Thursday, July 28, 2011

Ms. Josie goes to Washington

Welcome friend! I hope you had a good week. I went on a great trip since the last time I blogged. If you twist my arm, perhaps you can persuade me to tell you all about it! Well…okay…. I’ll share my photos and my tale of fun.
Mom and Dad bought tickets to a concert at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. and they decided to make a long weekend of it. They were going to head out on Friday morning so they could spend some time enjoying the city before the concert Saturday night. I asked if I could come along….I promised I wouldn’t get into any trouble. When they finished snickering (what was that all about?!??!!?) they told me I could hitch a ride with them to D.C., but I would be on my own for sightseeing. I agreed and immediately headed to my hat room to start packing a lovely assortment of hats.
We headed out late morning, which gave me plenty of time to get enough beauty sleep for my appearance in our nation’s capitol! It only took about five and a half hours to get there though the scenery, or lack thereof, made it seem longer. There wasn’t a whole lot to look at until we turned onto US Route 1 and headed over the Potomac. It was magnificent! All of a sudden there was an overload of sights to see: the Washington monument, the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the capitol building - one right after the other.
We passed really old, beautiful buildings that must have been around for a long time. I pressed my little kitty nose against the car window and oohed and aaahed as we passed the gorgeous buildings that house our government. It was quite impressive!
Our hotel was on Pennsylvania Avenue just a couple of blocks down from the White House. I asked Mom if she thought the President might be taking visitors and Mom shook her head no. Well, did he know we live very far away and had driven for hours to get here? Surely, he could make time for us. Again, Mom shook her head no. Hmmph, well, we’ll see about that!
We pulled up in front of the hotel and the hotel staff immediately swarmed the car. A couple of them set to work unloading or bags and hats, and another filled in a ticket to give Dad. When all the bags were out of the car, one of the staff drove off with the car. I pointed and yowled as the car disappeared down the block, but Dad assured me they were just taking it for safekeeping while we were in town. He promised they would bring it back to us when we were ready to leave. I certainly hope so!!
As I turned to head into the hotel, I saw our luggage being carried away on a big rolling thing. All my hats were on it!! Mom grabbed me before I could throw myself at it. She promised me that my hats would meet us at the room as soon as we checked in. Well…..if not, I would just have to go out and buy a bunch of new ones…hey, that wouldn’t be so bad!
We were on the sixth floor so we had to take the elevator to our room. They had these really smart elevators. You just pushed the button for the floor you wanted to go to and it would tell you which elevator could take you there…and it remembered what floor you wanted! Once inside of it, I was amazed to see it had a television! That allayed my fear of getting stuck on the elevator…at least you would be able to watch TV and keep up with all the events in the world while you were waiting to be rescued. Maybe you would even see the effort to rescue you on the TV. Now that would be cool!



When we arrived at our room, the hotel staff member with our luggage was waiting for us. He carried all the bags in and started pointing out the features of the room. I figured that was something for Mom and Dad to pay attention to so I made a beeline for the window. We certainly didn’t get a room with a view, but I didn’t care. I was going to go exploring in the big city!
After the hotel guy left, I turned back to check out the room. On the desk was a big tray of snacks and beverages. Ooooh! A jar of assorted nuts!! I trotted over to the tray, and just as I was about to grab the container of nuts...



Mom shrieked and scooped me up – with me still reaching for my chosen snack!
“Please don’t even touch those,” she begged. Mom then explained to me the perils of the mini bar/mini snack tray. We figured that since there wasn’t even a price list, we most certainly could not afford any of it. Mom told me that even if you only just touch something on the tray you will be charged for it. Needless to say, I took great pains to walk slowly and carefully past that evil tray!!!
We decided to have a nice dinner before retiring, so we went down to the lower level to exit out onto Pennsylvania Avenue. There we saw the most wondrous thing. An escalator with no one on it! I had seen escalators before in airports, but they were usually packed with people so you really couldn’t see them. This one was very pretty and at the top of it was my favorite coffee shop! It looked very inviting, and fun, so I decided to take a ride. I rode slowly up the one side and then rode slowly back down the other side.



