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~There is no such thing as a FREE kitten!~

Egg Watch!

Gray Tiger and the sink!

We are on Egg Watch! We are waiting for Gennie to lay her egg. We say egg instead of eggs because she laid only 1 egg last year and we are curious to see how many she lays this year. We definitely think she is going to lay an egg because she is really rooting around and nesting in her cage.

Mommy is back to reading Into Thin Air and is enjoying it. She likes the idea of living on the edge of civilization, miles away from anywhere.

Mommy watched The Secret Life of Bees yesterday. She said it was very faithful to the book which she thought worthy of a Pulitzer. But the movie didn't reach right out and grab her like some of the Oscar-nominated films she has watched recently. Dakota Fanning is really growing up!

I am sure that I have more to write about, but Mommy isn't up to it right now. She had a busy day at the library and some unpleasant encounters with some patrons.

By the way, I lost half a pound this week, tipping the scales at 14 lbs., and my brother weighed 13 lbs! The playing field is being leveled!

~There is no such thing as a FREE kitten!~

More videos!

Geesh! Mommy is driving us crazy with making videos! She made one of each of us today. Enuf practice! You are ready for your new hobby!

Today Mommy went shopping. She had to buy some things for Sleepover #3 with Grandma next Wednesday.

First stop was at DeBrand's for a tasting bar for Grandma to take to her sister in New York next month. Milk chocolate for Aunt Jane. Grandma told Mommy to buy a tasting bar for herself and one for Mommy Bonnie too. So Mommy Bonnie got a 71% cocoa bar which is a tad too strong for Mommy, and Mommy got a 52% cocoa bar which is more like a semi-sweet chocolate. Mommy will use her tasting bar for her next wine class where she has to have dark chocolate.

The second stop was at Belmont Beverage where Mommy got her French Lick Rhubarb Wine for the sleepover. She and Grandma will love it!

Then Mommy was in for a shock when she arrived at World Market to find out they were going out of business! No Torani syrups and the wine selection was so minimal that Mommy left without buying anything.

Mommy then got LOTS of bargains at her local Kroger. She went for a pork loin and found one already sliced that the butcher had cut for someone who did not pick it up. So Mommy grabbed it and paid only $2.07 per pound when it was marked $4.19 per pound. So she got $21 worth of meat for $10.37, and enough meat for 5+ meals! Talk about being at the right place at the right time!

Mommy got some wine at Kroger that was on sale...and some that was not.

A couple of months ago Mommy tried St. James (Missouri) Catawba that she, Grandma and Mommy Bonnie loved. She picked up another bottle today and paid $6.29 for it with a 70 cent savings. In addition, she picked up some Oliver Camelot Mead that was on sale and saved .70 on it or $6.29.

The wines for Mommy's class include:

(1) A German Riesling Spätlese or Kabinett, slightly sweet, with about 10% alcohol. Mommy chose a 2006 Schlink Haus Spätlese at 9.5% alcohol and, with discount, paid $9.89.

(2) A New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, unoaked, with a crisp acidity. Mommy chose a 2007 Kim Crawford at 13% alcohol. This was the most expensive wine at $21.99. With discount, Mommy paid $19.79. This wine is a Wine Spectator 91-pointer.

(3) An Australian Chardonnay with some new oak. Mommy chose a 2006 Lindeman's Bin 65 at 13.5% alcohol. She paid, with discount, $6.29 for the bottle. This wine may be past it's prime, but Mommy doesn't like Chardonnay very well anyway.

(4) Mommy's biggest savings was on the California Cabernet Sauvignon. She Purchased a 2006 Toasted Head at 13.5% alcohol. She paid $9.89 for the Cab, which was already on sale for a savings of close to $7. The Cab was supposed to have some firm tannins and some new oak. The tannins in this wine might not be firm, but it saw 20% new oak, so close enough.

Mommy does not have the 5th wine yet, a California, Oregon or New Zealand Pinot Noir. It is supposed to be lean and unoaked. She will try to research and pick one out soon.

These wines are to be sampled with beef, a tart apple, a lemon, cheddar cheese, walnuts, a sugar cookie and dark chocolate. Observations after the class, which Mommy hopes to take in the next two weeks.

Mommies are going to The Farm this evening. The stairway should be done, and, perhaps, some more electrical work.

Gennie is getting ready to lay an egg. Mommy says any day now. This will be the second year in a row! Mommy Bonnie is in shock because she has had Gennie for 10 years or so, and she only started laying eggs last year. We will try to get a picture...or a video! : )

The Queen

My twin

Blogger trying to snooze

~There is no such thing as a FREE kitten!~

My first video!

