So Near, Yet So Far

© All Photos: Riihele. All rights reserved.

“The plant is so near,
yet so far …” thought Lumi, the Westie .

The plant puzzled me as well,
as to how does it stay put in the currents et al?!

No wonder, that Lumi, the Westie, was wondering, too!

This is the plant that
Lumi, the Westie,  was trying to reach at.

JADED!

Simon de Pud shows the way to be when one is feeling jaded! I love this picture of him for he is so knackered and peeved looking…

I do not know what happened before the photo was taken as I wasn’t there at the time. Let us just say that he ain’t happy!

I put this photo here today because I am under a dreadful dose of a cold that is trying to knock me out…

And this is the way I do feel, too, you know. No joking matter. Nope. I have not a had a cold nor flu for well a over year in fact.

Keep so well and safe. Rii –coughing away

http://www.yourdictionary.com/jaded

Photo: Family archives. All rights reserved.

CARTOON: Garfield & Simon

Garfield reminds us of our cat called Simon:

and here is what I wrote about Simon some while back:

“Simon is absolutely so not simple, no matter what the rhyme tries to convey to the contrary!! He would make a first class security personnel where the concerns for the high safety and security would be of utmost importance!

He is a heady mixture of these well-known characters:

1. Garfield -the same gingery good looks and the equal sassiness of character
2. Kramer in the Seinfield – the skidding as he barges in like Kramer
3. Cato – the Korean (?!) servant of the Inspector Clouseau – the total unpredictability in attacking.

There is never a dull moment with Simon around! He really is an one cat-show that runs non-stop with hardly any commercials for a break in-between! Aaahhh…”

How does the cat get its own way? With friendly purr-suasion.

Tis for now. Rii

ALL CREATURES: SUZIE Q~ The DIVA

I am of the opinion that

‘A House without an Animal is Not a Home’.

(My own guote.)

This Beautiful Madame in the photo above is Becki’s cat, the 20-year-old, Suzie Q, who is posing and sitting pretty as a pro model. Even the known cat-haters have admitted that Suzie is the prettiest pussy they ever saw!! She takes all this admiration with an admirable coolness of a renowned and recognized beauty.

Suzie is a mighty mixture of the cat personalities that The Purina, in their online site, describes as The Boss and The Diva. She holds the command in many ways: the goings and comings of hers are totally in her own control, she will NOT be bunged out. Nope – no way Jose!!

When Suzie gets a bit peckish at any hour day or night – one just has to oblige her Ladyship. Otherwise, she will bang the doors off their hinges. At least, she will try, and nobody but no body will get any sleep or peace until she is attended to. At least, she will try, and nobody but no body will get any sleep or peace until she is attended to. Suzie was adopted by Becki seventeen years ago, when the Pud would have been about two years of age. The neighbours, whose cat Suzie was originally, totally neglected her, and she was in a terrible state when we took her on. The vets bills were enormous at the time just to get her sorted so that she could be an indoor cat.

Ever since then Suzie Q has been an one woman cat – Becki’s. She will hardly take any notice of me once the food is served on her dish and she will give me a polite nod for ‘Thank you’ if she feels like giving me some attention! At present, I do not take care of her as she still lives in Ireland and I am not. Becki has even taught her to sit down at command to get her dinner, and Suzie is only too happy to obey her favourite person on earth.

A snippet of of what Becki wrote about Suzie Q – The Diva:

I have loved all the cats that we have had. Each one has their own personality but there is one special lady that I am the closest with: Suzie. In the words of Tigger “we’re closer than teeth and gums.”

She came into my life when I was about eight years old and I knew straight away she was going to be my girl but my parents didn’t agree. They thought that we don’t have room, money or time to take on another cat. I used to sneak Suzie in, feed her and if I couldn’t bring her in I would go out and stand in the rain as a protest that if Suzie couldn’t come in then I’ll stay out with her. My stubbornness eventually worked and I got my way. My dad and I went to the owners and asked if we could have her. They agreed and 16 years later she’s still my girl.

