COTC

Weekend Cat Blogging and more

A busy weekend here, so we present a couple more photos from our cat sitter Ronni West:

Luna has this wonderful wide-eyed expression in many of these photos. You can see another example in this recent post. We'll miss our pet sitter when we move.

Weekend Cat Blogging #136 will be hosted this weekend at Chey's Place.

The Bad Kitty Cat Festival of Chaos will be happening at the House of the Mostly Black Cats.

Carnival of the Cats is coming to Life from a Cat's Perspective on Sunday.

And a special note for Carnival of the Cats founder Laurence Simon, who lost his feline companion Frisky this week. Are thoughts go out to Laurence, Gina and Nardo.

Finally, the Friday Ark #173 is at the modulator.

Weekend Cat Blogging and more: The Storm

California was hit by a nasty set of winter storms this weekend, and our soon-to-be-former home in
Santa Cruz was certainly in the middle of that:

Spectacular white-capped waves, heavy rains and high-powered winds battered Santa Cruz County on Friday causing clogged roads, sending trees and power lines into houses and buildings and flooding area roads..

Even from our window, it was obvious this wasn't an ordinary winter storm:

Even more than the rain, the real problem was the wind, well over 60MPH at times. And with wind comes power outages:

There were 46,010 PG&E customers without electricity in Santa Cruz County as of Friday afternoon, said company spokesman Jeff Smith.

We were among those customers, with power out until well into the evening. No lights, no heat, no internet or radio, and only a small amount of phone service. Perfect time for some extra long afternoon naps:

Luna has recently found this black pillow and made it her own.

At some point in the afternoon, I decided to try going out, maybe find a cafe with some electricity, warm drinks, and internet service. But it seemed that the entire town was without power, and most businesses were shuttered. This is what a hurricane must feel like as the storm approaches. A bit disappointed, I returned to the cold, dark house, for at least the warmth of a blanket and “kitty love.”

As afternoon turns to evening, the lack of light becomes more of a problem for humans. But for cats, who have excellent night vision, activities can continue largely uninterrupted:

Indeed, Luna was quite active in the early evening as darkness settled in.

Fortunately for us humans, power was restored to some parts of town by early evening, and I was finally able to go find a cafe for warm drinks and internet service (and to recharge the all important cell phone). The chatter of others and bustle of activity was quite welcome, indeed. But still no power at our house; our block was frustratingly dark even as others started to light up. I was able to spend some time and enjoy a warm meal at a the home of a friend whose power had returned, and by around 9 or 10PM our power was finally back on. As I returned to the house, I could see Luna's face peering out the window, with light in the background…

Weekend Cat Blogging #135 is being hosted by Katie and Puddy of A Byootaful Life. It seems that they are experiencing a rainy weekend as well, and they're inviting everyone to come inside.

The Carnival of the Cats has a new home at The Cat Blogosphere, and they will be celebrating the inaugural edition this Sunday.

The Bad Kitty Cat Festival of Chaos will be hosted by Ammie & Menagerie at Sleeping Mommy. The option theme is “Gotcha Day Stories.” You can read about Luna's Gotcha Day from this anniversary post back in June.

And of course Friday Ark #172 is at the modulator.

Weekend Cat Blogging: A day of the year

For our last Weekend Cat Blogging of the year, we weave several of our favorite photos from past into a narrative about the present.

Of course, we at CatSynth wouldn't deign to open such a narrative with “it was a dark and stormy night”. But it was a very gray morning, a bit like the Dark Gradient we posted a couple of weeks back. Yet another perfect day for lying by the heater:

Dark or otherwise, I have been an early riser of late. Even on a Saturday, up by 9AM, and fresh coffee brewing soon after. Certainly the thing to get one alert and wide-eyed:

Actually, morning coffee is an opportunity to relax and enjoy a moment before the real work of the day begins. Read a bit, listen to the radio, do a crossword, and start on some Weekend Cat Blogging. But none of it was happening. Too weary, too numb. Back to bed.

