Dec18

Hope for Tomorrow 

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I have no idea if the Electoral College will do the right thing tomorrow. In theory, people like DJT are the reason it was created – of course other people have more sinister theories on why it still exists.

Until tomorrow, then; more Lumi. He has been my go-to-guy when I need hugs and cuddles. Since I last posted about him, he has learned to jump into my arms. This is something I’ve taught my cats for over 13 years. It is pretty easy to do – but kittens get over excited at first and jump when you aren’t asking, or looking, and sometimes it ends in a bloody back or legs. In any case, he and I have a routine now. When I get dressed for work in the morning, he launches himself at me and talks in my ears while purring madly. I have been late to work because he doesn’t want to let go!


When I come home and change out of my work gear, he does it again. It’s a nice welcome home.


He does do ‘bad’ things – the TV is still a target, as are the plants in the bathroom (my gerbera daisies). He broke a Welsh pottery cat I had, but it was by accident. He does parkour, you see, but sometimes awkwardly.

Surprisingly, he hasn’t gone mental on the Christmas tree. I don’t know what it is about how I raise furry kids, but I’ve never had one that treated a tree like a climbing post. We only put plastic baubles or ornaments at the bottom of the tree, so they can remove them and play if they want to. After a week, only three balls have been removed. Lokii is just as guilty of that, in any case.


Zoomed in so not the best quality – but this is where he sits on a Thursday when iDJ is spinning his decks upstairs. Kind of funny – how does he know? 


Kitten-bellah cures all ills. Yes, I stick my face in his fur and snorgle him. 

Now, I haven’t put a picture of me up for a while – not since the accidental blogging disaster a few years ago. But I love this picture.


Lumi wanted hugs while we were getting ready to go out shopping yesterday. 

I bought this Wile E. Coyote hat last year, and I love it to bits. Wore it all day yesterday, and made so many little kids smile. Even got a high-five from one little guy. 

Hope some cute kitten-ness helps tonight. Those of us who have been literally nauseated since November need all we can get right now. Everyone else? Here’s a cute-ass kitten!

Dec14

Piggy Peggy

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I have a “work cat” now. I’m pretty sure she has a home at one of the houses next to my workplace.

I go outside at lunchtime, weather permitting. I have a cozy spot outside of the warehouse where I can read and relax for a bit.  It can’t really be too cold for me here, but too windy or rainy sends me elsewhere.

Two or maybe even three months ago, I had a visitor while eating. A black and white kitty had silently appeared in the parking lot and was watching me.


Of course I gave her some of my lunch!

And it became a ‘thing.’ She was very shy, always snuck into view without my seeing what direction she had come from, and would not get closer to me. But she had a great sense of when my lunch break was. 

No kitty love? Good thing I’m persistent, and I do have chicken at lunch every day! 


At the end of November, I saw her every day for a week. She finally let me pet her and gave me lots of head-butts and shared some drool. Aww. I started calling her ‘Piggy’ when she got very brave and tried to steal the rest of my lunch, too! Then I decided that was a bit mean, so I started calling her Piggy Peggy.

Once she allowed me to touch her, I looked and stroked her all over, to check her health. She was pretty clean, but had burrs in her tail and some evidence of ear mites (brown goo in the ears). It wasn’t a bad case, however – and no sign of fleas.

During the once-over, I felt her belly and found that she seemed to have mammary gland swelling. Oh no! Could she be pregnant this late in the year? This seemed evidence to me, along with the mites, that she isn’t being cared for in the best way possible. Maybe she was a stray after all, or had been dumped and was surviving on handouts.

I got worried when she went missing for over two weeks. I wasn’t there every day, but I looked for her and called for her whenever I was outside. Nothing. Dammit.

Today, she was back! And instead of silently appearing, she walked up to me shouting, ‘Where have you been?’ I was so happy to see her again. She kept her distance at first, but before long I was being drooled on again.


