Girls' Day Out

Happy Friday! Happy weekend! Hope you had a wonderful week. Mine was especially calm and relaxing. After all the planning, coordinating, entertaining, spinning, flying and convalescing I’ve been doing, it was time for a week off. I thought it would be fun to get some of my gal pals together and have a girl’s day out. Okay, well maybe I didn’t give up planning altogether, but one must plan to make an adventure successful!
It wasn’t hard to find some gals interested in some “me” time. Bobbi, Cali and Cami all jumped at the chance to go somewhere relaxing to be pampered. There is a great day spa not far from my house, so we made a date to go do whatever they do at spas.
When we walked in we immediately began to relax. There was soothing music, a gentle waterfall and absolutely no catnip toys. After I handed over Mom’s magic plastic card for a few runs through their machine, we were whisked to a back room where we were given towels to wrap around our ears. The spa people didn’t want any oils, water or mud to get in our ears. I did a double listen when the spa lady said mud. How in the world would mud get in our ears?!?! I was not going to mud wrestle – well, that’s the only thing I could think of! It was explained to us that a mud bath was very soothing and good for your skin. Oooooooh! Okay, I was up for that. I know when it’s really hot outside it feels good to lay in the cool, damp dirt. This was the same concept I supposed.
Cami was the only other critter who was up for a mud bath. The two of us were led to a room with two big tubs of mud. Though I was tempted to do a cannonball into the mud tub, I refrained and instead slid myself slowly down into the warm, moist mud. It seemed to envelop me and I immediately relaxed. The soothing music playing helped to enhance my calm and I decided that mud baths were great! Aaaaah, this is the life. Cami eased herself into her mud tub and let out a little sigh as she settled in. Out of nowhere one of the spa ladies appeared with some food. I was trying to figure out how I was going to put food in my mouth with muddy hands when the lady reached down and placed a cucumber slice on my eye. Just as I started to say “excuse me”, the cool of the cucumber kicked in. That felt wonderful! The warm of the bath and the cool cucumber felt soooo good. I looked over at Cami. She had the cucumber slices on her eyes as well. I started to giggle because she looked like some kind of alien!





After a while, the spa people dragged us out of the mud bath. We met up with Bobbi and Cali who had opted for a massage. They both looked quite refreshed. We decided it would take a dip in their heated pool. I ended up being the only one who went for a swim. The others were so relaxed that they wanted to take naps on the lounge chairs alongside the pool.





By the time I finished my dip in the pool, it was time for lunch. They had a lovely area set up outside with tables and chairs and a buffet! You know how my friends and I love a buffet. They had some lovely salmon and tuna salad, so I was happy! There was quite the variety of food, and everyone was able to fill their bellies.







After lunch we went back to poolside and took another round of naps. I joined them this time. A full belly after much relaxation makes for one tired kitty! I drifted off to sleep hoping I wouldn’t start drooling all over the nice lounge chair.
The spa lady came and woke us up to tell us that if we wanted pedicures we were going to have to get started. We were ushered into the pedicure room. There were enough chairs for all of us to get pedicures at once. What fun!




We each picked out a color for our nails – I wanted red, Cami thought pink would look nice on her, Cali opted blue and Bobbi wanted gold. We also received a complimentary drink with our pedicures and we all enjoyed a nice big, icy cold glass of lemonade. We kept the towels on our heads even after the threat of something getting in our ears had passed – they were sort of like hats and we like hats!!!! We had fun just chatting and laughing while the pedicurists did their work. We were disappointed when they were done because that meant it was time to leave. I could have stayed there all day and night and still not have had enough!
We were so relaxed and mellow, we did not feel like walking back home. I called Tristan and had him come pick us up. When we arrived back at the house we agreed that we need to have a spa day more often. I think we’ll wait and see what Mom says about her magic plastic card statement before we plan the next one!!
Have a wonderful week. Make sure to make some time to relax!!!

Love & licks,
Josie

Catty Shack

Happy Friday! Happy weekend! Happy happy tail!! I am happy (that’s a lot of happys!) to report that my tail is just about back to normal. It still turns a little to one side and has one spot that is still out of my control, but for the most part I am able to express myself once again. I did not like walking around looking unhappy – that is so un-me!!
My friends and I were sitting around finishing up the last of the food that I had accumulated from my well wishers the week before, when Corny came flying out of the sky and landed clumsily on the deck railing. He started telling us about the men with sticks beating a small defenseless white creature in the green field at the end of the block. We all agreed what an outrage that was and we asked Corny to lead the way to the scene of this injustice.
When we arrived on the scene, the vigilante cardinals were already taking action. They had surrounded the poor defenseless white creature to protect it - but I didn’t see anyone with sticks.





