How to Have a Happy Life

Stop the tyranny of Cat Parties! Put the cats and dog outside of the bedroom. Make sure the lock catches when shutting the door. Sleep well without: cat fights, dog snoring, dog jewelry jangling and cats wandering up to see if you are sleeping. Move legs freely without dislodging cats who complain.

Ignore meows, woofs and notes slipped under the door by cats who "just want to talk".

Relish sleep.

St.Casserole, rested and ready for the day

This is post #1001 from St.Casserole.

We are watching Gustav. I have water, hurricane supplies and a heavy heart.

Our cars are gassed up. Pet carriers are clean and ready. Sister, the Best Dog Ever, went to the Doggy Spa last night for a bath. It's easier to evacuate a big "fresh" dog than a dirty dog.

Today is the third birthday of Whistle and Fish, our orange cat boys. Their mom gave birth the day before Katrina hit. Mom and kittens survived because a human watched over them.

Frequent readers know I don't do hurricane damage well. Here on the Gulf Coast, many homes and business are getting back after Katrina. Three years after devastation signs of Katrina's damage are everywhere.

The stress and grief from great loss remain with my people. Talking about our local paper's coverage of the three year anniversary of Katrina, the preacher group worries about the emotional lives of the population. One preacher said, "I asked a group of church ladies if they thought the church should have a remembrance service. One of the older ladies said, "No need, Pastor. We remember."

For a New Orleans perspective, you may want to go read the blog of LettyNOLA. She's adorable. Look for her here.

St.Casserole

How to Act Like My Cats

Want early morning company and a full cat crunchies bowl? Get Dubby to put his big extra-toed paws on a human face.If that doesn't wake me up, start purring loudly then lean over and bite a nose with tiny kitty teeth.


Need your water dish filled in the Study bathroom? Put both front paws in the bowl then wail as though your tail is being pulled by a Ford truck.


Wait a few minutes after we fall asleep, get Whistle to run into our bedroom and cry out with such misery and grief the entire Angst of the Planet is summarized.If asked "Whistle, what's the matter?", look surprised and saunter out of the room. Do this several times then leave the room and play with a toy mouse.Repeat every night for two weeks then stop for three nights. Repeat.


Pretend you are Fish. Refuse to eat your cat crunchies out of the nice, clean bowl. Pull a cat crunchy out of the bowl onto the kitchen floor with your paw. Eat off floor. Repeat.


Never allow the beds to have smooth covers. Crawl underneath the bed covers and sleep. Use your paws to lift the sheets so that new, really stylin' sheets get torn with tiny holes. Repeat.


If you see someone reading the newspaper while drinking coffee at the kitchen counter, either sit on the newspaper or stand with your tail over the coffee mug. Look surprised when asked to move away.


Is it dark outside? Are the people asleep? Find something to push off the buffet in the dining room, a bookcase in the study, the bathroom counter, just anything which will break. Ask yourself, what makes the loudest and most disturbing noise? Glass or ceramics are good, but a book falling to the floor works, too.


Be like Dubby and stand on the kitchen desk in front of the window. Wait until a car arrives. Framed by the window, you look adorable and welcoming.


Find a trashcan, any house trash can will do. Tip it over. Pull out the trash, doesn't matter what you find. Spread it on the floor. No one has put food trash in a house trashcan since 1983, but, still, you can search. Dream of the day they forget to put the kitchen trash can inside the cabinet.


Tired? Bored? Stressed? Find Sister the Dog. Climb all over her big yellow lab body. Clean her ears. Lick her face. Fall down next to her and nap. Solves. Every. Problem. Everytime.


Did someone go into a bathroom and close the door? Didn't invite you? Stand outside the door and howl. Then stand up on your back legs and try to scratch the door off the hinges. Howl more. Stick your paw underneath the door and try to get the person's attention. Howl more. If invited in to stop the howling, beg to get out of the room quickly. Repeat.


Hey! I love them anyway,

St.Casserole

Non calor sed umor est qui nobis incommodat.

We have rain! Lots of pouring heavenly buckets of rain right now. Our brick back porch is flooding, a reminder that I need to trench new areas of plantings. Only rain shows where trenches or french drains are needed. The new landscaping, added over the past year, changed the terrain.


Traveling mercies to SB and MB as one goes to a conference and the other returns home.


I won't be painting the wrought iron chairs and table today. I bought a charming set for $2 at a garage sale Saturday. With new paint, new seats and a glass top for the table, I'll have a great set for...somewhere...not sure where I'll put these.


I found an office sized shredder at the salvage store several weeks ago. At 90% off, I thought I'd give a cross cut shredder a try. My table top shredder cost more and does less. The tiny pieces look like the cat litter the humane society uses for cats, so I'm adding hand fulls of shredded newspaper to the Cat Boys boxes. Perhaps this shredded paper will be my new cat litter source. At least the local paper will have a use.*


I saw the new paint yesterday at Little Church. The interior is sheet rocked, sanded, and primed. At first look, I couldn't understand why the walls weren't the color we chose. Then I realized I was looking at primer. New sanctuary light fixtures look great! We are all thrilled! Far from finished, we can see what will be, God willing.


I'm missing LD all day long. She phones home but is distracted with all the details of a new place and new people. I'll fetch her on Friday for the weekend. Can't wait!


In 2008 Books Read, I finished the fourth Twilight book by Stephanie Meyers on Saturday. Now I'm picking up Julia Spencer-Fleming's new book.

