Carnival of the Cats #445

Sidonia: We are mad at Momma this week. Apparently she forgot to tell us we had a carnival to do and we missed it on Sunday.


Oreo: Yeah, she's been so busy playing with my ears that she totally forgot. She said the Internet was down and she didn't realize it was our turn, but I think she's lying. It was totally my ears. And I am not amused.


Kal-el: As punishment, I'm taking her spot on the couch and making her scrub litterboxes with a toothbrush. While she's doing that, we'll get the carnival rolling.

Cokie the Cat reviews Disney's Frankenweenie and gives it four paws up even though it does promote the negative portrayal of cats. We are excited to see it. Any movie with a feline should be an automatic Emmy contender!

Poor Nikita and Elvira! Daddy Kiril won't let them play in the moving boxes. They only get to watch from afar and try to keep out of his way.

Nikita and Elvira from Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat also present the last Street Seens repurrt from California. We look forward to many new Street Seens in Texas!

Luna from CatSynth shows how well behaved she is around (most) wires. Not all kitties are so smart, so always check to make sure your kitties aren't chewing wires. They might get a nasty shock.

Happy 12th PurrDay to Maddie! Over at StrangeRanger, Maddie gets birthday deli-turkey, a new toy, and a new sun napping spot. She's getting the royal treatment, and we wish her many more PurrDays to come!


Felix: To be fair, she was also busy because of me. I had an abscessed tooth and was in a lot of pain for a few weeks until the vet figured out what was wrong. The tooth is now gone and I had to go through the agony of no crunchies for a week.


Felix: But I am all better. I'm so glad they found the problem. Now I'm back to my old self, always demanding belly rubs.

Thanks for letting us host, and we promise we will be on time next time. And if we threaten to make Momma use the toothbrush on her teeth, we are pretty sure we can make that happen. In fact, we might even convince her to let us blog on other days too!

Next week's carnival is at Mind of Mog.

Carnival of the Cats #438

Maggie: Like everyone else, Momma has been watching the Olympics this past week. She's supposed to be finishing homework, but as long as I'm being fed, I'm not going to judge.However, I think the 2016 Olymic Committee should consider a cat-only event: Cat Napping. We are already in rigorous training for it and Momma is helping us with practice events.


Momma: Oreo, your stance looks great, and the simulatenous paw and tail curls will give you extra points for difficulty. However, your symmetry is a bit off...both your back paws should be tilted instead of just one.

As we continue training, lets get started with the carnival!

Nikita Cat and Elvira, Mistress of Felinity, of the Feline News Network (FNN) bring us the World Mews Repurrt over at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat, which is where all felines should get their news. Humans just don't report it as well as kitties do, and these two always do a great job!

At Animal Shelter Volunteer Life, Minnie shows her training method for Olympic Cat Napping. That extra floof will mean extra points for sure! Minnie sure is beautiful and we hope she finds a forever home soon.

Two new kitten family members decide to go on an adventure of exploring the dishwasher over as Mrs. Banks Has Kittens. Dishwashers are always fun, but we also want to check out the fridge next because that's where our Momma hides the food.

Forget cat napping as an olympic sport. We see a potential gold medalist in Maddie as she fences over at StrangeRanger. Maddie's sharp eyes and quick reflexes are definitely something to see!

Are Samantha and Clementine from Life from a Cat's Perspective just being shy or secretly in training for our event? Looks like we might have some competition!



Momma: Maggie, throwing a roll into your Cat Napping stance is awful riskly. It's rarely tried due to the difficulty of maintaining the correct pose. I do know you like a challenge though, so if you can pull it off, then I say go for it.


Momma: Tiger, I think the outstretched paw is a great start and shows off your gracefulness. However, this is a napping stance that has a low degree of difficulty and I think the judges will not give you the score you are looking for. Based on the votes, I think Oreo and Maggie should represent the Meowers of Death int his event.


Tiger: I was ROBBED! I demand an investigation! They're paying you, aren't they?

Oh, dear. Looks like a scandal is already brewing around here. While the investigators are called in, we'll go ahead an wrap up the carnival.

As always, thanks for letting us host! There were only a few submissions for this week. If for some reason your submission did not go through, just let us know in the comments and we'll be glad to update!

Next week's carnival is at iMeowza. We all miss Meowza!

Carnival of the Cats #429

Scamper: I just love open windows on sunny days. I wish Momma would open them more often. She says it's too hot, but I think she's a wimp.


Quixote: I wish she would keep them open so I can stretch out an sun mah belleh. And I agree, Scamper. Momma doesn't appreciate the sun like we do.

While we enjoy the open windows, Momma will get started on the carnival...

Summer is the time for vacations and sometimes your feline friends want to come along. Be sure to check out essential tips for flying with felines so your cats are comfortable during flights.

Over at Animal Shelter Volunteer Life, they are celebrating adoptions of not only kittens, but some adult cats as well! This is great news...it is usually harder to find homes for adult felines. We are so happy that these cats have found forever homes.

