Mad Macedonian

Carnival of the Cats #211

Ladies and Gentlecats, and the Humans that love them...

It is with a humble sense of pride that I have the very special honor, and responsibility, to bring to you, today, the 211th edition of The Carnival of the Cats!

Such a special occasion requires something special to celebrate it, soooo...

I brought out the Feline Home Original 2006 White Zinfannip Tea!

These fine folks and their Cats, in California, have been making the finest Nip Tea since 1890! ;-D

I sooo love the smell, and taste of fine, quality, Nip Tea!

For those of you who do not imbibe, Daddy and I have provided plenty of lactose free milk, and plain water. ;-D

What is the Carnival, and how do you join the fun?

When I wrote my announcement post the other day, answering that very question, as I understand it, I had no idea that the King of the CatBloggers would take notice (See #15 below), or that one of those who have participated the longest would praise what I wrote so highly (See #25 below).

I wasn't THAT nervous about doing this until reading those words. ;-D

Here is what I wrote.

I've been Daddy's Co-Blogger for over 5 years, thru 2 blogs, I like to express my opinions on Cat News of all types, I've written about how I came into Daddy's life, and I can write poetry, too!

I've written some poems and 2 months ago I issued a challenge to the CatBlogoshere to do the same! ;-D

Nikita's Place is not a blog in the traditional sense since it is actually just the name of a Category of Posts where all my contributions can be read at your leisure, and my name is listed as the author of each entry.

I call it a Blog within the Blog ;-D

For the last few days I've been writing about, and sharing pictures of, birds, dogs, and squirrels Daddy encountered while visiting relatives in Virginia., and spending time in DC earlier this month.

To help me bring you the Carnival I'm going to share with you pictures of the Feline Companions of Daddy's Uncle and Aunt, so let's get this show on the road!

Uncle Paul and Aunt Eileen, are in their mid to late 70's, and since the mid 1970's, when they got married, have cared for Cats they have rescued over the years, and some of those rescue stories are quite harrowing.

They have had as many as 20 Cats in their home, at any given time, some came as kittens, many lived into their teens, and some into their 20's, but only 4 Cats are left now.

1. Chase, of Wantabetravelin, writes about how 2 cats came to be 4, and says "I swear, the next person that brings home a stray, is going to the vets with the cat, and staying there with the cat", in a tale called One too many, again!

2. Dawn, of At Thy Word, writes an interesting piece about teaching an old Cat (Well, ok, ANY Cat!) new tricks, using a Clicker, a growing movement that even has a Yahoo Group.

Psst...don't tell the humans, but we Cats can do a lot of things, including fooling the humans into thinking that they are teaching us to do things by using a clicker. ;-D

3. Susan Daffron, of Logical Expressions, recently did an interview "on why people should consider adopting cats from animal shelters and humane societies." She talked about "concerns people may have", among other things.

4. Jamie McIntosh, over at Suite 101's Organic Gardens Blog, writes about how the humans can "Teach your cats which parts of the garden are off-limits, and enjoy their companionship outdoors."

5. Sue, of This is Cyprus, has a Cat many of us can relate to.

This is a story of how a Cat "trains" its humans. ;-D

6. Dr. Deb writes a blog with a focus on "Psychological Perspectives".

In a recent entry she shares 2 YouTube Cat Videos that will have you, and your humans, laughing, but for entirely different reasons. ;-D

7. Beverly Robertsom, of Murmuring Trees, tells the touching story of her Cat named Winkie.

8. Elisson, of Blog d'Elisson, provides a touching update on how one family Cat is adjusting to the loss of her sister.

9. Ana, of Chica and Pumuckl - Living with funny Cats, writes about Inner peace through cats.

10. Russ, of TacJammer, shares a cute video of the family hedonist. ;-D

Ok, everybody, watch this video and then repeat after me...

I'm a hedonist, and that's Okay!

I love to get my tummy rubbed all the live long daaayyy!! 
 

Pia is a female White Angora, age 7.

Jettie is a 16 year old black domestic medium hari, rescued as a kitten on the grounds of Lanterman State Hospital, in Pomona, CA., where she was initially fed by some of the mentally disabled residents.

