Updates

Just last week I was ranting about not loving the endings to books, and I forgot one of the ones I had just read.  "Gone Girl" was recommended by so many different people, I can't even tell you!!

And it was good.  It was very cleverly written and drew you in to the story.  I kept thinking the whole time I was reading it how much I really didn't like any of the characters.  So I was not near as invested in the outcome of this book as I could have been.  If any of the characters had been like-able, that is.

But the ending?  Holy Cow!  I did not see that coming.  I was confused by it for a while.  Then?  I decided it was probably the way idiots like these would behave.

Remember a few months back I posted a list of recommended books?  I have been working my way through that list (which is where I got "Gone Girl", by the by) and one of the books recommended was fabulous, outstanding and sensational!!!

This book was so darn good I just wanted to start it over again, right then and there. *****, that's a 5-star rating, is what that is.

So when I was at Half-Price Books I picked up another book by Christopher Moore.

Loved it!!!  I finished it last night as it was a quick read.  So clever and completely out there.

And you know what?  He knows how to finish a book.  I mean really finish so that it feels like a full-course meal from soup to nuts.  Not just soup.

I was thinking about how I as a reader need to feel really engaged not just with the book but at times with the author as well.  Sometimes that feeling of simpatico, of being kindred spirits just comes through and you have a real connection.  And I wondered if authors are also trying to make that connection with their stories or if they are writing for themselves and we as readers can go along for the ride or not and we are really superfluous.  How important is the audience for the writer?  If no one was going to read them ever, would books be written anyway?

Is the writing of a book a "need" within the writer whether or not there would be readers?

Interesting questions to ponder.

Switching gears:

Did y'all see DWTS All Stars?  Holy Moly!  There was some fabulous dancing going on for Day 1 of competition!

All except for poor Pamela Anderson and little Bristol Palin.  That was sad.  The judges were so harsh with Pamela, too.  I felt really bad for her.  Poor thing was trying so hard not to cry on camera.

It's gonna be hard to pick a front runner this season with this line-up.  They are all so good.

Switching gears again:

It has been so strange around here without our little Fergus Jackson MacPhee.  He is greatly missed.  His brother Angus is having some issues, as is Lester Buster.  Lester and Fergus were snuggle buddies and Lester is having a hard time finding a comfortable spot without Fergus.  It's sad.

And no, I do not want any more pets.

Mostly.

Fergus Jackson MacPhee

I woke up this morning to the strangest, saddest cat cry I had ever heard.  The cats that were in bed with me all went on high alert and we jumped up to find out who had made that mournful wail.

It was Fergus.  I saw him taking his last breaths and ran upstairs and got the kids.  Fergus was not sick, nor was there any reason to think he was going to die.  He was just a month past his sixth birthday.

I was looking for his kitten photos on the computer today and for some reason I can't find them.  I only found some from the last couple of years.

Fergus had the softest, most plushy fur I have ever felt on a kitty, like a sheared beaver coat.  He was a joy to pet and run your fingers through his hair.  He would, about once a year or so, get a little spot on his back that would mat up like a little kitty dreadlock.  We have no idea why.

His eyes were like pools of jade.  Not that clear emerald green that some cats have, but like a gorgeous piece of jade.  You can see that a little bit in that last picture.

Fergus was the only one of our cats who liked to lay out on his belly with his back legs straight out behind him.  Splayed out with his belly in full contact with the cool floor.  His breathy purring and really loud, whiney sounding meow are going to be missed around here.

Fergus Jackson MacPhee

July 30, 2026 - Sept. 17, 2012

R.I.P.

World's Worst Blogger

That's me, the World's Worst Blogger.  I have been gone lo these many weeks.  I think it has been 3 full weeks since I have posted anything.  Just did not feel the spirit move in me.  Nothing felt worthwhile of sharing.

And now, look at what has happened!

Awww!  I can just hear y'all now, everyone saying Awww together.  Is that the cutest little guy EVER?

Well guess what?

He's dead now.

So sad.  His name is Pusuke and he lived in Japan.  He was in the Guinness Book of World Records.

For being the OLDEST LIVING DOG IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD.

And now he has up and died at the ripe old age of . . . .


wait for it . . . . .


Twenty six years and nine months.

That my friends, is  a LONG life for a doggie.

And just for the hell of it, here are some new and random photos from my life.

This first photo is of my son Sparky's newest tattoo.  A famous portrait tattoo artist was here and so Sparky took a photo of his grandmother (Mr. Big Ed's late Mama) from back when she was in high school and had this tattoo done.  It is very well done and looks great.

It's on his leg, by the by.

Next up we have me and Mr. Big Ed playing with the photo booth thing on my computer.  Look at us!  We are on a roller coaster!!

Oh look!  It's my Halloween pedicure!  Jack-o-lantern toesies!  They were cute.

Now if you are from Texas or anywhere that has a huge Mexican population you have seen barbacoa places.  If you are not, then what you should know is that barbacoa is awesome and delicious.  And some of the worst artery-clogging stuff you can put in your body.  It is the whole head of the cow slow roasted in coals forever and it is the most tender delicous stuff.  But really, it is not good for you at all.

And what better place to put a Curves gym than right next to the place that makes you fat enough to need the Curves gym!  It's like a before and after.  Go straight from the barbacoa place over to Curves and sign up, fatties!

Makes me wonder which was there first!

There's a corner gas station near here where a guy sets up his little stand selling bonsai trees.  And this is the signage he put out.  Check this out.

Were Take Credit Debit?????  Really??

Next time I will show you my November and now my December toes.  Oh, the December color is fabulous.  It's the OPI Ruby Pumps in case you want to run right out and get your toeses all holidayed-up and ready to party.

Thanks for coming back by and I will do better about getting back here more frequently.  I guess I just needed a little break.

Back to the decorating, and gift wrapping, and starting the baking!

It's been one of those mornings

You know the kind I mean.  The kind where you wake up in a bad mood and it goes down hill from there? That kind.

Lately morning has been starting about 5 o'dark thirty, with that no good sorry ass Angus MacPhee deciding it is time for e v e r y o n e to wake up.  And wake up the hard way.

What is the hard way, you might ask?

It starts with that little bastard Angus meowing.  Then he gets louder "MEEEOOOOW!"

Then he gets this really deep down, open up his throat meow going that gets so loud it's unbelievable!

"Rrrr, rrrrr, mrrrr-ooooowwwwwww!"