Before I could get back on to go up again, Dad took my hand and led me out to the street.
We had a great dinner at the historic Round Robin Bar! The gruyere macaroni and cheese fried in truffle oil was excellent and I stuffed my belly full! It was time to call it a night. I slept like a log that night!
The next morning we awoke to forecasts of the temperature outside rising to well over 100 degrees. With the heat index it was going to be like 120 degrees! That is not good weather to be walking around a big city wearing a fur coat. I was going to have to be careful. Mom didn’t want me to go outside for very long, and I promised I would stop back in the room to cool off from time to time. I grabbed a bottle of water and rode the elevator down to the level that led out to the street.
The White House wasn’t very far away, so I thought I would try to walk to it. As I padded along, I noticed a poor robin in the street, just panting away. I felt so bad for him. I know birds don’t trust cats…for good reason… so I had to assure him I meant him no harm. I reached under my hat and pulled out an umbrella hat that I thought might help him. I also offered him a drink of my nice cool water.



He must have been really thirsty, because he didn’t hesitate about coming close to me and taking a big gulp of water. I sat with him for a while and let him have as much water as he wanted until he could cool himself down. He was most appreciative and declared that I was his new best friend. Since I love making new friends, this was most exciting! I invited him to walk up to the White House with me but he had an even better idea…



We rode a double decker bus around the city! My new friend, Rob, and I could get on and off wherever we liked. Rob figured it would be a fun way to see more of the city and still visit the President.
It was too hot to get off and do a lot of sightseeing, so we stayed on the bus until we arrived at the President’s house…the White House! We ended up walking around a while before we found the visitor’s center. We presented ourselves to the information lady and declared that we were here to talk to the President of the United States of America! She looked at us rather blankly and asked if we had scheduled a tour with our congressman. Well, no, but we had driven over 5 hours to get here. She frowned and shook her head. She told us we had to have scheduled a tour at least 21 days out from the date we wanted to tour. But I had advice for the President about the deficit problem! “No!” she said quite adamantly, “you must leave now!”
I put my tail between my legs and shuffled out. How do you like that! I can’t meet with my country’s President. Perhaps I could find a Secret Service agent and they could help me get in to see the President. Where in the world could I find one?
Rob and I figured we most likely had to be on the White House property to find a Secret Service agent. We had no idea how right we were! Since Rob could fly and I was a good climber, he flew to the top of the White House’s perimeter fence and I climbed it with my natural cat expertise.



It didn’t take long before several Secret Service agents appeared out of nowhere! Oh good, perhaps they could show us…..I was immediately grabbed by the scruff of the neck and hoisted into the air. Now I know that cats have lots of skin to grab in the neck area and it is considered an acceptable way to hold a cat, but I had not been held like that in a long time and it was not a very dignified way to be held!
The agents frisked me and checked my collar for….I’m not sure what they checked my collar for, but whatever it was it wasn’t there. I explained to the agents why I was there. They looked at one another and agreed I was not a security risk, but they did inform me that I was NOT going to meet with the President.
At that point I didn’t care and all I wanted to do was go back to the hotel and cool off, Rob and I caught the next bus back down Pennsylvania Avenue and headed immediately to the room. Mom said it was okay for Rob to come in for a while. Both Rob and I settled down for a little nap until it was concert time.
Dad woke me up in time to go get dinner and then head to the show. Rob rode down in the elevator with us and we walked him down the street to where I had met him. He thanked us for our hospitality and we gave him a bottle of water to take with him. I told him I hoped we would return to D.C. very soon and I promised to look him up.
We had a light dinner and headed excitedly to the show. I wore a lovely blue dress hat and carried a fan so I could daintily cool myself if it was warm in the theatre.



The theatre was beautiful - very old and ornate. We had excellent seats - 4th row center! The show was fabulous!! It was very funny with lots of great music. For the second encore, Mr. Minchin played one of my favorite songs: Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. I had promised Mom I would behave and not leap on stage since we weren’t in our hometown where I am well known. I had already gotten myself in enough trouble today, I didn’t want to push it!
After the show we waited outside the theatre and Mr. Minchin very graciously came out to sign autographs and take pictures with his fans. Mom was so excited she forgot to ask me to be in the picture with she and Mr. Minchin, so I had to jump in at the last minute. Unfortunately, I ended up covering up some of Mom’s face. Ooops!