My mum always says that Suzie knows I fought for her and that she remains loyal to me. In the early days she would scare my little sister and her friends and be very demanding (i.e. food, food, food) to my mum and dad. Now it’s funny to see the change in her from a feisty young lady to a big softy. Her newest demand now is cuddles ALL the time. I had a friend visit lately and she was puzzled to see that I and Suzie have the same “looks”. She asked, “Who taught who”, meaning some of our expressions that I and Suzie have are alike. I don’t actually know. I guess I learnt them from her. Funny that.”

”Yep, you and Suzie are ‘like 2 peas-in- a pod’ – you always were, hey.”

This was my comment on the above writing.

This for now. Riihele xx

ALL CREATURES: BUSTER The Goldfish

The picture is Finding Nemo off the site of the film.

All creatures in this story is the goldfish – whom I named: Buster – and his pals, of course, which  Becki – my older daughter – received as a present one year in Ireland. I used to say and still say to the girls: ”Do not take another animal as a pet if you have not the time to look after them.” That was when we were all travelling hither and tither in particular. Anyhow, she took these fish and the gear that came with ’em.

I had never realized just how smart such a small creature like a goldfish can be: Buster got his name from the fact that he, too, took to liking his nosh and it showed on him; let us put it that way, instead of saying that he was obese. (Tips on feeding the fish in this link.) Every morning when I went downstairs to the kitchen to have me coffee, Buster would be doing his special pirouettes, whirling dances, twirling this way, hurling that way, giving the merry faces to greet me, and at the same time, for sure, making certain that the breakfast was served to him and his mates in the tank.

He got to know us in the house so much so that he would do the above mentioned spiel every time he saw one of us, but if anybody he did not know went near his tank, he would go hiding in a jiffy inside one of the toys there. Now that I think of it: Finding Nemo reminded me of Buster and that is why I like that movie so much. Buster went into a foster care because we all left Ireland and he had a very happy life there for a long while until his death.

And death is the hardest part in having pets as they do become such valuable members of the family that when they are gone – it gets so ’empty.’

Tis for now. Rii xx

The Difference between Cats & Dogs

THE
DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN

	CATS
and
DOGS

IS
THAT

 

	DOGS COME WHEN CALLED
THE CATS TAKE A MESSAGE

AND

 

GET BACK

@

YOU.

Tis for now. Riihele xx.

Photos: By the family.

Letter of Thank You




When Simon De Pud was a kitten, I wrote this Letter of Thank You on his behalf to Rebekka, my daughter, whose cat Simon is.

	My THANKS & LOVE for the excellent care uuz have given me over the year.
It has been a pleasure to get to know You.

	I am thrilled to be part of the clan. My pleasure absolutely, so.
I reach out me paw to yeez in thankfulness and gratitude. KEEP FEEDING ME! Simon D Pud.

Les Animaux – Simon de Pud

“Here, I am” – says Simon de Pud – “ready to roll!”. He has a way of saying a whole lot of his thoughts, opinions, complaints and expressing a wide range of emotions like: gladness, fear, pleasure, all without a single word*. It is such an amazing thing that, actually the words are not needed at all in order to get the message; once one is tuned in. Just note the peeved and what-is-she-doing-now look on that suffering face!

He is in my TLC-care for the moment, although, he is Becki’s little Dahlin Puss. Simon has the sassiness of Garfield, the suddenness (of his attacks) of Cato, the side-kick of the Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther and the moves of Kramer in the Seinfield. Quite a heady mix – you think. Yep, that is ‘im.

His favourite menu is the following:

• lasagne
• green or black olives
• pasta
• risotto
• tinned cat food
• dried cat food

For a cat born and bred – read: fed – in Finland that sort menu is very Mediterranean like. Yet the puddy is from a small place in central Finland. Where the exotic taste buds come from is a puzzle to us? How we discovered his special food fads was, when we were ourselves munching the above-mentioned delicacies – par the cat foods, for sure – and our feline friend went nigh hysterical – Gimme, Gimme!! So he tasted and ever since then it is ‘sharing & caring’ on Simon’s part when something he likes is eaten by anybody in his sight. We do have ourselves very international tastes in food. It could be – can’t beat them, join them thing.

I have come to understand that the FELINES HAVE FEELINGS – indeed, very sensitive feelings. Simon is of the cats we have had the one that I know the best. That is why I am practicing to be an animal shrink on top all the other skills I have.