We have large industrial-sized squirt bottles filled with watered-down vinegar to blast any pet who gets out of line.  And Mr. Big Ed keeps one on his side of the bed at night for just such displays of douchiness.  So the morning has started.  Angus is yowling and acting like a dick.  Mr. Big Ed is squirting the bottle without aiming or opening his eyes and all the other pets are trying to get out of the line of vinegar fire.

Then Angus decides that it is time to move on to Phase Two of his "Kill the Morning Campaign". Phase Two looks like this:

On each side of our bed are night stands.  Each with lamps, alarm clocks, various reading materials, glasses of water, eyeglasses, cell phones, house phones.  You know, the usual night stand clutter.  And right behind those night stands?  Long skinny windows with those crappy metal mini-blinds in them.

So Angus bats at the metal blinds (making loads of noise in the process) until he gets them to flip forward enough that he can get in the window behind them and start the yowling process all over again.  That way he is up much closer to our heads so we can hear him all the better.  And he has his eye on you the whole time so that the minute you raise your head up to try and start throwing the other 4 cats off of the top of the covers so you can get out from underneath them and grab him, he has rattled out of the blinds and headed for the hills.

Sometimes he even goes for Phase Three.

Phase Three looks like Phase Two except for one thing.  Instead of going around the back side of the night stands to get into the blinds and make a ruckus?

HE GOES ON TOP OF THE NIGHT STANDS AND KNOCKS ALL THAT SHIT OFF OF THEM!!

If that weren't bad enough, he does it first on one side and then when we get all cleaned up and settled back down,

HE DOES IT TO THE OTHER NIGHT STAND!!

Angus is quickly using up all of his nine lives.

That's how the morning started today.  Then I had to get up and take Nikita Babushka (the Husky Princess) outside to pee. While she is out peeing and sniffing the air, I go get Maxwell Banks (the Schnauzer with Alzheimer's) and wake him up to go pee and what do I find?  He has woken up early and just peed and shit in the kitchen floor.  And then he had stepped in it.  And kept walking.

I didn't lose it yet.  I was calm and said to myself, "Self, you can just clean this up in just a bit. Get all the dogs out to pee, give the cats their treats and then worry about it."  Then I herded Max outside and went to wake up Ernest T. Bass to go outside.  (I always sing to him "Ernest T. Bass goes pee pee on the grass")

During the 2 - 3 minutes it took me to go get Ernest T. and walk back towards the back door, Nikita had taken a big shit right in the family room.  She had just been outside and walked back inside and shit on my floor.  Bitch.

Ernest T. and I stepped around it and I took him outside and brought Max in and was starting to cuss all these damn animals under my breath.

Then I got the paper towels, spray bottle of cleaner, the swiffer and those wet swiffer sheet things and the trash can and was getting ready to clean up all the floors when my phone rang.

I almost didn't answer it, but I saw on the caller i.d. thing that it was my neighbor, The Colonel.  Since he turned 90 on Easter this year, I wouldn't feel right ducking his call.  What if he or the lovely Miss Betty had fallen or something?

So I answered it.  And he started in telling me this story of how their across the street neighbor had called them to tell them that she had seen a strange looking vehicle pull up in their driveway (The Colonel's driveway) and that a black man had gotten out of the car!!  Then TC & MB dog, Fifi had set up barking and raising cain so the black man had run back to his car and high-tailed it out of there, taking a section of their retaining wall with him.

So far this is a pretty good story since we do tend to keep the neighborhood in the loop of potential burglaries and such.  But then I guess The Col. got comfortable with his story and he started referring to the black man as the n-word.  We all know the word.  I use a lot of words.  I use a lot of really good swear words.  Never do I use that word.  Never.  And it took my poor brain a few seconds to digest the fact that he had in fact, actually said that word.  Out loud.  And assumed that it was okay to use that word with me.



So I hung up and then looked at all the dog shit and piss I had to clean.  And I cleaned it all up and then mopped the floor.

All this BEFORE I had my cup of tea.  BEFORE.

I am now drinking my tea and typing about the shitty morning I have had.  All of which started with that little douchebag Angus MacPhee.  Angus, who likes to sleep all day.  Angus, who takes really long cat naps during the day.  Angus, who will be woken up every chance I get today.  Every time I see that little bastard sleeping I am going to wake him up.  Gleefully!

No sleep for Angus!

How's your morning?

T.V. and other stuff

It's the new fall T.V. season and the finales of all the summer shows.  Thank the good Lord that Big Brother is over!  I don't even care that the loud obnoxious Rachel won.  She was a better choice than the other two lame-os.

Here is my take on what is going on right now:

Biggest Loser - Two new trainers and Bob have teams divided by age.  The young group chose the new guy that looks like a cross between Taye Diggs (yum) and the Old Spice dude (look at your man, now look at me).  I don't know if I could work out and stay focused while looking at him.  The middle (40-ish) group won the first challenge and got Bob.  The old farts who practically strolled and sauntered instead of running, jogging, or even trying got stuck with Anna Kournikova. (and I know I just mangled spelling her name, but whatever. I will look up the correct spelling later)

I love Bob.  But I have to say I miss Jillian yelling at everyone and being all up in their faces.  She gets the job done.  I haven't picked out a favorite contestant yet.  There's one young guy named Ramon that I like a lot and some other guy that if I am not looking at the screen and just listening, he sounds just like John Goodman.  The older team lost the first weigh-in and it was between 2 of the ladies as to who was going home.  Now it was easy to see that the one lady with the bad knees who only lost 4 FREAKING POUNDS was going to be chosen because other people were losing 27 - 32 pounds and she only lost 4 FREAKING POUNDS!  But then this other whiney lady stepped in and started berating her and just bitched her up one side and down the other for crying and trying to garner support with emotions.

You don't need much more information to guess who got sent packing.  They would rather keep Ol' Weak Knees around for another week than some Whiney-Ass Mean Bitch.  It was another case of "don't let the door knob hit ya!"

Survivor - I am so happy Survivor is back!  I kinda wish we could have Boston Rob on every season.  He really makes for great television.  But we can't.  So this season we have Ozzie back!!  Yay!  I love that Ozzie.  For those of you who don't watch Survivor and haven't yet enjoyed Ozzie, check this out.

They also brought back that moron, Coach the Dragonslayer.  This guy is such a tool it makes my head hurt to even think about him.

So they put the returning Ozzie and Coach each on the two different teams.  And guess who Coach's new best little running buddy is?  Evil Russell's nephew!  And o.m.g.!!!  What a total d-bag the nephew is!

