Collective Noun Meme

It's a sleepy day for me. I'm still enjoying my basket, but I've also been snoozing on the purr pad on the perch by the window. Nice and cozy!

Mom? You called? Want a raspberry? *giggle*!

Oh, how fun -- my darling Mickeybear and I have both been tagged by our dear friend Daisy for the Collective Noun Meme! She called us a Trance of lovers. Isn't that purrfectly lovely!

This meme is free-form and free-spirited, so freed from form and filled with spirit, I'll turn this meme into a poem of sorts...

A primrose of poems
In a bliss of books...
A comfort of couples
In a nestle of nooks.
Tangles of tummies
A flash of floof,
Luxury of loves:
Triumph of truths...

A cuddle of cats.

Collective nouns for groups of cats:

A Fuzzle of Ballicai lie resting abed,
A Wonder of Whitesters cavort in my head.
A Spice of Siamese is oh-so-mischievous;
An Homage of House Panthers is oh-so-mysterious.
A Marvel of Marmalades look like Brainball,
A Succor of Siblings catch me when I fall.
A Fondness of Friends, so fun and so fine,
Makes a Glee of Girlcats' lives so divine.

And I tag my precious sister-friends Miss Peachy (for when she gets back, *smile*) and Gretchen.

Mom will be using my computer to catch up on work for the next couple of days, but I will still be visiting blogs this weekend, and my next post will be for Monday. Happy Weekend and much love to everykitty!

And love and whisker-kisses and floofy-poofy snuggles to my darling mancat Mickeybear *purrrrrr*.

Musical Chairs

I love snuggling in Mom's lap. Since she spends a lot of time at her computer (she's a writer), that's purrfect for me. Often she has to find creative positions for typing, but that's okay. She loves for us to snuggle, and so do I. Mom and I are very close, and we make each other happy *smile*.

But as humans do, sometimes Mom has to get up and do human stuff. Like put on more coffee. Or visit her litterbox. Or go for a walk. Or do household chores. Or run errands. So when Mom isn't in her chair, it become my chair. Here I am, curled against the yellow jellybean.




When Mom gets back, she picks me up, sits down in the chair, then gets me nice and comfy in her lap again. Ahhhhhh, so nice!

Mom has a new nickname for me: Bugglesnug (from "snugglebug", *giggle*!).

Darling Mickeybear, next time Mom goes for a walk or goes to run errands, how about you teleport over, and we'll snuggle in her chair together *purrrrrrr*!

A Favorite Poem

In the spirit of this weekend of remembrance and thinking about the preciousness of life, I wanted to share one of my favorite poems. To my mind, it has much to say and much to instruct about the way we choose to live our lives.

THE TWO TREES

by: William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)

BELOVED, gaze in thine own heart,
The holy tree is growing there;
From joy the holy branches start,
And all the trembling flowers they bear.
The changing colours of its fruit
Have dowered the stars with merry light;
The surety of its hidden root
Has planted quiet in the night;
The shaking of its leafy head
Has given the waves their melody,
And made my lips and music wed,
Murmuring a wizard song for thee.
There the Loves a circle go,
The flaming circle of our days,
Gyring, spiring to and fro
In those great ignorant leafy ways;
Remembering all that shaken hair
And how the wingèd sandals dart,
Thine eyes grow full of tender care:
Beloved, gaze in thine own heart.

Gaze no more in the bitter glass
The demons, with their subtle guile,
Lift up before us when they pass,
Or only gaze a little while;
For there a fatal image grows
That the stormy night receives,
Roots half hidden under snows,
Broken boughs and blackened leaves.
For all things turn to barrenness
In the dim glass the demons hold,
The glass of outer weariness,
Made when God slept in times of old.
There, through the broken branches, go
The ravens of unresting thought;
Flying, crying, to and fro,
Cruel claw and hungry throat,
Or else they stand and sniff the wind,
And shake their ragged wings; alas!
Thy tender eyes grow all unkind:
Gaze no more in the bitter glass.

BELOVED, gaze in thine own heart,
The holy tree is growing there;
From joy the holy branches start,
And all the trembling flowers they bear.
The changing colours of its fruit
Have dowered the stars with merry light;
The surety of its hidden root
Has planted quiet in the night;
The shaking of its leafy head
Has given the waves their melody,
And made my lips and music wed,
Murmuring a wizard song for thee.
There the Loves a circle go,
The flaming circle of our days,
Gyring, spiring to and fro
In those great ignorant leafy ways;
Remembering all that shaken hair
And how the wingèd sandals dart,
Thine eyes grow full of tender care:
Beloved, gaze in thine own heart.

