Simon At 8 Months

 

"Cats randomly refuse to follow orders, to prove they can."

~Llona Andrews

Magic Strikes

That was my little puffball, Simon, 8 months and one day ago. He is growing into quite a beauty, don't you think? Quite the young man. My goodness, time has gone by so fast. I am so glad we brought him into our life! I am so glad that his momma gave birth right next door, so that we could once again, have the sounds of bells running through the house. When Tyler came along, life only got better! Something I didn't even know was possible! Now, however, Joey has a case of the Green-eyed Monster, so we are navigating that, but I know we will work it out, all of us, together, as a family.

Simon, February 6th, 2026

Just An Autumn Caturday

 

"I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. 

A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through."

~Jules Verne

Can you believe how much Tyler has grown? He was born sometime around the end of April, but we recognize his birthday on June 9th. That is Simon's birthday, and sadly it was the day Hendrix passed away. I will share a post about Simon soon, but first I will have to get him to settle down long enough to get a photo! He's like a live wire, but that's a good thing. Both kitties are healthy, and happy, and strong! They have arrived at that special age where it's time to get them neutered, and chipped, and that will happen next week. A lot of dogs and cats go missing in Stockton, if that ever happened to Joey, or Simon, or Tyler, I would be completely lost. They are all my honeylambs!

Goodbye Super Kitty

 

"There will come a day, I promise you,when the thought of your son or daughter, wife or husband brings a smile to your lips before it brings tears to your eye. It will happen. My prayer for you is that day comes sooner than later."

 

~Joe Biden

 

I said goodbye to Dylan yesterday. He died peacefully and we loved and loved each other deeply, as we made eye contact with each other, as he began to slip away. I always knew he would need me at the end, just as he needed me when we made eye contact when I first met him. We always needed each other. And we were there for each other throughout the years. He made me laugh, oh my god how he could piss me off, but he was also a lot of fun to snuggle with, and we shared biscuits with butter. He loved butter. He had a full personality, sometimes he was Dillybean, other times he was Mr. Pissypants!He was complicated, but we found our way. Eventually, in 2020, he began to have health problems, and the end came when he was 16 years old. That's 81 in cat years. He lived a long safe life with us, and his brothers, Hendrix and Joey. There is never a good time to say goodbye, and I will miss him forever. But he lives deep in my heart, and one day we will see each other again, and we will play our favorite game, Super Kitty. 

 

Super kittttty. He flies to the east, and he flies to the west.

 

Heee's Supppper Kitty

 

Goodnight my baby.

 

 

 

From The Cage Of Higher Animals

"I have lived with several Zen masters... all of them cats."

~Eckhart Tolle

The Power Of Now: A Guide To Spiritual Enlightenment

It's quiet. All I can hear in the house right now is the snore of a little black cat named Hendrix. It's not a loud snore, he only snores just enough to be adorable. Sometimes I stop and watch him sleep, he usually sleeps at the end of our bed, but there is a second bed in my home office, on my cedar chest, where he curls up when he wants to spend time with me, and still catch a nap!

 He seems to have adventurous dreams, as his legs move quite a bit and he makes little sounds like he has just caught a nice, juicy mouse, or finally discovers where the extra dry cat food is kept! Hendrix is a happy cat, always has been, and why shouldn't he be? He's a cat. A creature clearly superior to humans, and while we both know that is true, he forgives my imperfectness and loves us unconditionally.  

When we first brought Joey home, after only having Hendrix and Dylan for five years, I fretted a bit about how integrating a new kitten into our home would be. Dr. B. told us not to worry. They would hiss, and make horrible growly sounds and there might even be a tussle or two, but there has never been a case of cat murder among their own community, just for the sake of committing murder! And he was right. 

Within a couple weeks, Hendrix and Joey were best friends. Dylan wasn't happy about the new cat, but even he eventually learned to love Joey when he found out that Joey wasn't going to cause me to love him less. And it didn't hurt that Joey and he bonded over the move and stayed by each others side! It all worked out. Hendrix was established as the alpha, Joey treated him with respect, and Dylan knows that having one more new friend is better than making a new enemy!

