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Treasure Hunting With Furrends

I'm glad you've returned for more of our holiday shopping trip. This sure is fun, browsing through the small shops and looking at all these pretty handmade goodies. You've got to love the Nipclub Holiday Bazaar village. You'll find a listing of all the shops here.

Today we're going to stop in @GeorgeTheDuck's Typist's store called Handmade Crystals Jewelry with Meaning and Mystical Crystals. There are loose crystals of every kind, as well as bracelets, earrings and pendants; and Robyn will tell you the stones' meanings, metaphysical and spiritual healing lore. TW loves the worry beads and she had her eyes on the Holly Berry Cross Pendant in the Gift Savings Sale Center made of red onyx and sterling silver wire.



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A few shops away, we find TigerBoytheCat's Aunt's Inky Paws Paper Cafe. They have a vast selection of holiday cards, which you can interchange sentiments. Most of the cards images can be colored to your specifications and a variety of papers, inks, markers, ribbon and embellishments can be added to match. She's willing to work with you to create any cards you'd like. Prices vary depending on the size of the card, embellishments and special requirements. Bulk pricing is available. Sample cards are also available. This shop ships worldwide.




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Pumpkinpuddy has a Zazzle shop, but I'd rather focus on an incredible book that she edited "Summer at the Lake With Petie." This book is about fun, friendship, laughter, but most of all, about the healing power of love. Petie was suffering from cancer, renal failure and diabetes that particular summer. Every weekend, all the Twitter anipals would use the hashtag #lakewithpetie and gather at the lake Petie loved to lend their support and show him a great time. Petie took his last trip OTRB earlier this year but his parents and furrends can treasure their summer with him forever. PDF downloads are only $5.99 but you can also order the hard- and soft-covered books. The proceeds from this book are being donated to Duncan's Place cat sanctuary in Loveland, Colorado.



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This last shop I want to take you in before we hit the food court is VincentRockets' Mom's Etsy shop Captive Essence, which features hand painted candles, soap, tart burners, and melts and tea lights. All are handmade. TW has a soft spot for scented candles and soaps and she's drooling right now. Gotta get her through this so we can hit the food court! You can choose between 9 colors and scent of most candles. Scents range from tradition (musk, patchouli) to nommy (coconut, banana nut bread) to floral (lavender splash, honeysuckle, gardenia). Sorry, I didn't see catnip but she does have peppermint from the same family. I believe she only ships in the U.S.




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Well, my paws hurt from all this browsing. Let's eat!



Holiday Bazaar Shopping Preview

Last night I found another reason to shop Nipclub Holiday Bazaar vendors, as if there aren't enough already. I get Petco emails cos the Soulistic grain-free food I'm forced to eat is made by Weruva but sold exclusively at Petco. When I clicked on their Cyber Monday link, I found something I just HAD to have. I'm sure you kitties know how that is. It was calling my name.

When Pop came home, I gave him all kitten eyes and axed him to get out his plastic card and order it for me. After supper, he did, or at least he tried. The site was extremely slow loading but he put all his information in and clicked. He got one of those wheels and just go round and round. After about 15 minutes, he decided to place the order by phone. "Thank you. please continue to hold. We know that your time is very valuable …" After hearing how they valued his time for almost an hour, he gave up. Is this anyway to run a business? It got to the point, TW thought they were stalling until Cyber Monday was over so they wouldn't have to honor the sale price. The kitteh will do without … for now.

Happily, you won't have to stay on hold or see that never-ending wheel when you buy from our vendors.

My favorite from their shop.















The first shop I'm going to spotlight is one of my Twitter furrends Daffy and her Mom's Etsy shop NoCrybabyDoGs. Most of their items are woofies, but you can custom-desing your own products. Last year no less than 4 of the Christmas cards I received from furrends came from them. In fact, I have cards for them and the quality is pawsome. The card stock is heavy, as are the envelopes and the printing is crisp and, well, stunning. If you want to design your own cards, you send them a photo and some inside copy. Not only can you design the front and inside, but you can give credit on the back to yourself or anyone who happened to help you with the design. I've credited Glogirly and Joan Nardozzi (Zaziart) on the back of mine. The turnaround is quick too! if You don't want to design you own, they have wonderful Christmas cards in stock. NoCrybabyDoGs also sells prints, labels, magnets and jewelry. Use the coupon code SavingsRock for a 15% discount!

