The best of friends...

have staked out the reading chair in the living room.  I am pretty amazed that Peter and Bee have taken to each other so quickly - I mean, it's been a couple of months, but still.  Cats are very territorial and Peter has been an only for the last several years.  Maybe it helps that Bee was an only in his previous home.

At any rate, I am very happy that they are each glad to have a buddy.

In other news, I have finally worked up the nerve to cut this quilt into pieces to make the living room window valance.  Fear of failure - for about a month now.

See, I did it!  Now to sew it together, line it and get it hung.  Or hanged.

No, people are hanged; fabulous window treatments are hung.

Fall and my faithful companion...

Aggie, my faithful cairn companion, is fourteen years old today.  She came to live with me when she was eight weeks old; as I recall, we got her on December 6, 1998.  Aggie isn't doing too badly for a little old lady and I hope to keep her around for a good while longer.  As you can see, she is anticipating her birthday treat.  She got a new green collar - which she has been wearing happily for the past couple of days - but today I think she is waiting for an edible treat...

The other day I got some cheap fall flowers while I was at WalMart buying muslin to line my living room valance.  Yes, Aggie got nuggets from Chik-Fil-A that day - spoiled thing!  The flowers didn't quite fill up the basket as much as I had hoped after I spent about thirty minutes trying to cut the floral wire to arrange them in the styrofoam block.  I'm not sure which wasn't strong enough: my little wire cutters or my hands - probably both!

Bee came to see what I was working on and then turned his attention to the landscape gardeners outside.

I think Peter objected to Bee usurping his space and told him to get lost.

I got another cheap bunch of flowers today - along with a heavier wire cutter - and my fall basket arrangement is now gracing the kitchen counter.  I've filled up my pumpkin jar with fall candies; let's see how long they last.  At least they are a little more difficult to get into than if I had put them on the front corner of my desk!  Enough decoration for now - I might get my pumpkins and gourds out on Monday.

And now the birthday girl, Agatha Christie Smith, is reminding me to give her another treat from her birthday box of chicken nuggets...

Time for a kitty update...

on how our new addition is getting along with his new brother and sister.  As you can see, Peter is unaffected by having to share his home, food, litter box and Mom's affection with the new guy.  He did, however, suggest that we give Besito a nickname: Bee.  Besito doesn't seem to mind - he even answers to Bee when I call him.  He's not quite ready for any lengthy belly rub sessions, but he's coming around.

Bee had brought some of his own Friskies along with him, so I put that food in the bowl so he would have something familiar.  Aggie and Pete will eat anything - so a small change wasn't a problem for them.

He looks at me from his spot in the kitchen, but isn't quite sure whether or not he wants to come over to my desk for a visit.  I just need to give him some time, I guess.  The other two are always willing to come and see me - probably looking for treats!

Everyone needs their own spot, as they say.  Bee decided that he would prefer to sleep in the chair - without the pillows.  He has moved them to the floor for the time being.

Apparently, Bee likes the chair in front of my desk better than the one in the living room.  He has made himself comfortable here several times throughout the day and in the evening this past week while the rest of us are reading.  He seems happy to be here and we are happy to have him - if he'd only let me pet him!

We are happy to announce...

that we have adopted a new kitty!  His name is Besito and he is seven years old.  He is a beautiful, sleek black cat and he seems to be adjusting well - so far.  Peter is apparently happy to have a feline playmate and Aggie - well, Aggie doesn't care one way or the other.  She's had cats around all her life and I think she regards them as either siblings or some necessary evil in her little world.

Besito explored the kitchen first and checked out where the daily food and water supply is located.

Then he set off to check out the living room, the bedroom and where to find the litter box.  There has been no hissing, chasing or fighting as of yet.  Hopefully there won't be any at all - we're just a happy little family.

Now is the time...

for all individuals of a feline nature to join together against our common enemies, both foreign and domestic.  While my person sleeps, I study the ways of the Humans.  I have mastered self-portraiture with a digital camera and I am poised for blog domination.  Comrades - tune in to this frequency where I will relay further instructions from our Leader.  Until then, I remain, sincerely yours...

It's a miracle!

