Saturday, July 31, 2021

After Rain Comes Sun #CaturdayArt


Visit more artsy kitties at Athena's Caturday Art blog hop!



And now our weekly answers for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs!

1. Only someone with a pet would understand the comfort and unconditional love they provide.

2. I just started removing my mask when I'm in places where I can still keep a safe distance from people. It feels weird.

3. I find it hard to believe that so many people are allowed to get away with doing horrible things without consequences. Animal abusers - I'm looking at you.

4. I should probably mow the lawn. I'm determined to do it no more than once a month, and only when it's under 70 degrees. Today's the day.

Friday, July 30, 2021

Summer Fun #PetPhotoFails

Meows from Mudpie!

Thank you for joining us for this month's edition of the Pet Photo Fails Blog Hop! Thank Cod July is finally over. I'm deep in the summertime blues not being able to cuddle Mommy or my blankies because it's so hot and humid.


The one bright spot of my summer so far was the arrival of this month's CatLadyBox. I got the cutest macaroni and fuzzy sunshine toys that made me go bonkers right out of the box! Getting a non-blurry picture of the action was totally impawsible.

Don'tcha‎ love how I've got both of them in my clutches at the same time in this first picture? Good thing I'm an only child because the PAWS OFF message is clear!



Those are my bloopers! Let's see yours!

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Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Living Life on the Edge

Meows from Mudpie!

Mommy gave me this cute little ALF clip-on stuffie she found in some of her things. I know his only interest in cats is to eat them, but I'm trying to convince him to change his ways.


I invited him into my cardboard clubhouse and Mommy could barely contain herself when she found us curled up together.
 

Looks like I'm working my Mudpie magic on him.

Monday, July 26, 2021

The Cat Song #MewsicMovesMe


Meows from Mudpie!

Remember how last week I lamented the lack of cat songs in country music? A friend reminded Mommy of this little gem and we think it deserves a post all its own because it is SO accurate. 


Doesn't everyone use baby talk with their kitties? Doesn't everyone speak with more affection to the furry members of their family than their significant other? And what exactly is wrong with that? MOL

Saturday, July 24, 2021

A Creepy Kaleidoscope of Mudpies #CaturdayArt

Meows from Mudpie!

You'll never believe what Mommy said when I showed her the super cool kaleidoscope I made. She said it looked kind of...creepy! That it makes her think of a really furry tarantula with lots and lots and lots of eyes!

I'm horrified that such a thing was said by my very own Mommy who professes to worship the ground my little paws stand on! Look at the perfect shape in the middle made from my little brown chin and the diamond on my chest, my cute as a button nose, my eyes...all those eyes.

Holy cow, she's right...it is kind of creepy the more I look at it! What do you think?


Visit more artsy kitties at Athena's Caturday Art blog hop!



And now our weekly answers for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs!

1. I will never stop loving & rescuing animals. It's in my DNA.

2. It was a relief to finally get my drivers license. I was 30 when I took the plunge and I was more terrified than I had ever been in my life.

3. Passing my driving test on my first try made me feel proud of myself. I remember I had trouble with the emergency brake and my instructor took a couple points off for that, and he said I didn't signal properly at one turn (I didn't believe he was correct on that), but I passed!

4. Seeing a needle inserted into the crook of someone's arm grosses me out. Anywhere else doesn't bother me, but for that I have to turn away.

Friday, July 23, 2021

Unboxing July's CatLadyBox

The theme of July's CatLadyBox was Mew Are My Sunshine...here's what was inside!


Featured Cat Lady Artist: Elizabeth Anderson Art

Mew Are My Sunshine Shirt: Don't we all feel this way about our kitties? The peachy color of this shirt is just purrfect.

Cat Nightlight: Just a couple weeks ago I was thinking how much I would love a nightlight shaped like a cat face. Guess CLB read my mind!


Happy Cats Canvas Bins: I've always got tons of little stuff around that I can use these handy bins for, but Mudpie is trying to talk me into putting a blankie in it so she can use it for a bed once it gets cooler :) I think it's big enough to fit her too!

Sunny Sunshine & Elbow Meowcaroni Catnip Toys: Mudpie has had SO much fun with these toys. Check in next week for her bloopers!

Not a subscriber yet? Visit CatLadyBox today!

Interested in purchasing individual items from past boxes? You can do that too!


