Carolyn's Critters

Mom,
Why is this giant spider sitting here???????
Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Sorry, I know you find it alarming. I just got it out for Halloween tomorrow. It will go on our front door.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
But spiders are CREEPY. And this one is HUGE.
Poppy

Dear Poppy,
That’s what makes it fun. The kids always love it when the decorations are creepy.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
What do the cats say? Have they seen this spider?
Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Not yet, but you know cats, they think spiders are fun.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
They like to chase spiders when they find them in the house, but those are teeny little spiders!
Poppy

Dear Poppy,
You are right. They will look askance at this thing, but then they’ll lose interest and walk away. And then they’ll hide in the bedroom when the doorbell starts ringing.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Wait. Does this mean we’ll have kids ringing our doorbell and shouting? I’m not going to sign off on that.
Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Sorry, I realize that’s not something you appreciate, but it’s a neighborhood thing.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Just so you know, I’m going to bark.
Poppy

Dear Poppy,
No worries. The kids in our neighborhood have met you already, so they know you are really just a fluffy sweetie.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Then maybe I’ll GROWL!!!!!
Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Wow, you are really taking exception to this tradition! Well, if you growl I’ll need to banish you to the bedroom with the cats.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Oh, good. That sounds safer. Much better than those noisy kids. So I think I’ll plan on growling.
XOXO Poppy

–

A note to our readers…

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Charlie,
What was all that banging you were doing last night?
Carolyn

Mom,
Playing with Miss Mousie in the laundry hamper!
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
Miss Mousie is way too small a toy to make banging noises in a plastic laundry hamper. And by the way, midnight is NOT a good time to wake me up.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
You should have just gone back to sleep. You’re so jumpy. You can’t even hear a noise without running in to see what it is.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
Of course I do! I hear a crash and it could be a lamp going over. I have to make sure everything is ok.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
A lamp isn’t going to do anything.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
Hah! Many years ago a cat in our household knocked over a lamp left on while we were out, and when we got home the lightbulb had burned a hole in the rug!
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
You need to chill. You come running for ALL kinds of sounds!
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
Because you get into all kinds of noisy trouble!
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Like when I knocked over the vase yesterday? That was exciting.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
That was a mess. Water everywhere. My book got soaked. And there you were, surrounded by flowers, playing with a single strand of ivy. All that for a bit of ivy.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
The ivy started it! It bounced when I tapped it!!!!! Then it all went over.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
It was my mistake to have a flower arrangement in the house at all. This summer I’ve had a moratorium on that, because you attack them. But I had friends coming over, and I couldn’t resist a lovely floral arrangement.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
They are SO MUCH FUN!!!!
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
I get it, that’s a cat’s point of view. But we humans love them for their beauty, and I’ve always filled the house with roses from my garden. Hopefully by next summer you’ll be a sensible adult, and I can have them indoors again.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Haha!!!! You’re doing it again, you just came running when I banged on the window blinds.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
At least that didn’t involve damage. And I appreciate that you don’t climb up the window screens any more. That kitten habit left some holes in the screens!
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
You came running when I knocked over the toilet paper box.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
Of course I did. I had to put the rolls back in the box before you started unrolling and shredding them. I hope you’ll outgrow that. Normal households don’t need to hide toilet paper in a box.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
You even came running when Winston and I were just running up and down the stairs!
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
It was so noisy I just had to check to make sure everything was ok. I don’t know how an animal as dainty as a cat can make such a racket with those soft little paws. On the wood floor you sounded like someone was throwing shoes down the stairs. And not just any shoes. Men’s Florsheim dress shoes.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
We love doing zoomies together!!!!
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
You two are pretty much just a blur as you fly by.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
We love to hit the sofa running and knock all the cushions off!!!!!
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
When you do that, you actually move the sofa. I notice because periodically it needs to be moved back into place. I have to ask, just how fast does an eleven pound cat have to be going to move a sofa?
Love, Carolyn

–

A note to our readers…

Please subscribe! It’s free, and with a subscription you’ll get these weekly posts delivered right to your In Box. You’ll find the subscription link at the top of the page (If you are reading this in an email, go to https://carolynscritters.blog/ to subscribe.) When you do, Poppy, Winston, Charlie and Elsa will all raise their paws to salute you!

