by Whiskers, Matriarch of Mischief

Good morning, Friends.  

Today's blog will be a mishmash of topics.   

Starting off, let us remember the fallen.  Those whose lives were lost keeping our country free from tyranny.  
Today we honour them and those who continue to serve - our military, police, fire, medical and so much more. We truly appreciate their sacrifice.

As you may have read on our Facebook page our power was turned off to facilitate a maintenance issue.  Things went well and the power was re-established an hour or more before anticipated.   This was great. 

Our only incident was one light which Grammy forgot to turn off.  It lit up the condo at 4:30 AM. Etude and Whiskers were upset by this and decided to battle it out on Grammy's pillow.  Groggy with sleep, Grammy tried to shoo them off the bed and ended up with a 19 pounder's hind foot, claws extended on her left eye and cheek.  There is some swelling around the eye and the lid and cheek are scratched but the eye seems to have been spared.   Might you call this an eye-catching experience?

Now here we are this morning, the gas has been turned off to repair a faulty valve.  We'll see how this goes.  So far we have hot water in the taps and heat coming from the furnace but as the boilers cool that could change.  Hope it stays warm for the rest of the day.  Meantime we are snuggling with each other.  Sweetie is in her wee condo bed.  The chubbos are together on the sofa and  Mousie is in her tent waiting for me to finish the blog and join her.  

And it is snowing outside.  Upon waking there was a dusting on the rooves around us.  Now it is accumulating on railings and planters as well while that which hits the ground melts.  The weather people are calling for 10 - 15 centemetres… that's 4 - 6 inches.   While it'll look so pretty we don't really like the idea of Grammy going out in it - especially if the wet ground freezes as the temperature drops. Yuck!  

And lastly, the exercise plan for Sir Chubbo Etude has gone off the rails.  Grammy is going to give it another go after we post this blog.  Grammy got busy and then overtired and let things slip.  Tsk, tsk, Grammy.

Well, dear friends, that's all for this week.  Enjoy the photos... and we'll see you in the funny papers.  *giggles*  What does that mean?  Grammy says it and it sounds so goofy. 

Comments are welcomed... and if you know the answer please let us know.

By Rondo, handsome blogger of infinitesimally boring stuff

Good afternoon dear friends. 

It has been a while since my last tapping of the computer keyboard.  Of course, you'll all be wondering why I was absent. 

​Well, I wasn't.  Not really.  I just decided it was time those other furballs carried their weight for a change.  Not that they'd do a bang-up job like I would but hey! ... I do ALL the work around the house as it is.  



​For instance, I

• crab and whine and yell at Grammy for food EVERY TIME she goes into the kitchen otherwise we'd never get fed,
• sit at the water fountains and water-bowls and smack at the water splashing it everywhere to remind Grammy to refresh each of them with sparkling clean water,
• practically sit on Grammy's head at night and whap her with my tail to show I love her,
• pounce on the girls and Etude, especially Whiskers, to make sure they know who's king of the condo, 
• incessantly demand grooming from Grammy and the other four furballs to keep me super handsome,
• bite and snap at Grammy when she's trimming my claws to test reflexes (hers) and keep her challenged,
• scratch walls with my untrimmed claws when she gives up to show who's BOSS of ALL, even Grammy.

by Sweetie, concerned, yet intrepid warrior against invading dust bunnies, leaves and other detritus.

Good morning dear friends.  
Oooo, that's such a great word, detritus.  Sounds so much better than stuff! But, I digress from my topic for today.  

I must tell you, I've been fighting a losing battle. Not that I'm giving up or throwing in the towel, but this issue is monumental, even somewhat overwhelming.

Are you aware that dust bunnies multiply faster than the cute little nose-wrigglers they're named after?  You aren't?  Well, let me tell you... THEY DO!!

I, Sweetie, spend most of my night-time hours chasing the insidious little beasties.  Of course, that's how I earn my room and board.  I'm not one of those chubby layabouts who expect 5 squares a day and in return flop onto my back for tummy rubs expecting to be payed for my cuteness. Nor am I a Queen or Princess to be waited on all day long.  I earn my keep. But again I digress.  

