Anipal Photo Hunt #11: Trick or Treat!

Today is not only Howloween but it's my Pop's birthday. I hope he has a wonderful day and I'll purr all day for him. I don't usually do Blog Hops but this one is special. We love Howloween but since we live in an apartment complex, we don't get many trick or treaters. The building used to send around a sign-up list for the owners who welcomed the little devils but they don't anymore so TW put up a sign on the door to our unit. The sign features my picture in the pumpkin carving so I'm not complaining. I hope some kids come by so the peeps won't have to binge on all the candy themselves.

A CK pumpkin. Are you scared yet?

How about a CK gargoyle? Did we scare you?

BOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Today's sermon: Gluttony

I was going to blog this week about the different ways in which I've avoided taking my meds these past 3 weeks. As you know, I was diagnosed with Bartonella virus aka Cat Scratch Fever and was sentenced to antibiotics for 21 days. Pop decided it would be a good idea to grab me first thing in the morning—after he had dressed for work—and have TW ram the eyedropper into my mouth. Not such a good idea since I had a better idea. My idea was to let the meds—thick brown smelly stuff—trickle out of my mouth all over his good designer shirts. Two days left and he still hasn't learned to use a towel to protect his shirts. Pre-treat became a household word around this place on wash day.

The 4-lb chocolate bunny

Now for my main blog subject: gluttony. For 4 years, the peeps rationed me to ⅓ of a 5 oz can of wet food and a scoop full of dry kibble every day. Meanwhile, they ate everything that could fit into their mouths including the 4-lb chocolate rabbit that came into our house at Easter time. I'd say, they ate it in about 4 days, which would be 8 servings in total. This week, came the 2-pound brownie. I wish I had a picture of it; but I was a couple of days too late. Seems someone neglected to tell the gluttons that 1/4 pound of brownie was NOT one serving. Pathmark neglected to cut the brownie into proper servings so the peeps cut into it with glee. I'm sure Pathmark figured 2 pounds of brownies would feed a bunch of kids at a Halloween party, not two adults who don't know when they've had enough. It was a binge for the ages. On the other hand, the 2½ lb bag of apples TW bought is still sitting there one week later. I count 7 apples still sitting in it. Yum, they'll eat an apple and wash it down with a quarter pound of brownie. Then they'll tell you they ate a healthy apple for dessert. If they needed their stomachs pumped, they'd tell the doctors to pump the apple out but leave the chocolate. The thing that gets me is if they buy a box of chocolates, they limit themselves to 3 little pieces a night. It's open season on uncut brownies though.

Pop thinks because he walks 3½ miles a day at lunchtime, it gives him license to eat brownie until it comes out his tuckus, wherever that it. TW, she's been very depressed and what better way to cheer up than with a brownie orgy. Besides, it would be a shame for the brownie to go bad so they might as well enjoy it while it's still fresh. The thing is Pop is a tad over-weight but TW was thin but has started letting herself go. By the time, I become a lap cat, I won't have a lap to sit in, if you know what I mean. The peeps will be round as pumpkins.

Tonight, while stuffing their faces, Pop mentioned that he was online and noticed Krause's Homemade Candy had a 4-lb chocolate pumpkin and ... I knew what was coming next. Gak, I felt the bile rising in my throat. I think I managed to talk him into waiting for the 4-lb Santa at Christmas. And me, I'm getting an entire 3-oz can of food now. Whoopee! I think it'll all going to my hips, too.

Look at this! Finished by the 5th inning

Their gluttony is not limited to chocolate, although that's the main culprit. I've told some of my Twitter furrends about the popcorn and 32-oz bong of strawberry daiquiri the peeps had at the last ballgame of the season. A week later, they're still working on the last kernels of popcorn but the drink was gone by the 5th inning. To be fair, so was about three-quarters of the popcorn. Do you know how much salt was in that popcorn? And Pop with his high blood pressure. Soon, I'm gonna be ramming meds into HIS mouth.

Next week, I heard Pathmark was having a BOGO on the leftover 1-lb brownies. That would add up to, let's see, one meal apiece. After all, they aren't cut into servings so they must be single helpings. I'm beginning to think they need Chocoholics Anonymous.