We thanked Mr. Minchin for a wonderful evening and headed back to the hotel. We had a good sleep and a delicious breakfast and headed home Sunday morning. I was sad to leave – there was so much more I needed to see, but Mom and Dad had to get back to work Monday. If you ever get the chance to visit D.C. you must go – it’s a fascinating city!
I hope you have been staying out of the terrible heat! I think I have had enough of summer already – don’t you agree? Have a great week!

Love & kitty kisses,
Josie

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Extreme-ly Exciting!

Hello friends! There have been some mighty big doins in Fayetteville this past week and a half! The television show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition rolled into town to give a brand new home to a lucky Fayetteville resident. The house they picked was off of the main road running past our neighborhood, so there has been lots of screwed up traffic in our neck of the woods!
Everyone knew ahead of time that the show was coming to Fayetteville so the town went nuts planning how to help and celebrate one family’s good fortune. It was a big secret as to who the lucky family was, but as soon as it was announced things became really crazy! Roads were blocked off, spectator buses started shuttling back and forth and large construction trucks were in and out of the neighborhood. People were volunteering to help and construction went on for 24 hours a day.
Being a cat, I was curious, so I had Mom drop me at the top of the main street and I was able to trot pass the security guards unnoticed. I wasn’t being sneaky or anything - cats do just roam neighborhoods now, don’t they?
I had to be careful to avoid trucks and cranes and backhoes all in action at once. It was like an obstacle course, but I managed to get to the spectator area. As I chatted with some of the folks, it didn’t take long to figure out that all the spectators had just one goal in mind: Meet Ty Pennington. I had no idea what he looked like, but I didn’t have to. When the illusive Mr. Pennington emerged from behind this massively big bus, the crowd went wild. He was a rather handsome guy, for a human, so I could see why the ladies were excited. Everyone was screaming at him and jumping up and down.
You know how easily I get stirred up, so it didn’t take long before I was as excited as everyone else. So when Ty started walking to the bus as if he was going to go hide in it, I couldn’t help myself. I was going to meet him!!!! I scurried out away from the crowd and just launched myself in his direction. It was quite the leap and I landed squarely on his chest and had to grab his neck and shoulders to keep from sliding to the ground.



I startled him, but he was very kind. He thanked me for coming out and asked if I was going to be helping with all the work that needef to be done. I promised him I would do what I could. I think I blushed and giggled when he gave me a hug and gently place me back on the ground.
Since I promised Ty I would help, when it came time to pull down the old house, I was right there in the middle of it. I had already gotten a hard hat, but the rest of the volunteers were given theirs and told to get in line. I liked the idea of everyone wearing a hat. In fact, everyone in construction wears a hat – not the most colorful or stylish ones, but I do like to see chapeaued heads!
Everything takes a while when it’s being filmed. The cameras had to be in place, actors had to say their lines correctly and all had to go just right or it had to be done again. When it was time to pull the house down we were ready. When the directors told us to pull, I pulled as hard as my little kitty arms would let me. It was quite the feeling of satisfaction when a part of the house came down. Wow, I’m strong….okay, WE were strong!



I helped as much as I could until Mom came to pick me up. I told her all about my exciting day. She told me that there was going to be a big event in Festival Park to help raise funds for the family’s expenses. There was going to be music and food and a water slide and food and face painting and food. That sounded like something I would be interested in attending!
Dad, Mom and I headed over to Festival Park Sunday afternoon to partake in the festivities of the event they titled “Heroes, Hearts and Hardhats Music Festival.” There was to be live music all day. Mom gave me a talking to about behaving myself – she did not want to look up and see me on the stage! I told Mom I would do my best to keep a low profile, but I could make no guarantees.
I enjoyed listening to the music and taking big laps of my delicious ice cream cone. It was vey hot which made the ice cream taste extra good. I was happy just lounging in the grass until the greatest 70’s band ever took the stage. They were called Dathrowback Band and they were great. I found myself dancing and swirling and shaking my booty all over Festival Park. I inevitably ended up dancing my way up onto the stage to join in the fun. The band had all these great costumes lying around back stage and I helped myself to one before bopping out onto the stage.