Today is a very exciting day! I made my first video! It is part of an experiment for Mommy. Remember, weeks ago, when I told you that Mommy had a special, secret, new hobby? Well, it involves video. So, today, we are practicing.

My first video! Enjoy!

~There is no such thing as a FREE kitten!~

Tiger, tiger burning bright

Now I ask you...

...do I look fat?

Another Sunday here on Blossom Ridge. Mommy Bonnie has a touchy stomach this morning but she will have to get to feeling better because Builder Mike needs more paint, and Mommies need to buy some more bulbs for fans at the cottage and get them there today.

Marquette told me a secret. You see, he can jump up on the counter and I, because I am a husky size, can't. So he was sitting on the counter last week and there was a Huntington Tab lying there that Mommy had brought home from The Farm. On the front page was a photo of Mr. Taylor, the father of the family who didn't adopt me last summer. Marquette pushed The Tab on the floor and asked me if it was THE Mr. Taylor, and I said yes. Then Marquette said, "Aren't you really glad that the Taylors didn't adopt you? We would never have seen each other again. Besides, you love Mommy now, and we are soon going back to Timber Lake and The Farm to our Forever Cottage." And Marquette is right, of course. No question about it.

So Mommies went to The Cottage yesterday and met with Builder Mike for some last decisions. Rex and LeeAnn were there installing lights, fans, heaters. The fan on the front porch was up. Plumbing and electrical decisions also had to be made. Builder Mike will be putting the stair rail up this week, a second coat of paint, and lots of finishing touches. The interior doors, including the Dutch Door, will go up. So many exciting things! Mommies wanted to clean and seal the cork floor in the loft yesterday, but Builder Mike asked them to put it off until next weekend because the floor was taped for baseboard painting.

Well, this diet sucks. I thought if I ignored the Indoor Cat Chow, that Mommy would be guilted into giving me the regular food. But, nooo.... So I have been eating the Indoor variety, and I probably haven't lost an ounce. Mommy will weigh me late this week and we will see. I have been extra affectionate toward Mommy, especially during the night. I wake her up 2-3 times each night, standing on her chest, purring as loudly as I can, kneading her with my paws with 14 1/2 pounds of paw power, hoping she will reward my attention with the real Cat Chow. It just isn't working.

The Tiger

William Blake (1757–1827)

TIGER, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder and what art
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand and what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? What dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And water'd heaven with their tears,
Did He smile His work to see?
Did He who made the lamb make thee?

Tiger, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

~There is no such thing as a FREE tiger!~

Kolob and Scamp

Up close and personal with Scamp.

Kolob (a Puggle) and Scamp.

Mommy had lunch with her friend, Karen, today. She got to play with Kolob and Scamp. Tidbit, though she did show her face a couple of times, kept at a distance, and Mommy wasn't able to get a photo of her. Kolob thinks he is a cat! See how he sits on the table with Scamp? Karen probably doesn't know it, but Mommy knows what Kolob's name is all about. Kolob is the star purported to be closest in proximity to the throne of God. Mommy really likes that.

Mommy and Karen had sandwiches from The Bagel Station. When Mommy told the lady she needed a decadent dessert for Karen, the lady recommended a cherry chocolate cake and gave Mommy a sample. It was a chocolate cake with chocolate icing with some cherry flavoring...just enough to let you know it is there. It was to die for, and Mommy recommends this new item to our readers.

So Mommy spent a fortune at Wal*Mart today and we got the leaner Cat Chow. The good stuff is on a table I can't reach and where Tacumwah (who has no weight problem) can eat all she wants. PLUS, my twin can reach it too! How fair is that? Maybe if I take off a few pounds I can leap better and then I can reach the good stuff!

Mommy got some yogurt and snack bars to eat during the day so she can take off some weight herself - Fiber One Oats and Peanut Butter bars that Miss Becky from the library got her started on, and Yoplait Light Strawberry and Peach flavor Yogurt to have at noon. Karen gave Mommy some other bars to try too that Mommy thought sounded yummy.

We want to shout out a happy birthday all the way to Hawaii to Stephanie today! Mommy got to wish her a happy birthday over the phone. My Mommy loves you very much, Stephanie!

Mommy hasn't started her Wine and Food Pairing class yet. She is studying the wines and only has 2 of the 5 picked out thus far. Mommy hopes to start buying the wines next week. More on that later.

No other news for now. Mommy has to go to work tomorrow. We like it when she is home. Yesterday, all three of us cats watched the movie with her. That was fun. We didn't understand it, of course. Mommy cried. What is the Holocaust?