Dust bunnies... now, where was I going with this?   Oh yes. chasing the beasties.  If you will remember our very first blog was about invaders of a different sort.  Those critters flew at eye level, (Grammy's that is!) and insidious too... Oh, I won't repeat that story.  You can read about those flitters here.  These current invaders are silent floaters... they hover just above the floor, hide under furniture and come out to attack ankles, brooms and cats when you least expect it. ​

​I must say they are brave.  Braver than most cats. I've even seen a couple of them circling Grammy's feet in an attempt to trip her. If she ever landed on them they'd be goners.

And that greedy gobbler... they don't fear it either, until it's too late.  They are daring, I must say!  And yet, they haven't learned from their mistakes!  Why?  Because not enough escape that eating machine to adapt AND those that do are too busy repopulating their world.

In our house, well okay, our condo then!  In our condo there are no soft cosy carpets, mats or other accoutrement to warm kitty feet as we walk across the floors.  Oh, there's one set down for after a shower but then it is lifted again.  And I mustn't forget one inside each door for wet footwear. But those don't count. Nothing kept on the floor beside the bed for cold mornings, no livingroom/diningroom rug.  Nada!  Why?  Because we have a klutzy Grammy and have to keep the old girl safe.  Yep!  That's the truth.  And talk about keeping her safe... here's the skinny.

What do rugs and carpets have to do with dust bunnies?  Well just this.  They help control the population somewhat.  With no carpet DBs (dust bunnies) roam free and take full advantage of air currents to get from room to room. But, carpets are the original Velcro to the wee critters.  Float over a carpet and suddenly they get sucked down and held onto until they get stepped on or die of starvation.  Then the gobbler eats their dead carcasses.  It is a voracious omnivore and a scavenger so to him all is fair game, dead or alive.  AND we kitties know that.  That's why we scatter when he exits his prison cell for his hour in the 'yard' so to speak.  

Again I digress.  So back to those dust bunnies. Since there's nothing to stop them we kitties see them making their rounds, peaking out from under furniture - book cases, futon, armoires and bed.   Oh, and the fridge and stove.  We think they like the dispersed heat, especially under the fridge and the extra headroom beneath the stove.  The odd daring one or two will float on past Grammy to tease her but she's obliviously got her nose stuck in knitting or her computer.  

I give chase to them but without the carpet's help they are difficult to capture as they furl and slip into the nearest nook or cranny.  The Queen, Princess and Chubby layabouts could not care less... let them furl, unfurl, curl and wind their way around the condo.  No skin off their noses! But they should care!!!   They aren't thinking!

One day those DBs could smarten up and  amass an army under the furniture.  Then one day full battalions of them could trip and overpower Grammy, devouring her in revenge.   Then who's going to feed us!  Huh?

Comments are most welcome, as always. 

This was Grammy's little slinky cuddlebug.  Montague, aka Monty, was adopted by Grammy after he had been abandoned at a veterinarian's office, unwanted by his family.   He was 14 months old and had behavioural issues.  But Grammy went to see him anyway  because otherwise he would be PTS and Grammy couldn't bear the thought of that for such a young, otherwise healthy kitty. 

While Grammy chatted with the vet tech Monty reached out a paw and tapped her on the shoulder. He had picked her to be his new mom.  And so, home he came.

​It took 9 months and a very laidback Malcolm for Monty to get past his fear of using the litter box. (His litter sibling/brother had bullied him whenever he tried to use the box in his previous home.) Malcolm, on the other hand, was willing to share anything - facilities, beds, food, Grammy's lap - whatever the little duffer wanted, as long as he kept Malcolm entertained with his silly antics and would cuddle with him.

Grammy was blessed with a further 9 months of his mischief, cuddles and silliness before his wee heart gave out.

Grammy says I have the same long, slinky, sleek body that he had. *giggles*  That's important because it is easier to slip out of Grammy's arms and get into more mischief.  He was a master mischief-maker and I, Sweetie, aspire to be one too. ​​

Hello, dear friends. 

Thanksgiving Day has arrived, once more... and so normally we celebrate with family and friends.   Today we are going to be having a quiet day contemplating Thanksgiving and all we are thankful for.... and there is so much - our lives, our comforts, all the wonderful friends we have.   Please enjoy your day and give thanks for all the blessings in your life.  In fact, we should be giving thanks every day for everything.

