Goldie said I should do the Honesty meme since I am the newest Sumac Feline. So here we go, my list of things about me, no fibbing allowed.

• I enjoy the broom and the mop.  I followed them around where ever they go.
  
• I am a stinky goodness hog and will overtake Goldie and eat his if he is not quick enough and the PM is looking the other way.
• I like to burrow under blankets.
• Shade and I are still not friends.
• I actually try to be friends with her, walking by with my tail up and giving her a little greeting but she just swears at me.
• I then get annoyed and give her a back-off lunge.
• I will catch that red squirrel this summer as he taunts me relentlessly. I will make a nice hat out of his fur for next winter.
• I tried to eat some of the Tiramisu cheesecake that the PM make for her friends on Friday.  It was cooling on the counter and the PM walked in as I jumped up to snoop. If she had of been 30 seconds later,  a nice chunk would have been in my chompers.
• I used my claws of doom on the PM. On purpose.  I was trying to sleep, she was patting me too much, face to close to mine and it happened. I just wanted to give her a tap but my claws were out and I got her right on the side of the nose. Blood was dripping.  It was a mistake. She tells the wee ones, "Pat Banshee only twice per time and don't have your face too close to hers, she doesn't like that." If she had followed her own rules, it wouldn't have happened. 
• I made up for it by crawling under the blankets with the PM, cat curl in the small of her back. 

We had a very quiet weekend. The family went in town for the weekend and we were left to entertain ourselves.

I tried playing with cars as the wee lad can do this for hours!



Not really a cat activity I guess. I then spent some time cleaning my pantaloons.



Banshee was not impressed with the show.



The family, on the other hand, went down to the cottage and the wee lad actually fed a chickadee from his hand. She landed on his hand and took a peanut. Now that's an activity I can get involved in!!!!!!!!

We also received some awards the last little while which we would like to acknowledge.

Thanks so much Orion and Junior.



It comes with these rules: “When accepting this auspicious award, you must write a post bragging about it, including the name of the misguided soul who thinks you deserve such acclaim, and link back to said person so everyone knows who he or she is. Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. Or improvise by including ones who have no idea who you are because you don’t have 7 friends. Show the 7 random victims’ names and links and leave a harassing comment informing them that they were prized with “Honest Weblog.” Well, there’s no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon. List at least ten honest things about yourself. Then, pass it on! “

I am asking Banshee to do this meme tomorrow and she will try to be honest!

Thank you Grrreta,



Elin,



and Lily.

Today is Shade's Gotcha Day!! Yippee!!! Yahoo!!!!! She has been with the PM and Music Man for nine years now which means she is now 10 years old.

Whoa Shade! Into the double digits!

Oops. I shouldn't have said that out loud as Shade gets to choose today's flashback and she picked the one I still have nightmares about. I should have know. Maybe somecat out there will learn from this. Consider it a PSA.

Shade~Goldie is sleeping, resting from his day so I am going to tell the story.

We had another long chat about the winter and how the snow has a thick crust on it due to all the freezing rain. Nothing scary. He was unsure until he saw the MusicMan and the wee ones out there walking on top of the snow too. He got his energy back and he went out with them. I said he should stay in and rest one more day but you know those young Mancats, they don't listen.

As the door was being shut I heard the MusicMan ask, "Hey Goldie, want to go on a crazy carpet ride?" My calls of "No, Goldie!" echoed in the house, unheard and I saw him run over to them.

Our yard has a slight incline and with all of the ice, it was the perfect sliding hill.

I watched in horror mixed in with a touch of anticipation as the MusicMan picked Goldie up and sat with him...on the crazy carpet...with the wee ones...on the top of the slope. The apricot fool had such a serene look on his face it was almost too much to bear, but I kept watching. They started moving, faster and faster, the crazy carpet making a loud, scraping sound in the quiet woods. Goldie's furr face contorted into something unrecognizable, then the flailing started. A blurr of paws, furr and limbs. Then as if plucked off the carpet by the unseen hand of Mother Nature herself, Goldie leaped and made a bee-line for the door, paws slipping out from under him all the way.



I know you shouldn't laugh in those types of situations but I couldn't help it. It was a spectacle to behold. Goldie looking like he had been through the war. I think it aged him a bit.



Goldie, ranting in the background~ Crazy carpet! Yeah, I was the crazy one! They should call it "a death ride"," a ticket to hell", "full speed to broken legs"...

Shade~ I better go, he needs me.

I was hoping this one wasn't going to come up but Banshee has been reading through the archives and enjoyed this one. It was an honest mistake. Any cat would have made it.

