By Rondo, poet and vocal mischief.

Good day, dear friends.

Someone, whose name will remain anonymous, is feeling unwell so our blog is unbelievably short, practically non-existent. 

As a consolation I will share an early poem of mine. 

Meantime, we at Mischief and Mayhem Central hope you are all well and thriving despite the restrictions and challenges of this pandemic.



Crocus

Little crocus beneath the snow so deep

Wake up from your winter sleep

The sun shines down and warms your bed

Open your eyes and raise your head.

Time to push through, take a peek

For winter's almost over and it's you I seek.

Comments are welcomed. 

By Gentle Mouse, chronicler of family mischief.

Well, dear friends, the end of the year has arrived and it has been a great one. Oh, yes, there have been ups and downs but those downs were minimal: a mini-flood from melting snow that invaded our hardwood floors by way of the balcony/kitchen wall and Grammy catching flu and other viruses... but the delightful ups of those were a proper sealing of the wall along the balcony floor once spring arrived and Grammy getting better.  And while she regained health we got more Grammy time.  Also, she was home a little more this year than in past years and that always meant more cuddles, more snuggles, more 'boys, stop picking on the girls', and more time in Grammy's lap for morning coffee or sitting on the arm of the chair getting pets while she knitted various things. 

It was a year to remember fondly.   So, let's go look at a few posts from this wonderful year 2018. ​

As you all must remember our Facebook page features adventures, poetry by Rondo, Thursday's Cat Joke of the Week and as the year progressed we added in Wacky Wednesday posts and Friends and Family Fridays.  We also had an occasional Somnolent Saturday.  

Here we will share a few highlights from our year starting January 1st when the boys headed to the Virgin Islands for a Beach Party.  You can view the party on our friends' page at Many Claws in St Croix. 

We mentioned Grammy took sick in late February and was ill with Influenza and at least one other virus through March and another in November. Sweetie and I went into nursing mode each time and nursed the old girl back to health with chicken noodle soup, honey/lemon tea, purrs and cuddles. And while she slept we got into mischief with the boys.

With Spring also came Rondo and his poetry in all its beauty, mischief and cheekiness. Here is a sampling of his poetry more of which you can see by accessing the blog category Poetry by Rondo and reading the blogs. 

As Winter Fades. 
As winter fades and eases into spring
It makes me dance and want to sing.
For joyous am I as winter warms
To see the end of nasty storms.

It brings back birds to flit and fly 
Past glass and sill where I do spy 
Them soar on air that oft will swirl
In gusty attempts to make them hurl
To ground. Clever are these birds who soar.
They know their stuff and ask for more.
For it is a joy to be so free
Above the shrubs, above the tree.

They land on branches when sailing’s done
To preen their feathers and fluff their down
To set selves up for another day
And keep the chill of night away.
And as they do, they songs impart
That cheer me up and warm my heart.

As night comes down to hide their nest
I set in to do what I do best.
Find spot to nap and dream my dreams
Of birds aswirl over rippling streams.
And when dawn wakes to early morn
On sill I’ll be to watch the swarm
Leave nests and twigs to swirl and sway.
As on they soar to greet new day
​They sing their songs to Him on high
As past my pane on wing they fly.
And toward the heavens these hymns are sung
​To praise the creator, God and Son.

​Then as the heat of summer arrived in June Grammy was out and about undeterred by it. With her gone we were always planning mischief... as you can see by the following two posts...​

​

We have been posting weekly Jokes since 2017 but introduced Wacky Wednesdays and Friends and Family Fridays around mid-year.  Here we'll post only a Joke reminiscent of our repertoire.  For the others you may visit our page and check out past posts.




​

Then suddenly December was upon us once more... with more mischief, lots of love for you, our dear friends and Christmas wishes for all. Again, all of these can be seen on our Facebook page.

Now we would like to wish you all the best for the coming year.  May 2019 be wonderful for all of you.  

by Rondo, poet in a slump and mischief maker

Good day, dear friends. 
​
This past week has been a bit of a downer.  The old girl has been under the weather which has left us without a topic.  Now I ask you, when aren't we under the weather? Whether rain, shine, snow or whatever we are subject to it 24/7/365 which means we are never without weather. AND it is all around us and above us. which means we are under it.

