We're Glad Ike is Over

We haven't been around much lately. We're glad everyone made it through hurricane Ike. The Sherwoods got their electricity back and Hendrix and family survived the storm that hit Cincinnati. Who would have thought that a hurricane could strike Ohio? I hear Bendrix enjoyed the power outage, though. He wasn't going to a miss the chance to scratch the carpets.
A couple of people asked about sterno. Sterno is our friend. It's like candle wax and comes in different sized cans.Some of the cans are small like FancyFeast and others look like two large cans of tuna placed one on top of the other. Sterno can be found in hardware, camping, sporting goods and restaurant supply stores. Some grocery stores carry it in the aisle with the matches and charcoal. The bigger the sterno Sterno is can, the longer it burns. Sterno is what restaurants put under chafing dishes at buffets to keep the hot food hot. It works.
Hurricanes in general are a nusance. To all who suffered, we feel your pain. All we can do is pray that the rest of the season is a quiet one.
Till next time, Muffy

Hurricane Hints

We interrupt this blog to offer advice to those of our friends undergoing a hurricane or other significant weather event:

• To heat water and food build a sterno stove. Take a can of sterno, which is what people use to heat chafing dishes at buffets. Take two equal- sized coffee mugs and turn them upside down one on either side of the sterno. Then take the grill from a toaster oven or hibatchi and place it on top of the mugs. It should make a bridge over the sterno. Then follow the lighting directions on the can of sterno.
• My humans heat water for coffee, tea and soup and cook Chef Boyardi crap over the sterno. Other things that can be heated over it include baby formula, Dinty Moore beef stew,corned beef hash, and Pop Tarts
• Be sure to buy bottled water or fill jugs with tap water prior to the storm. That's in case the water gets contaminated and you can't drink it.
• Tuna fish is good warm and right out of the can. Be sure to share with the feline family members.
• Stock up on flashlights and batteries beforehand. You won't find any in the stores once the storm hits.
• Some people use bags of kitty litter to stop minor water seepage. This is bad news for us kitties. Stock up on litter or we may create our own indoor flooding.
• If you do have to evacuate, don't forget to take the kitties.
• Pry and purr. The people get a little frantic during thse storms.

Purrs, Muffin

Gotcha Day Update

For Petey ,Stormie and Texas. Cure lymphoma now !!!!

I'm very lucky. I was able to celebrate another Gotcha Day. I think of my friends who weren't as

fortunate. I memory of Petey, Stormie and Texas, and in honor of my mommy, who s a lymphoma survivor, I pledge to contribute to the fight against cancer. I'll be sharing a plan on my blog soon.

Except for the feather boa and pointy hat that Mommy made me wear, my Gotcha Day was great. Mommy made cupcakes for the humans and gave me a can of Fancy Feast with a candle in it. I also got nip, toys and a mylar balloon to watch. I felt very loved.

Till next time,

Muff

My First Photo & Gotcha Day

Here is a photo of me. It's small and blurry, but you can see how handsome I am. Also Saturday is my Gotcha Day. Stop by and say hello!!!

Tropical Storm Fay and Onyx the Miracle Mare

Well, we survived tropical storm Fay. We were lucky. We got wind and heavy rain,which resulted in minor street flooding. We also had several tornados Monday night. One of them hit in Wellington, only 15 minutes from where we live. The tornado hit an equestrian complex. It blew away a sheet metal barn and damaged other buildings and nearby houses.
Incredibly, there was a horsie, Onyx, in the barn that was destroyed and she escaped without a scratch. The humans found her amidst the rubble, standing in her intact stall, patiently waiting for someone to come get her. God was truly looking out for her. There were two horsies in another barn. They got loose but they didn't like being out in that mess and were easily rounded up.
The people in Port St. Lucie got it really bad. They have extensive flooding and many homes are damaged. Please keep them in your purrayers.
I'm glad the storm is over The wind and the rain were scary but I was a good guard cat and protected my humans. Thank you all for your purrayers and concern.
Purrs Muffy

Condolences

We want toextend our deepest condolences to the family of Violette Noelle. She left us far too soon. We also want to express our sympathy to the familes of our friends Neelix and Felix. May they all rest in peace.

