That Time of Year Again

 Each year my cheer is dwindled
I feel my joie is swindled
I can't endure
For this I'm sure
My spirit has been Kindled.

You're right. I don't like Lent. I do my best, though, in the spirit of the season.

So--the question is: What does a cat in my position give up for Lent?  Sardines?  Dogs?

Here are some of the things I was asking myself:

Should I give up--

The comfort of a purse?

 My drawer?

 

Should I try to hold my tongue?

 Give up my balance beam? (I can't look!)

That's it.

I give up.

I can't decide.

And, I know I should, being a parish cat and all...

Come to think of it, there are some people around here who don't have to give up anything.

(Someone this cute shouldn't have to!!)

--Tom

Letter From the Old Country

 Just the other day my furriend Tink Soprawnov received an airmail letter from a relative in the Russian province of Ratmousendorsk. There was news from his cousin Tomishka-Shushka.

Here she is in her babushka. A very striking peasant young lady.

Her letter reads:

Dear STinker, my lucky cousin in America,

I have had my heart broken. Vladinov my boyfriend is gone. I am so sad.

Tears have been rolling down my whiskers since last Tuesday. (Gee, that mail must be quick) No flowers, no word, no Valentine.

  (I look at her closed eyes in that beautiful face. I wish I could get away with give her one of my priestly nosetaps)

 All I can do is sleep. The sleep of the depressed.

                                              Lonely and lost,
                                              Tomishka


Tink tosses the letter on the table, shrugs and walks off. 

 Look at her trying to reach out!

What can I do? All I can think of is to send her something to make her laugh.

Do you think it'll help?


--Tom

Pee ess: I want to thank my furriend Oskar for making us aware that we were on an old Blogger editor. We changed so now we can do tricks!!  And...Clooney for inspiring us with some of his relatives!

Hearts Among Us

I never realized just how heart crazy the housekeeper is until I was wondering what to do for a post with a little love in mind.

Sorry, pals, but sappy is not my strong suit.






As I looked around, though, I noticed hearts everywhere. There's a heart cat with wings (must be me)






There are heart window hangings with chickens. Hahaha! Chicken hearts!






There's a ticking heart. Really! (Keeps time, too)






Then there's the final heart hanging that catches in my throat every time I see it. I dug around for the perfect love quote to go with it:

"We sit side by side in the morning light and look out at the future together." -- Bryan Andres





