A Whole Lotta Lovin'

Any locals need a little extra love in your life?

I found this little guy running down a rather busy street the other day, and have been trying with all my might to reunite him with his humans! It seems, though, that either his humans don't want to be found, or he's a true-blue stray.

But folks, let me just tell you this. He's a LOVAH!  He is extremely friendly (unless you're a cat), is afraid of trash cans (aren't we all?) and won't eat or chew on a rawhide unless I'm right there with him. Goofy guy. I don't know much, but I think he's a terrier mix, and I think he's young based on his actions and his teeth.  I bet he weighs between 20 and 25 pounds, and is about knee-high.

This is a pretty pathetic picture of him, but I didn't take too many, and wanted to show you his whole self. Doesn't he look happy-go-lucky? No? Hah...that would be the photographer's fault, not the dog's. :o)  He's a tail-wagger, he is.

There, that's better. His tail is fuzzy because it's wagging.

He's great on a leash, and is pretty tame around tame big people and tame 2 year olds, and he is jubilant around 8 year old boys. We've got a great back yard here, but, unfortunately for him, he is slippery and unless you're out there with him, he likes to slip out through the gap under the gate. Which, now that you mention it, might explain why he doesn't have a home!

When we do play in the backyard, we pretty much just run in circles. He will go after a ball, but won't bring it back or even pick it up and run with it. Mookie runs around squealing and laughing because she thinks he's chasing her. And when the neighbor's boy was over, the dog pretty much just licked the boy to pieces. Who needs a bath when you've got that kind of all-over cleaning treatment?

Speaking of circles, here he is, getting geometric with his bad self...

Dogs. They crack me up.

Since he doesn't stay in the backyard, and since I've already got a house full of girls I have to care for, he's been relegated to a crate in the garage. Poor guy. I feel terrible for him, but he barkbarkbarkbarkbarks when he can see us, and is quiet (mostly, sorta, kinda) when he's in the dark garage. Now, I'm a fan of crate-training a dog, make no mistake, but I don't like the idea of him being in the crate 24 hours a day besides walks. That's just not fair to him. So, when it's quiet inside (like right now), I let him out of the crate and hang out with him in the garage. He walks around a bit, sniffing things, then settles down and eats or chews on his rawhide.

And when he lays down, he splays his back legs out behind him. I love that in a dog, don't you?

Now, for all you out there who think he was MEANT TO come home with me, I would like you to stop. Look around your house. Look at your yard. Look at the next few months on your calendar. Do you have 2 wee ones to care for? And two aging cats? And a yard that doesn't hold this dog? And a move in 2 months (yes)?  No? Well, God, The Universe, and Bob Barker may all have conspired to "give" me this dog, but they will need to reconvene because he is NOT staying here.

So again I ask you...anyone want some extra lovin' in their life?

Sunbathing (Dec 21)

After 3 days of "dim and grismal," the sun came out on Thursday, and my kitty ran right over and worshiped it. She sure loves to sunbathe. It's a nice treat to have a sunny (though, very chilly) day in December. I could get used to this!

Sun-Bathing (with grace)

Alley loves her sunshine...today I caught her bathing in it. Literally. :o) Enjoy!

Who Could Resist?

Here's my AlleyPhat.

I love rubbing that belly.

(not much else fit for posting today)

Mama and The Girlies

My sweet kitties arrived safely last night. They had a really long journey from Papa to Mama, but they handled it with complete grace and dignity. :o)

I brought them home, and they both had a drink and a nibble and started exploring their new (temporary) home.

We settled down about 10:00, and went to sleep, and slept peacefully until about 3:30 this morning when they were both awake and active. Alley was trying to drink my water and was knocking my glasses off the nightstand. And Gypsy was stepping on all my, um, "tender parts" trying to find a comfortable spot. (THAT will wake you up quick!) :o) We talked and snuggled for an hour, and finally fell back asleep till about 6:30 when we got up for good.

I didn't know cats got jet lag, but I think it's pretty cute -- Kitty Cat Jet Lag.

They enjoyed their first day back in America, though. There was a huge patch of afternoon sun on the bed, so they were both soaking it up.

Hopefully tonight we'll all sleep all through the night. I'm ready for one of those.

(and maybe tomorrow I'll post the pictures I've been taking!)

I'm HERE!

I made it, I made it, and now I'm paying for it!

I woke up at 4:03 this morning. (grr)

At 4:32, I decided to start up my laptop and re-connect with everyone. I didn't have too many emails. I've caught up on most people's blogs, and read today's comics.