I think my funky 70’s outfit deserves a closer look…



Mom was so busy dancing around in the VIP tent, that she didn’t even notice me. I joined the band for a couple of songs, but then the heat started to get to me - cat fur and all – so I thanked the band and boogied off the stage.
We enjoyed a couple of more performers and then it was time to leave. Before we left, we stopped by this cool photo booth that was set up by the Blueridge Log Cabins folks – the company building the house for the Home Makeover people. Mom, Dad and I had fun mugging for the camera. It only took a couple of minutes for the picture to be ready! I thought it was a really cool souvenir.



The construction work continued the next week even though the temperatures soared into the 100’s. I read in the newspaper that there were plenty of volunteers, - more than they needed, so I stayed out of the way. I knew they still needed skilled workers, but I wasn’t much with dry wall or pouring cement!
I did ask Mom to drop me off at the work site on the last day – the big “Reveal Day.” Word had gotten out that the first lady, Michele Obama, was going to be visiting. Oh wow! I would really like to meet her.
I arrived early and waited impatiently with many, many, maaaaaaany others. We saw everyone – Ty, all the designers and finally, Michele Obama!!!!
There were still a few things to do before the big event, so Mrs. Obama and I volunteered to help finish up the trim on the house. We grabbed a couple of paintbrushes and ladders and went to work. We made a great team and it was an honor to work beside her!



It was very exciting when it was time for the family to return and see their new home. I don’t want to give any details and ruin the show for you, so all I will say is…..watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition when it airs its Fayetteville, NC episode sometime in October.
If you do get the chance to watch the show, look out for my human brother. When the show gets to the part where Paul the designer is at Sears talking in front of a bunch of women helping load a truck with all the goods the show purchased, he’ll be the guy with brown curly hair and glasses, wearing a black shirt and pants that is actually doing all the work lifting the boxes. I hope they keep some of that part in! It would be fun to have a famous brother!
Well, I better go now. It’s been a busy week and boy, are my paws tired!! Until next week… stay cool! (and I mean temperature cool, not attitude cool…okay, well maybe attitude cool too)

Love & licks,
Josie

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Hobnobbing Kitties

Hello my friend! Welcome to my world! I bet you already knew what my topic for this week’s tale was going to be! When I heard my dear friends William and Kate were visiting the U.S. I knew I had to make plans to meet them in Los Angeles. While I’m not a big fan of flying – all the security…and the tight fit in the seat…and having to pay to bring all my stuff with me…people just staring at me for some reason – I would endure the trek across this great country of ours to see my favorite newlyweds!
I flew out of Fayetteville, so it wasn’t that bad getting to the plane. I had to use Mom’s plastic card to pay the fee to bring two suitcases with all my necessities along with me. I also knew that wherever Prince William goes, a polo match tends to break out, so I thought it would be a good idea to bring my trusty steed, Butterscotch, along with me so I would be ready. I couldn’t afford to buy her a seat, so I had to stuff her into the overhead storage compartment. I apologized to her as I tried to stuff her hooves under her so I could close the door. She assured me she was fine and was happy just to be going on my adventure with me.



I was disappointed that I wasn’t going to arrive in time to greet William and Kate, but I figured I would catch up with them at the polo match which had indeed been scheduled for the next day as I had suspected it would! My friend Icy was meeting me there, and we were going to have a fun weekend of hobnobbing with the upper crust. We were just in Los Angeles for a couple of days, so we were going to be two very busy kitties! We met up and had a nice dinner, then went to sleep early so we would be fresh for the events of the next day.
We greeted William and Kate as they arrived at the polo club. They were very excited to see us again – they hadn’t seen us since their wedding! We chatted excitedly and William insisted that we be allowed to accompany them inside the club. Icy, Butterscotch and I trotted in behind them, feeling special and holding our tails high.
William noticed Butterscotch and asked if my friend and I might be up for a couple of chukkers of polo. I quickly said “yes!” I asked William if I needed to pay, as the others were doing, for the privilege of playing polo with him. He laughed and told me that of course I didn’t. I was his special guest!
I think Butterscotch was afraid of all the beautiful, athletic looking polo ponies mingling on the field. She stayed very close to me and didn’t say much. I reminded her of our adventure at the steeplechase and I assured her this would be much easier with no fences to jump. She did look relieved at that fact, but she had never played polo before. I whispered in her ear that I had never played polo before either, so we were in the same boat! I told her it would be fun and don’t worry. Luckily I was right!
The stands were full of people who had paid good money to watch this match. I was very excited to be a part of it. When the match started all the ponies and riders raced as fast as they could after a ball. William had given me a mallet to use so any time Butterscotch and I galloped near the ball, I took a big ol’ swipe at it – I didn’t connect too often – but it was fun trying!



