Two can play that game

Cat and dog games, that is.

Or does BooBoo think he's a cat?

A Kiko's Cats story:

Amazing how their little minds work. Baggins and BooBoo are best friends but that doesn't stop BooBear from taking cat food any chance he gets. I've been spoiled by dogs who didn't get up on the cat's table but I always had to keep it off the floor to let them get their share before some hungry hound would gobble it up. Why do dogs always prefer cat food? And sometimes vice versa too?

So that's Boo's latest trick. Stealing cat chow when my back is turned, he jumps up on their dinner table and helps himself to leftovers and I've even caught him there chowing down alongside his best friend, Bil. LOL

Now, Bilbo's (the kitten) in the dogfood bowl, whipping out one bite-sized bit at a time, tossing it around some (looks like a squirrel holding one tiny kibble in his paws), and having himself a little pre-siesta snack. By the time I'm writing this, he's in the basket grooming himself after his great accomplishment, teaching Boomerpup to share.

Tit for tat. Oh those furry kids.

from Siberia, with Love

Just couldn't resist.

when we were kids

Our nice white powdery snow is turning hard packing now. Meltdown is starting, but that will freeze up into some mighty icicles probably. The snow is kind of crunchy now and that was always fun playing in when we were kids.

circa 57'58ish?


The Bookish One.

I was thinking about it and I could use some more bookshelves around here too, but in the meantime I just stack them up on footstools and under lamps, anywhere there's a hole. Actually I have a lovely secretary that has 3 shelfs empty because no one has ever secured the top to the base and the hardware (handle) is missing to open the thing (dang packers took it off and I haven't seen it in fifteen years!). So opening it is precarious, it's tipped over before and until I have it bolted down I won't put anything in there but some old VCR tapes on the bottom shelf

WooHoo Winter's Here

Wow, 5th snowy day in a row! Winter's really here and Garrison Kellor can stop bitching on the radio that the poor peeps in MN aren't having a winter. Have the Lakes frozen over yet? These lake effects into January are a strange brew of Mother Nature, that's for sure. GW in action. Gaian too.

Heard on tv last night that the snow will continue thru Friday. My road's just wet so the crews must be doing a good job keeping them clear.

On another note, I have my Guadalupe medal from Mexico. Everyone got home safe. I'm wearing it as a show of solidarity for the immigrants who wish to do no one harm. My sympathies are with you and I think I can recognize the value you bring to the US. Values that should be indigenous to us all. So pray for us Maria.

LA VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE
MOTHER OF ALL MEXICO

Today Mexican American women in Mexico and the United states are seeing Our Lady of Guadalupe in a new light, using her to demand and expect more from themselves, their jobs, their homes and their communities. Guadalupe is certainly up for this new role, as one woman said, "The virgin transcends all things. She is strength, and she is beauty, and she is wisdom and compassion."

She is the symbol of ethnic identity, uniting people of different races, religions and languages. She manifests, symbolizes and activates the power of the people. She is a cultural symbol of justice, unconditional love, union, belonging, family, home.


"Si se Puede" (Yes it can be done)"

two cats, two avocados

Nothing like fooling around with pictures on a snowy winter morning. Gotta love retired life.

In my bay window I have some avocados growing that I started on the windowsill in my kitchen last summer.
Here's the latest installment to Kiko's Place, the tale of ...

TwoPlusTwo
A CAT AND TREE SHORT (PICTURE) STORY

as told byJungle Life Publishing

Oppossible Thumbs

Top of the Mornin', you all. Sunday morning and it's a cold gray day, not sunny a bit, no sun at all. Hey, but it's almost February!