If only humanity were as smart and

 as reasonable the average house cat! 

I came across this quote from Mark Twain.

It sums it all up!

"Man is the Reasoning Animal. Such is the claim. I think it is open to dispute. Indeed, my experiments have proven to me that he is the Unreasoning Animal... In truth, man is incurably foolish. Simple things which other animals easily learn, he is incapable of learning. Among my experiments with this, in an hour I taught a cat and a dog to be friends. I put them in a cage. In another hour I taught them to be friends with a rabbit. In the course of two days I was able to add a fox, a goose, a squirrel and some doves. Finally a monkey. They lived together in peace; even affectionately.

Next, in another cage I confined an Irish Catholic from Tipperary, and as soon as he seemed tame I added a Scotch Presbyterian from Aberdeen. Next a Turk from Constantinople; a Greek Christian from Crete; an Armenian; a Methodist from the wilds of Arkansas; a Buddhist from China; A Brahman from Benares. Finally, a Salvation Army Colonel from Wapping. Then I stayed away for two whole days. When I came back to not results, the cage of Higher Animals was all right, but in the other there was but a chaos of gory odds and ends of turbans and fezzes and plaids and bones and flesh... not a specimen left alive. These Reasoning Animals had disagreed on a theological detail and carried the matter to a Higher Court."

~Mark Twain

Letters From The Earth: Uncensored Writings

 Leaf Of The Day

December 7th, 2016

Mood: Quiet/Happy

~Me

 

My Dillybean

"The way to get on with a cat is to treat it as an equal... 

or even better... 

as the superior it knows itself to be."

Elizabeth Peters

The Snake, The Crocodile And The Dog

Dillybean. My soul mate. He is Dylan. He is Mr. Pissypants. He is His Orangeness. He is The Little Corn Muffin. At the end of the day, he is my Dillybean. My kitty soul mate. 

One of the best friends I have ever had, and even while he is bitching a blue streak, 

which believe me he can do, 

he is always just my little Dillybean. 

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Morning Concerts

"Your cat will never threaten your popularity by barking at three in the morning. 

He won't attack the mailman or eat the drapes, although he may

 climb the drapes to see how the room looks from the ceiling."

~Helen Powers

What can I say about my Dylan, except I love the little fluffball. Oh, I can tell you that he is a very serious young man. He apparently has his own language, and speaks it often. He likes to sing, well, actually, he LOVES to sing, especially at 5:00 in the morning... every, single morning, for as long as 3 hours per concert! What does he sing about? Mostly the fact that his daddy keeps leaving for work, without Dylan's permission. He sings about how unfair life can be, and how he has the meanest mommy in the whole wide world! He sings about how much he loves his family, including his new brother Joey, although Joey wasn't his idea! He sings about his favorite brush, and how he likes a clean litter box. He loves to sing about the sun coming through the window, and how he can sit and watch a wall for hours on end. He sings about how he wants me to go to bed, when HE wants me to go to bed, and he sings about how nifty Groupon boxes are, for making a scalloped edge box to sleep in. 

Dylan always bites the top of the Groupon box on all sides, creating a scalloped edge, and when he completes it, he pulls one side down and pulls the side out, which looks a little like a foldout bed. Yes, if he were human, he would be a furniture designer.  But that's Dylan. He makes furniture, and just like Bob Dylan, he sings the blues. In fact, he kinda sounds like Bob Dylan. I am pretty sure I heard him once sing, This Wheels On Fire. Sigh. I have told Alan, NO MORE SINGERS! But did that stop me from naming our kitten Joey? Umm... nope. Joey was named after Joey Ramone, it just seemed to fit him. And it does. Our Joey loved Fruit Loops, just like the real Joey, and he is very, very cool, just like the real Joey. I love my boys, and naming them after singers all started with our Elvis, and I wouldn't change it for anything, I was meant to be a mommy to my little singing cats. But why does it have always have to be morning concerts?

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Sugar Cookie ANTS!

"Ant #1: So, uh, do you ever worry that your itsy little neck is just going to snap under the weight of your head?