We asked the cardinals what was going on and they eyed me suspiciously. “Who wants to know?” the head cardinal sneered. I remembered then that they did not like me. “A band of concerned citizens,” I replied. The cardinals told us the same story that Corny had relayed but they called it an egg instead of a white creature.
I went over to the egg/creature and sniffed it thoroughly. I poked it with my nose and then gave it a gentle tap with my paw. I started to laugh as I told the others that this wasn’t a creature, it was a ball. It was a special kind of ball – a golf ball.
Evidently, none of my cohorts had watched golf on TV and had no idea how the game worked. Both my Dad and brother play and they had explained it to me when we watched it on TV. I looked around and saw a golf cart with a couple of sets of golf clubs just sitting on the fairway. There was no one around so I thought perhaps the course was trying to drum up some business by offering free cart and club rentals. I asked my friends if they were up to learning a new sport and they enthusiastically said YES!
After I spent several minutes convincing the vigilante cardinals that the golf ball was not an egg, I asked for a volunteer to take the first swing. Jibbers said that he was the first out of the airplane when we sky dived… sky dove… skied dived… went parachuting, so it was someone else’s turn to be the first to try something.
Bobbi volunteered to be the first and she grabbed a club and addressed the ball. “Hellooooo ball” (sorry I couldn’t resist.)






She’s a little thing but she smacked it with all her squirrel might and it flew through the air and landed on the green. We all clapped in appreciation of her skill and decided we would ride down to the ball in the golf cart.
We had a small problem though. None of us was built to drive a golf cart. Several of us tried to stretch way out and reach the gas pedal while holding on to the steering wheel, but it didn’t work. Even Cali with her long legs couldn’t do it. We put our heads together and came up with a plan. Skippy would steer the cart while Jibbers worked the pedals. Most of us climbed aboard and waited to start our fun ride. I think Jibbers got confused and pressed on both pedals at once. The cart revved up but did not move. Then Jibbers figured out what he had done and released the brake. That’s when the wild ride began. The cart popped a wheelie and we took off on two wheels.




Clubs and cats went flying!! Woooohooooo! Hammy and Skippy were just giggling away as Cali, Tank and I were flung in the air.
It didn’t take Jibbers long to get the hang of it, and we were sailing around the golf course with ease. Every now and then someone would get out of the cart and hit a golf ball, but we really never got serious about the game.
After we spent a while in the heat, we all started to get punchy. Somehow Malcolm had gotten his hands on some chicken – I don’t want to know how – and had made a chicken kabob with a golf club. I told him to take the chicken off the golf club – it was going to make the club all greasy! He ignored me so I started to swat at him with a golf club of my own. He swatted back and we started a sort of sword fight. Cali and Jibbers were getting bored with golf and climbed a tree. Corny was fed up with the whole thing and decided that the only way the little white golf ball was going to end up in the hole was if he put it there. He picked it up and flew over to the hole and dropped it in.





It was getting late so we all climbed back into the golf cart and headed back to the hole that was at the end of our street. We left the cart and clubs (some greasier than others) where we found them and headed home.
I hope you have a fun weekend! Drag your friends out to try something new!
Love & licks,
Josie

Tail Tales

Happy Friday! Happy weekend! How I miss my happy tail!!! I have had quite the strange week. There are just some things in this world that you don’t appreciate until they are not working right. This week has given me a new appreciation for my wonderful tail.
It all began last weekend when I awoke with an odd malady. My tail was hanging straight - and I mean straight - down. I couldn’t lift it, I couldn’t swish it, I couldn’t even move it out of my way to sit down!!



Evidently, I use it to balance when I jump on top of things, so I did not have my usual cool feline prowess. Mom and Dad thought I was mad at them, but it didn’t take them long to start worrying. They then thought maybe I was sick. They lifted my limp tail and looked around and concluded that there was nothing outwardly wrong with me.
I dragged my tail around all day. I was feeling fine. I ate, I drank, I was merry. I played with Vuvu and Cali in the yard during the day and cuddled up with Mom and Dad at night. I figured it would come back eventually so I wasn’t worried about it. Unfortunately, Mom and Dad were.
Monday morning while Mom was still at work, Dad grabbed his car keys and me and headed to his car. I was very excited. I thought maybe we were going to meet Mom for lunch at a seafood restaurant. Nope. When the car stopped we were in front of a place that looked vaguely familiar to me. I had been here before. When I walked in I could smell other cats and dogs. A lot of them. There was barking and meowing and suddenly I realized where I was. I turned and made a beeline for the door, but Dad had anticipated that and was waiting to scoop me up. I joined in on the meowing.
Mom showed up a few minutes later. That couldn’t be good. She was supposed to be working. How were we going to pay the bills if she was hanging out at the vet’s office with me. I tried to convince her that we should all go and perhaps stop for a nosh on the way home. She didn’t buy it so we sat and waited to be called into the “room.”
It was finally my turn and Dad plopped me down on this cold, hard metal table. I was not happy. Now my mood matched my tail.