We are amazed at the FNN special repurrt Nikita posted at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat. This repurrt takes another look at PETA and examines a 5-part report on PETA and an alternative to PETA, Nathan Winograd & the No Kill Movement. We give this fourty-four paws up (4 X 11), which is high praise from the Meowers of Death.

Daddy Kiril also spots a feline family during one of his adventures in the neighborhood. Mom, pop, and some kittens have been spotted, though momma cat was none too happy and did not wish to say hello.


Winry: I like the sun, but I also love hearing the birdies and all the sounds outside. Seeing birdies is fun, but I like to hear them too!

Over at House of the Mostly Black Cats, Pepi says a special happy purrday to his best girlfriendcat Sabrina. Who says romance is dead? Not us!

Cokie the cat gives us the info on the upcoming BlogPaws conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, which is open to all animals as well as their owners. It sounds like a lot of fun and we encourage you to attend!

We enjoy a blast from the past at StrangeRanger with "vintage" pictures of Maddie from six years ago enjoying a good roll with her catnip squirrel. Nothing is fun like rolling around with some catnip!

Well, that's it for this week's carnival. Time to close the windows and get the kitties ready for their dinner. Thanks for letting us host...as always, it was a lot of fun! Next week's carnival is at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat.

Carnival of the Cats #415

Mira: Hello...I'm Mira. I'm not the crazy cat lady's cat. Her parents are my humans...which kind of makes us sisters. But I think they love me more. They never give her stinky food or give her toy mice to play with. Anyways, she says she is really sorry about the lateness of the carnival. She's got a virus on her computer and is having trouble getting to her other pictures. I don't know what a virus is, but it sounds yucky, kind of like a hairball for laptops.

Without further ado, the Carnival of the Cats!

Nikita's Daddy spots a lovely black cat named Ophelia near some of his old stomping grounds. What a lovely name for a feline!

Picteresque Moosey catches a Sunday sun nap over at Animal Shelter Volunteer Life. A sun nap is wonderful any day of the week.

Mom and Dad may be busy, but it looks like Samantha and Clementine have plenty to keep them entertained over at Life From a Cat's Perspective. Though us kitties are always up for company...well, at least Samantha and Clementine are!

Also over at Animal Shelter Volunteer Life, Sammy and Moosey have been tagged and volunteer to answer some questions about themselves. Moosey, we're scared of the doorbell too!

Meowza also decides on a sun nap snooze over at Mind of Mog. We wish Momma would put in more windows so we could indulge in more sun puddles.

Meowza enjoys not only sun naps, but human lap naps as well at iMog. Next best thing (and the warmest).

The Pets Lady provides good information and advice about cat health issues and the impact your cat's diet can have on health. Felix and Tiger know that UTIs are never fun, so it's always important to do what you can to prevent them.

Nikita brings you World Mews Repurrt 11. It's great to hear that we kitties have such a reliable source for feline news that covers the stories WE want to read about. Who cares about human politics when you can check out the Presidential Pet Museum website?

Mouse? What mouse? Nikita is busy investigating (and getting distracted) a possible mouse over at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat. Momma says we wouldn't know what to do with a live mouse and we think she's wrong. Just leave it alive and in Momma's bed...right?

Ritzi takes cover from the wild child over at Mind of Mog. Boxes are not just for fun - they are for hiding from humans too!

At Mind of Mog, Ritzi looks rather unhappy with the human paparazzi. She provides a glare worthy of a Meower of Death, in our opinion.

Mira: So a deals a deal, lady. Where are my treats?

Mira: That's more like it. *crunch crunch* She says thanks for letting us host! *crunch crunch* The next carnival is at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat.

Carnival of the Cats #410

Kal-el: "Momma says I'm too fat for this box. But in my opinion, if I can sit in it, I fit in it!"


Kal-el: "Momma's just jealous she doesn't have a comfy box like I do."


Maggie: "Uh no, Kal, I think Momma's right. You need a bigger box like this one!"


Maggie: "While I love my box, the coolest thing is that mine is in the sunlight. See? I can play BatCat!"

Maggie: "While I'm busy with my cape, let's roll on with this week's carnival!"

With the help of their mom, Lars and Odin from Bengal Business are starting up a new blog called Cat Photo Club. Be sure to go check it out...the first competition starts February 1st!

At Life from a Cat's Perspective, Samantha and Clementine are getting along better and are enjoying the nice weather. We're glad to hear the calming pills are working!

Monty joins the family over at Dimes2Vines and represses his feline tendencies to bond with his dog brothers.

Elvira from Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat gets excited over the possibility of more kibble, but Nikita gives her a disappointing reality check. Even though there was no food, we want to congratulate you, Nikita, and Daddy Kiril on your 600th post!

Also, Daddy Kiril has an encounter with a lovely Black Cat whie trying his bike on a new trail. While he's able to coax the cat closer, he is also left with a lot of questions about the cat and his origins.

Nikita enjoys a bit of fame when Daddy Kiril reads some of Nikita's poetry to a captive audience, and he gets recognition from Rick Lupert. We love hearing about felines with true poetic and artistic talent, especially when it's recognized by our humans.

