Cats Can Sleep Anywhere

Koki - Sunni's Photo's



I may have posted something like this before, but I was going through my pictures today and this is one of my favorite pictures of the baby, Koki.  It always makes me laugh.  I have no idea how cats can sleep like this, without a care in the world, or fear of falling off.

Cats Love the Sun

Comet - Sunni's Photo's



I thought I’d just post a picture of Comet today. I thought this one came out well with the sun shining on her. As you know, cats are sun worshippers and are always looking for sunspots around the house. Sometimes I am too, ha!


It is still cold here. We had ice on the birdbath again this morning. The sun feels very good streaming in through the windows.

Around the Neighborhood

From Parade of Homes Website

From Parade of Homes Website

From Parade of Homes Website

From Parade of Homes Website



Every February our city hosts the Parade of Homes here, so naturally that brings in many visitors. I’m sure businesses around town are happy for the additional revenue, but the traffic is a nightmare during this period. Going anywhere is about like when you go out during holiday time.


The purchase of a $12.50 ticket allows you to see the 26 homes on display. They are definitely something to see, if only to get ideas for decorating and such. Many of them are way over my budget, but I am always amazed at what I find. It seems all the builders try to outdo each other. Some of these homes are so elaborate, I’m not sure the common person could live in them, and use half of the things available.

Most years, we usually go and visit a few of them. This is a situation because it inevitably rains part of the time and finding a parking place is near to impossible because there are so many visitors to each home. Naturally, you have to remove your shoes and carry them with you, or take the time to put on “booties” that are provided at the door. Once inside, there is usually standing room only, so it takes quite awhile to get through each house, as you wait to wait for people to leave so you can get in the rooms. We always take the camera though and try to get a few pics of some of the oddities.

My little sister in New York enjoys my stories about all this and hearing about the spectacle every year.

There are certain things I will never forget from years past, such as the bowling alley in the basement of this one huge home, or the “cave” complete with waterfalls and climbing rocks for the kids in the basement of another. Then there was one with a stone meandering walkway. This ended up at a Grecian swimming pool, or perhaps something like you’d see in Rome with tall-lighted torches all around and carved statues. They told us the torches ran off natural gas, leaving me to wonder how much that would increase your gas bill.

I must also not forget to mention the master bath that had a pond around it with goldfish swimming around. They wouldn’t last long with my cats in the house. There was also one that had a bed frame made of tree limbs decorated with colorful ornaments. Every year is certainly and adventure and a feast for your eyes.

If anyone is interested in any of this, I am including a link to the website here, so you can look at the homes online. Prices this year range from $303,900.00 to $2,699,500.00

http://paradehomes.com/

Kitty Goodies Shopping Day

Sunni's Photo's



Once a month, we usually go and stock up on cat food and cat treats, etc. Of course, this is fun for me to shop in the cat section of the pet store, almost as fun as going into a bookstore. It takes a lot longer if I go and do this by myself. This is because I find all sorts of toys to look at, along with food and treats and all the gadgets they have these days.


Some of the names on the cat treats are hilarious and make me giggle. The people who work in the marketing and packaging dept for these companies must have a blast, letting their minds wander out into fantasyland.

My husband gets right down to the shopping, and away he goes to the register while I’m still mulling over everything on the first isle. Today I saw such names as “Backyard Cookout,” “Catnip Fever,” “Surfers Delight,” “California Dreamin.’” Seriously, is this for real?

Of course, the bags are just as cute with pictures of cats on surfboards, or in a barbeque apron at the grill. There are the usual flavors too like tuna, turkey, chicken, salmon, and cheese, and varieties of these mixed. These are crunchy treats, which the cats like better, and not being the moist kind, they should clean their teeth too.

Naturally, as I’m looking these over, mental pictures flash through my mind.  I can see my big girl, Tootie, in her barbeque apron at the grill, a spatula in her paw ready to swat the others out of the way before her gourmet meal gets ready.  Comet and Koki like water, so they would be on surfboards riding the waves, but since they hate each other, their outing could turn into a homicide investigation.  I laugh to myself, as I watch this movie in my head, and hurry to the register, where my husband is now waiting for me.

Once we are home and drag the bags of food in, within minutes three pairs of eyes are watching with tails swishing in anxious anticipation of what we got for them this time. They always seem to know, as if they have a calendar somewhere.

We keep the dry cat food in a sealed bucket, keeping it fresh and other things out. This bucket will hold about 25 pounds, so we always mix three different bags together, always adding something new, but nutritious to the mix.

The cats don’t get that much excitement in their lives, so this is always a fun day.  My furry darlings purr in agreement, as they dig in to taste the latest assortment.  

I Need What??? Liposuction???

My husband and I were talking the other night about our possible move to Central America. Of course, the cats came up. Sometimes this leads to some laughable situations, such as how we will get them there, in this case.


My baby, Koki would easily fit under the seat because she’s a very small cat. Comet probably would fit under there too, even though it would be a bit harder. Then there is Tootie who loves to eat. She’s a big girl to start with, being part Maine Coon. Sometimes these days, I call her Miss Waddles when she comes running to the food dish. She’s always a double dipper with the cat treats, thinking I don’t know that my husband already gave her some earlier in the evening.