This very nice doctor came in and tried to make friends with me, but I was having none of it. She poked and prodded me. After all that she stuck a needle in me for something called Distemper. My temper was just fine before I was jabbed! Now I was in a state of distemper!!
The vet took wanted to take my temperature. I turned and opened my mouth, but that’s not how she wanted to take it. Yikes!!!! That was unnecessary!
The only good thing was the fact that I lost a pound since I was last there. As to my tail, the vet told me to take it easy and not move my tail at all if possible. I shook my head no, I couldn’t possibly. which was not a smart thing to do. A short time later my parents were carrying me out of the vet’s office with a cast on my tail.
I decided if I was going to be an invalid, I might as well be an invalid all the way. I had Mom borrow a hospital bed from her friend at the hospital and I had it set up outside so I could still see my friends.
It didn’t take long for word to spread that I was confined to bed. Of course Bobbi was the first to arrive on the scene to offer aid.




Bobbi figured I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed to get something to eat so she brought me one of my favorite things – shrimp cocktail. She was very surprised at how many get well presents I had received already. She told me that some friends would be stopping by shortly to check on me. Oh goody!
It didn’t take long before the stream of well wishers began coming up the deck steps. I was touched that so many of my friends were concerned about my health and evidently my hunger. Every single friend brought me something to eat. So much for that pound I had lost!




It was great!! Hammy and Skippy baked me a squirrel cake that was absolutely delicious! Handsome Rocky caught a huge tuna just for me and Jibbers baked me an adorable cupcake decorated with a band aid. One of the most touching gifts I received was from Malcolm. He actually gave me an entire bucket of chicken – and it was all there – he hadn’t even eaten one piece! I guess he does care after all!
Cali found the biggest bottle of milk that I’ve ever seen! Felicia paid attention to what I’ve said and knew that I love Friskies Party Mix and she brought me a big old bag of that. This was turning into a party! I chatted with each one of my friends and assured them that I would be as good as new in no time. After a while, Bobbi decided that I had had enough excitement and needed to nap. She shooed everyone off the deck and told them they could return later. I told them I had enough food so next visit they could just bring themselves.
As I drifted off to sleep I smiled at the thought of all my generous friends. I thought how much fun it will be to get the cast off and once again run around and play with the diverse group of creatures that are my friends.
Have a great weekend and a wonderful week. Do something nice for a friend – I know they’ll appreciate it!

Love & licks,
Josie

Kitties Ride

Happy Friday! Happy weekend! After all the daring adventures of the past few weeks, I was looking forward to a nice quiet week so I could recharge my kitty batteries. I was lounging on the deck with a cool glass of lemonade when Bobbi stopped by. She sat down next to me and asked what grand event was in the works. I told her I was taking the week off, and she nodded in agreement. She told me that she and all our friends appreciate all I do for them. How sweet! It’s always nice to know you’re appreciated!
Bobbi and I just lazed around sipping our lemonade and chatting about all the fun things we’ve been doing lately, when along came Skippy and Hammy. They had decided to drop in and surprise Bobbi. She was so excited! She told me not to worry, she would entertain her guests. I told her that I wouldn’t mind throwing together some chunky peanut butter on crackers – the crustless bread is only for special occassions – but I would have to go to the grocery store for more peanut butter. The squirrel contingent offered to accompany me to the store. Everything is more fun with company, so I gladly accepted their offer.
It was a nice day, so we decided to leave my poor brother alone and walk down to the grocery store which was not far away. I grabbed my mother’s magic plastic card and we headed out. We picked up more friends as we walked along, Malcolm and Rocky were busy debating the pros and cons of original recipe versus extra crispy. They were surprised to see me leading a parade of squirrels down the street. I invited them to come along with us, pointing out to Malcolm he could use a nice long walk. One can’t eat buckets of chicken and stay healthy without doing lots of exercise. Malcolm rolled his eyes at me, but when he heard we were going to the grocery store, he fell in with the rest of us.
When we came to the big highway, we were careful not to wander into the street. As we walked along we made a list of what we needed from the store. I let everyone pick one special thing for themselves. Bobbi wanted some pistachio nuts, Hammy wanted pecans, Skippy had a hankering for hazelnuts, I was going to grab one bag of every kind of the Frisky’s Party Mixes, Rocky wanted a fresh tuna, and Malcolm wanted a whole roaster chicken. We were all getting hungry just thinking about all those delectable delicacies!
As we turned off the highway toward the little strip shopping center, a splash of color and lights hit us! Wow! What was going on?!?!??! In the big parking lot and open field next to the shopping center someone had set up a carnival complete with rides, games and FOOD!
We all looked at each other, paused a few seconds, then ran as fast as we could toward the carnival. Much to our delight, Mom’s magic plastic card worked at carnivals too! As we were trying to decide which ride to go on first – we thought the food should wait until later, much to Malcolm’s chagrin – we met three of our dear ferret friends, Brutis, Jibbers and Cami. They had seen the pretty lights and had come to enjoy the carnival. I invited them to join our ever growing party and they were happy to have more friends with whom to go on rides.
We thought we’d start out slow and go on the teacups. Malcolm refused to go on such a sissy ride. Rocky, being the gentleman that he is, agreed to accompany me into the teacup of my choice. Bobbi’s escorts were equally gallant and did not hesitate to climb aboard with her.