This was our morning light. Although Vinny would never wear a bow, it's supposed to be the two of us together. You see, we had the love of furriendship. So it's not all about kissy-faces, nosetaps and things like that.

~~~~~~~~~~~

We had planned to choose three bloggers like we're supposed to when we receive an award, but we find it so hard! As our Valentine to our furriends, please help yourselves to the Pawsome Blogger award for your blogs. You're all pawsome, each and every one of you!

Happy Valentine's Day!

--Tom

Mood Lighting

I want to express my utter dismay at the discarding of one of electricity's most flattering elements. I can't see myself looking all that great in the light of some mutant fluorescent clump. I've tried it. I look much better in the soft glow of lamplight as Cod intended.

This lighting makes my whiskers artsy and stirs the soul. It makes my furs glow.







We're supposed to look our best to feel our best and I ask you how that can be when we're stuck with light used in cafeterias and discount stores.

Harsh light makes me dizzy and I'm more inclined to hide my body.





I've been exposed to all of the different kinds of light and I have to say sunlight and lamplight are the only ones for me. Both lift my spirits like nothing else, except maybe a flower or two, or a collection plate with cat treats. Or, an award! The lovely Cathy Keisha gave me an award last week. You can find it sitting proudly at the top of my sidebar.





How about you? Which light suits you best?

--Tom

No Wuss Puss

Allow me to introduce Tinker, but he's better known as Tink "the Tank" Soprawnov. I forgot the "v" last week, he was quick to remind me, hailing from a long line of robust Russian Cossack cats.

At 21 pounds of sheer muscle and borscht, he is a distant relative of the Romanovs. You might remember them as the royal family who hid bling in their clothes causing bullets to ricochet. Death-defying is his middle name, too, and he serves his purpose to purrfection.






He is my unofficial bodyguard and one of my best furriends. Should I become famous or threatened because I know too much (I hear a lot in the confessional), he'll have my back. Some people say we look enough alike that he could be my double.







As you can see, he can be cute which I knew, but he also has a soft side to him only to be discovered the other day. There he was, asleep with a couple of teddy bears. Even though he flexed muscle and narrowed his eyes at me, it didn't work. He's a softie caught in the act of snoozing on a comfy bed with snuggies only making him more manly, setting off his majesty and fizzeek.






Ah, life with my growing rectory family. Here we are all together: Tinker, Mitty (see how he's grown!) and me. In the lower right hand corner is the dog's head. He's heading toward us, but not before this rare picture of the three of us was taken.





On the count of three, boys--run!

Have a good weekend!

--Tom

***Just wanted to mention the dog making a back-of-the-head appearance in this blog post. He's Trapper, a golden retriever, a great dog but he doesn't take part in what goes on in the rectory. This is solely or soul-ly, hehe, a cat's pad and that isn't going to change anytime soon. Meee-owver and out.

Mysterious Plumber

In honor of Unsolved Mystery Day, we wanted to tell you about one that has been looming over the rectory for quite some time. Actually, haunting the bathroom. To everyone's astonishment, the stop in the sink has been repeatedly pulled out.






All have witnessed this strange phenomenon and no one seems to know how. To try to solve this, I called on a heavy hitter I know, Tink "the tank" Soprawno, a very wise, smart as a handspring, humongous cat.






He investigated as I looked on. He was stealthy and silent. A big, hulky, brooding, take-no-prisoners feline quiet as death. I respectfully waited.





He left no scent unturned, making contact with a neighboring sink to see what clues awaited there. That stop stayed firmly intact. We shook our heads.

About to give up, we spotted a far too nonchalant kitty obviously enjoying all the fuss.






Mitty??






***Happy Birthday to mom Julie. Sorry, no cake. Too soon since the last one. Besides, all the candles would sink it!! Just kidding! **smoochies**

--Tom

~~~~~~~Thank you all so much for all the birthday wishes!! I had a wonderful afternoon with my daughter after a visit to the Dept. of Motor Vehicles to renew my license. Met a very nice lady there named Sue, born the same year I was. We agreed the world has changed soo much these many years! I love when an errand becomes a visit and an enjoyable one at that. Speaking of visiting, I'll be catching up with comments tomorrow. This is the only time I'm going to say anything about my wrist and back. I'm still hurting and I write only for an hour stretch at a time, then have to stop. I hurt more now than when it happened, it seems. Being a military brat, I'm used to not making a big deal about such things, growing up under the towering gaze of a stiff upper lip. Thanks again for all of your comments, making this day pretty special. {{Hugs}}~Julie

Me, Vegetarian?

I love my kitchen. I even open cabinets if I can. They're like dark caves with cool smells.





I also like to find stray morsels of food where they're dropped and nobody notices but me. Humans always forget what lands on the floor. I notice big time and check it out. I have to do it quickly, though, the housekeeper keeps a spotless kitchen and that includes the floor.





Now, the reason I'm questioning whether I could have a little vegetarian in me is that this is a food toy that I like, one that somehow escaped her eagle eye. A small piece of sliced celery landed on the floor and I had the best time with it. Can you imagine?





I heard that celery is the neglected vegetable. It has a lot of heart benefits and is put into salads. Maybe it's good for me, too, crunching on it and all. I was told by the vet that I have a slight heart murmur. I didn't know hearts could talk.

So, furriends, cats cannot live by nip, stinky goodness or treats alone, so check out your own kitchen for hidden floor goodies!

Failing that, try this!!! Look at this beautiful cake that'll be at a book presentation today at the Portland Public Library! Is that a good likeness of me or what? I'm so excited! Oh, mom Julie? She'll be there, too, hehe! (but I totally intend to steal the show, just don't let her know. Shhhh!)




--Tom

***Not sleet, nor rain, nor gloom of day could keep Tom's fans from coming to see him and hear his story. It was a smaller group, but all things considered, the talk went well and we met some very nice folks. The cake was yummy. It was one of those one-layer desserts that made you feel only half as guilty :)