Disclosure: I receive a discount on my CatLadyBox subscription as a thank you for my monthly review. Regardless of compensation received, we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers.

Monday, July 19, 2021

Heart Tugging #MewsicMovesMe



The theme of this week's Mewsic Moves Me blog hop is songs about animals...how could we not participate? I apologize for the absence of cat songs. Apparently cats and country music don't mix!




We hope you enjoyed our choices this week!

Let us know if you have a favorite...
and which brought the biggest lump to your throat.

Sunday, July 18, 2021

Mudpie's Summer Clubhouse #SundaySelfie

Meows from Mudpie!

I commandeered this super cool Walmart box that arrived a couple weeks ago. I've got some stuffies in here, fun crinkle paper to sleep on, and my Tower of Tracks toy is just outside on my front porch. I even get snacks and squeezies in here. The only thing I have to leave it for is to use the little girl's room! It fits me purrfectly, and it's all mine. NO BOYZ ALLOWED!


We're joining our friends at The Cat On My Head for the Sunday Selfies blog hop!

Saturday, July 17, 2021

Mudpie-less #CaturdayArt

Meows from Mudpie!

We found this image on our Photo Lab app while planning my Caturday Art post. A photo was supposed to be superimposed into the sky but we thought it was absolutely purrfect the way it is so we cropped it down to just the kitties. Don't you think it's the sweetest...even without me in the artwork?


Visit more artsy kitties at Athena's Caturday Art blog hop!



And now our weekly answers for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs!

1. I just can't bring myself to part with anything that has ever belonged to any of my cats. Toys, beds, blankets. I still have Tara's last insulin bottle in the fridge and the other day I found an old Amazon box in the garage that I never recycled because Truffles slept in it for awhile and had made scratch marks on the bottom.

2. I have a hankering for a peppermint mocha. Immersing myself in all things in Christmas in July is the only way I survive summer.

3. Tara's diabetes changed my life. Being the sole person in charge of her daily testing and insulin shots showed me I'm far stronger than I ever thought I was, especially when the life of someone I loved dearly depended on it.

4. At this stage of my life, I'm comfortable being me. I've always been an old soul and throughout my teens, 20s and 30s never really felt like I fit in with the crowd. Now I'm happy that was the case because "with the crowd" isn't such a great place to be.

Friday, July 16, 2021

Summertime Blues

Meows from Mudpie!

More summer drama at our house. Wednesday night our portable air conditioner (that's only 3 years old) started acted funny. The compressor (we think) started dying down when the room was nowhere cool enough for it to do so, and the air coming out the vents was no better than what you would get from a fan. Mommy turned it off, waited a few minutes to turn it back on, then it would be okay for about a half hour before dying down again. After 3 times of doing this she gave up and turned it off.

She unplugged it overnight, both for safety reasons and to see if that might reboot it, but if it's no better when she gets home from work today (Thursday) she's going to have to put our window unit in. She's very thankful we have a backup, but having to struggle with a heavy window AC kinds of defeats the purpose of why she bought a portable one in the first place!


If anyone needs me, I'll be melting on my pizza box until the problem is fixed. 

Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Mudpie Interviews...Smoky from Diane Kelly's Southern Homebrew Mystery Series


In this intoxicating new cozy mystery series, the future for modern-day moonshiner Hattie Hayes looks bright--until death darkens the doorstep of her Moonshine Shack.

The Hayes family has made moonshine in Chattanooga since the days of Prohibition, and Hattie is happy to continue the tradition, serving up fun, fruity flavors in mason jars for locals and tourists alike. All signs indicate her new 'shine shop will be a smashing success. What's more, mounted police officer Marlon Landers has taken a shine to Hattie. For the first time ever, the stars seemed to have aligned in both her work and romantic life. But when a body ends up on her store's doorstep alongside a broken jar of her Firefly Moonshine, it just might be lights out for her fledgling business.

The homicide detective can't seem to identify the person who killed the owner of a nearby bar. The only witness is Hattie's longhaired gray cat, and Smoky isn't talking. When the detective learns that the victim and Hattie had a heated exchange shortly before his murder, she becomes her prime suspect.

Lest Hattie end up behind bars like her bootlegging great-grandfather a century before, she must distill the evidence herself and serve the killer a swift shot of justice.


Mudpie was very excited to have the opportunity to interview Smoky, the feline star of this series. We hope you enjoy meeting him!


