Here We Go Again!

You're not going to believe this!!!

For 13 years, we Lilypadders rolled with at least four (4) cats.  Sometimes more.

We began with Jobie and Rosie, essentially.  They were the Chick's cats before we met.  We added Ernie and Scottie to that mix pretty quickly.  Many years passed before we added Miss Emmie, but once she showed up in the yard with her irresistible seafoam green peepers,  there were five.

Five.  That was a lot.  Sometimes, it felt like a zoo, but other times, we hardly noticed unless it was time for them to strap on their feedbags, as it were.

Then Miss Zoe popped in (She really deserves Her own sentence, yes?)

Ernie packed up for Sparkle Pond about 5 years ago, leaving us with four cats again.  Then Jobie left and we were down to three, but not for long before Lilly came.  Then Toby.

Next, Blueberry came to stay.  (Same as above-- Rabbits need Their Own Sentences!!)

Then a couple of months ago Rosie moved on to Sparkle Pond and last week, Scottie.

We have a lot of turnover!

And, then, there were three.  Plus two Rabbits.

The Chick hates odd numbers.  But we quickly adjusted to just the three.  Things were Calm.  Things seemed a lot less like a zoo and a lot more like, well....a house with a few Animals.

But then, Sunday morning, the Chick said to me, "So, I have to tell you.  I looked at (our friend) Eileen's website for Orphan Angels and I think there's a cat there who needs us."  As it turned out, she had looked at the Orphan Angels' site a few weeks ago before Scottie got so ill, and then forgot all about it when he started doing so poorly.  The rest of us in the Lilypad didn't know that the Chick had already chosen our next cat.
  
(A side note:  that last sentence was foreshadowing...)

But on Sunday morning, she remembered.  And she couldn't stop thinking about this cat.

She texted Friend Eileen who agreed to meet us at noon on Sunday at Orphan Angels, which is her Awesomely Amazing free range Cat Store.  There are two Giant Rabbits there as well, but since it's mostly cats, we call it a cat store.  Anyhow, it is a wonderful place.  We were both excited and nervous to meet this new cat, whose current name was "Ditto."

We already had a new name picked in honor of Scottie (as his real name was F. Scott Fitzgerald, we chose a name from The Great Gatsby) and also in honor of Rosie (we had Rosie, now Lilly, and the new name was also a flower-related name).

Daisy.

Though she was very shy, Daisy was immediately responsive to attention (who isn't, right?).  The second we walked into the room, she looked right at the Chick.  When I began to pet her, she purred and ran to her food dish to eat.  Both good signs.  We packed her up and brought her home.

And that was that.

INTRODUCING.... DAISY!!!!

She is settling in nicely.  

More to come on Daisy later in the week.  We'll see how she feels about Flip Friday.....

Farewell, Sweet F. Scott

Last Friday, the Rabbit Girls and I posted a movie for our dear, sweet, Scottie Cat (a.k. a. F. Scott Fitzgerald).  Scottie had rather suddenly taken ill a couple of weeks ago, and we thought it would be nice to honor him.

We didn't really know what was wrong with him, though his symptoms could mostly be chalked up to old age (he was somewhere between 17 and 20 years old-- we never knew how old he was when we adopted him).

We first met Scottie at our local Humane Society.  The Chick had gone there to pick out a cat.  She had just gotten Ernie, who was a teeny kitten who made funny pterodactyl sounding sounds, and who needed a friend.  When she walked past the cats in their little cat pens, Scottie reached out and grabbed her.  From that very second, she knew that he was our cat-- he picked us.   Well, he picked her at any rate.

The Humane Society would not let her take him home.  She had just moved into an apartment, and they needed tons of proof that, since she was living in an apartment,  that having a cat was OK with her landlord, etc.  She didn't have that.

At the time, I was still living with my parents while just beginning graduate school.  So the next day, I went in by myself and snatched Scottie.  They had no problem giving him to me, since I lived in a residence with my family.  Scottie seemed confused.  "Don't worry," I told him on the way to the Chick's apartment.  "You'll like where I'm taking you.  I promise."

And that was that.  We had two sweet orange and white cats.

At first, Scottie was depressed.  He would sit at the window and cry and cry.  He would sit and stare at the walls.  Slowly, Ernie taught him how to play.  They remained best friends for 13 years.