So what does that have to do with not having a topic? 

Well, I suggest that while she's been under the weather so have we.  AND we've been under the same weather as she has....thus we have a dearth of mischievousness to report on since we've been so busy doing the nursing thing leaving us no time to dream up new mischief, new antics, new poetry.  Absolutely nothing comes to mind for any of us.  How boring!

But boring must end so here goes.

​Christmas is coming and that means good food, presents and all that goes with the celebration.  Grammy has been in touch with a Facebook friend in New Zealand and her cat family... Skye and Charlie and that suggests, or at least we hope it does that there are pressies coming for pussycats.  

Only question is, will sniffer dogs stop the shipment?  The pressies Skye's mom makes have catnip in them, or at least we assume so since they are called Catnip Kickers.  Do those dogs in customs know the difference between catnip and that other stuff that Grammy detests and wouldn't have anywhere in the house or anywhere else on the planet for that matter?  Also, will our import laws allow vegetation from another country into Canada?  Grammy didn't think about that when she was talking to Skye's mom... and we have to admit she was in a state with this virus at the time... so her noodle wasn't working at 100%.  I guess we'll find out. So stay tuned and we'll let you know. 

We think these pressies are another attempt to get Whiskers, Etude and I to exercise.  (Yes, we listened in to the conversation and know what's coming, if it gets through customs)  Skye's mommy makes these kickers.  They are long sticks of cotton stuffed with stuffing, of course, laced with catnip and are meant to be kicked by kitties.  Well, we'll see.  

It's more likely that we'll lick the things into a soggy mess rather than kick them and then snooze for the rest of the day.  Another thing Grammy didn't think about is that Etude and I get overly stimulated by catnip and like to beat up the girls.  Unfortunately if we do, and we might, she'll remove them and put them away.  Again, we'll see. 

What else is happening?  Well, this year Grammy plans to cook 'the bird'.... yes, she has decided we kitties and she ought to have turkey and all the fixings - you know... smashed taters, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, lemon-thyme parsnips, butternut squash, cranberry sauce, gravy (oh, we LOVE gravy) and whatever else she has the energy to make.   Dessert is up in the air at the moment... and we don't really care about the dessert part anyway so....I say, forget about it, Grammy!  Don't waste your energy on dessert. The turkey bird is the priority.  For sure!

Well that's all I have 'nothing to write about' for this week, dear friends.  Have a great week revving up for Christmas.  We at Mischief and Mayhem Central love you.

Comments are welcomed.

by Rondo, Blogger and Poet

Hello dear friends, 
​
One of our readers wrote asking when I would be presenting another poem or two.  Unfortunately, I haven't been inspired for a while.  It must be the summer heat that has made my brain lethargic.  

Not only was the brain a little slow, my whole body went into summer slumber and sleep mode surfacing only for food and belly rubs and to tease Grammy on-line.

But, thanks to Aunty Patrice and Aunty Maron both giving me the nudge I've been hard at work and so, in honour of Autumn which has just crossed our threshold I have two new poems for you. 

So without more ado I give you my latest.

Autumn

Autumn leaves fall gently now;
There's a crispness in the air.
Whiskers alert, on sill I sit and search
For vanishing friends in flight
Or gathered on baring bough.

The southbound birds murmur together:
Charms of hummers, hordes of geese,
Flutters of others, all birds of a feather
Preparing for the long fall flights
To lands safe from the cold winter's blights.

Squirrels swiftly nest and gather their foods
To store before frosty snow.
They'll be safe and warm within these woods
Rushing black, red, grey mastering the game
Before winter begins to blow.

Autumn Leaves

Sweetie stalks at balcony door
Awaiting errant and crispy leaves
That tempt and bait the little puss;
At hunter's lair they tease
As they toss about the floor.

There is no doubt that Autumn's arrived full on
In yellows, browns, orange and red
Dresses of many shades and hues
To adorn the land... a spendiferous spread
As it dances on toward winter's dawn.