If jewelry is more your thing, there are many choices. The three I have first-hand knowledge of are MizzBassie's pet necklaces, Kruse Kats, and Whskr's Etsy shop.

Whskr's chain maille pendant pink rose

Whskr lives in New Zealand and will ship anywhere in the world. Many of the pieces are chain maille and are quite intricate. Other pieces were inspired by The Hobbit. She can also design a custom pet portrait necklace using a photo of your kitty or woofie. The pendant is made of crystal clear high quality glass with a bevelled edge. This, as well as her other items are reasonably prices and the postage isn't exorbitant. Whskr has done a lot of charity work for animals and uses her cat's blog (Dash Kitten's Mewsings) to help many cats find homes Don't forget to use coupon code PalsRock30 for 30% off all items.

Sodaliate fish and gold-finish pewter pet necklace from Mizz Bassie.

Mizz Bassie makes the best pet necklaces around and now she has an Etsy shop. Their clasps are magnetic so they're easy to put around your pet's neck and they come off easy if your pet gets caught somewhere. I have one and I've given one to A Call 4 Paws to auction off. She'll make any size you'd like. They're so pretty, you might want to give one to your human. 50% of all profits from the necklaces is donated to animal charities.

Kruse Kats, who you know from their quilt making, have opened an Etsy shop and filled it with jewelry and these amazing reusable tote bags. They'll pay for themselves when you keep getting bag refunds from the supermarket. They're also reversible with an all occasion fabric on the reverse side. All profits go to World Vets, which makes this shop extra special. In addition to the bags, Wanda offers jewelry, including a line of bottle cap necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Someone must drink a lot of something in the Kruse household. Just meowin'. All items are priced to sell. Anyone, even TW, can afford them. Maggie says to tell you that neither she nor Parker are for sale although they're adding items to the shop daily.



Santa Paws Drive


Our tree isn't up yet. This is file footage cos I'm in the Christmas spirit.
The more astute among you may have noticed that the widget for the Santa Paws Drive has been up on my sidebar for a few weeks already. Yes, the annual Santa Paws Drive has gotten off to a great start. It was founded by Dorian Wagner, of YourDailyCute.com and a bunch of other elves that are familiar in the world of anipal charities and Pawpawties. This is their mission statement, directly from their blog:

The mission of Santa Paws Drive is to bring holiday cheer to shelter animals around the world. We know pets with homes are often showered with gifts and treats for Christmas, and we believe that shelter animals deserve a little holiday love, too!
Now in our fourth year, Santa Paws Drive is the first-ever online Christmas toy drive dedicated to pets. The inspiration for our drive was "Toys 4 Tots" and other similar programs that collect donations and then distribute them to the needy – and we wanted to do the same for animals. 
This year toys and monies raised will go to 4 shelters in the U.S. one from Hungary and a very special rescue in Northern Cyprus.


This is the amazing pile of toys they collected last year for homeless cats/dogs!

Tuesday, November 27 from 8-10 pm EST, there will be a mini pawty on Twitter to benefit SPD. Use the Twitter hashtag #Santapawsdrive to join in the holiday fun and get ready to DM (direct message) the quizmasters to win some wonderful prizes. You'll learn more about the shelters they're supporting, while meeting some cool furrends.

You can RSVP at twtvite but it's not required. Even if you can't join us, you can still support the Santa Paws Drive by donating toys and green papers using the sidebar widget.

REMINDER: Don't forget the Nipclub Holiday Bazaar on Saturday, December 1. The shops are open and you can view them here. I'll be writing more about some of the shops later this week. Not only can you shop from home and avoid the last minute Christmas Eve shopping but you can help some good causes, including Nipclub's December charity Black Cat Rescue.

Cyber Monday—Anipal Style

Do your peeps always wait until the last minute to shop? Do they wish that the money they spend would go to animal rescue, rather than just to line some corporation's pockets? Now you can shop early AND rest assured that your money is being put to good use. It's the


Although the kickoff pawty is on December 1st, shop are open and ready for business NOW! You can shop till you drop at the 1st Annual Nipclub Bazaar and help your anipal furrends help their favorite charities.  There are 25 shops open and more are opening every day. Here are the list of shops with their links. Some have holiday codes for special offers.

