Christmas kitteh

Sweet little Christmas kitteh:

Don't I look sweet & innocent?

I am sweet & innocent!

Ha Ha! They don't know I wuz just hangin from the ribbons tryin to pull the whole works down!

Ah, my work here is done...for now...

Back From Hiatus?

It's been a difficult time around here...somewhat of a forced hiatus...and posting is likely to remain sporadic for a bit yet, but I'm here this morning, and that's all I can do.

Besides all the "normal" madness, I've been dealing with the death of an elderly relative whose financial affairs, etc. I handled; another bout of bronchitis (gone now thankfully); and a sick horse. (Other than that, how was the play Mrs. Lincoln?)

More on Solana later...for now I'll just say that we're dealing with laminitis...a very serious disease that involves inflammation of the connective tissue inside the hooves. To say that there is conflicting information about it would be a gross understatement. I initially didn't want to even post about it...it's a lot to deal with and I've been overwhelmed with information and opinions. But it's part of what's going on and if I'm gonna' continue this blog at all then I had to fill you in at least a little! Anyway, for today, she's doing well...it's a long road and we've been having lots of ups and downs.

 

 

One of the latest things we've done (we being myself and my wonderful veterinarians!) is to get her into these boots on her front feet.

More on them later...they're *wonderful*! And don't you love her "bobby socks"?! She's almost ready for the sock hop :D

Morning fog at the bridge on the way to the barn.

Xander continues to fare pretty good in this household!!!

More soon (?)...I hope...

Long Drink of Water

Not really, it's an expression.

Okay, again, I need some feedback here. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think all little boy-kitties like to hang their heads down & let the blood rush to their heads. I know Xander does. A lot! He also trusts us to not let him fall. Take this pose for example:

This started out with him in LoML's lap. He gradually oozed over & down until this was accomplished. His front paws were about an inch off the floor. And he stayed like this long enough for me to go in the next room & get the camera (which, again, should be around my neck at all times when I'm in the house!). Incidentally, after I snapped a couple of pix, I cupped his little head in my hand and held him up that way for a bit and he just purred. Funny boy!

Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open.
--John Barrymore

FFoC

Okay, I realize this is a delicate subject to be discussing here...and I may very well lose some of you forever with this post...but it's a topic that must be tackled. It must be talked about openly. We must bring about public awareness. I'm talking about FFoC - Feline Flatulence on Command.

It's a survival tactic to rival that of the octopus' ink. At the ripe old age of 4+ months, Xander has mastered it. It's deployed something like this:  You're a busy tiger-kitten (at least in your mind) with lots of tiger-y (Tigg-ery?) things to do. One of your staff abruptly picks you up and starts smooching on you and making silly baby sounds. You don't want to bite the hand that feeds you at that particular point in time (tho' that's a valid option many other times) so you deploy a silent but effective weapon designed to make your opponent let you go. That's right, feline flatulence. On command.

People, we need to be aware of this. It's a very real phenomenon. At least in our household. I need to know how pervasive this is. Feel free to comment and share your experiences.

And for those who stuck with me to the end of this post, thank you. Here's a cute picture to try to make up for the content of this post.

The culprit...back when he was still little...Is this a yawn, or a laugh???

Yet More Sleeping Poses

So, so busy with wackiness! :::sigh:::

Here's a few more sleeping shots from a couple of weeks ago:

A rare occasion where himself didn't run her off the table, but fell asleep instead!

Okay, not a sleeping shot...Xander chewing on my camera strap while I'm shooting pix! Note Gwyn's tongue out!!!

Exhausted & sleeping with favorite toy--a ball of paper :D

Cute Con 5 Part II--The Movie

Okay, so I didn't get this posted yesterday, but here's the video...if you haven't read Thursday's post, read it before you view the video!

CUTE CON 5...and beyond

Here's a direct quote from an email my SIL sent me (hope she doesn't mind me doing this!) after my last post:

 The level of cuteness on your blog has reached CUTE CON 5. (like Def Con, but cuter)  CUTE CON 5 is the highest level of cuteness that can be withstood by a human being.  After that, body parts start bursting into flames.  And you know, about the time I hit the second or third picture of a sleeping ginger kitty with his paw resting on a voluptuous white divalicious girl kitty, I thought I smelled smoke!

I asked her last night what comes after CUTE CON 5 and she replied "Armageddon." Well, get ready...

Initially Xander was sleeping stretched out in his cube...

..later he moved onto the bed where Wil' was already asleep...

..after rolling over, he started licking her! First, the bottom of her back foot (her head is upside down with her nose tucked into her front paw)..

..now he's licking her ear I think....she was not amused to be awakened like this! Tomorrow there will be video evidence of what transpired next...to be continued..

Too Much Cuteness???

It's gone too far. I really don't think I can stand it. And, frankly, I'm a little worried about you as well! I don't even have words for the level of warning that's needed for this post. Proceed at your own risk!

But first, let me tell you how I found my computer yesterday morning:

I have a cordess mouse that runs off rechargeable batteries. Even when I leave the computer on and let it go to sleep at night, I turn the mouse off to conserve the batteries. *Someone* went walking on my keyboard early yesterday morning. LoML reported that he heard it beeping. I'm thinking he was pulling up the help center to see how to grow your own opposable thumbs and/or how to use psy powers to open the canned food.

The rest of the day was steadily deteriorating weather-wise with Sandy sending wind & rain our way so it was spent napping.

First there needed to be some bathing...because you don't want to go to bed dirty!

 Then the serious napping began...but Mommy kept interrupting....which caused some stretching:

 ...and burrowing back in...

 ...then more stretching...

 ...and generally speaking just ridiculous levels of cuteness!

Colors

I believe that if one always looked at the skies, one would end up with wings.
Gustave Flaubert

Pileated Woodpecker - Whatbird.com

Pileated Woodpecker - Whatbird.com
Check it out--we have a "crown" of pileated woodpeckers at the barn! I like the above site...you can listen to their call and read fun facts about them. Not enough time this a.m. but more later...these guys are *very* territorial and have been fussing at the horses and at me when we get too close to their trees. The lighting was not ideal last night, but I got these shots:

I'm gonna' keep trying & see if I can't get some even better ones. They really are spectacular birds.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch:

He still sleeps well!

It's the amazing expandable kitten! He's like Mr. Fantastic--he's elastic!

Worn out from playing with a favorite toy--a ball of paper

And there've been more smackdowns...