Midnight Monday with Julie

Julie; It's pretty safe to say that this is my most

favourite place to hand out these days.

I have always liked sitting up here, but these decorations 

are not always here.

It feels cozy and happy somehow.

I wonder why Mom waited so long to put this nice display here.

She could have done this for me months ago!

We got a really cool present !

I am enjoying it with my brother JJ.

We got this pawsome present from our

furcousins at Team Tabby!

Thanks guys!

We really love it!

Pilchard and the Three Boxes

On Wednesday, mom got some boxes. My sister and I heard someone on the front porch, which makes us nervous. We don't like people we don't know coming into our house, even if they are coming to feed us. So, we were kind of scared. When mom came home, we were still hiding in our spots. She was a bit worried about us, but when we saw it was her, we were happy and came to say, "Hi mom!"

She brought the boxes inside and set them in the middle of the living room floor. Then she had to find a scissors to get them open. She put the scissors somewhere other than their usual place so she sort of stomped around, trying to find them. We didn't like that. We don't like it when mom is frustrated.

She found them and then sat down in her recliner and told us to do a "cat scan" of the boxes. Well, Mija and I know what THAT means. Sure enough, she had her camera out to take photos. We showed her. We didn't go sniff. She sighed and said, "Okay, fine. I'll just open them." Mom wasn't expecting anything so she was really surprised by the stuff that was inside. We heard her laugh and giggle, which is a good thing.

But the BEST part was when she opened the boxes and left them out. I had to try them, of course.

This one was a bit too small. I could sit, but I couldn't lie down.

This one is too big. There's too much room. If it was summer and I wanted to stretch out, maybe, but it's winter and I want to be cozy.

This one turned out to be just right. It now sits on the floor in the living room. The rest went into our recycling can.

Whoever sent mom nice stuff knows cats and we are certainly appreciative of boxes. They are better than cat toys.

Pilchard

My Spot Returns

Ugh. It's that holiday again.

Mom puts all this stuff on the table and the adds this paper and proceeds to wrap everything. She tried to get me to sit on the paper, but, you know, I'm getting wise to the ways of this woman. She had the camera nearby. I knew she was attempting to create a photo shoot and, well, my treat amount has not been increased since posing for that pumpking back in October. I'm not interested in cooperating now. Plus, she's got this stuff called "tape". I accidentally got into that a couple years ago and man that's nasty. So, you know what, I didn't even go into the living room while she was wrapping. Let her be. That's a good motto for right now.

But the table got cleaned off over the weekend.

See? In place of boxes and paper, she has me! I can even stretch out.

Thankfully, the whole paper thing was just temporary. Now I can go back to doing what I do best, looking gorgeous while supervising.

Pilchard

I Am SO A Helper

Mom's been on this wrapping kick. She got all her scarves crocheted over the Thanksgiving holiday so now she has all her presents ready for shipping. That means some of the boxes, including some perfectly Pilchard-sized boxes are going to be refilled with stuff, taped shut and shipped off to all sorts of places. She put everything in the recliner last Saturday which left no room for Mija and I to sleep in it and she's got the really soft blanket on the seat this time. The indignity. I've had to actually sleep in a chair or on her bed, although I don't mind the bed at all.

Slowly, mom's been wrapping everything and putting it in these things she calls shopping bags. She's been taking a full one every morning and coming back with it empty. Then, she fills it up again and takes another one. She comes home, drops the empty one on the floor, sighs and looks at what's left to wrap. I have to "remind" her that it's treat time when she comes home or she jumps into more wrapping and packing. She looked at me last night and said next year I have to remind her that part of making home made gifts is having to ship them and that's the part that's been kinda hard this year.

I like helping mom with the wrapping part.

First of all, she got out the table and I had to make sure there was enough room on it for presents and the paper. When it met my approval, mom told me I had to sit on the ottoman and watch. I didn't want to watch. I wanted to help.

The last of the packages gets wrapped tonight. Then she's putting away the pretty paper. I figure if there is enough room for me to sit, then there's enough room to wrap a scarf. Mom made me get down. She said she couldn't cut the paper with me sitting on it. I think she could just cut around me.

See you next week.

Pilchard

Of Mice and Mouses

Mom's been more crazy than usual lately. She likes to do crafty stuff and this holiday she calls "Christmas" is, she says "sneaking up on her". It means less lap time but soon she'll have some shinies for me to examine. It also means she cleans with a vengeance, moving the furniture, which we don't like, except it makes a new, empty spot on the floor,

and pulling out this vacuum, which we really don't like, to clean stuff. She finds all kinds of things when she cleans.

Okay, so she found some of my toys behind the TV, under the entertainment center, under the recliner and in other nooks and crannies. How does she know that's not where I put them on purpose, so I could find them later?

Santy Claws isn't bringing me new mice this year, is he?

See you next week.

Pilchard.

That Time of Year

In our house, mom shops for stuff for this Christmas the humans celebrate, pretty much all year. But, around this time, she gets kind of nervous about having just the right gift. She has to ship stuff, she says, and she wants it to be on time. So, she makes lists and lists and spends a lot of time looking in catalogues. She says that, in spite of the name, they don't sell cats. She does a lot of shopping via her computer, that box in the office that takes up a lot of her times when she's home. When the stuff she orders gets delivered, that can be kind of scary because there will be footsteps on the front porch and the guy who wears brown usually rings the doorbell, even if mom's not home. That scares us.

But you know what is awesome about that? Boxes.

Lots and lots of boxes. They are in all shapes and sizes, but there's usually one that's just my size.

Mom keeps boxes around for us for awhile.

The one I'm in came last week. Our extra toys are in another. Mija likes the one on the left. That box is at least 3 years old, but Mija loves to lie in it so mom won't get rid of it. She'll use some of our boxes to pack stuff and ship it out. That's kind of traumatic. I mean, I just get a box the way I like it...

and she uses it to send presents to people. Or then, because I have decided I don't want to sit in a box anymore, she'll "recycle it". It is so upsetting to watch her fold it up and walk it out to the recycling can.

I claimed it. She says we get too many and there's no room to walk through the living room for all the boxes. But then something else gets delivered and I have a new box to investigate.

Honestly, can't a girl take a bath without the photos?

See you next week.

Pilchard