We promise we'll write a proper blog next week.

From all of us at Mischief and Mayhem Central...Know that we love you, dear friends.

Whiskers, Gentle Mousie, Sweetie, Etude & Rondo

Comments are always welcomed, especially if they are funny.

by Mousie, wee, but feisty blogger.

Good Monday morning, dear friends.  

Last week was quite the eventful week, let me tell you.  I think Grammy has a few thousand more grey hairs than previously.... and we think that's okay because salt and pepper hair looks much better than mouse coloured hair.... and now we match, sort of.

So... Grammy is pressed for time.  Whiskers has to have an ultrasound today... do I'm cheeting and sharing my Facebook post.  We promise to get back to new stuff soon.
 
***********

Wow!  What a week.  I went to see Dr Whitecoat and she Kittenapped me from Grammy and took me home for a night.  Next day I had a really long sleep and when I woke my tummy was sore ... but I got some medicine and the pain went away. 
After Grammy paid a ransome I was allowed to go home with her but I couldn't be with my family.  Just Grammy.  And she kept putting yucky medicine in my mouth.  Gross.  But  at night it was okay because we could cuddle without the brothers bugging us.  I really missed my mommy though.
Then I had to go back to see Dr Whitecoat again 'cause my poopy got stuck.  They pushed this stuff in my bum and now the poopy is gone.  Wow, it was almost as big as Rondo's paw... and that's BIG. 
Now I'm home again and this morning mommy and Sweetie came in to join me for breakfast. Yeah company!
Grammy says I can see the boys tomorrow.  I'm not sure I want to.  They're terrible teases and they might eat all my food. 
Well, I think I'm all better now but Grammy says more meds are needed for a few days. Yucky.
Thank you for all the prayers and for being my friend.  Love you, Gentle Mousie

And so, here it is Monday noon hour and a little update.

But mommy wasn't allowed in with me for one more night... I think they wanted to make sure I was pooping.  Now I AM...  all by myself again.  Yeah!

Mommy and Sweetie spent the weekend in with me and it was so nice to have company.  Well, that was my adventure.  BUT, now Whiskers is getting ready to see the vettie… Dr. Whitecoat AGAIN!  Keep her in your thoughts and prayers, please.

Comments are welcomed.  We look forward to them.

Good morning, dear friends.
This post is coming from all of us.... and will be brief.   There are things going on at Mischief and Mayhem Central and poor old Grammy is doing her best but as a result our page is very close to the bottom of her list at the moment.  
​We wish you all a very happy, healthy and fun-filled week. 
Whisker, Mouse, Sweetie, Etude & Rondo. 

We love you.

by Sweetie, blogger and sad cutiepie,

Good morning, dear friends. 

We are saddened that our friend Sadie has passed. She was adopted by Grammy's friend, our Aunty Lynda. Age unknown.  Previous health record also unknown.  But from this point on Sadie the beautiful calico would live the good life - food in her bowl, fresh water too, litterbox always kept fresh - and loads of places to lay her head and snooze.  Her favourite was snuggled atop the sofa, or better yet, atop mommy on a blanket. And she was loved and adored. It was a life to be cherished, a life of ease and comfort. 

For years there was only one downside to Sadie's life.  That was when Grammy visited. Sadie would go on high alert.  She knew there was a very good chance nails would be trimmed.  This was not appreciated by Sadie.  Not at all.  And yet, it was a necessity to prevent her getting caught up in blankets and clothing.  Despite this the challenge was on.  Each time it became a little harder to find Sadie - under the blankets on the bed? under the bed? in the back corner of her wee condo? who knows where? She was a mistress of disappearing.   

In her later years illness visited Sadie with a vengeance.  She had stomach issues that for a time were controlled by diet but as she aged these became harder to manage.  Add on that she was going blind and often got disoriented and life became a sad litany of meows -  Hunger? food was in the normal place. - Fear? where am I?  where are you, mom? - Pain? … it was hard to tell, but finally her quality of life had diminished and a decision had to by made.

