Naked Christmas

As you may have noticed, I have not been on as many outdoor adventures lately. One of the drawbacks of being a nude feline living in New Brunswick, Canada is the weather in December...and January...also February and come to think of it March and April. Perhaps someone will give me tickets to Hawaii for Christmas?
I do have a growing wardrobe of winter ski wear complete with hats and mitts, which enable me to peruse the great, white wilderness but quite frankly I just hate the cold! Even professional adventure cats have their limits you know.

Inspired by the holiday spirit, I decided to review TWO books for my blog, and also give you a peek inside my home to see how a Naked Cat celebrates the holidays with family.

First I read "Catmas Carols" by Laurie Loughlin. This book gets 2 out of 5 meows. The illustrations by Mary Ross were adorable! I also appreciated the dimensions of the book. It was easy to hold open without thumbs which can be the bane of a feline bookworm! However, I did not enjoy the book as much as I had hoped. Being an intellectual myself, as well as a great supporter of the arts, I was anticipating something more complex.....a richness of detail. These lyrics were somewhat trite. If you enjoy that sort of thing then I recommend the following carols:

We Three Cats (to the tune of “We Three Kings”)

We three cats of Orient are,

Terrified to get in the car,

Why go out for celebrating?

We’ll stay right where we are. Ooooh–

Chorus:

Home is heaven, home is good,

Home is where we get our food,

Why go out for Christmas parties?

Frankly we’re not in the mood.

We’re not happy with a trip yet.

Seems they always end at the vet.

These excursions are diversions,

We’d just as soon forget. Ooooh-

(Repeat chorus)

We three cats are Siamese,

Himalayan, and Tonkinese.

Bring us gifts of meat with gravy

And mild kinds of cheese. Ooooh-

(Repeat chorus)

My favorite carol from the book gave tribute to the lure of the festively decorated tree. Here is my tree at home which I also can not resist!

Oh, Christmas tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

Your ornaments shine temptingly.

I want to whack them with my paw,

and grab them when they hit the floor.

Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree!

Your ornaments shine temptingly.

The second book "Cats' Letters to Santa" by Bill Adler was much more engrossing! I gave this book 4 meows out of 5. Although the pictures were more primitive, I appreciated the illustrator, Paul Bacon, for making sure all shapes and sizes of cats were represented. The letters themselves were hilarious, brilliant and honest. Some of my favorites were:

"Dear Santa: I desperately need a new computer so I can talk to other cats on the internet. OK, it's my fault the old one doesn't work. I honestly thought the mouse was a toy so I kind of batted it around. By the time I realised the fish was a screen saver the monitor was pretty scratched. And if I'm not supposed to nap on the thing why did they make it so toasty warm? It's like a magnet for furballs. I promise to take better care of my machine."

Love Einstein Two

"Dear Santa: Do you have any catnip? I'm off the wagon-again. "

Your friend, Pinky

"Dear Santa: Please leave a mouse trap. I'm thinking of laying off the rodents and becoming a vegetarian."

Thank you, Tom

"Dear Santa: I could really use a few more lives. I lost one the other day on the balcony railing. A few months back I misplaced one in a tight spot behind the refrigerator. If you could just replace these two, I promise to be more careful with them."

Mehitabel

Here is a photo of me and "Mr.Bigglesworth" in my cabana which I decked out for the holidays. I love my cabana because it sits on top of our snake's tank beside the heat lamp.

The next photo is when I got caught checking inside my Christmas stocking.

It may surprise you that I celebrate Christmas at all since I am technically "Undead", one of Nosfuratu's namesakes. I also celebrate Yule! My dad is Christian and my mom is Wiccan so they decided to educate me in both religions. I am very blessed!

Unfortunately, I do not have any friends of other religions yet. So if you are a feline who celebrates Hanukkah or Ramadan etc. I would love to hear more about your traditions!

Nofuratu's fast fact:

For more than a billion Muslims around the world (8 million in North America) Ramadan is a "month of blessing" marked by prayer, fasting, and charity.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar which is lunar (each month begins with the sighting of the new moon). Because the lunar calendar is about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar, Islamic holidays "move" each year. This year Ramadan was from Aug 31 to Sept 29th.

In many places where holidays have become widely commercialized, Ramadan retains its focus on self-sacrifice and devotion to Allah (God).

If you are a feline thinking of converting to Islam it is important to know cats can not fast more than 24 hours without developing potentially fatal liver disease. So perhaps giving up cat nip or treats is a better idea. Consult your local Imam.

This is a cat angel my mom made. He does not say much.

Hope you all have a fabulous holiday whatever you celebrate!

Do not forget to check out my older archived blogs. Just click on a date under the "More of My Adventures" heading at the top right of the page.

© 2012 Aislynne

Running for the Cure

Those of you who have received my spiffy new business cards may have noticed my job titles are: "Critic, Philanthropist and Entrepreneur". Although it may seem by my blog that I am on permanent vacation, this is not the case! Here is my latest philanthropic adventure " Run for the Cure" which took place Sunday October 5th in Centennial Park, Moncton.