"Um, CK—if I may call you that—where did you go?" "Oh, Buzzy, please buy me some bling!"

Jewelry

@GeorgeTheDuck's Typist—Handmade Crystals Jewelry with Meaning and Mystical Crystals 33% OFF Cyber Monday Sale!  http://store.crystalsandjewelry.com/
@GemmathePuppy Gemma's Little Gems—Jewelry from Oz http://gemmaslittlegems.spiffystores.com/ andblog http://gemmathepuppy.blogspot.com.au/
@MizzBassie—Pets Need Pretty Things Too Pet Jewelry (and Humans Too) http://www.silkenpaw.net/cats/necklaces.html and http://www.etsy.com/shop/MizzBassiesBoutique?ref=ss_profile
@SkeeterTheTabby Mom—Handmade Jewelry  http://www.etsy.com/shop/StuffBySkeetsMom Check out 30% off sale
@Whskr—Textile and Chain Maille Handmade Jewelry http://www.etsy.com/shop/WHSKR Free Shipping Code palsrock12

Pet toys, treats and supplies

@KritterKondo—Pet Enclosure and more   http://www.kritterkommunity.com/
@NipandBonesLLC—What Pets Want -  http://www.nipandbones.com/
@ColoradoCatnip—Homemade catnip toys, beds & more http://www.etsy.com/shop/coloradocatniptoys
@catshelfcompany—Pawsome cat shelves! http://www.catshelfcompany.com/
@laineyspawtique—Gourmet Doggie & Kitty Cookies, blankies and gift baskets   http://www.etsy.com/shop/laineyspawtique
@cattyone21—A cats favorite ORGANIC Catnip toys! http://www.ilovegrandmakittyscattoys.com/ and http://www.grandmakittyscattoys.com/
@twittinSuki—Furry, feathery cat toys http://www.etsy.com/shop/sukiroo
@k9carryall—Custom made leashes and strollers for your pets http://www.k9carryall.com/k9/ and http://konascorner.wordpress.com/ Grand Reopening Sale 20% off everything coupon code K9go20

Whoa! Let's do some shopping, Waffles!"


Unique gifts, note & greeting cards, books

@ShaynaCat is our resident self help guru http://supreme-success.com/
@NoCrybabyDogs—http://www.etsy.com/shop/NoCrybabyDoGs 15% discount going!! Code SAVINGSROCK
@TigerBoythecat—Handmade greeting cards http://inkypawspapercafe.weebly.com/
@glogirly—Blog Design, Headers, Logos, Twitter & Facebook Design http://www.glogirly.com/p/glogirly-design.html and Cat Inspired Cards, Tees, Totes & Gifts http://www.zazzle.com/glogirl
@MaggieTKat—Unique handmade gifts http://www.etsy.com/shop/krusekats All profits go to World Vets.
@birdhousebooks—Vintage books http://stores.ebay.com/Birdhouse-Books
@bvfeyj—Anipal Bintage Shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/3RiversThrift
@Pumpkinpuddy—Zazzle products starring Pumpkin http://www.zazzle.com/pumpkinpuddy and Summer at Lake with Petie http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1706628
@artedup—Unique mixed media art specializing in pet portraits & keep-sake videos http://www.zazzle.com/thecodifyer and http://www.zazzle.com/piratekittycattoon and http://thecodifyer.com/
@killerparrot—The Crafty Parrot Lady Shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftyParrotLady 
@VincentRocket—Captive Essence Handmade Candles & Soaps http://www.etsy.com/shop/CaptiveEssence
@sparklecat Award Winning Author, Supermodel, and Cat http://www.sparklecat.com/buy-dear-sparkle-cat-to-cat-advice-book and her Zazzle shop http://www.zazzle.com/designercat
TheCatPostIntelligencer—Animal inspired images and acupuncture images http://www.zazzle.com/cocomeezer


During the coming week, I'll blog more about the pawty, which has some pawsome sponsors and prizes, and spotlight some of the Anipal Shops.

