17 Years of puttin-up with humans.

                                      Cali

hugs, Deb

Healthy Cookies make it to the Cookie-jar

Banana Bread Cookies -

Did you know you can take your banana bread recipes and make cookies? Yes sir, you can. Here's one of mine as I have a few kicking around. You will need....1/2 cup of white sugar, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1 cup butter, softened, 2 eggs (I use free-range brown), 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 cups all-purpose flour (can also use whole wheat flour) 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 3 ripe bananas (mashed), 2 cups rolled oats, 1 cup walnuts & chocolate chips if desired.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cream together butter and sugars. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour, soda & cinnamon and mix well. Mix in the bananas, oats, walnuts and chocolate chips until well mixed. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes. While still warm place in a covered tupper-ware container to keep them soft. ENJOY!

For all you dish lovers the plate is a Noritake - Bone china called Shenandoah.

Bonkers for Biscuit Barrels

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

I go a little nuts over these things....

Both these were found at antique fairs and I probably paid too much for them ($30) but I just had to have them. The top one sits atop a dresser and the bottom one is filled with kitty treats (can you imagine) It is a Royal Dalton and looks nice in the kitchen. It is faithfully guarded by Sierra.

It is cool and sunny here today. I am heading out to return keys and cat-sit some very pampered kitties. I'm hoping to find time today to bake some healthy cookies to fill my yellow VW bug cookie jar. I will post a recipe, I promise.

The kitties at my home wish you a relaxing day. Deb

Just a reminder to eat your blueberries today. Tomatoes and blueberries are known to be two of the highest cancer-fighting foods so "please" take care of yourself.

The little yellow VW cookie-jar is filled with raw nuts. This was a gift from my friend who passed away from cancer only 6 weeks ago. I told her years back that I always wanted a little VW to rod around in but had yet to buy one. She remembered and when she spotted this cookie jar she knew I had to have it. I will only keep 'healthy' cookies in there when I have time to bake some.

Trouble is coming.

Look who is coming to stay with me for awhile. All of 6 months and a terror no doubt. This is Rae-Rae, (who is bad-bad) my daughter's kitten and she, along with brother Joe, will be staying with us in May. I am sure there will be some amusing antics goin' on with this grand-kitty.

This is never a good thing..

Can you picture what might have happened in the wee, dark hours of the morning when people are up and heading to work but have to stumble down the stairs for coffee first. Oooo...it could have been interesting.

Today was a busy day of shopping for my grand-baby-to-be in May. I was in heaven amongst all the baby things, especially the adorable clothes. I purchased a high-chair and a picture frame that goes perfect with the baby's nursery. Next was a new mattress for my main bedroom that has just been painted and re-decorated. Then Kane was walked, kitties were cared for and now the tea is on. I wanted to show you a gorgeous tea-cup and saucer that my daughter sent me from South Korea when she was teaching there. This was a birthday gift. She knows her mom well. I LOVE IT!

Guess what else keeps me busy and ticks off the cats

Is this not the luckiest rescued dog whose mom's kitchen is loaded with dog biscuits?

If you read my last post...we didn't buy the trailor. It was too big to haul with our car so the hunt continues. This evening was busy with weighing, packaging and labeling bags of doggie delights that will go out tomorrow to some of our local stores. You see, I don't spend my days only pampering all the world's kitties. I am also the creator of the world's grrrr-eatest, dog-gone delicious dog biscuits ever. Pampered Pups Pastries come from my humble kitchen in Carleton Place, Ont. Many years back I also cared for dogs while people were vacationing and you know how much doggies love biscuits so I was buying treats for them all the time and then I got wise and started baking my own. From that, this business was born. One of the local stores in my town was kind enough to display them and they began to sell like hot-cakes. Since then we have acquired 20 some stores and they are now available in Ottawa and surrounding areas.

So, needlesstosay, I don't have time to get into any trouble. :) Our biscuits come in 12 flavors and they are all made with mostly natural, organic ingredients purchased from our health-food store in town. They are so tasty that you can eat them yourself. You might even get a nice shiny coat if you do, or whiter teeth or how about minty breath.

Kitty Plates

These four plates hang on my dining-room wall. If you look close enough you will see that there is a cat on each plate. The first one was a gift from one of my cat-sitting clients and that was what got me started on my love of plates. These are the only ones I own with a cat-theme. The third plate is my favorite because it reminds me of my time at my grandmothers as a child and my love of her little tabby cat named Maggie. I named one of our kitties after that cat and she is now almost 18 years old.

Today is a sunny, cold day in Carleton Place. The birds outside my office window are looking very impatient for their nuts and toast. Funny how even birds get into a routine.

Hope you have a fabulous Saturday. We are off to Ottawa to look at a trailor for sale. Thinking Summer! Deb

Honestly, have you ever seen anything like this!

Sometimes Sierra just needs to nap between meals.

An Anniversary

I cared for Mookie for 8 years as his owners loved to travel over-seas.

Today I celebrate 15 years of cat-sitting. I was a stay-at-home mom of 3 children and wanted to have a small business to balance out my life. My love of cats encouraged me to start a cat-sitting business called Comfy Cats. I have met and fallen in love with more than 100 cats since then and many of them have passed on but are always in my heart. Mookie (seen in photo) was one of my first kitty-clients and although he is now in heaven, I still can feel his paws around my neck giving me his best hugs ever. He lived to be 20 years.

Tea Condiment

I love tea. I don't think I have met a cup of tea I didn't like. I drink tea for lots of reasons, to soothe me, quench my thirst, wash down everything including popcorn and just to pass the time away. I love sharing a cup of tea because conversation usually accompanies it. The reason I am posting this is because I have found a herb that I think enhances almost every type of tea there is. It is lemon-balm. Not only does it taste great but it looks fabulous on your table. It grows like mad in your garden and it has a fresh, clean fragrance. BUT....sometimes kitties like it too and just wait around until you leave the room to have a taste. ^..^

A day filled with kitty hugs

I am heading out to visit all the cats that have been left in my care. After 2 hours of prepping my cats for the day I am in the zone. I love when the cat-care takes me out to the country, the back roads of Lanark and area. I most-likely will see a deer or two and the wild turkeys are very amusing to watch. Kane always comes along just in case there might be some time for ball-playing. He would rather be in the back of my car than anywhere else. If the window is down he resembles Favio with his long hair blowing in the wind. OK - enough of that.

This photo is of one of my friend, Christine's cats that I cared for while she was hospitalized. Her name is Polly and she was by her side all through her illness. Christine is now caring for all of God's creatures and I am sure she is at peace. Polly, Oliver, Jimmy & Chloe are in good hands with Rob and I hope to see them again soon.

Tea & friendship

A cup of camomile tea in my favorite tea-pot is a great end to a busy day. This day was filled with cat-sitting, hiking with my dog and a bit of shopping thrown in. This pewter tea-pot was a gift from my good friend who I lost to cancer only a month ago. How many cups of tea and coffee did we share in our 15 year friendship? Too many to count. I miss her.

A day for a hike

Today was a perfect day for a hike. It was sunny, dry & cool. Kane and I headed out to walk and have fun with his ball. This is the bush that we like to walk through.

Wordless Wednesday

Fond of Ferals

I have a soft-spot for feral cats. I have met many in my years of volunteering with animal shelters and rescue groups in my area. Two years ago I helped out when a rescue group went into an abandoned barn to trap and rescue and place into foster homes 25 feral cats. It was very successful and after many days of trapping, all the cats were placed somewhere where they were safe, fed and cared for. This picture of one of those cats will always be my favorite because this fella was determined to be the last to surrender. (He has now been adopted and is in a loving home)

White Dishes - Another obsession

This tray & serving bowl was a Christmas gift from my daughter. It was bought in Perth, Ontario at a little gift shop. The only mark on the bottom is "B"so I have no idea where it was made. I think I will use this at Easter...at least cover the tray with chocolate bunnies. This is one of my cabinets where I pile up the dishes. Oh, I wish I had a china pantry but that's on my wish list. I love white dishes because I can integrate other colours with them and it always looks good. One of my daughters likes to add to my collection at Christmas and Mother's Day and I look forward to her additions.

This elephant tea-pot I found in a gift store in Carleton Place. It is one of those stores that was owned by 3 generations and it is always stocked to the ceiling with wonderful items. I guess I collect tea-pots since I have at least a dozen in all colours.

This is Cali and we have been owned by her for 17 years now. She came to us as an abandoned kitten that had just opened her eyes. She was 10 days old and we became surrogate moms. Below is Lily. She is 14 years old and was another rescue at the age of 7. Both are wonderful cats and we love them dearly.

It is a dreary, foggy day here in Carleton Place, Ontario. I can barely see the birds in the trees outside my office. I do hear them though, squawking for their breakfast. I know we need rain but I don't work well with this weather. I guess I need sun to motivate me. I wish you all a wonderful day wherever you are. Hope the sun is shining for you.

OK..OK -Feed the cats first, then coffee. And although there is lots of cleaning & re-organizing to do around here, do procrastinate and have some fun taking pictures. Don't you love Sundays.

Beep..Beep Comin' through.

Sunday started with a black-out. Normally, the first cup of coffee perks me up before I face the twelve eyes that glare with disgust and impatience waiting for the familiar sound of the cat-food can to pop. This morning, no power. So kitties were fed and off to the closest restaurant we went.

Boy, there is nothing like that first sip of hot coffee, mmm.. mmm.

The lights are back on and the plan for the day is to FINISH the main bedroom. BUT, I have to wait for Mr. Painter to get all the c**p out of the room so I can clean. In the meantime, I had some fun with my camera and took some pics of my Easter tree & some of my wooden ornaments that I think my grand-baby-to-be will someday want to play with.

Hope you are having a nice, restful Sunday. The weather here is dreary & cool so I'm in for the day.

Happy Sunday, everyone.

One word for today - SPRING

The Transformation Begins..

Today I ran into a friend of mine who owns 5 of the most jaw-dropping, beautiful cats I have ever seen. Most of her cats were rescues from different situations, none of them good. I knew that her cats were on special diets and added vitamins but today I learned the secret to why their over-all appearance was of such high show-quality. The secret is a 'nip' each morning of SPIRULINA. This is a microscopic algae in the shape of a perfect spiral coil. It contains the most remarkable concentration of nutrients known in any food, plant, grain or herb. It is the highest protein food - over 60% all digestible vegetable protein. It has the highest concentration of beta carotene, vitamin B-12, iron and trace minerals and the rare essential fatty acid GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) And best of all, we can give this to our cats.

When our cat's immune system is stressed, they feel fatigue & low energy. Small amounts of spirulina can help balance and stabilize the immune system. Medical scientists discovered it also enhances the body's ability to generate new blood cells. Because spirulina increases disease resistance in animals, the animal feed industry is studying its use as a new probiotic to help replace overused antibiotic drugs in animal feeds.

If you give spirulina to your cat you will notice healthier skin, lustrous coat and fresher breath. Older cats (like my group) may regain their flexibility.

So, starting today, I will be adding just a smidgen of spirulina to my cat's soft food each morning.

Now that I know the reason why my friend's cats are remarkably healthy & gorgeous I am on a mission to make my senior cats end up on the cover of Geriatric Cat Fancy magazine. I shall keep you posted on the transformation. ^..^

Spirulina can be found at your local health food stores.

The weather is sunny and warm again today. I am just getting ready to head up to Almonte, Ont. to care for Lucy the Siamese. The birds are gathering in the tree outside my office window because I am a little late with their breakfast. So impatient...

Hugo (my grand-kitty) always comes into the office to listen to the music from Cherry Hill Cottage (Tina from Texas) The music on her blog is so beautiful that I listen to it while working away at my paperwork. Thanks Tina, you have great taste.

Drop by tomorrow because I will share some information that will benefit your cats' health. ^..^

Sierra is cookin' tonight.

MEMORIES OF CATS IN MY CARE AND SAYING GOOD-BYE.

I came across some memories today of 4 lovely cats that were in my care 'many moons ago'. They have all passed on now and I still think of them often. If there is a down-side to my job it is having to say "good-bye" to so many. I am happy that I had the opportunity to get to know these 'ladies' and I loved every minute with them.

Getting ready for Easter.

Mr. Ed follows the sun all over the house. He's just a little too close to the Easter decorations so off he goes. That's a shamrock plant hanging to the left. My only contribution to St. Patty's Day.
It is a gorgeous, sunny day here again. The warm sun is so appreciated at my house. Spring is popping up everywhere. This is loafer Lily.