11. Ferdinand T. Cat, of The Conservative Cat, shares the thought of one Cat on the subject of screwdrivers.

12. Parker, of Perfectly Parker, shares a perfectly beautiful photo of herself!

13. Abby, of Manx Mnews, writes about how  "Momma has been feeding a group of feral cats", and of an encounter with some kittens.

14. Blueberry, of Texas Oasis, shares a cute picture of Henry.

15. Laurence Simon, of This Blog is Full of Crap, shares a cute photo of Nardo and his yellow Mousie

 

March Madness Soon To End: Cat Exhausted, Yet Proud

Hello, This is the Mad Macedonian, with a message to all the Felines, and thier Humans eagerly awaiting The Carnival of the Cats.

Nikita is sleeping.;-D

One may wonder why I've not been blogging much since my return from vacation, and the answer is simple.

This month belongs to Nikita, he earned the right to rule the roost, start to finish.

Coming off surviving my 11 day vacation, blogging on 2 blogs while being utterly alone, he faced the challenge of preparing for The Carnival like a trooper!

He kept me awake until 4am, this morning, putting finishing touches on his presentation, before I finally put an end to it, and ordered him to bed!

I told him more submissions would be coming, and that since he was told it was okay to post Monday morning, not to stress over it, and that was that.

When I left for work, 3 hours ago (I'm posting from the break room, before starting my shift!), he was still sound asleep, in his tower, and I don't expect him to awaken until maybe around 11pm PST.

I've left him word of submissions coming in and he will no doubt be working on them when I get home. ;-D

He is very proud of himself for all that he has survived, and accomplished, especially because so many people, and Cats, have been visiting us, and spreading the word about The Carnival, and hopes he will do it proud.

***UPDATE - 920PM PST***

Nikita here!

I'm awake and ready to rumble!

Daddy will be so proud if I get done quicker that we thought, so think happy thoughts, everyone! ;-D

***END UPDATE*** 

Animals Living the Good Life in Va. and DC 3

In the first and 2nd posts in this series you saw some of the native birds of Virginia, and met some of the pets of Daddy's Uncle and Aunt.

After visiting his relatives Daddy next spent a few days in the capitol of the United States, Washington DC.

He walked the streets of the "National Zoo", and visted the National Zoo, seeing interesting critters, of both the 2 and 4 legged variety every where he turned.

In this post I'll share with you scenes of some of those animals that have the freedom to roam anywhere they please in the Nation's Capitol, hobknobbing and lobbying government officials, and ordinary citizens alike, from the humbelist resident to the President himself.

One morning Daddy was walking along the shore of the Potomac, in Georgetown, near the Francis Scott Key Bridge, when he saw the first of 2 amazing sights...

Along the walkway, and on the walls on either side of it, were a few dozen birds of several species, loitering about, chewing the fat, and enjoying the view.

A few minutes later this tranquil scene was interrupted by the arrival of a young Asian man bearing three large plastic bags.

Suddenly a scene familiar to those who prowl the halls of power in this town, or watch Press Conferences on TV, ensues.

The birds gather around the man, like lobbyists looking for Government largess, and he starts tossing crumbs of bread, and handfuls of seed among the assembled mob, like the holder of a Press Conference dolling out scraps of information to the hungry media horde.

Daddy said the man told him that he has been doing this every morning for two years., and that the birds sometimes will eat out of his hands.

A few days later Daddy went to the White House to take a tour, but the day before, he just walked around outside its gates.

While there he had a close encounter with, possibly, the First Squirrel and his aides!

This little guy came through the gate, where Daddy was kneeling, right up to his camera, as he was fiddling with something on it, and by the the time he was ready to take more pictures, had taken some steps on the sidewalk, then dashed back onto the grass.

Animals Living the Good Life in Va. and DC 2

The weather in the part of Virginia that Daddy's Uncle and Aunt live in is snow country, and when it does not snow, the weather gets windy, and the temperature gets down into the 20's, especially at night.

In the first post in this series you saw some of the native birds in the area, and met three of the family pets.

Uncle Paul and Aunt Eileen have four dogs, and four cats, who live in their mobile home with them, and here I'll introduce you to the dogs.

Here they are, dressed to the 9's!

