It's a freebie week in the Mewsic Moves Me blog hop, and in honor of National Camera Day our selections are all songs that are picture-related. We'll start with photogenic Mudpie, as we should...
Our song picks this week are all a little more contemporary country than usual. There might even be an artist or two that non-country music fans will recognize!
We hope you enjoy our choices! Let us know if you have a favorite.
Visit more artsy kitties at Athena's Caturday Art blog hop!
And now our answers (all answered by Mommy this week) for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs!
1. I almost twisted my ankle stepping on Mudpie's deshedding tool the other night. Luckily I caught myself because I don't have the time to be laid up with an injury right now!
2. I finally got around to taking a load to Goodwill and the line was so long to drop things off I gave up waiting and brought my stuff back home.
3. I find true crime shows very interesting. I'm especially addicted to Investigation Discovery which disappeared from my cable lineup after I bundled my internet with cable earlier this month. I was devastated but 10 days later Comcast added it to the package I subscribed to! Once in a blue moon things work out.
4. I have my doubts about how our nation's current struggles will end. It's scary to see things spiraling out of control and I don't see it ending well.
Many people are calling 2020 the worst year they can remember, and at our house June has been a nightmare month smack dab in the middle of the year from hell. Some of you have asked how my grandpa is doing, and we thank you so much for caring. His pacemaker went in on Tuesday and he came home on Wednesday. The surgery went well but at 83 he has some recovery time ahead of him. Mommy is doing her best to be a patient nurse, and I'm providing a bit of Mudpie magic too. Grandpa is pretty crazy about me so I think I'll be his best medicine. But...gasp...he can't lift over 10 pounds which means he can't pick me up!!!
Now more than ever we need the smiles that photo bloopers bring, and I have a couple doozies this month! Something gave me a serious case of the grumps when these blurry pictures were taken...but I can't remember what it was! Any ideas?
YIKES!!!
Those are my bloopers...let's see yours!
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Did you know that today is a very special day? It's Cat World Domination Day, a day for us kitties to celebrate our world domination!
I thought today might be a good day to share some fun facts about me, courtesy of a new set of prompts provided by our friend CK. Mommy says my answers this time around are more sassy than usual...I say I'm just exerting my dominance! Like to eat? Depends on what it is. I love eating what I like, but if don't like something I'll starve to death before I'll touch it.
Shreds with gravy or Pâté? As much gravy as possible, hold the shreds.
Do you like crab: No...*shudder*
Order appetizers? Squeezies are my appetizers and dessert!
Play an instrument? Is my melodious tortie voice an instrument? I think it is.
Rode on a train? No
Been to New York? I haven't been to the Big Apple but I started out at a shelter in Cattaraugus County, New York before being transferred to Vermont.
Heard a helicopter? Yes...they're loud and scare me because I think they're coming through the roof!
Like to watch movies? No,I'm not a fan of the noises that come from the TV.
Last night's dinner? My usual, Purina One grain free ocean whitefish dry food. Do you like nip? Sometimes
Like the tub? Yes, I love playing in the tub! Especially when Mommy is waiting to use it MOL
Like country music? Ooh...I could get in trouble with this one! Obviously that's the only music that gets played at my house, but I'm just not a fan of music in general. I know Mommy's tastes could be much, much worse though. Recently I heard a clip of someone screeching singing Ave Maria on the news and I just about jumped out of my fur!
Had kittens? We don't know for sure but Mommy hopes not. She says with my lack of patience I probably would've bopped them across the room!
Don't forget to visit Summer's blog to join in all the fun and festivities of Cat World Domination Day. I understand there's going to be a pawsome party and giveaway!
When noted design collector and published author Lisa S. Roberts discovered her new shelter cat climbing, jumping, rubbing and sleeping on her contemporary furniture and products, rather than freaking out, she began snapping photos. This became the inspiration for this whimsical and lavishly illustrated book.
