Amber & Tiggy Pooja

It's that time of year again (or, really, the first time since this is the first ever observance) to honor and devote ourselves to the grace and majesty of the Ultimate Dainty Paw with Tiggy Pooja.

There are so many fantastic stories about Tiggy to be retold on her special day.  We can remember the harrowing tale of how Tiggy did battle with the metallic silver thread, protecting our household from really bad fashion choices.  And then there is the tale about how gravity has no effect on Tiggy and so she grew to be the size of a mountain once to protect us during our journey through the dark, cold lands of Wisconsin.  (For much of that journey we actually rode on Tiggy's back, or at least I rested my head on it.)

She was so big then!  But she also has the power to be as small as a mouse-- almost invisible if the challenge (the vacuum cleaner) calls for it.

Tiggy knows not every battle needs to be fought.  Sometimes, when your brother wants to chew on your butt, you are better off just going in the other room.  It's the lesson of Tiggy's non-violence.

Also, for Tiggy Pooja, we listen to alot of David Bowie because, in certain lights, Tiggy, too, knows the magic of the green and blue eyes.

For Tiggy Pooja, we spend most of the day (except the laundry offering) at home.  Tiggy frequently reminds us that the home is where her heart is.  How badly do we  really need to leave the house?  With our bag?

Tiggy is small, but full of love.  She likes her chest rubs in the morning, she likes to sit on the toilet to make sure I am surviving the horrors of the shower, and she often purrs just being next to me.  I love her, and I am thankful for the chance to honor her on her special kitty holiday.

Amber & Pica Pooja

Today is the very special celebration of Pica Pooja, on which we contemplate and take lessons from the myriad qualities contained in the small kitty of Pickles.  "Pica" is the avatar of Pickles we recognize when he is sleeping in a small and curly ball.  But we know, even then, that he has a mighty mew inside him, ready to call for more play and joy in the world, being, as he is, the champion of fun and fleece wand.

Pica Pooja actually begins with the brother, Ginger, waking us by ritually grooming our hair with his tongue.  No one is a bigger devotee of Pickles than Ginger.

Later, there will be playful brother wrestling with feats of strength like Head Banging on Floor Loudly and Kicka Kicka Kicka, but the morning starts out slow with a plate of wet food, sprinkled with Pickles Powder.  As we sprinkle the Pickles Powder on the food, we are reminded that all kitties have special needs but some kitties have more special needs than others, and we say "Bam!" to remember the shock we had when we got the vet bills from Pickles's most special hospital pilgrimage.

And tonight, the celebration will really kick into high gear with many, many enrichments.  We may do Treats in Open Envelopes, or Treats Hidden Under Dixie Cups, or Treats Stolen While Taking them Out of the Bag Because Somebody with Curly Fur Is Too Impatient.

Pickles fur reminds us, again, to experience joy.  The hair could grow in straight lines, but it chooses instead to take a more circuitous route, to stop and form curls around the roses.

And Pickles reminds us that the highest form of love of the self and life is loving others, including those who are baby and needy.  We could, for example, spend more time painting our toe nails or ironing shirts, but isn't it ultimately more rewarding--and enjoyable for ourselves--to instead run back and forth through the house with the fleece wand, hiding behind doorframes and ducking beside the bed.  Doesn't that bring rewards that are many, many times beyond?

Amber & Sunday Well Spent

In addition to celebrating Woodra Pooja yesterday, and performing all of the honored rituals including seriously seven rounds of sink hands, I also beat my high Sudoku score.

Of course, it's the Easy version, so rather than being on fire I was really just luke warm.  But it's still pretty fast compared to my average time.  Although that seems to suggest it was just a fluke.

You know what wasn't a fluke?  These cutie little decorator pillows I made yesterday!

I finally used some of this fabric I love to make two 12" pillows.  Why are the so small?  Have you seen how small my couch is?  A bonus is that the gray in them matches well with Ginger's fur.

And the ecru color matches nicely with the sheet I have to drape over my couch to protect it from excessive fur build up.  See? Even though I have to protect all of my things from cats, I can still have pretty things.  Very small pretty things.  And cats.