Butterscotch had a great time running as fast as she could all over the field. Sometimes she didn’t pay attention to where the ball was, so we sometimes ended up on the wrong side of the field. But it didn’t matter - we had a blast!
After the third chukker, we called it quits. I thanked William for including us in the fun, but we were pooped! He said that was fine, and he would meet us at the trophy award ceremony when the match was over.
Icy, Butterscotch and I had lots of fun cheering loudly from the stands. No one was surprised when William’s team won the match! He is quite the accomplished polo player! We headed over to the area where the trophy would be awarded. Kate was going to have the honor of making the trophy presentation.
We had to wait for everyone to gather and it seemed to be taking forever. Icy climbed aboard Butterscotch and they trotted around the field as Icy pretended she was playing polo. I had been eyeing the nice bowl at the top of the trophy…it would be just perfect to curl up in for a quick catnap! I couldn’t resist and I settled gently into the trophy top. Oh, this was comfy! I closed my eyes and drifted off until it came time to award the trophy.
I awoke to the sensation of flying….I popped my head up to see that I was being hoisted high over the winning team’s heads. Had no one seen me in here?!?!??!? I grabbed on to the sides to keep from falling out and let out quite a loud meow.



William saw me and brought the trophy down and gently lifted me out. I was a little shaken, but fine. William suggested I might want to go back to my hotel and take a nap before we had to be at a gala event that evening. I agreed and our little group headed off to take some much needed naps!
After a refreshing nap, Icy and I got busy gussying up for the gala reception. Butterscotch was very tired and didn’t want to go, so I tucked her into bed and told her we would bring her something to eat when we came back. I think she had fallen back to sleep before Icy and I were out the door!
We arrived at the event early so we wouldn’t miss William and Kate who would have to get us in past security. We had fun watching the celebrities arrive one by one. We would clap and wave as they passed by. Finally, William and Kate arrived. Icy and I gracefully walked over and twirled around so they could check out our beautiful gowns. They told us we looked lovely and we told them that they did too!
The crowd was cheering wildly and William thought it would be a good idea to take a minute and wave hello. Icy and I felt silly just standing there, so we decided to wave to the crowd as well. Being a celebrity is fun!!



Since the crowd was waiting inside, the event organizers came and directed us to the door. William took my hand to make sure I didn’t get lost in the crush of people, and we walked the red carpet into the event.



I was speechless (imagine that!) when I saw all the celebrities gathered in one place!! The funny thing was that they were as star struck by William and Kate as I was by them! None of the other women were wearing hats, so Icy and I took ours off and instead opted for the more demure tiaras I had stashed under my hat.
One of my favorite people we met was Tom Hanks and his lovely wife Rita. They were so funny and charming that the four of us spent as much time as we could with them. Tom was just so funny we just laughed and laughed…



They were many other stars – Barbra Streisand, Jennifer Lopez and Nicole Kidman to name a few. We pretty much stayed in one place and people came up to meet us. Icy and I were having such a great time we didn’t want it to end.
Alas, it was soon time to head back to the hotel. We needed to get some rest before leaving to catch our planes home in the morning. We hugged and kissed everyone goodbye, then climbed into the limo that William let us borrow to take us back to the hotel. We opened up a bottle of milk that was in the limo’s fridge and sipped it out of champagne glasses, pretending that we were famous felines fleeing our adoring fans!
Icy and I said our goodbyes when we returned to out hotel. We were catching flights in different directions at different times so we wouldn’t see each other in the morning. I love hanging out with my fellow feline fashionista!
I hope you enjoyed my tale! Have a great week! I will be hanging out with the Extreme Makeover Home Edition people this week as they build a house in Fayetteville. I’ll tell you all about it next week!