Brutis said he wasn’t much for spinning around, so I asked him if he would keep an eye on Malcolm for me and keep him away from the food until we were finished going on rides. He was very sweet and agreed to do so.
The ride started and Rocky began turning the metal wheel that makes it spin. Wheeee! I had to hold on to my hat! The more I yowled the faster Rocky made it spin. We both started laughing so hard neither one of us could turn the wheel. That gave me the chance to see how my friends were doing. Cami and Jibbers were turning the wheel just as fast as they could. They were going so fast they were becoming a blur of fur and hats. I could hear them chirping with glee as were my squirrel friends on the other side of me. You know Hammy and Skippy didn’t want to be outdone, so they turned that wheel with all their might. I do believe both the ferrets and squirrels maxed out those teacups!
When the ride ended we all spilled out of our teacups. It took a minute or two for the world to stop spinning. We looked like a pack of drunkards the way we were weaving when we walked! We sat down for a minute to get our bearings and pick our next ride.
There was a yellow submarine ride that looked interesting. I had to assure Rocky that there was no water involved – it just looked like a submarine, it wasn’t actually an underwater vessel. This time Cami and Bobbi volunteered to look after Malcolm who didn’t want to ride on anything so yellow. Boy that cat has some hang ups!!





We buckled ourselves in and then it started. It went round and round, faster and faster – I was thankful I had not eaten anything yet! We all screeched every time it swung down. It was fun.
Despite all the spinning and swinging around we were getting hungry and decided we would go on just one more ride and all of us would go on it. Since Malcolm hadn’t gone on any rides yet, we let him pick what he wanted to go on. He picked the roller coaster. Not the big scary one but the kiddy one – he thought it was a “kitty” roller coaster. That was fine by me – I didn’t want to go on the big one!
We all climbed aboard except for Cami. She said she was still spinning from the teacups. That worked out great because we needed someone to hold our hats. We were afraid that they might blow off and get dirty, so we took them off. The ride started slowly and as it got going it was really loud and bumpy. For all the adventurous things I’ve done you would have thought this would have been tame, - but it was scary. I did all the appropriate roller coaster things you’re supposed to do. When we went down a hill I put my paws up in the air and just screamed. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!





When the ride was over I noticed Malcolm looked a little shaky. I asked him if he was feeling okay. He mumbled something about being hungry and stalked off to find food. The rest of us were also hungry so we feasted on corn dogs, peanuts and giant turkey legs. Once our bellies were full and we no longer needed to go to the grocery store, we headed back home. We didn’t want to leave without Malcolm so we split up to try to find him.
I heard Skippy call from the other side of the carnival and I ran over to find Malcolm in all his glory.





He was having a nutritious meal of funnel cake and fried oreos! He was washing it all down with a humongous bucket – yes, bucket – of Kool Aid. All I could think was, boy was he going to be sick tonight!!
It felt good to walk off some of our dinner. We ended up having quite the activity to amuse our guests! We were glad I had run out of peanut butter or we would never have known about the carnival. See, you never know what the day has in store for you!
Have a good weekend and week, my friends. I hope you find some unexpected fun!

Love & licks,
Josie

Come Fly with Me

Happy Friday! Happy weekend! We have had a little relief from the heat. It was only in the 90’s this week as opposed to the 100’s the week before. Break out the sweaters!!
Corny has been bugging me about learning to fly. I tried to explain to him that one must have wings to fly. He told me about the people dressed in green who he meets in the sky all the time. It took me a minute before I figured out what he was talking about. Ooooh! He meant soldiers parachuting at Ft. Bragg. I asked him if he had happened to notice the big puffy pieces of cloth above their heads. He responded that yes, he had noticed, but he had already figured out what they were. Even though I knew that they were parachutes, I couldn’t resist asking him to enlighten me. Corny seemed very proud that he knew something that I did not. I couldn’t wait to hear this!!! He patiently explained to silly me that they were sun shades to make sure the skydivers didn’t get too hot or sunburned. He told me that being that much higher and closer to the sun might hurt the delicate human skin. They weren’t protected with feathers like birds.
It took a lot of effort to stifle my laughter, but I told him that his theory made sense. I told him that the pieces of cloth also served to catch the wind to slow the person down so they could land easier (and not break any bones) and help them steer where they wanted to go. Corny thought that sounded plausible. He then suggested I should get a parachute so I could fly. I told him I could get a parachute, but I would also need a plane to take me high up in the sky so I could jump out of it. Unfortunately, he knew of a small airport about a half hour away that had little planes that people jump out of all the time. Being the plucky feline that I am, I would never back down from a new adventure. I agreed to try skydiving.
I was not going to do this by myself, so I recruited several of my bravest friends to accompany me into the clear blue yonder. Bobbi said she would try it if she could bring Skippy and Hammy along. I told her the more the merrier! Cali, Dot and Vuvuzela surprised me by saying they thought it sounded like fun. I figured it would be nice to include one of my new ferret friends, and Jibbers jumped at the chance to skydive. Then there was Malcolm. He wanted to know what food was involved. I told him it didn’t matter to me if he came along or not. I was not going to ply him with food. He seemed disappointed but didn’t want to be left out of a trip that might involve passing a KFC. He mumbled something about us needing him to keep us out of trouble so he might as well tag along – I don’t think those were his words exactly, but I’m too much of a lady to say what I think I heard him say!!
I tippy tapped the Raeford airport and let them know that a party of nine would be coming to skydive the next day. They tippy tapped back and said they were looking forward to meeting us. They had seen me perform at the Dogwood Festival and were visitors to my website. Oooh! Fans! Now I know how Sandra Bullock must feel!
Our brave team assembled in our front yard at the crack of dawn and we all piled into my brother’s car for the trip to the Raeford airport. The car was pretty quiet – I think some of us were having second thoughts. I know I was. Corny greeted us at the airport and showed us some of the airplanes. We knew which one was going to be our plane!




The nice folks at the airport showed us around and answered all our questions. We had to take a class before we could board the plane so we all sat quietly while we waited for the instructor. All except Malcolm, that is. He was getting hungry and grouchy. Tristan agreed to drive back to town and find a KFC. Before the class was over, he returned with several buckets of chicken. He thought we all might enjoy a snack since we skipped breakfast. Most of us were too nervous to eat, which left lots of chicken for Malcolm. He was in heaven.
When we were sufficiently educated in the art of skydiving, we put on our jump gear and headed for the plane. I tried to tell Malcolm to leave the leftover chicken behind, but he thought the trip into the sky would take a long time and he would get hungry again. I didn’t know how he could think of food at a time like this. It was much too exciting!!
The plane taxied down the runway, getting faster and faster. It was a small plane so it shook and rattled as we sped up to takeoff speed. Just as I was beginning to think something must be wrong – whoooosh! The plane smoothly lifted into the air. We all sighed aaaaaaaah at once. We climbed higher and higher until we leveled off at a gazzilion feet (or so it seemed – actually it was around 13,000) We peeked out the window and couldn’t believe the view. Everything looked so different from up here!!
Then it was time to start jumping out of the plane. It goes against every logical bone in one’s body, but I was determined to see this through. Each critter wanted someone else to go first and we just went around and around about it. Finally, Jibbers had had enough and scurried to the door. He looked back at us, smiled and jumped out!





Wow! What a brave ferret! We all peered out the door to see him waving and laughing as he fell through the air. Now we all wanted to do it. One by one we jumped out of the plane – Geronimoooooooooooooooooooooo! We all loved it. Everyone was smiling and waving to each other.







Surprisingly, there was no sensation of falling, more like floating – and very windy!!! Our little tails were just flapping around. We had no control over them! It was such a cool sensation that I didn’t want to end.
Then I noticed Malcolm wasn’t anywhere to be seen. I looked back at the plane in time to see Malcolm and all his chicken come flying out the door of the plane. I was hoping I wouldn’t get hit with a piece of chicken once I hit the ground!





Our instructor, who jumped with us, signaled us to open our parachutes. It seemed like only a minute since we had left the plane, but I didn’t want to become a large splat on the ground. We all pulled our ripcords and braced for the slowing of our fall. We must have been a sight; nine of us floating in the sky. Now all we had to do is have a safe landing and we would have done it. After being so high up and having so far to fall, the ground seemed to suddenly come up fast! But our excellent instructor had us prepared and we all made nice controlled, gentle landings.