Ever since Ernie packed up and moved to Sparkle Pond a few years ago now, Scottie has been lonely for him. 

At 2:30 Am on Saturday, June 19, 2010, they were reunited.

We still don't really know what was wrong with Scottie, and frankly, it doesn't matter.  He lived a good, long life full of playing and snuggling and loving and lots of brothers and sisters.  He loved his rabbits and he loved to eat.  He could sit in the window for hours with his big, fluffy orange squirrel tail floating around in the breeze.  Scottie loved people.  He would greet people like a butler at the door, and as soon as they sat down, he'd want to be on their lap.  

He loved everyone equally and well.  We can all learn from that attribute.


You will be missed, sweet Scottie.  Sparkle Pond will be a better place because of you.  And Ernie will be happy to see you.   I can't say the same for Jobie and Rosie, since they weren't always so sure of you as Ernie was, but they will at least give you a nod and a growl if nothing else.


Thank you for being such a wonderful cat, Scottie. 

 Scottie in the Rabbit Room with Zoe-- just last week.

Scottie's last portrait Pre-Sparkle Pond, 

again taken last week in his Rabbits' Room.  

Still so handsome.

Rest in Peace, Scottie.  We'll love you forever.

What We Did This Weekend

So the following pictures pretty much sum up our weekend, here at the Lilypad:

Do you detect a theme of sorts?  Because there is one, most definitely.

Well, seriously, what are animals supposed to do when it is beautiful, sunny, warmish and just generally gorgeous outside?  They nap and sit in open windows if they are indoor animals.  And, if they are outdoor animals, as are the Chick and I, then you lounge outside in chairs and on plaid blankets, soaking in some sunshine and chatting throughout the day.

And, maybe you get up and mow the lawn or something.  Yes, I think that happened.  Or, maybe that was a dream?  No, I think it was real.

What did you do this weekend?  Was it lovely where you live?

The Whites

Sometimes, it occurs to Miss Zoe and me that though there are four cats and, currently at least, two (count them) 2 Rabbits in this house called the Lilypad, not all of these Mammals are getting equal airtime.

It actually has a lot to do with personalities, truth be told.  Get out the camera to take a picture of Lilly or the MiniCat, and all you get is posing.

Take out the camera to photograph a Rabbit, and the story is the same.  You get poses.

They sit still.

They gaze at the camera with come hither looks.

But get out the camera to photograph Scottie and/ or Miss Emmie (a.k.a. The Whites) and what do you get?  

"Ummmmmm....posing?" you ask, innocently.

And I answer, "No-- not so much."

The point of all this lead up is to say, "Yes, there really are two White Cats who live here, and though they don't pose often, sometimes they do, and this is what they look like:"

 Scottie and his Elizabethan Fluff

 Emmie in a Basket

Emmie in the Sun

Scottie asleep.  And, oh-- a MiniCat who is 

obviously only half the size 

of Scottie's Giant Cat Head

So, there you have it.  You've seen them before, and you'll see them again.  But The Whites decided it was time for a post dedicated to their own special (crazy) cuteness, and so that is what they got!

Do you have any hidden animals in your house?

Animals So Cute You Could Just Vomit

As I was thinking through what to write about for today (I actually did have a few ideas that Zoe didn't care for), I began to scroll through the pictures in my iPhoto, and it suddenly and with great urgency became quite clear to me what I had to write about today:

ANIMALS SO CUTE YOU COULD JUST VOMIT!!!

There are so many cute Animal pictures on my computer, it seems a shame not to share them. Or re-share them. That's a little like re-gifting, I guess.

First, we have some butt shots (look away, please, if you are easily offended):

NOT FAT!!! Fluffy!

A Derriere! Hmmm...a little rude, but wait

Oops, wrong one!

There we go. A little modesty, Rabbit! Please!!

OK, never mind. That's just cute.

The Business End of Miss Lilly

OK, please don't ask what Miss Emmie's
butt is doing in this picture.
It's... complicated.

Now, some full on head shots:

Rosie the Cat is bored and annoyed with you. Please walk away slowly.

But, Toby wants to PLAY!!!!

Scottie hams it up.

