Awww Monday: Schroeder Part 3

This week we see Schroeder has opened his eyes and is walking and interacting with all the dogs, cats, and people in the house. He grew very fast. So fast that we, and the vet, were sure he would become a huge cat. He never showed any shyness or fear to new situations.

Schroeder never liked being cleaned from behind.

Click to go to Comedy Plus!

Schroeder: Part 1

Schroeder: Part 2

_/\_/\_

Awww Mondays: How Schroeder Began Part 1

On August 11, 2025, two men knocked unexpectedly on the door. They were looking for Amelia because they had heard she fosters kittens. One of the men held out a closed hand and gave Amelia a day old kitten, orphaned and found in a warehouse they were cleaning out in Derby. They had stopped work immediately and drove the kitten to her. These photos are from that day. Spoiler: Schroeder survived and is now an obnoxious teenager with many stories to post in future Awww Monday posts.

Dori (The Little Dog) supervised kitten feeding time.

Click to visit!

_/\_/\_

Betsy's Gift

I usually don't post things like this. If you know cats, you know that this moment is to be cherished. But this may be offensive to you. Be warned and leave now. 

As I walked into the bedroom last night, I saw the dead mouse. I dread these times. Many times these occurrences require a change of sheets. I was relieved to see that this would not require that. The mouse was simply dead and not mutilated. I have a very old and ratty quilt on top of all the beautiful bed clothes because of dead mice, mice parts, Lucy's mud, and her occasional trash pickings. This mouse was opposite my side of the king sized bed. This would quickly be resolved.

Betsy and her mouse.

As I prepared to remove the mouse, Betsy jumped on the bed and lay down near her mouse. She began to purr and softly patted the mouse. I praised her and petted her and she rolled over in bliss.

Ages ago, I scolded a cat for a mouse in bed and that cat completely stopped mousing. I'll never do that again. Lucy can discern ideas about where trash and dead mice should go, but a cat can't seem to. 

I took the mouse out of Betsy's sight, flushed it down the toilet, and we all went to bed very happy. I was honored that Betsy gave me her first gift.

PS Meanwhile, Nelly was downstairs trashing the new cat toy area: see photo a day in the side bar.

Awww Monday at
Comedy Plus

_/\_/\_

I Get the Awwws Today. Seriously.

Lucy with her new lamb squeaky
(and her licked out yogurt container)

Yesterday at the grocery store, I lost control and got Lucy a lamb squeaky and a squeaky ball, and I got the cats two new balls. (Can you tell me where the other thousand balls are that I have bought in the past?) 

Lucy keeping guard over her can

Lucy has always been a hoarder of stuff. I call her the midden keeper. A midden is where squirrels keep their stuff and their trash. Lucy keeps everything and keeps it all in piles. She's done this since a baby puppy. All of her precious things are in her piles. But I was surprised to see the cat food can in her bowl. Lucy, being a Lab, would eat everything and be overweight, so to prevent her heartbreak  at not having snacks (if you do not share food, you do not love her), I let her lick out anything that is not dangerous for her. So she licks out yogurt containers and cat food cans. There are not enough calories in those to put on any weight plus she is reassured that I still love her and I don't get any heartbroken eyes staring at me. But she put this can in her bowl after I fed her. That tells me that she is a tad anxious about cats stealing from her midden. 

The cats are making me a tad anxious, also.

I gave the cats their new balls and they loved them. I heard them jingling all afternoon. I finally finished my work and watched the cats…and found another dead thing! If it weren't for the new balls, I would have never seen it.

Nelly loving her new ball.
I see the dead shrew and turned over table.

They kill every day. Nell gives me her kills, so I don't have to search the house for dead bodies. But Betsy is just dropping them wherever. So now there is the danger of having a stinky dead body in the house that I can't find until it stinks so badly that I can find it easily. Not fun! They knock over that table every day.

The daily knock-over of plants.
And yes, I know I have to re-pot them.

And Betsy (I know it is her) insists on knocking over the plants there on the shelf above. Every. Single. Day. I am moving the plants today. Maybe they will be moved to the trash can.

Oh, yeah. 
Betsy found the toilet paper stash.
She can open the cupboard, too.

This used to be such a quiet and calm household.

Awww Mondays at
Comedy Plus

_/\_/\_

Watch For It!

00:30

Awww Mondays at
Comedy Plus

_/\_/\_

Awww Monday: Betsy is Coming!

Today is Adoption Day for me and this beautiful (but poorly photographed) kitty! I found her using Pet Finder on my own sidebar. Her previous home was "unable to keep her" (what does that even mean?). But I can keep her and it will be forever. They called her Poppy, but she is Betsy to me. She is 2-3 years old and has lived with a yellow Lab and is not dominant (like Nell is 🙄). She looks so scared to me (and underweight), so I am going to concentrate on helping her relax and feel safe again. I love her white locket and the white I see on her paw. More photos as soon as I can!

More Awwws at
Comedy Plus

_/\_/\_

Doggie Selfies

Lucy and me

Most of you know about Sunday Selfies (here is mine for Grumpy Nelly yesterday). Nelly is always such a grump about the camera, that when Lucy and I were sitting together on the couch, I decided to do happy selfies with her. It was so easy! My own children said "Awwww." Understand that I have not published a photo of myself in ages. It's sort of like a law that I have. I'm taking a big risk posting this, but Lucy is so damn cute that I had to do it.