Muff-Alympics

Since my mommy is a big fan of the Olympics I decided to award my own gold medals:

-for Terrorizing A Vet- the gold medal goes to Hendix/Bendrix. He hisses,
he claws , he scatches, kicks and bites. The veterinary staff takes one look and
hides. Cats everywhere look to Mr.H. for guidance on How to Make the Vet
Suffer as Much as I Do.

- for Synhronized Peeing - the gold medal goes to BJ ,Sol And Smokey. Mommy ML took
them to the vet in three sepaate carriers. On the way
home they peed simultaneously, aiming out of the carriers. Such talent. Such precision.

- for Ruling Her Household With an Iron Paw- the gold medal goes to Grr. Whether chasing
her fellow felines or alternatively hugging and clawing her humans Grr rules the Chavez
household.We can all learn from her example.

Purrs Muffy

I Was Attacked by a Garbage Can

Call the police! I was just attacked by a garbage can. I was sitting on the arm of Mommy's chair
and decided to jump down. Her wastebasket fell on top of me. There were wadded up balls of paper that fell all over, sticky candy wrappers that clung to my fur, orange peels and pencil shavings. I got all dusty and dirty and Mommy had to rinse me off. All because of that evil garbage can.
Call me a lawyer. I may sue.

MadCat Monday

I am mad. Mommy and Granny went out to breakfast at McDonald's and they didn't bring me anything. Aren't I a part of this family? Don't I get to sample what they eat? Then they went shopping for two hours.That's almost all day. I was stuck in the house with the guinea pig. Okay,
so cats aren't allowed in the stores. And I don't like to go to strange places. But they still left me
alone. I want to be compensated. I want some extra treats.

Cold Box Meme

Hi! Mommy's still sad about Maria's death. We apreciate everyone's condolences. So does her family. They think kitty blogging is cute.
I got tagged for the Cold Box Meme by my good buddy, Castle. Our cold box is covered with magnets. Mommy collects them. We have other metal doors in the house and they have magnets on them too. This tends to annoy Granny. On the cold box are the following:
4 orange kitty magnets
1 black & white cat
1 shark
1 tropical fish
1 of Renoir's painting, Luncheon of the Boating Party
1 Gone With the Wind movie poster
1 Coca-cola polar bear
1 of a raccoon family
1 camel (Mommy's college's mascot)
magnets from Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Beach, New York City, Vermont and Foxwoods Casino.
1 magnet from Penticton, BC
1 magnet shaped like a bunch of grapes that Granny hates.
1 clip holding coupons

Inside the cold box are milk and my stinky goodness. Yum yum.
Purrs, Muffy

We Miss You, Maria

We're furry sad. Mommy's friend Maria passed away suddenly. She was only in her mid-forties.
Maria was smart, funny and pretty. She was good at her job, was involved in a stable relationship, and was loved by many people. She also gave great scritches. We feel terrible about her death. To celebrate her life, lets hug those we hold dear.((HUG))

Fifth of July

I hope eveyone had a happy 4th of July. Mommy had a migraine, so instead of going out she stayed home with me and watched the fireworks on tv. I was happy because towns in three directions were letting off boomies and I really didn't like the noise. Plus our moron neighbors were letting fireworks off all night long. The worst were the high-pitched whiny ones that went on forever. They hurt my ears and caused al the woofies in the complex to start barking. I was happy to cuddle with Mommy. She wasn't too upset about staying home because a few days ago she'd gone to the early fireworks in Delray Beach.
Today it's yucky out so she's cleaning and doing laundry. I head someting about a bath. I hope she isn't planning one for me!!!

Pawdicure Blues

I don't get it. These humans obviously value long fingernails. Granny is always manicuring and polishing hers. So then why do they clip my claws? Don't they know that a security guard mancat needs his weapons of mass destruction? How am I supposed to subdue an intruder with short stubby nails? How am I supposed to catch lunch? Just because I walked on Mommy's face and clawed her eyelid is no reason to punish me. I didn't do it on purpose. I'll show them though.
Next time she can kill her own bugs.