To her credit, Luna soon left her comfy perch above the heater to join me. She's always ready to provide much needed “kitty love.” Of course, she has to first knead her spot on the bed:

Cuddling up for a morning nap, and letting go of the outside world and its worries. Yes, that's what we needed. And now we will be ready to continue with our day…

Things can change very fast. A phone call around noon sets in motion events that may determine the fate of “soon-to-be-former CatSynth HQ.” I can spare you the details, except to say we suddenly need to clean up a bit more than we have been. There's all the boxes and debris such from our expected move:

along with our general sloppiness over the past few months:

But in addition to the task at hand, there is the melancholy of what we will be leaving behind. Some favorite spots, for one:

But we have our photos and our memories, and of course, we should have new favorites in our future home.

So it's back to work for us…

The main focus of today's effort is the downstairs studio/office room, scene of many creative and musical moments:

as well as some moments of comfort:

The goal for today, and indeed for much of work around the house, is simply to get things clean and organized. From complete chaos and bewilderment to something manageable, that we can envision packing up and moving. We have been fortunate to count on our friends to help us in the effort, today as well as last week. And their help has been invaluable. Indeed, the last month has reminded about friends and family and what's important in life:

It looks like we're not the only ones going through the challenges of moving. Kashim and Othello and Astrid were going to host Weekend Cat Blogging #134, but they have just moved and are temporarily without internet access. Fortunately, Samantha and Tigger have stepped in to host the New Years Edition of WCB.

The Bad Kitty Cat Festival of Chaos will be hosted by Zed Monster and The Bad Kitty Cats. The optional theme is “birds or feathers.” Hmmm, that sounds rather familiar…

Carnival of the Cats returns this Sunday to its original home with Laurence Simon. And of course Friday Ark #171 is at the modulator.

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Weekend Cat Blogging and more: December morning

This Saturday morning, we see Luna enjoying a different window:

It was a very cold morning, with frost.

Frost isn't very common for this part of California, though we have had a lot of frosty mornings this December. Yes, it has been quite cold. Perfect for spending even more time on a favorite perch above the heater:

But we all know the best source of heat is curling up together for some cuddling and pets:

This of course brings us to the theme of this weekend's Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos: family and friends. Being close to one's family, human or feline, is important, and for me what keeps me going during what is an otherwise “difficult” period. Friends, too. And we hope to hear from some of our friends this weekend…

Weekend Cat Blogging Holiday Edition is being hosted by Katie and our favorite Luna-look-alike Puddy. Puddy seems even more like Luna than usual (except for the hat).

The Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos is being hosted by our friends Astrid, Kashim and Othello at Catboys Realm. As stated earlier, the theme this weekend is “friends or family,” and it looks like Othello is getting things started with a sibling tribute of his own.

The holiday edition of Carnival of the Cats will be hosted by Missy and KC at The Cat Blogosphere. And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

Carnival of the Cats #189

Well, it's Sunday, and time for the 189th Carnival of the Cats. Luna is in one of her many favorite spots and ready to preside over the festivities. And so we shall begin…

First of we have a funny cat and dog video from Musings at Windyridge. What a patient dog…

Aloysius' friend Goldy enjoys some bird watching in Ohio at Catymology. “Oh, for a fine, fat pheasant of my own!”

We have come to expect great photography from our friends at The Poor Mouth on “Wordless Wednesday”. And they deliver with this elegant photo of Mimi.

Many of our friends celebrated Halloween this past week. We can still catch the Cat-O-Lanters over at Watermark. In fact, the have a second one, because you can't have too many Cat-O-Lanterns.

And what would Halloween be without costumes. Fortunately, the cats over at The Scratching Post have found a minimalist approach by going out as a rabbit.

Wanna see something Scary in the South? Head over to Blog d'Elisson. They also feature black cat Neighbor for Halloween. It's been great to see so many black cats this week.

Halloween is of course followed by dia de los muertos (day of the dead), and at Texas Oasis, we have dia de los muertos para los gatos, honoring beloved cats who have passed on this year. We at CatSynth offer our respects as well. They also share an excellent New York Times article about the love of our animal companions.