Ant #2: Stop asking me that. You ask me that, like, every five minutes.

Ant #1: Sometimes I notice my antennae out of the corner of my eye and I'm all, like, AHH! Something is on me! Get it off! Get it off!

Ant #2: Yeah, the antennae again. Listen, I just remembered, I have to go walk around aimlessly now."

~Jim Benton

Okay, So Maybe I Do Have Superpowers

Ugg. The Christmas cookies were a big hit! I made a batch, then I made another batch, then I decided to make yet another one for New Year's. I think technically the New Year's cookies were the biggest hit, if you consider there are currently about a 1,000 ants in my house. Still, a good review is a good review! It's good to know that old fashioned sugar cookies are still enjoyed by people and ants.

 If you are having an ant problem try putting a line of cinnamon down between you and the ants... they won't cross it. And a plus... cinnamon is non toxic to dogs and cats, and most outside critters. We dust the house inside and out after the rainy season is over, and then repeat every four weeks or so! Another excellent product is Orange Guard. I found it at Whole Foods! It smells wonderful, and is again, safe for use around pets!

:)

"Ants don't make me nervous. They make me antsy."

~Jarod Kintz

Whenever You're Gone, I'm Here For You

Mood: Happy But Busy

~Me :)

ANTS!
Photographed 1/6/15
10:21 PM
HTC Vivid

My Christmas Lights... Hendrix, Dylan And Joey

"If there were to be a universal sound depicting peace... I would surely vote for the purr."

~Barbara L. Diamond

Last year my boys made their very first video as dancing partners. It was our Christmas present to everyone who has still stuck by this blog through the years. Can you believe I have been photo blogging over 11 years now? Sheesh. I must have posted a couple thousand photos by now, if not more, and I am continuing to find inspiration everywhere. Anyway, I am thankful for all my visitors, but the ones who have been with me through all the political rantings, and silly stories of my misadventures,and especially those who loved me through the loss of Elvis... well.. I love you.

Know that!
 :)
So now, an encore performance of "Silent Night"
 by The Brothers Gordon!

Enjoy!

Be sure to comeback here on Christmas Eve to see this year's performance!

Leaf Of The Day

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Happy Thanksgiving 2013

"Thankfulness creates gratitude which generates contentment that causes peace."

~Todd Stocker

Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite holidays! I love all the cooking and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and in recent years, the football games! The best part is all the fun Alan and I have together! He loves to cook as much as I do, so he usually joins me in the kitchen. He and I always laugh our asses off, either from some memory of Thanksgivings past or from some new incident in the current year! Either way, we have fun together, and we just let the day happen!

He has to work this Thanksgiving, but he will be home by 2:30, and we will spend the rest of the day together! Dinner this year is a bit laid back, due to a stubborn 18lb turkey that refused to thaw in the refrigerator! No problem... we are substituting a perfectly lovely Turkey Roll in it's place! We will simply make the currently frozen bird for either Christmas, or New Year's dinner! It's all good!

"Be thankful for what you have. Your life, no matter how bad you think it is, is someone else's fairytale."

~Wale Ayeni

After dinner we will be putting the yard inflatables up. We have an 8ft inflatable Santa Claus flying an airplane filled with toys, a very jolly Christmas moose, and the cutest Christmas elephant you have ever seen! LOL. The yard is going to be very pleasant and joyful methinks! I was lucky to have found the inflatables last year, just after Christmas, on Groupon! You could say I am very thankful for Groupon! :)

Mostly, I am just happy, and thankful, that after all these years Alan and I still cuddle at night. We still know how to make lemonade out of the occasional bag of lemons, and we have two cute little fuzzy faces, Dylan and Hendrix, to cuddle with on cold, late autumn nights. I am thankful for the love that fills my little home, and the peace and quiet we have this year. Sometimes, late at night, I can hear Dylan snoring, and that makes me happier than I ever thought I could be!

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."

~Melody Beattie

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mood: Grateful

~Me :)

A Phot A Day For 6 Months: Day 74~ HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP

"Whenever I feel the need to exercise, I lie down until it goes away."