Over at Animal Shelter Volunteer Life, Max and Lloydie enjoy a nice nap in some awesome cat beds. We hope they find a forever home soon!

Meowza enjoys a patch of sun over at Mind of Mog and shows off his tongue as well as his spots. No need to hide when you are as handsome as Meowza!

Thanks for letting us host this week! Please let us know if we missed you and we'll add you to the carnival. Next week's carnival is at Friends Furever.

House Guest! Wee!

I was so wrapped up in what I had to do today. I was packing up stuff from my cube, which was bittersweet and a little tougher emotionally than I had bargained for. More on that Tuesday.

As for the other....yes the date with K went splendidly and all his friends were very nice. We had a good time laughing and joking about all kinds of random things. Once his friends left, K asked if I wanted to watch a movie. I said sure. We paused the DVD to finish our conversation. 4 hours later we are still talking, have entirely given up on the movie now, and are now starting to comprehend the possibility that I may not make it home in a conscious state. So I ended up crashing for a few hours and left the next morning.

So in my infinite wisdom, instead of using this week of no school and little work to finally detox after a year and a half of school/work/life hell, what do I decide to do? Invite him over to my house. On Friday.

I didn't think he'd actually accept so quick of an invitation. And now I'm like crrrraaap time to get this frat boy college kid house into good shape. Well, at least as good as it can be.
My legs hurt. My feet and neck are quite angry. But I only have the bedroom and living room left, along with a few things outside. Yes, he knows about the cats, and I've given him a heads up on some of the crazier traits of the house, but still, it's nerve-wracking. Whole new level of trust here on my end.

But in preparing for all this, I completely missed the late night 12/22 slot. It's kind of a weird anniversary. It's precisely the moment my ex A told me he had feelings for another girl and that he just want to leave us all, Spidey included, and just start over. That night just rocked my world, and it took weeks for me to even start moving past basic survival.

What difference a year makes. I am a lot stronger mentally. I have goals and will pursue them no matter what. I will not just date any man, but one who is sure of himself and will not make me suffer from self-doubt. Trust is difficult for me still, to let someone into my life and know he is going to be loving and accepting of me no matter what.

I'm grateful for what happened, because I love being who I am now. But I'm also terrified of the unknown future.

This was only a EZS test...an emergency zombie stumbling test

Sigh...I suppose that with the good of posting here, there's also some bad. My counselor would be thrilled to know I am writing something, but she much prefers the tactile sensation of pen to paper. I consider this a amicable compromise.

I am grumping tonight, and in a major way. I think at least half of the problem is this cold that has sunk it's teeth in and I am frantically trying to EVICT before tomorrow night. And any attempt at sleep brings on layers of nightmares and random wakeups that end up causing me to test my zombie stumbling skills in the mornings as I get ready for work. I have been bouncing and going for about a year and a half now, and needless to say, I'm bone tired...so much so that my body just cannot seem to properly recharge anymore.

This is one of those moments where my impatience wants to take over. I KNOW that if I just trust in
God's plan, I will get through whatever is thrown at me. I know this because of the hell I have survived in the past year. If this falls through, it will not be the end of the world. I will cry a bit, then pick myself up and move on. I will survive. It's this trait I've been using for so many years that I know it will be there. Granted, happiness and contentment will fall by the wayside, but at least I will be able to slip that bag of boulders back onto my shoulders and shuffle on. No worries, I know the way on this hike.

Now what I want to happen, what God wants for me, and when all this needs to happen is a tangled mess of anxiety rats in my brain that can't seem to line up for roll call. Lord knows I don't want the past, I'm terrified of the present, and anxious for the future. Any sort of limbo or uncertainty is my kryptonite, and that seems to be in about every part of my life right now.

If my personal life could click together like my school life, I'd have no complaints. Other than Maggie feeling the need to check my face EVERY NIGHT to make sure I am, in fact, breathing. Or that I haven't eaten a home cooked meal in months and my house is a disaster. But you know? I could handle that if things would just go MY WAY.

*stomp stomp kick a cat*
(not really)

And breathing...alright, the tantrum is over for the moment.

Why does it have to be so hard? In school, you get an assignment, you procrastinate and goof off, you frantically throw something together last minute, and you smile as you see the A. Lather, rinse, repeat. How easy is that? Why can't something personal, like choosing a house, or organizing a holiday party, be that simple? And why can't "healthy" dating be that way? Oh no, my dear friends. Apparently I've had a lot of shall we say "abnormal" courtships in the past. This one, however, is supposed to be normal, and I apparently normal is not an easy concept for me. Go figure.

K really likes me. He asks me out on dates plenty in advance. I get the prime time Saturday night time-slot where we end up spending 10 hours together (talking, joking, all innocent, I assure you) and barely conscious say our good nights as we drive home. We practically emailed novels the whole first month we talked. Then he finally asked me out bowling, and the moment I sat next to him at the restaurant, I knew things were going to be OK. We have so many inside jokes after 3 dates. He makes jokes about "our future kids" and "if we were to get married." Our personalities are similar, and neither the cats nor the twice-divorced issues seem to be a dealbreaker for him, as did none of his family issues or lack of relationship experience for me. For our fourth "date" I was asked to attend a game night tomorrow night with his three (maybe 4) best friends, in a very couples setup. And of course I still can't forget the kiss...well, kisses, from our third date.

