Remembering Monger

Our dearest Monger departed for the Rainbow Bridge a year ago today, February 23. We have missed him very much, but we are consoled by remembering all the funny things he did and what a good and long life he lived with us. Monger ran the roost, so there have been some adjustments in the pecking order among the furry set. Tiger has moved into the position of Alpha Cat, a status Tiger has always known he was destined for. It was very hard on Gold Kitty to lose his Great Mentor, but GK has adjusted, and he and Tiger have even begun to get on rather well.

I adopted Monger from an animal shelter in early 1990 when he was about a year old. The staff thought Monger was a pretty neat guy, so they kept him long past the prescribed period in the hopes that someone would adopt him. I named him Sebastian, but somehow started calling him "The Kitty Monger," and Monger just stuck as his name. Monger was handsome, intelligent, willful, affectionate, and wonderful.

Monger and his protege in early 2009:


Sleeping on BB's pillow, 2008:


At the back door in the early 2000's:



Lounging on BB's baby stuff, summer 2000:



Christmas Bookends -- Monger and Norman*, 1998:


Playing at Gold Kitty's 1st Birthday Party, June 1998:

*Norman was another beloved kitty who I found abandoned in my neighborhood in 1993 -- He was the sweetest and most devoted boy, but sadly died of complications from feline asthma in January, 2002. We miss him too.

Snow Comes to Pea Ridge and Belated Happy Valentines

Although I was kind of tongue-in-cheek about our southern blizzard, it turned out that we really had one: we received over one foot of snow & broke all sorts of records. It was all very fun until we lost power, which remained off for 3 days and nights. We were SOOOO cold and miserable! Our power was not restored until Sunday night. Pea Ridge even got snow, though not so much as we did. It is VERY UNUSUAL for it to snow in Pea Ridge, especially this much. My mother took these lovely pictures with her fancy camera:

The house on the farm at Pea Ridge:

The pond:


Views of the woods:



Scooby enjoys the snow:



If you look, you can see Scooby running underneath the trees:


The camillias are blooming:



Finally, belated Happy Valentines to all our friends!


We were so derailed by the storm last week, I have not been round much to visit, but I am anxious to visit everyone soon!

BLIZZARD!!! (Southern Style)

Perhaps not as dramatic as the blizzard on the east coast, but it's pretty dramatic for us! We sometimes go years without seeing snowfall. This is a huge snow event for our area.


The LizzyBean tree!


Frolicking in the snow:





Snow feels especially good on your nose --




It's wet snow, perfect for snowballs and snowmen!

Alice thinks the snow is a bit cold and wet on her paws; time to go in!


Meanwhile, back inside..........



Tiger declined to go outside or to appear in the photo shoot.

Political Theory

Is this Peaceful Coexistence? Or is Sammy really an Imperialist Power attempting to establish a Sphere of Influence? According to Gold Kitty, the latter. GK asserts that Sammy has been undermining the cultural values that prevailed in GK's territory prior to Sammy's arrival: quiet snoozing and lounging. Furthermore, GK has been forced to to take some brave offensive measures to keep Sammy from further encroaching on his space.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Wildlife Photos from Pea Ridge

My Mom has a very fancy camera and takes incredible photos of the wildlife around her house. Here are some of her pictures from last July:

Sammy Lends a Helping Hand (Paw?)

Sammy thinks the dishwasher is a great place to hide his tennis balls -- I even washed one the other day inadvertently!


What he really wants is for me to fish it out and throw it in the air so he can catch it. But sometimes he pitches in and helps wash the dishes instead -- isn't Sammy helpful?



Our weather was downright balmy today -- sunny and winds from the south. Tiger took advantage of it from his favorite perch in the office:


HAPPY WEEKEND!