Get this, he is pissed at this chick Micaela for being really well-built and strong and running around in almost nothing (like every other person on this island) and "tempting" him.  And he is married and doesn't need her evil distractions around.  So he is trying to rally the troops to get her voted out.  What an asshole.  He is clearly just a little troll like his uncle.

No real clear favorites here yet either.  We shall see as the personalities develop and come shining through.

This season True Blood has just about Jumped the Shark.  Every episode we watch and just say "Really?  That's where they want to go with this?"

First season was vampires.  Then shape-shifter Sam.  Then werewolves. Then whatever it was that MaryAnn was. And now we have were-panthers, all sorts of witchcraft, and faeries.  It's getting to be just a little much to keep up with.

And they totally messed with Erik's character.  This season's Erik is such a pussy.  Last season's Erik would kick this season's Erik's ass.

Bill (who I never liked) is just an ass. Sooki is an idiot.  Jason is dumber than a box of hair.  There is some wonderful comic relief with that Bellfleur clan.

Arlene the red-headed waitress was getting on to her rotten kids at the diner.  They were all dressed up for Halloween and she told them "Now y'all better straighten up or I am going to make you go trick or treat at the trailer park!  Do you WANT to get empty Coors cans and food stamps?"

Ha!  Now THAT was hilarious!

The Big C - is some of the best writing and acting on t.v. Laura Linney, Oliver Platt and company deserve big kudos for this show.  It is really wonderful.

Sons of Anarchy - Holy Moly!  This season started out with a bang.  A whole lot of bangs, actually.  All the boys are out of prison and ready to get back to business.  But wait!  There's a new sheriff in town.  And he's black!  And he hates them!  And he is secretly working with the FBI!  And he didn't let them even drive through town without letting them know he is in charge.  Ooooh.  This is a great show.

Sunny's back!!!  Yes indeedy, It's Always Sunny in Philly is back!  This is such a great show.  I can't say enough good things about it.  A little tidbit I came across in an article on home birth is that Dee, played by Kaitlin Olson is married to Rob McElhenney (who plays Mac on the show) in real life, and they did indeed have a baby this year.  At home, all safe and sound with no complications.  Hooray for home birth!  Hooray for Dee and Mac being married in real life!

Oooh!  Here is what prompted this particular post to be about t.v. There is a new show coming out (no release date yet) called Celebrity Wife Swap. Like the regular Wife Swap wasn't shitty enough.  You will NEVER in a million years guess who are the first two "Celebrities" who are swapping wives!!!

Ted I-am-not-gay Haggard and Gary Nutjob Busey

Can you even believe that?  I will let you know as soon as I see that this trainwreck is airing.


And in other news:

I heard back from Con-Agra who owns the parent company who owns Ro-Tel.  Con-Agra sees nothing wrong with BPA leaching into our food and is continuing in their practice to do this.  They are now going to do it without my support.

I looked online at the Hatch products website and found an actual phone number to call and speak with an actual person!  (gasp)  Here's how that went:

Me: dialing, listening to the ring

Them:  Hatch  (that was it.  Not, hello you have reached Hatch products, what can we do for you?)

Me: yes, I would like to not necessarily complain, but voice a consumer opionion.

Them:  Okay.

Me: Who would I need to speak with?

Them: Oh, you can tell me and I will relay the information.

Me:  Okay.  Here's the deal.  I love your products, especially the Green Chile Enchilada Sauce, but I am learning more and more about the BPA coating inside the cans and I won't be buying your products any more until that changes.

Them:  Oh.  I don't really know anything about that.  But I will tell someone about it.

A few more minutes of this same thing and I hung up.  What you will notice is:

A. It was really refreshing to have a phone number listed on the website to speak to real people.
B. That a real live person picked up the phone and didn't appear to be outsourced to Bangladesh.
C. That she NEVER ONCE asked me for my name, number, address or any follow-up information.
D. She seemed really unprepared to do this job.

That's it for today.  Enjoy your Thursday and one last thing, I am still looking for a home for the teensy little Mama Kitty.  She gets her tubes tied on Sunday morning and all her shots and will be ready to go to a loving home.

I have tried so many names out on her and none of them stick.  I think maybe it is because I know she isn't my cat and my name for her isn't supposed to really be her name.  The other cats have learned to peacefully co-exist with her, but they aren't warming up to her.  She really has no one to play with or snuggle with.  It makes me sad for her.

Lots of stuff!

I have so many things flitting around in my head to tell you about and pictures to show you!

First up!

Just when you think you have seen everything, you haven't.  Check this out:  We were driving through a parking lot and saw this truck with shrimp decals on the back window and then saw the driver's door.

In case it wasn't clear enough, I got a much closer view below.

THE SHRIMP PIMP!  It's a Shrimp Pimp-mobile!!

When's the last time you saw one of those?  I'm gonna go out on a limb and say probably never.  Ha!

And now, let me share with you my latest project.  Do you remember a long while back I showed you pictures of the cute trivets I was going to make when I got enough metal bottle caps saved up?  Well, after having some family members here for a good long visit we accumulated a great supply of bottle caps.  Yay!!

Here is the little tub I have been collecting the caps in.  A varying assortment of beer, ginger beer, root beer and I guess some non-beer caps!

Next to the bottle caps you will see that I am using just plain #10 cotton crochet thread.  I have scads and scads of that stuff.  Small amounts of about every color under the sun leftover from other projects.  Just the right thing to use on this and turn a leftover bit of thread and a rescued-from-the-garbage bottle cap into something useful and cute as hell!

As I make up the crochet-covered caps I am storing them in a ziplock bag while I accumulate enough to put them together in some sort of cute trivet design.

And here are the first two I have finished!  They are going to be my sister-in-law's birthday present. She has the cutest 1950's all original kitchen in shades of blue and yellow.  It is bright, sunny and just as cute as it can be.  I wanted to be sure to take photos of them before I give them to her.  Shhh, don't tell her!

Aren't they awesome?  I am so excited to get even more made!  I have loads of cotton thread.  Certainly enough to make hundreds of trivets.  It's just the bottle caps that I have to keep stocked up on.  I have been picking them up off the street and in parking lots too.  Any that I find that aren't flattened out or too bent are snagged and taken home and washed.

If you look closely at the photos, you can kind of make out that there are different color caps underneath the thread.  I gotta tell you, this is shaping up to be one of my favorite projects!

And if that wasn't enough cuteness already?

I have some pics of the little mama kitty and the one remaining baby kitty that we have been fostering. The little boy kitten has already gone to his forever home and has been given the moniker of Ollie.  Very cute.