My clock says 4:57 right now. It's 11:57 in Dave's world. He should be on his way back from the airport right now because he had to drop Alley and Gypsy off at BA World Cargo so they could get on a plane and come home to Mama. I really hope he did better than I did 3 years ago when I went through the same thing sending the cats to England. I honestly do not think I have ever cried so hard in my life as I did that day. Gypsy was just yyyyyoooooowwwwwwllllling (as cats do) at the top of her little lungs. So upset! And Daisy (our sweet little peek-a-poo/Shi Tzu that has since passed away)...Daisy was climbing the door of the cage trying to get out, or get closer to Mama. And Alley, who is normally totally calm and collected (unless she's hungry - then she's a pain in the kiester!)...Alley went to the very far back corner of her crate and just faintly mewed. I knew I was doing the right thing taking them with us for the 3 year journey, I certainly couldn't leave My Girls behind...but it was SO hard! So, I wonder how they did today. One major difference is that BA allowed us to put them in the same crate, together, which the other company did not. So, at least they get to snuggle together. I get to pick them up at the Denver Airport tonight at 7:30 and bring them to our temporary home. I know they'll be fine, but it still breaks my heart when they are so upset.

Last year when I came back to the US for a visit, I didn't struggle with jet lag at all. This year, apparently, I am. I woke up yesterday morning at about the same time, and laid awake and laid awake...finally I made a deal with myself that if I was awake at 5:00, I would unpack my suitcases. Hee hee, magically, I fell asleep! :o)

I'm staying with family friends named Pam and Ralph, and yesterday (Day 1 after travelling for 23 hours), Ralph tried to wear me down so I would sleep all through the night. (no such luck, I'm afraid) At about 9:30, or so, we drove to Morrison to a little 5 table cafe called Base Camp Cafe. Yum. Meee! Then we drove up Parmalee Gulch Road to the base of what Ralph called a "baby hike". I'm sure it's a baby hike for someone who is used to living at an altitude of 6000 ft (as opposed to me...Guildford was, like 150 ft above sea level). I only complained a couple of times. :o) The weather was perfect, though! It's so good to be home. Wide. Open. Spaces. The sweet wildflowers. The junipers with their dusty-blue berries. The rattle of the grasshoppers' wings. We got home about 1:45, and I turned right around and went to visit my grandfather in the hospital. He had surgery in late July, and due to some complications, he's still in a hospital. Poor guy. He desperately wants to go home, but knows he's got to pass a few more tests before he can do that. So, we chatted, we watched (the good part) of the Bronco game (the good part being the beginning, where they were actually winning!), and then at about 3:00, I had the strong urge to lay down on his cold, tiled, hospital floor and go to sleep...which made me think that maybe, just maybe, I ought to go home. :o)

But first, I had to make the obligatory stop at TarJhay. Ah, my old friend welcomed me home with fanfare, pomp and circumstance, and some awesome clearance racks! :o) You wanna know what "hardship" is? Try living 3 years without Target. I love the font. I love the red and white. I love the marketing strategy. I love that store. I tried to restrain myself, though, and only buy necessities. (Well, considering the clearance rack, it was more like "necessi-Tees"...) $2.24 for a tank. $4.24 for a cute green t-shirt. $4.24 for some new shorts I will get to wear next summer in LA. Sweet!

Then home. I called Dave, I called my mom, Ralph called me up to dinner.... :o) And then, after dinner, I watched a little Desperate Housewives (yip-yip-yippee!). Then I crashed out. Darn tuckered after a VERY busy Day 1. Did it work? Did it help me sleep through the night? Nope. Sure didn't. Oh, well, there's always tonight.

I think my camera is in the car, so I'll have to post pictures of our hike tomorrow. For now, I'm going to try to get some more sleep. Good morning/night!

Welcome to the family!

I would like to introduce everyone in Bloggie World to a new addition to my family.

My brother, Rob, just brought home my new little niece, Penelope.

He says she is holding her own against her big brother (aw, she takes after her Aunt Melissa!)

I think she looks like Rob.

(He always did have big feet and droopy ears.)

Apparently, though, the nickname "Miss P" has little to do with her name being Penelope, if you know what I mean...

I can't wait to rub that pudgy puppy belly!

Alley Phat, So Discreet

Oh, Alley Phat,
so discreet.
How do you plan
to stay petite?

Thirsty Cat!