Shade~Will you stop staring at me, I am trying to get to sleep.
Goldie~I have to talk to you about something, it'll just take a minute.
Shade~OK, hurry up though. I need my 15 hrs beauty sleep.
Goldie~Did you see me get in trouble today, by a wee one?
Shade~Yeah, it was pretty funny. She's turning into a mini PM.


Goldie~She yelled at me for pooping outside and went around with her wee shovel scooping it. She..she...she called me a dog.
Shade~Hey, don't cry. I am sure she didn't mean it.
Goldie~But don't dogs poop wherever they want to? Going willy nilly all over the place? I thought I had my dig/bury routine down to a science.
Shade~Well....
Goldie~Look at this form, such poise, such strength.


Shade~You know...
Goldie~See, I do one side then do a reverse pivot to ensure complete coverage.


Shade~You poop in the snow.
Goldie~Well yeah, it's fluffy, perfect for digging, like sand in the winter.
Shade~It's like you poop in water.
Goldie~WHAT????
Shade~When the snow melts it turns into water.
Goldie~NO!
Shade~Yes.
Goldie~NO!!!
Shade~Yes.
Goldie~Why didn't you say something?
Shade~You never asked and I thought you were just being your weird self.
Goldie~Snow turns into water?
Shade~Like crapping in a bathtub.
Goldie~Dang.

This post is one of the PM's favorites. She loves the look on my face. I really can be a love pig sometimes.

PM, what are you looking at? Oh, THOSE cats. I agree they are very floofy, funny and entertaining beyond belief but hey, look at what you have right here.



No, right HERE!

Keep your eyes focused over here!



Just a second, I have to tell you about a crazy dream I had.

Ouch the wee one just pulled my fur!

Have I told you how much I love you today?

(I knew that would get to her.)

Shade~

I know there are some curvy cats out there and I thought a review of one of my photo tips would come in handy.

Before this blogging business, I never really paid attention to how I look in photos. Well, I have been studying them recently and will post my findings and tips periodically.

Today is Tip #1.

When you are a slightly rotund cat, you need to be aware of your angles and find out what works best for you. The best idea is to stretch yourself as long as possible to give the illusion of thinness. This next shot is of me reclining on the PM during our relaxing time when the wee ones and Goldie are all in bed. Laying on something that is not flat is also good as you mould into the curves.



This next shot is a classic "taking a bath" shot and really should be avoided. I look like a ball and not in a cute way. Also I am propping my rump up with a pillow and a small toy spoon. This is also not very slimming. If you are going to lie on a uneven surface said surface has to be bigger than you. Finally, stay away from patterns as they bring too much attention to you. I should have been on the plain couch and not the crazy chair, with added plaid throw.



Hope this helps. Practice with a mirror if need be.

Wow! That was a looong week! I am very glad to be back. The PM had a good trip but we were stuck with a very sick Music Man so not so much fun for us. He did remember to feed us so that's a good thing!!

The PM is now sick and we have nothing new and interesting to report. No adventures, no neat photos. So instead of posting a daily snow melt report, we are going to take the week to post some of our favorite posts from last winter

This is my absolute favorite. I haven't had a chance to replicate this at all this winter.

I got it, I got IT, I GOT IT!!!!!!!

Yes, I am great, I used my superb tracking and hunting skills and that sly mouse is GONE!!! I knew if I waited long enough, he'd make another appearance. It didn't last long though. I am sooooo good it scares me, really.

There was just a very small problem with the situation, a slight issue that put a damper on my enthusiasm.



I know, I know, not good.

I am not sure what happened but it has been so long since I got a vile mouse that I may have been a little too zealous with my post kill corpse fling.

As you can see, the mouse ended up IN the wee ones toy basket in the livingroom. The discovery of said mouse was actually really quite funny. Well, to me at least.

Wee one (2 1/2 yrs old)~ Momma, where is my moose?
PM~ Check your basket.
Wee one (2 1/2 yrs old)~(Takes all the big toys out)~ Momma, there's a mouse in here.
PM~Yes, that's what you were looking for.
Wee one (2 1/2 yrs old)~ No, a mouse.
PM~Isn't that what you wanted?
Wee one (2 1/2 yrs old)~ NO, a mouse. Come see.
PM~Ahhhhh! It is MOUSE.
Wee one (2 1/2 yrs old)~ That's what I saaaaaid!

Funny eh?

PM didn't think so. I got the "leave a dead mouse where I can see it right away" speech. They should be happy I am so fierce. What do they want, a house filled with vermin?

Any way, I am happy. MANCAT MONDAY indeed!