A big THANK YOU to @flacatlady and @HollieCatRocks,for making this little kitteh's Shop Anipals idea a reality and for giving me permission to use their graphics and stuff. Thanks also goes to @georgetheduck and @shaynacat for doing most of the heavy lifting on the original Nipclub blog.

Senile Saturday—Door Wars

To me a door war is when TW locks her bedroom door and won't let me in. In fact, any closed door in the apartment is enough for me to declare war. After all, on my adoption papers, TW wrote that I could go anywhere in the apartment I wanted to.

This is the only side of the door I ever see!
This is Senile Saturday so I'll tell you the peeps lame definition of door wars. I kinda hesitate to write about this cos it could cause recriminations around here. Since my fame, several humans in our complex read my blog. Then again, when have I shied away from embarrassing the peeps?

TW always decorates the apartment door for Christmas. When they had the house, they used to light up the windows and porch. Our door is opposite the elevator so it's the first thing anyone sees when they get off the elevator. Our old neighbor in the next apartment used to put up a mangy wreath with holly berries for Christmas and leave it up until Easter. This is fact. The only way TW could shame them into taking it down was to put up an Easter decoration.

Then the new neighbors moved in. A couple of snobs from NYC. They both work in finance so you'd figure they must have a bit of money. Let's just say when it comes to decorating, all their taste is in their mouths. Last year their Halloween door consisted of a light-up pumpkin that they couldn't figure out where to plug it in so they added some fake spider webs. Half of the spider webs fell down the next day. The neighbors didn't bother to fix them so they stayed that way until Halloween.

This year, the same pumpkin when up. TW countered with a door covering with bright pumpkins on it. For some reason, the neighbors took the pumpkin down and replaced it with this:


Scary, isn't it? Tacky doesn't begin to describe it. I don't want to tell you what the peeps first impression of it was. Shock, mostly. It looks like some sort of hundred-year-old voodoo thing. Upon close inspection, they're cats but that's NOT what they remind the peeps of. They found it offensive as did this little ghetto kitteh. It stayed up as a shining beacon of, um, bad taste until November 6th when they put up their elaborate Thanksgiving display which consists of


some plastic leaves.

The peeps don't usually do a Thanksgiving door display but TW was inspired. She rushed out to the 99¢ store to try to top this amazing leaf and she found this:


I don't pretend to know what goes on in the humans' minds but I do think that dollar would've been better spent on 2 cans of Fancy Feast. This thing is tacky but it certainly blows the leaf outta the water. Na mean? Then again, think how stunning MY picture would look on the door!

Happy Turkey Day


Happy Turkey Day to all my furrends. Dunno if you've noticed all the Fancy Feast and noms in the cornucopia in my header. They are for you so help yourself and then dig into the homemade pumpkin pie. TW made it yesterday and took the pic right after it came out of the oven. She thought it would be funny to place the watermark right in the center of the pie. Don't worry, it's edible and so's the rest of the pie.


Everyday I give thanks for all my furrends who read and especially those who comment on my little blog.


To help celebrate Thanksgiving, here's a picture of me in the turkey position in a pan my bed. I'm glad I'm not a real turkey today.

Tunnelicious Tuesday

I spend a lot of time in this position.
On this week of Thanksgiving, let me give thanks for my furrends. I have the bestet furrends ever! Last week, my lookalike furrend Savvy of Savannah's Paw Tracks posted pictures of herself in her leopard tunnel. I commented: "… Wish I had a tunnel with windows." She comments back: "Hey … CK … ya never know what ya wish for comes true … just sayin … " The next day I got a tweet from her about watching for the postman. At that point, I hadn't read her comment to me so I was a bit puzzled but soon caught on.

She took this one without flash late at night.
Yesterday, when TW came home from shopping, she stopped in to say hello to the concierge, who told her I had a package. She made me wait forever before she opened it. I didn't mind cos she fed me first. Noms always come before fun. She then finally opened my box.

OMC! I have my own tunnel with windows!!! THANK YOU SAVANNAH and SAVANNAH'S MOTHER AND DAD!!! You guys ROCK!

TW didn't take any pictures of me in the tunnel until she knew that I really liked it and I do! I've been running through it and laying in it. In fact, I've even almost drawn TW's blood in it! As Savvy knows, I'm in recovery too and TW is afraid since I don't like the flashy box that if she took pictures of me in it too early, I'd associate the tunnel with bad things. She had to wait until I'm confortable with something before she innerduced the flashy box.

