Slushy Thursday

What's worse than snow? Sleet and freezing rain. What's not quite so bad, but still yukky? Slush. When it snows, then the weather gets warmer, it rains. Rain on top of snow makes slush. It's slippery to drive through, and extremely heavy to push around, but it looks super yukky.  We didn't get snow yesterday, but we got a lot of rain.

When will the snow melt? I dunno, but the weather guys say it is supposed to be above freezing every day for the next six days. They are often wrong, but you never know!

Mom has been tippy tapping up a storm!!! She is almost finished the thing she calls "first draft" and she really wants to get it done. There is a lot of stuff she wants to do.  I keep telling her she has to add the list of dates for the When When Contest entries and she -assures me- it will happen very soon.

I shall be patient.

In the meantime, Max wrote an autobiography!!! I am so furry excited. Mom bought it for her Kindle and we have been reading it together. Oh Max! I am enjoying it so much!

Wet Wednesday

It started snowing very early this morning, but now it is raining. We might get between 3 to 6 inches of snow, or some mixture of rain and snow.  Right now it's just rain, and the temperature is above freezing, but if the temperature drops, the wet stuff on the roads will freeze and the driving will be nasty (read: bad)

I'm camped out on the recliner, under a quilt so nicely provided by Mom.

My good friend Poppy Q asked me if we keep the heater on all the time here in cold New Hampster in winter. The answer is YES! With the average low temperature of 10F (-12C) and the average high of 31F (-0.5) in January, we need the heating monsters. (By contrast the average low in the hottest month, July, is 58 (14C) and the average high is 82F (27.7C))

We have a gizmo called a thermostat on the wall. Mom sets it at 64F (17.7C) at night and during the day when she is gone. The thermostat makes sure the house never gets colder than 64F. When it gets to 64F, the heating monster kicks on and heats the house to 66F, and then shuts off. Depending on how cold it is outside, the temperature in the house will fall quickly or slowly. (when it's -20 it gets cold fast.) When Mom gets home from day hunting, she turns the thermostat up to 67F (19.4C) and keeps it there until she goes to bed, when she pushes it back down to 64F.

That's why Mom bought me a heated cat cup, and leaves lots of nice cozy pillows and blankets all over the house for me to nap on and be cozy. Mom always wears a fleecy sweater in the winter, and walks around in her stocking feet and her LL Bean "wicked good" slippers.

Mom usually turns the heating monster on for good about the middle of October, and it goes off for good usually at the end of April. We can have a freeze (32F) right up until the end of May, so sometimes Mom turns it on at night if it's going to be that cold.

Tuxie Tuesday

Megan wanted to know how Mom was going to get the metal masheen out of the driveway yesterday.

Answer: Mom drove out. There was only an inch or so of snow, so it was easy.

I love napping on my little quilt. From here I can watch Mom as she tippy-taps.  She didn't hold up any fingers last night, she just yakked on the telephone. 

Why do I look so sad?  The weather guys say we are supposed to get MORE SNOW this week.  Enough all ready!!!

Millie Monday

Need I say more?

Sn-Sn-Snow!

It's snowing here in New Hampster. Big fat fluffy flakes are falling. Can't see them?

Mom says these big snowflakes make for heavy wet snow that pulls down wires and breaks trees.  It's supposed to snow all day.  Mom has got a big slab of BEEF in the crooket pot, and she's got some bread going. She'll be doing some tippy-tapping (she held up SIX fingers the other night) and then she has to cook the books.  Later we'll watch some guy named Oscar.

Speaking of which, last night we watched the movie Argo. It was very good, and had Mom sitting on the edge of her seat, even though she knew the ending.

Again Again

This is what it looks like outside this morning.  We are going to get more snow.

 Again. This will be the third weekend in a row we get snow.  This time the snow is supposed to be very wet and heavy. Mom has done all her errands and we are stocked up with foods. The washing machine shuffle is going on and the kitchen is clean. Mom has a nice big piece of raw BEEF to go into the crooked pot tomorrow.  We will be all tucked in and cozy.

Lookit what Mom brought home last night. One of her friends gave it to her. "I kill plants," she said.  "this plant looks like you, and I know your thumb is greener than mine."

Well, this lady must be nuts because my Mom's thumbs are the same color as the rest of her fingers, but the plant is very cool looking, so it is going to stay.

Unless, of course, I start eating it.

Heh.

Thursday Truths

So this is what it looks like outside this morning. Not much melting going on. In fact, the weather guys say we are going to get MORE SNOW this weekend. It's not surprising. This is usually the coldest and snowiest time of the year.

It is not a time to let down one's standards. I work hard to keep my white furs looking lovely.

