Let’s get something straight. I know for a fact that I have seven cats. I have a beautiful photo to prove it and I even know all of their names and can recognize them properly about 90% of the time without getting them mixed up. So, why does it seem like there are dozens of cats living in the house?
In our house, it’s that time of year when “Big Red” comes out. Or what we like to call it, “A Big Deal Production.” Big Red is a glorious big, red, soft, and warm blanket that graces our bed with much pomp and circumstance during what we call our “cold spell” in Florida. Flip flops are traded in for shoes and socks, tank tops are replaced with a sweater, and we have to stop grilling outside. This can literally go on for 3 or 4 days in a row and causes much water cooler talk about just how chilly it is.
For the cats, Big Red is a HUGE PRODUCTION and quite an ordeal! Once they see that blanket on the bed, like a catnip magnet, they are on top of it with insatiable curiosity and glee. After a bit of sniffing, kneading, and exploring, all of them settle in for a mid-winters slumber and Big Red is soon “Big Red Covered in Cat Hair.”
All seven kitties - Clockwise: Zoey, Harley, Zee, Rolz, Peanut, Mia, and Jazz
After the last post I did on my new tradition of decorating my tree in a leopard theme, two points came out that needed elaboration. One, pictures of the actual ornaments I made were requested, and two, more evidence was needed in detail via these pictures to determine fairly, if indeed, I had gone off the deep end as I had suggested. So, here it goes. I will let you be the judge of my sanity and promise my feelings won’t get hurt if you declare me certifiably bonkers.
A snippet of the full layering effect of decorating the tree – shatterproof ornaments with glittery patterns, leopard accents in the form of bows and decoupaged balls, custom painted letter "Z's," and strands of beads.
First of all, in order to properly create my leopard inspired tree, there was a meticulous method to my madness and you will note that the tree has several different aspects to it. I wanted a harmonious and tasteful combination of colors and textures that would evoke both Christmas as well as an exotic leopard feel. I artfully mixed carefully chosen assorted shatterproof holiday ornaments in shades of burgundies, reds, greens, golds, and silvers to compliment my homemade touches. The first one being the leopard decoupaged balls. The process is really quite simple if you have the wherewithal to make a bit of a mess for a while. I decided it was imperiatvie I drop everything else I was doing (such as bookkeeping, laundry, and errands) and took all the various sizes of the shatterproof balls that were completely smooth and devoid of any glitters or ridges as the base for my project. For those of you that have received a copy of The Chronicles of Zee & Zoey from me, you know that I wrap the book in a sleeve of leopard patterned tissue wrap… so, I just so happen to have lots of tissue paper handy for crafting! With nothing but watered down Elmer’s glue, torn up pieces of tissue paper, a paint brush, and lots of patience, decoupaging the balls is quite easy. I supported them on my dish washing rack that I turned upside down and outside they went to dry! Read more
Zoey at 12 weeks old
Back in 2008 when I got Zoey as a kitten, I did not research the meaning of her name – it just popped into my head one day prior to getting her as being the perfect sounding name in a household where the letter “Z” took noticeable priority.
It turns out that her name means “life” and the definition could not be more suited to her. Zoey came to us after the loss of a dear cat of mine that I had for over 18 years – Kit. Prior to Kit’s passing, we had one dog in the house, Bandit, and three cats – Jazz (senior), Harley (middle aged), and Zee. At this point, Zee was two years old and still quite young at heart. Bandit, Jazz, and Harley wanted no part of Zee’s increasing need for playtime and attention and he started to become quite aggressive looking for ways to release his pent up energy. Read more
Editor’s Note: Things have been a bit hectic here lately, so we are very happy to have Zeuss Catt from Boston back with one of his entertaining and informative posts. For those of you that might be new to Zee & Zoey’s Chronicle Connection, Zeuss is one of Zee & Zoey’s offspring who moved to Boston when he was a kitten. Zeuss has quite a knack for writing and his penchant for adventure is always amazing to me! As you read his post to follow, you might be wondering why he mentions learning how to drive… click here to read about that escapade in case you missed it!
I may have lost my desire to learn how to drive, but I still have a strong appreciation for motor vehicles. Sometimes I sit in the front window for hours watching the various cars and trucks pass our house. The humans, sharp creatures that they are, noticed my automobile affinity and came up with a wonderful idea… Read more
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