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Friday, September 30, 2022

Totally Random #PetPhotoFails

Meows from Mudpie!

Thank you for joining us for this month's edition of the Pet Photo Fails Blog Hop! We can't believe how fast September has zoomed by compared to the endless summer months!


My photo fail this week was taken over the summer after Mommy came home from a grocery run. She had picked up a package of my favorite treats and I was super excited. I kept teasing for more to no avail, and finally I knocked the package off the table and curled up next to it. 

Mommy thought it would make a super cute picture, but it doesn't do a very good job at telling the story, does it? It's just a really lousy photo :( 


That's my fail, let's see yours! 



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Wednesday, September 28, 2022

September Retro Country Rewind #MewsicMovesMe

It's been a few 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. In this new year we'll be delving into #1 hits from 1972, 1977, 1982, and so on. Let's take a look at September for this freebie week in the Mewsic Moves Me blog hop...


55 Years Ago - 1967, My Elusive Dreams, Tammy Wynette & David Houston

One of my all-time favorite country songs, with a heartbreaking twist at the end...


50 Years Ago - 1972, I Can't Stop Loving You, Conway Twitty

Conway put his own unique spin on this country classic...


45 Years Ago - 1977, I've Already Loved You In My Mind, Conway Twitty

Conway's inspiration for writing this song was President Jimmy Carter's infamous Playboy interview in which he admitted to lusting in his heart...


40 Years Ago - 1982, What's Forever For, Michael Martin Murphey


35 Years Ago - 1987, She's Too Good To Be True, Exile


We hope you enjoyed our choices this month!

Let us know if you have a favorite.



Monday, September 26, 2022

Mudpie Interviews...Soji from Mollie Hunt's Tenth Life Cozy Mystery Series

 


This summer, there’s trouble brewing at the Cove County Fair! 

Camelia Collins, Ocean Cove’s most recent resident over seventy years of age, is all set to go to the fair! The smell of the popcorn, the roar of the crowd, the Ferris wheel and the pony shows—things she remembers from childhood and looks forward to experiencing again.

But something’s up at the Cove County Fair. Camelia’s new friend Alice, keeper of an aging tiger, is murdered, and the tiger goes missing. Who did it? A rogue band of aggressive animal activists seem like the obvious culprits, but they deny the act.

Only one entity knows the truth—the ghost cat Soji, but will the capricious spirit decide to come forward before someone else dies?


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


Welcome, Soji! Thank you so much for chatting with me today. Could you start by telling us a little about yourself and how you came to meet Camelia? After all, you are...um...a ghost...

Soji: What to say? I Soji. Does not everyone know? But since you ask so nicely, I tell. I do like to speak of myself.

I, the spirrrit manifestation of one long-dead. Here my history, as written in the Ocean Cove Museum in the room of my name:

Soji was born around the turn of the twentieth century in one of Ocean Cove’s original homesteads. It is said she lived to the ripe old age of thirty-two. When she passed, her owners were so devastated, they laid her to rest in the back yard under a flat river stone engraved with the words, ‘Now Gone To Her Tenth Life, Beloved Soji.’

Everyone agrees she was black, though some say she was big and long furred like a Norwegian Forest cat and others say slim and shorthaired. In her manifestations as the Ocean Cove Ghost Cat, she always appeared misty white, as might be expected of a phantom. Many claim to have witnessed her, and our archive is fortunate to have photographs.

The property on which she was buried was sold during World War II. Sometime after that, the original homestead was razed and a new house built, but the stone remains to this day.
And of the human Camelia? Her coming to live in my home coincided with danger. Though I not manifest for many decades prrrevious, only I could save her life.

What made you decide to spend your time in the afterlife solving crimes?

Soji: Not a decision but a calling. Some say I come back to right great wrongs. I, the Joan of Arc of cats.

Do you have any interaction with living kitties, such as Camelia's tuxie Blaze?

Soji: The living cat Blaze is my frrriend. He is warm against my cold. I am feline, after all, and do enjoy a cuddle.

I read that you're the 7th black kitten of a 7th black kitten. What does that mean?