See more Awww at
Comedy Plus!

_/\_/\_

Awww Monday: Nell's New Biscuit Blankets

Oops! Not for you, Lucy!

When I visited Soma's blog, Ink Torrents, I found that she makes fleece cat blankets. I said AHA! My Nell, who was an orphan, loves my fleece blanket for biscuits but it's not on the bed all the time. So I searched Amazon and found Furrybaby double-thick fleece blankets in a few different sizes. I wanted it double thick to withstand multiple washings and to keep it soft. I wanted a larger size so that Nell can sort of share with Lucy. I wanted pink because Nell is a girl. And the blankets have come: one for upstairs on the bed, and one for downstairs on the couch. 

Last night, Lucy thought the blanket was wonderful. But then Nell wandered into bed and found it:

The best biscuit blanket ever.

After a few minutes of biscuits, and very relaxed, Nell washed Lucy's face and they both curled up on the blanket for the night. That was exactly what I wanted for them. 

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Awww Mondays at
Comedy Plus

_/\_/\_

Awww Monday: Mr. Pigeon

Mr. Pigeon before his rescue.

In mid-August, my daughter Anna found an ill pigeon on one of her upper porches. She named him Mr. Pigeon. He would not fly and never tried to escape her. She said he was coated with something like paint; the bird was "too black." She found a pigeon rehabilitator, Lisa Ann, who came and took the poor boy "home" to live with three other pigeons she had for rehab. 

The next day, Lisa Anna called Anna and said Mr. Pigeon was dirty, exhausted, had minor injuries, and was malnourished, but he would recover. Mr. Pigeon's dark color was simply a variation of color that all pigeons have. Best of all, the four birds had already developed into a flock, which would facilitate Mr. Pigeon's healing. A couple of weeks later, Anna got photos of the bird. He looked new!

Mr. Pigeon is in the middle.

In September, Lisa Ann introduced the four to a wild flock in an empty parking garage in New Haven early on a Sunday morning. The wild flock accepted the new guys very quickly, and the story had a very happy ending. 

Here are photos of the two flocks merging and bonding in the air and on the ground:

I was unable to get two videos for this post, but when I do receive them, I will post them. They brought tears to our eyes. A lonely pigeon who seemed to have given up on life was happy in a flock of his peers and he soared!

Lisa Ann rehabs dogs, cats, birds, and any other creature that needs her. 

💓 Bless you, Lisa Ann. 💓

Joint Awww Monday at
Comedy Plus

_/\_/\_

Awww Monday: Grandkitty Remy

My son, Andrew, who lives in Washington, DC, changed his sheets and finished folding laundry on the bed when he noticed how lumpy the bed was . . . 

Click and share your Aww.

_/\_/\_

Awww Monday: 2020

I found this video that iPhone made me reviewing 2020. My husband had died only six months before and I was in complete lockdown alone. The internet saved me — most of us — and my children and I talked all day long, cooked together, had challenges together, gossiped, watch parties, played games, and shared everything together. Here you will see only my son, the only man in the video. You'll see my house, my road, my animals, Lucy and me kissing, my bugs, me shooting bugs with JF, my virtual schoolroom, a student for Halloween, cats visiting my virtual classroom, my cooking fails. It brought tears to my eyes.  Because school starts tomorrow and I have so much cooking, planning, writing, and photo editing to do, I was going to pass on today's post. But once I found this video, I had to share. iPhone chose all the images and the music.  Thank you for watching.

Click for more AWWW

_/\_/\_

Awww Monday: Lucy's Dilemma

Nell will usually join Lucy on the floor, which is nice. Except that Nell has this endearing habit of wanting to touch those with whom she lies down, be it me or Lucy. She also has a habit of sticking out one claw to hold on to you! That worries Lucy. She doesn't know what to do and she knows it is a bit painful. I know it, too. Lucy can relax when Nell lets go and begins to roll around again before she began racing about the house.

Awww Monday

_/\_/\_

Awww Monday: Weekend Wrap-up

I called Lucy down from the upper field just to see her face when she asks, "What? What?" and being so happy, as she is all the time (well, unless I won't give her a treat that is bad for her). 

Daughter Amelia took Dori for an evening walk and bumped into a beautiful sunset.

Amelia and her husband went out for the evening, leaving two foster kittens behind with their babysitter, Fender, who confronts them at the end of the evening at the door, "Why you so late??? They were so naughty!" 

Dori had a bath. Dori always ends her baths like this. Dori is a self-drying puppy.

Remy (for Rembrandt), below, is a pandemic lockdown kitty that my son, Andrew, adopted literally one hour before lockdown in Washington, DC, where he lives. Remy "discovers" himself here. He bushed out his tail at the stranger (he's a shorthair).

Finally, my daughter, Anna, and her husband rescued abused brother long-hair chihuahuas a few years back. What a handful they are! But here, Stewie and Milo share a quiet, cooing moment. 

May you have a peaceful week with wonderful weather.

Click here for more AWWW

_/\_/\_