Blogger has a new feature!! Have you Blogger bloggers found it? I'm very excited! It's a new Blogger-In-Draft Video Upload tool!!! It's not on everyone's blogger, yet, because you have to go to Draft from the Dashboard page, I think. There's a little blurb about draft video. (but beware, the uploading and processing is pretty slow) (but worth it!)

Anyways, I'm excited because I've wanted to put videos up, but I'm way too lazy to learn about YouTube, so this is it for me! Woo Hoo!!

So, to commemorate this momentous occasion, I give you a short (and sweet) video of Alley drinking her favorite way:

Stanky Day

It's Jet. Well, it's not his fault. Jet is 4-years old, and I don't think he knows how to take a walk. Sad, really. That's part of what I'm doing with him. I'm getting him to learn how to take a walk. And enjoy it! Unfortunately, there are some unpleasantries associated with walking a dog. I know you know what I mean.

Normally, it's not a big deal. I have a little bag, we walk, we stop, I clean up, I tie a knot, we walk on, I throw it away when we get to Jet's house.

Today challenged me in ways I have not been challenged in many, many years. We started out, as normal, Jet was fine, not pulling the lead like he does after about 32 seconds, and we were chatting about what's new, etc. (as you do), and eventually he pulled off to a little patch of grass. I knew what was coming (or thought I did, at least!), and pulled the baggie out of my pocket.

*warning: don't read on if you have a weak stomach or a propensity towards vomiting.*

Jet hunched down and successfully eliminated a fair amount of waste. However, he did not stand up as normal...he kind of hunch-walked about 2 metres away, and waited. Then, well, poor guy was sick. The smell was awful. Serious stank. Then I waited. For the waves of nausea and dry heaving to pass long enough for me to scoop up as much of it as I could, and cover the rest with grass clippings. And then more waves of nausea. I was taking deep breaths. I was trying to think of other (pleasant smelling) things. I was praying "Dear God, in the name of Jesus, and Grandmas, and all things holy, please please please don't let me hurl my chocolate milk right now in this lady's garden. Please?" (He answered that one.) And after a t.r.e.m.e.n.d.o.u.s.l.y long minute, I was able to stand and start walking. But the waves of nausea and the dry heaves did not pass. I kept smelling The Stank. (I can smell it now! Gah!) Thankfully Jet lives in a neighborhood where people like to grow flowers and pretty smelling things in their front gardens. So, I literally stopped to smell every rose for the next 18 houses.

I was able to return to normal, pretty much, for the rest of the walk...as long as I didn't think about what I was carrying! And for the last 50 metres when Jet was really pulling on the lead, I had to say to him "Look, buddy. I'm carrying a bag of your stanky poo. There is nothing I would like more than to sprint home and get shod of this bag as fast as I can! But that's not what we're gonna do because I look too cute today to run down the street with a bag of stanky poo in my hand. So. We are going to walk at a nice, sophisticated pace all the way home."

And walk we did.

Oh, Alley Phat, Full of Grace

Oh, Alley Phat,
Full of grace
Does Mama call your belly
Monkey butt to your face?
(posted by Julie, 5:00 pm. on Monkey Butt blog)

Hee hee! That's great! (of course I call her that to her face!!)

I took this shot of Alley Phat sitting on my lap. Dunno 'bout you, but me thinks it's not so healthy for the kitty to be 3.5x wider in the caboose than she is in the noggin! I can't seem to get her to diet, though, and the only exercise she gets is jumping up into my lap!

Aw, but she loves her Mama, and that's all that matters to me!

Tabbs-a-rooni

Call me a "sucker", call me a "bleeding heart", whatever. Dave and I are the proud new (temporary) parents of a 9 yr old tabby cat.(photo deleted)