Soji: Yes, it is true. That rare lineage makes me immortal. I not know about it when alive, but found to my surprise that even after death, I still here. Now I free. I come and go at will, stalk through walls, appear out of thin air. I do miss chasing mice, for I have no need to eat. Sometimes I still do it for fun. To be a ghost cat is supreme!

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

Soji: Christmas is coming…


About the Author:

Cat Writer Mollie Hunt is the award-winning author of two cozy series, the Crazy Cat Lady Mysteries and the Tenth Life Mysteries. Her Cat Seasons Sci-Fantasy Tetralogy features extraordinary cats saving the world. Mollie also pens a bit of cat poetry.

Mollie is a member of the Oregon Writers’ Colony, Sisters in Crime, the Cat Writers’ Association, and Northwest Independent Writers Association (NIWA). She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and a varying number of cats.

Author Links:



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Sunday, September 25, 2022

Just Hanging Out #SundaySelfie

Meows from Mudpie!

I'm just hanging out on the table, patiently waiting for a squeezie, using the arm of the couch as a foot rest...

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

Saturday, September 24, 2022

The Purrtiest Leaf #CaturdayArt


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



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

Mudpie's answers:

1. Humans should come with an instruction manual. Seven years into our relationship, I'm still trying to figure Mommy out! 

2. And just like that cuddle season has returned! What took ya so long?!?!?!

Mommy's answers:

3. I get funny looks from others when I encounter an unfamiliar cat. I get so excited I probably act like I've never seen one before LOL! 

4. I once tried to drive a stick shift, and I failed.

Thursday, September 22, 2022

It's Time To #SeeTheLight About Pet Adoption #RememberMeThursday

Meows from Mudpie!

I was once a shelter cat. Through circumstances we'll never know I ended up at a rescue in western New York, and when I didn't get adopted there I was transferred to Vermont where I found my forever home. I have all the food, toys, and treats I could ever want, warm beds and blankies, and most importantly, a Mommy who worships me. 

I was one of the lucky ones, but millions of kitties just like me aren't so lucky. They live without food, warmth, and love, and then either die on the streets or in a shelter because no one ever shows up to adopt them.


I was incredibly fortunate to be sent to a state that for the most part adopts out animals so quickly we're able to partner with shelters down south to save even more lives - but as a nation we still have a long, long way to go. The sad truth is, for over a million healthy, adoptable animals each year, help never comes. Thanks to awareness that number has consistently decreased in the last decade, but just one animal dying alone, forgotten in a shelter, is one too many.

That's why animal-lovers and animal welfare organizations across the globe will unite today with a Remember Me Thursday pet candle-lighting ceremony. The candles, which will be lit on the exact same day across the world, will honor the millions of pets who lost their lives without the benefit of a loving home and shine a light on the millions of healthy pets who are still awaiting adoption. The Remember Me Thursday global awareness campaign encourages individuals to light a candle this day (literally or virtually) and to opt to adopt, reducing the millions of orphan pets euthanized each year.


Orphaned pets can't speak for themselves. Caring humans are their only voice. Spread the word about Remember Me Thursday on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media channels. Don’t forget to use the official hashtags - #RememberMeThursday and #SeeTheLight - and to share your thoughts and feelings about the importance of pet adoption.

CONTEST: Win life-saving funds or food for a rescue or shelter of your choice! Take a photo of your rescue pet and tag the picture with #RememberMeThursday and #SeetheLight on social media to be entered into the challenge!


Mommy and I would like to thank the Helen Woodward Animal Center (HWAC) for the pawsome blogger kit they sent filled with swag for both of us. We will be using everything with pride!



Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Book Blast: What Not To Wear To A Graveyard by Debra Sennefelder

 


Cozy Mystery
A Resale Boutique Mystery Novella
Lyrical Press (September 8, 2020)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 97 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B082WR2253


After trading her Manhattan digs for her upstate hometown, fashionista Kelly Quinn has big plans for her grandmother’s consignment shop. But this All Hallow’s Eve someone is already dressed to kill . . .

A socialite’s missing dog has made front page news in Lucky Cove—complete with a hefty reward. But between renovating the consignment shop, planning her costume for a 1970s themed Halloween party, and scouting a location for a fashion shoot, Kelly doesn’t have time to search. Yet a visit to the local colonial-era cemetery—ideal for the moody atmosphere she’s after—soon turns up the precious pooch. Kelly’s looking forward to collecting the check—until she makes a gruesome discovery in an abandoned farmhouse: The dog’s owner, stabbed through the heart.