But I'm beginning to wonder about K's "fatal flaw." I have been amazed at how good of a guy he is in spite of his family history and I've wondered if there was something lurking underneath. He also mentioned he is a very solitary kind of personality, which is eerily like mine, so it's certainly not an issue for me. But he's had almost 0 relationship experience, and at his age, I'm really wondering why. I wonder if it's more of a barrier he's raised due to some of his own issues. I'm not sure yet if he is ready for the emotional attachment and needs of a real relationship. Our primary communication right now is text, usually every other day one of us will say hello and we'll talk for a bit. His cell phone reception is worse than mine, so I've only received one brief phone call. His life also seems a little chaotic, and I don't believe he handles stress well. Which does not work so well for me.

I don't want to bail out though. More importantly, I don't feel like I can fix him or I am his superhero. I like K for who he is. And I really like him and think he is an absolutely stellar guy who knows how to be a grown-up but funny as well. But at some point, if we can't figure out a way to ease into trusting each other and getting pass the formalities, we are going to hit a stalemate and because he seems to be the one who needs to move slower, that is on him. That has to be his choice, and I'm not going to nag him or push him to open up to me if he is not ready and willing to. No, K is not husband or fiance material right now with his communication skill issues, BUT that doesn't mean he can't change if he wants to. However, we will not move to any new levels until those issues are resolved.

Right now I'd just like to see us get past the formality stage of things and get a bit more comfortable with each other. Which may not happen until his life calms down a bit with holidays, a new house, longer work hours, etc. I think it may just be a question of whether or not we can work each other into our chaotic lives while also preserving our individuality. I think that's the first step. Then we will see if we can start trusting each other.

Told you dating was a headache. But spilling your guts right off and flying into a romance hurts far, far worse when you get burned in the end. That much I have learned.

Updates

Two days in a row? I know, I'm spoiling you!

I'll just give a quick update on a few things from the past year:

School/work: I will begin student teaching on January 2nd. In order to do this, I have to quit my job and try to survive through the semester on student loans and prayer. Probably more prayer than student loans at this point. My last day at work is on the 27th. I am TERRIFIED. It's not like I didn't know this was coming, but it was always in the future, and since I turned in my official notice at work, it is sinking in more and more every day. This semester is over, and I have managed to continue my run of a 4.0 GPA. I have passed one of five Praxis exams I plan to take. You will be hearing more about this, trust me.

The drrrrama: So I've mentioned the divorce before. That ended up being finalized at the beginning of the year and sadly, you will not see any more of Spidey's antics on this blog. That's about all I'm going to say about it, other than I wish him the best and I've realized this really was the best thing that could've happened to me. It's still not fun to have the "twice divorced at 30" label.

I also went through another relationship this year which got intense way too quickly and did not end well. Once again, though, no airing of dirty laundry here. I just know that once again, it was a good thing this ended and I've learned a lot from it.

Now? I've been dusting myself off, taking my lessons learned, and applying them to dating, which is this newfangled thing all the cool kids seem to be doing these days. Historically, my relationships have basically went from 0 to 80 instantly, with no natural progression in between, so you can imagine what this dating experience has been like for me. There are some unique stories to tell, which I will save for another day. Sadly, this experience has not restored my faith in men all that much.

However, there may be one shining light in this new journey. I've been dating K for almost two months now, though we talked through email for about a month before that. K is hysterically funny, sweet, and just a stellar guy all around. Because of his work schedule, we've only been able to go out every other weekend, but every date ends up going for hours because we can't seem to stop talking. The last date ended with a kiss and him stating "I've been wanting to do this for a while." This weekend, I have been invited to a game night with him and his three best friends, so we are moving to the mysterious "meet the friends" phase. So there is definitely potential here.

Things are going very slowly, which is good considering my history, and understandable concerning his, but this also makes things difficult to gauge. It seems like there is this whole mysterious interpretive dance portion of dating with a lot of unknown moves and steps that I struggle with. I try to be a pretty straight black-and-white person when it comes to my feelings, and apparently that is not how dating is done these days. However, I will continue to be patient and have faith this will work out one way or another for the best. And especially because my normal way of doings things seems to not work out so well for me.

My christmas gift to you, dear reader

As you can see, I've been doing a bit of sprucing up around here.

2011 has been a, well, interesting year. That's the best way I can describe it. It was far better than 2010, even though it has been full of enough chaos that I've considered moving even farther out into the country and adopting a hermit lifestyle, if for no reason other than simplicity. Though trying to finance my hoard of guns and food for the inevitable zombie apocalypse would likely not make it so simple.

I struggle with what to write here. There are some experiences I would love to share with the two people who still follow this blog, and one day, I'd like to actually increase that number. Consistency and actually posting would probably help with that. Perhaps five readers? I suppose I can dream.

