Happy Birthday, Dear Wylla!

 Though it's been almost 3 years since Wylla got better and started living her life like a normal cat, not a day passes that I don't think about how grateful I am that she is healthy and here.  Our girl turns a whopping five years old today.  FIVE! A wonderful milestone -- she's had more healthy years than not.

It's funny to think back to when we first met our Wee Wylla -- that adorable odity, the stoutest of all the Stouts,  the cutest thing ever.




When we first saw this little face we had no idea what was to come -- we did not know then that she would soon be ours.

And thank goodness she did join our family -- I can't imagine our world without Wylla in it.


She brings levity to each day with her bright trills and well-timed dramatic flops.  She offers great companionship and provides comfort and good cuddles. She's such a dear friend to Bean and spares her from boredom.

Our life is better with the sweet presence that is Wylla.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Wylla Francis Stout!   We're so happy to have this day to celebrate!  We wish you many happy, heathy years to come!





Here she is:
One month, one year, two years, three years, four years, and today!
(click on the pic to take a closer look)

Happy Thanksgiving, Dear Ones

Last Thanksgiving Day, the kittens that belong to these paws, Marigold and Poe Starling,  met their future fathers, David and Shawn, at our Holiday Feast.

David and Shawn will be joining us this year, along with a houseful of friends and family to share another meal. We're looking forward it and are scurrying around today to get everything prepared for the event. There's shopping to do, pies to bake, cleaning, crafting -- the list goes on and on!  

And while we're checking things off of the list, in the back of my mind, I'm thinking about all that we have to be thankful for this Season.

You all are at the top this list. Thank you for being patient and supportive while we've been wading through all that happened this year.  Your kindness and love helped us tremendously.  We appreciate you so much.

Have a lovely Thanksgiving, dear ones.  We hope you're spending tomorrow with a table full of good food and love. We hope you're happy, healthy, and feeling peace.  We wish the same for your critters and loved ones, too.  

Much, much love,

Laurie, Craig, Charlene Butterbean and Wylla.

Beware! ZOMBIES!

We carved pumpkins and put them on the porch, but that's the extent of our Halloween decorations this year.  We usually do a lot more to celebrate the holiday, but this year it just didn't seem to happen.  

I come out of floral retirement in the fall to do two events for a client, and the first is happening tomorrow. It's huge, and I'll be working in the basement arranging flowers instead of passing out candy to our trick-or-treats this year.  I think if the party wasn't happening I would have felt a little more inspired to hang some bats and spider webs.  

We've had lots of fun over the years getting into the Halloween spirit with kittens and the big cats. If you click HERE you can find all sorts of spooky posts to entertain you today.



Have a fun day, everyone. Keep your kitties safe.  And, of course, beware of ZOMBIES.




OH, and because I'm knee-deep in flowers, I'll be posting pretty light on Instagram. If you care to follow my floral adventues, you can visit my personal Instagram page HERE.

Welcome Back, Butterbean!

I'm happy to announce that our dear Butterbean is much feeling better. Her anxiety level has returned to "normal, " and things are once again, looking good in the litter box.  She went and visited her doctor on Tuesday, and we got a positive report.
We're hoping that's the end of the Big D, but should it return, we'll take her in for an ultrasound to see if there's some sort of underlying issue.  The poor girl has had so many visits to the vet this year -- I guess that just happens as our kitties age.


That was a hard couple of weeks for her, and I'm so glad things are better. Her Hyperesthesia kicked into high-drive and she was having such a hard time relaxing.  I'm so happy to see her comfortable once again.  She's returned to her happy, purring self.  

I think Wylla is really glad to have her sister back to normal, too. Bean was so easily agitated when she wasn't feeling well and had zero tolerance for her pesky little sister.  There were a few spats and eventually, Wylla figured out that it was better to keep a safe distance from Bean, so that's what she did.  They're back to romping, chasing, playing and snuggling just like they used to do.  Of course, there are still a few spats every now and again, but that's just part of their relationship. We call it "fun fighting" --  it never gets too heated.

Thank you for all of the well-wishes for our girl!  We are so glad to have a healthy Bean who's out in the world and not retreating because she doesn't feel great.

Welcome back, Charlene Butterbean!













And, Wylla. Thank you for being so patient while your sister was on the mend!














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Ever-Present Wylla

 I've been working hard trying to organize ten years of kitten photographs and have been spending lots of time in front of my computer. Usually, I float around the house with my laptop but because I'm shuffling things around on external hard drives, the cords are keeping me tethered to my desk.

Thankfully, I have my ever-present Wylla to keep me company.  With this little beauty by my side, even the tedious task of organizing hundreds of thousands of photo files is bearable!

It's horribly dark, windy and rainy right now, but before the storm moved in, we did get a few sunny afternoons. I took these photos earlier in the week when the days were still bright.  Wylla is beautiful year-round, but I do think she looks loveliest in the fall light!

Fall is Charlene's season, too, but she has been keeping a lower profile and is still not feeling her best. Hopefully, her GI issues will be resolved soon and we will have our normal girl back.  For now, we'll keep doing all we can to figure this out and get her through it while trying to minimize her anxiety and keep her comfortable.  Thank you for well-wishes for our Girl.  It's nice knowing you are out there and rooting for our girl!