Tuxie Tuesday

Now that Mom has finished Harry Potter, she's back to making quilts. This brown number is going to Mew Jersey in the next day or so. Jasmine is giving it her QA (Quality Assurance) check.

Jasmine is also keeping an eye on me.
As you can see, I'm too busy to be concerned.

Monday Monty Variation

This is a Half Monty with a Sideways Twist in the Pike Position. I think this pose shows off my flexibility. I'm still practicing.

Sunday 'Nip Update

Mom stole some of my 'Nip from my 'Nip plant. See, it looks like she gave it a bad haircut. She says she was "harvesting" it. Yeah sure.
She tied it all up and hung it in the hallway. This is what it looked like when she cut it:
And this is what it looked like this morning, all droopy:I told her she had to take it down, that it was DYING! Mom told me not to get my knickers in a twist, that the plant was still growing, and now looks like this:
That made me feel a -tiny- bit better, but then I saw this picture (which I borrowed from Kelly's blog)

And now I am so jealous I practically can't stand it. LOOKIT ALL THAT WONDERFUL NIP! It is surrounding Kelly! I wish I could roll around in my very own Nip patch. That's what I want NEXT year... a giant Nip patch I can roll around in.

MO-oooooooommmm!

(And what the heck is this talk about knickers anyway?)



PS, Dragonheart posted pictures of his Gizzy quilt over at Bizzy for Gizzy. Go check it out!

So-Hot Saturday

Actually, Monty Q, I was referring to the weather around here lately. We have been having a "heat wave" which for us here in New England is three consecutive days of 90F+ (32C) temperatures. Our poor friends in Catifornia, or New Mexicat wouldn't say that is hot at all. But here we have humidity. When something called the "dew point" is above 70, it is considered "oppressive."

So right now this minute, here in New Hampster, (at 7:30 AM) the temperature is 72F (22C), the humidity is 94% and the dew point is 70. That means it's nasty and icky and sticky.

Yesterday the temperature was 93F (34C), and the dew point was 73. Yesterday was terrible. I even stayed in the sewing room with Mom while she had the Air Colditioner machine running (with the door closed) for a while.

A-N-Y-W-A-Y... this is my way of saying that when we have weather like this, doing a Full Monty (or a variation) is simply a way to cool off. I have been practicing my Full Montys, trying to find a pose that will really, you know, knock the judge's socks off.

Or send Monty Q in the icebox for the day...

(Millie, Be Nice! Don't tease poor Monty)

