All Good Things...

I'm taking a hiatus from this blog for a while. Mom is extremely busy with multiple projects, and for the foreseeable future she only has time to maintain one kitty blog, and that will be The Ballicus Blog for my siblings and me.

I'll miss posting here, and perhaps I'll be back here again someday. But please visit me at The Ballicus Blog. I look forward to seeing you there!

Getting in Mom's Lap

Since Mom works at her computer a lot, I get plenty of lap time! And even when Mom is up or out and about, I love to sit on top of her computer. It's one of my favorite places in the house.



When Mom gets settled in her chair and props her feet on the desk, I turn and look at her. And if you look at the bottom right side of the picture, you'll see the top part of Mom's pink fuzzy sock.



I start eyeballing Mom's lap.



Then I'm on my way!



*snuggle, snuggle, snuggle*, *purrrrrr, purrrrrr, purrrrrr*



=-=

Added a bit later: I've turned on comment moderation. I apologize. Maybe I won't have to leave it on for too long. But I was slammed by eleven pieces of spam on this one post in just a short time, and it looked like pretty bad spam, too. So I want to be careful.

Easy Like Sunday

Lovebug

Rubs, scritches, and snuggles -- oh, my!

Here is a video of Mom giving me rubs and scritches:




Which led, of course, to me snuggling in her lap:



Oh, it's good to love and be loved!

My Blog Looks Different!

Wow, Mom! Thanks! And special thanks to Zoolatry for the beautiful new header they designed for me. *purrrrrrrrr* You are wonderful -- much love to you and to your talented Mom!




What do you think, my darling Mickeybear?

Oh my, it has been so long since I have blogged! I've put in appearances on my siblings' blog, but I've really missed this place.

My mom has been so busy, working on her novel. But we Ballicai are careful to make sure she's always under proper snoopervision.

In fact, I often perch on her new computer, which has become one of my favorite sleep spots! It's nice and warm, and if I barf a hairball on it, it's easy to clean up (unlike that confounded Yamaha last year).




Wanted to add: changing the look of my blog was a snap! I simply switched my template to Minima (all my sidebar widgets were maintained when I switched), then I added one of the nifty backgrounds available from here: The Cutest Blog on the Block: Free Backgrounds.

In the Flowers

Here is what I dreamed about last night:



Mickeybear and me, in the late summer flowers, up on the mountain where Mom hikes.

Close Up for My Mickeybear!

Hi, my darling dear! Are we close enough now for a whisker-kiss? *purrrrrrrrr*

Late Summer Flower

On a hike in the mountains yesterday, Mom found a beautiful late summer flower. My darling Mickeybear, I'm giving it to you! And I'll share a poem from one of Mom's favorite poets.



A little road not made of man,
Enabled of the eye,
Accessible to thrill of bee,
Or cart of butterfly.

If town it have, beyond itself,
'Tis that I cannot say;
I only sigh, -- no vehicle
Bears me along that way.

~ Emily Dickinson




Sent with purrs and whisker kisses!

For My Darling Mickeybear

The mountain laurel blossoms -- also known as rhododendron -- are some of the most beautiful flowers you'll find in the East Tennessee mountains. My darling Mickeybear, these -- and my little lento -- are especially for you. *purrrrrr*

Shower of petals, lush and white
Bower of blossoms like my heart true
Power of love, warmth of joy:
Flowers need sunshine; I need you.

A Triolet for Mickeybear

It would be my bliss to kiss
White whiskers, long and silky
Oh, how I have sorely missed
White whiskers, long and silky!
At blogging, I have been remiss:
Please forgive me, Mickey!
It would be my bliss to kiss
White whiskers, long and silky.

Okay, I fudged the rhyme "Mickey" with "Silky", but in my opinion, the words fit one another purrfectly. *smile*

An Alphabet Poem for My Mickeybear -- and an Award!

Amorous purring
Best shared by two

Catnip and catgrass,
Deux, me and you.

Effulgent, mancatly
Fur plush and fine

Glowing and warm,
Heart so divine.

