Threatening Thursday

One thing I noticed when mommy went to feed the birdies yesterday is that she put FOUR piles of corn on the ground by the woods. I don't know if any of you remember, but often we have deer passing by on their way to the park.



Well, lately mommy has seen four deer, one a juvenile male with ANTLERS about 6 inches long!! Ack! So, since it has been so cold, mommy has taken to putting out four piles of corn for them to eat! Can you believe it?!? That means every night and every morning FOUR vishus deer are behid my house! Where I can see them and they can see me!



Look what they did yesterday morning. That is an inch of ice on top of that snow they busted thru to get to the corn. Their hooves must be soooooo sharp.



This morning they had busted thru the ice AND an additional 4 inches of snow that fell yesterday.

Mommy says if she iddn't feed them they would starve and if they are starving they are more likely to attack and eat juicy kitties so she is really only protecting me. What do you think? I feel pretty threatened. Am I safe???

Winter Wonderland and a Wordy Tip

I'm seconding Goldie's theory that the best way to enjoy a winter wonderland is from the warm inside thru the window.



We've had major winter weather in the past 24 hours. We had 4 inches of snow yesterday, 1 1/2 of ice on top of that overnight and it is snowing big huge fast flakes right now. Mommy went out early during a "pause" in the weather to break the ice off the bird feeders. This is what she saw.





She just realized she didn't get a picture of the inside of the completely frozen platform feeder (the flat wooden one in the front). The seed inside was a solid sheet of ice. Luckily mommy had an extra one inside (she trades that out for the big suet cages during fall and winter) so she filled that and put it out.



Even the rim of this heated birdbath had icecicles on it! Luckily the water didn't freeze in either one (mommy has 2).

Now, for a very important "wordy" tip. When your mommy opens the dishwasher in the morning and finds the soap dispensers filled and still dirty dishes, pauses then says "D*mn it, I can't believe I forgot to start this again! I must be losing my mind." Do NOT cock your head to the side, look her in the eye and say "What do you mean 'losing'?" It means you won't get breakfast in bed that day...

Keeping Mom Motivated

Mommy and I both love when she works from home, especially on days like this when 4 inches of snow fell overnight AND a winter mix is coming this afternoon.

Mommy does say that it can be hard to stay focused when she looks up and sees this:



She says it makes her sleepy. I say it is the bag of BBQ Chips she downed that made her sleepy. I'm just trying to stay out of the way so she can stay motivated....My village comes down next weekend. That makes me sad.

Midnight Monday - Baby Its Cold Outside

Hey all! Sorry we haven't been around much. Mommy has been working hard at her jobbie doing inventory and when she gets home all she wants to do is eat and sleep. You know, besides the "working hard" part, it sounds like I'm training her pretty good to be a cat.

Anyway, back to ME which is the most important. Now, we all know that Panthers live in the jungle, and House Panthers, like warm places. That is why when it looks like this outside and it feels like 9 degrees out there:



We House Panthers know to say here:



Until their human brings them their morning stinky goodness.



Go see the other great adventures of us sleek House Panthers at our very own site.

Thinking on Thursday

I'm thinking there is not enough room under here for the both of us dad. How rude!

ALso, please go visit little Hendrix and his brother Dylan! Yup, there is another rock and roll House Panther on the blogosphere. He and Dylan help their mommy Carly with her pretty photography website. Check out their picture on the right side of the blog page. Aren't they adorable?!?

Tip, Tail and Tummy

Hi all! Now it is back to me the way it should be.

Here is how my tummy looks when I play with my "da bird" feather toy. Nice isn't it?
Mommy says my tail is a "pigmy" tail because it is short and skinny.



I say it is still Mancat enough to whap her in the nose at 2:30am and that is the important thing.

Here are my ear tips. If you look closely at my left ear, you'll see a nick. This makes mommy sad because that means I got in a fight or got hurt when I was out in the mean world before I was rescued. Sometimes I get extra treats when she feels sad about it. Hey, I'm not above milking my injury. Personally, I think it makes me look bad a#s.

Mine on Monday

I've decided that I'm going to spend the next few weeks coming up with some rules and guidelines regarding this upcoming blurpy thing. You know, some for it and some for my beans. I think this is important because I only have 6 months to train my beans and they are sooooooo slow.

Also, I know that the "shrimp," as I like to call it, will be able to hear at some point so I plan on talking to mommy's belleh overnight to get my rules across. That way when it comes home, it already has the ground rules down.

Anyone who wants to contribute to these rules is welcome!! I want to get started right away.

Today is also Martain Luthor King Jr. Day. His "I Have a Dream" speech always makes mommy well up. We kitties can all get a long regardless of color, size and country. We hope beans around the world will follow our lead soon.

...I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."2

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Surprise On Sunday

So, mommy and daddy pulled me aside a couple of weeks ago and told me I'm going to have a new sibling. A hairless one. I said "you mean like a Sphynx?" and she said "No, like a blurpy thing."

I said "Dude, the VET told you I don't like to share," but mommy said that I wouldn't have to share my toys, treats, sofa or window seats. So I'm OK with it. Bendrix has yet to be completely won over. After all, the late night vomiting has already kept him from getting a good nights rest.

Then she showed us the pictures. These were taken Dec. 30, 2008 so they are a few weeks old, mommy is at 12+ weeks now, but they look like shrimp to me. I guess anything that starts out looking like shrimp can't be all bad...right?






Mommy would like any tips and suggestions you all have. I'm pretty good with kids and babies, but have never been around one for a long time.

Sad on Saturday

Mommy and I checked the blogosphere news page late yesterday to see such sad news. My good buddy Meep went to the Bridge. He and Buzzerbee were the first FIV+ kitties I met on the blogosphere. Since I am FIV+, we especially followed their adventures.