You'll see what I mean when I have been saying that the little mama kitty didn't appear to be any more than 6 to 8 months when she gave birth.  She had these babies on July 4th, so they have been with us for 7 weeks today.  And this is probably their last week with us (and together) as they will each be making their way to their respective new homes.  Awwww.

Check them out:

See, you probably thought this was the baby because she is so small, but nope.  That's the tiny mama!

Here's the teensy baby kitty hiding under the table so that I won't take her picture and steal her soul or whatever it is that baby kitties might think!

There she is again!  Hiding under a chair.

And here's the mama kitty with her savior and rescuer.  Isn't she precious?  Look at those stripes!

And here's the baby.  Awwwww!

Look at that little bundle of trouble!

And here's one more of the mama kitty sitting on a foot stool looking up at me. What a pretty, dainty little girl.

Dog Food and the making thereof

I have made my dogs' food for about 15 years.  Yes, that would be right because the 2 oldest are over 14 and have only been given store-bought food as an occasional treat.  Like you give your kids a healthy diet and throw in the odd outing to McD's for a junk fest.

This came about at the dawn of the internet age and I was doing some research and found some information on the horrible shit that goes into mass-produced pet foods and the problems it may cause in your pets.  The list of symptoms went on and on and read like my last dog, Sammy's, vet records.  I was horrified that all the health issues he had could have been brought on by my buying commercial dog kibble and I was unaware and apparently so were all my vets, as not one of them ever suggested this as a root cause.

That led to more and more research as to what goes into dog (and cat) foods and what alternatives there could be.  It took me back to when my first-born Sparky was just a small chubby baby and I had stocked the pantry with jars and jars of Gerber's in anticipation of his moving up to baby foods.  And then the news hit that there were recalls of Gerber's due to ground glass showing up in the food.

Now I may not know a lot about a lot of things, but I knew that ground glass was NOT one of your top nutrients for growing a healthy child.  So I went to the store and bought a baby food grinder.  Just one of the hand crank items that is easy peasy to clean and use and went to town making my own.

This is the same philosophy I applied to the dog food situation.  Make your own.

If you make your own, you can control the calories, the worthless fillers, the crap that doesn't need to be in there and provide a clean, healthy, nutritious chow for your dogs.  It costs so little compared to the bagged stuff, AND!  get this!

When you make your own and you don't add in a bunch of things that your dog's body doesn't need and only things it does need, most of the food gets metabolized and you have LESS WASTE coming through your dog.  Now, who doesn't want THAT for a side benefit?

I have 3 dogs.  A 14 1/2 year old Siberian Husky of about 40+ pounds, a just 14 year old Mini. Schnauzer of 20-something pounds, and a 4 year old pitty-mix of 75 pounds.  I make one big pot of dog food per week.  It lasts between 7 and 8 days for all 3 dogs.  The Schnauzer gets 1/2 cup per meal, the Husky about 1 cup and the big dog gets 1 1/2 cups all twice a day, double it for once a day feedings.

I spent quite a bit of time researching dog foods and typing up recipes and put them all in a binder.  But what has happened over the years is that I have settled on a recipe and vary it up a bit each week.

Write this down and follow it and I swear you will never go back to store-bought kibble for your doggies.

And I am sorry I am not going to be able to do this in a traditional recipe format, I have too many sidenotes to do it that way.  Here goes!

Natural Dog Food Recipe

6 pounds lean meat (either ground turkey, beef, chicken or whole chicken pieces)
3/4 cup canola oil
4-5 cloves garlic (there are TONS of people on both sides of the "can dogs eat garlic" debate, I come down on the "yes they can" side.  If you don't, then leave it out)
10 cups of chopped, shredded vegetables (sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, green beans, kale, spinach, celery, cauliflower, bean sprouts, red peppers, beets, lettuce, tomatoes)
2 or 3 cans of kidney beans (sometimes I use lentils, too)
1/2 cup molasses
3 cups raw rice OR 32-42 oz. dry raw oatmeal

Optional: you can add in eggs, crushed shells and all.
Also a doggie vitamin for good measure.  Recipe for a good supplement powder to follow, if you want to make your own.

In a really large stock pot brown the meat in the oil.  If you are using whole chicken pieces rather than the ground, start by boiling it instead.  Then add the oil and the rest of the ingredients to the chicken and the stock, after you have taken the chicken out and deboned it and returned it.

Now that you have the meat and oil in the pot, add the vegetables, the balance of the ingredients and a quart or more water.  You will need more water if you choose rice and less if you do the oats.  Also if you use rice, turn the heat down and let it cook till the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.

If you use the oats, add the water and then cook just a few minutes stirring well so that it doesn't stick like crazy and turn off the heat while it continues to absorb the liquid.

**My notes:  What I have found is that my dogs can't tolerate white potatoes, corn, peas or other starchy vegetables.  They get horrendous gas.  My Husky can snatch up a mouthfull of food and spit out all the lentils whole with not a toothmark on them.  Don't ask me how she manages to do that little trick!

Dogs don't need extra salt added, so do not add any.

Here is the recipe for the Healthy Supplement Powder in case you want to make your own to sprinkle on the food:

2 cups nutritional yeast
1 cup lecithin granules
1/4 cup kelp powder
9,000 mg. calcium or 5 tsp of ground eggshells
1,000 mg. vitamin C powder

Mix well and sprinkle 1 tsp. on each dog's meal.

o.m.g. & w.t.f.??

So, the other night it was about 11 p.m. and Sparky and I were watching some shows we had dvred earlier. We were also doing the After Dark Kitty Roundup.  Everyone was in except Stanley Manley.

That's Stanley up there with his one blue eye and his one green eye and his spot on his nose.  He is quite the looker, he is.

Stanley was just chillin' on the front porch and observing whatever goes on at night in our front yard.

When all of a sudden we heard a loud dog barking right up against our front door!  This doesn't happen at our house.  Our dogs never and I mean NEVER go out front.  And we knew Stanley was out there so we were up and Sparky hit that front door like a shot!  I was right behind him.

And we found Stanley up in the flower beds with a pack of 5 large feral mutt dogs clamoring for him.  They quickly realized we meant business and they took off.  We could see them running down the street into the night.  After grabbing up Stanley and pitching him inside we surveyed the area to see what we could see.

I went inside and we checked Stanley over to see if he had any wounds or anything and he seemed to be all there.

The next thing I did was to get on my neighborhood HOA yahoo group site and make a report of the pack of dogs.