~Robert Maynard Hitchens


Just a short post tonight. I want to share a little humorous situation, that will hopefully bring you a grin as you begin another week on planet Earth. Most of the time I am a pretty even tempered person, but when things like what happened in Aurora suddenly present themselves, it can be difficult to pull out of the funk it leaves in it's wake. Fortunately, I have my Alan, who always makes me feel better, and I have Dylan and Hendrix who make me laugh daily as they do their best to figure out their world as well!


Here's what happened. I went outside the other day, to check on the gardens, and clear my head a bit, when I came back in, my orange tabby, Dylan, ran past me, and didn't stop until he made it as far under the bed as he could go. I didn't think much of it, until I glanced into my office, and saw my desk chair swinging around and round in a decent spiral.


I thought about it for a second and then realized that Dylan had hightailed it out of my office, so he wouldn't get scolded for getting on my chair. It was kind of funny, how he thinks he can get away with it, if he can just cover his tracks. Well, he almost did this time except for one thing... the internet footprints he left behind! Look really closely at the picture above... see it? Yep, Dylan had stood up on my chair, stretched his front paws onto the computer keyboard and typed... HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP.


LOL.


Thank goodness the Help tap on AOL doesn't immediately contact 911 dispatch. No telling how much fun THAT would have been to explain!


LOL.

Dylan is a goofy little cat. I have seen him stalk, then attack, laundry, shoes, my purse, the remote control, my hairbrush, a small bag of jelly beans, and my personal favorite... an unopened box of black pepper. LOL. Dylan can be a handful, but goodness, he might just be the most beautiful cat I have ever seen. He is my baby!

See...
 

:)

~Me :)
 Now, go see what Jama and JR are up to today!


Jama
Sweet Memories

JR 
JR Cline Photography

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #123: Animals

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

-Mahatma Ghandhi













EMPS# 123: ANIMALS. NOW CLOSED!
It's time to show some attention to ANIMALS. For this EMPS I would like you to show me some wild or exotic ANIMALS, such as this squirrel I spotted in Golden Gate Park. You might try finding an ANIMAL like this one, or maybe you have some archived photos of zoo ANIMALS, which would fit the assignment nicely as well! Birds are fine for this assignment as well!

Extra Credit: Let's also pay some attention to our pets! Show me the ANIMALS you pet!

Guidelines for Assignment Submissions...

1.The EMPS closes each Sunday evening at 9:00 PM (ET). No submissions will be accepted after that time.

2. Submit your entry by getting your photo, uploading it to you blog or website, and then comeback here and leave me your link in the comment thread. PLEASE REMEMBER... THE LINK YOU LEAVE MUST GO BACK TO AN ENTRY WHICH IS SPECIFIC TO THIS WEEK'S ASSIGNMENT! A general link to your site will not do and will not be added to the list of those participating the following Monday. HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED!

3. Please be sure to provide a link back to the assignment in your submission, so your readers can find the assignment and join us. Everyone is welcome to play along!

4. Please keep in mind that the image you submit for the EMPS assignment, must be your own original photography. NO LIFTING!

Please Note: I have set aside two days during the week for visiting your submissions. Thursday and Sunday, so look for me then!


Participation List for EMPS #122: Art Inspired. 5/2/11

Karen


Okie Doke... go find some photogenic animals and meet me back here next Monday! See you then!

-Carly

A moment of AWWWWWWW!

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."

-Unknown

I love cats. There, I said it! Someday, I will be the crazy old cat lady with 31 cats! I am really looking forward to that day!

I found this cute little graphic at Paw Nation. What kind of kitty would be right for you?



I want them all!

By the way, tomorrow is Dylan and Hendrix's 2nd birthday! Be sure to come by on Friday to see photos from their party! Yes, of course there's going to be a party! Silly!


:) -Carly

In The Hands Of Dr. B.

"Cats are dangerous companions for writers because cat watching is a near perfect method of writing avoidance."

-Dan Greenburg

Hendrix weighs 2.2 lbs! So does Dylan. We are off to a good start!

