Practical Thursday Part Eight

Happy Thursday! It's time for yet installment of "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" - this week it one of Mommy's favorites, we're sure you'll all be singing this all day. Enjoy!

MR. MISTOFFELEES
You ought to know Mr. Mistoffelees!
The Original Conjuring Cat-
(There can be no doubt about that).
Please listen to me and don't scoff. All his
Inventions are off his own bat.
There's no such Cat in the metropolis;
He holds all the patent monopolies
For performing surprising illusions
And creating eccentric confusions.
    At prestidigitation
        And at legerdemain
    He'll defy examination
        And deceive you again.
The greatest magicians have something to learn
From Mr. Mistoffelees' Conjuring Turn.
Presto!
    Away we go!
        And we all say: OH!
            Well I never!
            Was there ever
            A Cat so clever
                As Magical Mr. Mistoffelees!

He is quiet and small, he is black
From his ears to the tip of his tail;
He can creep through the tiniest crack
He can walk on the narrowest rail.
He can pick any card from a pack,
He is equally cunning with dice;
He is always deceiving you into believing
That he's only hunting for mice.
    He can play any trick with a cork
        Or a spoon and a bit of fish-paste;
    if you look for a knife or a fork
        And you think it is merely misplaced-
You have seen it one moment, and then it is gawn!
But you'll find it next week lying out on the lawn.
        And we all say: OH!
            Well I never!
            Was there ever
            A Cat so clever
                As Magical Mr. Mistoffelees!

His manner is vague and aloof;
You would think there was nobody shyer-
But his voice has been heard on the roof
When he was curled up by the fire.
And he's sometimes been heard by the fire
When he was about on the roof-
(at least we all heard somebody who purred)
Which is incontestable proof
    Of his singular magical powers:
        And I have known the family to call
    Him in from the garden for hours,
        While he was asleep in the hall.
And not long ago this phenomenal Cat
Produced seven kittens right out of a hat!
        And we all say: OH!
            Well I never!
            Was there ever
            A Cat so clever
                As Magical Mr. Mistoffelees!

One Word Wednesday

V-E-T!

(hee hee at least George had to go with me!)

Oh, one more word - dang!

-Bert

P.S. It was just our annual check up and we're both fit and fine!

Tickled Tuxie Tuesday

Oh I got a surprise in the mail! I was soo excited to see a package in the mail for me on Friday. Of course, Mommy didn't help me open it all weekend, so we just got to it. But it was worth the wait!

It's a super-duper cool present from Sly - for guessing when his 100th post would be. There's a cat dancer, and some pit'r pat treats (my favorite!) and some mousies along with a cool pink heart thing (I think it might have nip - it sure smells good, what ever it is!).


Thanks, sooooo much Sly it's a great present!

-Bert

In Memorial Monday

Our Friend Kali went to the bridge on Saturday. She was a serious Tough A** Tortie, even showing her tortitude till the very end. Please make sure to send your purrs and hugs to Mom Lynn and all her family.

They will not go quietly,
the Cats who've shared our lives.
In subtle ways they let us know
their spirit still survives.

Old habits still make us think
we hear a scratch at the door.
Or step back when we drop
a tasty morsel on the floor.

Our feet still go around the place
the food dish used to be,
And, sometimes, coming home at night,
we miss them terribly.

And although time may bring new friends
and a new food dish to fill,
That one place in our hearts
belongs to them ...
and always will.

- Pearl, Bert and Jake

Furry Fighter Friday

We can't believe that we are having to say goodbye to yet another friend. It has been a very hard month in the Cat Blogosphere. But Storm asked us not to be sad or think of today as unlucky, so today we celebrate the life of an incredibly brave kitty that fought with all she had, and then fought some more. So today is a bitter-sweet day. Bitter for us because we will lose an inspiring kitty friend, Sweet for Storm because she is now without pain and free from the illness that made her life so much harder than it should have been.

In honor of her, we thought we'd share the story of how we came to know Storm.