It is with great sadness we tell you...that time had come for Aunty Lynda to let her sweet Sadie go.   We send our condolences to our dear aunty and hope she feels our comforting purrs across the city.

​Please check out our slideshow of sweet Sadie. 

by Gentle Mousie, mini-investigator and chilly kitten looking for warmth

Hello, dear friends.  Here we are just barely one week into September and it is a gazillion degrees below zero....Brrrrr! We don't have heat yet at the condo. They won't switch us over from air conditioning until later in the month. 

Last year at this time it was still toasty and delightful and we were grateful that the heat wasn't turned on.  Not so, this year. 

Tonight Grammy despite warm blankets is shaking the whole condo with her shivering and I'm huddled under a blanket, mittens on my kittenpaws, a toque on my head, a warming disc under my tummy and a heater trying to warm my butt.  Still I'm cold. BRRRRRR.

I, Gentle Mousie, the furry popsicle despite all the additions to my wardrobe and furnishings am braving the cold to find out what happened.  I have a few theories. Let's look at them.  

That nasty hurricane that hit the east coast of North America this past weekend sucked all our heat into it's vortex leaving hardworking kittizens cold.  Is this possible?  It seems logical when we hear the weather reports.  Maybe that is what happened.  OR....

Grammy forgot to pay the heating bill.  Could be, but not likely. She assures me it's paid.  OR more likely....

Those overheated cowkitty blubber brothers of mine blocked out the sun. It was cloudy and overcast all day yesterday and worse today ... a pretty good indicator that this is a viable possibility.  Or maybe those big duffers are soaking up all the heat from the sun as it penetrates the atmosphere. Think maybe we should blame them, don't you?  

Well, I'm too cold to think up anymore theories tonight.  Think I'll hunker down with Grammy under the duvet until morning and return to the blog then.  

So this morning isn't much better but at least we all had a toasty night curled up together under the duvet or snuggling with our friends on sofa, chairs, cat beds, on pillows and wherever else we could find warmth.  Everyone was huddled and snuggled in tight.  Not sure Grammy got much sleep with all our giggling, though at one point we did hear her purring.

Now to tell you about our afternoon yesterday before it got so cold.  We had visits from lots of friends while Grammy was out.  Darcy and Aunties Phyllis, Diane and Debbie, the Hartwig mischiefs, the Muddy Waters crew, Virgin Island girls and Frodo, RAINA, of course and many others. 

RAINA and I had such fun scaring Etude.  There he was standing on the balcony watching for the arrival of his sweet 'Songbird'... oblivious to what was going on behind him.  I, Mousie, went across the hall to the neighbour and got permission for RAINA to land on their balcony ... then we crept across the hall, over to the balcony door and behind Etude.  A sudden 'BOO!'  and the poor fellow just about went over the balcony.  Luckily he has substantial love handles which we grabbed on time.  *giggles*  It was the greatest fun. We had hoped to scare a few pounds off him but, no!  Whiskers wasn't amused and gave us both a time out... but that's okay.  We giggled and planned more mischief while in our penalty box.  

Darcy and the Hartwig mischiefs each brought their favourite games with them.  We played Twister and then a rousing game of Trivial Purrsuit - Feline Edition.  Wow!  Should have seen Darcy.... she won at Twister... a veritable extendible, bendible girl. No wonder it's her favourite game.  Of course, Rondo was knocked off the 'board' in the first round but then, maybe that was the plan.  Rosamund and Grizabella had just arrived and he is smitten with the two beauties.  As he left the floor we heard the girls sighing as he started reciting his poetry.  *giggles*

Wow, those Hartwig mischiefs are truly smart little kitties.  They started off the game of Trivial Purrsuit but let us all play and only threw out hints for us.  Such sportscatship.  The three aunties were pretty amazing at the game too.  My oh my, the things we learned about Felis Felidae.   Won't go into it at the moment, but we are an interesting species.  

Well, we sure worked up an appetite with all the gaming and joke telling and teasing.  Luckily Grammy had filled the fridge with delicious treats.  Of course, she thought that was for the next couple of weeks but hey!  No lock on the fridge door suggests the contents are free to all.  Turkey slices, chicken nuggets, mackerel, salmon and tuna, platters of seafood, and piles of tater salad and the amazing southern comfort baskets brought by RAINA.  To top it all off there was an wondrous array of sweets baked by our Muddy Waters crew under the watchful eye of my sweet Cheffy. 