Welcome, Smoky! Thank you so much for chatting with me today. Could you start by telling us a little about yourself and how you came to live with Hattie?

I’m a large fellow, with long gray hair. Though I love living in the mountain cabin with Hattie, I value my independence, too. Hattie adopted me from the city’s animal shelter when I was a kitten. She simply couldn’t resist my handsome face. Who could blame her?

What's a typical day like for you?

I wake at my leisure. If Hattie isn’t yet up, I give her a nose boop with my paw and order my breakfast with a meow. Most days, Hattie packs me up in my plastic carrier and takes me to her store with her. I hang out in the front window while she works. The Moonshine Shack is on a busy street, so there’s lots for me to see between naps. People come in to buy moonshine, and the more observant ones notice me and tell her how handsome I am.

I understand Hattie makes moonshine for a living. Just between us, have you ever taken a sip? (Is it anything like catnip?)

Uck, no! I sniffed the stuff in Hattie’s glass once and it made me sneeze. People sure seem to like it, though. Hattie sells mason jars full of her fruity flavors and earthenware jugs of the old family recipe. As for myself, when I want a nip of something, I’ll stick to the catnip, thank you very much.

Tell us about The Moonshine Shack Murder, the new Southern Homebrew Mystery you star in.

It’s a great story, especially the parts staring yours truly. Shortly after Hattie opens her shop in the tourist district of Chattanooga, the guy who runs the Irish pub across the street is murdered on the stoop right in front of me. His throat was slashed with a broken, jagged jar of Hattie’s moonshine, no less. I saw the murder, but of course none of the humans speak feline so I can’t tell them what I saw. Hattie is determined to figure it out, though. She’s become friends with a mounted cop named Marlon Sanders who often rides by on his horse, Charlotte. She’s a looker. Too bad we’re not the same species. I sense things are heating up between Hattie and Marlon, but I know I’ll always be her number-one guy.

What was it like to be the only witness to a murder? That must've been SO scary! 

It was certainly a shock. I see a lot of things from the front window of The Moonshine Shack, but I didn’t expect to see that! I wish I could tell Hattie who offed the bartender. I can tell she’s worried, and I hate to see her that way. I might act aloof, but if I’m being honest, I know I’m lucky to have Hattie in my life. I love her to pieces, though I’ll never let her know that. Cats like to keep the upper hand in our relationships.

Can you give us any clues as to what's next for you and Hattie?

There’s a model train convention coming to Chattanooga, and Hattie plans to hawk her wares to the conventioneers. I’ve heard Diane Kelly is going to write all about it in a book called The Proof is in the Poison. I suppose that gives you a hint as to how one of the conventioneers dies. People think Hattie’s moonshine might have caused his death. As if she’d ever be so lax with her quality control. Still, if she hopes to save her business, she’ll have to convince law enforcement—and her customers—that she’s not to blame. I hope you’ll pick up the book and read about me when it comes out next year.


Diane Kelly writes stories that feature feisty female lead characters and their furry, four-footed friends. Diane is the author of over 30 novels and novellas, including the Death & Taxes, Paw Enforcement, and House Flipper mystery series. In 2021, she’ll launch two new series, the Southern Homebrew moonshine series and the Mountain Lodge Mysteries. Find Diane online at DianeKelly.com, on Twitter and Instagram @DianeKellyBooks, and on Facebook at her Author Diane Kelly page.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.dianekelly.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DianeKellyBooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DianeKellyBooks

Newsletter signup: http://www.dianekelly.com/sign-up-for-my-newsletter/ 

Monday, July 12, 2021

July Retro Country Rewind #MewsicMovesMe

It's been a couple years since we premiered our mewsic feature "Retro Country Rewind," a look back at favorite songs that hit #1 during that month from 30, 35, 40 plus years ago. This year we're delving into #1 hits from 1971, 1976, 1981, and so on. Let's take a look at July for this freebie week in the Mewsic Moves Me blog hop...


45 Years Ago - 1976, Teddy Bear, Red Sovine


40 Years Ago - 1981, Feels So Right, Alabama


40 Years Ago - 1981, I Was Country (When Country Wasn't Cool), Barbara Mandrell


35 Years Ago - 1986, Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold), Dan Seals


35 Years Ago - 1986, Until I Met You, Judy Rodman


We hope you enjoyed our choices this month!
Let us know if you have a favorite.