But some of what I would write involves other people who were in my life. Oddly enough, I want to thank them more than anything, because I would not be who I am right now if it wasn't for the extreme shifting of life in this past year. There are days where I struggle with life, but that heavy dark cloud of depression and insecurity that has hung out over me for years is shrinking every day.

So, perhaps anything super sensitive, I'll post to another, lesser known blog. I'm not quite sure yet. This blog and I are old friends and we're just getting reacquainted. At the very least, I should be able to post more, even if it is just randomness about the cats and rants about this whole "dating" nonsense I've been experiencing.

Now, after all that seriousness, let's get down to business. What would this blog be without a cat picture?

Bagheera does not really have the grace of his panther namesake. He's actually more of a bull in a china shop. And he looks like a panther that swallowed a basketball. As you can see though, he is quite offended when I refer to him as Sir Chunk.

Carnival of the Cats #388

Kal-el: Mommy apologizes. She had a last-minute emergency come up. She's posting today, but she says sorry for the rotten pictures and that she will do better next time. If she doesn't, I'll smother her with my floof, I can promise you that!

Let's get started with the carnival!

Over at My Cats and Funny Stories, Arthur and Rosie debate whether to fix a mousie or just get a new one. Good luck fixing it...we tried to use glue once and Tiger got stuck to the wall!

Luna enjoys a drink of water and takes a peek outside over at CatSynth. We love our water too, but Bagheera likes to make a big mess with our fountain.

At Meowsings of an Opininated Pussycat, Elvira and Nikita investigate an awesome grab bag of feline (and human) goodies from the Kitty Bungalow Charm School for Wayward Cats. Surely one day we'll see Elvira in the sweater...

Elvira takes a break from checking out the goodies to do battle with the Foot Monster. Be brave Elvira...he is a wily one we know all too well.

While Elvira battles the Foot Monster, Nikita opts for a written battle and takes up the issue of the new Petco logo. It's been a busy week for this dynamic duo!

Over at Friends Furever, Allie investigates the new "addition" to the household and gives approval. We generally don't like anything new Momma brings in, so Allie must be one laid-back kitty.

Buddy kicks back and cuddles with Aunt Tracy on Sunday over at Animal Shelter Volunteer Life. A cuddle sounds like a great idea any day of the week!

Samantha & Clementine from Life from A Cat's Perspective have some fun during their visit with the GDB. Well, it looks like they're not having fun, but we know better!

Over at Strange Ranger, Maddie goes in for more bloodwork and mayhem at the vet's office and we get a vintage photo of the lovely Ivy napping. We hope Maddie's bloodwork comes back OK.

Meowza goes for a roll in the dirt, then washes up for his Sally over at Mind of Mog. At least he doesn't dirty up the sofa like Ritzi does!

We get another Meowza roll and also an adorable curl over at his blog iMeowza. We hope you & Mog stay cool!

What a great bunch of entries this week! Thanks everyone!

Bagheera and Maggie: We're going to enjoy our little cat grass salad bar now. Thanks for letting us host & we'll see you next time! Next week's carnival is at iMeowza.

Carnival of the Cats #380

Carnival of the Cats is a long-running weekly roundup of cat-related blogs that is hosted by a group of kitties and kitty staff/owners. You can find more information about it here.

Maggie: Look Momma, I killed a BIG rat! Aren't you so proud of me? I'm such a mighty hunter! I deserve a huge reward...tuna please!

Reepicheep: Silly Maggie. That mouse is fake! It didn't even taste right...though it was still tasty! *slurp*

Bagheera: That's right Reepicheep. All cats know that real mice are fuzzy, blue, and make chirping noises!

Clearly, these "mighty" hunters have never had to stalk more than a can of cat food. And Bagheera, from the looks of it, has stalked more than just a can.
Let's get the carnival started, shall we?

Over at CatSynth, Weekend Cat Blogging is combined with a Photo Hunt and Luna gets to show off some of her lovely cards from birthdays past.

Nikita from Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat writes a review of an essay called "In Defense of Cats" and shares his personal experience with his Daddy. Nikita is absolutely right. Cat owners and cat bloggers usually get a few raised eyebrows when other humans find out they love cats. Our Momma has had personal experience with this!

At Life From a Cat's Perspective, Samantha prepares for her weekend by chilling out in her favorite box and Clementine sniffs out her secret hiding place.

Salome from Three Tabby Cats in Vienna invites Meowza over for some snuggling and box investigating. Sounds like the purrfect date for a kitty!

Over at StrangeRanger, Maddie goes in for her senior pet visit, and the vet was lucky that Maddie did not do the blood drawing instead. Atta girl! Glad to hear you are doing well!

Tiger: Momma, these young whippersnappers know nothing about hunting. Now get off of this laptop and get me some food NOW!

I think I know who the "best" hunter in the house is, don't you?

As always, thanks for letting us host! Next week's carnival is at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat.

The Carnival submission form has been having some trouble this week. If you did not see your post and you submitted one, please let us know in the comments and we will be glad to add it!