Not Wordless Wednesday

Ok everybody, the contest is closed. Over the next few days Mom will add a list of everybody's guesses on the sidebar. Mom and I were kinda surprised how many cats picked days in April. I would have guessed a day in March, but we'll see.  This is what it looks like outside as Mom and I write this today.

I made sure Mom had a good picture of me, because photos of MOI on this blog have been scarce lately.

The When When Contest is ON!

This picture was taken Saturday morning. We got about 2" of snow overnight. The sun came out, and a lot of it melted, but we are to get More Snow Saturday night and Sunday morning. I'll update this post with pictures later.


The big question is.... "When will the snow MELT?" That's what I want to know.

When will it be ALL GONE?

Would you like to guess? The When When Contest is ON again this year. The cat, woofie or bun who guesses the date when there is NO MORE SNOW when Mom looks out this window each day will get a prize. (Temptaytions and other goodies, you know, fun stuff like that! Mom will also include a small box of the famous Evil Little Chocolates for your mom.)

Every day Mom will get up and take a picture of this same view and post it on my blog. On the day she wakes up and THERE IS NO SNOW ANYWHERE IN THE PICTURE will be THE DAY. If you guess the EXACT day, you will get a prize. If NOBODY guesses the EXACT DAY, the cat who guessed the day CLOSEST TO the day, but not AFTER the day, will get the prize.

Here are the rules:
1. Each cat, woofie or bun gets ONE GUESS EACH.
2. Guesses must be in the comments of THIS POST.
3. The deadline for entries is Midnight Tuesday February 19, 2013. (So when it isn't Tuesday anywhere in the world, the voting will be over.)
4. You have to have a blog, or leave some way for us to get in touch with you, so we have to know who you are. If you have a blog, you're good to go.
5. It's my blog, so if I wanna change the rules, I can.

Now for some useful information.
1. The houses across the street face East. So the snow in their front yards will melt first. Duh.
2. Sun melts the snow.
3. Rain melts it faster.
4. The average high temperature for March in New Hampster is 44F
5. The average low temperature for March in New Hampster is 18F
6. It snows in April. So, guess accordingly.
7. *****The contest ends when there is NO SNOW on the ground in the picture. If it snows the next day, oh well, that's New England weather for you!*****

In 2008, the winning date was April 12.
In 2009, the winning date was April 3.
In 2010, there wasn't enough snow to have the contest.
In 2011, the winning date was April 11.
In 2012, there was no snow. No snow, no contest.

When will the snow be gone in 2013? You tell me.

Formerly Feral Friday

Hello from New Hampster and one of my favorite napping spots!

Mom says we'll post information about this year's When When Contest tomorrow, so be sure to check back then.

In the meantime Mom's been tippy-tapping up a storm. Lately she's been having three, four, and sometimes five finger days. She's been complaining that it's hard, but really she's sitting on her butt on the couch - and that's soft! Heh. Anyway, she thinks she'll be finished the "first draft" in a few weeks. Then she says she is going to put it away and not look at it for two whole months!!!

So I should be able to resume more regular blogging and I am pretty sure I'll be able to visit more of you and actually leave comments! Mom and I appreciate those of you who have been visiting regularly.

Mom's Zombie eye is almost back to normal.

Rest is apparently the best thing for a zombie eye to get back to normal.  Mom used her little camera to take the pictures, since she couldn't see what it looked like in the mirror.


Hey! Have you seen the You Tube videos of Anakin?  You gotta check those out. That is one seriously awesome cat, and he isn't even bionic!!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to all my friends in the blogosphere, furry and otherwise.

I hope you get to spend it with somecat you love!

Tell All Tuesday

Mom and I have made a decision about the almost annual When When Contest.

When When will be!


Yes, it will start very soon, so be sure to check back every day for details. As usual entries will be taken for a few days, so put on your thinking caps and figure out when all this snow will melt!

They should be called "guessing caps" because I don't know when it's going to melt either.

Mom promises me it will.

toodles!

Yesterday it was nice and sunny.  You can see how much snow we have.  Mom left the truck in the picture so you can tell how high the snowbank is.

Of course, I have a terrific napping spot, and am quite cozy.

Exit Nemo

After Nemo left, the snowplows came by and our driveway got cleared and Mom dug the car out. This is what it looked like after all that stuff happened. If you biggify the picture, you can see how high the snowbank is. (It's about as high as the hood of the truck, which is why Mom included the truck in the picture.)  Notice how you can't even see the stone wall across the street.

The big city snowplow pushed all the snow onto the sidewalk, so now the sidewalk has 30" of very hard packed heavy tough snow. Mom doesn't know if the sidewalk plow will be able to push through it.  Anyway, the sun finally came out yesterday afternoon, but it was still very windy and cold.

Mom says we may yet have a When When Contest after all! Check back next week to find out for sure!