This cat has always been a gourmet eater, loving bits of tomato and spaghetti sauce and things like that. I try to be careful what I give her though, although our vet in CA said it was okay to give the cats lean bites of meat, fish, or chicken once in awhile. We don’t fry anything anyway and we don’t use breading, so that isn’t a problem, but I usually take the spices off, if I give the cats any. Of course, this cat will eat about anything, spices, and all. The other two very rarely eat “people food” anyway. Then, I worry about Tootie getting indigestion. You sure can’t give a cat Tums, or an Alka-Seltzer.

We were eating something spicy the other night and Tootie was sitting at our feet begging for a bite. This brought about the liposuction discussion, which had us roaring with laughter. I knew this would make a good cat story. Therefore, here is something a little different today for you guys.

Happy Valentines Day to everyone.

Back Into the Twenties

Free Clipart



Well winter is not over yet – unfortunately. We are back in the 20’s for the next five days with freezing rain and snow. Ugh! This crap is very tiring. But I do not have it as bad as some people do. I realize that. And this will be my last winter like this, I hope.


I could have it like my little sister in New York where her sewer froze and she had to borrow a “honey pot” from the mother-in-law. This little pot is from the mother-in-law’s great, great grandmother so you know how old it is. The weather in upstate NY is deplorable, getting bad there every winter. She is a much more tolerant person than I am because she has put up with that for almost 30 years now. Oh my! Talk about bad conditions. I would have hitched hiked south way before this.

This snow bank in my picture is like what I saw in my introduction to Alaska, in my drive up the Alcan Highway in 1973. It really did look like this in places. It is unbelievable for those of you who have never experienced this. Here I am fretting over a little freezing rain and snow. But as I’ve gotten older, I have become very sensitive to the cold. I can picture myself being one of the little, old ladies wearing a sweater when it’s 90 degrees outside. No joke. I hope that this is one of the last winter storms.

Kitty Spa Day



When its nail trimming time at my house, I round the cats up one-by-one and bring them to the bar in the kitchen. Laying them on their backs, I begin to tell them in my “kitty voice” that it’s spa day. This goes on as my husband clips their nails while I’m petting them under the chin and telling them they’re getting massaged and groomed, etc. etc. “Doesn’t that feel good,” I say. “We’re just going to be so gorgeous with pretty nails and getting so relaxed. What a good girl you are.” Of course, they are purring and lapping it up. Nail trimming goes fast without them making a sound.


However, by the time we get to the third cat, my husband says, “Please just stop it. We are adults here. You’re driving me crazy.” I just laugh. The cats squirm and fuss and eventually we finish with the ordeal.

I can’t help but wonder if he is that much older than I am in mind, or if I’m just crazy trying to make it fun for the cats.

Getting rid of the CAPTCHA on Blogger Blogs

Free Clipart



I was going to post about Groundhog Day, or Candlemas, or whatever you acknowledge this time of the year when we find out about how much longer winter will stick around. I can already tell the days are getting longer here and we have gotten in the 50’s the last few days with sunshine, so things are looking up here. The birds are also very happy splashing about in the birdbath “pool,” having a gay old time.


Instead of posting about looking forward to the warming days, I have decided to post instructions for getting rid of the CAPTCHA on your blogger blogs.

These instructions will work on your Blogger account only. This is not for Word Press blogs.

I have been asked about this several times lately, so I thought I may as well address it here in a blog post, especially since we have Lee’s A to Z challenge coming up and some of you may want to get rid of the CAPTCHA on your Blogger blogs before then.

Here is a link to info on the A to Z challenge, if you want to sign up for that. There are several subjects concerning the challenge addressed here.

Blogging from A to Z April Challenge: Adding Badges and Banners to Your Blog


Now, to get rid of the CAPTCHA


1. Go to your blogger blog and sign in.

2. At the top right corner, you will see "design." Click that.

3. This should take you to a page where you will see a small version of your blog. Wait for it to load. On the left, there is a menu. Scroll down to "settings" and click that. It is at the bottom of the list.

4. There will be another sub-list offering more selections you can choose. Click on "posts and comments." This is the second thing on this sub-list.

5. After the page opens, you will see a section for Posts and another for Comments. Scroll down under "comments" and you will see "show word verification." This is the fourth item down on the list.

6. You will see a down arrow there next to the little box. If you click on this arrow, there are two options – "yes" or "no." Select the "no" option.

7. Once you have done this, go to the top right corner. A large orange box says "save setting." Click this box. This is very IMPORTANT.

You will be finished and can then look at your blog, write a post, or just log out. You will not be able to see if the CAPTCHA is gone, but when people leave you a comment, it will be gone, making it easier for people to make comments on your blog. You can ask somebody to verify this, so you will know it is gone. I hope this helps some of you who are having trouble with this situation.

Please note that if you have more than one Blogger blog, you will need to repeat the process on each one.