He told me not to stop doing the Full Monty on his account!

~~~~~~~

I have been tagged for the proverb meme, and also for the Schmooze award, and I didn't forget, but I have been busy (hot) and I'm working on them...

Family Friday

I have been asked to show another picture of Mr Karate. Here he is, reading Harry Potter. (He finished the book last night.) Remember I told you Mom is an Artist? Well, see the bookmark just below his hands -- it's a picture of a little boy reading a book? Well it is a picture of a drawing Mom did of Mr Karate when he was about 12, reading.

And here is another picture Mom took of the drawing a long time ago. That is Gizzy. He liked to be in the middle of everything.

Yes, Mom painted the dry sink those wild colors.

Oscar, the Very Special Cat

This is Oscar. He works in a nursing home in Providence, RI. You should read about him here in the New England Journal of Medicine. Then read the story the Boston Globe wrote about him here. The Globe also has pictures.

Oscar is now a Very Famous cat, as the Globe's story has been picked up "by the wires" and can even be found on CNN and Google News.

Mom doesn't know why Oscar pulled her heartstrings so much, but Jasmine told me that Mom's Mim-may (Mim-may's Mom) was in a nursing home in which a cat patrolled the halls much like Oscar. The nurses there said he would sleep on beds of residents who were near death also. This cat was unlike Oscar in that he also slept on beds of residents who were not dying. But like Oscar, if a resident was near death, this cat stayed.

Thursday Thirteen plus More

Here are Thirteen plants in our garden (plus a few more 'cause Mom got carried away):

This is Siam Queen Thai Basil

This is Spicy Saber Basil:

This is Mom's favorite: Genovese Basil:

This is Thyme:

This is Purple Ruffled Basil:

This is Purple Sage:

This is Basil Red Rubin:

This is Rosemary in the orange pot and Lemon Thyme down front:

More Genovese Basil (sigh):

This is Marjoram:

These are Nasturtiums (Mom planted them late):

This is Pineapple Mint:

This is Arugula (and something besides Mom is eating it):

This is (more) Genovese Basil (what can I say, Mom likes Pesto):

This is Basil, Green Ruffles:

These are (from left to right) Lavender, Sage & Oregano:

and last, but certainly not least, my Catnip:

Full Monty, Woofie Version

This is Mr & Mrs Big & Mr Little Big's dog Lucky, sound asleep, doing the Full Monty next to Mr Little Big. Lucky is a girl woofie.

Wacky Full Monty Variation

I don't do the Monty Q, but I do the Full Monty. Here is a Wacky Full Monty with a Roundhouse Kick variation. I am so lucky my # 13 is covered by black furs. Otherwise, this would practically be an XXX-rated pose.

That's a good thing for Monty Q -- I dunno if he could find a room cold enough.

Tuxie Tummy Tuesday

I have to enter Monty Q's contest, Do the Q, so I am practicing my Full Monty. This is my "Saturday Night Fever" version. Monty Q, what do you think? You can click the picture and make it bigger if you need a better look.

(giggle)

Happy Birthday Mim-may!

This is Mim-may with her only granddaughter (she has two grandsons). This was taken in May when she was visiting Bryce Canyon in Utah.

Mim-may is in the blue jacket on the back of the motorcycle with Mom's brother, Mr Cabinetmaker. They did a 1,000 mile motorcycle tour of southern Utah this past May. Mom says this is a Very Big Deal if you are over 70, the way Mim-may is.

Happy Birthday Mim-may!

Mom is finished

Mom just finished the Harry Potter book.

I do not know why she is crying.

Muggle Monday

Here is what the flowers looked like this morning. They smell pretty too.

I don't think I'm gonna get to visit many blogs today, because Mom is still reading. And this is a No-Spoiler Zone.

Monty Q, wanna come over and keep me company again today?

Birthday Celebration

Mr Karate's birthday gift to Mom was for the two of them to spend the day together. This morning he came over and Mom made breakfast. Stuffed French Toast with cinnamon bread and cream cheese, topped with strawberries, kiwifruit and, since this is New Hampster, real Maple Syrup.

Mr Karate ate three of these, and drank a couple of gigantic glasses of milk. Then they got in his car and drove to Portsmouth. During the drive, Mom read aloud from the new Harry Potter book.

They checked out the Bow Street Fair, then toured one of Portsmouth's Historic Homes, the Warner House. After that they had Sushi at the Sake Restaurant, walked around some more, had fantastic ice cream at Annabelle's (Mom had Caribbean Vanilla Coconut and Swiss Chocolate; Mr Karate had some Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip concoction). They visited a couple of shops and Art Galleries, then stopped for Chai and some chocolate truffles. Then they visited a kitchen store and did a little wine tasting. They bought a nice bottle of wine for dinner, and then found a nice place to rest their feet and read. They did a little more window shopping, then drove home, again with Mom reading aloud to Mr Karate.

They read for a little while, then Mom made dinner, they drank the wine and watched "The Next Food Network Star." Amy won, which pleased both Mr Karate, and Mom, who had voted for her. They had dessert (toasted Angel Food Cake sandwiches with milk chocolate melting in the middle), and then Mr Karate went home.

Mom had a GREAT day. She says it was Perfect. It all sounds very tiring to me. But hey, I'm a cat.

BY THE WAY....
Mom has NOT finished "The Book" and she doesn't want ANY spoilers! She is about halfway through. So if you know what happens, please....

Don't let the cat out of the bag!


... I didn't know that book was about a cat...

Harry Potter Landing

At 5:19 PM today there was a soft knock on the door. The man in the bloo shorts (really) handed this package to Mom.


