

Let’s start on our list to give them an idea.  First of all there’s treats.

Yes, I knew that was going to be mentioned.  How about naps?

Rolling in the grass.

Having Mom brush us.

Unwrapping a new toy.

Listening to the birds sing.

Purring.

Talking to an old friend.

Getting tummy rubs.

Chewing on fresh catnip.

Trying some new food.

Going for a ride.

Writing a blog.

We did it!  We came up with 13 things.  Now it’s time for our fur people and human readers to do the same.  We just have to make Friday the 13th fun for everyone!

About that first item on our list…………..where’s Mom?

THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW……

We need some help from our human and fur people readers.

We’ve been thinking about lots of things lately and now we want to take action.  Hemingway, you know more words than I do so please explain.

The weather finally got better and we don’t have temperatures in the 100’s so Shakespeare and I really enjoy being outside again.  Even Mom was outside doing some work in the yard and then later she was reading.

I noticed that you didn’t tell our readers that as soon as Mom put the blanket on the ground so she could lie down and read, you sprawled out right in the middle of it so she had very little room.

Why do you always change the subject?  You wanted me to explain what we’ve been thinking about.

Sorry.  I see something naughty and I have to mention it.  I think I’m supposed to be a reporter when I grow up.

Enough!!!  Yesterday we got to stay outside all day long.  It was fabulous.  We chased bugs.  We played with Champ the dog who lives next door.  We watched the birds.  We rolled in the grass and dirt.

Oh how we loved it all!  Here’s a picture of us just relaxing outside and not fighting.

Mom always tells us to play nice but sometimes we forget and we race around and knock things down.

This shows that we can be together and be nice.

Mom told us that because it’s the weekend, she doesn’t have to go to work and that’s why we got to be outside for so many hours.  She warned us this morning that tomorrow is the start of her work week and we won’t be able to be outside during the day so we better really enjoy it today.

We hate work weeks!

So, we want to get a law passed to make weekends five days long and work weeks only two days long.  I know Mom would be in favor of it ‘cuz she likes to be outside with us.

We just don’t know what the first step is to get this law passed.

We mentioned it to Mom and she just kind of laughed at us but told us we could give it a try so that’s what we’re going to do.

Who do we need to contact to get this law passed?

Do any of you, our very special readers, have any ideas?  Maybe a “Fur People Parade” to start things off……..

Maybe we could talk to the companies that make our treats and they could put messages on the treat bags.

How on earth do you always turn everything around to food????  I just don’t get it!!!!

Never mind………….Let’s just give our readers a chance to think and get back to us.  For now we better go out and lie under the trees and enjoy the sounds of summer.

Everybody outside………it’s still the weekend!

Happy Fourth of July

Mom said we should take time to wish all the humans and fur people a Happy Fourth of July!

We’re not doing much celebrating because it’s too hot.  In fact, Hemingway got in trouble again this morning.

You are such a tattler!

Well, I heard Mom telling you to quit knocking things off the entertainment center, desk and end tables.

Mom wouldn’t pay attention to me.  She should have known I had to go outside.

I wanted to go out too, but I figured I should be good ‘cuz I knew Mom didn’t get much sleep and she was not in a very happy mood.

Well, I notice that you ran right out the door with me.

Sure……..why not?

Mom was out talking to one of her human neighbors and I came up to join in the conversation.  It’s so hot outside and I started panting.  The neighbor was amazed that I knew how to do that.

I’ve been doing it, too!  We’re both hot and we try to find cool places.  You try walking around with all this fur…..not to mention a gloriously fluffy tail.

My tail is big and fluffy, too.  Besides I get hotter ‘cuz my fur is black. 

Why did we start writing this blog today?

Oh, that’s right.  We wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy 4th of July.  You fur people stay away from the fireworks.  If the noise bothers you, tell your humans to take you downstairs to a safe place.

If you’re having really hot weather like we are, be sure to drink lots of water and stay out of the sunshine.

We have to go find some shade now and enjoy the breeze.

Too Hot

Have you noticed that Mom doesn’t seem to be doing much lately?

She said it’s too hot to do anything.

I know when we go outside I don’t like to spend all my time in the sunshine ‘cuz my fur gets too hot.

Imagine having black fur!  It just soaks up all that heat.  That’s why I found a neat hiding place.  Don’t tell Mom but this is the perfect spot for watching birds.

I found my own spot as well.  I sure am glad that Mom planted all these flowers and things so we have some cool spots in the yard.

Maybe if Mom came out and found a spot in one of the gardens she would be happy.  Maybe she would be cooler.

Mom says that they have to get a new air something or other for the house. 

What is it and why do they need one?

She said that it blows around cool air and makes the house comfortable.  But the one they have now is broken so they have to replace it and it’s going to cost a lot of money.

Should we see if we can get jobs and help get some money so they can get the new air thing?

Might be a good idea.  Mom might not be as crabby if she could get cool.

Maybe we could find her a swimming pool online.

That’s a good idea.  Just so she doesn’t put us in it to keep her company.

