Category Archives: Cats

Signs, Signs, – Stokely Event Center

The best place in Tulsa for taking pics of signs is the Stokely Event Center. I’ve been there a few times taking pics of their outside signs but had never been inside. It is a cool place. They have their own geocache so you know they are cool, right?

Logan’s school had his prom there. Here is all spiffed up. I think he even liked his outfit. And that is saying something.

Heather helped with the event. (I just have to brag on her. Isn’t she beautiful? What does she see in me? That last was just a hypothetical question that you don’t need to answer!) I just got to drop off Logan and his buddy and then go home. I was ill you see and didn’t need to be getting the youngin’s sick.

I snuck inside anyway for a little while (yep snuck is a word here in Oklahoma. ) Talk about signs, the inside of the place is is a riot. Signs of all kinds everywhere. Many of them neon signs.

I liked the soft drink section. I’ve had most of these except I have never heard of Delaware Punch or Dandee. Anybody out there have those?

I was eyeing the shuffleboard table. Heather and I did a lot of our courting playing shuffleboard. It is still our game. But, I could only stay a few minutes and she was working and the event was for the kids. I thought about coughing on it and announcing a quarentine but decided not to.

I bet not too many of the kids knew what this is. I bet you most adults who knew, don’t remember. Oh, and then I had to go home.

Where me and LJ watched a few episodes of Breaking Bad. My newest obsession. (I’m telling you for one last time to quit looking so stumped on what she sees in me!)

Signs, Signs.

Chrissy R.I.P.

We had to have Chrissy, our big Maine Coon kitty put to sleep late last night. We noticed that we hadn’t seen her in a while so we searched the house and when we found her she was in really bad respiratory distress so we loaded her up and I took her to an emergency vet place. They put her on oxygen and got her settled back down. They took an X-ray and what they found was not good. Her lungs and abdomen where full of fluid and it looked like she had a huge growth on her liver. So as the vet recommended we had her put to sleep.

Chrissy was a rescue cat that we got as a kitten in 2001 or so. She was tiny for about a week and then she was twenty pounds. Or so it seemed to us. She kind of ruled the roost over the other animals. She didn’t hesitate whacking one of the other pets if they irritated her or just because. Any large flat surface in the house was tried out at least once as a napping spot

For some reason, my big stomach perhaps, she kind of became my cat. I wrote many blog posts, read newspapers, and watched television with her draped all over me complaining loudly if I had to move her. She took purring to a whole new level. It almost vibrated the whole house.

She put up with our hi-jinks in trying to be more fun but she didn’t like it.

And she was definitely an inside cat. Especially when there was snow outside.

Anyway she is now at that big fireplace hearth in the sky and we miss her.

A big shout out to Animal Emergency Center, Inc. here in Tulsa. They are really a class organization and their vets and employees really have a heart for animals and their owners.

What To Do About Overstressed Cats

I am very worried about Logan’s cat LJ (“Logan Junior” just so you know). He is quite stressed and can’t seem to relax. I am wondering if we have too much going on the house. I mean maybe instead of trying to cram everything in during this holiday season we just kind of back off and get to basics. Just kick back and take it easy and maybe he would learn by our example. What do you think?

I think we are going to give it a shot because we are really worried about him. He just doesn’t seem to know how to loosen and just chill. He runs here and there and is about to wear himself out.

Does anybody know how we can get our poor overwrought kitty to relax?

LJ the Inquisitive Cat

Meet LJ, short for “Logan Junior.” LJ was a Christmas gift to Logan a few years ago. He is a rescue cat but do you think he is grateful at all. No sir!! We are lucky to have him as far as he is concerned. He is one of those bottom heavy cats who doesn’t like to be picked up and when you go to put him down he jumps away leaving you all scratched and clawed.

I guess that we’ll keep him though. He is a handsome devil. The bane of his existance is Chrissy our big Maine Coon. When she gets into a bad mood she just stomps over and lays into him. It is kind of fun to watch.

First Snow

We had our first snow of the year on Friday. It started with sleet and ice on Thursday during drive time home (fun, fun, fun, rednecks on ice!) and the snow started early Friday. Rather than play bumper cars I worked from home. I just love having that option.

And I shoveled the driveway. It was a wet snow and it pretty much did me in. And again, for the thirteen years that we have lived in the house our driveway was shoveled first. Then three of my neighbors came out and shoveled theirs. I think I shamed them into it. I don’t feel bad, they shame me into mowing my yard in the summer. Our four driveways were the only ones shoveled in our part of the neighborhood.

I was glad we had put our Christmas lights up outside while it was still warm. I hate putting up lights when it is cold and it is impossible with snow. It is not supposed to get above freezing until Wednesday. Oh, I’m already hearing the moans of sympathy from those who live in Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, and Maine for me having to bear our brutish temperatures.

So I turned on the outside lights while I shoveled. Sorry, I think lights with snow is pretty.

Inside I got our gas log going. That’s Chrissy the Christmas Cat, our big, fat, lazy, Maine Coon. She’s going to not move from that fireplace except for eating and pooping until April.

Heather worked hard decorating the house all day. She does a heck of a job and I’ll post some of her handiwork later. She has quite a collection of snowmen. These are just a few. She says she needs a snowman clock for kitchen and you know I think she does. Maybe we can get out today. The street in front is a solid sheet of ice but maybe it will be passable once the sun gets up.

The annual University of Oklahoma vs Oklahoma State University football game (called the Bedlam game) is being played today at 11 am. It is going to be below 20 degrees at game time. Lots of people I know are going. Those are known as crazy people. I just can’t imagine being interested in going to a game and freezing in a crowd. I am a casual fan of both teams. I prefer the professional version of the sport personally. Uh, I mean, the National Football League version.