She loves my stinky boots. Except when I’m walking – then she is scared and that makes me sad.

After eating way too much of my lunch (which she doesn’t bolt down like she is starving, by the way – it’s just really tasty chicken my cats at home go crazy for, too), I got in some good loving and when I felt her little kitty boobies? Smaller! So she isn’t pregnant now, but had a litter in September or thereabouts. While I’m not happy that she isn’t spayed, at least I’m not worrying about her having a litter of kittens in the middle of winter with no shelter.


She’s a pretty and affectionate girl, I really hope she gets some proper healthcare.

Dec12

Update on Methos

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Please, help Methos. My friend would never have asked for help herself. Someone else who loves her made the GoFundMe. If you can’t give a little, please share. I give my own guarantee this is a real person who honestly does need a helping hand.

alienredqueen's avataralienredqueen

I’m just going to copy and paste the update I put on FB.  This weekend has been exhausting and I am going to give the cat his meds and go to bed.

Yesterday was a long and exhausting day, and the outcome was not as positive as I was hoping. My beloved boycat Methos has an enlarged heart and fluid in his chest; essentially he is in early congestive heart failure, resulting froma  condition called HCM. They put him in an oxygen tent to help him breathe better and wanted to keep him overnight, but ( I will be completely frank because I know no other way) we could not afford the $1000 deposit, so they gave him more oxygen and because his distress is only mild right now, they gave him lasix to help get rid of the fluid on his chest and they allowed us to take him…

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Dec10

Blogger’s Kitty Needs Help

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Please help. My friend, met through blogging many years ago and now someone I would call a real friend, like so many of you.

Despite never having met in person, I love this woman. With all the hardships she has had over the last year with car troubles and housing issues – her cat suddenly becoming sick with no clear diagnosis is her top priority. Even a few dollars will help.

Guardian kitty.


Methos looking out for his new human. Guardian Kitty.


And now – same precious kitty and same beloved girl. They have been best friends for her whole life. Please help, even 5 or 10 will add up. She misses her friend while he is in the veterinarian hospital, trying to find out what is wrong.

Please help my friend take care of her good kitty, and keep her daughter’s best friend around as long as possible.

Go Fund Me for Methos.

Dec4

More Frosty Fronds

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I am super proud of this picture.


Nothing but frozen fallen leaves on an old garden ornament. But I love it.


A different angle.


Sundial. Clearly not able!


Life – might be uncomfortable but we persevere. 


Berry berry?


Flowers still trying! Dammit, is my finger in the picture top right? Oops.


Frosty ivy. 

Nov27

In Color. And in Black and White.

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I bet Ark will get the title reference! Wonder if anyone else will? Think 70’s music, for a hint.

Murtagh’s Meadow, a blogger very VERY local to me, has been sharing pictures from the lovely frosty mornings we have had the last week. I’ve been struggling to get out the door on time for work (the car has to be defrosted, then the dog pukes all over the floor and is too much of a princess to clean it up herself like a normal dog would, then the kitten decides to leave a massive stink bomb in the litter box and OMGWTFBBQ it has to be cleaned right then and there or the house will reek of kitten-death-poo) so I’ve been missing all the beauty in my frosted garden.

We took Friday off, our last paid holiday day for both of us left in 2016 (Christmas holidays not included). Mostly just because, partly to prep for our odd version of Irish-American Thanksgiving, which we did Saturday.


Turkey last night, after 4+ hours being smoked on the Weber charcoal grill. Sorry, my vegetarian friends! Obligatory turkey pic, it’s an American thing! I also made cheddar garlic biscuits (scones), and barley stuffing or dressing. He made some mashed potatoes from the goodly (and free) haul I dug out of the garden last month. Since I let our jack-o-lanterns rot in the driveway, I made a sweet potato pie instead of pumpkin. All was lovely, and we can’t wait for leftovers tonight. And, of course, I had pie for breakfast, as you do.