Nemo the Blizzard, Updated

So Friday was kind of a dud in terms of a blizzard. The weather guys had said it was going to start snowing heavily Friday afternoon, but it really started coming down around dinner time.  Here's proof:

This picture was taken at 1:30 PM Friday afternoon.

This was taken Friday at 4:00 in the afternoon. It was kinda sorta snowing, but nothing really serious.

This picture was taken at 7:00 PM Friday. After Mom took the picture, she watched a car try to take a right turn up the hill. It got up as far as that driveway and then couldn't go any farther. As Mom watched, the car spun around, went back down the hill and straight down the street. Mom guessed they would try again after getting a better head start, so she waited.  Sure enough, the car tried again, and this time it just barely made it up the hill.

This picture was taken at 10 PM Friday night. The snow was probably 8 - 10 inches deep here. There's no way of knowing just by looking, and Mom wasn't about to go outside to measure. The snow was really coming down, but the weather guys said it would come down a lot harder overnight, up to two or maybe even three inches an hour. (that's 7.6 cm for my Aussie pals)  That's a LOT of snow.

 Here is what it looks like outside at 8 AM on Saturday morning.  It's so white, you can't really see how much there is. Let me tell you it's A LOT!

This photo of Mom's metal masheen is better for you to see how much snow there is.


btw, Mom made chili with beef, two loaves of home made bread and cake. We are both safe and warm.  Very "snug."  Her Zombie eye is getting better too.  Proof further down.
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not yet
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coming soon
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here it is.

Mom says it LOOKS awful, but feels fine.

Uh-oh!

We are in that 2 ft + area. (Well, barely, but still...) For my Aussie pals, 2 feet = 24 inches = 61cm!!!

Mom went food hunting last night after supper. When she got there, the parking lot was full and there were no shopping carts waiting (which is why Mom grabbed one from the parking lot as she walked in.) Mom said there were no bananas, no bread, no chicken and no ground beef. You know what else was (almost) gone? STINKY GOODNESS!!!!!!!

Mom was able to find enough of the flavors I like so I will not run out.

The storm won't really get going until late tonight, but the schools are all closed today. Mom will make some bread and roast a chicken so there will be food to eat even if the power goes out.  We have batteries, lots of food and all the electronic gizmos are all charged up.

Stay tuned.  Mom and I will try to post sorta regular updates during the storm.

Update, 8:46 AM Friday.
You know your Mom REALLY loves you when she goes out first thing in the morning to buy more of your FAVORITE Stinky Goodness!!! Now I can truly relax.


PS, since we have had requests, here is Mom's Zombie Eye. If you don't want to look at it, don't scroll down.  If you do...
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It's coming.
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Not yet.
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It's right here...

This is Day Three, and I have to tell you, it's a LOT better than it was on the first day.

The Big Dump is Coming

 

We're gonna get a lot of snow this weekend. Mom will be staying home on Friday, so we'll be cozy and safe.

One to two FEET of snow! That's taller than I am!  Have I told you lately how glad I am to be a cat?

Words Only Wednesday

I know I've been bugging Mom to take more pictures but yesterday she took some pictures that you don't want to see. 

Mom has a boo-boo on her eyeball and it's red. She's got pictures of it, but they'd freak you out, so you are going to have to use your imaginations.  Mom called the eye-vet and they told her it was likely a burst blood vessel and she'd just have to wait it out. The nurse said it would take about a week to go away, and that it was just like a bruise and that it would change colors and get really ugly looking.

Mom says it doesn't affect her vision, and it doesn't hurt. If either of those things happens, she has to go see the eye-vet. Mom has some eyedrops to keep it "lubricated." I don't know what that means, but I think it means slippery.

This red-eye thing means Mom may not be able to look at any of her computers for long periods of time, so she's going to be chillaxing when she's home, and I will be able to sit beside her and get scritches.

Heh.



Ducky, Mr Karate and La Girlfriend are in Los Angeles. They visited Hawaii for the Turkey-Day holiday.

Tuxie Tuesday

It has been chilly here in New Hampster and I have been napping on my favorite quilt.  Mom has been tippy-tapping.  Last night Mom held up two fingers, but she spent an hour on Skype with Mr Karate.  That made her very happy.

Millie Monday

I'm lying on Mom's lap, getting scritches. I got lots of both this past weekend. But Mom's little camera was stuck in her bag so she didn't get many pictures. (Ahem!) I had a talk with her and she promises to keep the camera close by.

Furry Friday

I told you the other day how I hacked up a hairball. Mom told me I needed a good brushing. I did not believe her, but when she got home from the eye vet, she couldn't read, so she turned on the TV and I sat next to her for my scritches.  She got out the funny "brush" she uses (called a shedding blade, read more about it here)

and this is the fur that it took away,

and if you think it doesn't look like much, lookit THIS:

Yikes!