Mr. Waffles, a sleek black Burmese cat, offsets the bright colorful designs by world-famous architects and designers. Each spread includes original photography of cat and design, a brief informative description, and a humorous observation or comment by critic Mr. Waffles. This feline doesn't just see a chair; he sees a potential scratching post, lap or jungle gym. His curiosity amuses throughout as he tips over trashcans, sniffs toilet brushes, poses in chairs, plays chess, and sits on top of a circular bookshelf.
MR WAFFLES LOVES DESIGN traces the inspiration behind many iconic designs such as the Bouroullec brothers Vegetal chair inspired by tree branches and Patricia Urquiola's Antibodi chair that looks like a bed of flowers. Other designers look to the universe for inspiration with pieces like Michele de Lucchi's First Chair that resembles the solar system or Moon Chair by Tokujin Yoshioka that has the iridescent quality of the moon. Some designers incorporate a playful element. Naoto Fukasawa s Plus Minus Zero humidifier resembles a glazed doughnut and Byron Glaser and Sandra Higashi created Zolo, a child/adult toy that looks like Mr. Potato Head on steroids. Design just got a whole lot more entertaining with Mr. Waffles leading the way.
We've all been spending more time at home with our cats over the past few months. One of my favorite cat quotes is by Jean Cocteau, I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul. During times like these it's more important than ever to surround ourselves with things that bring us joy, and it's no secret that I'm a collector at heart, which is why I found so much enjoyment in the concept for this book. Author Lisa Roberts has a large collection of unique, valuable pieces of contemporary design, but instead of fearing her cat Mr. Waffles would do harm to something, she celebrated his enjoyment of the collection by chronicling his observations through lush photography and cute commentary. The result is a feast for the eyes whether you're a fan of art in the feline or furnishings form!
Lisa S. Roberts has written two previous books, Antiques of the Future and DesignPop. Additionally she was featured on a TV series that sold internationally called “My Design Life.” Find her online at mydesignlife.com and follow Mr. Waffles on Instagram at @mrwaffleslovesdesign.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. This post contains affiliate links.
Father's Day looks a little different at our house this year. My grandpa is in the hospital again, with plans to be the proud owner of a brand spanking new pacemaker tomorrow morning.
This is the first year Mommy hasn't been able to be with her dad for Father's Day, and she can't even visit him in the hospital, so she's pretty sad but hopeful that after the procedure he'll be feeling better than he has in a long time.
We sure would appreciate your purrs and prayers, and happy father's day to all the pawsome cat dads out there!
We're joining our friends at The Cat On My Head for the Sunday Selfies blog hop!
This week's "Best of Mudpie" moment leading up to my 5th Gotcha Day in August takes us to September 2015 when the very first package came in the mail that was just for me...
As you can imagine, I was super excited and couldn't wait to dive right in!
The first thing I pulled out was a Yeowww! catnip cigar! It looks like I'm actually smoking, doesn't it? I definitely inhaled!
These little discs were lots of fun to toss around.
I managed to completely decimate this pawsome scratch pad. Once Mommy bought me a new one she planned to pack this away in my keepsake box, but I wouldn't let her! She put it in the kitchen one day to bring down to the basement and I commandeered it once again. It has stayed on the kitchen floor ever since, and it looks sorrier than ever. I still use it though!
But this fuzzy little animal print mousie was my favorite thing in the box, and to this day is my all-time favorite toy. I carry it around in my mouth, swat it around the house, give it bunny kicks, one day I even tossed it in my water bowl and Mommy had to wring it out! In the beginning she even put it away at night so I wouldn't end up losing it. That would've been a tragedy, but now I'm more responsible with my toys.
OMC...look how TINY I was!!!
After I unpacked and tested everything in my Purr*Packs box I was absolutely exhausted...and the empty Purr*Packs box was the purr-fect place to take a little catnap. This was my first taste of life as a blogging kitty getting free goodies in the mail, and it was one of the best days of my young life!
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).
The theme of June's CatLadyBox was Pampurr Yourself...here's what was inside!
Featured Cat Lady Artist: Lucy Begent is a London-based graphic artist whose Etsy shop is filled with playful cat prints.