So I'm about ready to finish off a pot of coffee and that last cup always needs reheated. I'm taking it out of the microwave and the Oppossible Thumbs issue hits me. It's a simple 2-step process to correct a peeve that has bugged me about my kid since we've lived here. WHY in heaven's name does he always leave 8 minutes (or so... 8:32, 8:19 or some odd seconds) on the timer display? Because he doesn't know to hit Clear (with his Opossible Thumb) when he's taking the food out that he just cooked? Or too lazy to use the opposable thumb or even a finger to hit that button simultaneously as he reaches inside with his opposable hand? Geez, I need to stop thinking. It must be old age and auto-pilot that makes me think everyone should do things as I do. Or at least in my kitchen. Sheesh

And then I had to look up the spelling on this one:

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source

op·pos·a·ble /əˈpoʊzəbəl/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[uh-poh-zuh-buhl] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

–adjective

1.	capable of being placed opposite to something else: the opposable thumb of primates.

2.	capable of being resisted, fought, or opposed.

---

[Origin: 1660–70; oppose + -able]

—Related forms

op·pos·a·bil·i·ty, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)

So I got it wrong, a couple times. Won't be the first time I'd made up words of my own. Actually I was once famous for that and still doesn't bother me much in the least. Nuff Tuts. Part of my eccentricity is to have that style of my own, no?

And since it's Sunday morning, how about some praises to the Lord:

God love Google: Opposible Thumbs
He really knew what he was doing.
God Save the Queen: And what EXACTLY does she need saving from?
God bring us Hope for this sorry world which shouldn't be all doom and gloom but nice sunny days like we thank you for yesterday.
Add a little jungle prayer for good measure. And this day's good to go. . .

A Buddhist Prayer

Evoking the presence of the great compassion,

let us fill our hearts with our own compassion - towards ourselves and towards all living beings.

Let us pray that all living beings realise that they are all

brothers and sisters, all nourished from the same source of life.

truly

A word about my camera blog links, the pics might not be the best resolution but that should be construed as part of the charm. Get it? (sorry excuse for using the cheapest camera I could find... $10 at Sears, but it's digital land not hard to operate at all if I just leave the settings alone. Then pick half a dozen or so good ones from the 20 I might take, and work it those to tell a little story the furry kids enacted for me. They do that on a daily basis.

God love them.

Bil's aclimbing trees now

As Babycats looks on. Ooh oh... that was her tree!

Mr. Baggins made an escape this morning. Guess he wanted to see the fresh snowfall.
It was only an inch or so, so I let him play a while.

Then I ran and grabbed the camera.

Bilbo's First Snow Day

Sunny Thoughts

This is getting fun, blogging. I wonder how long it will take me to get political. The link on the right to Mumzee's is a really good one which I do recommend. If I were doing any networking, she's great.

Politics is hardly a sunny thought these days though..

So, in the meantime, I plan to make this place cheery, like our sunny, cold day outside. (too many commas?)

Ah, here's one... looks like Misty:

Sometimes it's just a sunny thought and a memory

that chases away the blues of a mid-winter's day.

When Photo Ops Happen

I realize how thankful I am that everyone is...

Here's a look at a new webpage I made of Babycat's morning siesta

Under the Baby Jesus:

Thank You Jesus

Behind her chair is the Christmas ornament which depicts the nativity in an abstract stained-glass design.

I took it out of the window and set it on the chair below.

It's still plugged in but the box is out and ready for it to be put away for the season.

But as usual, I'm slow as molasses in January. This time it came in handy as the photo op presented itself.

Who are you and what did you do with my sister? (Ha)

Hola Guapa, buenos dias!

Who are you and what did you do with my sister? (Ha)

Been writing to my sister about cats, dogs, Christmas, and kids. She has an 11-mo puppy and a kitten just a week younger than Bilbo, so we have lots in common these days.

The bambino's been visiting Mexico for the past two weeks with his History Adviser's J-Term group and is due home this weekend. Due back at school, that is. Spring semester of his junior year ... I'm still amazed we've made it this far.

He's using his money to go jet-skiing and parasailing. The same day an earthquake in Japan was supposed to cause a tsumani! Thank goodness it didn't make it across the Pacific, he was in Alca-puke-o for the event.

Now we're having a little email session and I decided to tell her how to make my famous doggie bisquits that Stoney (her pup) got for Christmas. They're scrumptiliumptious!