© Whiskers, Mouse, Sweetie, Etude & Rondo - Mischief and Mayhem Central

Comments are welcomed. We love to hear from you, our readers.  

by Rondo, Poet and Chatty Charlie
​
Good morning, Friends.   
Grammy has been up to her eyes in 'stuff'.  Between having an 18 year old university student camping out in the livingroom in a one bedroom condo, dealing with an infected eye and her own stupidity she's just a little stretched.  Yes, you heard me... HER OWN STUPIDITY!!!!!

With a food allergy you would think she'd be more wary about what she buys. It used to take Grammy at least an hour to do a small grocery shopping.  Every label read, every minute detail noted on each and every product  every time she shops.  Shopping becomes a time consuming task. 

Let us tell you, that ingredients are often changed on products and  more often than not there is no flashing notice on the packaging to advise this.   Firstly, her allergy is to SOY in all its forms and it doesn't matter which of the 50 different names for soy are used to confuse the customer it is still SOY!  AND it still affects Grammy the same way.  We won't go into details... just that it is nasty!  

Lately she's gotten lazy or has been in a rush and hasn't bothered to read ingredients and … well, it caught up with her..  A wee treat that she's loved and eaten for years is now made with soy flour and soy oil.  She had a feast on this supposedly safe treat and now.... well, we all dove under or behind sofas, chairs, anything to avoid the old girl until she felt better.  Thankfully, she's feeling more normal this morning.  

THAT'LL TEACH THE OLD DEAR to cut corners. 

Well, now, on to our blog....  Our friend, Suzanne, had a wonderful experience this summer.  Monarch butterflies graced her gardens which include milkweed and hyssop and she was able to watch caterpillars and bees feasting and  the transformation of many a caterpillar to butterfly.   We are going to show you a few of her personal photos of these and I think I should also reprint the appropriate poem.  

by Rondo, Poet and Balladeer

Good morning, friends.   
It has been a while since I last shared poetry with you.  Well, now that summer has arrived here are a few poems that are actually my favourites so far.  These are a few of the very first poems that I wrote.  

This will be a very short blog since we are having computer issues and for some reason Grammy thinks fixing the computer takes precedence.  Obviously, she has her priorities wrong but since she has the opposable thumbs and we don't we are out-thumbed (obviously) and out-weighed on the decision-making.  We won't say more on the weight thing other than that she out-weighs all of us put together. 

So in honour of summer, birds and bees - the creatures who keep our planet pollinated and serenade us with their beautiful songs - we bring you....

​Birds and Bees
 
Birds and bees as summer comes
Seek out the flowers their sap to sup
And as they do they spread the crumbs.
One to another they drop them down
To infuse the stem and procreate
Another year the earth to crown.

​Bees
 
We are so blessed 
That bees do best 
With cobby bodies
To pollen wrest
From hearts of flowers
And stamens long
To drop it next 
Within the throng
Of bee's bouquet.
 
© Whiskers, Mouse, Sweetie, Etude & Rondo - Mischief and Mayhem Central

Friends - comments are welcomed.  We love to hear from you all.  Let's keep it light and fun.  

By Rondo, Poet and Balladeer

Hello friends... A couple of Fridays ago we featured Sadie on our Facebook page.  She is a friend who doesn't have a page of her own so we felt it would be nice to share her with all of our friends.  She's a lovely little lady.

​One morning Grammy was chatting to me about her.... you know how Grammy's are! blah! blah! ....sweet, adorable... blah  *eyes roll* … blah! blah! well behaved blah! blah! undemanding  blah!   Well, I tuned out as you can imagine... until she finally got to the good stuff. Then I was all ears.

​Imagine... a one cat household and still she has to be a little conniver and work at getting her own way  Who'd have thought?   A lady after my own heart.  

AND she and Grammy are best buddies! No, scratch that!  She and Grammy are ______  ... well read on and you fill in the blank.

Sadie
 
A little kitty of calico persuasion
Makes the most of ev’ry occasion
From morn to night she loves to nap
On bed, on chair, on mommy’s lap.
 
Sadie’s her name and she is sweet
Her favourite game - to snaffle a treat.
Though mommy is careful to watch her weight
Sweet Sadie is quick her mummy to bait.
 
She sits on the floor head facing her bowl
Hoping Mum will succumb, doesn’t she know?
More kibble is wanted before her next nap
Or she’ll waste away to the size of a gnat.
 
