Marilyn vs. the Bra

I love to bunnykick bras. Mom says it's because I miss the good old days... you know, as a full-figured movie star in my former life. *giggle*

Three Kitties on Thursday... and a Fabulous Award!

Though I get along fine with my siblings for the most part, I tend to maintain a degree of distance from them. I'm more of a people-cat than a cat-cat.

But sometimes I sleep on the bed with my siblings! Here I am, with Dorydoo and Brainball.



Where's MaoMao, you might ask? In a word: spazzing, *smile*.

My precious sister Miss Peachy made my day today -- she awarded me the Caring Cat Award. Isn't it beautiful?



Thank you so much, dearest Peachy! I am honored and touched beyond words to be blessed with this award from you, who epitomize kindness, caring, and friendship to all. What a joy you are to all who are blessed to know you!

I'll pass this award on to my darling Mickeybear (my dear loving and caring mancat), to precious Chase (a lovely, brave girl who works as a therapy kitty), to Cheysuli (she's running for President of the United States), to my future sister-in-law Ariel (a sweet and loving friend to everykitty) and to Gretchen (my sister-cousin-friend who is taking fabulous care of her dear Mom Bean right now).

Floofy (and Funny) Friday

Today, I thought I'd share a picture of my Whitester Cousin! Mom got to play with her over Christmas. Her name is Pebbles, and she is a beautiful Maltese - Pomeranian doggie! She lives with my Uncle and Aunt (Mom's brother and sister-in-law). Pebbles does laser eyes well, too!


And speaking of eyes... isn't that a funny look on Mom's face? Her eyes are usually open wider than that, but I rather suspect since she's eating chocolate cheesecake and chocolate ice cream in that picture, that's her Bowled Over By Chocolate Look! Hmmm. I wonder if I look like that when I eat my Fancy Feast stinky goodness?

Here's another picture of my cousin, Pebbles. Do you see a family resemblance?

Tummy and Toes Tuesday

Oh, Daddy's chair is so comfy... *happy sigh.* My darling Mickeybear, come hither and snuggle in my floof, for I am dreaming of you, dearest! *purrrrrr*



Guess what... Mom wrote another short story, and this one is about MaoMao! It's a speculative tale about how MaoMao came to show up as a stray cat in the back yard last year. Here's an excerpt:

“C’mon, Bandit! Get it!” Mitchell cried.

The boy moved the drinking straw slowly over the carpet in his bedroom, and Bandit pounced on it, used his paws to flip it into his mouth, then he ran off down the hall and into the bathroom. Mitchell and Maggie laughed, and as they called him back, he heard them move a second straw across the carpet.

Oh boy, oh boy! Another straw. Bandit ran back into the bedroom and pounced on it. He loved playing with the kids. He was a kid himself. Well, a kitten. Five months old. Batting the straw in the air, he saw his Cat Momma curled on Mitchell’s bed. She smiled and twitched her whiskers as she watched him.

“Good job, son,” she said. “You’re a fine hunter.” Bandit knew she meant it. Though he had two brothers and a sister, he was her favorite. His brothers and sister didn’t live here anymore. They’d gone, as the Woman Person had said, to new homes.

The kids couldn’t understand much of what Momma Cat said. They didn’t speak Cat. They couldn’t understand much of what he, Bandit, said to them, either, even though he talked to them a lot, but some things they understood. They understood because they loved him. And he loved them. They were, all three, great buddies.

Mitchell and Maggie’s mother, the Woman Person, was a different flavor of kibble. Bandit didn’t hang around with her much. He preferred the kids, or his Cat Momma, who wrestled with him and still loved to groom him. His Cat Momma was gentle and sweet, unlike the Woman Person who was always getting mad about something. Bandit would be happy if the Woman Person didn’t live here at all, but he figured Mitchell and Maggie needed her, the way he’d needed his Cat Momma when he was little.

Kids seemed to grow up slower than kittens, Bandit thought.

The Woman Person was home today. She spent a lot of time out of the house, and the kids did, too. The Woman Person went to something called “work”; the kids went to something called “school.” But today was one of the days they were all home.