Sunday, July 11, 2021

At Mommy's Feet #SundaySelfie

Meows from Mudpie!

It's not unusual for dogs to sleep at their humans' feet...but kitties?

For the past few summers, once it's too hot to cuddle with Mommy and my blankies, I spend lots of time laying across her feet when she's sitting on the couch so I can still remain close to her (and keep her from running off anywhere). That's exactly what I was doing when we snapped this selfie of me gazing up adoringly at her.

Mommy says all the time that I'm the most loving little girl in the world...and she's right!


We're joining our friends at The Cat On My Head for the Sunday Selfies blog hop!

Saturday, July 10, 2021

Caturday Art


Visit more artsy kitties at Athena's Caturday Art blog hop!



And now our weekly answers for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs!

1. A memory I have of meeting country star Ricky Van Shelton backstage when I was a teenager is hearing him say hello to the person ahead of me while I was waiting for my turn, and excitedly saying to my mom, "he said hello!" A man waiting with us replied in a rather snarky tone with, "Yes, he speaks just like the rest of us." Imagine how I would've reacted if I'd heard Conway say "hello darlin'" in person!!!

2. I always complain about mornings, summer, and people

3. I have a lot in common with Garfield.

4. Right now I'm working, but I'd rather be napping with Mudpie.

Friday, July 9, 2021

Flashback Feline Friday: Baby & Me, 5 Years Ago

Meows from Mudpie!

I took a look back at what I was doing 5 years ago this week and stumbled on this totally adorbs picture of me napping with my beloved animal print mousie, aka Baby. Some of you may remember it was one of my very first toys, and it's still an extra special favorite all these years later. Baby lives in my KatKabin, and whenever I pull her out to play Mommy watches me like a hawk, because if Baby ever went missing I would have a meltdown!


Obviously when this picture was taken we had been playing hard and were all tuckered out! 

What strikes Mommy when she looks at it is how much I had grown from the puny little kid I was when she adopted me a short 11 months earlier, which leads her to believe I may have been younger than the shelter thought I was (around 2). If I had been 2 I would've already been full grown, wouldn't ya think?


Feline Friday is simple to join. All you have to do is:

Post a picture, drawing, cartoon or video of a cat (They may be silly or cute).

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Remembering Two Special Angels


Today marks the 6th anniversary of the day my baby girl Truffles flew off to the bridge, and the 8th anniversary of the day her big sister Tara paved the way before her.

It goes without saying this is the hardest day of the year for me. Comprehending the tragic set of circumstances that took Truffles from me far before her time is something I will always struggle with, and most likely something I will never be able to accept. She deserved so much more from life. And the fact that I lost them both on the same day two years apart makes me wish I could scratch this date right off the calendar.

In honor of my precious girls, please give your own fur babies a little something special today. Maybe an extra hug or kiss, a few more minutes of play or cuddle time, extra treats wouldn't hurt either.

Our time together is so fleeting; their fragile lives all too short. Never miss an opportunity to show them how much they're loved.

Saturday, July 3, 2021

Happy Birthday, America! #CaturdayArt #SundaySelfie



And now our weekly answers for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs!

1. This summer, I plan to stay as close to the air conditioning as possible, as usual.

2. My favorite food at a BBQ is watermelon.

3. You'll find me in search of anything with fur and four legs at a party.

4. Actor Charlie Chaplin's name is the silliest thing I've ever argued about. This is SO stupid but when I was a little girl I was convinced his name was Charlie Chapman, no matter how many times my mother told me that just wasn't so. In pre-internet days she had no quick way to prove me wrong!

Friday, July 2, 2021

Fun Feline Finds: Summer Kitty Dessert Plates

Meows from Mudpie!

A few weeks ago Mommy mentioned her love of Christmas Tree Shops and showed off her new "Ready for Summer Right Meow!" plastic pitcher and tumbler set.

She stopped in again this week and found more summer goodies on the shelves. This time she came home with these cute plastic dessert plates.

Um...what's up with the doxie plate, Mommy? 

Anyways, we already have lots of these plates. Over the last few holiday seasons the store has had various Christmas cat designs, and Mommy loves them so much she's even picked up extras to include in our Secret Paws packages.

I think these would be the purrfect plates to serve my squeezies on, don't you?