Oh, she wouldn’t dare do that.  We would tell all of our human and fur people readers about it and she would be in REALLY BIG trouble!!!

Good thing we have all those friends out there.  Thanks everyone!

Time Out

Hemingway was naughty!

Shakespeare, you are such a tattletale  or is that tattletail?

Well, you were naughty and here’s proof!  Not only is he getting into the plant, but if you look at his fur you’ll see all sorts of dirt and bits of leaves on it.  He was rolling in the dirt and now his shiny black fur is all dirty!

Shakespeare, get away from the computer.  Mom told me I have this assignment and it doesn’t involve you.

That’s because I wasn’t naughty!

SCRAM!!!

Dear human and fur people readers, Mom told me I’m in “Time Out” and I have an assignment to write something about what it means to be naughty.  I didn’t think I was that bad, but Mom got kind of frustrated with me this morning.  If I ever want treats again, I have to write this “catsay”…..that’s the kitty version of a human essay.  So, here goes….

ON BEING NAUGHTY

I don’t know what gets into me at times.  I think the problem is that I’m a kitty who loves attention and I’m also a stubborn kitty.  If Mom had really been paying attention, she would have seen that when she first picked me up at the Animal Humane Society.  I didn’t want to go into the carrying box.  I wanted to ride free in the car so I could see where I was going.  But I guess I’m going back too far.  Mom always tells me not to jump up on her desk.  I don’t understand why she doesn’t want me up there.  I can see for miles and miles when I’m up there and it’s just kind of a neat place with all sorts of interesting papers, pencils and books.  I’m working on learning to stay off the desk but sometimes I still forget.  Then there’s the plants.  I just have to explore them.  They are so pretty and I love to smell the flowers.  I also love catnip.  Here’s another instance where I was naughty.  Mom was bringing in groceries from her car last night and she left the gate open a little.  I figured she wanted me to go out and get my own catnip since she was busy.  She told me I should learn to wait and she would get me some catnip when she had time.  Wait????  I don’t understand that!  Now we have arrived at this morning when I was evidently so bad that I needed what Mom called a “Time Out”.  At first I thought she meant I was going to spend some time outside.  That’s all I wanted anyway.  When she didn’t let me out, I had to start knocking things off the entertainment center to get her attention.  I also had to jump up in front of the monitor when she was using “our” computer.  After I knocked a few more things down on the floor, Mom said it was enough and that’s why I’m sitting here writing about being naughty.  Mom said I should learn something but I don’t know how much I’ve learned.  I think the problem lies with the humans.  They just don’t understand that kitties don’t like waiting for things and when they get something in their heads, there’s nothing humans can do.  However, if I want to go outside I suppose I should say that I learned that I shouldn’t be knocking things down, chasing my little brother, jumping on the desk, or sitting in front of the monitor.

Hemingway, are you about done?

Mom, is that good enough?  Can I go outside now?

Award!

We love rewards.

Shakespeare, we’re talking about blogawards.

We’re not talking about treats?

No, some of our really neat readers give us awards for being good kitties and sharing our thoughts with humans and fur people around the world.  For instance, we just received the “Very Inspiring Blogger” award.

We were nominated for this award by The Iceland Experience  and by Kofegeek so we want to send out a big THANK YOU to both of them for doing that.  Since we got two, we each get one and we don’t have to fight.  Mom says that’s a good thing!

You mean humans and fur people are actually reading about us?

Yes, and they are from all over the world.  We only go out in our back yard, but we know that the world is a very big place ‘cuz Mom has told us.

That’s so neat that we got nominated.  What happens next?

We’re supposed to nominate some other bloggers for the award.  So let’s get started:

Texas, A Cat in New York :  This is a neat fur person who was born in Paris and then moved to the USA with his owner.

DLC S Management :  This is a human who writes about all sorts of neat things.  Mom likes to read about Amsterdam and Shakespeare likes to read about food so they both find lots of interesting things on this blog.

Funkykarmamagic’s Blog : PlumaBlanca and Shakespeare think they are going to the Olympics.  Pluma’s human lives in New Mexico and runs the Funky Karma Incense and Tea Shop.

Brownponytail : She has a kitty who is always hungry, just like Shakespeare.  She also talks about all sorts of interesting things from food to fashion to travels.

Jimmiechew : Jimmie is a cat that looks like me (Hemingway) and is studying to be a model.  I think I’ll ask Mom if I can do that too.

Terriskitchenuk : She talks about food and we love food and so does Mom! She lives in England and has some interesting information that she shares.

Rantings of an Amateur Chef : Another blog about food.  Nothing wrong with that at all!  We love it!

Betweenfearandlove : Mom says this blogger is great because she understands how hard it can be to be a writer and she shares her struggles and triumphs.

2FlyAmerica :  This is a wonderful blog by a couple who built, flew and maintained an airplane.  Mom worked in the airline industry for many years (before she adopted us) and she loves airplanes.