In my dreams of Mickey
Joy reigns sublime

Key to my heart,
Love for all time.

Missing our poesy,
Now I wish to write

One alphabet poem,
Promptly and right.

Quest: I shall go
Rapt, to his side

Sighing my bliss,
Tonight and tonight.

Up to the clouds
Victor, victorious,

We reach, oh we reach:
Xanadu glorious

Yearning and hoping, oh
Zenith: we're here!

=-=

My lovely and floofiferous friend Sweet Praline honored me with the Cool Cat Award! Thank you so much, my dear friend!


I would like to pass the award on to my darling Mickeybear, my dear sister/brother cousins Gretchen and Mike, my future sister-in-law Ariel, my sister Miss Peach, and my friend Quasi.

And remember, friends -- when I'm not here, I'll be on the Ballicus Blog with my brothers and sister.

In the meantime, I'm studying up on writing another poem for Mickeybear soon, which I will post here. *smile*

Patience

I'm sorry I haven't blogged in a while! Mom has been soooooo busy. So I've been patiently waiting for her help on my blog. Here I am cuddling with Daddy, looking at Mom expectantly.



And over the last week and a half, I've waited and waited and waited and waited. As in Sitting On Mom's Desk and Staring At Her type of waiting.



So here I am! *whew*, Mom! Took long enough.

She says it has become more of a challenge to maintain two kitty blogs, but that she'll do her best to help me here when she can. And when I'm not here, I'll make appearances on The Ballicus Blog, with my siblings.

In case you haven't heard the fabulous news, my little brother MaoMao asked his sweetie Ariel to marry him, and she said yes! So there will be a wedding in the Ballicus family soon *smile*.

Mickeybear, would you like to teleport over and help me stare Mom down? Then we can have a nice snuggle *purrrrrrrr*.

=-=

Please give Tidbit's family lots of purrs and hugs -- precious Tidbit went to the Bridge on Saturday. My heart is heavy. She was a dear friend of mine, and she'll be missed by her sweet family and by her many, many friends.

Quirk Meme

I was tagged by my gorgeous floofy friend Sweet Praline for the Quirk Meme! Here is Sweet Praline. Isn't she a beauty? I'm happy to have her as a new and dear friend!



This meme will be fun! *smile* First of all, here are the rules:

* Link to the one who tagged you.

* List the rules on your blog.

* Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.

* Tag some blogger friends with links.

* Leave a comment on their blog to let them know they've been tagged.

1. I'm the people-iest people cat Mom has ever known. She calls me a Velcro Cat. I love lying on laps and snuggling. I love Mom's lap, I love Dad's lap. And I love making new friends. When people come over, I'm always the first cat to greet them. And I often wind up on their laps, too! Here I am, snuggling with Daddy.





2. I love to stick my tongue out. Always makes Mom say SQUEE!



3. I enjoy looking at the world upside down. Especially when I'm getting scritches! In this picture, I'm on Mom's lap.



4. I love Daddy's watch band. Love it, love it, LOVE IT!



5. And Mom's bras are so much fun! I bunnykick them and rub all over them. Here's a link to a video of me with one of Mom's bras.

6. Though I don't talk much, I make up for it at Stinky Goodness Time. That's when I sing my Stinky Goodness Operatic Arias, and they sound something like this: "MwwwrAAAAH! MwwwrAAAH! MwwwrAAAH!"

I'd like to tag my darling Mickeybear, my sister-friend-cousin Gretchen, and my future sister-in-law Ariel for this meme.

=-=

I'm sending my heartfelt purrs to The Cat Realm. Emil is missing, and his family fears he won't be coming home. I will continue to purr for a miracle. But if he has indeed gone to the Rainbow Bridge, he'll always be remembered, he'll always be loved. Emil, we'll miss you, sweet friend.

Whitester Wednesday

Mom and Dad got a new weight bench the other day! It's sturdier than the other one, which they had outgrown and now call their "training bench" (like "training wheels" on a bicycle).

And guess who has claimed the new bench in the name of catdom. That's right, me!




Of course I have no intention of lifting weights. When Mom and Dad lift weights, I think they're rather silly.