Love & kitty kisses,

Josie

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Feline Fourth Festivities

Helloooo friends! Welcome to another action packed edition of Josie Tales. I hope you had a fun and colorful 4th of July! I know I did! Well, I’m not going to keep you in suspense – let me get right to my story!
Mom and Dad announced that they were heading out of town for the 4th of July. It may be a national holiday, but to them it’s more importantly their wedding anniversary – Dad said he wanted to lose his independence on Independence Day…Dad is very funny. Since my brother was working all day on the 4th, I was going to be left to my own devices, which meant I had to start making plans. I could go out of town myself to visit some friends, or perhaps invite some friends here to attend some events with me. When I turned to head out to the deck to relax and plan my holiday, I saw a pathetic little kitten face staring in the door. It was Squeakers/Ginger/Hey You, who had taken up residence on our deck. I would hate to leave her alone on her first holiday. Besides, she needed to learn about things that matter to humans, so that when she is finally adopted she will fit in easily with her new family. She needed someone smart and savvy to teach her about the world. That sounded like a job for me. That settled it - I would spend my holiday with Squeakers/Ginger/Hey You.
After I bid adieu to my parents, I headed to my storage room to get supplies for the day. I sorted through my vast collection of hats and picked out some for S/G/H and I to wear. The first event on our agenda was the downtown parade. We needed a ride to the parade so I sent S/G/H to ask my brother if he could help us out. Who could resist that insanely adorable kitten face? Not my brother! He gave us a ride to a location right near where the parade was going to pass.
The loud noise of the marching bands scared S/G/H at first, and she hid behind me. She slowly became braver and braver and eventually she was marching in place and waving her little American flag.



S/G/H had such a great time, she thought that was the end of the holiday. Little did she know there was so much more to do! Now that I had her interest stirred, I took the opportunity to explain the history of the holiday on the drive home.
I told S/G/H that the 4th of July celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. She asked from what we had needed independence. I told her that our forefathers sought to break from England and start their own country. S/G/H looked puzzled. She told me she has watched BBC America through the back door, and the British seem so smart and funny – why would we want to break away from them? I tried to explain to her about unfair taxes and restrictions that the British were imposing on the colonists, but she seemed horrified to think that we had been unkind to the British. I told her we were all friends now, so it turned out okay. I reminded her of the BBC America Top Gear episodes where they came to the United States. They wouldn’t have come here if they didn’t like us. That seemed to placate her and she decided our independence was worth continuing to celebrate.
When we arrived home it was time for our next activity. I told S/G/H that a popular meal on the 4th was hamburgers and hot dogs. While those foods are tasty, we were going to have something more feline oriented. I pulled out the chef’s hats and we got to work. S/G/H liked being my assistant chef as we grilled up some beautiful tuna steaks. Since it wasn’t traditional food, I put little American flags in them to make them more 4th of July-ish.



When the steaks had those beautiful grill marks on them, we took them off and chowed down! We had to be careful to remember to take the flags out of them or in our fit of hunger we might end up eating one! The steaks were delicious and we ended up eating them all!
We were so stuffed we could hardly move! S/G/H asked me what activity was going to be next. When I told her swimming she nearly jumped out of her skin with excitement! Our neighbors were leaving town for a few days and they had offered their pool to us to use whenever we wanted. I wanted S/G/H to get the full 4th experience so it seemed a no brainer that we would take a dip in the pool.
I had a swim cap to cover S/G/H’s delicate kitten ears and an inner tube in which she could paddle about the pool. She asked if we could swim now and I told her we needed to wait an hour after eating before swimming….with all we ate, maybe even 2 hours. S/G/H looked devastated. She asked me why in the world did we have to wait so long. It was hot now and a swim would be so refreshing.
Staring into those big kitten eyes, I could not for the life of me remember why. I excused myself to go inside with some dishes, and I made a mad dash to Mom’s laptop computer. I know I’m not supposed to use it when Mom’s not around, but this was an emergency. I tippy tapped as fast as I could to find the answer to S/G/H’s question. Aha! I got it!
I scurried back outside, though I made it a point to look cool, calm and collected as I stepped back out on the deck. S/G/H asked again about the one hour wait after eating. I was ready. You see my young friend, if you swim too soon after eating you will get a cramp in your leg and drown…or get a cramp in your stomach and drown…or the food will make you less buoyant and you’ll sink to the bottom of whatever you’re swimming in and drown. I was running out of reasons so I threw in one of my own. You will be too full and when you do a belly flop you’ll lose your lunch in the pool so everyone will have to get out….and you’ll drown.
S/G/H didn’t say another word. She just went to find a shady place to stretch out and take a nap. I used the time to clean up and rest a bit. After an hour I awoke my young friend and we headed excitedly over to the pool.
I put little S/G/H into the inner tube and gave her a gentle push. She paddled as fast as she could all over the pool. She liked making little waves that made her bob up and down. I asked her if she liked waves and she exclaimed “Yes!” I decided I would help her make some waves!
I climbed up on the neighbor’s deck and walked all the way back to the house. I ran as fast as I could and just before I reached the edge of the pool I jumped so I would go right over S/G/H as I yelled Caaaaaannooooooonbaaaaaaaaallllll!



