New Years Eve

We are spending a quiet night this year.  TBT sometimes has a fire but this year he really dint have anything good ta burn, which was OK with us.  The basement is chilly.

We are all just gonna take it easy, go ta bed soon and wake up in 2015...

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE TO ALL!

Cat Cards

OK, we gotta admit we are REALLY inept at this.  It took days to figure out how ta make the scanner werk again.  And another day ta actally scan the cards to show them.  An even some ar sideways or upside down.

There is some trick to the scanner we dont get.  But we did the best we could an here they are...  It was really hard ta paw them in the scanner the right side up.  But we did the best we could.

An we sure loved evry one of the cards.  Thank you ALL!

Oh, an here was our attempt ta fit them all on one page...

Chrissymouse Morning, Continued

AYLA:  Actually, I recognized this envelope.  It was a prize from 15 and Meowing that we won almost 2 MONTHS ago and TBT kept setting aside waiting fer the right day.  Dont tell Iza and Marley, they forgot about it.  We'll just say that Sandy Claws knew were it was and set it unner the Tree so TBT wouldnt wait any longer...  Sandy Claws KNEW the right day had arrived.

TBT opened it up.  There were 3 knitted drumsticks (one fer each of us) an a Tree Decoration fer TBT ta use.   The drumsticks are GORJUS, as you can easily see here.

But Iza knows when annything good is available.  I swear on a pile of mousies that iffen TBT drove home with any prezzie with Nip, an it was wrapped in plastic an frozen in a block of ice, IZA would be whappin on the car winshield tryin ta get at it as fast as she could haul her butt down to the garage!  She has a 7th sense about that sort of thing...

So, PHOTOBOMB!  And note there was ALREADY one drumstick missing.  She is faster than the camera or TBT to react.

Here she is checking out the 2nd drumstick.  

And when she whapped THAT one, she was ready for the 3rd.

Seeing only one left, she did a fancy "from behind" whap and sent it off the cat tree.

And then was upset cuz there were none left.  She looked one way...

Then the other...

And finally spotted them!  Talented as she is, she never quite unnerstands that TBT can move stealthily hisself.  Not that he is all that FAST, be he can show you his hands and move stuff with his feet while you are misdirected...   I know WHAT he is doing, but even I can't catch him at it very well myself.  His feet werk differnt than ours do and he is good at distracting us with his hands.

The wishbone decoration is on the tree.  We'll show that next time when we get to eat the food prezzies.  He made US wait, we'll make HIM wait...

And we want to think of Flynn...

 He's not feeling well and he is on our minds.  Send him yer best Purrs... 

Chrissymouse Morning

IZA:  This was the scene unner the Tree when we woke up yesserday morning.  Yeah, Sandy Claws had visited and left without us knowing he had been here.  We missed capturing him AGAIN!

There were 3 cans of special foods, an a envelope fer US.   The box was fer TBT.  The other thing was a Holiday Tablecloth all folded up that TBT already owned.  Sandy Claws has a sense of humor...

Marley was the first to approach the prezzies. 

I watched careful-like.  Ya never know what an envelope might do...

But iffen he managed ta open the foods, I was ready.

Marley sniffed the cans and gave them a few biteys, but they werent ready ta open.  Then he gave the envelope a couple biteys but he couldnt get in at that either.  Nothing smelled special about TBTs box...

So we waited fer TBT ta get up...  Ayla isnt here cuz SHE said nothin is getting opened til HE gets up and she is curled up next ta him in bed.  Darn shes smart...

Tomorrow, we show the prezzies.  Granted, this occurred Chrissymouse Morning and we DID get them opened then, but we are behind a bit on our posts an wanna make the most of this.  MOL!

Merry Chrissymouse Day

From all of US to all of YOU who celebrate this day, Merry Christmas...

And we trust Sandy Claws is enjoying his rest after The Big Day!

(And yes, he escaped our attempts to catch him once again.  But, there is allus next year.  And we will show some pictures of prezzies and cards tomorrow.)

Chrissymouse Eve

AYLA:  We had our annual "Capture Sandy Claws" planning meeting.  Iza suggested that this year we stay up until we hear him, then run down and block the fireplace so he can't leave unless he leaves us extra food and toys.  She comes up with the same idea evry year. 

Well, it MIGHT werk except that somehow we are never awake when he arrives.  But just in case, I suggested a secret plan to Marley.

 I whispered to him that iffen we DID hear Sandy Claws, we should let Iza run downstairs by herself in case Sandy Claws get angry over bein blocked from the fireplace.

We did a LOT of napping today, so we MIGHT be able ta stay up late enough ta see what happens...

Toesie Tuesday

IZA:  Hi, waitin fer Prezzie Day.  Oh, whats that you say, I have a "hangover?

Hmm, yer right.  That paw is a bit independent.  

I'll just chew on it an wash it a bit.  THAT usually calms it down.

See?  Its back where it should be.  

We all have those minor independent leg problems right?

Mancat Monday

MARLEY:  Im enjoying the new location of our cat trees.  First, its right next ta the bookshelf where our toys are kept.  TBT was surprised to find a couple of wand toys out on the floor this morning.