In the morning I checked my email and had damn near 20 responses of people who have seen these dogs doing the following:

A. Chasing an early morning jogger (reported by the jogger)

B. Chasing a cat

C. Chasing our neighborhood deer

D. Catching and killing one of the fawn

E. Killing a cat 2 streets over

F. Just this morning, mauling a cat who later died at the emergency vet's office

Now, I don't know about you but this scares the hell out of me.  We have a LOT of older residents who are not-so-swift, shall we say?  We have a fair amount of feral cats that have all been caught, neutered, vaccinated and returned to their locale.  And additionally, we have a lot of early morning walkers, joggers and some are with and without dogs. What I am saying is there are a ton of slow moving and unsuspecting potential victims of this pack of dogs.

Our neighborhood is older and established and has a lot of great hiding places for wildlife.  I have seen many a deer, possum, raccoon, and foxes.  We also have hawks, buzzards, owls and all the smaller birds.  But a pack of dogs that seem to have teamed up and gone feral?

The local Humane Society is right across the road from us.  And people gather up their unwanted pets and take them over there thinking they can just drop them off.  That's not the way they work.  You have to call ahead, you have to have an appt., you have to be there between certain hours and you have to pay or they won't take these poor animals.  And do you think those people are going to make the appointment and take the pets back home and care for them until the appointed day and hour?

Of course NOT!  They come across the street here and dump them in the green space and think they will fend for themselves.  Like a German Shepard or pit bull has ever lived in the wild and will recall how to find food, shelter and defend themselves.  It is interesting that domesticated animals that have no idea how to find food and all that will instinctively band together to form a pack and try to survive that way.

I am scared for my little old neighbor who walks all up and down our street every day looking out for all of us.  I am scared for my around the corner neighbor who has taken in so many abandoned little dogs and cats and walks them every day.  And the little kitties who are just trying to keep body and soul together till the end of their days?  Well, this is horrific for them.  They have no safe place to get indoors.

Everyone has called Animal Control Services, but they are so under-staffed who knows when they will get there.  And when they do?  No one seems to know where the dogs are denning up during the day to sleep to even find them.  This is not a good situation and I don't see a good outcome for those dogs at all.

Have any of you dealt with a similar occurence?  I am not sure what to do except to warn my neighbors with small pets, children and the elderly.

My cats have not been outside since this happened and not for the foreseeable future.  And I was looking into putting something out front for the deer as a water source for them, but I think I better not.  As much as I want to help them through this drought, it would be easy for the dogs to use it as an ambush location. And that would just kill me.  Dead.  Good Lord, this is just horrific.

Any ideas?

Evil Husbands and sundry things to discuss

1. I have been gone (not just from the blog world) but gone from my home and out of town. I am not at liberty to discuss the particulars of this impromptu trip.  Suffice it to say, it was necessary and not a pleasure  cruise.

2. Evil husbands.  Mr. Big Ed is going to find a big boot in his ass if he doesn't keep his grubby hands off my gorgeous computer.  I realize he gave it to me as a gift for my birthday.  But that does not give him any more license to fuck with it than it would for him to go wear the jewelry he has given me.  Right?

He did something and I don't really know what it was, but something that has caused my computer and iPhoto in particular to not recognize my camera and I can't get pictures from my camera onto the computer and here.  So now you can't see the photos of the little tiny rescue mama kitty and the two precious little babie kittens.

And it is all Mr. Big Ed's fault.  He was supposed to use the time that I was gone to try and rectify that situation but that didn't happen.  No baby kitten pics for you.  Courtesy of Mr. Big Ed.

Hmmmpphh.

3. BIG BROTHER!!  First off, Evel Dick is back!

And then he is gone.

WTF???

He has posted a long-winded video on his website about how he loves BB, and CBS and even Danielle and how all the rumors are wrong.

So Evel Dick is out.  Who do we like out of this cast?  Certainly not that loud obnoxious Rachel or her idiot boyfriend.  I do like Jeff and Jordan, but good Lord, if those two had a brain they would take it out and play with it.  Probably lose it after that.

But the new herd?  I can't tell if I like any of them or not.  Do you have any favorites?

4. Celebrity Rehab - Oh my.

What is up with Amy Fisher?  There is more than one screw loose with that girl.

5. I haven't read the obits to share with you in several weeks now.  I promise to do that after this Sunday's edition of the paper.

6. Remember that I was doing some new diet plan with my friend Judy?  Well, I did the Phase 1 for 5 or 6 days, and then moved on to Phase 2, and Phase 3.  Then I found a different diet that is a 3 day plan and did that for a while.  I just did the 3 days and repeated.  Like lather, rinse, repeat, you know.

Then when I was gone on my little trip it was impossible to keep up with it so I just went with the rest of the group and didn't make a fuss.  I got right back on the diet today so I am hoping some of these healthier choices I have been making will become second nature and can quit worrying, planning and working so hard at this.

I had lost 10 lbs when I last checked.  The weight loss is important but I am not going to obsess over the scale and the numbers.  I am trying to reduce my craving for sugar and carbs and get healthy, increase my metabolism and these things are all just as important as the weight loss.

7. My s-i-l was recently on a fabulous European vacation and I got a gift from her trip!!  Yay!!  What do you think she brought me?

Did you guess tea?

Did you guess tea that comes in fabulously colored tins?

How about FIVE OF THEM??  Woot!!

They are all exquisite, each one more intriguing-sounding than the last.

Such a pity that Mr. Big Ed has made it impossible for me to show you the lovely teas.  Dastardly dog.

8. We still have the rescue mama kitty and the two babies.  They are 10 days old today.  The babies have already got homes promised to them when they are six weeks old or so.  But the poor little mama kitty doesn't have a home to go after that.  If any of you want her and can provide her a loving warm home, please let me know.  She has a very calm and loving nature and deserves to have a home of her own.

9. I made a new recipe of Baked Tofu Bites tonight and tossed some of them on a bed of spinach and poured a bit of the marinade on it as a dressing.  They were really good.  I am one of the few people I know who really like tofu.

10. Breaking Bad starts back on Sunday.  Don't miss it!  I can't wait to see what Walter and Jesse get up to this season.  I wonder if the brother-in-law DEA guy will make it through this season?

Wish me luck in figuring out what to do about my camera/computer relationship and getting it fixed.

Lots to tell!

It has been a really long week, which is why I haven't posted anything.  But here goes!  And please forgive the random way these thoughts may jump around, but that is the way my brain works.  If you and I have ever had a conversation you already know this about me and probably expect it.