As Bandit flipped the second straw up into his mouth and bit it, he heard the Woman Person’s footsteps. Uh oh. He hoped she wouldn’t fuss at him. He decided he’d just keep playing. Playing was fun.

The Woman Person came in and sat down on Mitchell’s bed, next to Momma Cat. “I’ve got some bad news.”

Mitchell plucked the straw from Bandit’s paws as Maggie watched. “What?”

“We’ve got to get rid of Bandit.”

Go here to read the whole story: "Bandit."

My Halloween Costume

I entered Skeezix's Halloween Costume Contest, and here I am, dressed like a Fairy Godmother. My sister and brothers are dressed for the occasion, too, on MaoMao's blog!

Darling Mickeybear, may I sprinkle my fairy dust on you? *smile*

*ahem*, I Have Two Brothers...

...but no, there isn't a new kitty in the house. There are still only four of us Ballicai.

In short? Brainball, our Alpha Cat and Fearless Leader, is a Mancat.

To find out how this painfully obvious fact was missed by the beans, go read MaoMao's post on the subject. Beans can be so dense! And they can be untrustworthy secretaries. We kitties know whether our siblings are male or female, it's Mom (and a VET) who got confused! Floofiness can obscure private parts rather well, it seems!

Oh well, Mom -- all of us Ballicai forgive you, even if we are rather amused. *smile*



Please purr for Brainball -- he's doing better but is still under the weather. And we Ballicai do love our big BROTHER, *giggle*. I was so happy to see him when he came back from the vet yesterday that I gave him a very affectionate nose kiss.

(Darling Mickeybear -- what would you do if beans mistook you for a girl?)

Do You Want to Hear a Story?

For the month of September through the first week of October, Mom's been part of an event called Short Story Writing Month. She was only able to write one short story during that time because for most of September, she was rough-drafting a new novel.

But here's what I'm getting to: Mom's short story is about me! Isn't that great? It's called "Twice-Blessed" and is a speculative tale about what I might have gone through before showing up on Mom and Dad's back porch as a stray cat last year. In the story, I'm called "Lulabelle" or "Lula" before my name becomes Marilyn MonREOW.



Here's an excerpt:

On her way to the couch, Lulabelle’s longtime friend wobbled. “I’m dizzy,” she said, her voice breathless. “I need to lie down for a while. I’m glad I’m going to the doctor next week.”

Lula twitched her whiskers as Mabel lay down on the couch, covered herself with a quilt, and went quickly to sleep. Mabel had been getting dizzy more and more often, and she’d been especially dizzy today. Beside herself with worry, Lula jumped onto the couch, curled herself up on Mabel’s chest – it felt so frighteningly frail – then she tucked her head under Mabel’s chin and purred, hoping her purrs would help Mabel feel better.

Mabel shifted slightly in her sleep and put her thin arms around Lula. Lula loved it when she did this. Lula and Mabel had been together a long time, over ten years. Mabel called herself an old lady, though Lula didn’t know what an old lady was. Mabel was all Lula had ever known – well, Mabel and her friends. Florence and Angela called themselves old ladies, too. And if all old ladies were like Mabel, Florence, and Angela, then Lula loved old ladies. They had warm hearts and gentle hands.

But Mabel had a nephew, too – his name was Fred – and whatever nephews were, if they were all like Fred, then Lula didn’t like them one bit. Whenever Fred came over, he treated Lula as if she were a pest, and he tried to convince Mabel to move away into a “nursing home”, whatever that was. Lula did know that Mabel didn’t want to go to one, and Mabel had also told Lula that the biggest reason she didn’t want to go to a nursing home was because she wouldn’t be able to bring Lula with her.

What a terrible thought. Lula couldn’t imagine life without Mabel. And she didn’t want to.

If you'd like to read the rest, go here: Twice-Blessed.

Next, Mom's going to write a speculative tale about MaoMao's journey to our house and post it to her short story blog. Mao is very excited!

Darling Mickeybear, my wonderful, warm, Whitester mancat, I so enjoyed snuggling on your wall with you!

Restless Wednesday!

Now that my precious sister, Brainball, is better, I must confess to a certain restlessness that's been plaguing me lately.


I miss the Yamaha. I love to lie on warm electronic devices, but the trouble is that Mom and Dad won't let me on the Yamaha anymore because I threw up in it, and lately, I've been trying to lie on the printer... but they won't let me on it, either!