Mommy wishes I could have had a sibling so I could have as much fun as Buzzerbee, Meep, Twizzler and Bear, but with daddy's allergies and my "feral" tendencies the VET says no. We instead chose to enjoy watching them enjoy and love each other.



My beans have for a while now vowed to adopt FIV+ kitties from now on (many years from now when I meet my friends at the Bridge) and part of that reason is because of Meep's beans and how they care for their kitties. Please go see them and leave them some words of comfort.



I'll miss you Meep buddy.

Thinking on Thursday

I'm thinking that although Daisy got scr#wed (Bendrix's word) she is always going to be #1 in our book!! I know you all feel the same. I am pleased to say that my friend Simba King was also nominated for the award and got some votes.

I'm also thinking how much you'd have to hate someone you once loved so much to pull this sh*t. I mean, how sad and pathetic. "Husband Wants Kidney Back in Divorce"

You know, if I knew this guy, the only thing I'd have to say is "Lick This":

Wordy Wednesday

Hi all! Brandi's mommy Carol is having some temporary green paper problems. Her paperwork was filed wrong for her leave from work, and now Brandi is having tummy troubles and Carol can't afford the VET.

The sweet KC, Missy & Gang said that they think we could hold a one time auction to help them.

Mommy is going to go thru her stuff to see what cool things we can donate for an auction. Is anyone interested in helping? We know green papers are tight for everyone...

On a personal note, the d#mn starlings are back. We hate hate hate those birdies. They eat all the seed and bully the other birds. Not to mention they poo all over everything and are LOUD. Any of you kitties that go outside to hunt want to come over and eat???

Two Inches

Just two inches. Just two inches of glass and screens between me and fresh meat. Sigh.





Please stop by our friends at Forty Paws as they mourn the loss of handsome Bow.

My sweet lady cat Brandi is also not feeling well and her mommy Carol is still recovering and has some green paper stress. Please send her comforting thoughts.

Midnight Monday

When a sleek House Panther looks for a den, he wants to make sure he has certain aminities. Dark, private, close to a food source and being safe and warm. As to why I enjoy being UNDER by village as much as I enjoy being ON my village, there is a heating vent under here. It is nice. Like the tropical jungle where panther's prowl.



Hey woman, put that sheet down, you're letting the heat out!

PS All the cords were sprayed with "Bitter Apple" so no worries about my chewing then. That stuff is nasty.

Thinking on Thursday

I'm thinking I'm glad they only snow I have to deal with is the snow on my village and not the snow outside. My minions will keep my warm. I'll make them.

Wordy Wednesday

I'm so bummed all my Christmas decorations got put away. Luckily my village is still standing.

I'll especially miss the nativity my mommy got me. I liked rubbing it. Can you tell why?





yup! That is baby Jesus "hatching" there. Cute huh? Mommy got it just for me.

I really miss my beans now that they are back to work. Luckily mommy works from home some days and I get to help her. In this photo, I'd just walked across the laptop and helped her "write" a press release.

Well, I'm off to lay on my Village so it can't be taken down. It is rainy and snowy here in SW Ohio. On the plus side, the birdies come up to eat more!

Music Monday

Guess what daddy got for Christmas. His brothers got it for him.



Guitar Hero!!! He even got another guitar so we can play together.

Mommy says that since he got Guitar Hero he hasn't left the Mancave...except for food. She is right!

I let my beans share my guitar on NYE. After I saw the pictures, I regretted that decision. Daddy has his leg up.



Lets Rock N Roll!!




My lady cat Brandi's mommy Carol is home safe and resting. She could use some comforting and encouraging purrs.

Finally Friday - Bendrix is going Crazy

Here's one for all you Bendrix fans. Bendrix started the New Year with a bang. After all the guests left, mommy and daddy put away all the leftover food, shut the Mancave door (to keep me from eating confetti and stuff) and went to bed. About 8:30am Bendrix got hungry and woke mommy up. She got up, fed us stinky goodness and went back to sleep on the couch. Well, Bendrix wanted to play but mommy fell back to sleep. He got bored. Then he smelled it. Salt. Yup, we looooooove licking salt off stuff.

My beans had left the crackers on mommy's pretty glass cheese and cracker tray (no cheese tho - drat) on the counter. Well, Bendrix got up where we aren't allowed and started licking the salt off. Everytime he'd lick the platter would scoot. Mommy kinda woke up and said "Hey, what are you doing over there?" Then, CRASH! Yup, that platter scooted right off the counter...with a little help...and shattered all over the floor. Daddy heard it in the bedroom and both beans came running. By then I was hiding under the table like "Wasn't me".

There are no pictures because little shards of glass were everywhere and the beans needed to keep Bendrix from trying to get to the remaining crackers on the floor and clean up the mess (all while very "sleepy"). Mommy gave us a stern talking to and then we had to have our paws inspected. All clear, no cuts.

Don't worry, all was forgiven even tho mommy is sad about her pretty platter.



We spent the rest of the day relaxing. Football and naps with daddy. I hope this is what the rest of the year will be like.

I hope you all have a happy, healthy 2009! Bendrix likes Max's interpretation have "the happiest heathenist New Year." ha ha ha

Mommy is sad because her University of Cincinnati Bearcats lost last night, but she is very proud of them and can't wait for next season. Thanks for this good one guys!

I am worried because I have not heard from my dear Brandi and her mommy Carol. Does anyone have their phone number? My mommy's cell phone SIM card died last month and she lost all her saved numbers including that one.

On a very sad note, my dear friend Fat Cat Muffin's Grammy has passed away. He and his mommy were very close and lived together. Please keep them in your thougths and prayers.