Some people have commented that Mommy seems to like every book and movie she reads or watches. There is a reason for that. Mommy understands that life is getting shorter, so she is very selective about the movies and books she sees or reads. She reads up on them before she checks them out. That way she knows that there is a good chance that she will like them. Mommy doesn't hesitate to turn a movie off or return a partially read book. There are too many outstanding books and movies to read and see to waste your time on a bad one.

~There is no such thing as a FREE kitten!~

The virtue of selfishness

Brown tiger

Gray tiger

Ayn Rand*, the mother of existentialism, wrote a book called The Virtue of Selfishness. For most of her life, Mommy thought that being selfish was a bad thing and that you should always put others first. But now she knows that people need alone time (at least she does) to regenerate and to escape from the stress of life, if only for a short period of time. So Mommy's Wednesdays and Thursdays off are her selfish days...the days when she tries to do something that she enjoys. On the weekends Mommy Bonnie keeps her very busy, so she really looks forward to her days off during the week. Not that she doesn't cook, clean, shop, do laundry, run errands pertaining to The Farm, and spend time with us pets on those days, but she always tries to do something nice for herself. Today was no exception. Read on.

Mommy has been waiting since last October to read James Patterson's Against Medical Advice. She heard about it on Talk Radio and placed a hold on it immediately. Long story short, she read it in two sittings (one last night and one this morning) and thought it was a page-turner. She recommends this book to our readers over the age of 13 and gives it four out of four stars. It is a true story of a family dealing with a child with Turret's Syndrome as seen through the eyes of the child. No spoilers here. Read the book!

The next selfish thing Mommy did was to watch The Reader. Mommy didn't expect to like it and expected an X-Rated movie, but neither was the case. With a few minor exceptions, the movie was faithful to the book and Mommy thought it was excellent. She especially liked Kate Winslet's performance. Recommended for mature audiences.

No news on whether Roger found a buyer for the camper. The check from the insurance company for repairs did arrive yesterday, and Mommies hope Roger can sell the camper for a nice chunk of change.

The lady who wants to look at our villa will also be looking at another villa on our street that will be on the market soon. Our villa isn't even close to being ready to show according to Mommy, so don't know what will happen there.

Mommy's friend, Karen, has a birthday tomorrow. It is also Stephanie's birthday in Hawaii. Mommy hopes to talk to Stephanie tomorrow and to have lunch with Karen. Karen's husband, Luther, is away on a trip, so the two friends will have plenty of time to gab. Mommy needs to go to the store tomorrow too. There was something said about a leaner Cat Chow for the Big Boy. Hmmm....

*If you haven't read Ayn Rand, Mommy suggests Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. If you don't have time to tackle those behemoths, Mommy has a special place in her heart for We the Living.

~There is no such thing as a FREE kitten!~

Strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff....

Up close and personal with my brother.

Mommy's childhood horse. It moves by pressing down on foot rests.

It must be a hundred years old!

It is Sunday morning. We are having a lazy day. My brother is sleeping on the stairway to the loft and I am on Mommy's bed.

Mommies went to The Farm yesterday and visited with Rex and LeeAnn who were working on the wiring. An update on The Farm blog was uploaded yesterday.

Mommy has been busy cleaning the villa a little bit at a time. Today she worked on getting grease off of the microwave and some switch plates. She is going to begin putting things at the curb to get rid of them...things not good enough to offer to people or even Goodwill. A lady will be coming to look at the villa soon, and Mommy wants it to be presentable.

Mommy finally heard from the insurance company about the camper. They did not total it, choosing, instead, to have the repairs done. Mommy called Roger to give him the news and he suggested that he contact a man in the Chicago area who buys used and damaged campers at a fair price. Hopefully, if the man purchases the camper, the price he would offer, along with the check from the insurance company, will be close to what Mommies were hoping to get if they totalled the camper. So that still has not been completely resolved yet.

Mommies may go back to The Farm today to see how much Rex got done yesterday.

~There is no such thing as a FREE kitten!~

Rainy and unseasonably warm

Marquette says it is the "angle" that makes him look big!

14 1/2 lb. cat (L) and 9 lb. cat (R)

The Queen on the counter!

Finally an unflattering photo of my brother, though he defends it by talking about the angle.

Miss Marra had Baby Si-Si weighed before and after her recent vacation in Hawaii and he tipped the scales at over 13 lbs. So, of course, Mommy had to weigh us this week. Much to her surprise, Marquette weighed 11 1/2 lbs., possibly 12 lbs. (Our scales weigh to the nearest .5 lb.) I, on the other hand, weighed over 14 lbs., probably closer to 14 1/2 lbs.