Some of you may wonder how on earth a naked feline can participate in such an event, especially with such cold weather! First, I am no ordinary Sphynx and second, I have the right gear. Yes I said it! It is not my athletic prowess, but my clothes which gave me the edge.

I contacted Nike and Adidas for some custom sneakers but their translators did not speak "Meow". Imagine! So I went barefoot with a cable knit turtleneck underneath a parka vest with a fur edged, removable hood. It is faux fur of course.

I decided to warm up on the race track near the water park. My warm up exercises consisted of pouncing on leaves and kicking around a soccer ball mostly.

I did talk mom into letting me climb a tree! Although I am very spoiled my people encourage me to do "cat like" things so I will stay grounded. I did not realise my turtleneck, parka and freshly pedicured nails would also help me stay grounded! This picture was taken just before I fell out of the tree!

There I am way, way up in the upper left corner of the picture. I would like to have posted a photo of me falling to give my fans proof that I do my own stunts. Unfortunately, daddy put the camera down to catch me. He is an excellent catcher! Next time I climb a tree this high I will wear my safety harness and ropes.

Before the run I had some power bars (okay, I ate some ants, flies and such) so I had lots of energy! Where is the start line?

I was going to borrow Haiden's stroller again but figured that would be cheating. Instead, I had my people put me in my "Snugly"so they could do all the walking while I took in the sights. Here I am all bundled up and ready to go!

This is my friend "Bosco" who did all the walking himself!

Here I am posing by some decorations.

I was especially taken with the pink feather boas people were wearing!

Well it was a long hard day so I ended the run with a cat nap. Someone thought it would be funny if they folded my ears into my turtleneck during my snooze and snapped a picture. Hilarious. My people are so immature sometimes.

Well that is a wrap!
Do not forget to check out my older archived blogs. Just click on a date under the "More of My Adventures" heading at the top right of the page.

© 2008 Aislynne

Naked Cats can "Time Travel" at Kings Landing-5 Meows

Kings Landing historical settlement, located in the St.John River Valley of New Brunswick can suck anyone back into the 1800's without mercy, naked or clothed! Here is their web site http://www.kingslanding.nb.ca/ . Pets are not permitted by the way, unless you are an employed working animal like moi.

This huge hole in the time space continuum has 70 buildings and takes at least 3-4 hours to guide yourself through, if you hurry. Since I am not the hurrying type, I once again enlisted the help of my co pilot, Haiden. Here we are travelling in his very luxurious, off roading stroller. Check out the snacks holder in the front!

First we saw some powerful horses working the fields in the hot sun. Although they looked quite happy, I slipped them my union's business card when the people were not looking.

Next, we decided to do some shopping in the "General Store". Here I am greeting one of my new fans! "Excuse me madam, do you sell peanut butter sandwiches?"

They did not. However they did sell lovely old fashioned candy which I did not sample because I left my toothbrush at home. While my people stuffed their faces, I partook in a more serious activity: examining the playthings of 19Th century children and their cats...Mmm Hmmm, yes, so this spins like so...

Give me that you imbecile!!...er ..I mean..."may I take a closer look at that daddy?"

Yes but can you eat it?

OOooh! I like this one the best. Charge it to my account please.

I even tried on some traditional clothing. Beautiful n'est pas?

This is a lovely fountain outside the general store.

After the shopping we went for a stroll. Well, Haiden and my people strolled. I spent the rest of my visit enjoying the view from the front seat of the buggy while daddy pushed me around the park.

Now where were those goldfish crackers Haiden had in the snack holder?

Here I am near the working mill.

Then we sniffed our way through the gardens! This magnificent color, which smells like LOVE, is called "fashion Fuchsia" nowadays. However, in the 1920's it was named "Hollywood" and later "Hollywood Cerise" in the 1940's. I wonder what they called it in the 1800's ?

MMMmmm "Ipomoea violacea!" My favorite! It still smells like morning, how glorious!

Where did I put my sunglasses?

It is 4 O'Clock. Almost time for my pre dinner, post lunch nap.

Pumpkins! How do they fit them into such delicious pie?
This is a kitchen sink from the pioneer days.

OOooh! A Swing!!! Look Haiden a swing. You know what swings mean do you not?
Yes! Swings mean trees! Here I am climbing, while Haiden swings below me and we discuss symbiotic relationships.
Here is a picture of Haiden's shoes swinging with him.

Well! Kings Landing has a lot to offer. You could easily stay here all day relaxing and learning. They have a restaurant with incredible food, an ice cream parlor, various gift shops and ample parking. If you get tired and you do not have a stroller like Haiden and I, there are horse drawn wagons to take you around in. I give Kings Landing 5 Meows out of 5!

Do not forget to check out my older archived blogs. Just click on a date under the "More of My Adventures" heading at the top right of the page.

© 2008 Aislynne