Again, please don't ask about Miss Emmie.
Complicated, remember?

Wait! How'd they get in there? HALF!!!

Let's hone in on LIPS for a moment:

I mean, WOW!!!!

And, now, FEET:

SO many feet and hands!
Can you count them all?

Finally, things just so cute, you'd better get the bucket. NOW!!!!




Oh, and one more thing: A Rabbit to cleanse your palette:

"After all those CATS,
you need to cleanse your palette.
Believe you me!"

Well, there you have it!

What's so cute in YOUR life that you could just vomit?

(Disclaimer: the Chick here...HELLO!?!?! I no longer have those braces and my white hairs are covered and well...I do NOT hang out with that SHEEP!)

(Pay no attention to that disclaimer. She SOOOO hangs out with that sheep.)

Back to the Dreams

This is the last post Zoe and I will ever do in 2009.

We'll try to make it good.

This particular dream that I'll tell you about today is extra timely due to the circumstances currently happening in the Pad.

You see, over the last few weeks, our little Rosie the Cat (pictured below on her Red Stool) has been feeling a bit under the weather. A little bit of a sniffly nose. A tiny bit of a cough.

Sweet, Gray Rosie

And in the week, this has passed onto our sweet Miss Emmie (a.k.a. "The Lamb") as well. Same thing-- sniffly nose, sneezing, a bit of a cough.

Apparently, they somehow caught a cold.

(Both of them are feeling much better at this point, by the way. And The Chick has assured me that Zoe will not catch the cold. Interspecies blah blah blah. No worries.)

The point of telling you about the cat cold is to say that "the Whites" (being comprised of the White Cats, Miss Emmie, and Mr. F. Scott Fitzgerald) normally sleep in the basement.

"The Whites"

"Why do they have to sleep in the basement?" you may ask. "How is that fair, when the rest of the Animals, including a certain RABBIT have the run of the house all night long?" (Actually, I'm sure you wouldn't dis the Rabbit in such a way, so maybe that went a little far. Sorry. I take it back.) But you may still ask why the Whites sleep in the basement, mightn't you?

And I might say this: Because when they sleep upstairs, THEY KEEP EVERYONE AWAKE!!!

It's true. They used to sleep upstairs, and for many years, we simply never slept. At least, not through the night. We slept in fits and spurts only, and we adjusted to that. Eventually, we figured out that we could make the Whites a Lair in the basement, and since that revelation they have scored their own bedroom.

Pre-revelation, however, on a morning after a a night of not-sleep, when I was completely delirious and in and out of that weird dream state, I had a dream.

This the dream I want to discuss today.

In this dream-- which I had after a night of being kept awake by the melodious singing of our Dear Scottie Cat-- in this dream, I concocted the best idea I have EVER HAD!!! At least that's how it felt at the time. You know what I mean, right?

My idea? I'll tell you.

My idea was that I would write a letter to Scottie the Cat, and in this letter I would ask him to simply refrain from meowing until a decent hour of the morning, like, say, 7 AM.

I wouldn't ask for much, I thought. It will be a simple letter. One he will read quickly and understand thoroughly.

It was PERFECT!!!

Of course later on, when I woke up, I realized that Scottie, well, he can't exactly read.

Sigh.

Well, it seemed like a good idea.

"Can we PLEASE stop talking about cats??
I'm bored!!"

Have you ever gotten the BEST IDEA IN THE WORLD from a dream???

If so, let's hear it!!

A Second Dreamless Wednesday

"Dreamless?? Again?? What the...???"

Last Wednesday, even though I was smack in the middle of telling about my top ten favorite dreams, I decided to take a break and talk about something else. I can't even remember what it was. Hmmm.... guess I'll have to look.

This week, the plan was to get back to the dreamscape, but, you know, it's practically Christmas Eve, so it seems like I should offer up something a little better.

Something a little more in the holiday spirit, if you will.

Even if you won't.

So, on this Wednesday, I offer a different kind of dream. A Holiday kind of dream. A dream that is a noun and not a verb.

Now, maybe this isn't your Dream. I imagine that everyone has a different Dream to offer up. It's what makes us unique and important in that individual way.

But this is my Dream. Well, part of it.

Animals. Dressed up.

My gift to you, this holiday season.