Now Mommy is researching different Purina formulas and there are two with less fat and calories than the one we are currently consuming. One is the Indoor Formula and the other is the Senior Formula which, even if you aren't a senior, you can eat if you are over a year old. So Mommy is going to switch us to Indoor for a few months to see if that helps before switching us to Senior.

Mommy has the day off and has no plans except to read and write and maybe watch a movie and do a little laundry and housekeeping. She didn't feel 100% last night so she is just going to take it easy today. It is going to be very warm (it is already 53 degrees) and rain all day. The Farm is a mud hole, so Mommy is concerned about the cabinet maker being able to get the cabinets into the house tomorrow or Friday through all the mud. Mommies know they need to address the mud situation at the farm sooner rather than later...more gravel and a walkway from the drive to the cottage. And Mommies need to buy the last sink and get all the sinks and plumbing hardware to the cottage too. Mommy Bonnie has Friday off, so maybe she plans on taking the things down that day if Mommy doesn't have to have them down sooner...like tomorrow.

Mommy is concerned about the grapevines at The Farm...that the buds will break and then be killed when the temperatures drop. I guess Mommies are going to find out which vines did the best in this very cold winter and then re-plant with those varieties.

That is all my news for this morning!

~There is no such things as a FREE kitten!~

Sleepovers and cat ledges

Aunt Lucy on Mommy's bed at Grandma's house.

Tacumwah and the portable heater!

Who is this big boy? It isn't me!

The cat ledge at The Farm!

Mommy's sleepover was Wednesday and that is all we have heard about! Like how GREAT the food was and how GREAT the movie was. Mommy sauteed scallops in her secret blend of herbs and spices and Grandma made homemade coleslaw and oven fries and a homemade cherry pie. Of course they were the BEST scallops ever and it was the BEST cherry pie ever and everything was just the BEST ever. And they liked it so much they are going to repeat it at the next sleepover...except for the pie. Mommy took an Oliver Soft White that went very well with the scallops. Next month she is planning on taking a French Lick rhubarb wine. That should be interesting.

Mommy and Grandma watched Slumdog Millionaire which they really liked, but they didn't feel that it was any better than Benjamin Button. They said there were outstanding things about each movie.

Mommies went to The Farm today and guess what? Builder Mike had our window ledge in. We asked for a 7" wide ledge and he made it 7 1/4" wide with rounded corners. Mommies were very happy with everything they saw. There will be much happening at The Farm this week so check out that blog. The big news is that the cabinets will be installed! And Rex is back from China and has been working on the electric again. Mommies took the baseboard heaters over today so that Rex would have them.

Mommy finished another Lisa Scottoline mystery and has begun yet another while still reading Into Thin Air.

That is all my news except that the snow is just about all melted here on Blossom Ridge and there is water everywhere...and mud!

~There is no such thing as a FREE kitten!~

A trip to The Farm for Gizmo!

Gizmo got to go to The Farm with Mommy today.

The snow was pretty deep and he loved it!

Mommy says somebody broke into the house

and stole Marquette when he was a kitten...

...and replaced him with a bigger cat!

Vanilla ice cream is special...and vanilla bean is best of all!
This is my very own bowl!

Tacumwah sleeps on the portable electric heater
which will go into the basement of the cottage.

Gizmo was lucky! He got to go to The Farm today with Mommy and even go into the cottage with her! Mommy didn't want to go. She wanted to stay home and read and watch a movie. But Mommy Bonnie really wanted her to go to take photos of the ceilings and the primer on the walls, so she went. She and Denny walked through the house and then Mommy and Gizmo walked around the property so Gizmo could get some exercise. On the way home Mommy stopped in Roanoke and got a latte and then at Gordon's to buy some scallops and some soup to take to Grandma's for the sleepover.

Mommy Bonnie has had to work all weekend. She and her co-worker, Diane, were up most of the night and then went to work this morning. The new software they have been helping to migrate at their plant goes into affect this week. It has taken many, many months of work and everyone is very tired.

Mommy also worked yesterday so only had today to rest. She will continue to read when she is done helping me with my blog. She is reading The Reader. She wanted to read the book before watching the movie. Mommy and Grandma have chosen Sumdog Millionaire for their sleepover movie this month. Then, of course, there will be the scallops, oven fries, coleslaw, and a fruity white wine. All of us cats here on Blossom Ridge LOVE fish! Mommy made tilapia recently and we begged something awful!

That is my news for today!

~There is no such thing as a FREE kitten!~