Peace Boxes

This is a very special box containing Peace & Love so I'm guarding it

In 2006, Franck de Las Mercedes initiated "The Priority Boxes Art Series," a peace initiative that has evolved into a movement. The artist ships abstractly painted, seemingly empty boxes with a label that reads "Fragile, handle with care: Contains peace" to people around the world. The aim of the boxes is to spark dialogue and challenge people to reconsider their ability to influence change and question the fragility, value and priority given to concepts such as peace. De Las Mercedes has shipped more than 8,000 boxes to countries and cities across the globe from urban and rural America to Asia and South Africa. Although Franck and his work have been featured on national and international television and radio, much of the requests he gets are from word of mouth and blogs such as this one.

The woman first read about the boxes in her local paper over a year ago. She immediately e-mailed Mr. de Las Mercedes. It took a while because the first box he sent was returned by the Post Office or Concierge, but we got our box this week. It was worth waiting for. Each box is completely unique. No two are alike which makes them more alluring. Our box is not only beautiful but the message means a lot. It's much more to us than a box and much more than a work of art. My peeps have been involved in the peace movement for most of their lives so we hold this box dear to our hearts.

CK #purrs4peace next to her Peace Box

The boxes are free but donations are welcome. You can write to the artist at fdlmboxes@fdlmstudio.com. It's one free box per customer and the current waiting time, according to his website, is 4-8 months. Please include your name, address and tell them you read about the project on this blog.

Please go to Mr. de Las Mercedes' site to view his abstracts and portraits, which are gorgeous, and even think about buying one. This month, he has an exhibit at he daas Gallery in Fort Myers, FL. You can also view his work on Facebook.

Wednesday Words of Wisdom

Those birds won't be mocking me much longer!

Those who perch outside my window live to regret it.

Music Monday

As many of you know, I spin tunes at the Nip Club almost every Thursday and for Frugaldougal's Pawpawties. For the first time ever, you can now see my record collection. What are records, you may ask, and I don't blame you. They're pieces of black—well some of them are pretty colors—pieces of plastic that play music. You need something called a turntable with a stylus to play them on. Although they snap, crackle and pop, they're coming back into fashion because people think they sound better than CDs. We have a lot of records which are esoteric and were never put on CD so we're doing that ourselves. The photo just shows our 33 1/3 rpm records; we also have four shelves of 45 rpm records, which are 7" rather than 12".

What do I want to listen to?

For a decade or so, the spines on the jackets of these records were only used as a scratching post but now I'm spinning them weekly for your enjoyment. I don't usually do requests but I've played a few. I play a lot of local bands that you may not have heard of but you may find you enjoy like Winter Hours, Subway Surfers, Nervus Rex, Orphan Trains, etc. Some are new and some are oldies; all are fun and great to dance to. I guarantee you'll move your feet while I'm in the booth. Stop on by—hashtag #nipclub—Thursday nights at 8 pm EST. Unfortunately, this week I won't be there due to a prior engagement. Stop by anyway because all of the dj's at the Nip Club are great.

Live Strong Day

I'm blogging today in honor of Faith E. Gurl and Autumn M. Jackson, two of my Gramma's cats. Autumn came to live with my peeps after Gramma passed away from cancer.

Faith in December 1979

Faith was a pretty, petite part Abyssinian tabby, who was part of a litter from a cat who lived up the block from Gramma. She lived to be around 15. One day, Gramma noticed blood coming out of her and she was diagnosed with renal cancer. In those days, they didn't treat cancer in cats, and Faith was helped OTRB when she could no longer walk.

Autumn circa 2005

Autumn was a calico, who was adopted from the same rescue I was: Companion Animal Placement. She was a less adoptable cat because she was older and had an amputated toe. Autie was a little lover, showering love on anybody who would show her some attention. Shortly after her 13rd birthday, she stopped eating. Originally misdiagnosed with a gum infection, by the time the peeps found out she had liver cancer, it had spread throughout her body. She was assisted OTRB in August 2006.

This post also honors Gramma and Grandpa, who both died of cancer and Uncle Ken and Uncle Don, who we lost not too long ago.

So if you're wondering why Keisha is wearing YELLOW today, it's because if we all work together, we can find a cure for this insidious disease.