My appreciation for this bench is simple: it's the purrfect place to nap, especially once Mom put this nice, squishy towel on it for me. *smile*

Mickeybear, teleport over anytime you wish, and we'll snuggle on the weight bench together!

Raspberry!

Mom has been so busy lately that we Ballicai haven't gotten to blog nearly as much as we'd like to. I miss my friends, and I miss my darling Mickeybear. So here I am, giving Mom a much-deserved Raspberry!

Taking a Nap Tuesday

I've been hanging out on Mom's bookshelves, looking for a poetry book.



I'm not so much looking for one to read as I am looking for one to whap into Mom's chair as a hint. I want to write more poetry, but she's hogging the computer too much, working on her novel!



But Mom's bookshelves are comfy, and the longer I hang out here, the more relaxed I get.



I am getting verrrrrry sleeeeeeepy...



Zzzzzzzzzzzz.....

Whitester Wednesday

Mom and Dad got new office chairs, and they're black! So here I am, a Whitester ladycat on a black chair. Mom keeps her kitty throw rug on the back of the chair, but it's mostly black, too. Makes for quite a contrast when I lie on the chair!



I am feeling wonderfully well! Full of energy, and I'm eating my crunchies and Temptations with great gusto. I have a few more days to take my antibiotics, but I don't mind those because Mom mixes them with chicken baby food, and I eat it all right up. *smile*

Mom has always said I'm the Velcro-est Velcro cat she's ever known. She couldn't conceive of how I could become even more of a Velcro cat.

Except that since my dental work, I have become even more of a Velcro cat! I want to be in Mom's lap ALL THE TIME, or if she isn't in her chair, I want to be in Daddy's lap.

If I can't be in a lap, then I like Mom's chair. But the TV stand is nice, and the laundry basket is cozy, too. If you look closely at the wall behind me, you'll see a note Mom wrote to herself about checking pockets, so she won't accidentally wash Daddy's wallet. She's washed it many times. Humans can be so absent-minded!



Mickeybear, want to teleport over and snuggle? *purrrrrrrr*

Easy Like Sunday

Ahhh, snoozing in my new favorite spot (other than Mom's or Dad's laps) -- on the TV stand. And I'm happy to report: I'm feeling great! Though I still need to take my antibiotic for another week, I'm eating my crunchies and Temptations happily and pain-free!

Festive Friday

Today is a special day -- it's Karl and Ruis's Wedding Day! Congratulations, my dear friends! I know you will have a long and wonderful life together, filled with love and joy.




Thanks to Zoolatry for the beautiful graphic!

Here I am with my brothers and sister, Brainball, Dorydoo, and MaoMao, in our Star Trek outfits for the reception:


And go to Karl and Ruis's Reception Blog to see other wedding guests in their splendid outfits!

See you at the wedding!

Hugs Weekend

Here I am, taking a nap with my brother, Brainball, who is Alpha Cat of my household. I've been feeling a little off-kilter the last couple of days. Mom thinks my teeth are bothering me, so a week from Monday, I'm off to the vet to have my teeth professionally cleaned. In the meantime, Mom is keeping a close eye on me, and if other issues arise, I will go to the vet sooner.



It's Memorial Day weekend, and this past Thursday marked the sudden passing of the much-loved Bonnie Underfoot. My heart goes out to Victor and to Bonnie's family. And my thoughts and purrs are with them during this difficult, grievous time.




Thank you, Zoolatry, for the beautiful graphic.

In honor of precious Bonnie, it's Hugs Weekend on the Cat Blogosphere. I want to express my thanks to you, my dear friends and family. My life is immeasurably enriched by your love and friendship. To all of you, I send my warmest hugs and purrs, and my love always.





From Khalil Gibran -- Joy And Sorrow Chapter VIII

Then a woman said, "Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow."

And he answered:

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.

And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.

And how else can it be?

The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.

Is not the cup that hold your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?

And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?

When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.

Some of you say, "Joy is greater than sorrow," and others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater."

But I say unto you, they are inseparable.

Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.

Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.

Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.

When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.