House Projects: Phase 1 of...Many

So it's been a busy time for me. Well, honestly, I think not being busy is more of a rare occasion at this point.

But one of the many benefits of my recent life change (HA) is that I was finally able to get some projects completed around the house. I've lived with so much nonsense (house and otherwise) for...4 years? 4 YEARS. While I can't get it all done right this minute, it's amazing what I've been able to accomplish in just a few months:

1) Front window was finally replaced. Glass was completely missing when I moved in, and temporary board became permanent due to financial reasons & numerous other reasons we will not discuss here.

But window is now replaced and the kitties can bask in the sunlight to their heart's content. Not that they didn't have a gazillion windows to choose from in the first place.

2) The front door was in BAD shape. It was a full pane-glass door, and a number of the panes were broken and kept together with a "redneck patch job" of duct tape. The screen door, which was so old it didn't have tempered glass, flew open a few months ago and shattered into a gazillion pieces. There was no deadbolt, and to make sure the door was secure, I used the reliable security method of "butter knife in the door jamb."

I know. Boarded up window, butter knife in the door jamb. I was the queen of CLASSY living.

So screen door? New tempered glass. Front door? Custom steel door complete with more secure locking system.

3) The house has a front porch that runs almost the length of the front of the house. The porch posts were in terrible condition. Peeling paint & rotting boards = fear of collapse. So decorative trim & support posts were yanked & new posts put in place.

A few hanging plants, a little clean up work, cushions on the chairs, and TA-DA!

So needless to say, I am thrilled with the progress. Of course, this just makes me want to chill on the porch more and go out less, but considering how much I am gone during the week, I'm totally OK with that.

Definitely looking forward to some of the other projects I've got planned this year.

Monday, Monday

It's really surprising how big Reepicheep has gotten. He's probably around 9 months old now. He's still "the kitten" though. And a big spoiled one at that!

Wow. What a day it has been. Of course, I got nothing done I had planned to do. Other than updating here. But what a Monday!

Normally, Mondays are not the happiest days of the week for me. It's usually bye, bye, fun weekend...it's time to shuffle off to work now! But today has been...interesting. I wish I could share more, but I guess I need to see where these events are going. I'm just grateful today has been a fun day and am actually looking forward to tomorrow! (Tuesdays are usually worse than Mondays)

Of course, all this excitement does not help me accomplish all that is on my to-do list for today. But

I've had a lot going on so far this year. The divorce was final on March 25th. I'm still chugging away at graduate school. I've lost 23 pounds since the beginning of the year (45 overall!). Tiger has been diagnosed with some arthritis and borderline kidney disease (more on that another day). Work is still...work. I've made a ton of new friends. It's been stressful and emotional and exhausting...but there's hope. And not to go all Lifetime Movie Network on you or anything, but that hope has kept me going. I am healing, I'm learning a ton about myself, and I'm really getting excited about my future.

On May 20th I will be 30 years old. And surprisingly, I feel like life really is going to begin at 30 for me. I squandered away my 20s on bad choices, depression, and on people who didn't deserve all that I sacrificed. I don't want to do that again. And I have the opportunity of a fresh start. It's both terrifying and exciting at the same time.

For the first time in a long time, I can honestly say I felt GREAT today.

Carnival of the Cats #369

Reepicheep: Sorry the carnival is so late. We got distracted by this new fun toy!

Felix: I'm not all that excited about the toy. I'm more focused on my exercising...my speciality is power napping!

While Felix works on his, um, snoozing skils, let's get started with the carnival!

Wednesday's owner decides to formally submit a complaint letter to lovely Wednesday about recent behaviors. It is very entertaining, and we have taken notes on what we can try next with our Momma!

Uh oh...Arthur decides to add his own special fertilizer to enhance his owners' flowerbed and tells Rosie all about the "fancy new litterbox." We don't know how happy their humans will be, but it sure looks nice to us!

Nikita Cat posts about his daddy's scenic bike ride and the lovely cats his daddy encountered during his ride. Forget the lovely flowers and landscaping...spotting gorgeous felines is always the perfect way to enjoy the scenery.

Elvira and Nikita Cat may soon be a Youtube sensation. Elvira posts about her daddy's hard work on a slideshow presentation featuring the fabulous feline duo. Good luck!

We would like to say happy 4th Blogoversary to Samatha, Clementine, Maverick, and in memory of Mr. Tigger. Here's hoping you continue to post for many more years!

Maddie and her humans enjoy the beautiful spring blooms over at StrangeRanger. We are happy to hear that both humans and feline in good health!

At Mind of Mog, handsome Meowza enjoys the sun (and we're sure all the Temptations, love, and mousies too!).

Tiger: If we're talking about power napping, I could be a professional!

Sidonia: I think we should all go into training for that! Good night!

Thanks for letting us host, and sorry for the delay! The next carnival will be at Pet's Garden Blog.

Carnival of the Cats #362

Reepicheep: I love Sundays. Sundays are always good for napping.

Reepicheep: In fact, I think right now is a perfect time for a snooze.