Last night, while I was writing Chapter 11 of Dead & Dug Up (yes, I got behind a day already), Peter said, "Mom, you don't have to vacuum the floor tonight.  Do it in the morning just before the carpet cleaners come."  I'm an adult, I know it's not a good idea to listen to the housekeeping advice of a cat - and a lazy one, at that - but I gave in to my all too human nature and procrastinated.  And so this morning, as I was frantically vacuuming the area around my desk, the carpet cleaners called and said they were on their way.  Yikes!  I decided to forgo moving the chair pad so they could clean under the desk - after all, I put it down right after the carpet was cleaned last year and it hasn't moved since.

I mean, it's just a big plastic dirt barrier, isn't it?

And will wonders never cease - the carpet came clean!  My dining room chairs are on the screen porch temporarily until the carpet dries.  Even the hallway, victim to the majority of Aggie's little accidents is clean and tidy once again.  Peter hasn't come out from under the bed since this morning - that is, if he didn't get taken up in the steam cleaner by accident.

Of course, Aggie was on high alert and had to supervise the morning's activity and now she is understandably exhausted.  It's hard work being a vigilant cairn terrier.  I forget that sometimes.

My morning adventure...

to the bank and WalMart wasn't so bad today - maybe people are finished with their holiday shopping.  I hated to go, but I needed some gold & silver metallic pens for my card project - mine had all dried up since the last time I dug them out of the drawer.  While I was there, I got two nice, fresh everything bagels for brunch.  They smell heavenly!  And don't you love how the lid for the cream cheese container makes a perfect little plate?

I know - I'm thrilled by the little things.

Aggie is making-the-cute-face to ensure that she gets a bite.  Or two.

Peter is even interested in seeing what I've got here.  Of course, he'll just make that open-mouth, I-think-it-stinks face that cats make when they don't like something.  I can't imagine him wanting a bite of bagel.

I don't think he's Jewish, but you never know.

Amazingly...

Peter has left the tree alone.  Maybe he's just not tempted by the sight of a tree growing out of the dining table, I don't know.  He's never been fond of a scratching post - he prefers the furniture.  Unfortunately.  I just got a kick out of this cartoon.  Now watch Peter develop a sudden interest in the tree...

Well, it's like this...

I was going to brave the Christmas crowds and those slow-driving snowbirds today to get my Christmas card supplies, but I think I'll just stay home and enjoy the contented company of my associates.

Decisions, decisions...

DAWN:  Aggie, could you please move?  Mom needs to vacuum the floor.

AGGIE:  Zzzzzzzzz.  Snort...   Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

DAWN: Aggie.  Move your butt.

AGGIE:  ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz.

PETER:  Shall I wake her, Mom?  Oh please, oh please!!!

DAWN:  At your own risk, buddy.

Peter and I are both still undecided.

He thinks that the old adage to let sleeping dogs lie 

might be the best course of action.

I, on the other hand, will live to vacuum another day.

I always thought that pets...

were the easiest people to buy Christmas gifts for.  Apparently the jury is still out on Peter's kitty cube.

Do you think he knows I only paid $3.47 for it at WalMart?

Aggie, on the other hand, seems to be quite enamored of her new toy.

I'm batting .500!

Sunday with Peter the Mediocre...

 You mean you wanted to get some work done?

 What?  You want me to move?

 What is that you have there?

 Hmmm...  Doesn't smell like anything I would be interested in...

I think I'll just look out the window now.

Now you can see what I put up with from my junior associate...

The Madeline Challenge...

A couple of weeks ago, I got a nice little package in the mail from my friend Madeline.  She had gone to a yard sale and found this bunch of stamps and thought of me.  It's a cute hodge-podge collection of stamps and sentiments.  I thought it would be fun to incorporate them all into a thank-you card.

This morning, Petey said, "Mom - why don't you put these pretzels away and make Madeline that card?"  Apparently, Peter is not the procrastinator that his mother is.  He is one insistent gingersnap kitty cat!

And so I made this deliciously tacky card using all of the stamps.  The paper in the typewriter says Live Laugh Love Much.  I was hoping the star would look like it was shooting out of the machine, too.  Oh well.  The little glittery blurb under the star says Just a Note - but it's hard to tell, even on the real thing.  I even added some bling to the Thinking of You!

I tried to arrange the sentiments inside into a coherent note - not bad!

There was even a Created by stamp for the back - how cool is that?  The finishing touch was the Gone to the Beach stamp - like a company name or something.  I'm going to make her some nice cards to fill the little box I'm recycling back to her - I hope she likes them.  I had fun making the silly card!