First and foremost, I want to say this and get it over with.  The Casey Anthony trial just finished.  I obsessed over this damn case since it first happened.  Then there was nothing in the news.  Nothing.  I would search online for what was going on.  Who could believe it was going to take 3 whole years to get to trial?  So when I found that they were going to televise the proceedings I was all over that.  I felt like I had watched this unfold from the beginning and wanted to see it through.

How on earth the state of Florida allowed the only 12 people in this country who didn't think Casey was guilty to be on that jury is a puzzler, for sure.  Were they not seeing the same witnesses I was?  Did they not hear the same testimony?  They found her guilty of 4 counts of providing false information to law enforcement.  Why would she do that?  Was she hiding something?  Like maybe?  Oh I don't know . . .

How about the TRUTH?

The truth of what really happened to Caylee.  Who knows the truth?  Only Caylee, the murderer and God.  Unless the murderer is more than one person.  But by Casey hiding the fact that Caylee was dead for 31 days (which by the way it is ONLY 31 days because Cindy called the cops, NOT because Casey decided to ask for help finding her "missing" child.  It could have been 131 days if not for Cindy.) and then lying to the police and FBI that were now on the case looking for this missing child and leading them on a wild goose chase in all sorts of wrong directions, she sent a clear message that she didn't want them to find the truth.

Why would you do that?  What motivation was there for misleading the very people who were trying to bring your child home?

And this jury saw fit to say Casey was not guilty of 1st degree murder.  She was not guilty of aggravated child abuse.  She was not guilty of manslaughter.

She is only guilty of 4 counts of lying.  It's the motivation behind the lying that they seem to have missed.

My heart just sank when they started reading the verdicts of these charges and I realized that justice would not be served in this case.  That poor tiny child died a needless, senseless death and no one will pay for it.  I was stunned, I was sickened, and this horrible uncomfortable feeling came over me that it is too easy to get away with murder in this country.  I don't want that to be true.

So I am done, D U N, talking, obsessing, thinking about this trial.  I hope Casey never has a day's peace. And I am done.

In other news, I was at a birth this week.  Mom and Dad labored beautifully and were so in tune with each other.  I was so impressed to see him rise to this occasion.  I am never sure about how dads are going to be in birth.  Some tell me ahead of time how they see their role and we get a plan of how to best engage dad and keep him where he is comfortable and still best able to support the mom.  But this guy? He so totally exceeded my expectations.  It was fabulous to watch.  Which brings me to this, why did I have expectations?  I should have an open mind and not set these expectations or limitations for that matter of what I think will happen and how people will behave in labor.  I never want to bring any judgement to a labor.  And I hope I didn't.

We had a very low-key weekend celebrating Mr. Big Ed's belated birthday and also 4th of July.  Lots of grilling of food and just hanging out.  No fireworks around here.  Remember the drought we are having? It's still the worst on record since they started keeping such records.  It is bad.  I could care less about the stupid grass, but I do want there to be enough water to keep our trees sustained and if possible to keep the garden going.

Oh!  remember the silk solar lanterns that I got Mr. Big Ed for fathers day last year?

Here's a look at them from last year:

Well, I got him SIX MORE!!!

We have them hanging in the trees under which we have the new table and chairs.  It was magical sitting out there last night under the silk lanterns.  They have the softest light and they just float in the breeze. Lovely.

In other, other news!  You all know that Sparky and his girlfriend live here, right?  Well, she is a barista at a world-famous coffee shop that shall not be named.  And on Sunday, she found this little stray kitty had wandered up to the front of this coffee shop and was very obviously pregnant and in distress.  So she found a box to put her in and the next thing you know, she is acting as this cat's doula.  2 little babies were born in that box while she continued to talk reassuringly and stroke the new mama kitty.  Awww, it warms my heart to think about it.

She called the humane society who told her they would send someone to get them and foster them.  And you know what?

THEY NEVER SHOWED!!!

What dickheads.  And a co-worker said she would take them to her house but backed out at the last minute.  Yet another dickhead.

We could not in good conscience leave her and those babies helpless in a cardboard box on a busy street, so we are fostering all 3 of them.  We are also looking for a good cat shelter to take them.  If any of you have good advice about this, I would appreciate it.  There is no way I am keeping 3 more cats.  No. fucking. way.  I already have 2 10-year old cats who piss and shed on everything.  I have 2 5-year old cats who kill birds, squirrels, and various wildlife.  I have 2 geriatric 14-year old dogs that are not doing well.  And to top it off I have 4 year old Ernest T. Bass who wants to kill the cats and keeps trying to climb the Alpha pet ladder.  He is on the bottom rung of that ladder and is staying there, so he just needs to get over it.  So no way we are keeping these 3 precious gray stripey kitties.

But they could be yours!  I will post some pictures right away so you can see how absolutely precious they are.  That mama cat is so sweet and loving and just a joy.  And the 2 teensy little 2-day old babies?  O.M.G.!!!  Are they ever adorable.

Be on the lookout for the most awww-inspiring pictures coming soon!!

p.s. Big Brother starts in 2 days.

Cuteness in the Kitty Condo

There is a local guy who makes kitty condos and sells them on the side of the road occasionally.  He was over in this area recently and I got the biggest kitty condo you ever saw.  It is over 7 feet tall of flat out awesome!

Now there is room for all 4 cats to have their own space.  Not only their own space, but lots of personal space around them.  They love it.

Here is the bottom portion of the kitty condo. With Lester Buster's ears sticking out of the bucket section.

Then we are looking at the bucket section on up to the top.

Here is a view from the other side with the older and much smaller kitty condo perch thing next to it.

And here is how I find it being used most days.

That's Lester Buster in the bucket getting ready to bat the hell out of the hanging toy that he believes is there to taunt him.  And now he is looking at the camera.  Do you see why people say he looks like Hitler?  If not, go check out Cats that look like Hitler  What a hilarious site!

Much higher than the bucket is the big square thing that looks like a carpet covered piece of ductwork.  This is where Stanley Manley hangs out.  He is Lester's brother.  They are 10 years old, which completely amazes me.  I still think of them as small kittens.  But no, they are big 10 year old fat asses.

You can almost tell from Stanley's face that his left eye is blue and his right eye is green.  He is busy giving me the stink eye for waking him up with the flash.  Too bad, Stanley that was probably your 1,345,873rd cat nap for the day anyway.

And perched way up high on top of the square thing Stanley is in we find Angus MacPhee.  Skinny, scrappy, stripey Angus MacPhee.  Just having to have one up on the bigger older boys.  That teeny skinny cat is all attitude.  See how he turned his back on me?  Like he just doesn't give a big rat's ass about the camera.