Back to the original subject. I do tend to ramble when in the mood. 

Saturday morning hubby was awfully slow to get out of bed, and as the morning grew late I lost patience. I went upstairs and leapt onto the bed and bounced around like Tigger or the boxer in this year’s John Lewis advert. After he got done giggling at me acting 40 years younger than I really am, I said, “Let’s go take frost photos!” So we loaded up the ‘good cameras’ and headed to his uncle’s garden. 

I have a bunch of pictures, but thought I would start with these from my ‘phone. Same photo – one iPhone, one iPhone using my favourite Hipstamatic setup.


I only took one picture, remember. But the app saves it normal (this one). 


Along with what I saw, and wanted – this, in black & white.

I find it quite odd to see a colour photo when my brain isn’t expecting it at all (Hipstamatic did not previously save a ‘straight’ version). What do you think? Which one do you like better? I will admit I like the black and white version best. 

Nov20

Orchids

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I’m sure you aren’t surprised to learn that I have orchids. Four, at the moment. All bought on super-sale. My oldest one was bought in 2009 for just fifty euro cents. It’s a tiny one (or was) and was ‘potted’ in a glass tea light! That one hasn’t bloomed in a couple of years now, but it is happy and healthy.

My next oldest one sent up a flower spike last year, and like a dammed idiot I tried to train it up straight and snapped it right off. I cried. It is trying again right now, and I am being SO GENTLE this time. But it does have to go up, not sideways! Both of these live on my kitchen window sill, over the sink, so they get lots of attention.

This year hubby got me two new ones. They have been in bloom for months, but the yellow one is starting to fade. Last night I gave all four a good soak in warm water with a bit of fertiliser in it, and while they were in the sink, I finally took some pictures.

Orchids are very, very hard to photograph up close! Especially when using an iPhone. So apologies for bad focus, and my junky kitchen (yes the walls are lavender, I love it).

Yellow one!


You can see the sad dying flowers in these. Bummer. I really should have taken pictures sooner. Moving it from the front window to the bathroom shocked it too much. But I had to, because…kitten. The bathroom is a much safer place for plants, away from the little monster.


The purple and white one. It’s been in the bathroom since it came home, so it is happy there. I need to repot both of these as they are in ugly clear plastic pots. Also, as they both were mistreated, the potting medium is full of moss and dead roots and in general, smells bad. Musty. Can’t be good for them! I made my own orchid pots before, at a ceramics shop. Got a square bit of greenware and cut round holes all over, for aeration. The roots grow out the holes and all over the place! Next time I’ll share pictures of the older two. 

Nov15

Lumi Loves Me….

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Before I get into the reason behind the title, some cute pictures. 


He has decided my nightly drink is also a toy. I told him he is too young for craft beer – he has to start with the cheap stuff like any teenager!


I’m actually not sure if brother Lokii loves him, or wants to smother him.


They still use Spot’s bed. But the pair don’t fit inside it as well as they used to. Two weeks ago at the vet Lumi was weighed – 3.25 kilos or over 7 pounds! Half a stone! He was only barely 5 months old. He is going to be a big kitty!

So, here is the reason behind the post title. If you are easily grossed-out, stop here!

I think I’ve mentioned that Lumi always wakes up with me. He always comes and licks my eyes and ‘meeps’ in my face – every morning since we brought him home. Recently he started licking my lips and smelling my nasty morning breath. Cats are weird.

This morning was much the same. I was flat on my back, Lumi was right on my neck/chest giving me kisses and purrs.

Then he turned around, like he was going to lie back down on my right shoulder. I felt something wet drag across my cheek and my lower lip as he turned. I was immediately concerned- why is my kitten wet when he just woke up? 

I turned my head to look – and got a close up view of a kitty-willy.

Yep, he had his little lipstick out, and almost stuck it in my mouth.

Lumi, I love you too – but not like THAT!