A warning about the camping story

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Dad finally got the pictures from camping saved to the computer. He is writing the camping story right now. I saw a bit of it and I have to warn my friends it contains perilous exploration, dangerous volcanoes, four letter words and worst of all vishus deer.

I will understand if you do not come back to read the tale.


Intrepid Adventurer and Camping Expert,

Baci

Response to The Meezers

It has been a busy month here at our house. We wents camping to America with Mom and Dad and we visited Uncle gruffy McGruffypants. Dad has a lot of pictures from our camping in Montana so he is going to post them soon.

We were tagged by Miles of The Meezers a while back and Dad is just letting us respond now.

What were you doing 10 years ago
Magoo: Just chilling in the old apartment. I had the whole place to myself.
Bella: Nuthing, wasn’t born yet
Dolce: Same as Bella
Baci: Dreaming about chick-hen

(Dolce: Baci wasn’t dreaming about chick-hen ten years ago, he wasn’t even born yet. Stoopid brother.)

What were you doing one year ago?
Magoo: Wondering why Mom and Dad brought Dolce into the house.
Bella: Same as Magoo.
Dolce: Making goo-goo eyes at Scout
Baci: Dreaming about chick-hen

(Dolce: Baci wasn’t dreaming about chick-hen one year ago, he wasn’t even born yet. Stoopid brother.)

Five Snacks you enjoy
Magoo: Maxcat gourmet treats, Pounce treats, Crab, tuna water, Turkey
Bella: Salmon, Chick-hen, Crab, tuna water, Turkey
Dolce: Salmon, Chick-hen, Crab, tuna water, Turkey
Baci: Salmon, Chick-hen, Crab, Chick-hen and chick-hen

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
Stand By me, Black Velvet Band (Irish version not the sucky Allanah Myles version), Wild Rover, Shout, and Danny Boy

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire
Magoo: Set up Financial Grant board for all the solitary cat rescue people in North America (No money for big operations)
Bella: Build a hospice for ailing and older cats
Dolce: By a new Plasma screen TV for Dad. (Hey Dad did I spell that right?)
Baci: Buy a chick-hen farm

Five Bad Habits.
Magoo: Peeing on stuff
Bella: none, I’m a perfect little girl (OK, Hopping the fence and visiting the nice neighbor lady)
Dolce: Crying out to Baci in the middle of the night ** We call this her booty call **
Baci: I poot lots

Five Things you like Doing
Magoo: Peeing on stuff
Bella: Laying on the patio outside and chasing bugs
Dolce: Making booty calls to Baci at 2:45am
Baci: Playing fetch with Mom and Dad

Five things you would never wear again
Magoo: A collar
Bella: A collar
Dolce: The stooped t-shirt mom bought me
Baci: Anything pink. Sorry Skeezix, but pink doesn’t match my pretty blue eyes.

Five Favorite Toys
Magoo: Catnip pillows
Bella: Catnip mouses, grasshoppers, whirly bird toy
Dolce: Catnip mouses, socks and Baci
Baci: Catnip mouses and fuzzy balls and Dolce

If you haven't been tagged, consider yourself tagged.

Dolce's Story Chair: The Ones-Who-Came-Before

Dad: Well, Dolce, I am home so you don't have to teleport to be with me.
Dolce: I so happy you're home.
Dad: It was a very sad day.
Dolce: It was furry, furry sad.
Dad: So here is the story I promised you.
Dolce: Thanks Dad. I love you.
Dad: And I love you, Dolce.

Elbereth stood in the meadow next to the Rainbow Bridge and watched with a broad smile as a small band of cats chased after a ball that had been thrown by one of the many Cherubim that walked amongst the animals. The ball disappeared in a rolling tumbling mass of fur. All pain and illness had been forgotten. A small tug at her being reminded Elbereth of her True Purpose.

She walked to the Boundary of the vast heavenly meadow and prepared to cross over to Earth. She felt a strange pressure on her ankles. She looked down and saw two cats sitting primly and properly next to her on either side. One was a sleek tuxedo female and the other was a rather plump ginger male. Elbereth spoke to the two cats at her feet in the langauge of cats.

"What are you two doing?" Elbereth asked.

"We feel a tug." the ginger male said.

"It's more like a pull." the tuxedo female corrected.

"No." the ginger male replied. "This is definitely a tug. A pull is softer, less keen."

"I didn't like your attitude on Earth and I find it just as annoying now." The female snapped.

"No fighting is permitted here." Elbereth commanded. "Now I must go. A beloved one is about to come home."

"We know." the ginger male said somberly. "It is my litter brother. I left him many, many years ago when we were both young."

"You know the one I go to find?" Elbereth was taken aback.

"He is tied to us as much as he is tied to the human that loved us." the tuxedo stated. “I was his foster mom when his own mom didn’t want to take care of him.”

"Can we come with you?" the ginger male asked. "He was always the more skittish one of the two of us. I worried about him when I had to leave,"

"It is not permitted for you to leave Heaven." Elbereth stated.

"We don't want to leave." the female said. "We want to help you bring our brother home."

Elbereth regarded the two cats sitting at her feet. What marvelous creatures God has created. Willing to return to the Earth to bring a beloved brother and foster-son. Elbereth pulled two feathers from her wings. She knelt done and held the feathers out to each cat. The ginger and the tuxedo took the feathers in their mouths

“You must not lose these feathers.” Elbereth warned. “Without them you will not be able to find your way back the Rainbow Bridge.”

The ginger and the tuxedo nodded. They both looked up as the tug became stronger. Elbereth felt it too. She picked up the two cats and held them in her robe. The two cats held the feathers in their mouths as tightly as they could.