 Second, its turned sideways, so there is a differnt view out of the hut.

Unfortunately, it is just temporary while the Holiday Tree is here (but he says he might leave OUR trees where they are fer a week or so extra).

The Tree

IZA:  Well, I watch TBT at this sort of stuff more that Ayla or Marley do.  What can I say?  His odd action fascinate me.

I'll leave it to him to expalain all the steps of setting up the fake tree, but I will show you the ornaments.  THEY fascinate me.  Whappable stuff...

But he told me most of that stuff is old, new-valuable, or gifts from Beins-Who-Have-Gone-Before.  MOUSIES!  He can take the fun out of whapping stuff.  But he says this stuff really IS special and he sure tosses me enough toys to make the tree-stuff "off limits".

Urk.  Would I be losing "cat-points" iffen I agreed not to break the nice stuff.  Anything I break, I wont see next year.  An since they ARE sparkley, I WOULD like ta see them again.  Its a dilemma!

So I agreed not to whap off anything lower than the cat ornament.  Well, I GOTTA respect the cat ornament.  I may have been tricked though.  There ISNT anything hanging on the tree lower than the cat ornament...

But a deal is a deal.  And as a practical matter, TBT  pointed out that any broken glass would probly get in MY paws not his and iffen my paws got any glass, it would be STRAIGHT to the VET for me.  Mousies!  He sure knows how ta bargain sometimes. 

Marley an Ayla said they had already agreed not ta mess with the decorations.  He said he would give them some plastic ones ta whap around.  He dint offer that ta ME.

Oh Bast, I'm a poor negotiator...  THIS TIME!

Well, at least I get ta show you some pictures of the decorated tree.  (And THEY don't, NYA, NYA, NYA)

SET UP...

LIGHTS ON!

 ORNAMENTS ON!

 OK, wholly CARP...  I never saw annything like THAT before...  I fell over.

Ya gotta go to  HERE

UPDATE:  Wait til you see the closeups tomorrow!  I could really only see the ones close to the floor, before, ya know, but TBT held me up to see the others higher up (and a good safe paw reach away - darn).  O...M...COD!  There are Hummingbirds and Butterflies...

Marley an Ayla came inna the room and THEY fell right over too. 

We have all agreed we GOTTA get one of those Cardinals, and a Hummingbird...

We're Back

IZA:  It took some werk.  TBT allus gets a bit hyper and easily hissy at this time of year.  And when he realized that he dint have to do those captcha and check boxes evry time, he calmed down pretty well.  But we still had to "close the deal".

So I calmed him down by keeping him still and warming him up.

 Acting "cute"

Often...

 And letting him see that he had a project half-done.  Actally, this is the picture BEFORE he opened the base of the tree and fussed with the branches the first time, but we seem to have lost THAT picture somewhere. 

AND we pointed out that there were boxes of tree decorations all stacked up around the rooms FOR A WEEK while he dithered like a mousie about whether ta return it and get a live tree FOR A WEEK and that he should be embarassed about the indecision of the mess.

Well, a few good cats who know him well, KNOW what they are doing.

When we got THIS look in his eyes, we knew we had one won..

Now is THAT seriously sad or not?  We mean, we have grabbed mousies who didn't look THAT sad!

So he went right to werk!  Said:

"OK, first the branches need spreading, he said
just have to be spread and that's not much werk, 
I will spread them now, so to not be a Jerk.

Its just TIME he sniffed. with a finger to nose.
The order to do, instructions say those
Evry branch must be bent and there isn't much time.

There's likely a pattern he stated and claimed, 
As he studied the warp and the woof of the tree.

Aha, I have found it, he shouted to we.
One left, and right, down, and then up, he decreed
Its a pattern that lets a smooth werk flow to go!

And as he began settling down to his werk, 
The base, Part One was suddenly done.  
 And suddenly Part Two was begun and then done!

He went to Part Three, the highest of tree
And suddenly there before was a tree for we.
Was something that WE considered a TREE!

Ok, not much smell of a real tree to US
But appearances count, and we're telling you all
That we are OK with all that on this one Soltice Day .

The Big Thing and We have decided this day,
We will alternate fake and real Holiday Trees.  
There are nice things to like of the real and the fake.

The real trees smell woodsy, and we get some boughs
From a real tree this year while TBT dont water.
And next year a real tree while the relaxes.

And the moral of this story is, we really can abide
Adjustments to our expectations,  for holiday to tide
Us over years to year, the difrences to hide."

Peace to all we say, and whatever makes you happy in this time of the darkest days and shortest nights.  WE are happy because TBT reminds us that the days will be getting longer soon leading to Spring when we can go outside without feeling TOO cold again.

The tree IS decorated BTW.  When TBT gets going, he doesn't stop.  But those pictures are for tomorrow, The Solstice Day.  And WE will do more when we open our prezzies on Christmas Day.  Sometimes we do it Christmas Day, sometimes on the Solstice.


Love to all

Ayla, Iza, and Marley