Savannah was a bit shy at first after I teleported over.
Now I can stop in and visit with Savvy anytime I want!
Three or four days have passed since I started this post. I LOVE my new tunnel. I lay inside it all the time. It's very loud so if I want to get TW's attention, I just stick my head inside until it crinkles. I've been running through it lots too. It's become a part of me. I've almost been ignoring my beloved Tunnel of Pain.

My Tunnel of Pain (ToP) has stood the test of time. I'm extremely rough when I charge through it and it's still in mint condition after about 5 years. My new tunnel seems sturdy enough to hold up to my roughhousing. Last night I almost had an accident with it. It's narrower than the ToP so when I ran through, my leg caught on one of the windows and I tumbled. It's all good though.

Now I've got to come up with an apt name for this tunnel and that's where you guys come in. Please tell me in your comment, what I should call it. Bear in mind the names I've already given out names like Tunnel of Pain and Cat Tree of Torture to my favorite possessions. This cat is no wuss. I'm thinking Tunnel of Terror or Terror Tunnel. If I see a name I'm fond of, the commenter stands to receive a package of nommy treats.

Many thanks to Savannah and her peeps for the wonderful, pawsome gift!

Talkin' Trash

"Yo Mama so stupid she got fired from the M&M factory for throwing away all the W's."
Wanna hear me talk some trash? There's nothing the peeps find funnier than when I talk trash to them. They still haven't figured out that I'm mocking them. I do this when we play rockets cos I know the peeps ain't gonna come close to me and I can't catch the rocket if it's not in the same zip code as I'm in. No, I'm not the least bit scared cos I can catch them before them hit me. I'm quick and I'm talented. The peeps finally filmed me while we were playing.  Of course, they're aim is terrible and they don't come anywhere near me.  There were several fails where I did my part and talked some serious trash but the peeps camera work was sorely lacking. Still I trash talk and I tell 'em to make this little ghetto kittehs' day.

We had to raise the volume all the way so you can hear me. My trash talk turns into a yawn at one point. Take a listen. You might want to cover the ears of any kit under the age of one.

Easy Like Sunday

Flashback Friday was a FAIL. Oh well, I thought it was funny. Apparently funny isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Don't mean to insult anyone if you left a comment but 12 comments over 2 days IS a fail by my high standards. Not even the spammers would touch it. If you need me, I'll be taking it easy and licking my emotional wounds. This kitteh is a lot more sensitive then you would think. Cut me and I bleed although I'd rather the peeps bled.


PS: I'm taking orders for more Foto Frenzy. Just shout out a number between 1-2650 in your comments and I'll try to accommodate you.

Flashback Friday

Out of all the blog posts I've written, this is my Pop's favorite one. It's from May 22, 2010 and got 7 whole comments. I think Pop enjoyed it so such because he only found out what happened when he read the post so he laughed and laughed.


The Great Birch Beer Caper
There is nothing better than having a laugh at The Woman's expense. She makes writing these blogs so much easier. I always have a new topic to write about. This is our latest adventure.

Pop went out to do the grocery shopping and TW was doing the laundry. Earlier in the day, she'd gotten some huge rocks that lit up—more about them some other day—and was looking for pot holders to put under them to protect the furniture since they can get hot. Into the linen closet she went, with me following closely behind. If there's an open door, I want to investigate. Due to the size of our apartment, the linen closet doubles as a pantry. Are you with me here?

The woman pulls out the first pot holder and, viola, down goes the six-pack of Birch beer. Crash! Bang! Fizz! POP! Split! This was worse than the oil spill off the Louisiana coast! This was worse than the earthquake in Haiti! Send in the Marines! The split you heard was my sides from laughter.

OMC! The floor and rug were covered in red Birch beer. Woman! Do something! She did. She started crying and then she started sopping it up with kitchen towels from the linen closet. After she sopped up the tears, she started on the floor and rug. By now everything was sticky, including her pants and slippers, which she kicked off. Birch beer, for those young 'uns out there is like root beer, only red in color. It's about 50% sugar, which is why it was in the closet and not the refrigerator.