=-=

The poem itself consists of only the first two stanzas, but for my post here, I wanted to repeat the first stanza at the end. For in the Cat Blogosphere, in the hearts of my beloved kitty family and friends, I find the enduring spirit of the Holy Tree -- one of hope, love, and tender care.

Today I continue to remember and reflect on much-loved and much-missed family and friends at the Bridge, and I am also thinking today about the preciousness of life, love, and friendship, about the importance of turning away from the bitter glass and basking, instead, in the warmth of love's flaming circle.

My darling Mickeybear, I send you love and purrs -- your love gives me my melody.

Scattergories Meme

My future brother-in-law (*big, big smile!*) Jeter and my dear friend Gretchen tagged me for the 'Scattergories' meme. This one looks both fun and challenging!



Here are the rules:

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the questions. They must be real places, names, things... nothing made up! If you can't think of anything, skip it. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question. If your name happens to start with the same letter as mine, sorry, but you can't use my answers!

My name: Marilyn MonREOW

1. Famous Singer: Marian Anderson -- what an incredible singer she was!

2. Four letter word: Meow, of course! Though I seldom say "meow." I'm a very quiet cat except at Stinky Goodness time, but then I sing Operatic Arias which go something like this: "Mwraaaaaaaaah! Mwraaaaaaaaaah!"

3. Street: Maple Street

4. Color: Maroon

5. Gifts/Presents: Mackerel (or any fish, I'm not picky *smile*)

6. Vehicle: Motorcycle (I don't think I'd like to ride, but Mom and Dad love it!)

7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: Mirrors

8. Boy Name: Mickey (*swoon*)

9. Girl Name: MickLyn (*giggle*

10. Movie Title: My Fair Lady (I love being Mickey's Fair Lady *smile*)

11. Drink: Manhattan Special

12. Occupation: Musician

13. Celebrity: Mickey Mantle, of course -- a New York Legend! *smile* (and *swooooon*)

14. Magazine: Mother Jones

15. U.S. City: Mountain City

16. Pro Sports: Motocross

17. Fruit: Mandarin oranges

18a. Reason for Being Late for Work: MaoMao pestered me in the litterbox

18b. Another Reason for Being Late for Work: Mom's bras

19. Something You Throw Away: Moldy left-overs (ew)

20. Things You Shout: Mercy Me!

21. Cartoon Character: Mickey Mouse (though my Mickey is no mouse!)

My darling Mickeybear has already been tagged by his NOMSS friend Titus, and many other kitties have already been tagged. So I'm tagging whoever wants to play! Have fun.

And I'm sending love and purrs and comfort to Karl and the Staff at The Cat Realm. I miss Ana so much.

No More Yamaha

I've got a big adjustment to make: I can't lie on the Yamaha anymore.



I threw up on it last night while Mom and Dad were sleeping, and my barf got inside it and on its microchips. They thought it was ruined, but they were able to fix it. Of course, I'm more important to Mom and Dad than any receiver, but the problem is this... worst case scenario, cat barf in an electronic appliance is a fire risk.

And please, nobody worry that I'm sick -- since I'm a fairly floofy kitty, I'm prone to hairballs. Mom gives me hairball remedy, but occasionally, I still barf. And last night, I picked a really, really bad place to do it.

Mom feels like an idiot because she'd never thought about any of us Ballicai possibly barfing on -- or worse, in -- the receiver. Cue Mom now: DUH. But now, she has had to think about it and think about it plenty, and she and Dad have decided it's just too risky to let any of us Ballicai nap on the receiver.

So Mom has rearranged things around the bookcase to make it much more difficult for Dorydoo, me, or MaoMao to jump up there, and she's thinking about putting double-sided sticky tape on the bookcase as well to further discourage any of us from getting up there.

If anykitty has good tips for Mom on how to break me and Dorydoo of the receiver habit, I (well, *ahem* she...) is all ears.

I'm going to miss lying on the Yamaha. But there are plenty of other cozy places around here for a furry-purry, poetic, head over heels in love with her darling mancat (*swoon*, Mickeybear) to lie, reflect, compose, and contemplate.

I'm just going to have to get used to things. A new house rule.

But change can be trying for us kitties.

Jeter and Gretchen, my dear friends, I'll do that fun Scattergories meme tomorrow *smile*.

And Mickeybear, my darling dear, I am yearning so much for a nice, warm, comforting snuggle.