I hit the water and made a huge splash. S/G/H giggled as she wiped the water out of her eyes while she bobbed up and down on the big waves I had created for her. “Again! Again!” she squeaked. No one needs to twist my arm to make me do cannonballs. I cannonballed again and again and again. Finally, I had to stop as it was getting late and there were other activities in which we needed to participate! I had to practically drag S/G/H out of the pool to dry her off so we could get on with the festivities.
My parents don’t let us fire off the loud, popping, dangerous fireworks, but we are allowed to use sparklers. Mom had left us a few boxes to play with and I thought it was a good, typical, 4th of July-only sort of activity that S/G/H should experience. I lit the sparkler with Dad’s lighter and it took a moment before it sparked up, making S/G/H jump back. Her eyes were huge and her mouth hung open as she stared at the light dancing in my hand!



When the first one burned all the way down, I lit another. When that burned down, I lit another. S/G/H just continued to stare in amazement. I finally asked her if she would like to hold one. She hesitated, but didn’t want to disappoint me, so she took the sparkler. She cringed as I lit it, but seemed delighted when it started.



She just stared and grinned as I lit one after another. It’s a good thing that we didn’t have more boxes or I would have spent the rest of the night lighting sparklers for S/G/H!
There was one more very important event that S/G/H had to experience. The beauty and wonder of a fireworks show. We live near Ft. Bragg, so we can see the magnificent display they fire off every 4th. We had to wait until it was dark enough for the show to start so we hung out on the porch keeping a close watch on the sky.
Suddenly, Malcolm appeared out of no where. He popped up over the side of the railing and grabbed my Dad’s lighter and lit a little red, what looked like a piece of paper. When it caught on fire he threw it on the deck and it exploded making the most awfully loud sound. S/G/H and I jumped back in surprise.



Poor little S/G/H started to cry. I scooped her up and hugged her as I gave Malcolm a very stern talking to. I think he was mad that we didn’t save him any tuna steaks. He probably saw us grilling and was hoping to get a free meal. I told him that he was very mean scaring a poor little kitten like that and he needed to apologize. He patted S/G/H on the head and mumbled something that could have been an apology before he and his firecrackers went slinking out of the yard.
I took S/G/H inside for some milk and managed to calm her down. Soon we saw flashes of light outside the window and we rushed out on to the deck as a bright burst of red light exploded in the sky. Ooooooooooh! We both said. I saw someone coming up the deck steps and prayed it wasn’t Malcolm again. It wasn’t. It was dear Steve. We invited him to watch the fireworks display with us and we all settled down on the railing.



We oooohed and aaaaahed through the whole show. We were disappointed when it was over, but it had been a lot of fun. I looked over at Squeakers/Ginger/Hey You and she was fighting to keep her eyes open. Such a busy day for such a little kitten. We said goodnight to Steve and I carried Squeaker/Ginger/Hey You to one of the deck chairs and laid her down gently. I believe she was asleep before she hit the chair!
I found myself yawning, so I headed inside to bed. Tristan arrived home from work in time for me to tell him about the fun that was had by all. He was sorry he missed it. He tucked me into bed and said goodnight.
What a nice day Squeakers/Ginger/Hey You and I had. It’s fun to watch someone experience things for the first time! Aaah, I remember the days when everything was new to me. I hope I taught her a thing or two that will help make her a well rounded cat!
That’s all for this week. Have a great week and I’ll see you again next Friday!

Love & kitty kisses,
Josie