My Job as Security Guard

Like all cats I occupy many roles. My main job lately has been that of night security guard. Since Grampy died it is my job to guard the apartment aganst all enemies foreign and domestic. Each
night I make hourly patrols to make sure no lizards, mice, burglars or other cats have invaded our territory. Then I hunt down and kill all bugs. Finally, when the boomies and flashing lights are going on, I sit in the window and meow at the storm. I tell it to stay outside and not hurt my people. All this work is exhausting, though, so when daylight comes I curl up for a long nap. I take my job seriously and need to be fresh for the next night. A guard kitty's work is never done.....

R.I.P. Stormie

Our hearts are breaking,
Our eyes are leaking.
We love you, Stormie.
Rest in peace, our furry friend.

Swap N Tails 2

I'm so excited. I got a package all the way from Canada. It was from my Swap N' Tails buddy,
Kellie the Orange Cat and her mom, Shelly.My presents came wrapped in a little red bag with .a green fabric ribbon. I like that ribbon. I got Temptations, mice, a nip pillow, a yellow ball and a fevver ball. I never had a fevver ball before. I love everything.
Mommy got some nice presents, too. She got box of matches with a kitty on it. When the matches are gone the box becomes a placque. She got some gum, a yellow photo album and a souvenir magnet. She loved her gifts, too.
Thank you Kellie and Shelly.

Help Thy Neighbor

An eldely man in Hartford was hit by a car. As he lay in the street, bleeding, cars swerved around him and pedestrians kept on walking. No one stopped to help. It makes us ashamed to be from Connecticut.
Florida has its faults,but at least down here, if someone is sick or hurt, people will stop to help. If television stations or newspapers feature stories on people or animals in need, donors will step forward. It's a pleasant change.
On this, the 64th anniversary of D-Day, we should pause and think what would have happend all those years ago if no one had volunteered to help.....
Purr, Muffy

Two Poems

My allergies are better. I'm almost done with the yucky medicine and the air here is clear again, so we can sit outside on the porch. Mommy just joined this group whose members write a poem or haiku once a week. She found out about it from Gandalf & Grayson's mom. Since she refers to herself as a member of Crappy Poets Anonymous this should be interesting. She's mainly doing it to improve her eye for detail. Here's her first effort:

A Reflection on My Cat

A shaft of sunlight
slashes through the
venetian blinds.
A pool of yellow light
rests upon the hardwood
floor.

My fat orange cat
waddles into the circle of
yellow. He curls in to a ball,
scrunches his eyes shut and purrs.

Common light becomes special
when enveloping
a loved one.


Here's my first effort:

I sneezed twelve times in a row.
The Man thought it was funny.

I wiped snot all over his shoe.
Who's laughing now?
Hehehe
.
Purrs, Muffy

The Serial Sneezer Strikes Again

Achoo! My allegies are acting up. I'm congested and get these sneezing fits. I'll sneeze ten times in a row. My eyes get all watery and my poor little nose gets sore. This happens every year at this time. Mommy took me to the V-E-T. He stole some of my blood, stabbed me, and gave me some yucky medicine to take. I hate taking medicine.
I've been napping a lot. Mommy and Granny have been fussing over me. Today Mommy called from work to talk to me and Granny snuck me some treats. Mommy didn't even get mad when I sneezed a bunch, then wiped my nose on her blouse. I know I'll feel better in a day or two.
Unti lthen, take care.

Thursday Not-Quite-Thirteen

A few projects my mommy is working on :

1. Her writing project on the Pilgrims. After a lengthy hiatus she's back on the job. She' s found
new sources of information, which always makes her happy.
2. Her genealogy research. Right now she's concentrating on her great-great grandfather,
Lazar Loeb. He settled in Mississippi before the Civil War. She's finding new info and really
enjoying it, too.
3. She's crocheting me a new blanket. A kitty can never have enough blankies.
4. Vacuuming. Someone tracks litter all over the house.
5. Going through her books and getting rid of some. Ouch!
6. Cleaning the house. I try to be as much help as possible.
7. Cleaning the porch. We haven't been able to do this as the smoke from the wild fires has
made the air smell bad.
8. My six word meme from Hendrix:

Feed Me.
Pet me.
Love me.

Purrs, Muffy