As the instructor went around helping us gather our parachutes we were all chattering with excitement: Did you see me? Did you see that? Wasn’t that cool? We were high fiving each other and just grinning with satisfaction. Well, most of us were. Malcolm was frantically running around with an empty KFC bucket trying to find the chicken that had gone flying out the plane door with him. He was not pleased. “Wasn’t that a blast Malcom?” I gushed and slapped him on the back. Even in his agitated state, he couldn’t help but let a smile creep onto his face. “Yes, that was cool,” he said in the clearest voice in which I have ever heard him speak.
Poor Tristan had to listen to our stories all the way home. Each one wanted to tell him what they did and saw. He was very nice and tried to act interested in what we were saying. I’m sure he was relieved when we finally arrived home.
I invited everyone back to the deck for a beverage before calling it a day. We thanked Corny for encouraging us to try flying. We all decided he was very lucky to be able to do that whenever he wanted. I am so glad we weren’t afraid to try something new!
Hope you have a great weekend! Go out and try something new – even if it seems scary. Especially if it seems scary!
Love & licks,
Josie

Squirrels Just Wanna Have Fun

Happy Friday! Happy weekend! Oy! It is still so hot here in NC! I would have preferred to just stay inside in the nice air conditioning all week, but when one of my friends needs my help, I am always at the ready. Dear little Bobbi has been such a good friend to me, I couldn’t say no when she asked me to help her out.
It seems that when I would be out on the deck tippy tapping on Facebook, Bobbi would jump on the computer anytime I went inside to procure a cold beverage. She had searched and searched and had finally found some squirrels who had their own Facebook pages. There was one squirrel in particular who was smart and witty and made her smile - Skippy. She used my account in the begininning to chat which probably confused the other squirrel. Why was a cat being so friendly to a squirrel? It wasn’t too long before Bobbi revealed her true identity. Bobbi told her new friend that cats and squirrels can be friends – it just takes a very special cat and a very special squirrel. She told him about her life and her friends and all the crazy things we had done. Even though Skippy lived in Maryland, Bobbi got up the nerve to invite him to visit her. Much to her surprise, he accepted her invitation! She was so excited!!! I was so excited!!!! We were all excited!!!!!
Bobbi’s excitement soon turned into panic. He was a refined squirrel from up north and she was a simple southern gal. Would he be bored by her? She had the scar on her nose and half a tail – would he make fun of her? I told her not to worry – the creatures worth knowing are the ones who don’t care about appearances. I told her she was beautiful and shouldn’t worry about it.
She was also worried about having to plan meals and things for them to do. Since he was only going to be in town for a couple of days, I told her it wouldn’t be that hard. Surely, we could think up enough things to do to keep them busy. Bobbi asked if I would work my magic and plan a dinner for just the two of them. I told her I would do my best to prepare a wonderful meal for her and her friend, but I couldn’t guaranty that it would be just the two of them. If word got out that food was being served, there’s no telling how many critters were going to wind up in the yard!
I put a calendar in the back yard and we counted down the days to Skippy’s arrival. He was going to hop on an Amtrak train and my brother was going to drive down to the Fayetteville train station to pick him up. As each day passed, poor Bobbi became more excited/nervous. She asked me to help her pick out the perfect hat to wear during Skippy’s stay. Bobbi helped me plan the menu, but I kept some of the plans secret.
The day of Skippy’s arrival final dawned. Tristan headed to the train station to pick up our esteemed visitor and I helped Bobbi brush and fluff her tail. Mom let us borrow her hair dryer to get extra poof in Bobbi’s abbreviated tail.




We positioned a lovely summer hat just so on Bobbi’s little furry head and she was ready to do us southern ladies proud!
When Tristan and his passenger pulled up the driveway I thought Bobbi was going to pass out. I had to push her toward the car so she could welcome him. When he stepped from the car, even I was impressed. Wow! Now that was a sharp squirrel. He had the perfect hat and cool shades – quite the sophisticate!! Bobbi timidly walked up to him and giggled when he presented her with a beautiful single red rose. I don’t think I’ve seen Bobbi blush so much!





Bobbi said she wanted to show Skippy around the neighborhood so he could see where she lived. They would be back in a couple of hours for dinner. I winked at her and told her that I would have dinner waiting for them when they returned.
As the new friends went off into the trees, I rushed to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Bobbi had found out that Skippy loved chunky peanut butter. That was easy – I could do that! I had recruited some of my friends to go to the grocery store with me the day before, so I had stocked up on everything I needed using Mom’s magic plastic card.
Since Bobbi wanted to seem sophisticated, I did the most sophisticated thing I know – I cut the crust off the bread on which I was going to dollop the chunky peanut butter. As I have said before, nothing oozes refinement like crustless bread. I also prepared some lovely chunky peanut butter on wheat crackers. Finally, there was a lovely assortment of nuts. I was sure Skippy was going to enjoy this feast!
Bobbi and Skippy came back a little early, but I was ready anyway. I showed them to their table on the deck. I scurried inside and returned with two fluted champagne glasses. Cali followed me out with the champagne and a bucket with ice to keep the bubbly cold. Bobbi was so surprised and Skippy seemed pleased when he saw the Dom Perignon label. I popped the cork carefully and filled their glasses. They made a toast to good friends and took a big sip of the champagne. Bobbi laughed when the bubbles tickled her nose. Skippy and Bobbi just talked and talked as they sipped their champagne and feasted on the assorted nutty foods.