Mom,
That crazy big ginger cat keeps coming back!!!!! 
Winston

Dear Winston,
Louie has quite the neighborhood reputation for breaking and entering. He’s been determined to get in here for years. That used to drive Puffin crazy.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
He’s a big thug!!! 
Winston

Dear Winston,
Did you hear Elsa scream at him yesterday? I was so proud of her! Louie saw the open window and tried to get in. He was stopped by the screen, but she gets credit for hollering at him and telling him to get lost. She may be a dainty little cat but she sure stepped up to defend the house!
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
We did too!!!! Me and Charlie, we also defended the house!!! Today Louie tried to come through the kitchen window, but it wasn’t open wide enough and he couldn’t squeeze through. We had to yell at him. And Louie yelled back at us. It was SO EXCITING!!!!!
Winston

Dear Winston,
I’m proud of both of you! You’ve all really stepped up to fill Puffin’s shoes. No one is going to break into our house!
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Who does he think he is???
Winston

Dear Winston,
I like to say Louie is the unofficial self-appointed mayor of our block. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
He’s not allowed to come in here. We won’t allow it! 
Winston

Dear Winston,
It was quite a rousing chorus this morning. Your fur was standing on end. Very dramatic. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
But he wouldn’t leave, not until you shouted “Louie, go home!”
Winston

Dear Winston,
That did help to convince him.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
But now he’s back!!!!!!! Now he’s peering in the patio window!!!!!!! 
Winston

Dear Winston,
We’ve got this. You boys go yell at him, and I’ll back you up.
Love, Carolyn

– 

A note to our readers…

Please subscribe! It’s free, and with a subscription you’ll get these weekly posts delivered right to your In Box. You’ll find the subscription link at the top of the page (If you are reading this in an email, go to https://carolynscritters.blog/ to subscribe.)  When you do, Poppy, Winston, Charlie and Elsa will all raise their paws to salute you!

Dear Elsa,
You took my rug!
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
I didn’t take it. I moved it. To make the area under the bed much nicer.
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
It was a funny sight, watching that little rug inch slowly under the bed. I had to peek to make sure it was you pulling it under, and not a monster.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
There are monsters?????
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
I’m kidding, sweetie. So I have to ask, are you measuring for curtains under there?
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
Are you kidding again?
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
Very good, you are on to me. But girl, you have been coming out more and more, you don’t need to fix things up under there.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
I know, but it’s still not just any spot, it’s My Spot.
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
As usual I have to admire your clear-headed thinking. So what do you and Winston do when he follows you under the bed? It’s always very quiet after you both disappear there.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
We stare at each other.
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
Okay. That was my guess. I know he has a big crush on you, so he’s probably glad to simply hang with you.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
He’s very civilized about it. So we just face each other and stare.
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
That does sound civilized. He’s not like your crazy brother. When Charlie chases you under the bed, it sounds like you two are having a knife fight in a phone booth. The growling, the hissing, the screaming, the scrambling. High drama!
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
You make it sound so sordid. We are just having a good time. No one gets hurt. And we don’t always fight. Sometimes we nap, sometimes we groom. But I like beating him up now and then. 
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
You beat him up????
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
Of course I do. I’m a warrior queen.
Love, Elsa

– 

A note to our readers…

Please subscribe! It’s free, and with a subscription you’ll get these weekly posts delivered right to your In Box. You’ll find the subscription link at the top of the page (If you are reading this in an email, go to https://carolynscritters.blog/ to subscribe.)  When you do, Poppy, Winston, Charlie and Elsa will all raise their paws to salute you!