P.S. A shirt is in the works out of the same fabric.  I can't wait to wear it and blend in like camouflage on the couch!

Amber & Woodra Pooja

Today is the second of the annual kitty poojas!  Happy Woodra Pooja every one!

(photo by James)

Like, Gigi, Woody has a dual nature that we celebrate on this special day.  Woodrow Wilson Gutherie Feline is both an incredible snuggle monster, always close by and looking for under-leg tummy rubs...

But also the world's crankiest old man cat, barely tolerant of the affections of his little brothers.

Thus, Woody teaches us that we are all compassionate, but that being nice doesn't mean letting others walk all over us (or chew our necks).  Woody reminds us that, through it all--even if we start out a small snake-eyed frizzy beast...

...even through Elizabethan Collars and knee surgery...

(photo by James)

...our foremost duty is to honor and respect the miracle of life and to enjoy every day that we can spend with our fellow living creatures-- especially if they provide us with environments.

 To celebrate Woodra Pooja, there be lots of ritualistic face rubbing, with the customary shedding of great amounts of facial fur.  Thus, we coat ourselves with the essence of Woody: softness.

(photo by James)

Once the rubbing has completed, there will be some eating of wet food mixed with water, plenty of sink hands (with Woody perched on the edge of the tub--not on the sink) and then we will repeat the cheek rubbing and coating of our pants in fur, pretty much every time we sit down.

There will be the traditional offering of a cup of water out of which I have taken sips for paw bathing and drinking.

(photo by James)

And there will be appreciation of how beautiful and special all living things are.  And we may even get weepy thinking about how lucky we are to have such magical and unique interspecies friends who mean so much to us every day and give us unconditional* love.

And then there will probably be more lap time.

Happy Woodra Pooja!

*Unconditional as long as there is wet food, clean litter and belly rubbing.

Amber & Magnificent Animals

After a happy, rich seventeen years of life, complete with cross-country adventures including rubbing his fur in the dirt on a Navajo reservation and sharing six different apartments in three different states with his people, we are all sad to learn George has left us.  He was a noble beast, a proud, big boy with a yen for loving, and a good and honorable friend to Amy and David Bee.

He will be missed.  George, I am honored to have known and loved you.

Amber & Gigi Pooja

Today is my favorite festival of all of the festivals that I have ever invented. (I love Kitty Eyebrows Day just as much, but Jimmi invented that one.)  What makes this Sunday different from any other day before Monday?  It's Gigi Pooja, of course!

 (Ginger, seen here in a reprentation known as "Reclining Gigi")

Gigi Pooja is a very special day on which we celebrate and express our gratitude for Ginger.  It's a day full of rituals, including brushing his fur and making him a special bed in a box with a pillow, like a throne.  The throne both provides comfort for Ginger, but also reminds us of his dual nature: He is both soft and snuggly, and embodies devotion when he milk treads your neck and grooms your hair in the night, but he is also a fearsome warrior who devours all paper products with his sharp teeth and destroys wicker chests with his fearsome claws.

On Gigi Pooja, after I henna my hair, we make a pilgrammage to our favorite pet store to buy devotional offerings like litter and wet food.  And we perform the act of Chin Rubs, which allows us to contemplate the infinite softness of Ginger.

We do this while he rests upon his lingam.

Earlier in the day, the other cats observed abhisheka, not with marigolds and ghee, but with fur on the lingam, which we will ritualistically remove with the magic sponge the day after Gigi Pooja.  Also, the day is full of naps.

On Gigi Pooja, we also thank Diana who told us all about her trip to India yesterday, including her observance of Shiva Puja.  Not that that has anything to do with Gigi Pooja.

Don't worry, people who think the new cats are apocryphal, the other cats will get their own poojas.  Not only do we always invoke Tiggy first on the blog with the sidebar, but Tiggy Pooja is an even more exciting day (tbd).  But let's live in the moment and take the rest of the evening to meditate on Ginger.

Happy Gigi Pooja, readers!