Kelly can’t help wondering why Constance Lane was traipsing around the farmhouse in stilettos. But as Kelly gets decked out in a vintage disco caftan, that isn’t the only fashion misstatement spooking her. Hidden in the dead woman’s past is a secret that could be the motive for the murder. And as the Halloween party gets started, even a menacing clown and a threatening bearded lady can’t keep Kelly from trick or treating for the truth—even if it means her last dance . . .


About the Author: Debra Sennefelder is the acclaimed author of the Food Blogger Mysteries, the Resale Boutique Mystery Series and the upcoming Cookie Shop Mystery series. An avid reader who reads across a range of genres, mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery.

Her first novel, THE UNINVITED CORPSE (A Food Blogger mystery) was published in 2018.When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person.

Born and raised in New York City, where she majored in her hobby of fashion buying, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her family. She’s worked in retail and publishing before becoming a full-time author. Her writing companion is her adorable and slightly spoiled Shih-Tzu, Connie.

Author Links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3pzv3VJ

Website: http://bit.ly/2lQwSNi

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2qjwHyT

BookBub: http://bit.ly/2mkLpnz

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2DpMPE8

Instagram: http://bit.ly/2EQh6da

Sunday, September 18, 2022

One Purrty Pirate #SundaySelfie


Ahoy! It is Mudpie, pillager of squeezies!

Hand 'em over or I'll make you walk the plank!!!


Tomorrow is Meow Like a Pirate Day, so I decided to incorporate 
this fun event into my Sunday Selfie this week! 

Saturday, September 17, 2022

It Happened Again... #CaturdayArt

Meows from Mudpie! 

Remember last year our Halloween was ruined when we had to have the main sewer line of our house cleared out after sump pump water was backing up into the washing machine?

Well, it happened again.


Tuesday evening the sump pump went off for the first time this summer after we got 2 1/2" of rain. Before going to bed Mommy was a nervous wreck about checking the washing machine but all was well. On Wednesday morning though it was half full of water. So over the summer the tree roots had grown back and clogged the line again. Thankfully the septic company was able to come clear it within an hour, but obviously this is going to be an ongoing issue. 

Mommy was told many people just wait and have the line cleared out once or twice a year, or we could have the yard dug up and replace the entire thing. She doesn't like either of those options, so she's looking into pipe lining or bursting, much simpler and less expensive projects. 

Water woes really do a number on Mommy and I do my best to calm her down.



And now our weekly answers (all answered by Mommy this week) for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs!

Mudpie's answers:

1. Pulling squeezies out of thin air would be my superpower of choice.

2. Sometimes I wander down to the basement to amuse myself. There's bugs down there, and I keep hoping a mouse might zoom by! 

Mommy's answers:

3. Mudpie is the reason that I get up each day. She's my little everything.

2. Most news is bad news. Especially the past couple years.

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Keeping Mommy Home

 


No, I don't know where your shopping bag is, Mommy...


Guess you'll just have to stay home with me!

Monday, September 12, 2022

Photo Finished by Lori Roberts Herbst - Blog Tour with Character Guest Post and Giveaway

 


When a visit to a Colorado dude ranch turns deadly, it's up to photographer Callie Cassidy to corral the killer...

As maid of honor (aka grande dame) in her best friend's upcoming wedding, Callie wants to plan the perfect bridal shower. And what could be better than a girls' trip with their posse of friends?

The women jump at the idea and suggest a destination—Moonglow Ranch, a serenity retreat-slash-dude ranch owned by one friend's aunt and uncle.

When they arrive, Callie is less than enthusiastic. Serenity doesn't come easily to a former investigative photojournalist. Plus, her horse is stubborn as...well, a mule. She's warned to be on the lookout for snakes. Worst of all—gasp!—Moonglow only serves healthy food. Still, her friends are having a great time, and even Callie's golden retriever Woody and tabby cat Carl seem right at home on the ranch. For their sake, she tries to tap into her inner Zen.