Reepicheep: But sometimes, you just can't get comfortable and you've got to try a new position.

Reepicheep: This one seems pretty comfy. Why don't you enjoy the carnvial while I catch a few zzz's?

Who needs a guard dog when you have a perfectly good kitty guard? Hakuna guards the family room over at Lost in the Cheese Aisle.

Poor Rosie can't find anything (or any cat) because of the painting going on at My Cats and Funny Stories.

Cokie the Cat is asking for a #Pawcircle and #PawPrayers for his friend LaddieCat, who is not feeling so well. Be sure to check out Cokie's blog for updates!

Luna's lovely black fur and posing provides a perfect opportunity to capture her silhouette over at CatSynth for Weekend Cat Blogging and a Photo Hunt.

Big news over at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat...Elvira's celebrating her 1st birthday, and the Meowers of Death are so happy to see her grow into a lovely young lady surrounded by her loving family. Congrats Elvira!

Elvira's starts off her 2nd year with a bang with "The Elvira Factor" and her feelings on the word "puss" and it's political correctness.

Also, Elvira takes on even more with some commentary on the OC Weekly Website and their coverage of the sexiest females in Orange County...and she gets some honors for it. Great job on your coverage!

Maddie shows off her lovely eyes (and patience for the camera) over at StrangeRanger. We kitties are always long-suffering due to our humans' need to take pictures.

After chastisting Mog, Meowza graces us with his precense for Caturday by having some fun outside in the sun. It's good to see you again, Meowza!

Speaking of Meowza, he posts his annual purrfurmance review at iMeowza, and it's not looking so good for Mog. Maybe next year's will be better!

Thanks for letting us host! The next carnival will be hosted at Mind of Mog.

3 Things

So I mention I'll be posting more in 2011, and it's already February, and I know the two people reading this blog are probably throwing up their hands and going "huh?".

The thought of posting has crossed my mind every single day. What I have to say was holding me back. I'm trying not to let it anymore.

So, to not air my full drama to the Internet, I will try to condense this as much as I can:

1) For those of you that love the kitties, I have to sadly report that Izumi passed on Christmas Day 2010. She was suddenly sick and not improving. Further testing showed she had Leukemia (not Feline though) and the prognosis was very poor even with chemo. I didn't want her to suffer anymore and made the choice to help her be at peace. She was a sweet cat, and I miss her. Unfortunately, other life changes really prevented me from being able to mourn her loss or give you an update.

2) I have been in counseling for the past 2 years. Most of you already knew that. What you didn't know is that while I started going for other reasons, it ultimately became focused on childhood abuse. That has impacted every choice I've made in life. Because of it, I've always felt emotionally fragile and not good enough for anyone. I spent 2 years having to face it, and now I am a stronger person for it. My family knows about it now, so I'm OK with sharing it here. Anyone who has been through this, know that it does impact your life even if you live in denial that it does. Please find some counseling or other type of support...it's scary and it's hard, but you are worth more than you think you are and you can do it.

3) I am currently going through (another) divorce. All I'm going to say is this is not what I wanted, but was his choice. Through therapy, I grew up from that scared little girl and now am able to stand on my own two feet. I'm not a "fragile flower" anymore. Sadly, he has not grown up and has decided he wants something different in life. After going through a month of this, I've realized I deserve better than this and I agree it is time for him to go. It's sad, it hurts, and it's hard, but I know now it's necessary for me. I have hope and I know I will heal. And that's all I really have to say about it.

There is a lot more to both points, but for the sake of people involved and who may be reading this blog, I will refrain from providing any "dirty details." One thing I've learned is that it's OK to talk about stuff, but you've got to have some tact when you do it.

But I've posted both of these because I feel like I need to, that's it's just another step in the process of healing. I also know that there are people struggling with issue #2 and terrified to say anything because of the guilt & shame involved in having that happen to you (actually, that could apply to #3 as well). I want you to know you are not alone, and that you CAN start to heal from it.

I would like to talk more about both points, but I'm not quite sure how I plan to do that yet. Password-protected entries, perhaps, or another blog entirely. Rest assured, however, that the kittehs and this site won't go anywhere.

And hopefully, after letting this out, I can really start the ball rolling with posts, cat-related and otherwise.

Rest in peace, sweet Izumi

2011

While I can say 2010 has royally sucked, I'm going to look forward to 2011. Life will get better and the only person who can make me happy is me. Time to break through all of the stress and worry and start enjoying life.

Little cryptic, I know, but it's the best I can do.

You should be seeing more of me in 2011.

Carnival of the Cats #353

While it is usually a little cold outside during the holidays, it doesn't get really cold around her until January. But these past few weeks, it's been SUPER cold! We even had some snow! So now we're trying to keep warm, even if it means snuggling in odd places.

Maggie: Um, move along! Nothing to see here! No, Quixote and I AREN'T snuggling...um, this window just has a good view. That's it!

Oreo: I don't care how cold it gets, you won't see me snuggling with any other kitties!

Tiger: For once, we agree on something, Oreo. For that, I won't gripe at you tonight when you get close to me...but ONLY tonight.

