By Whiskers, family groomer and matriarch of mischief

Well friends, we haven't seen Grammy glow this much since we adopted her.  She is embarking on another adventure.  When she 'retired' became a volunteer with a blind lady (we call her Aunty L) and that volunteer relationship has developed into a wonderful friendship in which they see each other twice a week. 

Then she decided to become a foster mom for kitties and did some other volunteer positions within the organization.  This is where we beautiful, adorable, sweet, loveable, mischievous kitties came from. You may read our biographies under BIOS above should you like to know our stories.

During volunteering with the adoption organization Grammy joined Facebook and expanded her main page into two more... our family page, Whiskers, Mouse, Sweetie, Etude & Rondo and Sweetie's page Sweet Cecily Kitten's Tips to share her delightful furry felines (that's us) with you.  This has become a part-time job where she does posts almost every day... including Wacky Wednesday, Thursday's Cat Joke of the Week and Friends and Family Fridays. 

Then as if that wasn't enough we dreamed up the blog idea in 2014 and here we are.  Well, you know, we do like to keep her busy and out of mischief.

Then the old dear decided to take up knitting... an appropriate Grammy job, don't you think?  She started with making small items for sale (hats and scarves), opened both a Facebook and an Etsy site called Grammy Ds Knitting Bag and sold some things... but is finding word-of-mouth exposure is getting her more sales than the Etsy site. 

So what does that mean for us? 

Well, since it is an on-call service, we don't know.  It may mean we see a lot less of the old dear.  It may only be for a couple of hours here and there as a mother needs assistance cuddling her baby.   If so, that won't impact us very much. 

Now that can be good or bad. Only occasionally at the cuddler program and we continue to get all the cuddles and such that we already get.  Busy cuddling babies and we become cuddle deprived ourselves.   OR  on the bright side, we'll have more time to get into mischief.  

I think we should write to the moms at the hospital and say, 'Demand lots of cuddle time from Grammy.'   What say you, M&M Crew - shall we start planning our mischief?  Look out 2019... you won't know what hit you!

Comments are always welcomed, especially if they are light and fun. 

by Grammy, the woolly headed scribe.

Good morning, friends.  For once I thought I'd write a blog and not be the butt of the topic.  Now as you know there are five feisty felines living in this abode... and they rule.  Don't let them kid you... hard done by, they are not.  In control of food, they are but only to a degree!  The boys will tell you that I dole out food infrequently and in miniscule portions.  Well, this may be so, but they do get these miniscule portions at least 5 times a day.  YES, FIVE TIMES A DAY! so they aren't deprived by any means.

If I didn't make the effort to portion their food the Holstein vacuums would have the day's allotment devoured before my coffee was brewing. 

We have a routine around here.  Wake up, strip bed on washday, otherwise, make the bed immediately.  Cover neatly made bed with a bunny blanket to protect it from upchucking by Whiskers (a story for another time).   Now, there's a title for another blog.  'Upchucking by Whiskers'  has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

Well, back to the routine.  Feed the girls - and they get a substantial portion of their daily allotment in their dishes so they can graze all day.  Refresh the water dish and scoop the litterbox.  Then, leave the bedroom closing the door while ensuring the boys are not in said bedroom.  

Head toward kitchen and try not to trip over two hefty, hungry hippos... dole out their daily allotment into small containers kept securely in the cupboard.  This ensures they won't scam me into an extra portion each.  Take their early morning scoopful from there and put it into their dishes.

Once they begin to chow down I can focus on making coffee for me. Truth be told, I would prefer to have my morning coffee before having to go through these gyrations but I've learned!  I do not need galumphing gorillas underfoot while I'm preparing coffee and my breakfast.  No siree.  It isn't worth it.  I prefer my bones in one piece each and a 6th concussion just isn't an option.... So I sacrifice myself for the sake of legs, arms, head AND sanity... though sanity might be in question.

As you've probably noted in the previous dialogue I keep the door to the bedroom closed during the day opening it only at bedtime.  Why?  To keep the boys out, of course while the girls being tiny, lithe little beings are free to come and go at their pleasure.  A cat door was installed a few years ago... to accommodate Mouse's need to have a safe haven from the bullies, to keep these bullies out and to allow the underweight Mousie opportunities to eat at will.

Now, you must wonder that the boys don't try to go through the cat door.  Well!  Etude did!  ONCE... 

A little background here.  Etude would watch as the girls used the door slipping through with ease... Mousie with her little arcing leap not touching the frame as she flew through the gap.  Whiskers stopping to eye the opening, pondering her method of approach, then springboarding through dragging her hind toes slightly.  The old dear is a bit stodgy and short in the leg... and the door was not made for her leg length but she's a game old thing.  Sweetie approaches the door each time backing up, moving forward, repeat this a couple of times  back and forth, back and forth before finally, like an arrow shot from a bow she darts through the opening.  As you can tell, the door was made for Mousie, not Whiskers short legs and not for Sweetie's long coltish ones but they manage it nicely.

Now Etude, having studied the girls' methods decided one day to visit the delicious bowl of food in the bedroom.  How difficult can it be to go through this contraption? If they can do it, why not me?  So he sucked in his belly, sized up the opening, took a flying leap and...  Oomph!  his girth much bigger than the gap he jiggled and half in, half out, legs dangling either side was not able to get a purchase on anything.  He reminded me of Winnie the Pooh when he was stucked in Rabbit's front door.

Where was I during all this commotion, Etude caterwauling and Rondo commiserating (and girls giggling)?  Well, once I stopped laughing - and that took a while - I supported the tubby's hind feet with one hand and with the other eased his excess girth through to the bedroom. With all his squirming and such it was no easy task, let me tell you.   Was that the end of it?  A resounding YES from Etude and,
Rondo, smart fellow that he is has decided to never attempt such a feat... and just as well.  He's taller, longer in the body and may fit but is more likely to bonk his head on the top frame.  Instead, he sits at the opening, head peering through in hopes one of those food dishes might just fly through the opening to him.

Just like a poet, living in a dream world, Rondo.  

Well, friends, that's all for this week.

​Comments are welcome, friends.  ​

or would this have been a better name for it?

​by Rondo, the handsome one

​Well, Grammy got this promotion to get 100 business card for a minimal fee... and before taking advantage of that if she decided to do so there were other things to consider.  Should we upgrade our blog site by paying for support?  Now, to all of us feline furries that seemed a good idea!  Our fuzzy brained scribed needs help and lots of it. 

And so, after using a free website for the blog maybe it was  also time to upgrade to our own domain while taking advantage of the purchased Weebly support. 

BONUS - seeing as there was a promotion, get 2 years support and they'd throw in the domain free for 1 year.  In a year we would have to pay further for the domain but it seemed a great idea to Grammy and an even better idea to us.

So, to shorten a long drawn out tale, she made the jump.  Bought the support, got the domain name, ordered the cards.  Once done we'd be official.  FINALLY! 

The site was purchased, website domain name available and taken by us, and cards purchased.  
AND THEN IT WENT DOWNHILL FROM THERE.

Once everything was supposedly in place Grammy tried to transfer everything to the new website but got a message that we needed to purchase the domain name..  How can that be?   Fortunately, with support as the main part of the deal Grammy put in an email to Weebly for assistance. 

We have always had great phone support in the past and this support has been no different... someone was assigned to our issue and worked on it, messaged Grammy it was transferred but Grammy had more questions.   She posed these in a return message and has been waiting for further information since Tuesday..... and has heard nothing despite a second request for an update.  Meantime, it seems like work is being done and we are grateful for that and for Weebly support because the old dear's brain isn't up to snuff anymore. 

So, despite the confusion and because it would be good to get another blog out there we have decided to post this short blog to let you know the situation. Hopefully Monday everything will be totally operational.  The great thing is.... our new cards are in and we have graciously allowed Grammy's knitting site a spot at the bottom of them.  And the website is a work in progress, and Grammy still has a head of hair.
​
The bulk of the work seems to be completed, we love our domain name, and the business cards are cute. At least, we think so.

What do you think? 

Comments are welcomed, friends. 

Sadly their visit has come to an end....and they returned home yesterday... but when they arrived Grammy received some lovely gifts.  A beautiful mug and plate to be used at breakfast, an Austrian Calendar, cut-outs of cats that are typical of Austria, a few Austrian nativity scenes, Candles which will be perfect for our Christmas angel chime, truffles from Austria, a monetary gift for us - for Whisker, Mouse, Sweetie, Rondo and me.   The only thing with that is we don't get to spend it.  Grammy is saving it to put toward our pending annual visit to Dr Whitecoat.  BUT, we are delighted  with Grammy's and our gifts.  They are amazing and thoughtful gifts.

Well, before they returned home the younger M dropped by to deliver a few more cuddles and belly rubs for us and to leave a few things they wouldn't need or didn't wish to carry back home.  These may seem insignificant to some but to Grammy they were Christmas morning exciting!.  Two bottles, BIG bottles, of Evian water - that Grammy wouldn't spend the money on to treat herself.   Fruit, cookies, snacks, delicious marmalade, ice cream - three kinds (Grammy's delighted). Two lovely post cards of their home town, two Kalanchoe plants.. that Grammy will keep out of our (and especially Sweetie the dirt digger's) reach but is enjoying, some personal products for the face etc. and paper products.  All useful, handy to have and a real treat. ​

Then yesterday when Grammy arrived home from church there were two more paper bags with more things on her doorstep... a couple of gift boxes, a cotton and a manmade fabric shopping bag, paper towels, wrapping tissue, some medical things, more personal facial items, laundry soap, and a miscellany of little things - colourful paperclips among them.

Grammy was overwhelmed at the generosity and kindness of her dear friends.  We had to share this with you on Thanksgiving... one day of the year where we formally recognize our thankfulness for our families, our friends, for our very lives, and every blessing we receive.   Let's remember to be thankful every day... not just this one day a year.  We have so much to be grateful for. 

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving Day, friends.... and may it include all of our friends worldwide.  ​

By the M&M crew and Grammy,

We thought we would share a few memories of our friend Little Boy Cat, who left us for a better place last year this week.   Each of us will share our special memories and why they are special starting with Grammy.

Hello friends.  My first memory of Little Boy Cat was his photo...He looked so much like my Monty who only lived a short 32 months many years ago.  I was intrigued and looked further into his page which was fairly new... and  realized he was a chef, had a cheeky side to his nature and loved his DMB (divine ms b for those who don't know them) beyond measure.  Well, this was a page I wanted to follow and thought it would be great to meet the woman behind the cat.  I was not disappointed and we continue to be friends all these years later. How did I meet him in the first place?  Well, it was Sweetie who introduced him to me.   Sweetie - you take over.

Over to Etude and Rondo.
Howdy friends.  We loved and still love LBC.  Especially loved the adventures he took us on and the wonderful foods he made.  AND we really enjoyed sneaking onto his jet when he took Mousie on dates.  Unfortunately, he caught on pretty quick and shipped us off in his jet to other venues with Whiskers to supervise us.  We did our best to outsmart the old duffer but he must have taken lessons from Wily Whiskers.  Well, no matter, we had many wonderful adventures, were able to tease them when we did tag along on their dates and were treated like the little princes we are by the old boy.  We love Little Boy Cat into forever.  … well, last to speak to you all.... MOUSIE.

*shyly* Hello friends.  Gentle Mouse here.  I have had many names like Mouse, Mousie and Gentle Mousie and all are loved by me.  I'm a little shy but when I was with Little Boy Cat (my dearheart Cheffy) and safe in his furry arms and paws I felt a confidence I'd never felt before.  He treated me to beautiful gifts, trips and adventures which were delightful but the thing I love the most was that he treated me like the most cherished kitty in the whole wide world.  He always knew what I'd like to eat, the places I'd enjoy visiting and there were many. And he exposed me to a myriad of life experiences all the while keeping me safe within his sight and wrapped in his big fuzzy paws. In those last months despite feeling unwell he continued to interact with the family and me right to the end. I, in turn, loved and continue to love him to eternity.  Now we only see each other in our dream dates but they are exquisite. restful and peaceful... just the way we love them.   Oh and there is a celebration of his life this coming Friday... check out his page for details. 

​So, without more ado let us all say...

Little Boy Cat (Cheffy dearest) we love you, miss you here on earth. We keep an eye on our DMB as best we can from such a distance... but take comfort in knowing you are there to watch over her too.   We hope her grief will turn to joyful memories to cherish until you meet again.  I, Mousie, look forward to more dream dates and we all will see you when it is our time. 

Friends, we look forward to comments from you.  We will enjoy responding to them.  ​