Then the conniving wife of the town's most powerful man interrupts the party and threatens the ranch's proprietors. Callie worries the trip is destined for disaster.

Later, Callie finds the woman's body in the stable, apparently trampled by a horse. Or did she die from a snakebite? Or—as Callie suspects—could something even more sinister be at work?

Answers are as difficult to find as a needle in the haystack. And when the police chief accuses the ranch owners of murder, Callie realizes she'll need to lasso the real outlaw—before the wrong people end up in the pokey.

Character Guest Post by Carl Cassidy the Cat

My current—and now permanent—name is Carl Cassidy. Over the course of my life, humans have called me by a variety of monikers, including Cat (oh so creative), Puffy (oh so shudder-worthy), and Butterscotch (oh so ridiculous). But Carl suits me, especially as I am named after Carl Bernstein, a famous investigative journalist, and investigation is what I do best.

I'm told you want to get to know me, so please allow me to summarize my life. I was a mere kitten when I discovered my propensity for solving crimes. At the time, I lived in a home with my mother and four siblings, as well as a human couple and their two cubs. One day, I was sleeping in a warm corner of the kitchen when a crash in the living room startled me awake. As I scampered to investigate, the mother human also came running into the room.

On the floor, shattered, lay her favorite vase. Her angry eyes fell on me, and I realized she was prepared to foist the blame on me. Searching the room, I noticed one of the small humans cowering in the corner, his eyes bright with sin. If only I could make the mother human see it was the cub, not me, who bore responsibility. I leapt toward the cub, struck out with my paw, and scratched his shin, marking him as the guilty party.

But you'll never guess what the mother human did. She shoved me aside with her foot and wrapped her arms around the crying heathen. A moment later, she snatched me up and locked me in a cage.

That evening, the mother human and the father human agreed it was time for the kittens to go. Our mother cat, they said, could stay, but they would subject her to a ritual called "spaying."

I was the first kitten to go. The father human put my cage in the car that night and drove for a long time until we reached a farm. There, he delivered me to a grizzled man in overalls. The old fellow said he'd call me Cat, and he told me I must reside in the barn and catch mice. No, thank you. Even as a kitten, I understood I was destined for a more dignified life. I ran away before the next dawn.

Thus began my life as a vagabond. I traveled the countryside, stopping at friendly homes for meals and the occasional bath. When I grew bored with my hosts, I moved on. My longest stay was at a small-town police station. For several months, the officers there allowed me free rein of the station, including the jail cells. It was, to that point in my life, the happiest I'd ever been. Always a quick study, I became adept at the study of clues. By my third week, I could detect the identities of perpetrators with surprising proficiency. Solving crimes was my calling.

Unfortunately, I was unable to communicate my perceptions to the humans in charge. I tried—pawing their computer screens, nudging papers with my nose, even hissing at the guilty parties. The detectives chuckled at my "antics," stroked my back, and shuttled me out of the interview room. It became an exercise in frustration, and I realized my time at the police station was fated to end. I'd learned everything I could from them.

When a pair of officers had to travel to a nearby town, Rock Creek Village, I was able through wide eyes and purring to persuade them to take me along. Upon our arrival, I leapt from the car and scurried away, ignoring the officers' pleas to return. I spent a few days on the lam, roaming through the pine trees and exploring the mountain trails. But then it turned bitterly cold, and food was scarce. Desperate, I followed my nose to the front deck of a place called Knotty Pine Lodge. A kind woman named Maggie found me and took me inside for a meal.

When Maggie's daughter, Callie, came for a visit, my innate ability to read people revealed her to be a kindred spirit—a woman with the heart of an investigator. One who, despite her words to the contrary, wouldn't be at ease unless she had a mystery to solve. I'd found a soulmate.

But it was her golden retriever companion who sealed the deal. That big furball, with his wet nose and his huge brown eyes, sealed the deal. I realized that the big furball with the wet nose and huge brown eyes was my brother from another mother. And when Callie told me he was called Woody after the journalist Bob Woodward, and that I was to be Carl, after his investigative partner, I knew I'd stumbled into my fate.

