Cat Lady No. 276...Leaf Crazed

The New England leaves are falling in all their glory, and Cat Lady Juliette can't help but pick up every single one that is more beautiful than the last.

With the help of feline friend Bigelow, Juliette will take the ever-growing collection to the workshop where the leaves will be preserved and can be used in special craft projects during the winter months...

There are 4 different easy ways to preserve these beauties:

1. Use a glycerin and water solution
2. Iron between two pieces of wax paper
3. Drying in the microwave
4. Press between the pages of a heavy book

Whichever way you choose, you will find more detailed instructions at the New Hampshire Fall Foliage Website: How To Preserve Leaves

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I'm honored and delighted that Etsy.com has featured my tutorial "How To Paint A Cat Lady (and Lad)" in their daily blog The Storque! Check it out in their "How-Tuesday" feature of the week where you will find great arts and crafts how-tos every--you guessed it--Tuesday!

Cat Lady No. 275...Happy Birthmonth, Libras!

There comes a time in every Cat Lady's life when she becomes too old to get carded, and too young to take advantage of the senior discount at the all-you-can-eat buffet.

That is precisely why Libra Cat Lady Caroline has decided to give up celebrating birthDAYS in favor of celebrating birthMONTHS, with the help of her purrfectly balanced pair of party animals, Bob and Barry.

The month was kicked off with luncheons with various friends, a barbeque, and a day at the spa. Festivities will continue with chocolate cake every Tuesday and the receiving of gifts every day from 3 until 7. Harmony and balance are important to Libras, so the singing of "Happy Birthmonth To You" is entirely optional, unless you have perfect pitch.

If your cat is in middle-age, you may want to consider celebrating its birthmonth with a catnip-toy-a-day theme. Is your cat a Libra? Click these links to check out its profile and its horoscope.

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Cat Lady No. 274...World Teachers Day

Cat Lady Lolana and her class kitty Gato Bernardo were delighted to receive special e-cards today in honor of World Teachers Day.

World Teachers’ Day, held annually on October 5th since 1994 - when it was created by UNESCO - celebrates teachers worldwide. Its aim is to mobilize support for teachers and to ensure that the needs of future generations will continue to be met by teachers.

Do you have a teacher you would like to thank? Just visit the World Teachers Day website where you will find free e-cards in five different languages--send one to every teacher you know and tell them how much they mean to you.

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This original ACEO watercolor illustration has just been listed for sale in my Etsy shop...click here:

Cat Lover No. 64

Cat Lady No. 273...Apple Slump

Cat Lady Ruthie and Hubert have just returned from a lovely afternoon of picking apples in the back yard. Ruthie can't wait to try out an old, hand-written recipe that she found tucked away in the back of the recipe box of her dear departed grandmother. The recipe is called Apple Slump and here is how it goes:

Peel and core some apples and slice them up nice and put them in a stew pot. Cook with a little sugar and water until soft but not too soft. Then in a bowl, sift 2 cups flour and 1 big pinch of baking powder with a pinch of salt, add 2 cups of milk, and stir. Roll out to fit into the stew pot and set on top of the apples. Put on the lid and cook for 10 minutes. Don't peek until that 10 minutes is up! Serve with fresh cream.

For more old-timey apple recipes visit the Apple Journal where there are dozens of recipes reproduced from The Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture published in 1914 in North Yakima, Washington.

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Cat Lady No. 272...You Are My Sunshine

Kalin Mae was rescued "from the chopping block" when she was 11 months old by Cat Lady Cyndi.

Eternally grateful, Kalin became her new mama's Little Sunshine for the next 18 years.

During that time, Kalin showed an amazing aptitude for math and statistics. In 2003 she helped Feline Fella Rick discover a sequence of numbers (now called the Kalin Sequence: 2,4,2,4,6,2,6,4) that help explain the pattern of the prime numbers. For two consecutive nights, she used her tail-swishing (two flicks; four flicks, etc) to help him solve this age-old math problem that she claimed "was just too easy for my superior cat intelligence."

As for statistics, here are some of Kalin's favorites that she made note of:

• Mama told me that she loved me every single day that I belonged to her: 6544 times
• I snuggled on my Mama’s lap this many times (at least once a day after dinner): 6425 times (discounting her vacation days every year)
• Mama ensured that I would see a long and happy life on earth: 6874 days = 18.82 years
• Mama fed me this many cans of Fancy Feast every night around midnight when I meowed at her to feed me: 6425 times
• Mama emptied my litter box this many times: 12850 times
• Mama gave me a whole lobster on my 10th birthday: 1 time
• Every time my folks went out to dinner each week, I was never let down when I begged for and received special treats: 2754 times

As Kalin's housemate Shabby said "Kalin would have liked for me to relay her thanks to all the Mamas out there who have had the opportunity to know what it is like to care for and love a cat through a long, happy, and sometimes challenging life."

In Loving Memory of Kalin Mae

You will find more of Kalin's fascinating statistics at Kalin's Catster Page!

Cat Lady No. 271...An Autumn Riddle

Cat Lady Gwyneth and Lord Bigglesworth have a riddle for you:

What do autumn leaves and ripening bananas have in common?

Some clues can be found at
Why Do Leaves Change Color?

Still not sure? Here is the answer as explained by Science Made Simple:

The green color in unripe bananas comes from chlorophyll, the same pigment that gives green leaves their color. As bananas ripen, the chlorophyll breaks down and disappears, revealing the yellow color which has been there all along. The yellows and oranges of autumn leaves are also revealed as their chlorophyll breaks down.

Now go have some fun and jump into that big pile of leaves. You know you want to...

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Cat Lady No. 270...The Results Are In!

Cat Lady Hagatha and Assistant Cat Batty have two announcements to make.

First, based on the very scientific 365 Cat Ladies poll, their friend Nancy - who was in search of a more beguiling, less acceptable, more mysterious, less predictable, more bewitching name--has changed her name to Esmerelda.

Esmerelda was the most popular name in the poll with 23% of the votes. To Hagatha's delight, Hagatha was the second most popular name with 14% of the votes. Thank you to all who put in their 2 cents worth!

The second of the announcements is the winner of the 365 Cat Ladies September Giveaway No. 2. In a random drawing, commenter #11 was determined to be the winner. Congratulations Irena!! In a stunning and ironic turn of events, it appears that the winner of the Cat Lady Giveaway is a certified Dog Person! (Hey, we are an equal opportunity pet lover blog here and adore our woofie friends )...You'll find Irena's delightful arwork on her blog Just Crazy About Dogs and in her Etsy Shop. Thank you to everyone who participated!