Elbereth was pulled to a quiet sterile room. There, sitting next to a clean white wall, were two humans stroking and nuzzling the still form of long haired ginger cat with white mits and a thick, ruffled bib. The astral form of the cat was sitting on the floor watching its human comfort its old body.

“Hello, Beloved One.” Elbereth smiled as she picked up the mitted ginger cat. “It is time for you to come home.”

“But I don’t want to leave.” The mitted ginger cat replied. “I want to stay with them.”

“Don’t be scared, brother.” The ginger male wiggled his way out of the folds of Elbereth’s robe and talked around the feather he held in his mouth. “Where we go there is no pain or sorrow.”

“My little boy, you’ve grown so large.” The tuxedo gushed through her feather. “Elbereth is going to help our humans find us. But it is going to hurt them.”

“No, please don’t hurt them.” The mitted ginger cried.

“It is the price.” Elbereth said softly and sadly.

Elbereth reached out her hand and drew a thin tendril from each of the humans. She was shocked to find other tendrils appearing in the air in front of her. Unmistakably, these were from other humans who had felt a deep connection to the mitted ginger cat. How special of a cat to have touched so many humans so strongly. Elbereth took each wisp of energy and cast it about the mitted ginger cat. The humans clutching their beloved pet felt the hollowness form next to their hearts.

The tuxedo suddenly jumped from the folds of Elbereth’s robe and walked towards the humans.

“No.” Elbereth commanded. “It is not permitted.”

“The humans have to know.” The tuxedo replied past the feather in her mouth.

The tuxedo tried to brush her head against the female human’s arm to let her that her once beloved pet was also nearby. The tuxedo’s head simply passed through the human’s arm. Dejected, the tuxedo brushed her head against the human male’s hand, but this time the feather that allowed her to return from Heaven touched his hand. The human male gave a bit of a start as he felt something faint and soft brush against his hand.

“We are the Ones-Who-Came-Before.” The tuxedo tried to explain, but the humans could not hear her. “Our brother is going to come home with us and we will wait at the Rainbow Bridge for you.”

The tuxedo walked patiently back to Elbereth and stretched herself up to be picked up. Elbereth smiled as she tucked the tuxedo in next to the ginger male and the mitted ginger. Elbereth looked at the release that human male seemed to carry in his eyes. Somehow he knew they were there and that his beloved cat was in good hands.

Elbereth pulled a feather from her wing and crushed it to a fine powder in her hands. She blew the powder into the air and watched as it drifted out on unseen gusts of air.

“Now all cats who are Ones-Who-Came-Before will know what you have shown me, beloved Tuxedo.” Elbereth said, “The knowledge of feathers is now known to all catkind. As all cats grow, they will practice this and learn how to carry the feathers in their mouths. And when the time comes for them to return with me to Earth and bring their beloved friends, they will know how to tell their humans that they are loved and safe.”

For Buzzerbee and Chatham and Suzanne:

Con te Partiro

A Prelude to a Tale

Dolce (teleporting into Dad's hotel room): Dad!
Dad: Dolce, what are you doing here?
Dolce: Dad, I'm losing a furriend tommorow.
Dad: I know Dolce.
Dolce: It's not fair. I just lost Chatham and now Buzzerbee is going to leave us.
Dad: You know that Buzzerbee was sick, and that his purrsons were trying to make him better.
Dolce: Yes, but...
Baci (teleports into the hotel room and careens into Dolce's butt.): Dad!
Dad: Yes, Baci?
Baci: Dolce says a furriend of ours is leaving.
Dad: Yes, Baci. A beloved furriend is leaving us tomorrow.
Baci: Why? Why does he want to leave?
Dolce: He doesn't want to leave. He is very sick.
Dad: That's right Dolce. Buzzerbee is very sick and his purrsons don't want to cause him anymore discomfort.
Baci: It makes me sad.
Dolce: It makes us all sad.
Dad: It even makes me sad, Baci. I have never petted Buzzerbee or held him in my arms but he feels like I knew him as much as I know you and Dolce.
Dolce: Don't be sad. We're still here.
Dad: I know Dolce. But...
Dolce: But what?
Dad: Time has a different plan for each of us. For you and Baci and Magoo and Bella, the plan is different than it is for your Mom and me.
Baci: I don't want a different plan. I want the same plan as you.
Dolce: Ya. The same plan.
Dad: I wish you could have the same plan too. But that is not what is in store for us. Do you remember the story of Elbereth?
Dolce: Yes...
Baci: Kind of. I fell asleep and dreamed of Chick-hen. I love Chick-hen.
Dad: In time, I will give you each a small piece of me and we will use that to find each other.
Dolce: I can find you now. I just say "Take me to Dad!" seven times and I teleport to you.
Dad: Maybe that's because you already have that small piece of me and your mom that let's you find us whenever you want to teleport over.
Dolce: Can this help us find you whenever we want? Even if we have to leave like Buzzerbee?
Dad: Maybe I have one more story for you about the Angels at the Rainbow Bridge.
Dolce: I could use a story.
Dad: It will probably both sad and happy at the same time.
Dolce: You always make me happy, Dad. I love you.
Baci: I love you too. Almost as much as Chick-hen!
Dad: Baci, you are incorrigible.
Dolce: Don't worry, Baci. That means cute.
Dad: I won't open your Story Chair until tomorrow night. It will be after Elbereth comes for Buzzerbee and takes him to the Rainbow Bridge.
Dolce: Maybe some of my furriends might come by.
Dad: Even if they don't, we will spend the time and we will remember Buzzerbee.

For Buzzerbee (Wordless Wednesday)

The Camping Adventure

A picture tells a thousand words, so I will let the first 6,000 words come from the furkids themselves.