There is a wonderful charity here called The Cinnamon Trust which pledges to assist and/or find new homes for the pets of elderly or terminally ill people. My friend, Liz, walks a cute little terrier named Archie 3-days a week, and loves it. (Archie makes her a nicer person!) So, I signed up hoping to walk dogs, but have yet to be called for that! I have, however, been called to be a short-term foster to a few different cats.
Oddly, each time Julia called to ask, I said yes, but then, between the time I said yes and she called me back, she always found another permanent home for the cats. So, in that regard, I'm kind of like a lucky charm!! :o)
Well, this time, there wasn't a "lucky charm" solution for Tabbs...only coming to live with us! Tabbs has always been an out-door cat, but now, she's living in our guest bedroom! She's got lots of hiding places, lots of soft places to nap in the sunshine, and plenty of food and water (and chicken pieces!) She loves to snuggle and loves it when we pet her. Other than it being such a big change for her being 100% inside where she used to be able to come-and-go, she seems to be settling in well.
Our cats haven't "met" her yet, but Alley is very curious about the spare room. Gypsy seems to not care...yet.
We don't know how long Tabbs will live with us. Her mom is now in an Alzheimer's care home, and when she registered with CT, she hoped that Tabbs could go to their sanctuary in Cornwall. Now, however, CT is debating whether or not Tabbs can come. They say she's too young!(!)
For now, we sit with her when we can, and brush her as much as she'll let us (we are helping her get rid of her winter coat!). One other grooming procedure I would like to perform is to give her a manicure! Wow! She's making mince-meat of my legs whenever I am brushing her!
And, as far as I can tell, there isn't anything like CT in America. If you know of them, please please let me know! I think it's a great charity!

Monkey Butt!

I love my cats, I really do. They bring us much joy. They bring us much laughter.


Alley has always loved food. Her (rural Georgia) vet (when she was about a year old) said "She don't miss much groceries, do she?" To which I said something like "No, sir, she don't." :o)


We had no idea how much her belly would bring us laughter till we moved to England. Alley had never lived in a house with stairs before, so this was a totally new experience for her! She was very confused the first few days -- boldly going up the flight of stairs but then she didn't know how to get down, so she'd cry for help! Hee hee! About 4-5 months after we moved we realized that she was starting to lose hair on her belly, and that there were little sores on it. This concerned me, of course! So one night I watched her very closely. Her belly doesn't drag the ground (she's not that fat!), and it didn't graze the corner of the steps going up, but it did graze the corner as she would come down the steps! Slowly, but surely, Alley's belly was going bald because it rubs against the carpet of the steps! How crazy is that?!


Now that we've been here 2 1/2 years, she's had lots of belly-grazing opportunities, and the bald-spot has just grown and grown. It doesn't stop her from eating, no, no. She just accepts it as one of the sacrifices English cats must all make.


Lately, I've realized how much of a monkey butt her belly really is! You know how monkey's butts tend to be, well, bald? She's got a monkey butt belly! It's bald, has dimples and even a crack down the middle!!


Oh, we love Alley Phat. She's so graceful and sits so lady-like.

Dancing Queen

You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life, ooooo, see that girl, watch that scene, dig in the dancing queen.

Dancing Queen, by Abba, is a really popular birthday song here in the UK, and I just don't remember it being that way when I was turning 17 (or any age after that, frankly!). But here, it's popular till you can't dance any more, I guess!

This morning I woke up at Stupid:30 when Dave's alarm went off. Normally, thankfully, I sleep right through it, but not today! Today I was in a moderate dream state when the alarm went off, and the music just brought me right out of it. Which is a good thing, 'cuz it was a strange dream! Our fat cat, Alley, was laying on my back at the time, and she was part of my dream. The dream was that Alley and I were dancers in a club! Yup! But not a showing-lots-of-skin club, it was a club where I was dancing in khaki's and a t-shirt! And Alley and I were discussing the fact (as one does with a cat, of course) that we were going to have to move to a different club, in Arkansas, I think, because of her belly. The club owner just didn't appreciate the moves and the magic that she can do with her belly! Narrow-minded club owner! :o)

So when I awoke from this dream, I couldn't figure out the derivative of it, but I just couldn't let it go! And then I pieced it together...last night Dave and I cleaned house, and I was listening to Abba on my iPod...and I think that must be it! I must have been dancing as I was cleaning (as one does with Abba in your ears), and that just carried over to my sub-conscious! Hee hee! I'm not sure, though, how Alley Phat and her belly figured into all of that!

You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen. Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life, ooooo, see that girl, watch that scene, dig in the dancing queen.

Diggin' this Dancing Queen!

Alley Phat

This is my girl (one of them). She has been known to write emails before, so she might even blog some every now and then!

I remember a line from Garfield (the cartoon) that said something like "Odie is built for speed, I'm built for comfort." (correct me here, I can't find any references on Google.) Well, Alley is totally built for comfort! She loves her food, and her Mama and Papa, and napping.

For now I'll just include a picture, and I'll let her tell you about life as a cat in England some other time.

By the way, the yellow feather...it's not a Budgie (or the remnants of a Budgie!), so don't worry. It's just a feather from a yellow toy I bought at the pet store! :o) Alley wouldn't know what to do with a live bird! She's too domesticated!