I had to investigate further but every time I took a step, I stuck to the floor. The sweet smell was overwhelming. The puddle was spreading and one of the cans was hissing. The woman was screaming at me to get away. And I should do as you say why? woman.


OMC! Woman, you better get this mess cleaned up before Pop gets home!
BTW, this very blurry pic is taken right in front of said linen closet.

The woman's next move was to go into the kitchen to get the Murphy's soap to clean the floor. Unfortunately, when she reached for the soap—OMC, I don't know if I can type this, I'm laughing so hard—the Ajax fell out and opened. It's the only toxic not-plant-based cleanser in the house and it was all over the kitchen floor. The woman was standing beside herself, she was so upset. Cue the tears! Cue the dramatics! Cue the "why me, Lord. what have I ever done" cries. Oh, those hormones were unleashed and I was running for my life.

After much ado, the two spills were cleaned and I was free to roam around again. Whew. Another disaster dealt with. Another blog post written and documented.

Wednesday Word of the Day—Tired

The pawty's over and the hangover has just begun. The pawty was a huge success. I got to see—and pawty with—some furrends from the old PawPawty days. Not to mention my charity, A Call 4 Paws made out like a bandit! I won a $200 cash donation for them and they also received about $500 in food donations from the best pet food companies around. Thank you Weruva, Precise Pet and Nature's Variety. Those kittehs are going to eat in style for a few weeks. In fact, they're gonna eat better than me! Wait, that doesn't sound right, does it? I'm so happy to be able to help Linda and the feral and homeless kittehs in the sanctuary.

Resting up after the pawty. Can you believe TW doesn't think this position
 looks  comfortable. I suppose she's never slept with her feet on top of her paws.
I also won a gift basket from FURminator for myself. It was the first prize they gave out. I hope it includes a new FURminator cos those things are da bomb. Now that the @Blogpawty over, I can look back and reminisce on just how pawsome it was. I encourage all my CB furrends to make a point to attend the next one. You'll have a blast like I always do. BTW, it you're not a member of Blogpaws, you may want to join.

Surprise Blog Pawty

BlogPaws.com is having a HUGE Twitter Party today from noon to midnight EST—hashtag #BlogPawty. Here's the invitation: http://twtvite.com/BlogPawtySurprise. If you RSVP, you'll be eligible to win one of the door prize drawings. The folks at Blogpaws say they have surprise announcement that not even I have been able to pry out of them.

They'll be LOTS of great prizes for pet lovers and lots of donations to go to the pet charity of the winners' choice, and no one has to sign up for anything (except Twitter!)  If that's not enough to convince you that this will be the pawty of the century, I'll be DJing not one, but TWO shifts. You can hear me spin tunes from 3-4 pm and then again from 8-9 pm. Stop by and say "hello" or just "meow." Right before my second shift, there'll be a concert by the world famous Shibbering Cheetos that you won't want to miss. In the past, I've been able to get onstage with them for some smooches to duet with the smexy lead singer MattieDog. 

The Shibbering Cheetos
There's NO COVER CHARGE! You don't even have to tip after you order your drink from one of our out of this world barktenders. By the way, it's an Open Bar and you can even order top shelf stuff. Don't tell them I told you that!

The theme is Surprise Pawty, so dress festively—maybe along the line of early New Years Eve attire with balloons, folks jumping out of cakes, confetti, streamers, noisemakers. You get the picture. Don't feel ashamed to come in your own fur. You never know who's gonna put in a surprise appearance!

Come join the fun! This is one #BlogPawty you won't want to miss. Remember, what happens at #BlogPawty stays at #BlogPawty!

You never know who'll drop in to the #BlogPawty!

If you're a Twitter Pawty Beginner like Waffles, you can check out @CokietheCat's "How to Pawty Like an Anipal" or just show up on Twitter Nov. 13th between 12 noon and 12 midnight EST, search for #BlogPawty, and announce yourself as a newbie.

Bring on the Nip, My Box is Dirty

Maybe if I sit outside the box looking uncomfortable she'll get the hint.
This post may be a little awkward for TW, after all I need her fingers to type it for me. Maybe I should call Pop to see if he'll do it. POP? He's busy? Too busy for his Smoky Gray Diva? Ok Woman, it's all yours. Get a move on!