Tis for now. Riihele xx.

* Of course, the cats have a huge range of various types of meows as well that they use with a masterly expertise of a virtuoso. Back to the Italian opera, hey. Maybe, that is why he is so good at this expressing his feelings et cetera.

PS.
The picture above was an actual photograph that I gave a bit of a makeover to make it look like this.

PPS.
Now, Somebody’s tummy-bell is ringing loud and clear – ding, dong, it is feeding time in the zoo!! No, not the olives or the other Med food – tho it’s a very healthy and in-fashion diet. It is the old reliable Latz for Catz.

Cats, Dogs & Other Creatures

I am of the opinion that ‘A House without an Animal is Not a Home.

I think that my reputation as a ‘Cat Whisperer’ is for ever ruined, I said in the last entry I did on my feline friend, Simon de Pud, who is really Becki’s cat but comes to me every now and then; like now. The reason for the loss of fame as a tamer of cats and other beasts is this: All the good food has caused our feline friend to pack a few pounds on him, so he came to me for a Fat Camp last month for as Heli – the younger daughter says:

 

“As Robert Redford is to horses
in ‘The Horse Whisperer’, mum is to cats!!!”

He went back to his mama and I must say that the Fat Camp had been a roaring success:
HE GOT FATTER!!

How come? Well, the first week of the four that he was with me went grand and dandy as he was missing Becki and didn’t eat that much, but then the following weeks he kind of caught up with what he had missed! I tried to explain to him the procedure of the camp but to no avail – he was having none of it. It isn’t the meals that fatten but tis the snacks. He has such great manners when he wants a snack: he sits nobly by his dish looking at you with the please, thank you and the utter confidence that this trick will work. And it does, every time. I give only a teeny weeny bit, though which do add up to a quite a large feed.

While I was in Ireland in June I saw my Boy – Ciro, the Sheltie who is fourteen-years old now and suffers from a heart murmur, poor thing. ‘Pocket size Lassie,’ Becki, calls him and asks him ‘if he shrank in the wash!’ Ciro just takes it with grace and wagging of the tail; thinking am sure, ‘whatever’! Heli is the official owner of Ciro. While I was growing up we had Sheme, a Lassie that really was a laddie! The Collies and likewise the Shelties are such wise and calm dogs that they are ideal in a household with children of any age and equally great for the elderly.

Suzie Q – the Grand Ol’ Dame of the cat world – is Becki’s cat in Ireland. She is 18-years old and there are absolutely no signs of her becoming demented or any of that sort. Suzie is a mighty mixture of the cat personalities that The Purina, in their online site, describes as The Boss and The Diva. She holds the command in many ways: the goings and comings of hers are totally in her own control, she will NOT be bunged out. Nope – no way Jose! Suzie and I are not close – we respect one another and give a nod when we meet. Becki is her hero.

The Other Creature in this story is the goldfish – whom I named: Buster – and his pals, of course, which Becki received as a present one year in Ireland. I used to say and still say to the girls: Do not take another animal as a pet if you have not the time to look after them. That was when we were all travelling hither and tither in particular. Anyhow, she took these fish and the gear that came with ’em.

I had never realized just how smart such a small creature like a goldfish can be: Buster got his name from the fact that he, too, took to liking his nosh and it showed on him; let us put it that way, instead of saying that he was obese. Every morning when I went downstairs to the kitchen to have me coffee, Buster would be doing his special pirouettes, whirling dances, twirling this way, hurling that way, giving the merry faces to greet me, and at the same time, for sure, making certain that the breakfast was served to him and his mates in the tank. He got to know us in the house so much so that he would do the above mentioned spiel every time he saw one of us, but if anybody he did not know went near his tank, he would go hiding in a jiffy inside one of the toys there. Now that I think of it: Finding Nemo reminded me of Buster and that is why I like that movie so much.

Buster went into a foster care because we all left Ireland and he had a very happy life there for a long while until his death. And death is the hardest part in having pets as they do become such valuable members of the family that when they are gone – it gets so ’empty.’

Tis for now on the Cats, Dogs & Other Creatures. Riihele xx.

The Photo: Simon d Pud by Riihele looking at his puddiest!