Mom,
You were shouting! It was so exciting!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
I wasn’t shouting, I was singing.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
I love it when we dance and sing!!!!!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
It was fun this morning, wasn’t it!
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
We scared the cats!!!!! 
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
They were alarmed. But they’ll be fine. We don’t always have to accommodate them.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
They hid.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
They always hide when I bring the vacuum out. 
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
None of us likes the vacuum. But I think you and the music were louder than the vacuum. 
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
It sure makes cleaning the house more fun. From now on I’m going to make this a regular part of housecleaning day.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
But what is Surfing??? You were shouting LET’S GO SURFING NOW, EVERYONE IS LEARNING HOW, COME ON A SAFARI WITH ME!!!!!!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
That’s an old song, but it’s so cheerful and bouncy that I thought it was perfect for housecleaning.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
So what is surfing???
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Surfing is a water sport. And not just for people, there are dogs who surf! People put goggles on their dogs and paddle out with them, then the dogs ride the surfboard in to shore! 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
I want to do that! I found some goggles!!! LET’S GO SURFING NOW, ALL THE DOGS ARE LEARNING HOW, COME ON A SAFARI WITH ME!!!!!!!!!!!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Sweetie, you won’t even wade into a pond, so I don’t think you’re cut out for surfing. And those aren’t goggles anyway. But let’s put some more music on while I clean the stove. Maybe some ABBA this time.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
We’ll be really loud and dancey and scare the cats some more! You sing, and I’ll bark and jump around.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
And then let’s have some salsa music while we sweep the patio. While we’re outside the cats can come out from under the beds. And finally, I’ll put on Beethoven’s Symphony in C for a rousing accompaniment while I clean the bathroom.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
You know all kinds of music!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
My mother taught piano, so in my early years I spent a lot of time playing under a baby grand, listening to music lessons.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
I don’t need music lessons! I can bark all kinds of music!!!!!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Let’s hold off on the barking for a bit. No need to alarm the cats even more. They think you are warning everyone about imminent danger.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
Winston is probably crying WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
You know he is.
Love, Carolyn

– 

A note to our readers…

Please subscribe! It’s free, and with a subscription you’ll get these weekly posts delivered right to your In Box. You’ll find the subscription link at the top of the page (If you are reading this in an email, go to https://carolynscritters.blog/ to subscribe.)  When you do, Poppy, Winston, Charlie and Elsa will all raise their paws to salute you!

Mom,
You moved the food!!!
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
I had to, sweetie, we have ants.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
But it’s confusing when you move our food.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
I know, I’m sorry. But the ants suddenly showed up. In your breakfast.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
Is that why Winston freaked out?
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
It sure is. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom!
Then make them STOP!!!
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
I’m working on it. Meanwhile, you all can just eat in the bedroom while I get a handle on this.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Where did they come from?????
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
From outside. Through a crack. Which is unfortunately right next to the cabinet where I feed you kids. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
How did they know our food was there?????
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
Finding food is their life’s work and they’re good at it. But relax, I’ve just moved your food temporarily. 
Love, Carolyn 

Mom,
But we don’t like our food moved AT ALL
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
Seriously? Dude, you are willing to share your food with ants? 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Well. Ok. They aren’t like other bugs, are they.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
There we go. That’s a very good observation. I get that no one loves going after a fly more than you do. And this morning you went from window to window to follow a dragonfly you spotted outside in the garden. You love bugs. But ants are another thing entirely. 
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
Can we have extra treats, since you are making us eat in a whole new spot?
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
I’m impressed. Good thinking. Using your leverage. But no.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Winston says we’re all going to die.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
He says that a lot. He’ll be fine.
Love, Carolyn

– 

A note to our readers…
Please subscribe! It’s free, and with a subscription you’ll get these weekly posts delivered right to your In Box. You’ll find the subscription link at the top of the page (If you are reading this in an email, go to https://carolynscritters.blog/ to subscribe.)  When you do, Poppy, Winston, Charlie and Elsa will all raise their paws to salute you!