Arignagardener : This is about a couple who live in Ireland and post beautiful garden pictures.  Mom said that’s too far for us to go visit but we like looking at the pictures, too.

What else do we have to do for this award?

Here’s the list:

1.Display the award logo somewhere on the blog.

2. Link back to the blog of the person who nominated you.

3. State seven things about yourself.

4. Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award and provide links to their blogs.

5. Notify those bloggers that they have been nominated and of the award’s requirements.

We just started blogging so we don’t know 15 bloggers.  I hope it doesn’t matter.  We’re still kind of young kitties and we like to play when the weather is nice so we don’t go exploring blogs on the computer as much.

I think it will be fine what we are doing but we do have to state seven things about ourselves.

  1. We were both adopted from the Animal Humane Society.
  2. We both love to play outside and don’t like it when winter comes.
  3. We both love to open packages.
  4. We both love to “work” on the computer….especially if Mom is there.
  5. We both love getting treats.
  6. We both love having our picture taken.
  7. Our Mom says we’re both adorable!

Now can we go eat?

Just as soon as we let those bloggers know that we nominated them for an award.

Well get busy and let them know.  I’m hungry!

The Helper

I don’t know why, but Mom keeps saying that she doesn’t want me in the same state when she’s trying to make her bed.  I just want to have fun and I love it when she’s tossing those sheets and blankets around.  I’ve discovered that there’s a big machine downstairs that puts water on everything and then Mom adds something to make the water all foamy.  She says that she’s adding  soap to make the clothes and things clean.  In the warmer months (and sometimes even in the colder ones) she likes to hang the stuff on some special lines  outside to dry.  Since I’m usually outside playing I can tell what’s going on and if I see her hanging sheets outside (those are the really big pieces of material), then I know I’m in for some fun as soon as they’re dry.  Mom tries to sneak things past me, but I always know.  Last week she thought she had finally discovered the trick.  She brought the sheets in but then she didn’t make the bed right away because she knew I was watching.  Later I was taking my nap on the couch and she figured I was sound asleep and wouldn’t notice anything.  WRONG!!!  I have cat ears and cat eyes and nothing gets past me.  She just got started making the bed and I jumped up right in the middle of everything.  It was so much fun.  Mom finally had to shut the door to keep me out so she could make the bed.  As soon as the opened the door again I ran in and jumped up on the bed just to make sure she had done everything correctly.  I love helping Mom, but helping is hard work so I need a nap.

Why Aren’t We at the Computer?

Why do we get confused?

Maybe we think too much.

I like that answer.

Why are you confused now?

Have you noticed that when Mom’s really busy or gone we just don’t seem to sit down at the computer as much and share things with our readers?

Maybe we’re picking up her vibes and we just don’t have time to sit still.  Last weekend Mom left us home with Uncle Bob while she went on a road trip.  I really missed her so I didn’t feel like sitting down at the computer and that meant no notes to our readers.

When Mom got home I was so excited that I couldn’t sit still long enough to write anything so I didn’t want to be at the computer.

This whole week Mom has been really busy so even she hasn’t been at the computer much.

I sure hope she saw our birthday greetings to her.  I felt bad that we couldn’t go shopping ‘cuz we can’t go out of the back yard and we don’t have any money.

I don’t think Mom cared about that ‘cuz we did what several of our readers suggested and we purred and purred for Mom and that made her happy.

I just thought of another reason why we don’t seem to be at the computer as much right now.

What?

We both love to be outside and Mom won’t let us bring the computer outside so if we have to choose between sitting at the computer or running around outside chasing butterflies and napping in the sun, guess which option we choose…….

No options as far as I can tell.  We will be outside every chance we get!

I hope our readers are having as much fun this summer as we are.  I hope Mom hurries home from work so we can go outside before it rains again.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

I don’t know what we’re going to do.

Neither do I.

How can we get Mom a birthday present today if we can’t go out of the back yard?

I know she won’t let us do any shopping online.  She’s told us before that we aren’t allowed to do that.

She said we can’t have any of those plastic card things that humans call credit cards.

I know and that’s how they pay for things when they shop online so even if we could find something neat for Mom we wouldn’t be able to buy it.

I wonder if there’s anything in the back yard we could wrap up for her.  I know that one time I brought her a bird she wasn’t real happy so I won’t be doing that again.

What if we picked her some flowers?

That might work.  Except that you know both of us love to pull the flowers out of the vase so Mom doesn’t even keep flowers in the house now.

Maybe we could ask the human and fur readers what we can do.

Good idea!  Does anyone out there know what we can do special for Mom today since it’s her birthday?

For now we can tell Mom how much we love her and how much we hope she has a super special day.

Happy Birthday, Mom!  We’ll try to be extra good today just for you.

However, tomorrow all bets are off.

Shakespeare, that wasn’t very smart.  Now if anything happens tomorrow Mom will blame you.  Hey….on second thought that works for me.  I can be naughty and you’ll get blamed.

Not fair, Hemingway!  Mom……….if anything happens tomorrow it’s not my fault!