I think the pop of the champagne cork drew attention from the others in the neighborhood. One by one, my friends appeared at the end of the deck. I told them that Bobbi wanted to have a private meal- besides the fact that the food was nothing in which they would be interested. Still, they sat and watched. They wanted to see what a northern squirrel looked like. Needless to say, they were disappointed that he looked just like a southern squirrel!
After dinner the two very full squirrels wanted to stand and stretch their legs. They leaned on the deck rail and continued to chat and sip champagne. They didn’t notice that I had brought a keyboard out onto the deck until I started playing. Just as I was getting into the groove, Corny came swooping down out of the sky. He was on his way home from work and noticed the crowd.
I whispered to him to please behave and not embarrass Bobbi. He gave me the “Who me?” look and asked if they would like him to sing a song. A pained looking Bobbi asked Skippy if he minded, and being the gentleman that he is, Skippy said he would be honored.
No one was more surprised than me when Corny started singing!




He had a gravely kind of voice which was perfect for the song he chose – “What a Wonderful World.” Louis Armstrong would have been proud. When he finished there was not a dry eye in the yard. We all stood and applauded. Corny took a big bow and cackled with glee. Just when I started feeling bad for asking Corny to behave, he screeched “Knock! Knock!” “Who’s there?” Skippy shouted. Skippy seemed to be a knock, knock joke fan - guess he hadn’t heard Corny’s knock , knock jokes! “Doughnut,” Corny replied. “Doughnut who?” we all chimed in together. “Doughnut waste any of that fine champagne!” Oh, Corny just thought that was so funny. Us – not so much. He went flying off into the sunset just laughing away.
I invited the others hovering at the end of the deck to come and join us at the keyboard. We spent the rest of the night having a great time singing songs and laughing. There was enough champagne for all of us to have some – which only added to the silliness.
Skippy fit perfectly into our little menagerie, and we were sorry when he had to head back home. We promised him next time he visited we would all go on an adventure. He liked that idea. He hugged us all goodbye and Tristan drove him back to the train station. Bobbi was sad to see him go, but she was very excited that he had invited her to come visit him in Maryland. She was so happy – Skippy had told her she was beautiful inside and out. Skippy was a very special squirrel!
Hope you have a great weekend. Go out and make a new friend. You never know what special people are out there waiting for you!

Love & licks,
Josie

The Cat Went Over the Mountain

Happy Friday! Happy weekend! Boy, did I have an exciting week. I had forgotten that Mom and Dad had promised to take me to the mountains to do research for the Christmas book I’m writing. Ever since my first Christmas with my forever family, I have wondered why and how a tree keeps appearing in our living room for a few weeks around Christmas - then disappears as mysteriously as it appeared! I did a bunch of tippy tapping and found out why, but I also needed to find out where they come from. Turns out that North Carolina is quite the supplier of Christmas trees! My book will have all the cool details about what I found out, but I must tell you about the trip itself.
Now, I know that I have considered the trips that I have taken with my friends as adventures, but I found out what real adventure is this time around. Mom and Dad told me they would drive me the 4 hours to the mountains, but I would not be able to bring any friends along. We would have to be staying a couple of nights at a hotel, and they couldn’t have more than one animal in their room. I said goodbye to my friends, jumped in the car and off we went to the mountains.
I have lived in Fayetteville all my life. I had been to the coast with my friends which was pretty, but I had never been to western North Carolina. It was funny to watch the landscape become more hilly and then mountainous. The mountains are just awe inspiring! One popping up after another – they looked like they went on forever. It was quite cloudy, so the higher up the mountain we drove, the more we seemed to be up in the clouds! We arrived at our hotel in the early evening, which left us just enough time for a nice meal, a soak in the jaccuzzi and a good night’s sleep.
We headed out in search of Christmas tree farms so I could get some pictures showing how the trees are grown. The car zig zagged up the mountain – and I must admit it was a bit scary. They’re not big on guard rails, so you could see down the side of the mountain. There were these big rocks jutting out into the road – they looked like they had faces. This one was one of the biggest.



We were not on any kind of a schedule, so when we passed the entrance to Grandfather Mountain we made an unplanned hard right turn and started the steep climb up the mountain. It was a really big mountain, so I figured surely there were Christmas trees somewhere in this park. The question was where. Who would know better than some of the local animal residents? As we wandered around I saw a small pond with a really big ball floating in it. I went bounding over to it hoping to find someone to play with. As soon as my paws were on the ball, out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of something moving. I looked up and nearly jumped out of my kitty fur!!!! It was a bear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





I have heard stories about the black bears that live in the mountains, and I don’t recall any of them being of a positive nature. I smiled and tried to not act scared. From the size of the bear I figured it was a male, so I said “Hello, sir” and quietly prayed there was not an even larger bear behind it, making this bear a “ma’am”! Much to my relief, the bear smiled and tapped his paw in the water to give me a little splash. I giggled and splashed back. We pushed the ball back and forth for a little while. The bear said his name was Kodiak and he has been living on Grandfather Mountain for many years. I told him that I was just visiting in my quest for the elusive Christmas tree. I asked Kodiak if he knew where I could find Christmas trees. He told me there were a lot of trees on the mountain, but he wasn’t sure which one might be the Christmas tree of which I was seeking . I thanked him anyway and said goodbye. As I turned to head back to the safety of my parents, a smaller black bear stepped in front of me and grabbed me.