But where is Fergus?  Angus' brother, Fergus Jackson MacPhee has been displaying some new independence and trying to climb the ladder of hierarchy for alpha status.  Fergus is hanging out on the floor.  He has the softest most plush fur I have ever felt on a cat.

One last look at Lester sticking his head out of the bucket.

And Stanley has just turned his back on the whole affair.

Saving Private MacPhee

There is always something going on around here.  Even days when you think it is as routine and boring as it can be, there is something that will turn interesting.

So, Saturday was shaping up to be a pretty ordinary day.  Other than the fact that I had no car, due to it being in the shop resting and awaiting diagnosis (hopefully today!), it was just a grocery shopping and waiting for my Rachel Pie day.

Finally, my Rachel Pie got here late in the evening and we were all staying up late talking and happy to have her here and I started counting heads as I am wont to do with this herd and found one missing.

And of course, it was that sneaky weasly Angus MacPhee.

I stepped out the front door and called him.  And I heard him saying "Mrowrrrr!" in the distance and thought it was from the roof.  So I went in and told Sparky to get his ass up on the roof and get that fleabag cat.  Sparky contended that if Angus got himself up there he could also get himself back down.

Back outside I go.  I call and he answers, much like a not-very-fun game of Marco Polo.  And it becomes clear that Angus MacPhee is NOT on the roof.  He is further away and lower to the ground.


He is stuck somewhere on The Colonel and Miss Betty's property!!!


If you haven't heard my tales of TC&MB, you need to read about them.  But having my cat who is MOST unwelcome on their property stuck there late at night was not going to be a good situation.

After several scouting expeditions by Mr. Big Ed, Sparky, and myself carrying a flashlight and hoping not to get shot while being mistaken for a burglar, we determined that The Colonel had set a trap next to his front door and that damn fleabag Angus MacPhee had gone and gotten himself trapped!

I was none too happy about this.  But I was to get even LESS happy with Mr. Big Ed's response which was to let him sit in the trap overnight and cry all night.

Seriously?  How can he think this was an option?  Has the man never met me?  You spend 30-odd years with someone and you think they would have a clue.  Hhmmmpph.

So I did what any sane person would do.  I called Miss Betty at the midnight hour and woke her ass up and asked her to please go release my stupid wandering cat.  She made some sort of half-assed excuse about how they are trying to trap skunks.  But truthfully, she was trying to be nice about saying "Keep that damn bird-killer at your own house".

Anyhoo, Angus MacPhee is now safe at home and he wanted to be loved and patted and stroked and talked to for HOURS afterwards.

I went over the next day (Easter Sunday and also The Colonel's 90th birthday) and took them a basket full of lettuce, greens, Swiss chard, zucchini and green onions that Mr. Big Ed picked out of the garden to apologize for waking them in the middle of the night.

The Colonel took me out to where the trap is to show me what the deal is.  Miss Betty has this family of wrens that like to build nests in her front porch area and this year they put their nest in a giant Boston fern and they have 5 little teeny baby wrens they are trying to get grown and safe.  So I promised to keep all my stupid bird-killing machines indoors for a while to give these little guys a better chance at making it to adulthood.

For my end I think the neighborly bonds are still good.  I hope TC & MB feel the same way.  They are nice people.  And it is true what they say about not being able to pick your neighbors.  And also that good fences make good neighbors.

I am mostly grateful that I didn't get shot that night while skulking around their property.

Have you missed me?

It has been more than a week since I have posted!  Have you missed me?  Here's what's been going on at Chez Lisa Pie:



I HAVE BEEN SICK!


Yes, I have been sick.  I have had the crud for what seems like for-freaking-ever! At about day 4 I was sitting up on the couch covered in a cat blanket watching mindless t.v. because the thought of trying to lay down and then start the coughing jags was too much; and I had to turn the t.v. up louder because the damn cats were snoring and I couldn't hear anything.  And you know how it goes when you hear an annoying background sound, it begins to be all you CAN hear.  So I started investigating to see which one of these cats was being so darn noisy.  At this point I was noticing that the snoring seemed to be in rhythm with my own personal breathing.  Weird.  But we are all sitting together, so whatever.  Anyhoo, it took me about an hour to figure out that it was not the cats snoring, but rather it was my own personal chest wheezing!!!!!  Never in my life have I ever wheezed.  Not once.  Even when I wanted to try and do the Muttley wheezy laugh, I had to really work for it.  This was very disconcerting.

 I got to about 5 or 6 days in and figured out that I was not going to get better on my own so I went to the doctor.  After a not very long wait (yea!!) the doctor listened to my chest and sent me to get x-rayed.

Have you had your chesticle area x-rayed?  The frontal view was not too bad.  But that sideways profile view?  Weeeeellll.   Hmmmmmm.

Do you recall that cartoon Granny from Playboy?  The one with the really long breasticles?  It seems gravity is not my friend and that is the direction my own lovely breasticles are headed.

Downward.

I didn't really need to see that x-ray is what I am sayin'.  A blow to my vanity.

Anyhoo . . . . . .

So I am now on all sorts of new and improved medications, inhalers and steroids.  Yep, I am on the 'roids. Juiced up, as it were.  Maybe these 'roids will perk up the breasticeees?  That would be a nice little benefit, wouldn't it?

The doctor seemed to think this particular little viral infection would take about 3 weeks to clear out and I am about halfway there.  And thank the Lord about for that!  This staying home, coughing and having no energy and wheezing has not been a picnic.  Or a day at the park.  Or a walk in the park.  Or whichever saying you like best.

What have I been doing to fill up my day while I can't sleep or talk or anything else, you might ask?

I signed up on ancestry.com and have been researching and filling up my family tree.  Ooooh, I know what you are thinking, "I bet Lisa Pie has some really interesting characters nuts in her family tree!"

Well, that my friends, is news for the next time!

I hope you and yours are all well and not wheezing, coughing, snotty, or disgusting.

p.s. to QueenB, your tea is sitting on my kitchen table just waiting for me to take it to the UPS store.  You will receive it really soon!

p.p.s. Since it is already the first week of the Month again.  Plan on a new tea drawing in the next few days!!

Where'd ya hear that?

I was thinking the other day of how many things have become part of our daily lexicon that came from books or movies.  For example, if I said "a rose by any other name" you would know that this is part of a line from William Shakespeare.  As is  "kill all the lawyers".