I love lying in Mom's and Dad's laps, but they aren't sitting down all the time, after all. And I do love my purr pad, honestly, but... I'm growing tired of it, and more and more, that printer looks sooooo enticing... *sigh*. Mom keeps showing me lots of different, comfortable places to cuddle up on; she tells me they're nice and warm, but I'm not interested. I want the printer.

Darling Mickeybear, may I teleport over and cuddle with you on your wall? I know we would keep each other nice and warm *purrrrrrr*.

With All My Heart, Thanks

My sweet sister Brainball is feeling much better today, and I wanted to express my thanks to you wonderful kitties. Your purrs and your friendship mean so much to all of us.

When I saw that Brainball was getting better, I was so happy that I went to her and kissed her ear! *giggle* Things just weren't right in our household with our brave Alpha Cat feeling poorly. We love her and need her so much.

Darling Mickeybear, you have a happy Kittypie today *purrrrrrrr*.

For an update in Brainball's words, go to MaoMao's blog.

And I've pinked my blog to support Gretchen's wonderful mom bean Dorothy and all ladies who fight breast cancer, and who have fought it and survived. My heart and my love go out to them!

Reading Mickeybear's Blog

I love reading my darling Mickeybear's blog.

He always makes me *swoooooon*!

=-=

Everykitty, I'd really appreciate it if you could purr for my sister Brainball. She's not feeling well today, and in all probability, she'll be headed for the vet tomorrow.

Purring for Miss Peach

My precious sister, Miss Peach, is feeling poorly. She has a cold, and I'm worried about her. I'm purring as hard as I can for her to feel better very, very soon.



Please, everykitty, go visit her and surround her with love, warm purrs, and soft snuggles!

Floofy Friday

Mom took this picture of me sitting on her desk, and I believe the words she used were, "Wow, Dually (my nickname is Duallipot), look at all your tummy floof -- your floof hangs off the side of my desk!" *giggle*

Though I'm a medium-haired kitty, I have a very floofy tummy, which this side photo of me shows amply.


Happy Friday to everykitty, and snuggly whisker-kisses to my darling Mickeybear!

=-=

Oh, I'm so excited -- my precious Mickeybear wrote me the most adorable poem ever, and it's about my floof! Go see, go see!

And on MaoMao's blog, I'm playing with a feather toy, along with my siblings!

Winner Wednesday!

Oh, wow -- I won Henry and Clyde's 100th Post Contest! I'm so excited -- I've never won a contest before. *smile*


Henry is a great friend, and I thank him for having such a fun contest.

In other news, my sisters Brainball and Dorydoo have their own Blogger accounts now, and while they don't have their own blogs (they will share the Ballicus Blog with MaoMao), they'll be able to comment on everykitty's blogs as themselves instead of borrowing MaoMao's account or mine. I'm very happy for them!

Love and snuggly whisker-kisses to you, my darling Mickeybear! *purrrrrr*

Mom's Chair -- and Happy Birthday, Pixie!

I snuggle in Mom's lap a whole lot, and when she has to get up, she puts me in her chair, and I keep it warm for her.

This is quite an interesting sleeping position, isn't it? I like it. I'm very limber *smile*. And I love snuggling against the yellow jellybean.



It's off to sweet slumber, filled with dreams of my Mickeybear. *purrrrrrr*

=-=

And Happy Birthday to beautiful Pixie! Pixie, I hope you have a delightful day and that you receive bunches and bunches of bananers *giggle*. I love you and Daisy very much!

Thanks to KC and the Cat Blogosphere for use of the beautiful graphic!

A Ghazal for Mickeybear

"My Bear" ~ a Ghazal by Marilyn MonREOW

Love I could never forsake: warm, in the shape of my Bear.
A thirst which I could never slake: cool, in the shape of my Bear.

Romantic rhymes from our hearts close the long miles between us
Poesey bright as daybreak: formed in the shape of my Bear.

When I drift off to slumber, straight and true to him I go
Sweet dreams until I wake conform to the shape of my Bear.

In a shimmery world of our making, we journey paw-in-paw
Mancat rugged as moonscape: firestorm on heartscape, my Bear.