Look at the time, kittehs! It's 20 to 4  or 3:40 pm and I just got my litter box cleaned for the first time today! This should be done first thing in the a.m. This is an OUTRAGE! Completely UNACCEPTABLE! I don't care if TW cleaned it at 1 in the morning, she needs to clean in it again before 4 pm. Bet if I blow sky-high, she'll clean it in a timely manner!

This ties together with the Bring On the Nip "Award" I received from Sherlock, Traveler and Ash from Feline Purrspective. I have linked back to them and I do say Thank You. The thing I'm celebrating is that my litter boxes have finally been cleaned. I should be celebrating something cool like getting a present in the mail or that Pop is starting his 4th week of being working at home since his office building was flooded during Superstorm Sandy. No, I'm celebrating that TW finally cleaned my boxes! I'm celebrating TW's ineptitude or just plain negligence of her cat's basic needs. How sick is that? Such is the life of this kitteh. Good staff is so hard to find.

As I just used the box, I'm counting down to when it's gonna get cleaned again. I might as well use this time to pass this chain award on to other kitties. You know you want it! I see you lining up for it! Cody, stop hiding, I know you already got it. Let's pick some names out of the hat. No, actually, I'm going to do something different. I'm going to pass it to some Twitter furrends and they can tweet the reason they're celebrating.

@LilyLuWhoT
@SeattleP and Jeego
@ShaynaCat who does have a blog, ShaynaCat's Blog, so she can blog about it.
Also Purrime Ministerettes Shiva and Jaya cos their blog is just so funny. I know they'll have fun with it.

That's all folks! Hmmm, still waiting for a clean box …

NEWS FLASH! My box was cleaned right before dinner, which would be about 2 hours after I used it.

Veterans' Day 2012

Grampa was in the Army Air Force in WWII.

November 11, or what has come to be known as Veterans Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor Armistice Day—the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. In legislature that was passed in 1938, November 11 was "dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.' You know this kitteh is down with anything having to do with peace. As such, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans.

In 1954, after having been through both World War II and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, November 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

We've always thought that the best way to honor our Veterans is by making sure they come home to good jobs, adequate housing and proper medical care. They deserve those things. Our Veteran Day posts have been too political in the past for some of TW's friends so this year we decided to play it safe and post something we read in—cough cough, choke choke—Dear Abby. Neither TW or I ever read Dear Abby—we prefer Dear Sparkle—but it was positioned right next to the crossword puzzle TW was trying to do and caught her attention. There's some good advices here.

DEAR ABBY: As Veterans Day approaches, may I share a few guidelines that can be helpful when interacting with veterans or service members?
 
1. It is never OK to ask a veteran if he or she has killed someone or to joke about it. If we have, we can't even talk about it with our spouses, much less a stranger.

A foto bomb from the same foto shoot as above
2. When you thank us for our service or pay for our meal, it is really appreciated. We also appreciate packages and notes. TW always thanks any person in uniform she see in the streets or subway and they do appreciate it.

3. Please don't tell us that wars are a waste of dollars or lives or were fought for oil. What we hear is that, in your opinion, our best friend died for nothing. We know many people disagree with war, but it's better to keep your opinions to yourself.

4. Many of us now have PTSD. If you see us acting anxious or moving away from crowds, turning our backs to the wall or fidgeting, simple kindness or a little distraction will be appreciated. Talk to us about something interesting and give us some breathing room.
 
5. Please remember that 15 percent of those who serve in the military are women, and some have been in combat. It's better to ask, "Are you a veteran?" rather than, "Was your husband a soldier?"
 
6. As with any person who has a disability, please do not stare at us. We can be sensitive about our scars or injuries and would prefer not to be asked to relive a difficult experience by being quizzed about what happened. Please also understand that injuries today are very different than in the past and are often not visible. It is not war OK to tell someone they "don't look disabled" or appear to need help. Those of us with disabilities appreciate light conversation and assistance if we look like we are in need.
It was my pleasure to serve our country. -- AMANDA C., U.S. ARMY DISABLED VETERAN
 
DEAR AMANDA C.: Thank you for your service. And thank you, too, for your helpful suggestions, which are sure to be appreciated not only by civilians, but also by active and retired members of our military.
 