I miss you,

St.Casserole
*I sound like my Father. He crabbed about the local paper, too.

Several Things

*First, good pickings early this morning at estate sales. I have a new rug for my study. Good thing I found one because the stop-gap World Market rug gets on my nerves. Bad news! The Garage Antiques on 25th Street in Manhattan is rumored to be closing in November. Double Rats! I've shopped the Garage each and every November for the past 10 years. My favorite sterling flatware dealer and vintage jewelry sellers table there.

*The Johnbell conference at Jesus Meets Hogwarts ended Friday. Our travel home went well. While many on the BE cruise felt the ship for days after, I hear Johnbell's voice in my head today. He is a wonderful speaker.
Go see here for Johnbell's understanding of private worship in a public space. Thanks, Ice Flue!

*Dubby the kitten is biting people and cats with tiny nippy teeth. No one knows how to make him stop. What is the gentlest way to get this kitty to change his behavior?

I missed you all. Glad to be home with my people. Looking forward to worship tomorrow with my People.

St. Casserole

I'm coming home tomorrow. Our tickets aren't on American so I hope we can get home without incident or delay.

Reports came in about the cats. Whistle and Fish took off their collars to race around nekkid. Whistle got outdoors. Unusual circumstances because Fish is modest and does not take off his collar. I don't worry about Whistle escaping because he is a faithful indoor kitty. Dubby, except for putting his big paws on Mr. C's sleeping face, has behaved well.

I am needed at home.

The conference exceeded expectations. I love this setting, too.

Time for me to come home.

Traveling mercies for us tomorrow, if the Lord says the same.

St. Casserole

Very cold tonight with a full moon shining through the clouds.

I'm wearing a sweatshirt hoodie with jeans to keep warm. Even Andy, the Warrior Cat, came inside tonight.

Cold rain fell most of today which made us stay home to watch Netflix and read.



I worked on my sermon which did not fall into place until I got back in bed under the covers with three cats snuggled in the comforter folds.


As I began to relax, I saw the John passage on a story board.



Then I saw the flow of the passage as I hadn't before and "got" the text which then put together what I couldn't piece until then.


If you need me, I'll be here watching the sky and glad to be at home.

St. Casserole

Guest Blogger: Fish

For immediate transfer: Dubby, the kitten. Really, folks, I've had it with this boy. He gets attention from Mom, LD, Mr. C. and Sister-our-Nanny.

Whistle loves him. I do not love him.

Whistle plays with Dubby and takes naps with him.

That's my job. Time spent with Dubby means time taken from me.

Come get this kitten. Take his stupid blue kitten collar and that red felted mouse, too.

Up to my whiskers,

Fish

Not the CCL!

Dear Grace and all those who are wondering if I am becoming the Crazy Cat Lady,

I discussed the issue of multiple cats and the effect on CCL with Songbird who has assured me, in two separate phone calls, that four cats does not a CCL make.

I am not at all defensive about the suggestion that I am a CCL. Not.One.Bit.

Nada.

No way am I defensive.

Really.

You can see that the CCL Action Figure has seven cats. I have four. Just 4.

Not defensive. Not the the defense-inator. Nope.

Yours,

St. Casserole

Guest Blogger: Whistle Interviews Andy

Whistle: Andy, I'm interviewing you for the blog.
Andy: Blog Smog! Shut-up!!!
W: Andy, Mom said you had to be nice to me.
A: Be Quiet!
W: You are in the confinement pen in Mom's Study. Can you tell us why?
A: Big hole in my gut. Had surgery, emergency surgery, on Monday.
W: How's it going?
A: Hate it! I'm an outdoor cat. Can't stand being confined.
W: You have a litter box in there.
A: Don't talk about that! Litter boxes are for prissy little indoor cats! I haven't used one before.
W: Is that why you didn't use it for almost two days? We saw you with your back legs crossed...
A: Do Not Write About This!
W: OK.
A: And don't put a sappy picture up either!
W: OK, I won't. How long do you have to stay in the confinement pen?
A: Doc says two weeks. I say until I break out of here.
W: You have stitches and an e-collar. Just like Fish did.
A: Stitches come out today. I pulled off the e-collar. Do not tell!
W: I won't tell. Andy, you are a Katrina Survivor, aren't you?
A: Yeah, I came back with the Casserole Men three days after the Storm. They needed me. I rode in the rental truck with water, ice, food, chain saws and generators. I kept watch over the home while they helped people. Trees were down everywhere! I walked on trees instead of climbing. I had to eat what they put down for me except for a few squirrels and some birds I caught. I felt badly about eating the yard animals, no sport in it. The animals were dazed and sick. That Storm about killed us all. You were less than a week old then. You don't know anything about hurricanes!
W: OK. Mom says you picked out us as a family...
A: Not you or your brother! I found this house several years ago. I became the apprentice to Rusty the Great Cat. He taught me everything I know.
W: He's the cat Mama talks about and then gets all wet eyed about?
A: Yeah, She loved him and he loved her. He was Great.
W: She loves all of us. We love Sister our Nanny and you.
A: Stop it! My pain meds are wearing off! I'm not talking anymore to you!
W: OK.

Look at this scene from my bookcase. Andy (grey), Whistle and Fish (gingers) and Molly the Berner are all together. I need a Golden Lab like Sister, the Nanny to the Cats to finish the scene.

Oh, rats! I wanted to say something deep and meaningful in case some visitors floated over from the UM publication. Cannot thing of a single weighty thing to say.

St. Casserole