Whether from his home or mine, we reach, we strive and connect,
And purr as we come face to face, borne quick as the gait of my Bear.

Luscious whisker-kisses, snuggling Whitester-to-Whitester
I touch, with my paw, his nape to adorn him as mate and my Bear.

He's my star and I'm his; together, we eclipse space and time
This is my joy and my fate: to adore -- and elate -- my sweet Bear.

This ghazal was challenging and fun to write, though I must admit I took considerable liberties with the form! Here and here are two good ghazal links. I hope you like my ghazal, darling Mickey *purrrrrrrrrrrs* from your Kittypie.

A Quick Post...

Mom's been very busy lately, so she hasn't been able to help me blog or do much visiting -- but I wanted everykitty to know I'm thinking about you and I miss you! I'll be back soon, I promise!

And Mickeybear, my darling, I'm still studying ghazals, and I have come up with a nice refrain for the ghazal I want to write for you *smile* and *purrrrrrr.*

Funny Friday

Yesterday was Meow Like a Pirate Day, and though I got aboard too late to make a pirate costume, I commented on a number of sea-faring cat blogs.

And I said "Arrrrr", "YEEEEARGH", and "Garrrrggggh" so much that I forgot how to pull my tongue back into my mouth.

Oops!

...and *GIGGLE*!

And darling Mickeybear, I am sending you more snuggly whisker-kisses!

=-=

Look what my sweet friend (and future sister-in-law) Ariel made for me:

Thank you, dear! You are so talented! *smile*

And in other exciting news, my dear sister Miss Peach introduced me to my look-alike: Fiona the Boat Kitty! Go see!

Package from Adan, and Green Christmas Meme!

We Ballicai had a wonderful surprise today -- we got a package in the mail from our friend Adan! Inside were four beautiful postcards in honor of Adan's tenth Gotcha Day -- two postcards which I'd selected, two which MaoMao had selected -- and a lovely bookmark and a beautiful toy ball!

Here I am, examining the ball and the bookmark. Mom loves the bookmark -- she's a reader and will use it in her books -- and wow, that ball looks like such a fun toy!

And here I am, thanking Adan. I appreciate you -- you and Michico are such wonderful friends!

=-=

And... Adan tagged me for the Green Christmas Meme! This will be the first Christmas Meme I've ever done.

What is your favorite Christmas gift? -- Stinky goodness.

What is your best memory of Christmas? -- Snuggling in my Mom's and Dad's laps.

Depending upon where you live, do you have a hot or cold Christmas? -- On the chilly side, but not extremely cold.

Would you prefer to try the opposite weather at least just once? -- Why not, just to see what it would be like.

What do you prefer in a tree? Fake or real? -- Real ones are easier to climb! *giggle*

What is your favorite carol? -- "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" by J. S. Bach.

What is your favorite Christmas dinner? -- Turkey, turkey, and turkey! Mmmmm.

Do you wear a Santa hat at Christmas? -- Alas, my hat-wearing skills aren't very good. Mom is helping me work on them, though, because I want to wear the Yankees cap which my darling Mickeybear sent me.

Have you ever seen Santa delivering gifts? -- Not yet, but I'll keep an eye out!

And I'll do an open tag -- anykitty who wants to, please play along! *smile*

Watch Wednesday

What's this? Do I see what I think I see?

Yes! Dad has taken off his watch! Oh, Goodie Goodie Gumdrop! When he's wearing it, I rub against it a lot. And when he takes it off, I do this...

and this...

and this...

I just love how Dad's watch feels and how it smells. It has an effect on me which is almost catnip-like! Likewise Mom's bras, but that's a post for another day (Mom: "*ahem*, I don't think so, Dually..."); Okay then, maybe not!

Mickeybear, your Kittypie is quite eccentric *smile*.

Tangled Tuesday

*ahem*, Mom... do you mind? I'm trying to clean my tail...

A haiku for today:

Sitting on her tail,
This Whitester pretzel hankers
For her Mickeybear.

=-=

And how wonderful... yesterday, my sweet Mickeybear got the package I sent him! Here's a picture of him playing with his new squeaky mousie. And he's hiding it from Jeter, *giggle*!