The rest, as the humans say, is history. I've found my family, and I'm engaged in solving crimes with them. If it's true cats have nine lives, I want to spend them all in Rock Creek Village with Callie, Woody, and their friends and family.

The only thing I need to figure out now is how to alter the heading of our stories. Callie Cassidy Mysteries? Not a chance. They should be titled Carl Cassidy Mysteries.

About the Author: 

Lori Roberts Herbst, who writes the Callie Cassidy Mystery series, spent much of her life writing, editing, and psychoanalyzing. Through thirty years of teaching journalism, advising newspaper and yearbook staff, instructing budding photographers, and counseling teenagers, she still managed to hang on to a modicum of sanity. Her books have earned first-place CIBA awards in the Murder and Mayhem division. She currently serves as secretary of the Sisters in Crime North Dallas chapter and is a member of the Sisters in Crime Guppies and the Mystery Writers of America.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.lorirobertsherbst.com

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

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/LoriRobertsHerbst

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lori-roberts-herbst

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lori-Roberts-Herbst/e/B08RBD4QGK/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorirobertsherbst/


GIVEAWAY! The author has generously offered to give away an ebook copy of Photo Finished to one lucky winnerTo enter, simply leave a comment below by midnight eastern one week from today, 9/19/22. (US entries only, please.)

Sunday, September 11, 2022

9/11 ~ We Remember

 

We're joining our friends at The Cat On My Head for the Sunday Selfies blog hop...even though this isn't really a selfie...

Saturday, September 10, 2022

London Calling #CaturdayArt

Meows from Mudpie! 

Like the rest of the world, our hearts are in England right now. Mommy is a total anglophile - she has a closet full of books about the Royal Family - and she just can't believe the Queen passed away on her birthday :( 

We can't even imagine how amazing it would be to travel to London for the funeral, or for the Coronation next year, but we'll just have to content ourselves with watching history unfold on our TV screen, and in my artwork this week...


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



And now our weekly answers (all answered by Mommy this week) for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs!

1. A pleasant memory that I have from grade school is my 3rd grade teacher telling me I was an excellent writer.

2. My plans this month include doing some fall cleaning before decorating for Halloween & Christmas.

3. Please don't ask me to choose between my cat and anything else.

4. In the coming years, I see myself always having at least one cat.

Thursday, September 8, 2022

Happy Birthday, Mommy!!!

Meows from Mudpie!

Please join me in wishing Mommy a purr-fect birthday today!


Mommy says she misses the days when birthdays were fun and exciting. Our local fairs have always been this time of year so the country concerts she would go to would all be a part of her birthday celebration. Now there's nobody around she even cares to go see.

I can't do anything about that, but I can play this for her today!

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Toesies Tuesday

Meows from Mudpie! 

It's been ages since we did a Toesies Tuesday post! 

Mommy was recently able to snap a closeup of the paw on my right front leg, her favorite. 

Doesn't it look like I'm wearing a ring? 

Saturday, September 3, 2022

Vintage Beauty #CaturdayArt


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



And now our weekly answers (all answered by Mommy this week) for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs!

1. I am not always well-organized. Actually, not ever...

2. I refuse to eat shellfish.

3. I would happily accept a job offer at any place animal-related that would allow me to work from home.

4. Phlebotomy is a job I could never do.

Friday, September 2, 2022

Unboxing August's CatLadyBox

  The theme of August's CatLadyBox was Kitten Around...here's what was inside!

Featured Cat Lady Artist: Ashley Idell

Are You Kitten Me? Shirt: Cutie patootie! 

Curious Kitten Coffee Tumber: I've ended up with a collection of cat tumblers but this one is a favorite. Love the colors and the peeping kitten is so adorable.

Cat Lady Pen Set: Purrfect cat lady truths and sayings, purrfect for cats to bat off the desk!


Cat Travel Spray Bottles: The other night on the news a reporter was at our local fair spritzing himself with water because it was so hot out. Made me think I should keep one of these bottles nearby to do the same thing right here in the house!   

Fuzzy Paperclip and Fall Apple Catnip Toys: The apple is the purrfect choice for a Vermonter tortie, and Mudpie has been using the fuzzy side of the paperclip as a little pillow on the couch the few times it's been cool enough to cuddle lately.


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.