They wear such outfits almost all the time, due to their ages and the weather.

Poco, is the 8 year old Chihuahua, gray of face, but very playful.

Amber is the perky, and ticklish, 5 year old Poodle.

Rusty is the frisky 10 year old Terrier/Basengi mix.

Going out for walkies, and poopies, during the day, is a great adventure!

Going at night, while still fun, is more a neccessity, though, especially when your butt is freezing in 29 degree temperatures. ;-D

Animals Living the Good Life in Va. and DC

When Daddy went on vacation to visit his relatives in Virginia, earlier this month, it was not just a reunion with an Uncle, Aunts, and Cousins, but with the Animal Companions of his Uncle Paul and Aunt Eileen, with whom he stayed while on his visit.

While there he encountered some of the critters who live in the wild on their 5 acres of land, as well.

Later, in Washington DC, he encountered other Animals in the wild as well.

In this series I''ll introduce you to all but the Cats.

The Cats will share the spotlight when I post the Carnival of the Cats on Monday morning.

The property you willl glimpse has a man-made lake, made by diverting a stream, into, and out of a section of it, and in the lake can be found big and small-mouth bass, catfish, perch, stripers, crappies, carp, some of which are 3 ft. long!

As the Uncle told Daddy, "Lots of good fishing whenever I want!"

Looking out the living room window one sees a bird feeder.

Among the many critters that stop by throughout the day are a few that may have "issues" of identity. ;-D

On his first morning Daddy saw a male Red Cardinal on the pole, and in the bath a tan Red-beaked female Cardinal, and a Red-headed Woodpecker.

The Sunday Go to Meeting Crowd,  the next day, was a varied lot, Daddy said, and this picture has three birds in it.

Love is in the air, come spring time, they say, and besides the Cardinal Couple Daddy saw this pair.

11 Days in March: Part 3

7 days had passed since Daddy had went on vacation.

I had settled into a routine: Eating, sleeping, looking out the window, watching TV, listening to the radio, blogging, being a less than friendly host to Daddy's sister when she came by...

Then came Thursday...

The Sister came, I hissed and hid, she did her thing, and left.

Later in the day there was a power outage, and the radio went dead, and I couldn't watch TV, or even blog!

Pacing about the apartment I suddenly noticed a cool draft coming from where it usually doesn't: The area of the front door!

Upon further investigation I discover the door was a jar!

No, no, not literally, that's impossible!

I mean it was slightly open!

She must have forgot to close it tightly when she left!

I so love to stand in the open door, or on the sidewalk outside it, when Daddy is there with me, but this was different, and unsettling.

Should I open it and take just a short stroll on the walkway...you know, just for a minute?

Or should I try to pull the door closed so no-one could come in that shouldn't?

For the rest of the day I was very nervous, even after the power came back on, and I could go online and watch TV again.

I didn't sleep well that night.

The next 2 days were horrible!

That door was driving me nuts!

I spent an awful lot of time in my tower brooding, and warily watching the door.

By Sunday morning I think I had almost, but not quite, lost it completely.

When Daddy's sister finally returned for her last visit, I must have been a fright!

My food bowl area was a mess!

Clumps of hair, were on the floor!

Clumps so big even I had a hard time explaining them!

I sat in my tower, and not just hissed at her, and, and, um, this is embarrassing, GROWLED, and bared my teeth.

Growled? Bared my teeth? Me? I don't know what came over me!

She noticed the door, and nervously checked the apartment, thinking, as she later told Daddy, that someone might have come inside, thus frightening me something fierce, and thus explaining my behavior in her eyes.

She didn't see anything wrong so after cleaning the litter box, and straightening the food bowl out, she left.

I was alone again, and missing Daddy something terrible!

Daddy, Daddy, I want my Daddy!

11 Days in March: Part 2

So there I was, all alone.

Daddy had left on his vacation earlier in the morning of March 7th, and after initially pacing around the appartment for an hour I settled, gingerly, down for the duration.

After all, what could go wrong, right?

There's nothing to be afraid of, right?

Breakfast was the first order of the day, and the new food bowl Daddy got was no sweat to use.

I had been preparing for posting on Daddy's BikeBlog, and that was on my agenda as well (Boy, would his readers be surprised, hee, hee!).