Mummy sees the sad little lady
Thinks, puss is deprived, my poor wee Sadie.
Have some kibble to fill empty tummy
Don’t cry, eat this I think it’s quite yummy.
 
Worked again, works every time
To snaffle treats, it’s so sublime.
Mum’s a softy, when I bat my eyes
And twitch my tail I get the prize.

But there is another side to the wee lady...  
 
Spa Day, No Way
 
Sadie dislikes when Grammy makes visits;
Knows the old girl will clip her digits
Oh woe!  She’ll trim the wee claws, the nasty one
Then bribe precious princess when she is done.
 
But Sadie, the wise one won’t fall for this trick
To try to bribe, Now that is so sick
By such an attempt as using a biscuit
‘Tis criminal, to bamboozle this kittlet.
 
Nevermore will she be forgiven
For snippin’  her nails; it is forbidden
To trim them off. It is the last straw       
Her pins are needed to climb and to claw.
 
But treat o’er there it looks so yummy
Be even better when in my tummy
Just this once I think I shall gnosh
But still won’t forgive the nail-trim boss.
 
© Whiskers, Mouse, Sweetie, Etude & Rondo - Mischief and Mayhem Central

​Well friends, that's another one.  You know I love to hear your comments.  Please leave your thoughts here and/or on Facebook and we will respond...but let's keep it light and fun.​

By Rondo, Poet and Balladeer

​Good morning, friends.  Here I am again with another two poems.  My dear, chubby twin brother, Etude is the topic of my poems this week. 

Now, he may be my twin but you must know I am the more handsome one of the duo.  Yes, that's a given but I'll concede, he's the more adventurous and romantic one. 

​Oh, before I forget... he has two loves:  his girl, RAINA and our Grammy.  Yes, Etude has fallen in Loooove, and yes, he loves our Grammy and will spend hours sitting on the arm of her chair staring at her adoringly while she works on the computer.  Talk about a Grammy's boy.  Teehee.

​But, besides that he is truly adventurous.  He and his 'girl' RAINA love to go on jaunts together living life to the fullest.   Now most of these adventures are shared on our Facebook page... but that is so we can share the many photos.  He's not much of a writer, preferring action over the pen so if you want to check out his adventures check out our Facebook page. 

​Well, as much as adventure is adventurous, I'll stick to my poetry and songs, though won't sing for you here.  Grammy made me promise. No singing on Weebly.  If you'll remember though, I'm no slouch when it comes to flirting with the girls.  It got me into deep trouble so I'm much more careful now that I don't break anymore hearts.

 So here they are... two poems one for each of his loves.

Ode to a brother - Etude and his girl
 
My bro' has love who sings and hums
Raina's her name.  His heart she's won.
He sighs like breeze and then he swoons
While o'er her graceful charm he moons.
Names for her he has a lot
Songbird is one but he has got
His favourite. That by far, oh my!
Is his sweet darling Butterfly.
 
Grey white is he, our adventure boy
A little stout, he jumps for joy   
Loves flying hoverboards; it is his jobby
Though some may say it’s more a hobby.
 
With girl beside he’ll soar aloft
And swoop around and scarper off
To parts unknown with girl in tow
To show her where the moon doth glow.
 
Then thought he’ll have as moon is set,
"It’s time we home to Gram must get
Before we’re grounded hard and fast
And lives all nine have come and past."
© Whiskers, Mouse, Sweetie, Etude & Rondo - Mischief and Mayhem Central

​Now I did say he has two loves.... this is his other - the one he's loved since he was a newborn scrappy furball.

Grammy’s Lap 

On Grammy’s lap our Etude sits
Disturbs th’ old girl while she knits
Demands she cuddle and kiss his face
Which hinders, suddenly she’s lost her place
Becomes dismayed and has hissy fits.
 
But on other hand she loves his heat
As on her lap he lays his feet
His girth is wide, warm as toast
But so is hers, I do not boast
For I tell you now, both love to eat.
 
© Whiskers, Mouse, Sweetie, Etude & Rondo - Mischief and Mayhem Central

Well, friends.  That's my dear brother.  

​Comments are welcomed.  Let's keep them light and fun. Especially if they tease Etude.  Teehee.​