She thought I must be a friend of Moochie and Oliver, cats who live on the mountain. She thought I was so cute (well, of course – I am!) She also thought it was so great that I wasn’t afraid of bears. I smiled sheepishly, hoping the pretty bear wouldn’t sense my trepidation. I asked her if she knew where I might find some Christmas trees. She looked puzzled and admitted she knew there were lots of tree on the mountain, but she had no idea which ones were Christmas trees. Her friends gave her a call and she told me she had to go. She gave me a big hug before placing me gently on the ground. She patted me on the head and bid me adieu as she lumbered off.
As I headed up the trail, I saw a big bird. She must fly high, I thought, so she would have seen if there were any Christmas trees on the mountain. I went up and said hello, and when she turned to look at me, I was taken aback. I had seen her before - she was that All –American bird – and she was beautiful!




I introduced myself and we sat and talked a while. Her name was Wilma and she told me how she had come to live on Grandfather Mountain. She had been wounded by a gunshot and had to have her wing amputated. Since she couldn’t fly, she would never be able to survive in the wild. She was brought to Grandfather Mountain to live the rest of her life. She is provided for by the Grandfather Mountain caretakers who make sure she is safe and well fed. Wilma had no idea what a Christmas tree was no less where I could find one. I thanked her anyway and told her what an honor it was to meet her.
Next I came upon three very silly critters. They were so much fun to watch. They would dive into the water and swim really deep. I watched them play and chase each other. I wanted to join in, but I’m not that good a swimmer. When they finally saw me, they came over and introduced themselves. They had some very interesting names: Nottaway, Oconee and Santee. They, too, thought I must be a friend of Moochie and Oliver, so they welcomed me with open arms. They invited me to stay and play, but I told them about my mission to find where Christmas trees grow.




The three otters put their heads together and conferred. They had quite a heated debate before Oconee turned to me and told me they had no idea what a Christmas tree was hence had no idea where to find one. I told them that it was okay. Evidently, none of the animals on the mountain were interested in Christmas trees.
Mom assured me we would find trees, so I shouldn’t worry. Mom and Dad suggested we go to the top of the mountain and check out the view. That sounded interesting, so I jumped in the car to start our snaky climb to the top of Grandfather Mountain. We pulled into the parking lot at the edge and the view was amazing. The clouds drifted by our heads. It was quite the experience. After bears, eagles and otters I figured the adventure part of our trip was over – but I was wrong. Mom and Dad wanted to go on the famous mile high swinging bridge. Since it sounded like it was going to be quite the adventure, I put on my faux fur coon skin cap. I was ready!
I couldn’t imagine that the bridge was really a mile high – that seemed impossible…and then we started across it.


I don’t know who was more scared – Mom or me. I held on to Dad’s hand tightly as we walked slowly out to the middle of the bridge. But it was funny, I wasn’t as afraid as I thought I would be. The bridge was nice and solid so it didn’t seem like it would swing as badly as it looked like it would. I was so proud of myself as I stepped over the Mile High Marker. I was one brave feline! Going back was a different story, though by then I was ready for it. The wind kicked up and I could feel the bridge moving a little, but not as badly as I feared. We made it back to solid ground safely. Wow! Wait until I tell my friends how high up I was!! I was actually up in the clouds. It was fantastic! I wanted to walk across the bridge again, but Mom seemed to have had enough. I let her off the hook since we really did need to accomplish the mission for which we had set out.
As we drove down the mountain we stopped to take pictures of the beautiful scenery. Mom asked if she could snap a photo of me – but of course!! I don’t know which is more beautiful – me or the scenery!



The ride down the mountain was lots of fun. We went on the road and through the turn that was in the movie Forrest Gump. Remember in the movie when he runs across the country? The scene of him run up a hill around a curve is on Grandfather Mountain! I love that movie so I thought that was really cool!
On the way back to the hotel we passed field after field of beautiful Christmas trees, so I did indeed manage to get the information and beautiful pictures for my book.





After such a fun, busy day, I slept great! We were sorry that we had to leave that next day, but we knew we would definitely return in the near future.




There was so much more to do – on Grandfather Mountain as well as the surrounding area. I had no idea that there was such beauty so nearby. Maybe next time I’ll be able to bring some friends along…
Have a wonderful weekend and a great week. Go check out the great things your state has to offer. You won’t be sorry!

Love & licks,
Josie