We found Storm long before we started blogging (before we even realized how many kitties did it). Mommy was searching on lymphoma in cats, and up popped Storm's bloggie. You see, Mommy and Daddy had recently sent the first P and B (Purdy and Basil) of PB&J across the Rainbow Bridge because they had lymphoma. Mommy was worried that she hadn't done enough and had a terrible case of the "if only"s. She though perhaps there were other kitty guardians that had gone through the same thing and she could learn more.

Mommy was so happy to find the story of a kitty that was fighting, and winning against that evil disease. It made her feel better to know that even if Purdy and Basil couldn't win their fight at least there were kitties that were. Mommy rarely commented on Storm's bloggie, mostly she just read and felt better.

Then we started blogging, and we would visit Storm every once and a while - just to check in. It seems that we didn't visit very regularly till she got sick again, and even then it was hard, because Mommy would get all leaky eyed thinking of what Storm's Meowmies were going through. It brought back all sorts of horrible feelings for Mommy, but she knew how important it was for Storm to have lots of love and encouragement.



Sweet Storm, we know that one day we too will cross the Bridge and we will find you there. So we will not say good-bye, simply farewell for now Furry Fighter.

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not die.

We though we would share some pictures of our angel kitties, Purdy and Basil. There isn't a day that goes by that Mommy doesn't think about and miss them.




- Pearl, Bert and Jake

Practical Thursday Part Seven

And it's time for another installment of "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats". Mommy doesn't remember this one as well, but she thinks that the Great Rumpuscat may be Pearl's great-great-great-great grand-daddy, since she can put the smack-down on the woofies as well as he does!

(If you don't remember the song either it video is at the end.)

OF THE AWFUL BATTLE
OF THE PEKES AND THE POLLICLES
Together with Some Account
Of the Participation
Of the Pugs and the Poms, and the
Intervention of the Great Rumpuscat

The Pekes and the Pollicles, everyone knows.
Are proud and implacable passionate foes;
It is always the same, wherever one goes.
And the Pugs and the Poms, although most people say
That they do not like fighting, will often display
Every symptom of wanting to join in the fray.
And they
                    Bark bark bark bark
                    Bark bark BARK BARK

        Until you can hear them all over the Park.

Now on the occasion of which I shall speak
Almost nothing had happened for nearly a week
(And that's a long time for a Pol or a Peke).
The big Police Dog was away from his beat -
I don't know the reason, but most people think
He'd slipped into the Bricklayer's Arms for a drink -
And no one at all was about on the street
When a Peke and a Pollicle happened to meet.
They did not advance, or exactly retreat,
But they glared at each other, and scraped their hind feet,
And started to
                    Bark bark bark bark
                    Bark bark BARK BARK

        Until you can hear them all over the Park.

Now the Peke, although people may say what they please,
Is no British Dog, but a Heathen Chinese.
And so all the Pekes, when they heard the uproar,
Some came to the window, some came to the door;
There were surely a dozen, more likely a score.
And together they started to grumble and wheeze
In their huffery-snuffery Heathen Chinese.
But a terrible din is what Pollicles like,
For your Pollicle Dog is a dour Yorkshire tyke,
And his braw Scottish cousins are snappers and biters,
And every dog-jack of them notable fighters;
And so they stepped out, with their pipers in order,
Playing When the Blue Bonnets Came Over the Border.
Then the Pugs and the Poms held no longer aloof,
But some from the balcony, some from the roof,
Joined in
To the din
With a
                    Bark bark bark bark
                    Bark bark BARK BARK

        Until you can hear them all over the Park.

Now when these bold heroes together assembled,
The traffic all stopped, and the Underground trembled,
And some of the neighbors were so much afraid
That they started to ring up the Fire Brigade.
When they suddenly, up from a small basement flat,
Why who should stalk out but the GREAT RUMPUSCAT.
His eyes were like fireballs fearfully blazing,
He gave a great yawn, and his jaws were amazing;
And when he looked out through the bars of the area,
You never saw anything fiercer or hairier.
And what with the glare of his eyes and his yawning,
The Pekes and the Pollicles quickly took warning.
He looked at the sky and he gave a great leap -
And they every last one of them scattered like sheep.

And when the Police Dog returned to his beat,
There wasn't a single one left in the street.

Cool Cat

Am I cool or what?!



- Bert