The Seven Ps Meme

What fun! My friends Bounce, Lucy and Trixie tagged me for the Seven Ps Meme! This is a great meme. I've really enjoyed reading answers given by kitties who have been tagged so far.



Here are the rules fur the Seven Ps Meme:

In an attempt to get to know fellow bloggers a little better, this new meme was started called the 7 P’s. Fill out the 7 P’s and tag five blogs that you read on a regular basis. Have fun!

Passion -Oh, I have many passions. I am a quiet and serene kitty, but inside me beats a passionate girlcat heart! First and foremost, I am passionate about my Mickeybear. He is my darling mancat, my muse, and the music to which I dance. And here are my other passions, in no particular order: I'm passionate about poetry -- writing it and reading it. I am passionate about stinky goodness, for which I sing Operatic Stinky Goodness Arias. And I'm oh-so-passionate about cuddling, snuggling, and scritches!

Purpose -Well, the way I see things, I have several important purposes. One is to be my Mickey's steadfast and loving girlcat and his muse. Another is to be my Mom's Velcro cat -- I love snuggling in her lap, and I make her happy with my kitty kisses and hugs. And another is to keep my Dad well-rubbed. I love to rub on his hands and his arms. Yet another purpose is that of a Seeker of Scritches. I love Scritches. I seek them not only from Mom and Dad but from anyone and everyone who comes over. Mom calls me "love shaped like a kitty." So bottom line: my purpose is to love.

Pursuit – Well, sometimes I pursue coffee stirrers. All of us Ballicai fixate on the evil little creatures, and we love to bat them out of Mom's and Dad's coffee mugs and kill them. I don't know why coffee stirrers are so evil, but they are, and only kitties can perceive it, so we must be extra-vigilant, protect our beans, and guard them well. Sometimes I pursue bugs. And I am always in pursuit of stinky goodness and yummy things to eat.

Position -I love to snooze and sprawl on top of the stereo receiver in the living room. It used to be a JVC; these days it's a Yamaha, but what matters to me is that it's warm and cozy. I love to snooze on my purr pad, too. And on top of the dresser in the living room. And inside some of the packing material that came with Dad's new computer case. And *whispering* sometimes in my litter box. But most of all, I love to snuggle on laps. I spend a lot of time, in particular, on Mom's lap. My favorite position is to lie back against her arm as she holds me, so she can alternate between rubbing my tummy, rubbing my head, and giving me scritches. And it's an advantageous position for me, too, because I can reach around with my paws and give her hugs.

Pummeling -MOM'S BRAS! I love playing with Mom's bras. Really, Mom's bras are better than catnip! When I find one of her bras (and she leaves them out for me sometimes), I lie on it, grab it in my paws, chew on it and lick it, and then I wrap my back paws in it and BUNNY-KICK it! Mom calls me a silly kitty. I'm glad she doesn't mind that I make her bras a little bit soggy. After I play with them, she puts them in the wash. *giggle*

Progress -When December rolls around (December 1 is my Gotcha Day), I will have been in my forever home with Mom and Dad for a whole year. And before I came, my sisters Brainball and Dorydoo were the only kitties in the house. This past February, along came MaoMao. And over the time the four of us have been together, we've made great progress as siblings. We get along very well most of the time, and often, all four of us sleep in the bedroom together during the day.

Personality -I am quiet and outgoing at the same time. I guess you could call me an extroverted introvert. Or an introverted extrovert. *giggle*! I'm reflective, contemplative, calm, and serene. At the same time, I'm extremely affectionate with humans, and it's impossible for me to meet a "stranger": I don't have a shy bone in my body. When somebody comes over to visit Mom and Dad, I'm the first cat to check them out, and if they're agreeable, I wind up in their laps, purring, revving my engine to Warp Nine!

And I will tag:

My darling Mickeybear (he will be back soon -- *joyful purrrrs*!)
My friend Faz
My friends Zippy, Sadie, and Speedy

An Excellent Pillow

So Dad thought he was going to use his computer for a while.

Yes, that's exactly what he thought, until I decided to use his mousing hand as my pillow.


Darling Mickeybear, isn't it great that my Dad has a kitty -- me! -- who helps him prevent Repetitive Strain Injury?

*giggle*

And here's some fabulous news: Mom caught Ligette, another of the feral kitties, and she's on her way to her new home on the farm this morning!

SQUEE!

Dad and I were snuggling again today, and when Mom saw us, she made her SQUEE! noise and got out the camera. *giggle*, she tickles me when she does that.

I snuggle with Mom a lot, too, but when I'm snuggling with her, she can't reach the camera. And Mom's more of a camera person than Dad is, *smile*!