Hey Winston,
I love listening to you eat.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Sometimes you are really weird. We all think so.
Winston

Dear Winston,
Fair enough. My comment was a bit weird. But no one chews with such evident satisfaction as you do. You get so darn much enjoyment out of your kibble!
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
We all love our kibble.
Winston

Dear Winston,
But you really crunch. I can hear it from across the room.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Now I’m going to be self-conscious.
Winston

Dear Winston,
Don’t be, it’s just part of the household music. The whirring of the feeders opening and closing. The lapping at the water bowl. And all that kibble crunching.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
The feeders make a good noise!
Winston

Dear Winston,
They do don’t they! That sound means it’s opening just for you. No one else can eat your food!
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
That was because of Puffin, wasn’t it.
Winston

Dear Winston,
It was indeed. That guy ate everyone’s food. In addition to his own. The feeders solved that!
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Still, sometimes Charlie tries to steal some of my kibble. 
Winston

Dear Winston,
He does, but not because he’s obsessed with food, like Puffin was. I think he just thinks it’s fun to reach in and grab a kibble right from under your nose.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Poppy makes a lot of noise at the water bowl. When she’s drinking, we can hear it in the next room.
Winston

Dear Winston
And she gets a definite rhythm going, between the lapping of the water and the sound of her collar tag hitting the bowl when she lifts her head. Lap-Lap-Lap CLINK. Lap-Lap-Lap CLINK. Lap-Lap-Lap CLINK. She’s the percussion section! Maybe I should record all those sounds, and then put it together as a symphony.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
This is why we all think you are kinda weird. 
Winston

– 

A note to our readers…
Please subscribe! It’s free, and with a subscription you’ll get these weekly posts delivered right to your In Box. You’ll find the subscription link at the top of the page (If you are reading this in an email, go to https://carolynscritters.blog/ to subscribe.)  When you do, Poppy, Winston, Charlie and Elsa will all raise their paws to salute you!

Dear Elsa,
I love your pretty pink nose and your pretty pink beans!
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
My beans???????
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
The neat round little pink pads on your feet. They look like beans.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
I think it’s strange to refer to cat paw pads like they are food. I’m not edible!!!
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. I think cat paw pads are sweet!
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
Mine are the prettiest paws.
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
I don’t know about that. Winston has beautiful glossy black beans.  
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
Well, ok. Charlie has both – pink beans, with black on his palms.
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
I guess Charlie never made up his mind which way he was going to go with them. Pink or black.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum.
I don’t think that’s what happened.
Love, Elsa 

Dear Elsa,
Sure it is. He never finished making them pink. That’s SO Charlie. Just like he never finished the white on his nose.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
Seriously?
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
Not at all, sweetie, I’m just kidding around.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
Do dogs have beans? Poppy’s paws are so rough.
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa
Good question. How are we defining beans? 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
Defining beans? That sounds so science-y!!!
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
Science-y?
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
We’re talking about definitions. Very science-y! I like that!!!
Love, Elsa

Dear Elsa,
Well, I like it that you are interested in science. So about the definition, I think beans are a cat thing. Smooth and glossy. Dog pads are something entirely different.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mum,
They aren’t refined and perfect like our paws.  And no one does pink better than I do.
Love, Elsa

– 

A note to our readers…
Please subscribe! It’s free, and with a subscription you’ll get these weekly posts delivered right to your In Box. You’ll find the subscription link at the top of the page (If you are reading this in an email, go to https://carolynscritters.blog/ to subscribe.)  When you do, Poppy, Winston, Charlie and Elsa will all raise their paws to salute you!