Plush Cat Bath Rug: Adorable for use in the bathroom, but I'm fairly certain once the weather turns chilly Mudpie will be confiscating it for a bed just like this kitty.
Cat Lights Phone Charging Cord: My favorite item in this month's box! I not only use it to charge my phone, but I also plug it in by itself just for the adorable purple cat face lights!
Cozy Cat Paw Socks: One can never have too many pairs of cat socks, right? These are super soft and I can't wait to wear them this fall. My fave is the calico.
Cell Phone Toy & Sassy Shower Cap Catnip Toy: Anytime there are tiny, boppable toys with feathers in the CatLadyBox Mudpie is one happy tortie. These are two of the cutest yet. What blogging kitty doesn't need her own purple smartphone? And can you just picture Mudpie wearing a shower cap? That mental image just cracks me up.
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.
When we presented our Retro Country Rewind for June we mentioned that we had an extra special anniversary to celebrate this month, which is what we're doing today for the Mewsic Moves Me blog hop.
50 years ago, on June 6, 1970, Conway's classic Hello Darlin' hit the top of the country charts and stayed there for the rest of the month. It went on to become the number 1 song of the entire year and to this day it's one of country music's most well known and beloved masterpieces. It was only his 4th #1 record at the time because country radio had a hard time accepting him because he was still seen as a rock singer, but this song set the stage for the legendary career he would go on to achieve.
A couple fun facts about Hello Darlin':
1) Conway wrote the song 10 years prior, in 1960 while he was still recording rock music. While finishing up his 9th country album in 1969 he needed to put down one last song and pulled out Hello Darlin'. He first recorded it by singing that classic first line, but for some reason it just didn't work. Producer Owen Bradley suggested he speak the words instead. Everyone in the studio immediately realized they had recorded something truly special and not simply an "album filler," but then the question came as to what to call it? It's an unusual song without the typical verse and chorus structure, and the words hello darlin' are only spoken once, yet what else could it have possibly been titled?
2) In 1975 the last mission of the Apollo program took place with the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, United States–Soviet link up in space. Commander Thomas Stafford was a huge fan of Conway's, and as a gesture of goodwill from the American astronauts to Russian cosmonauts, he asked Conway to record a Russian version of Hello Darlin' to be played to a worldwide audience on board the Apollo module...which he did! He took lessons from a professor at the University of Oklahoma to learn Russian! It obviously doesn't have the same beauty that the English version does, but it's still a very cool piece of history that Conway was a part of!
From my collection, overseas Hello Darlin' singles from Japan, Spain, Italy and Germany...
and a Japanese version of the Hello Darlin' album...
Every single Conway concert until the last on June 4, 1993, began with him walking on stage and pointing to one lucky lady in the audience as he started singing Hello Darlin'. Every woman in the audience melted and he held them in the palm of his hands for the next hour. That was the magic of Conway and those two little words.
Have you ever seen those Twisted Whiskers characters from American Greetings featuring caricature kitties with big faces and tiny bodies? That's exactly what Mommy says my selfie this week makes her think of...
Speaking of Twisted Whiskers, you won't be one bit surprised when I show you Mommy's favorite character. This ornament doesn't go on our Christmas tree because she's never taken it out of the box. She even threatens me and says I'll have a brother with the same name one day!
We're joining our friends at The Cat On My Head for the Sunday Selfies blog hop!
1. June is a good month to prepare to hibernate for the rest of the long, hot summer.
2. I love to play records. All the modern ways of playing music are great but there's something about putting a record on the turntable that just takes you back in time.
Mudpie's answers:
3. I'm not ashamed to admit that I turn the cute factor up a notch to get what I want.
4. I'd rather not go through the whole summer without spending time on Mommy's lap and cozy blankies. Maybe if turn that cute factor WAY up Mommy will crank the AC up super high so we can cuddle!
Would you believe in a couple months I'll be celebrating FIVE whole years with Mommy? We thought it might be fun through the summer to take a look at some "Best of Mudpie" moments leading up to the big day, starting with one of my favorite toys.
This KONG Triangle Play Mat was one of the very first things I got to review as part of Chewy's Blogger Outreach Program. I loved napping in it, playing in it, and shooting through it like a cannon as you'll see in the video below!