Here I am, resting my head on Dad's wrist. Snuggling is grand.

But I'm feeling the urge for scritches... yes, scritches would be nice right now.

Oh joy! Dad starts scritching! And scritching and scritching. Slowly, I begin to move my head into Optimum Scritching Position...

In a word... ahhhhhhh!

(And yes, that's a boo boo on Dad's knuckle. Mom has kissed it to make it better, and we Ballicai have nuzzled against it. It should get better very soon now *smile*.)

Love and whisker-kisses to my Mickeybear, who wrote me the most exquisite Climbing Rhyme today, and who always makes me swoon... and say SQUEE!

=-=

And I wanted to say: for some reason, I can't visit the blogs of some of my friends! The blogs of Faz, Kellie, Adan, Fat Eddy, and my sister Peachy won't load for me. I hope it's just something temporarily weird with Blogger, and I'll keep trying to visit! I miss all of you!!

Tucked In Thursday

Here I am with my toes tucked in. I'm thinking about my darling Mickeybear in this picture. See, Mickey dear? I'm winking at you. *purrrrr*

And here I am in a tucked-in posture on Mom's desk, asking her for more Temptations!

My Sestina to Mickey

I love to hear my Mickey snort,
So I sing operatic arias...
Louder for him than for stinky goodness!
Dreaming and longing for snuggles,
I biggify my mancat's Full Monty:
This girlcat's lucky in love!

Speaking of being in love,
I think I'll learn to snort
Just like my mancat (mmm, his Full Monty)!
Together, we'll sing arias,
Enjoy whisker-lickin' and snuggles,
Anticipating stinky goodness.

But the joys of stinky goodness
Are second to those of love,
And right up there are snuggles
And a Manly Mancat Snort.
Hark, I'm singing arias
As I biggify that Full Monty!

An uncensored Full Monty
Trumps all stinky goodness
Again, here go my arias:
I siiiiing of joy, I siiiiing of love
I siiiiing of a mancat snort...
I biggify (again!) and yearn for snuggles.

A girlcat loves to snuggle
And she loves to see Full Montys
From her mancat: King of the Snort!
What is this, "stinky goodness?"
Yes, a distant second to love...
For love, I sing my grandest arias!

"Meow, Meeeeoooww" go my arias
"Mmmmmm, good!" are our snuggles
Mickeybear is my love.
I swoon at his Full Monty,
We'll dine on stinky goodness
And I'll smile to hear him snort!

My love, I sing you arias
Of mancat snorts and girlcat snuggles:
I give you my Monty, my heart, and my (stinky and non-stinky) goodness!

*giggle*, *wink*, *purrrrrrrr*, *blush*, and *big smile*!
(and Mom says "SQUEE!")

For more about the Sestina form, see here.
And darling Mickeybear wrote me a marvelous -- and adorable -- Sestina!

Proverb Meme

My lovely friend Daisy tagged me for a meme! I get to write a proverb. What fun!

A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of mankind. They are often metaphorical.

Here's mine:

When stinky goodness is imminent, sing arias!



To elaborate, I'm an uncommonly quiet cat. Most of the time, the only thing I say is *purrrrrrrrrrr* (and I say that a whole lot). But at Stinky Goodness time, I become the loudest and most talkative cat in the house (and with MaoMao as my little brother, that's really saying something!). When I get going, Mom says I'm singing my Operatic Stinky Goodness Arias, *giggle*. I really, really love to eat, and I really, really, really love Stinky Goodness.

Singing (with a nod to the movie Young Frankenstein)... "Ohhhhhh, sweet mystery of life, at last I've foooooooouuund you..."

*ahem*, just thinking about stinky goodness gets me carried away. It's almost as wonderful as my darling Mickeybear. Almost. But not quite.

Here's how to play the Proverb Meme: write your own proverb, link back to the kitty who tagged you, and then tag as many other kitties as you want.

And I will tag...

My sweet mancat Mickey
My sweet friend Gretchen

Upside Down!

Guess what -- I just found out that I'm Kat's Cat of the Day! I feel so happy and honored. Thank you, Kat!

I love looking at the world in new ways. All kinds of different ways. Even upside down!



Whenever Mom gives me scritches, I slowwwwwly raise my head up and up, then over and over, then back and back until I'm looking at the world -- and Dad -- upside down. And today, Dad got a picture of me doing it!



And I never, ever get a crick in my neck, *giggle*.

Mickeybear, I remember so well the beautiful poem you wrote en francais about how much I love getting scritches *purrrrrr*.