In between blogging, eating, and using the litterbox, I spent a lot of my time, every day, sleeping in my Tower, or on the bed, looking out the window, listening to talk shows on KFI 640 am radio and...

watching lots, and lots of TV!

Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, and National Geographic Channel are absolutely MUST SEE TV! ;-D

All was nice, and easy...except when Daddy's sister came by.

11 Days in March: A Tale of Courage and Survival

When Daddy sat me down and told me he was going to be gone for a while and asked me if I could handle it, and also help him by running the blogs for him...I was confident in my reply.

Afterall, I'd done two 4 days stints, in my youth, so how bad could it get?

When Daddy brought out his suitcases I gave them the once over.

It had been over 6 years since I'd last seen them, afterall. ;-D

Damn, but those things are huge, and roomy!

I love the smell, though!

After helping Daddy do his preliminary packing (All the clothes for the trip, and some other stuff, too.), I got my treat reward for all that hard work!

I like this picture because it shows off my unique coloring in such a cool way!

Meowsings 15: Carnival of the Cats is Coming Announcement Edition!

I am just soooo excited! Yes, I am! Honest! Just look, can't you see it in my f...

Oh, um, hi, um, Welcome to Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat! ;-D

I AM truly VERY EXCITED about my return to regular blogging this weekend, but, as regular readers know I've had an eventful month already, and the above photo pretty much expresses the contentment I've felt for the past week in a nutshell. ;-D

Now, though, it's time to get back into the CatBlogging mix, and I'm gonna do it big time!

I will write about my 11 days alone, and share some pictures, and share some pics from Daddy's vacation, too (His Uncle and Aunt have a variety of Animal Companions, and Animal Visitors to their property, plus he hobknobbed with some of the Power Critters who live in the Capitol of this great nation, Washington DC!), and the weekend will culminate in something very special...

The greatest weekly event in the Cat Blogosphere comes to Musing of a Mad Macedonian and my Blog within the Blog, Nikita's Place, on March 30th (March 31st if I get lots of submissions!)!!

What is this event?

Well, a long time ago, in a year far away, the immortal  Laurence Simon became known as "King of the Cat Bloggers" for starting the Carnival of the Cats.

His idea was for a weekly confab of the best of the week’s cat blogging posts about cats from bloggers all around the world.

People who normally blog about anything and everything, as well as the emerging Community of Cat Bloggers, enter their week’s best cat related blog posts into the carnival.

For those who rarely share stories about their cats, it’s a vacation from blogging about such things as politics, war...and knitting.

I like how Laurence explains it: This is a way of "demonstrating that even the mightiest and meekest of pundits have a love of cats in common."   

For us Cat Bloggers the Carnival is a chance to discover blogs we might never have heard of, on subjects of all kinds.

When Time Magazine takes notice of you, and of the growing Community you are a part of, as they did Laurence and his Carnival, then you know your effort, and the world you are helping spread the word about, are making an important impact in the lives of people, and Cats, everywhere.

In 2007 the King relinquished his responsibilities for running this show to The Cat Blogoshere, where  it continues on its merry way.

The Cat Blogosphere is not just any website, but an entry point into a Worldwide Movement, Community, and State of Mind:

We are cats who blog.  And some humans who blog about cats. Some humans will tell you it’s really all humans who pretend to blog as cats. Now, humans are notoriously unreliable and kill each ofur silly stuff like munny and lie about who they slept with and whatnot. So who are you gonna believe, huh?  Believe who you wants. We cats don’t care.

The origins of cat blogging are lost in time and cyberspace.   Many, many of us were inspired by Psychokitty Max and Timothy Dickens, the first cat bloggers most of us met. Many more were inspired by Laurence Simon, King of the Cat Bloggers and his Carnival of the Cats. And a huge hattip goes out to Jay Dyke’s The Mows cat comic, where many, many of us saw the link to Psychokitty and got introduced to the whole idea of being able to blog even tho we’re cats.

That explanation barely scratches the surface of what this phenomenon is all about.