Everything is coming up cats! LOL. Ok, let me explain. The new kitties, Dylan and Hendrix, had to go for a visit with Dr. B. yesterday. It was time for a weigh-in, and a check in the ears, and for Dylan, a look at a yucky mouse which had occurred under one of his eyes. That one had me worried. Had he been fighting with his brother Hendrix? Did Hendrix hate his brother? Were we going to have to... gulp... separate the brothers by getting rid of one of them for their own good? There were some questions to be asked, but the last one worried me the most. I am hopelessly in love with my new two sons, but if I had to give one up for their own good, I would do it, as long as they could live a happy life. I have to admit, however, it would have hurt like hell.

Getting a start on leash training, our first session went very, very well! :)



As it turns out, I was being an overly cautious mommy. Their play is just fine, and the mouse under the eye wasn't the result of hostility, it was something that happens when kittens play. I think I have been a little hypersensitive lately, as I struggle to let go of Elvis, who is still in my thoughts each day when I wake up. It's hard not to miss him, considering that each morning for the last 10 years he woke me with paw pads and kisses. Sometimes I can almost feel him, asleep at my feet, and I just want to not open my eyes, because then I have to face another day without him. I still love him so, so, so much. But within a couple seconds I hear some bells in the other room, and I know that Dylan and Hendrix are playing, and if I call their name, they come running, jump up on the bed, and kisses happen! It feels good to have them greet me with love at the beginning of the day, it's almost as if Elvis somehow whispered in their ears, "Mommy really needs you, so give her kisses when she wakes up." Well, it's a nice thought anyway! :)

Hendrix stalks the invisible mouse!


Dr. B is the best veterinarian in the world, or at least the San Francisco East Bay! I know that in his hands, and those of nurses Mary and Donna, my kitties have the best care available. We knew that when he was caring for Elvis during his cancer treatments. There was so little that could realistically be done for Elvis, in fact, a lot depended on hope. Dr. B. gave us that, and from that hope came the miracle of having the world's best cat, longer then we originally thought possible. Alan and I have joked many times that sometimes we wish be could give up our personal doctor, and just go to Dr. B. for our medical needs. LOL. It's just that in his hands are our children, our boys, and he takes very good care of all of us, in one way or another. :) Thank you Dr. B., once again, for your understanding and generosity. :)



The next two photos tell you why the bed rarely gets made these days! :)



Look, Dylan smiles when he sleeps! :)



-Carly
"In The Hands Of Dr. B"
Castro Valley, California
November 18th, 2008
Late Afternoon

Note: Friday I will share with you what Dylan's story was before we became a family! Tune in then for my Feline & Furball Friday entry!

Heart And Soul, I Fell In Love With You Heart And Soul

"If you should die before me, ask if you could bring a friend."

-Unknown

The worst possible news came to visit us the other day. Elvis has cancer. Feline Lymphoma. There are no good options. Even with treatment his doctor believes that Elvis would only survive about a year. With treatments we can hold things off, and shrink the tumors in his nostrils, but it would not do a lot more then give us a little more time with our boy. He would be comfortable, and then the drugs would stop working and we would be right back here, watching him fight for his life. I have read that some kitties live as long as two years, but there is really no guarantee.

Alan and I want to put his dignity first. That means letting go in a few weeks. Right now he is in the back yard, chasing butterflies. He is in a good mood, he is still cleaning himself, and loving on us, and I look at him, and I think to myself, this can't be right. But at the same time, he has lost weight because he wouldn't eat, and even now we are giving him medicine to stimulate his appetite, without the medicine he wouldn't be eating.

Alan and I are in pieces, after spending a couple days in shock. He and I are going to go back to see the Elvis's doctor tomorrow, and ask some questions again, just so we are sure about what to do. Right now we still have a happy boy. He is such a happy little boy, and we are indulging him like crazy. That's where things are at the moment. I was telling a friend that I think Elvis knows what's going on, on some level. Last night Alan and I were sitting together crying, and Elvis came into the room and sat down between us. He put one paw on Alan and one paw on me, as if to comfort us. That's what he does. He takes care of us.

-OndineMonet
Elvis
April 21, 2008
Afternoon