So, how is Winter going for you so far?

Skywatch Friday – Winter is on its Way

It was just a couple weeks ago that the temps were still warm and toasty and the grass was green. Things have changed since, the temps have dropped considerably,and tomorrow we are going our first cold blast. We expect to to get a wintry mix here in Tulsa and of course we are a panicky bunch so the milk and bread is all gone from the grocery stores along with the snow shovels.

Unfortunately we are not so careful driving on snow and ice. I mean why should we slow down or leave early. So we drive the same speeds and the body shops are going to make a fortune working on the cars for months to come.

I don’t think that tomorrow it is going to be like February 2011 as show above. That’s Chrissy, our big cranky Maine Coon who really doesn’t like being rousted from her nap for a snowy photo shoot in the back yard. As you can tell she was telling me about it. You can also see that her claws her out on her back feet. I’m wearing a canvas jacket and leather gloves and had so she was a little frustrated. She likes to see blood when she gets mad.

Me, I don’t worry about the weather too much unless it involves tornadoes, then I worry a lot. I don’t worry about cold and snow. Our neighbors to the north have a lot more snow and a lot colder temperatures than we do and they do fine.

Skywatch Friday.

Our World – Philbrook Museum of Art

Last week me and SuperPizzaBoy had some time to ourselves to we went to the Philbrook Museum of Art. We are members thanks to the world’s great MIL, SPB’s Grandmother “Nana.”

We di the whole thing, inside and out, we saw great murals.

Native American Pottery

Modern Native American Art

People brunching.

We love the entry hall at museum, it is grand and very geometric.

A painting of the Grand Canyon by Thomas Moran.

Their collection on Modern Design

We even liked the fireplace screens.

And in a house built by a oil tycoon do you expect the wild naked fish riding women to stay under covers? So to speak.

We also love the gardens of the museum.

We saw both Philbrook cats.

SPB went to say hello, the cat had things to do and places to be.

Philbrook is the place to be if you find yourself in Tulsa.

OurWorld Tuesday

Where Does a Twenty pound Maine Coon Sleep?

Wherever she wants at our house.

Camera Critters

Meet LJ

This is LJ. He is our son’s cat. The day we brought LJ home was a happy day for SuperPizzaBoy.

He is all grown up now and I have another name for him.

Kindle Cat

Pet Pride

This, That, and the Other and Genesis 1:20

Saturday was an errand running day for SuperPizzaBoy and I. His Mom spent the whole day preparing for a fund raising event at SPB’s school so she didn’t get to join us. Lucky for her she says.

I made breakfast believe it or not. I used a recipe from “The Pioneer Woman’s Cookbook” by Ree Drumond of the blog “Confessions of a Pioneer Woman“. Check her blog out, I’m a big fan of MommyBloggers and that blog is a MommyBlog on steroids. Back to breakfast, she has a dish called “Egg in the Hole” which is simple enough.

Instead of egg and toast separately, you cut a hole in a piece of bread and then toast the bread in a skillet in a pool of butter and then put an egg in the hole and cook it. So its a combo type thing.

The way it actually works out is that it is a stick of butter with toast and egg added for texture. I made one for him and I ate two. I used a whole stick of butter. Its a good thing I hadn’t seen my dietitian in a while. I’m not sure how heart healthy it is, but they are good and they are filling.

I wondered if SPB would like it. New food is a sometimes thing with him, but hey he ate it!!

Then we set out to run a few errands. The main thing we were interested in was getting ready for the upcoming “Great Backyard Bird Count” We thought it would help out if we restocked our bird feeders. I’ve been wanting to get started bird watching for sometime now and I guess this will be our introduction. In our geocaching ventures in the woods and fields we come upon lots of birds and I really couldn’t tell you waht 90% of them are except in the most general way.

Anyway the great backyard bird count looks like a fun way to get introduced. They have bird lists by area and all sorts of references. Basically you just count the birds by species for at least a 15 minute period during the February 12-15 dates and submit your count online at the web site. I can handle that.

So we bought some sunflower seeds, some finch food, and a suet cake and set them out.

I know, I know, there are all sorts of guidelines about how high, and how far, and what kind of cover. Our neighborhood doesn’t have cats running around and my main guideline was I wanted to see the feeders from the kitchen.

We had an immediate customer. The little suckers are hard to photograph. I don’t know if Sweetie is going to put up with a tripod full time in the kitchen. On the other hand I washed the window I was shooting out of. I didn’t wash the ones adjacent but maybe later.

It looks like LJ want to help us count birds. Can cats count?

Then SPB and I took down our Christmas lights. It may seem a little late for that but we have had a messed up winter. Oklahoma winters are normally pretty mild. It may get cold for a while but it almost always warms and we get bright clear days with temperatures in the mid 40’s or so. Hey, sunny, no wind, and 40’s is a great day. Its almost shirt sleeve weather. So that is when I take the lights down.

Not this year, it stayed cold. So we got them down. SPB helped. I was up on the ladder and he took the gutter tabs off. We had a good time. Once you get him started he is like the Energizer Bunny on a task.

Later on SPB went to spend the evening with his Nana and Sweetie and I went to the fundraiser at the school. Sweetie had been putting together a table for a Silent Auction. She is queen of hospitality and presentation.

“And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth and across the expanse of the sky.”

Genesis 1:20 (NIV)

Check out That’s Baloney for other pairings of scriptures and photographs.

YogisDen.us

Welcome to my world