From the traditional blogs such as those listed in my sidebar, to the Diaries found on such websites as Catster, we Cats are well on our way to taking over the Blogosphere. ;-D

You know you are part of something truly special, and potentially world changing, when even Dogs decide to do it (There once was a Carnival of the Dogs, and a Blogroll of DogBloggers, plus Dogster indicates that Canines do more that chase their tails, mailmen, and cars!)

While I was busy running two Blogs, while Daddy was on vacation, three Carnivals have come and gone.

If you are interested in participating, and have never done so, the posts shared in these editions will give you some ideas:

#208 - Artsy Cats.

#209 - This, That, and the Other Thing.

#210 - Chevy's Place.

Here are the particulars for submitting to MY EDITION:

EVENT: Carnival of the Cats #211 (Dedicated to Daddy's Uncle Paul and Aunt Eileen, longtime Cat Lovers, not to mention Dogs, and Birds, too!)

DATE: To appear by Noon of March 31st.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 6pm Central Time, on March 30th.

HOW TO SUBMIT:

1. submissions (at) carnivalofthecats.com

2. Handy Dandy BlogCarnival Submission Form.

On Vacations, and Living Outside Ones Comfort Zone

The last time I went on an extended vacation was the weekend before Sept.11, 2001, and we all know what happened THAT day.

That weekend was spent exploring Chicago, and experiencing that singular event known as a baseball game at historic Wrigley Field.

Three years ago my Uncle and Aunt, who I have been very close to for over 25 years, left CA. and moved to VA. to be close to his kids and his grandkids in their retirement, and for sometime I'd been meaning to pay them a visit, thus taking an opportunity to see some relatives I'd not seen since childhood.

I made my initial plans in early Feb, and when I learned it was cheaper to fly home from DC than it was to return the way I'd come I altered my plans.

My 12 day vacation was split in half, with the first 4 days hanging out with the relatives, and the rest making my first exploration of the capitol of the greatest nation on Earth.

A friend suggested I see if my Congressperson could get me a ticket for the White House Tour, and so I contacted the DC office of Loretta Sanchez.

Usually one should put in a request at least 3 months in advance, and so it was no surprise that her office had no tickets left.

The nice lady I chatted with went beyond the call of duty and said she would check other offices to see if any one had any available tickets, and so that's how, with 2 weeks or so before my arrival in town, I ended up with a covetted ticket.

I being a Republican, and Sanchez being a Democrat, I might not have reason to vote for the woman but...if I ever met her I'd shake her hand in gratitude. ;-D

Virginia is not like California...

Among the operative concepts there are "laid back", "rural", "wide open", "culture" and  "History".

There, densely packed cities, and suburbs, are not the norm.

There, life moves at a much different pace than a city slicker would be accustomed to. ;-D

DC?

DC is different than Virginia and, while familiar in many ways to one from Southern California, different than SoCal as well.

There, the densely packed inner-city, and suburbs, are deceptively familiar, but you no sooner begin to make your way around it when you realize just how different this world is from "fast-paced" LA, and The OC.

The operative concepts there are "power", "politics", "speed", "security" and, yes, "culture", and especially "history".

When it comes to finding a hotel room, you need to do it months in advance otherwise you must be prepared for the fact that being outside your comfort zone starts with your living arraingements while in town.

In DC you can see, smell, and touch (most of it, anyway) the history all around you.

It is inescapeable.

The people, from the poorest, to the richest, the least powerful to the President himself, know it, sense it, and feel it, hell, even the birds, and especially the squirrels do so as well.

They all take it in stride.

The local issues and problems, except for the lack of certain voting rights, and political representation the rest of us take for granted, are many of the same that are part of life in big cities, and their suburbs across the country, only more so, especially those related to crime.

Life is crowded, faster, and often more expensive in DC, yet it is interesting, exciting, beautiful, and emotional as well.

You quickly realize that you will never be able to experience it all in one short visit and, in the back of your mind, begin planning a hoped for return, or many such returns for the future, as you struggle to pick and choose what to experience THIS time knowing it could be the ONLY time.

I began my journey on the morning of March 7th, and ended it on the morning of March 18th, and what happened in those 12 days was recorded in over 80 pages of notes, and 250+ photos.

I have begun to organize my notes and photos, and to think about how to share this incredible adventure here, and on my BikeBlog.

I hope that you will go along, and let me know what you think. ;-D