Sadly my play mat got put away long ago because I outgrew it...not the fun I had with it, but because I got so big I would no longer fit through it!
Mommy often wonders about my true age. When she adopted me the shelter said I was 2-3 years old. There's no way I was as old as 3 (I was way too immature! MOL), and she wonders if 2 is even accurate. I was so teeny tiny back then, not kitten size but kind of scrawny. My eating habits were so bad she thinks I may have been somewhat malnourished because of the way I flourished in her care. Was I really younger than anyone thought or smaller than I should've been because I wasn't eating well?
When she asked about my age at my first vet appointment and mentioned how the shelter had said 2-3, all he said was "well she's certainly no older than that." Not very helpful! I guess whenever a kitty is adopted as an adult an age estimate is all you can ask for. I may be approaching middle age but I'm still a feisty tortie and cute as a button!
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).
See this box I'm in? Looks like an ordinary box, right? That's exactly what it is, but its contents were extraordinary!
Some of you may remember that on May 12 our internet was switched off like a light. After Mommy's ISP had her checking and changing all sorts of things, installing a new modem, even having our outside line checked, someone finally came to the realization that we didn't have internet because it had in fact simply been turned off. Our company rented equipment from the area's larger phone company which had recently made some upgrades resulting in our company no longer being able to provide DSL service. Each company is blaming the other for not notifying affected customers, and let's just say Mommy went ballistic on the man who broke the news.
Our next plan was to get our service through the large phone company in the area. Mommy signed up the Friday before Memorial Day with plans to be back up and running after the holiday, only to be told the earliest a tech could come out to check all our internal wiring in order to complete the order (company policy, not necessary at all) was JULY 22!!! Another Mommy meltdown!
Finally she decided to go with cable internet for the very first time. Mommy knows it's a better, more reliable service, but with the price of cable alone being sky-high she was reluctant to go there. She called Comcast and got a really good bundle deal where for the first year she'll be paying LESS for cable and internet than she was for cable alone (although she's very disappointed to be losing a few favorite TV channels).
Then came the next problem - the modem/router combo Mommy wanted was out of stock at Amazon and wouldn't be back in for another week. At this point she figured it's been this long, what's another week? When the text message came on Monday that her equipment was out for delivery Mommy could barely contain herself. I swear she wore holes in the rug checking the mailbox all day long. Of course this day our mailman was extremely late and her package didn't arrive until nearly 7PM! She was scared to death to do the installation herself but was determined to give it a try, and except for fighting with the coax cables her efforts paid off.
By 8PM she was finally back up and running, just 18 hours short of being FOUR full weeks without internet access in the house except for her phone and spotty coverage from a nearby Xfinity hotspot.
Living with Mommy has been very difficult this past month, and on top of our internet issues the fridge is on the fritz again, our bathroom sink and tub drains have had issues (solved), and my grandpa has been back in the hospital. Mommy plans to file formal complaints with BOTH phone companies for their unacceptable customer service as soon as she has the energy, but until then we're going to try to just chill out and enjoy our high speed internet. What a luxury!
Our Conway selection this week is dedicated to my mom, Joyce (another J!). Mom is a very sentimental person, as I am, and nothing bothers her more than hearing of someone who has passed away and their family gets rid of everything they owned either by a yard or estate sale or simply trashing things. As this song reflects, all we have when someone is gone is memories and their cherished possessions. Mom has warned me that if I do that blatantly dispose of her things she'll come back and haunt me...and I believe her! Needless to say, this is one of her favorite Conway songs.
We hope you enjoy our selections this week! Let us know if you have a favorite.
Early last week as I was preparing our Conway tribute post I attempted to get a new shot of Mudpie with a piece from my collection. She wasn't exactly in a cooperative mood at the time and there weren't any I wanted to use for such a special post, but I did think one made for a pretty cute ussie!
Mudpie: My pillow!!! She put him on my pillow!!!
We're joining our friends at The Cat On My Head for the Sunday Selfies blog hop!