Well, dear friends.  that's it for this week.  I need a nap while this full belly digests its contents.

Comments welcomed.  Especially if they are fun and/or silly.

by Rondo, aka Chatty Charlie

​Is this a misnomer?  Today is Labour Day and yet, we don't know anyone who works on a statutory holiday … so shouldn't it by called non-Labour Day or just Rest Day?   But then, here am I working hard at writing this blog so for me it is definitely a labour day.  *Sigh* 

If I have to write we might as well move to more fun topics. How about we feature a few of our friends?  You know all of us as we posted photos last week, maybe more pictures than you'd want to look at... but hey, we are so adorable, fun and goofy that how could you not want to see photos of us?

So, here we go... a few furry friends met through Grammy's close friends, then many on Facebook and the infinite fun things we all have gotten up to over the years.  

​First off, there is a pair of beauties ... Murphy and Bella, the fluffy sweethearts of Grammy's oldest living friend.... not that she's the oldest but that they've been friends the longest.  These two fluffballs are well-travelled between home and cottage as well as totally pampered. Grammy calls Murphy 'the Murph'.  Silly Grammy! 

Then there is Sadie, the sweetiepuss of Grammy's friend from church.  She lives the good life too. Her only beef is that Grammy trims her claws when she comes to visit. What gives her the right to steal claw-tips?  We agree with her.  Grammy does the same to us... then tosses them in the garbage.  That's not very nice.  If she wants our claw-tips then she should cherish them.  Save them in a jar and put them on a shelf to admire.  She's so weird and disrespectful. I wrote a poem about Sadie and this terrible deed.

As we move into our internet friends, let's mention Nerissa's Life.  Our first blogging friend was Nerissa, aka Nissy.  He was the famous blogger who encouraged us to join the blogging community.  We finally took his advice and wrote our first blog back in October 2014.

As some of you will remember Nissy has passed the baton across to the equally famous ginger, Seville.  This fellow has had a city in Spain and an orange named after him.  I tell you... that's awesome!  You have to check out his blogs. Be prepared for him to take pot shots at his biped family (Peep#1 and Peep#2) especially #1.  Wow, he's tough on her... but so funny. Follow him on Facebook too.  You won't be sorry. 

Then there is our closest group of friends... those with whom we chat daily.  We have had and will continue to enjoy joint adventures with four of these families.  First of these that Sweetie met was Little Boy Cat, a Chef of extraordinary abilities and creativity.   She encouraged him to meet her big sister with whom he fell madly in love.  Soon after Gentle Mousie came out of her shell and blossomed. Amazing adventures ensued ... the first of which was an awesome 3rd birthday party for Sweetie followed shortly thereafter by dates, Cheffy and Mousie together.  Nervous mom, Whiskers chaperoned at first, protective or her wee gentle girl.  The best part of their dates was when Etude & I would sneakily follow them and create havoc.  Those times were delicious fun.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, friends.   There are so many other friends we've met. Far too many to list but we'll mention a few, no photos, but we love them dearly  for their mischief and unique ways to entertain us. 

There are our friends, Team Ginger, whose mom drives us to the vet, Aunty J and another team - Sugar and Gordito, Piper's Pusscats, Pixie Pie and the Speed furries, The Koz Clan Adorapurr including Dora and her family, Clan of Nine, Da Fluffarooniez, Edward Scissorpaws and his family, Lord Fluffington, Bunny Love - Panda Bear and Honey Blossom, Sassy Skye and Cheeky Charlie et al, Keebo, the awesome Mini Kitty, Daisy from Ocean's page, Pumpkin who has since passed on, Toby Murphy O'Toole, and so many more.  

We apologize for any we've missed that you feel should be included.  Remember, we are dealing with a Grammy who at the best of times lacks in brainpower and what little she has has trickled down the drain as the day and blog progressed.   Enjoy!

Comments are most welcome.... we especially love the funny, mischievous and cheeky comments.