Baci can't wait for camping to begin

Dolce investigates the new smells

Baci looks out the window at the rain

It's crappy outside, so lets enjoy this sunbeam

Except for the weather, I approve of camping

We are very tired now.

Docle and Baci were very well behaved on our little excursion last weekend. It was a dry run for another trip we are planning later on this summer. Docle was so good on our last camping trip, it was a given that we would be taking her this year. But then Baci came into the picture. Since he and Dolce have bonded so well and the other cats really are not that crazy about the little guy, it seemed natural that we would need to get Baci used to the trailer too.

I think I read it on a blog or someother place about you can tell how well a kitten/cat is adjusting to a place by how fast they adapt/find the litterbox. Using that as a measure of how well Baci took to camping, he loves it. It took him less than ten minutes to find the litterbox. It took over thirty minutes for the stink to dissipate from the air. I guess it is partially my fault; I let the little goofball lick some of the sour cream off my peroghies the night before. Let's just say, he is very lactose-intolerant. The worst part is that is was a little loose and stuck to his fur. So we have a stinky little cat following us around trailing this pungent cloud of poo-stink.

They both played in the trailer with the toys Mom brought with her and looked out every single window in the trailer. Baci got to go for a bit of a walk but he started to try and squirm his way out of his collar. That earned him an immediate timeout in the trailer.

Dolce was pretty much an angel. She sat in my lap during the short drive to the campground. There was some front lap driving on her behalf, but I tend to ignore her since she can't see over the dashboard anyways. Then she was pretty content just look out the windows and sleep in the sunbeam and cuddle with her Dad.

So that was the camping adventure. It was lot more fun than it sounds. By the way, this is also my 200th post. Who would have thought I would have that much to say about my furchildren and our adventures together.

We's Home!

We're Home!

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While Mom was in the Campground Registration office, Baci and I sat with, or more accurately on, Dad in the Rumbly Truck.

We had so much fun in the House-With-Wheels. Dad said that he will post some more picture over the next couple of days. He has to go away for work again. But I made sure I got lots of snuggles and cuddles while we were camping, so I think I will be okay for a couple of days.

Dolce

PS. I think Baci wants to say something...


I gots salmon and steak and a new toy and I got to chase some butterflies and I gots to sleep on the bed and I made a big stinky poop.

Baci

Dolce and Baci's Big Adventure

Dolce: Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!
Baci: Why you dancing around, Dolce?
Dolce: We's going camping!
Baci: What's Camping!
Dolce: You get to go in the Rumbly-Truck and you gets to sleep in the House-That-Has-Wheels.
Baci: That sounds kind of scary.
Dolce: It can be, but I learned last time to ensure safety you have to give Dad instructions on his driving. Like he's going to slow or too fast. Or that you really need to stop at the Garden Centre and check out the catnip plants.
Baci: Is that why Mom put this stupid collar on me? I know its blue to match my eyes, but it binds.
Dolce: You has to wear that if you goes camping. That's what Dad said last year. He said it can keep the bears, coyotes and wolves away. Not to mention the Vishus Deer.
Baci (shudders): Not Vishus Deer!
Dolce: I am not worried.
Baci: Why not?
Dolce: Cause I can run faster than you.
Baci: What does that mean?
Dolce: Ask Dad.

PS. Dad promises to bring back pictures.

Dolce's Story Chair - Elbereth's Task

Dolce: Dad!
Dad: Yes, Dolce.
Dolce: I lost some more friends.
Dad: I know, Dolce. Some of them we barely had a chance to know.
Dolce: I don't feel so happy.
Dad: How about a story? Would that make you feel a little better?
Dolce: The story not as much as being able to cuddle up with you.
Dad: Well, you hop up onto my lap and I will tell you the Last Story I have about the Angels of the Rainbow Bridge.

Elbereth stood at the threshold of the Rainbow Bridge. Across it's glimmering span, she could see her angelic sister, Dulcinea. Elbereth saw the joy in Dulcinea face as each creature crossed into Heaven accompanied by their humanly companion. All of the Angelic Host knew of Dulcinea's sacrifice to build this simple bridge between the earthly meadow and the vastness of heaven. Everything had a price. Dulcinea's price for the happiness and health of all the creatures who waited for their earthly friends had been her wings and the ability to ever cross from Heaven to Earth. Even the meadow she laid on angelic feathers was forever banned to her. Elbereth knew that Dulcinea drew all the joy she wanted from the knowledge that every creature that crossed the bridge had waited in peace and comfort in her meadow. Elbereth often found herself talking with Dulcinea or in the meadow amongst the multitude of creatures. She had even spent many millenium with Antonius travelling between Heaven and Earth.

Antonius had chosen as his True Purpose to bring the souls of all the kittens to Earth and to return those who humans had abandoned or ignored. Without forethought, Elbereth's True Purpose had become entwined with that of Antonius and Dulcinea. As she stood and watched over the Rainbow Bridge, she suddenly felt an Earthly tug at the center of her being. She nodded her head towards Dulcinea and she flew towards Earth.

Elbereth found herself hovering over two forms in a small cozy room. One form was human and one was a old frail feline. Elbereth knew why she had felt the pull to this location; a Beloved One was about to say goodbye to it's human companion. Elbereth felt the sorrow radiating from the human as it patiently and lovingly waited for its feline friend to pass from the earthly world. She watched the human gently craddle the feline and lovingly stroke its fur. Elbereth felt the human's sorrow and wished it was within her True Purpose to ease its pain. Elbereth knew that she did not bring release for the human. She was here to forever bind the human to the slowly fading creature in its lap.

Elbereth watched as the feline's body shimmered. The physical body stopped as the feline's angelic form separated. Elbereth knew that the human understood that it's beloved friend had finally left the Earthly Plane. It did not take angelic insight to understand the tears that coursed down the human's face. She turned her attention to the bewildered feline spirit that seemed confused and lost.

"Beloved One." Elbereth spoke to the feline spirit in its own language. "I have come to take you home."

"But I don't want to leave." the feline spirit replied. "I want to stay here with her. "

"Your time on Earth has ended." Elbereth stated with a smile. "I am here to guide you to where you can wait for your friend. There you will be restored to the Beloved Friend that your human remembers. There will be no pain or sorrow for you."

"But what about my friend?" The feline asked.

"For her." Elbereth respondly sadly. "There is a price to pay."

"I will pay it." the feline said quickly. "She has given me a home and all the love I needed for the last fifteen years. Ever since I was a Kitten, I can remember feeling her love and affection."

"That is what brought me here." Elbereth said. "The Ending of a human's Earthly Love is what calls me from Heaven."

"Then what is the price she has to pay?" the feline asked.

"Watch and you shall understand." Elbereth replied.

Elbereth held an outstretched palm towards the human female. A thin silvery blue tendril began to drift from the human towards Elbereth's outstretched hand. Elbereth pulled the ethereal wisp and slowly formed a small sphere from the energy. The feline saw that a small void had formed near it's human's heart. Even the feline could sense the hollowness and pain that the void was causing the human female.

"What have you done to her!" The feline's back arched and its fur bristled. "Whatever you have done, I demand that you undo it now!"

"This is the price she must pay." Elbereth took the small sphere and laid it on the forehead of the cat.

The silvery blue energy sparked along the feline's angelic form. Elbereth smiled as the feline suddenly understood what had happened.

"For as long as this human female lives, she will feel the loss of this small piece of her essense." Elbereth explained."In time, she will be able to bear the loss with greater ease than she does right now. But forever, she will know of its loss. In times of reflection and melancoly, she will once again feel the strength of this moment and she will remember you."

"Does it hurt her?"

"For this moment, it will feel as though her breath has been stolen from her body." Elbereth replied, "In time it will become merely an echo."

"But why."

"It may take many years for you and her to be reunited in Heaven." Elbereth stated. "Without this small piece of her essense, the two of you may never meet in the vastness of Heaven. Now you shall wait in a vast Meadow next to a Rainbow Bridge. When she crosses to Heaven in her time, you will feel her presense. You will feel the tug of her spirit and you will come running. Then you will cross the Rainbow Bridge to be together for the rest of time."

"So this is the price?" the feline asked.

"Yes." Elbereth smiled. "The pain and emptiness she feels now is to secure the eternity of happiness she wants for the two of you later. It was a contract she made the minute she decided to give you her love. In time, the void will lessen, but it will never fully heal. She may even open her heart many more times before she joins you. And each time, I will return and bind her to those she has made Beloved Ones."

"With her love." Elbereth continued, "She has asked for you to wait for her. The small pearl of her essense I have given to you is not so that she remembers you, but so that you remember her."

"I will never forget her." the feline said defiantly. "Take me to the Bridge. I am ready to wait forever for her."

Elbereth lifted the feline and placed it within the folds of her robe. She cast one more glance at the human clutching the still form of her beloved friend. Have faith, Elbereth thought, One day you will be together again.

Dolce's Tummy Tuesday

Here is Dolce rolling in the catnip garden my Wife replanted for the cats. The previous one had been overtaken by weeds and had been peed on several times by Magoo, Smudge, and some of the other neighborhood cats. I personally don't want my cats rolling in their own pee let alone another cats.

We are hoping the plants will survive long enough to grow larger. As you can see Dolce has quite the catnip addiction, so we are not holding our breath for the plants to make it past June. I think Dolce wants to add something...


Scout,
Wanna come roll in the catnip with me?
Dolce

Baci Shows His Fierce Side - Mancat Monday

Dad,

I am tired of you chasing me around the backyard with the camera thingy. I know I am cute and extremely photogenic, but I came out here to run and play and chase. You continually pestering me with the snapping and clicking of the camera is scaring all the good bugs away.

So I am showing you my mean, mad, angry face. Magoo says that it works well to do this once in a awhile to remind you who is really in charge.

Da-Mancat Baci

Dolce's Story Chair: A Bridge Constructed Part II

Dad: Dolce! Are you ready for the rest of your story?
Dolce: Yes Dad. But could you speak really slowly.
Dad: Why do I have to speak really slowly?
Dolce: Because you have to go away once you are done telling me this story.
Dad: And if I talk really slowly?
Dolce: You won't go away as soon.
Dad: Dolce, Dolce, Dolce.
Dolce: Dad, Dad, Dad.
Dad: You tell Mom, Magoo, Bella, and baci that I'm going to start the last part of the story now.
Dolce: Okay.
Dad: And let Mom know that she has to give a certain Tabby from Singapore some tummy skritches.
Dolce: Won't Magoo get jealous?
Dad: Magoo will just have to learn to share when he's at you Story Chair.
Dolce: If he doesn't learn to share, can I make some Kibble money takes side bets?
Dad: No. let your furriends know I am about to start the story.
Dolce: EVFURRBODY! DAD'S STARTING THE LAST PART OF THE STORY! SO COME ON OVER!
Dad: Dolce, you are incorrigible.
Dolce: That means cute right?
Dad: Sure.

Dulcinea walked the edge of the Boundary between Heaven and Earth. She could now see the countless animals that were waiting for their human friends to cross over into Heaven. Her heart trembled at the faint cries and lonely wails she heard.

Antonius was right. She had to find a way to bridge the Boundary between Heaven and Earth for these lost animal souls. The meadow he had shown her was exactly what she wanted for those lost souls; a place for them to rest and to play and wait for their beloved Humans to join them in Heaven. She had tried to create the meadow on this side of the Boundary, but the flowers and the grass faded away as soon as she turned her attention away from them. In Heaven, Dulcinea could create whatever she wished but it would only last as long as she concentrated on it. As soon as she thought of something else, her previous constructions would disappear.

Dulcinea went back to the meadow that Antonius had shown her. She sat amongst the flowers and the grasses and the plants. She breathed the earthly perfume of the mint plants and the summer flowers. This was want she need to recreate. But this was God’s creation, as an Angel she would never be able to match this. At best it would be a poor mockery of the original. Dulcinea was crestfallen. One of her feathers dropped from her wing as her melancholy took its toll on her spirit. It slowly drifted to the ground and came to rest on a small patch of grass.

Dulcinea watched as a windblown seed from a dandelion plant landed on her fallen feather. She tried to pick up the dandelion seed but it passed through her hand once again. Frustrated, Dulcinea picked up her feather that had fallen to the ground. She suddenly drew in a surprised breath. There on her discarded feather lay the dandelion seed.

“I cannot touch you.” Dulcinea realized. “But my feathers, once fallen can.”

Dulcinea reached towards her right wing and pulled another feather out. She used this second feather as a tiny broom and she swept some dirt onto her first feather’s shimmering white surface. The dirt did not pass through. Dulcinea’s heart beamed as she discovered how to bring the essence of the meadow back to the Boundary.

Dulcinea swept as much dirt onto the feather as it seemed to be able to hold. She flew back to Heaven as quickly as she dared, for fear of the dirt blowing off her discarded feather.

Dulcinea stood at the hazy edge of the Boundary and looked hopefully at the dirt that laid on top of her wing feather. She closed her eyes and gave praise to God as she deposited the dirt on the feather onto the firmament of Heaven at her feet. The firmament swirled like smoke as the dirt from Earth struck it. Dulcinea looked down where the dirt had landed. It passed right through the swirling haze.

“It is gone.” Dulcinea observed, as her heart sank.

Dulcinea flew back to the meadow with her two feathers clutched tightly in her hands. She swept more dirt from the Meadow onto their surface and carried them back to Heaven. She looked at the two feathers with the faint traces of Earth on them. Simply dropping the Earthly matter onto the Heavenly firmament did not work, Dulcinea thought.

She reached down and laid the two feathers side by side onto the Firmament. This time the dirt did not disappear through the heavenly ground. Instead the dirt deepened and thickened and a small patch of flowers and grass sprang up. Dulcinea did not have to recreate what God had created on Earth, she simply had to give it some angelic support.

Dulcinea flew back to the meadow. She reached back and pulled two feathers from her wings and swept more Earthly matter onto them. She took them back to Heaven and laid them next to the other two feathers. Once again the dirt deepened and thickened and more flowers and grass sprang up on the tiny space. Dulcinea rejoiced at the sight of the small patch of flowers and grass. Already, several creatures at the Boundary had begun to show up, drawn by the scent of the Earth they had left behind.

Dulcinea began making trips from Heaven to Earth and back again. Each time carrying two of her feather covered in Earthy matter from the meadow. She soon had a small plot that was covered with plants and flowers and grass. It was also covered with animals that were waiting for their human masters.

Dulcinea looked at the small plot of ground she had made and the numbers of animals that mulled at the edge trying to find a spot where they could rest. She looked at her wings. She had not realized but both were thin and bloody. In her zeal to create this spot, she had pulled feathers faster than she was able to replace them. If she kept this pace, she would not have any feathers left in her wings, and once that happened, she would no longer be able to move about Heaven as an Angel. Dulcinea dropped her chin to her chest and softly cried at her failure.

Antonius saw his sister as she stood at sobbed at the edge of her tiny meadow. He hestitated but a moment as the recently winged kittens within his robed struggle to be free. Antonius smiled and took his charges to their new heavenly home. Once his work was done he returned to his sister’s side.

“Dulcinea.” Antonius said sharply. “Why have you stopped? I see that you have found a way to bring the Earthly meadow to Heaven, but it is far too small for all the creatures that need it.”

“I cannot do any more, Antonius.” Dulcinea motioned towards her tattered wings. “To do even this much is more than I can handle. I will have to wait until my wings grow back. Then I will start again.”

“Then what will you do with all this?” Antonius motioned towards the immense pile of angelic feathers.

Dulcinea looked up a saw an immense pile of angelic wing feathers. She had been so lost in her grief at failing at her True Purpose she had not seen the pile grow.

“How?” Dulcinea asked.

Before Antoinius could answer, Dulcinea watched as four Guardian Angels flew past. As they passed the great pile of feathers, they each tore a handful of their own feathers from their wings and cast them onto the pile. Dulcinea smiled as she saw a group of Cherubim also pull several of their tine feathers and add them to the pile.

“I told the Angelic Host of your True Purpose.” Antonius said. “And of the lack of wing feathers you had. Your brothers and sisters have chosen to help fulfill your True Purpose.”

Antonius reached towards his wings and was about to add his own feathers to the pile. Dulcinea reached over and stopped him.

“Your feathers have another purpose.” Dulcinea stated with a smile. “As you have provided a heavenly path to the Unwanted and Lost Ones, I will provide the path for Those Who Wait.”

Dulcinea took each and every feather in the great pile and used them to produce an earthly Meadow that stretched as far as the human eye could see across Heaven. It was a piece of Earth supported on the wings of Angels. Dulcinea looked at the meadow and the countless creatures that now moved freely in the flowers and grass. Some limped, some moved very slowly. Dulcinea knew her True Purpose had one more price.

Dulcinea took the last two feathers that she had brought from Earth and held them in front of her. Two tears fell from her eyes and landed on the feathers. The dirt began to shimmer with a multitude of colours. Dulcinea set one feather down. Unlike before, this feather did not immediately become part of the meadow. Dulcinea took the other feather a small distance away. She set it down on the firmament of Heaven. She looked at the vast meadow she had built with the help of the Angelic Host.

She felt a twinge of sorrow as she knew she would never set foot on it again. Dulcinea reached back and pulled her left wing from her back. She gasped with pain and fell to her knees. She reached back and pulled her right wing from her back. Dulcinea took her two wings and stretched them out. She laid them so that they touched the two shimmering feathers.

As the angelic wings touched the feathers, they began to arch and harden. They took on the appearance of stone. This was not earthly stone for it shimmered with the colours of the rainbow due to Dulcinea’s tears.

“Fear not Beloved Ones.” Dulcinea spoke softly to the animals playing in the vast meadow. “On the wings of angels, you shall wait without pain or discomfort for your beloved human friends. And on the wings of an angel you shall cross together into Heaven, for this is your Rainbow Bridge.”

Dolce's Story Chair: A Bridge Constructed - Part 1

Dolce: Dad!
Dad: Yes Dolce?
Dolce: Mom says that you are going away again.
Dad: Just for a little bit.
Dolce: Well, Baci and I decided that we don't want you to go.
Dad: Do you like your food and your toys?
Dolce: Yes.
Dad: Well I have to go and find a means to pay for all that.
Dolce: So you go away so that you can give us stuff.
Dad: In a manner of speaking, yes.
Dolce: So if I asked for less stuff, you would have to go away less?
Dad: Dolce, Dolce, Dolce.
Dolce: Dad, Dad, Dad.
Dad: How about we sit here in your Story Chair and I tell you another story?
Dolce: Is is more of Scooter McTabby?
Dad: I'm still working on that one. How about a story about a very famous bridge?
Dolce: Sounds kind of lame, Dad.
Dad: How about you listen to the story before you criticize it?
Dolce: I'm a cat. I criticize everything first, then decide if I like it.
Dad: You let your furriends know that we are here at your Story Chair and I will tell you a story about a very important bridge.
Dolce: Okay. EVERYBODY! MY DAD'S TELLING ANOTHER STORY! SO COME OVER TO MY STORY CHAIR!
Dad: Did you have to yell like that?
Dolce: I gots furriends all over the world. If you wants them to come over, I am going to have to yell. BACI! DAD'S TELLING A STORY!
Dad: I know that Baci is not across the world so why did you yell that time?
Dolce: Cause it's fun.

Dulcinea watched as her angelic brother, Antonius, carried a silently sleeping kabble of kittens in his robe away from the center of heaven. She watched as he took them from the birthing grounds of all the kitten souls that God had created to the dark horizon that separated Heaven from Earth. She shook her head at his self appointed task. It will bring him nothing but sorrow and pain, Dulcinea thought. Dulcinea sighed.

It had been many eons since the Great Cast Out. Things had changed on Earth. Humans now ranged across it's fertile breadth, and it was off limits to any Angel that did not have a True Purpose on its firmament. Antonius was one of those Angels who had found a True Purpose; he had chosen to take all of the kittens that were to be born from Heaven to their Earthly mothers. Dulcinea felt a most unangelic emotion, jealously, at Antonius' apparent joy at taking each kitten to Earth. Dulcinea had not yet found a True Purpose to allow her to travel between Heaven and Earth.

She was shaken from her self pity as a group of stern and fierce looking angels moved past her and half-flew, half-ran to the dark horizon. These were Guardian Angels. Another True Purpose that Dulcinea did not feel calling to her.

Dulcinea flew to the nearest edge of the dark horizon that separated Heaven from Earth. This was as far as she could go towards Earth without her own True Purpose. She watched many chosen Angels cross the boundary. She even saw Antonius cross more times than any other. He is going to wear himself out, Dulcinea thought.

As she pondered what true Purpose would let her cross the boundary between Heaven and Earth, Dulcinea thought she heard a small cry coming from the threshold of the boundary. She turned her ears towards the faint sound. It was low and soft; almost pleading in its nature. Dulcinea knew she had to find the source of that sound.

The boundary between Heaven and Earth flickered slightly and lightened to a hazy blue to her angelic eyes. There in the smokey haze was a older Ginger Tom who was favouring his right foreleg. He tried to move towards Dulcinea but something was preventing his passage. Dulcinea reached down and laid her hand apon the cat's head. She was rewarded with a deep throbbing purr and and enthusiastic stretch towards her palm. Dulcinea noticed Antonius returning from Earth.

"Antonius." Dulcinea called to her brother. "There is one of your charges here."

Antonius flew to his sister's side and regarded the old Ginger Tom.

"I remember you." Antonius smiled. "You were given to the little Calico who lived in the Inn."

"How did he get here?" Dulcinea asked.

"I do not know." Antonius replied. "Maybe he followed me when I brought back some of his unwanted brothers and sisters."

"You only bring back the unwanted ones?" Dulcinea asked increduously. "I thought you took all the kittens to Earth and brought back all the lost souls."

Antonius shook his head. "I do take all the kittens to Earth, but I only bring back those who have been forsaken by Mankind."

"What about those who have not been forsaken by humans?" Dulcinea asked.

"They wait to enter Heaven with those who loved them." Antonius responded.

"Where?" Dulcinea asked as she motioned towards the Dark Horizon. "Where do these creatures wait? In this hopeless darkness?"

"I am sorry, Dearest Dulcinea." Antonius responded. "That is not given to me to know. I wish I could help you fathom this riddle, but I have much to do."

Dulcinea looked at the smokey blue haze, the dark horizon and the Ginger Tom that seemed content to lay at her feet and play with the hem of her robe. This was not acceptable, she thought. This Ginger Tom found me by accident; How many others are roaming the boundary and waiting for their humans to join them in Heaven.

Dulcinea reached down and scratched the Ginger Tom beneath his chin. "How long have you walked this Darkening Road, beloved friend?"

The Ginger Tom simply rolled onto his back and continued to play with her hem. Dulcinea's wings straightened and fluffed as her True Purpose dawned on her. She bent down and petted the Ginger Tom once more. Dulcine assured him that she would be back. She flew to the center of Heaven with a request burning within her angelic heart.

Dulcinea sat at the edge of the boundary and played with the Ginger Tom. She had been given her True Purpose, but she did not know how to do it or what was required to fufill it. Several other animals had shown up as she sat and played with the Ginger Tom; a rabbit, a horse, a bird and several rambunctious dogs. It was obivious that there were far more creatures caught in the boundary between Heaven and Earth.

There was a sudden brightening in the dark horizon and a single human appeared at the threshold of Heaven and Earth. Ginger Tom's ears perked up and the pain in his foreleg disappeared as he raced towards the human. The human picked up Ginger Tom and nuzzled him lovingly. Dulcinea felt another pang of jealousy, for as much as Ginger Tom purred and cuddled with her, this was the being that he waited for to take him away from the Boundary and into Heaven. A voice behind Dulcinea starled her.

"I thought he would keep him." Antonius mused. "I saw the potential within him the moment the kittens were born. I'm surprised he didn't keep them all."

"Antonius." Dulcinea turned."How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to watch you play with every creature that dares to leave the darkness of the Boundary." Antonius held out his hand. "Come with me."

Antonius took Dulcinea across the Boundary to Earth. He knew what she asked of God and what his response was and he could see that she now had a True Purpose. He took her to one of his favourite spots on Earth, a vast meadow filled with flowers and grass.

"This is Earth?" Dulcinea asked.

"This is one part of Earth." Antonius responded. "It is one of my favourites."

"Why did you bring me here?"

"You asked God to let you help those creatures waiting for their humans." Antonius replied. " I wanted to show you a small part of Earth to maybe help you with your True Purpose."

"Yes." Dulcinea thought out loud. "This what the creatures waiting at the Boundary of Heaven need."

Dulcinea reached down and tried to grab a handful of the dirt and flowering plants. The soil and plants passed through her angelic fingers. Dulcinea tried again to picked up some of this earthly matter.

"You cannot touch it, Dulcinea." Antonius stated sensing his sister's frustration. "You and I are not of this plane."

"But this is what I need to bring back." Dulcinea pleaded excitedly. "This is what all those creatures need to feel at ease and at peace until their humans come to Heaven."

"I do not know how to help you." Antonius replied. "It is up to you to find a way to bridge this Earthly world with ours."


To be continued...

Dolce teaches Baci about Spring (A Wordless Wednesday Adventure)

Baci's Mancat Monday

I wanted to post with Magoo for Mancat Monday, but Magoo didn't want to share his post because he said only mouse-killing mancats were allowed to be part of his post.

Well. screw you Magoo. Hey! I'm a poet and I didn't even know it. This mancat post is only for us tree climing mancats. We're into adventure and and stuff and don't need to kill something to be a mancat.
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Magoo couldn't climb a tree if he wanted to, because his butt is too big.
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Pee Ess: I am hiding from Magoo. He heard what I said about him and he said something about introducing me to the dearly departed mouse.

Magoo's Mancat Monday

It finally feels like spring has chased away the winter blahs. Believe or not we still had pockets of snow up to two weeks ago. The four cats have been yelling at us to let them outside and enjoy the warm spring weather. Baci has finally discovered what Spring means and he heartily agrees with Dolce that it is a very wonderful thing; but that is for a another post.

Today my Soldier is truly a Mancat. We got the lawn aerated and dethatched and moved and cleaned up from all the snow mould and dead grass from the winter. We had noticed that this year due to the heavy snowfall which left a deep layer of insulating snow, we had an unwanted mouse-type visitor. Not really mouse-type, more like actual mouse.

We had a suspicion that the intruder was hiding under a small storage shed. I took it apon myself to show Magoo that he had not kept all of the intruders out of the yard. By the way, my Wife does not like discussing this, it makes her sick to her stomache that her baby boy actually dispatched another creature to the great beyond.

A couple of paw twacks and a precise placement of his mighty fangs, and Mr. Mouse was given his wings and sent on heavenly way. To be fair this is the first mouse I have ever seen Magoo relieve of his earthly burden. (I can't use the word kill because it upsets the wife, so shhh about the illingkay of the ousemay.)

So I give you our triumphant Mouse-Dispatcher, Magoo, fresh from his behavioral enrichment.

Mr. DeMille, Is It time For My Close Up?

You have seen the power of Zoom, now behold the splendor that is Macro.

Our Prime Minister has recently returned to me that portion of my Income Taxes that he was not entitled too. I decied that I needed one more lense to complete my new camera package; a 100mm F2.8 Macro lens. At 11 inches, it can reproduce life-size images or really neat stuff. I have taken some pictures of the flowers that my wife got after her surgery, some rocks outside, some stupid household items, and of course pictures of the cats.

In Monday's post, Beau Beau & Angie said... "Had to post again -- Baci looks so so stunning in that shot and has the look of an old soul. Do you think so?"

I don't think he has an old soul, but he does have a deep intelligense within his eyes that is far greater than his eight months of life. This lead me to look through some of the 1,000 pictures I have taken of the cats since I got the new camera. Did I ever tell you much I enjoy digital cameras?

The following two pictures are pretty close to life size. I can't be completely sure because neither Bella nor Dolce were very cooperative when I tried to hold their heads up next to the computer monitor.

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Bella's eyes don't so much imply an old soul, but a deeply caring and loving one. She has the biggest eyes of all of the cats. They make her seem like a kitten still.

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Dolce's eyes say Trouble, with a capital "T".

Everyone stated how terrifying Magoo looked as he patrolled his backyard. I wanted everyone to also see why we love him so much. When he is asleep. Magoo is a great big purring teddy bear.
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Note his tongue partially sticking out.


Pee Ess: I have no picture of Baci's eyes closeup because he always scrunches his face up when I get too close with the camera.

Mancat Mondays

Here is our littlest mancat, Baci, as he hides in the undergrowth awaiting the best time tp pounce on his unsuspecting sister, Dolce.
Click to biggify.And see his baby blues.
His colouring was great camouflage in the winter, but now the snow is gone, he kinda sticks out like a sore thumb. His sister Bella, on the other hand, disappears into the colour of the cedar bark chips we have in the flower/plant beds.


I have mentioned that Magoo is our Soldier. He fiercely protects his backyard from any and all unwanted interlopers. You ask me how, since he looks like a great big teddy bear of a cat. Well, the following picture should suffice as an explanation why most other cats and his Grandma are scared poopless of him.

I give you the the notorious Canadian Snow Leopard displaying his anger at his territory being invaded:

A New part of the Book of Genesis is Found

A coworker sent this to me.

Adam said, "Lord, when I was in the garden, you walked with me every day. Now I do not see you anymore. I am lonesome here and it is difficult for me to remember how much you love me."

And God said, "No problem! I will create a companion for you that will be with you forever and who will be a reflection of my love for you, so that you will love me even when you cannot see me. Regardless of how selfish or childish or unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are and will love you as I do, in spite of yourself."

And God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam. And it was a good animal.

And God was pleased. And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and he wagged his tail.

And Adam said, "Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and I cannot think of a name for this new animal."

And God said, "No problem. Because I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, his name will be a reflection of my own name, and you will call him DOG."

And Dog lived with Adam and was a companion to him and loved him.

And Adam was comforted.

And God was pleased.

And Dog was content and wagged his tail.

After a while, it came to pass that Adam's guardian angel came to the Lord and said, "Lord, Adam has become filled with pride. He struts and preens like a peacock and he believes he is worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught him that he is loved, but perhaps too well."

And God said, "No problem! I will create for him a companion who will be with him forever and who will see him as he is. The companion will remind him of his limitations, so he will know that he is not always worthy of adoration."

And God created CAT to be a companion to Adam.

And Cat would not obey Adam.

And when Adam gazed into Cat's eyes, he was reminded that he was not the supreme being.

And Adam learned humility.

And God was pleased.

And Adam was greatly improved.

And Dog was happy.

And the cat didn't give a damn one way or the other.

What's Up Wednesday

It has been a little hectic in the House the last two weeks. Work has me travelling and the wife was cleared for surgery so she has been running around the house getting everything cleaned and organized so that things don't pile up while she is recuperating. But that is enough about the underlings/ the paid help of the House.

Everycat in the House is doing well. Magoo is getting grumpier and grumpier about not being outside every moment of the day now that the snow is gone. A couple of neighborhood cats have been coming by and leaving their calling cards. This is really aggravating Magoo. We have caught him peeing where he shouldn't.

Bella is doing a lot better now that Dolce is distracted by her new brother Baci. Bella doesn't seem a stressed as she was before. She is back to sitting on my wife's lap and helping her with her makeup. She comes and says Good Morning and Good Night everyday. The number of mats in her fur have gone down drastically. I guess she does have to worry about being cannonballed by Dolce when she wasn't looking.

Dolce is being Dolce. Everything happens at 100 mph. She is has started to cuddle again and even fell asleep on my lap while the Wife and I watched movies on the weekend. She hasn't done that in months. I think it really ahs to do with having a willing and able playmate in Baci. Although Baci loves bedtime, his ears perk up when he hears Dolce calling to him. They are a very sweet twosome. I'm not calling them a couple, because I think Dolce still has a thing for Scout.

As for Baci...Well I could write a couple of pages of what a little Mancat he is becoming. His paws are huge. They are rapidly approaching Magoo's in size. In a word, he is "Snorglelicious". He loves to be picked up and cuddled. He follows you around and cries until you pet him or scoop him up from the floor. Then you get to hear his deep rumbling purr. He has tried to make friends with Magoo, but his older brother can't be bothered to train another sibling. Bella doesn't want much to do with him either, which is okay because Dolce loves him. Baci loves her right back.

In less than a week, Baci will be turning 8 months old. He is firmly caught between the goofy kitten months and the transition into a young adult cat. He is now of a size where he can reach things on tables without a lot of awkwardness or clumsiness. It is amazing to see what becomes a cat's first obsession when they suddenly realize that they can get things down that they want. For Bella and Smudge, it was Q-tips; for Dolce, it was fishing socks out of the hampers; for Magoo, well he didn't seem to care about any of that sort of thing; and for Baci, it is change that I have left on my nightstand. He gets this determined little scowl on his face and he reaches up and slowly pulls the coins off the table. He is happiest when they hit the floor and roll into the heat register. There is way more noise that way. Let me tell you, it scares the crap out of you when he does it at 3:00 AM.

It's a short spell until I am home again with my Wife and the Cats. As silly as it sounds, I am counting the sleeps.