Everyone knows We're gonna need a bigger boat! (Jaws)

Nobody puts Baby in a corner! (Dirty Dancing)

Mistakenly people use "Play it again, Sam" when Bogey really says "Play it, Sam".  Hell, you could use that whole movie as quotes, there are so many great lines.

How many times have you heard "You're KILLING me, Smalls!"?  (Another fabulous movie right there!)

"Anyone?  Buehler?  Buehler?"

"These aren't the droids you're looking for"

Pretty much the whole movie, Dazed and Confused, for me is a quote.

and who in the whole world hasn't heard "You'll shoot your eye out!"?  OMG, yet another great quotable movie!!

"Fra-geee-lay, must be Italian"

"Bumpus!!!!"

"Fa Ra Ra Ra Rahhhhh"

Seriously, A Christmas Story is one of the all-time great movies.  I could watch it every single week of the year.

Remember these:

"I could have been somebody.  I could have been a contender"

"I have always depended on the kindness of strangers"

"You hear me talkin', hillbilly boy? I ain't through with you by a damn sight. I'm gonna get medieval on your ass."


"I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries."


"Aristotle was not Belgian. The central message of Buddhism is not 'every man for himself.' And the London Underground is not a political movement. Those are all mistakes, Otto. I looked 'em up."


***Actually, our favorite quote from A Fish Called Wanda is when Otto (Kevin Kline) keeps driving his giant American car around London on the wrong side of the road and yelling "ASSHOLES!!!" out the window to all the very correct British people who almost hit him.


Remember this one:


"My daughter is in pain...Give my daughter the shot!"


 "One morning, I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas, I don't know."


***Let me just say here, there never has been anyone like Groucho and there never will be.  I will watch the Marx Bros. anytime and any place.  Love Groucho!!


"But I want to be alone."


And from Gone with the Wind we have tons of great quotes:


"Lawdy! We got to have a doctor! I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' babies."


"No, I don't think I will kiss you, although you need kissing badly. That's what's wrong with you. You should be kissed - and often, and by someone who knows how."


"...Rhett, if you go, where shall I go? What shall I do?"
- "Frankly, my dear. I don't give a damn."


"As God is my witness, they're not going to lick me! I'm going to live through this, and when it's all over, I'll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folks! If I have to lie, steal, cheat, or kill! As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again."


"I'll think about it tomorrow. Tara! Home. I'll go home, and I'll think of some way to get him back! After all, tomorrow is another day!"


and think about The Wizard of Oz.  Good Lord, that whole movie is a bunch of great quotes.  How many times have you heard people say, "Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore"?  or even "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain"?

I had to look this one up to get all of it right.

 "I know what you're thinkin'. 'Did he fire six shots or only five?' Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I've kinda lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk?"


My kids even know this one, but from subsequent parodies, not from the original.


"Is it safe?"


Doesn't that one give you the heebee jeebees?


"But, Daddy, I want an Oompa Loompa NOW!!"


"Soylent Green is people!"


"What we've got here is a failure to communicate"


"Mrs. Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?"


And for your enjoyment, check these latest photos of Lester Buster.
Now, can you imagine being that relaxed?  That boy loves himself some basking in the sun, that is for sure!!

He's Home!!!

Yesterday was one of the worst days I have ever had.  I took Lester Buster's "recent pic" and made copies and took it to the vet's office, the Humane Society and wandered the streets.  I posted to our HOA website and fielded phone calls from old ladies who swore they have had him in their backyard since before he went missing.

My son and his girlfriend got home in the afternoon and first thing wanted to know if little Lester Buster had come.  She took off roaming the streets and calling for him after I told them no, sadly my little boy had not yet turned up.

I started freaking out a little bit and doing the whole "make a deal with God" thing.  If only Lester could be okay and come home, I will do x, y and z.  And then my over-active imagination kicked in and I started thinking about how this exact situation must have been the catalyst for Stephen King to write Pet Sematary. And how I would be one of those over-wrought idiots who would take a Zombie-Lester over no Lester. And how it wouldn't be that bad, having a Zombie-Lester.

I had to go to my fortnightly Mah Jongg game and on my way home, I started praying that if it was God's will that Lester Buster NOT come home, that I hoped he would be safe and healthy wherever he was.  Because truly that is what I want.  More than I want him for my own happiness, I want his health and comfort.  But as I drove up my street I looked expectantly at the front of my house to see if he might be up there at the front steps.  Nope, no Lester.

About every 20 minutes I would get up from whatever I was doing and go check the front to see if he had wandered up.  Nope, no Lester.  And I would sit back down and just cry.  I cried so much yesterday.  And I am crying right now while typing this, too.  I guess it is just over-flow.

Anyhoo, the girlfriend-almost-daughter-in-law kept checking and calling for him as well, and about midnight she went out and hollered "Lester!!!" and then it was "Lester! He's here!!"  We all jumped up and went running to the door and here trots Lester.  Going right past us and heading for the food and water bowls.  Like he didn't even give a shit about us.

And I wish so bad that I had had my camera out to show you some pictures of that boy.  But I was in such a state yesterday there was no way I could believe that I would ever get another picture of him, so that didn't happen.  But try to picture this:  all of Lester's white parts looked like his black parts.  He looked like a coal miner!  We kept patting him with warm damp towels to clean him up and we opened up cans of wet food (only for very special occasions) and shooed the other cats away from his canned food and kept asking him "Where were you, Lester?"  "What on earth were you doing, Lester, to get so effing filthy?"  And he just looked at us with his beady red-rimmed eyes from behind all the dust and dirt and said . . . nothing.

Nothing.  Well, in his defense he is a cat and he doesn't speak a whole lot anyway.  But seriously, nothing. No whining or mowing to give us his side of things.  Not a damn word.

So while we are semi-cleaning him and loving him and showering him with affection, I was also secretly looking at his eyes to see if this was a filthy regular Lester or if this was a Pet Sematary Zombie-Lester who just got up from his dirt nap.

The mind is a powerful thing, isn't it?  My plan for the day is to stay at home with Lester Buster.  I had plans but they were cancelled on me, so I am going to stay home with my prodigal cat and pat him and hold him and keep checking his eyes for any signs of Zombie-ism.  : )

Many thanks and lots of love right back at all of you for caring whether he made it home or not.

Oh, and you will hopefully want to stay tuned here because next week is the first of the month and time for another Tea Giveaway!!

p.s. You will be relieved to know that since Lester Buster is back in the fold safe and sound, Mr. Big Ed has been given a reprieve.