The puppy treats had real meat in them. I put some leftover beef in the chopper and ground it up fine, then into the flour/yeast mixture with a pastry cutter. Save bacon grease for it too, makes them yummy. Dogs like peanut butter, so that's good for added protein and flavor, then an egg and milk for good measure. And i even use whole wheat flour for 'fullness'. All natural stuff. When you get to 'dough' consistency, roll out some logs and cut into bits that each get rolled and shaped by hand (so everyone is different lol). I bake them on a pizza crisper for the markings on one side, and poke them down with a fork for the markings on top (when they start to rise in the oven). Leave some flour from rolling on them so they don't stick.

Remember how Mom says never to bake at night, you can't tell when they're done? Well these get baked good and long, and the browner, the better for crispness. After the first 10 minutes or so, I turn them down to about 250 and let them turn to little nuggets from there.

It's true, our mother always did say that. And kept her kitchen from being messed up by kids fooling around with chocolate chips 'after hours'. Here's one of her more famous recipes from the Old Country. A crescent shaped, nut-filled delicate pastry that melts in your mouth and we wait all year long for:

Nuthorns from the Ukraine

From people cookies to doggie cookies, what a leap.

As Promised

Some Pet Blogs I've made recently...

• Best Friends, a fair tale of love, laughter and delight
• Bilbo Baggins, el gato nuevo

Best Friends is a Yahoo website that introduces BooBoo, my newest. And Mr. Baggins makes me smile just thinking of him. Bilbo's something alright, just like all kittens are. But he's the first boy kitten I've ever had, so it's a whole new experience. Just like Boo, the first puppy I've had under one year, so I'm totally delighted with him also.

Someone might think that the oldest two, Misty and Babycats are being neglected, but that's not true. They are as much loved as ever and fill my heart with more joy than I sometimes think it can contain. With pet training tips, I've set up the power structure in the household with the whimsome Misty, the oldest, as the Queen, Baby, middle child, Rules (when Misty's not around), Mr. Baggins is the Lion King (in training) and Senor Puddle Pup, the dancing BooBooBear, has a snuggle heart that can't be beat. Except that Bil's esp knows when a little competition does everyone some good---me being the recipient of all the attention suits me just fine. It's just a little ego nudge, kinda like writing it all down on a blog?

So, what DO we have here?

First of all, a fulfillment of a New Year's resolution from 2-3 years ago(?). Who knows, (I never took them seriously). But now may be the time to start this new project, the purpose-driven people say you should always have 5-8 irons in the fire, and I'm a tad short these days. So here I go a-bloggin'. (call that a purpose? ha, sure, why not?)

Secondly, I have these pets, you see. And the more pictures of them I make, the more I have this urge to share them with you, dear reader. And it's a good way to practice my new found skills because writing sure isn't one of them. But rambling is? A good healthy rant every now and then comes in handy too.

I also have oodles of graphics I've collected over the years (thanks to Rainmaker) and really like to use them too before this ole hard drive bites the dust.. Then they all disappear into the ether and I have to start all over again. Most can be found online on the 100 or so webpages i made a few years ago, so all is not lost. Many element there have been borrowed from others online from google images, just stuff I've run across and admired, searched from talented computerists (I made that up, it's my new advocation)

Mainly, it's a way to join in the hoopla of entering this other dimension in cyberspace. And if I'm gonna talk the talk... here's a good place to do it as any to put some creative skills to use and pass on some former works that I enjoyed making (((tickling me pink))).

So what DO we have here? From the 'terms and agreements' I found this little nugget that got me to thinking:

Upon the termination of your use of Picasa Web Albums, including upon receipt of a certificate or other legal document confirming your death, Google will close your account and you will no longer be able to retrieve content contained in that account.

Hmm... so when we die, we can no longer use our accounts? huh??? Kinda makes you think about your 'after death' activities, eh? Channeling thru the blogosphere? That would be a strange phenom indeed, and maybe even something we'll be seeing more of with the inevitable demise of some stronger web-based personalities? haha, can't wait--KIDDING!

Just hopefully not at My Place! Just remember, you heard it here first.