Six-Word Saturday: The Cat's Meow

Here's Patch again. She's lounging on my Amish quilt. But more about that (the quilt, not the lounging) later.

Patch is nearing her 14th birthday. That's 72 years in human terms, according to the Cats Age Conversion Chart. Practically a Senior Citizen, huh? Hence, my six words for this fine Saturday morning:

You think she's eligible for AARP?

Just wondering. Especially since a cat's life expectancy has grown in the past 20 years, according to Pet Place.com.

Cate at Show My Face hosts Six-Word Saturday each week. You should stop by to see her!

Weekly Winners: A Few of My Favorite Things

Canon A1000 IS PowerShot

Borrowed a camera for today's Weekly Winners, brought to you by Lotus at Sarcastic Mom.

It's not a Philly, but this Boston Fern sure is sittin' pretty in the early morning light on my screen porch.

This is Patch, peeking out from behind the wicker webbing in Baba's chair.

Watered some of the garden yesterday morning. The little pieces of "confetti" slashing through the air are actually sprinkler droplets.

Glad that pistachios are back on the shelves now!

An Azalea blossom. My Mom's favorite. Don't know the official name, but we call it the "Glow in the Dark Azalea."

So, which one do you favor this week?

Baby Boxing Match

Aunt Julie possesses a "Dog Family." Veggie Mom presides over a "Cat Family." You've met some of our critters, right here. Remember Trouble Elizabeth and Moses in the garden? What about Patch, the Fat Cat? Or Rowdy, the puppy whose name implies everything? And then, of course, Moses and Rowdy as Beach Bums.

Whatever your persuasion~and I know many of you out there feel pretty strongly about the subject of Family Pets~you'll be taken by this Pas de Deux between a Baby and his Boxer...of the doggie variety. The clip comes from The Bonnie Hunt Show.

After viewing this, I beg to differ with anyone who still believes that All God's Critters have no "soul."

Rolling into 2009

Here's Patch on the back deck~in a much milder season, of course! I thought I'd kick off The New Year with a Pet Post, considering the recent news. Have you heard?

A national poll revealed two days ago that more folks kiss Their Pet than Their Human to usher in the New Year. Women are 4.5 times as likely to spend New Year's Eve with a pet than men are. And Democrats are more likely than Republicans to spend New Year's Eve with a pet, according to the Zogby/Times Square New Year's Eve National Poll.

"We've discovered over the four years that we've been conducting this survey that people love seeing in the New Year with their pet," said Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance. "I guess it's that pure joy and unconditional optimism that animals have that people love to be around." The poll was reported by the Scripps Howard News Service.

Moker and I stayed in last night, toasted the New Year, then hit the hay. What did you do to herald the Start of 2009? Have a Happy!

Fx4 Includes a Little Girl, a Cat, 2 Yummy Recipes & a Giveaway!

Dear Pop'rs Pals: Playing along today with Candid Carrie and her FanTAbulous Friday Foto Finish Fiesta, and also with The SITS Girls and their Linky Love Weekend! This shot shows The Wild One and Patch, snuggled up about 10 years ago on Lion King Sheets. Looks like a Long Winter's Night is ahead, doesn't it? I'm sure TWO had at least one mug of Aunt Julie's Hot Cocoa before hittin' the hay!

Lest you forget, I wanna remind you about The Great New Pop'rs Thanksgiving Extravaganza! To get started on the Giveaway Route, Click Here, and leave a comment. Then, don't forget to Click Here, Here and, of course, Here and Here, commenting merrily along, before, at last, Clicking Here! You get one entry for each comment, so the More Comments, The Better!

Then (Yes, there's more!), please E-Mail Me some of your favorite recipes. Just pull down your recipe box, pick out your faves, and send them to veggiemom@poprs.com For each recipe you send, you'll get another entry. Five Lucky Giveaway Participants will win a complete box of Pop'rs, that good-for-you seasoning that encourages One and All to Eat Their Veggies! Pop'rs come in 8 Delicious Flavors, and the Fun Factor. Can't. Be. Beat

Without Further Fanfare, we bring you Cheesy Corny Orzo and BBQ Chicken in a Biscuit, brought to you by Simply Anonymom, she of yesterday's Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting! Take it away, Anon!

Simply Anonymom's Cheesy Corny Orzo
1 can chicken broth
1/2 C orzo
1/2 C corn (I use frozen white corn)
pinch dried parsley
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 C sharp cheddar grated

Put chicken broth, orzo, and corn into pot on stove. Bring to boil then reduce to simmer, add seasoning and cover. Stirring occasional until orzo is tender and liquid is gone (like with rice). Stir in Cheddar and serve. Yumm-o!

Simply Anonymom's BBQ Chicken in a Biscuit
This recipe is so cheap, easy and fast. A perfect trifecta!
1-2 chicken breasts
1 bottle BBQ sauce
2 rolls of canned layer biscuits
Minced jalapeños
1/4 onion sliced, grilled
2-3 slices cheese (I used cheddar the size of sliced American cheese)

In sauce pan over medium heat, add chicken breasts and BBQ sauce. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and pulls apart (about 25 minutes). Remove chicken from sauce and shred. Spray cupcake pan with non-stick cooking spray. Open one container flakey biscuits. Tear biscuits in half and put in the cupcake pans. Add shredded chicken to the biscuits. Top chicken with minced jalapeños, onion and cheese. Open second container of biscuits. Rip biscuits in half and top the chicken mixture. Bake in oven according to biscuit directions (mine was 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes).

OK, Bloggy Friends...Get those recipes to me! Veggiemom@poprs.com is the place to send 'em. I'll be lurking, waiting for your entry!

She'll Purr For You, Too!

Meet Patch. She's 13--that's 91 in cat years! She rules the roost at our house. But We. Have. A. Problem. Aunt Julie, The Pop'r Queen, is coming to visit, and she's deathly allergic to cats!

We picked up Patch in 1996 at the local Animal Shelter, when she was a year old. Mama Cat, our kitty of 21 years, had just died. The girls wanted another companion.

Patch doesn't do much anymore but lie around. Oh, and she purrs like a motorboat gearing up for a race across the pond--you can hear her Evinrude running from clear across the room! She does like to go out and wander in the garden. And sometimes her curiosity gets the best of her, and she ends up locked in the neighbor's garage!

This Pretty Kitty officially belongs to The Wild One, who took this photo, BTW. But you know who feeds her, grooms her and tidies up after her, right? Dear Old Mom. That would be me!

Aunt Julie loves Patch, too. But she gets all sneezy, and runny, with swollen throat and eyes, as soon as she comes in our house! Soccer Boy, too, gets the sneezles around Patch. But his favorite thing to do when he's here is haul that kitty around. He buries his face in her thick fur, and they purr to each other. Never mind that Soccer Boy ends up with swollen eyes, just like his mom. He and Patch are dear friends.

Remind me to stock up on lots and lots of Allegra and Benadryl for the impending visit. A good time is guaranteed for all!