He said he'd been at it all day, that she wasn't the last person, and that he had many more boxes to deliver before he would be done.

I guess that means twelve million (or 12,000,000) is a big number.


Looks like a Big Book!

Mr Karate brings Flowers

Mom says you can tell if you did a good job raising your child by the decisions he makes, and the friends he brings to meet you. I would add that if a son brings his Mom a beautiful bouquet of flowers like this on her birthday, it's another sign.

These are Stargazer Lilies, Mom's favorite. There are also some Pink roses and white Snapdragons. There are lots of buds on the lilies, so Mom will be able to enjoy them for a long time. She will bring them to her day hunting place on Monday, and all her bean friends will be jealous.

The guy in the bloo shorts still hasn't shown up with Mr Potter, but I'd say that Mr Karate has made Mom's day, big time.

Harry Potter & Mom's Birthday

It's Mom's birthday today. She's lots older than me, almost twice as old as Mr Karate, and more than three times as old as Jasmine. She doesn't look old. In that sense, she's like a cat. Cats don't -look- older as they age. For example, Jasmine doesn't look like an old bat cat.

Anyway, Mom's waiting for a guy in bloo shorts to bring the last Harry Potter to her. She says she's waiting for three of them, one for her, one for Mr Karate and one for Mim-may. But I totally don't get it. How can she be getting the last Harry Potter if Mr Karate and Mim-may are each getting him too? Is Mr Karate's the next-to-last Harry Potter, and Mim-may's the next-to-next-to last Harry Potter?

Now I'm no dummy. I can use Google like the next cat. So I did a search, and found out the publisher is printing, get this, TWELVE MILLION copies of "the last Harry Potter," in the United States alone! Which means what Mom calls "the last Harry Potter" is really a BOOK called "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
And when she gets it, she's going to sit down and READ it, and not do anything else ALL DAY until she finishes it. It's got 784 pages.

It's gonna be a REAL boring day around here. Omigosh! I hope she doesn't turn off the computer...

Monty Q! I need you! C'mon over and spend the day with me!

Holiday Gizzys

The # 1 vote getter for the sale date for the Holiday Gizzy Quilts by far is Sunday September 2, 2007. So THAT's when they will go on sale.

The time will be NOON, Eastern Time. That means 9 AM for California cats, and 6 PM (or thereabouts) for my special pal, Dragonheart, in Munich Germany.


(phew!)

Going to the Dogs

Mom's making Gizzy quilts again. Here's a blue one in the works:

She's got a lot of fabric on order from eQuilter, too. Some Lavenders and Lilacs, some Purples, some Creams and Browns, some soft Blues, some Royal Blues and a Red or two.

And it finally happened. Somebody ordered a Gizzy Quilt for a woofie. This next one is going to a dog. Mom actually has (gasp!) three Gizzy Quilt orders for dogs.


I told you all that Mom said the person who ordered (and paid) for the 100th Gizzy Quilt would get it for free. (Mom will refund their money.) Well, it's getting close, so if you want a Gizzy Quilt, you should consider placing your order. You might get lucky.

Everybody on the planet knows what's happening tonight at midnight. (And if you don't well, I want to know what planet you're living on.) That Magic is taking effect in our house too. Mom will be taking the weekend off for the big event. Two big events, actually, but I will tell you more about that tomorrow. (If you don't know what's going on tonight at midnight, click the links to find out!)

Thursday Thirteen

Mom and her Mom and Dad went to Beantown the other night to watch Red Sox. I do not know why she had to do that, she has red socks in her sock drawer already. She said the Sox lost. Go figure. I bet I could find the lost socks in the bottom of her closet. Anyways, she was really tired yesterday so I decided to do a quick TT and let her get her beauty sleep. Which I kinda had to do since she was in bed by 8:30 last night. Sheesh, I didn't even get to see Alton Brown frost the cake!

Thirteen noises I do not like. (I almost called this Thirteen sounds I do not like, but if you do not like a sound it is NOISE.)

1. The Rug Sucking Monster (this not only makes noise, it makes the whole floor shake)
2. The Drill (I don't hear this often, but it's nasty)
3. The Lawnmower (I cannot understand why this is necessary)
4. The Weed Whacker (this either)
5. The Snow Blower (this is nasty and scary)
6. The Snow Plows (these make the whole house rumble when they go by in the winter)
7. The Blender (this is awful)
8. The Popcorn Popper (this makes things blow out of it that are kinda funny)
9. The Food Processor (this sometimes makes the lights dim!)
10. Crack and Boom storms (these are wicked scary)
11. Fire Trucks (Mom says these are okay as long as they never stop nearby)
12. Ambulances (see # 11.)
13. The Treadmill (I used to call this the moving sidewalk. I just don't understand the need for this.)

Wordless Wednesday

(this is Jasmine)

Two-Legs Tuesday

Well these sure aren't MY legs! These belong to Mr Karate, and you know your Mombean is weird when she thinks THESE legs are beautiful.

And while I am being indignant, I have to say how glad I am that cats on the blogosphere seem to be selecting a day OTHER than August 5 for Mom to sell the Holiday Gizzy Quilts. Mom has forgotten that that day is my One Year Gotcha-versary and my One Year Blog-a-versary. I don't need My Special Day to be overtaken by her shameless hucksterism.

Monday Update

Guess who found my special spot this morning and took it over?

That's right, Princess Jasmine herself. So Mom moved all the Holiday Gizzys to someplace she hopes neither Jasmine or I will find comfortable. Because the -last- thing she needs is a little territorial marking going on.

Thanks a lot, Miss Piss-pot!