Dear Mom,
Do we all get to have some of the stuff you shared with Charlie?
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
The stuff? What stuff are you talking about?
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
The Tele stuff you were telling your friend about. That Charlie got from you when he was playing with Miss Mousie.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
You mean telepathy?
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
That’s it! We want some of that stuff too.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
It isn’t really stuff. It’s a form of communication.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
You were all excited about it.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
It was a very interesting moment! Remember how, earlier this year, Charlie kept dropping his Mousies into the water dishes?
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Mostly Miss Mousie. The big one. Plopped her right into the water bowl. Cats are so weird.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
Well, we all agree on that. But anyway, he did that for a while and then he stopped. He hasn’t done that for months. So, this morning I walked into the kitchen and saw Miss Mousie lying in the middle of the floor.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
The cats have a lot of toys. All over the house. Especially mousies.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
It’s always nice to have a mousie handy, right? 
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
This whole story is about Miss Mousie lying in the middle of the floor?
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
No, there’s more. The water bowl was nearby, and that reminded me of the water dunking Charlie used to do. Just as I was reminded of that, Charlie entered the room.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
This is a long story.
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
But it’s a good one. Hang on. So, as I was remembering Charlie’s odd dunking game, as I had a picture of it in my mind, I flipped the mousie playfully in the air for him. As one does.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
Charlie always loves that!
XOXO Poppy

Dear Poppy,
He does! So he went to Miss Mousie and picked her up. And then he walked right over to the water bowl and DROPPED HER IN.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
And?
Poppy

Dear Poppy,
He did exactly what I had pictured in my mind. And that sure seems like telepathy.
Love, Carolyn

Dear Mom,
I think it just seems like a long story about a soggy mousie.
XOXO Poppy

– 

A note to our readers…

Please subscribe! It’s free, and with a subscription you’ll get these weekly posts delivered right to your In Box. You’ll find the subscription link at the top of the page (If you are reading this in an email, go to https://carolynscritters.blog/ to subscribe.)  When you do, Poppy, Winston, Charlie and Elsa will all raise their paws to salute you!

Hey Mom,
I took Winston’s spot on your lap and he gave me his Death Stare. So I yelled at him.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
He thinks he owns my lap when I sit on the sofa. Clearly I’m very predictable. I go to the TV, turn on the news, then go to the kitchen to pour a glass of wine, and when I return to watch the news, Winston is there waiting for me. He knows my habits.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
We all know your habits. But when he leaves his spot, he loses it. And I take my turn. I just ignore his dirty looks.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
It’s to your credit that you usually defer to him as the Senior Cat, when it comes to his Spot.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
He has other Spots.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
You all do. 
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Another one of Winston’s Spots is to sit on the back of the sofa. And also the cat bed on the ottoman.
Charlie

Dear Charlie
Elsa has two Spots. She practically lives full time under the bed, but she comes out to sit on the window sill when no one is looking.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Poppy has Spots too! Two beds and the rug in the kitchen. But that doesn’t show much creativity. Poppy’s are designated for her. We cats put a lot of thought into ours.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
Are all Cat Households this regulated? Everyone here has their reserved Spot. Is there a Cat Spot Registry somewhere?
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
Is that sarcasm?
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
Yes, good for you for recognizing it. So, other than stealing Poppy’s bed, what are your Spots?
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
I’m too busy for that.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
I guess so. Working the windows takes time, racing from window to window to keep up with bird activity and passing neighbors.
Love, Carolyn

Hey Mom,
It’s a lot to keep track of.
Charlie

Dear Charlie,
It is. And then you just nap wherever you end up.
Love, Carolyn

Mom,
It’s a good system.
Charlie 

– 

A note to our readers…
Please subscribe! It’s free, and with a subscription you’ll get these weekly posts delivered right to your In Box. You’ll find the subscription link at the top of the page (If you are reading this in an email, go to https://carolynscritters.blog/ to subscribe.)  When you do, Poppy, Winston, Charlie and Elsa will all raise their paws to salute you!