Category Archives: Holidays

Topper and the Christmas Catch

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Christmas time decorating is especially exciting for the cats, as like most felines, mine love to play with paper and hangout in boxes. So when I dragged the giant box filled with Christmas decorations into the dining room, the cats went cuckoo. “Topper—help me find your favorite Christmas decoration!” I yelled across the room as I unopened the huge rectangular box full of tissue paper wrapped holiday décor. And with that said, Topper started in on the hunt for his most cherished of all the Christmas decorations.

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After pawing through lots of paper wrapped goodies, Topper wearily looked at me and said, “I can’t find her!” Keep looking, I encouraged.

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“Ah man, I need a nap…all this unwrapping is making me tired!”

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“Hey, guess what I found underneath all this darn paper and ornaments and stockings?!”

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And after a valiant search effort…Topper finally found what he was looking for.

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And she’s a real doll!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Tuning In to Thanksgiving

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This Cat Lady has been very busy the past month with an abundance of new work. My consulting business is finally booming for which I’m so very grateful!

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I’m especially thankful for my much-needed assistant, Bobcat—that is when he’s not cat napping.

img_6960To  get my home office efficiently operating, I’ve been making more office supply runs than usual. A recent stop at Staples to purchase reams of paper caused my fur to stand on-end when I heard, “…a beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight, walkin’ in a winter wonderland,” as I entered the store. “Seriously?” I said out loud to know one, but couldn’t help myself because the music seemed so out of place on that 75-degree mid-November afternoon. Heck, I was still trying to figure out my Thanksgiving Day plans. And so the premature Christmas music continued…in Trader Joe’s and in CVS Pharmacy.

img_4403-version-2I’m afraid Thanksgiving is being overshadowed and forgotten in the retail world’s effort to make Christmas all about spending. Black Friday used to be true to its name and now Black Friday starts on Thanksgiving Day for many stores. What is happening to our value system when shopping for a deal is more valuable than honoring family, friends and gratitude on one day set aside for just that?

dscn2091A few days ago I went to Coast Pet Supply, the local pet store in town to purchase my cats’ current favorite kibble, Premium Fussie Cat-Cat Food. I love the coziness of this store, the personal attention that the owners and staff provide, and the high-quality cat food they sell—products you cannot find in big chain stores.

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Jessica and Keith owners of Coast Pet Supply & Grooming

Jessica, the owner greeted me with a big smile and an enthusiastic, “Heeey!” I told her how happy the kitties (and I) were with the new brand of litter, Cat’s Incredible that I’d recently bought and thanked her for the recommendation.  I browsed the isles, picked up the kibble and walked up to the checkout counter.

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Keith and Francisco

While Francisco processed my purchase, I was involuntarily tapping my foot to the beat of—was it actually—a song without jingle bells; a song with slide guitar and a blues backbeat? I smiled as I hummed along to a Jimi Hendrix tune while leaving the store.  Ahhh…relief from too-soon-to-hear holiday music.  I was very thankful.

A big Thank You and hug to all of my readers!

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Mittens & Tigger, residents of The Blue Bell Foundation for Cats

I’m so grateful for your support!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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Cat Ladies at Cook’s Corner

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A cat mom doesn’t get cards on Mother’s Day, that is, unless her own mother understands that her daughter’s cats are her kids—thank you, Mom! I celebrated the holiday with my mom and family a day early, and spent Mother’s Day celebrating with my beau at Cook’s Corner, the iconic California biker bar, listening to one of my favorite musical talents—the Tricia Freeman Band. I left Laguna Canyon for Trabuco Canyon where I met several moms enjoying the music. Tricia and the boys rocked Cook’s with songs from my childhood, a few contemporary tunes and a little country with a raucous number by Miranda Lambert, “Mama’s Broken Heart.” Tricia, leading the band with her powerful vocals was graced with the presence of her family in the audience, including daughter and grandkids—a very sweet sight.

IMG_2185Indeed, it was a family affair, especially at the end of the day when a group photo of all the moms was in the process of being organized. “You need to be in the picture,” said a new acquaintance to me. “I don’t have kids, I have cats,” I laughed. “So do I!” said Laurie, who at one time had six cats!  She is now down to just one. I suddenly felt much more at home. We both got in the photo—and when the clicking of the cameras was done, we couldn’t stop talking about our “kids.”

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No, I don’t have children.  But after raising cats for half of my life, I’ve learned that being a mom isn’t necessarily restricted to being a parent of children. Cats are just 3-year-olds with four legs, fur, whiskers and a tail who never grow-up.

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Hide ‘n’ go seek

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Nap time

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Can we go out to play….pleeeeezzz?!

With the rustic canyon backdrop to great live music, mingling with music lovers and lively conversation with a fellow cat lover, I had a purrrfect Mother’s Day.