Puddy enjoys a not-so-grand adventure outdoors at A Byootaful Life. He doesn't make it much past the backyard. But that's further than Luna ventured when outside in her harness…

Boo says TGIF, or “Tuxie Goodness It's Friday.” Well, even though it's no longer Friday, it will come around again soon enough.

Meanwhile, might as well enjoy something comfortable, or “cumforbuls”, just like at Friday Cat Blogging Ladybug Edition at Lab Kat.

Nosey enjoys his perch atop a wooden board. There is also a closeup, where we can all see how handsome Nosey is.

Visit Bonnie and Victor to see “a one-time only affair, never to be repeated. Bonnie tolerating Victor? Never! She just wants her chair.”

Meanwhile, we have a great new video of Middle-Aged Cat Play from This, that and the other thing. Pounce! Good times.

Over at spectacular imperfections, we have a case of identical twins. How did they do that? Emily certainly wants to know.

Nothing says peace and contentment more than a kitty curled up in a lap, and have a wonderful example at AmbivaBlog. [perhaps it's appropriate that Luna jumped up on my lap as I wrote this].

Even indoor cats want to be mighty hunters, and thus Mycah has an encounter with a squirrel at TacJammer.

More cat videos this weekend, with Tabitha and Gizmo in action at Nancy's Crazy Adventures.

Perfectly Parker has Freaky Photos for Formerly Feral Friday. OK everyone, say that ten times fast!

At Pet Monologues, “a cat makes a brief, but critical, appearance.” Inspired by another COTC participant Watermark.

Especially in these days of high energy prices, we more cuddlin' to keep warm, and Grace and the Kittens show us how. And Audace demonstrates another source of renewable energy with his non-stop play.

Andrée of meeyauw treats us to Lectionary reading from the LOLCat Bible. This ons is for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Samantha and Tigger demonstrate classic classic cat-sleeping positions over at Life from a Cat's Perspective.

And speaking of classics, check out this photo of our friend Dragonheart.

At Mind of Mog, the cats are getting “legal” for their apartment, which means a trip to the vet for Ritzi. And although everything went well and Ritzi can return home, parting can be so bittersweet.

iMeowza declares “Me Handsome”. With photos like that, we at CatSynth cannot disagree. But meanwhile iInfidel says “look who's the dirty boy”. We'll leave that one alone…

“Fundamentally rendered insane by power”. The The Rangers have been sick, at StrangeRanger. We hope the get better soon. But meanwhile, Ivy demonstrates the proper response, lots of rest.

At the The Mad Macedonian, a cat reveals a secret. Co-blogger Nikita maintains a blog-within-a-blog called Nikitas Place, complete with its own blogroll and more. Interesting concept.

Next, we have this adorable photo of Missy Blue Eyes enjoying another gizzy quilt. The blue of her eyes and quilt are remarkable.

Missy also introduces us to a saturday trio. Extreme cuteness alert!

Rocky is having a yard sale over at Artsy Catsy. Check it out, though we at CatSynth need to avoid accumulating more stuff right now. Must resist.

In Israel, four members of a local cat colony enjoy a nice breakfast. You can see four handome gray and silver cats, arranged in quite a symmetric pattern.

At The Wide Awake Cafe, we meet a handsome black cat at a bed-and-breakfast. We are also reminded that “lfe sometimes requires one to take tedious journeys but if there is a cat at the end of the road, all is purrs.”

…and what a great sentiment with which to close this carnival!

We at CatSynth enjoyed hosting, but are quite exhausted from the experience.

Thanks to everyone who participated this week.

Hosting Carnival of the Cats #189

NOTE: The round-up will be posted sometime Sunday night (US Pacific time)

We at CatSynth are excited to be hosting this weekend's Carnival of the Cats!

We welcome all feline blog submissions for the Carnival. To participate, use the handy submission form, or contact us.

And don't forget this weekend's other cat events. Weekend Cat Blogging #126 is at Chey?s Place. The Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos is back home at the Bad Kitty Cats. And of course Friday Ark #163 has boarded at the modulator.