Readers, as the war in Afghanistan winds down, many thousands of service members are returning home and entering the job market. Please, if possible, honor their courage, dedication and sacrifice by doing your part and providing them with employment. Considering what they have done for us, it is the least we can do to show our appreciation.

There's a really good article over at the Pet For Patriots blog about Military Working Dog Adoptions.

All this thinking has made me tired. Time for an Easy Like Sunday snooze.


Kites Are Fun—Multimedia PhotoHunt

Kites Are Fun—Multimedia PhotoHunt
Click image for song.

Here are the lyrics for Kites are Fun by The Free Design.

I like flying
Flying kites, flying kites, flying kites
Kites are fun, kites are fun, kites are fun

Stupid Human Tricks (starring Pop)

This is Pop's old computer on his desk along with baseball cards, a book, ME,and
What's this? A Nip and Bones discount card! Oh happy day!
You're in luck. I got a stupid human trick for you. Pop has been working from home since Sandy devastated lower Manhattan. His office building sustained a lot of infrastructural damage and cannot be occupied for a few weeks. He's doing his work on the old computer cos it's got a program he needs that's not on this computer. (BTW, he can thank me for warning him not to sell that computer.) He had it all set up on the kitchen table when I decided I wanted to get up on the kitchen table. This thing doesn't belong here! Move it or lose it! In the process of moving it, there came a big crash. I scattered. What was that?? Pop said he dropped the keyboard. I found the CONTROL key laying on the floor but Pop picked it up. Pop, didn't you put it on upside down? Of course, when the peeps do something, there's never a flashy box documenting it.

Whoa! I think you broke it! Call the super!
I hate to pick on Pop but later in the day he had to change the light bulb in the kitchen. Then he got the big idea to dust the chain all the way up to the ceiling. I think I've mentioned we have 16-foot ceilings so he had to reach way up there. Ping! Oh [censored], cried Pop. I was snoopervising, of course. The ping was the medallion falling off the ceiling. Fortunately for me, it landed on top of the light fixture, rather than coming down on my furry little head. Like I said, I hate to pick on Pop but a kitteh needs a new blog every once in a while. This will have to do. Hopefully, they'll be film at 11 when the maintenance guy comes to repair it. I'll be in my office if they need me.

So You Think You Know Me

While we were still experiencing Internet outtages, my furrends Callie and Sassy gave me an award. It's been a long time since I was given one so a heartfelt thanks to the ladycats at Troublin' Times.


The name 7 Things About Me is pretty self-explanatory so I'll get right to the task at hand.

1. I'm an extremely slow and picky eater. I like to have an audience while I eat and won't eat unless TW or Pop is standing there. They have to stand still cos if they move, I'll stop eating. I get 3 meals a day. I won't get up for lunch unless I know TW is in a hurry to go out. Then I'll beg for food and make her stand there so she's late wherever she's going.

Put away the flashy box or I'll stop eating!
2. I only pee in the front, left corner of the litter box. I never pee on the right side. I am NOT an equal-opportunity pee-er. I usually poop on the left side also.

3. I like Chinese food but the peeps won't let me have any since Ryker's Boys ran a blog post about how toxic onions are to cats. I owe you one, guys.

4. I don't play well with others. I go to my office UTB when company comes. The only exception was on Halloween when I greeted the trick or treaters.

5. I was adopted along with another cat, Mitzi but I sent her packing after only a couple of weeks. Then my peeps tried to force another sisfur on me and I sent her packing also. I'm the Queen of my castle.

I'm bored! I have nothing to play with!
6. I like interactive toys. I won't play by myself and I won't play with nip toys unless TW throws them and we play fetch. I'm high maintenance; but in return, I don't scratch the furniture or rugs and I don't climb the drapes.
7. I posted my first blog post on September 15, 2009. I had exactly three comments.
Now I should pass this award on to 7 other bloggers. TW is feeling lazy tonight so we're gonna toss the 7 awards up in the air. If one lands near you, pick it up. It's yours. Besides, no one ever posts about the awards I give them.

OK. I have 2 volunteers who will accept this award. I hereby bestow it upon:
Katie Isabella Colors My World
Kruse Kats' Maggie and Parker

If you want it, give me a shout out and I'll be happy to pass it along.