Bagheera: Momma just doesn't understand us...I may be the bully of the house and Felix may be the most laid-back, but we're still cool with each other!

Sidonia: Clean or dirty...this laundry is still a good spot to stay warm!

Enough complaining about the cold, kitties. Let's roll on with the carnival!

We kick off the carnival with quirky Belle over at Watermark, where her owner tells us how Belle chose her family instead of the other way around. It really is always that way, you humans just don't realize it.

For COTC and Weekend Cat Blogging, CatSynth presents the lovely cats from the annual SF SPCA Holiday Windows event at Macy's. What a great way to showcase adoptable kitties!

Nikita Cat at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat does excellent detective work! He reports on the influx of scammers and advertisers into the world of Critter Blogging, and provides us some examples that they have seen.

Uh oh! Nikita and Elvira have spotted some star-crossed lovers near their apartment. Nikita tries to explain to a confused Elvira what's going on. While it's always great to see fellow felines in love, we also hope homeless kittens won't be a result of such love.

Elvira is a rare teenager -- she wants to spend time with her Daddy! She helps him with his work and goes after a paper ball that's giving him trouble. How do you ever get any work done without us kitties?

Samantha, Clementine, and Maverick at Life from a Cat's Perspective spend their Sunday showing all of us their favorite things. In our opinion, all are excellent choices!

Even though she's not a kitten anymore, Maddie still has holiday spirit and keeps and eye out for Sandy Paws over at StrangeRanger. We hope he brings you lots of goodies!

Maggie: Momma, you need to turn the heat up. This is just getting ridiculous!

Sigh. April can't come soon enough. From all of the Meowers of Death, happy (warm) holidays to everyone!

Next week's carnival is at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat.

How a Visit to the Post Office Can Change Your Perspective on Life

Today I swung by the post office during my lunch break. An older gentleman with what looked like an oxygen tank was working his way down the sidewalk.

Normally I would patiently wait behind him, but today I tried to scoot around him & ended up startling the poor man. I apologized and started to head for my car. He said, "Miss?" and I turned around. He said "Do you know what women and days have in common?" then responded "Just like days, some women are more beautiful than others." I couldn't help but smile at that. He said, "It makes every day worth it when you can make someone smile." I smiled again and agreed with him, telling him to have a nice day as I headed for my car.

As I headed to my appointment that I was running late for, I couldn't help but think about that man. About how I have lately been having such a hard time with life and I've been bouncing from one thing to another just trying to survive another day. I've been spending all my time worrying about school, work, money, sleep, and family. And here is this man who is connected to an oxygen tank and probably struggles just to get out to visit the post office because of his health issues. Yet for all his troubles, he goes out of his way to make someone smile.

While my struggles are many not insignificant, this one moment really put things in perspective for me. And I'm sure he'd be happy to know I was sharing this with the Internet.

Carnival of the Cats #349

We begin with the sad news of a loss within our ranks. Pepper suddenly passed on October 29th.

Daddy adopted Pepper a few years before he met Momma. Pepper had been rescued from a home due to neglect, but Daddy helped nurse her back to health. Her and Daddy stuck together through some hard times until they met Momma. She officially became an attack cat in April of 2006.

Pepper was a quiet sweet cat that (usually) didn't get along with the other cats. She was very skittish and would usually come up for pettings and snuggles late at night when it was quiet. She loved to put her paw on Momma's face when snuggling, and was happiest when she was kneading on Momma or Daddy. She'd had a number of health problems develop, including the heart murmur, hypothyroidism, back pain, and a potassium deficiency. She was probably about 8 or 9 years old when she passed due to her heart murmur.

While we miss her greatly, we are thankful she went quickly and peacefully and is finally pain-free. Momma is happy she got to see her and pet her one last time that day before she went to the Bridge. We know we will see her again.

We'd like to dedicate this carnival to her memory:

One of the cat owner rules is that everything must be covered in cat hair. Hakuna from Lost in the Cheese Aisle makes sure her family doesn't break the rules by relaxing (and shedding) onto a sunroom chair.

Over at My Cats and Funny Stories, Arthur grumbles about the rainy weather and the indignity of being dried off by his human.

Cokie the Cat is hosting a purrfect giveaway featuring a gorgeous ornament and refrigerator magnet starring Cokie himself!

Dirty-boy Meowza sneaks in some dirt rolling and dreams of turkey at both Mind of Mog and his own site, iMeowza, just in time for Caturday.

Uh oh! Over at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat, Elvira seems to be so concerned about her figure that she's comparing herself to a Thanksgiving turkey!

Also at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat, Nikita and Elvira are busy helping their Daddy learn how to make fliers...featuring themselves, of course!

Nikita also shows off his bravery by fending off a foot intruder and protecting his family. In our opinion, you definitely deserve a medal!

At Strangeranger, Maddie enjoys some puddles of sunshine and her human gets an opportunity to capture a photo of her lovely green eyes. How beautiful!

Thanks everyone for giving us the opportunity to host and to share. The next carnival will be at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat.