My Achy Breaky Heart

Random Factoid: I looked up the lyrics to Achy Breaky Heart by the more talented Cyrus, and had NO idea of the true lyrics. My cousins and I always sang it as "Don't break my heart, my achy breaky heart." However, it's actually "Don't TELL my heart…" Whoa, but not surprising we messed up the lyrics. What IS surprising is that our parents are not in a mental institution for how many times we ONLY sang that line of the song in the mid-90's.

Back to C&C:

It's now been a LONG month and a half since I have laid my sausage fingers on the soft pelt of a domestic cat. Typing that sentence made me imagine being back in South Carolina, surrounded by Buster and Grits purring in their Catnip and just giggling about the day. I stare off into the distance with a slight smile every time I read that sentence.

WELL, today y'all are in for a real clawtastic treat. I've decided to NOT only do a post about my newest DIFYC project, but to include a BONUS section about a Maine Coon Cat named Willy. I heard about Willy over the weekend, and was blown away. So keep reading! 

Now, without Buster and Grits occupying my time I've had to become creative. I decided to pick up a DIFYC (Do It For Yo Cat) project to cope with my animal loneliness.  I'm sure some of my loyal followers will remember my last DIFYC was actually a DIFYCr (Do It For Yo Croc) project, and was over a year ago! I cleaned up my Crocs for the start of the summer so I could look so fresh at my water aerobics class. It worked. This summer, I'm going to….drum roll………….. 

MAKE CAT NIP! 

Y'all know I'm a southern transplant in Maine, but may NOT know that I have ZERO, ZILCH, NOTHING knowledge about plants. It's crazy, I know, since I am pretty intellectual on the subject about Cats and Crocs.  Luckily I have a grandmother and aunt who have a magical garden in Maine just for cats! Just joking, they're both hiding a glowing adoration of cats behind a face of indifference towards them. I know the love is there…It'll come out.

 So imagine my surprise when my grandmother tells me that she has TONS of Catmint growing in her garden. Say What. First, I had to Google what Catmint was because even though it had the word Cat in it… I did not know what it was…But you know it's going to be a good thing when this is the first photo that pops up- 

Talk about jackpot!! 

A little tidbit from a lesser known website named azarius "Most cats find eating and rolling in catmint to be pleasurable and intoxicating. There is an old saying about this plant: 'If you set it, the cats will eat it, if you sow it, the cats don't know it." Oh my cats are going to know it. I don't know how to sow, but it's not happening around here. It also has a calming effect on human stomachs and can bring down human fevers. Don't Care. Cats only please. 

Now that I know that this Catmint (or Nepeta Faassenii for your gardening nerds!) is a version of Catnip and adored by cats, these brain wheels are A TURNIN'.  I decide to put my cat-less summer to good use and make Catmint pillows for Buster, Grits, and NEW KITTEN COUSIN TUCKER! 

Step 1: Identifying Catmint. 

Unfortunately, we do not have a fun kitty rolling around in our Catmint. 

Only bees

What happens when you try to take bees' flowers away….

Step Two: Harvest and then hang to dry upside down

Reppin' my blog life!! 

Step 3: Get impatient and decide to dry in oven instead.

Tip: Use lowest setting on oven and be prepared for a intoxicating smell. Actually intoxicating, I was very loopy. 

Step 4: When leaves are dry, crinkle up into a fine powder

Step 5: Make your own pouches! Now, I haven't used a sewing machine since 7th grade, but they're pretty easy! Only sewed my finger to the pouches once. 

Meow those look good!

I can't give you tips on how to sew, because I was under the constant supervision of my grandmother after that finger incident. :) So my advice is to get a wiser human (or cat) to watch you while you sew.

Step 6: Put the Catmint in the pouches and give to your wonderfully kittens!

An UPDATE will be coming in the next few days/week about how the cats loved them!! I hope they make it through the mail, because the drug sniffing cats may decide to keep it for themselves. Those feline snitches are the WORST.

Good luck Cat Nippin!!

BONUS CATURE!

For the second half of the blog post I will recount what happened when I went to the wedding of one of my dearest friends. It was a beautiful wedding weekend in Maine and could not have been more picturesque. One of MY MOST FAVORITE parts (besides the obvious to die for dress, heart warming ceremony, AND Marshall marrying a woman that goes by Kat...) was meeting his aunt and first cousin. Conversation turned, as they naturally do, to our pet cats where I learned they had a Maine Coon Cat named Willy. However, the best part was not only that they had a Maine Coon but that their MCC (Maine Coon Cat) LOVED dogs and puppies. You can imagine my bewilderment as my interactions with a MCC (Grits) and our dogs has not been ever one of love….

Bunc feeling uneasy...

Getting there...

There's the look of "love"!

They purrceed to tell me that their cat Willy actually took these adorable puppies on as his own, and truly loved to play and snuggle with them. I could not believe it. In fact, I DID not believe it! I naturally, as any respected blogger such as myself would do, asked for proof…

Maannnnnnn Ohhhhh Mannnnnn. I got so much more than I bargained for and have unabashedly watched the video everyday since…at least once. Trust me, this link is worth the click 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-StMTsrjSA&list=LLA178yE9PSmmSiGBEzkpUAA&feature=mh_lolz

Uncle Willy 

(click here if you can't copy and paste that youtube link)

To Juxtapose that loving MCC named Willy, let me show you how Grits interacts with his brother Buncombe. 

When mentioned to Grits' handler and my younger sister of why Grits couldn't be more like Willy, she delusionally replied, "He's just a kitten, he'll learn one day!" He's 3…growing out of the kitten years to learn.

Still can hope and dream we can one day get a video as GLORIOUS as the one of Uncle Willy.

Cats Out!

Betsy

Crocs in the News

You know, it's going to be a hard post to top my Catersize video… but I'm going to try my damnedest. I'm thinking of making that a monthly routine with different workouts to help everyone keep in cat shape! Does that sound good? Maybe I'll be introducing you to another cat to help us…A girl can dream!

It's been almost a month without Cats, and let me tell you…it has been a hard month! I have attempted to steal two cats, both clearly well fed and clearly in someone's yard…I have tried to lure a fox into my car… I have tried to make a chipmunk my new friend…Today there was an American Black Duck (very pretty) in the pond and I just loved that little girl. I got out the binoculars and watched her for about 3 hours, named her, and cried when she flew south for the summer… but the worst thing to befall me…the worst. thought. ever. I have begun to think about volunteering at a SPCA here in Maine. Now, me volunteering at an SPCA is JUST like Augustus Gloop

If you don't remember him, he's the one that fell into the chocolate river because he was so greedy.

I figure I'll come back with about 7 cats…maybe 20. That's a good range, right?? When looking on the website for one such non-profit they write, "Volunteers who like cats are always welcome to spend some one-on-one time with cats needing further socialization. This requires patience and can be very rewarding. Personal contact on a regular basis can make a cat more interested in human attention thereby increasing the likelihood of adoption." Ummmmm yeah, you will increase the likelihood of me adopting those cute little furballs! I'll keep y'all updated if I decide to enter the gates of my ,figuratively, Willy Wonka Chocolate factory. 

Well enough about Cats (for the time being)! Let's talk about the other main subject in this world, Crocs. Crocs have had a KINDA big emergence recently. Unless you have been living under a rock in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean under a squid, you have seen Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge ROCKING an adorable pair of Crocs (here on the C&C blog, we think of him fondly as PG).

Is there anything more adorable than that????

No. 

The next step is getting Princess Kate to wear them too!

We've been in touch…she's considering it. 

I'm sure that shoe is out of stock right now and it should be! Crocs are the most amazing shoes ever. 

Me when you diss Crocs. 

Next: I recently got an email from the sister of my best roommate (Clare). Ali (Clare's sister) was writing me to see if I had seen the cover of the most recent People Magazine, because Crocs were featured TWICE… "No WAY!" I replied.  Now, the sisters Clare and Ali were at the oldest sister's (Congratulations Emma and Curtis!!) wedding weekend, BUT she took time out of her busy day to send me a photo of the People magazine! Such a Croc Lover she is, we appreciate that devotion here at C&C! I will be making a donation of one kitten and one pair of Crocs to her whenever she reads this…If she can raise the kitten right, she will get the Crocs. Gotta make sure she is a good mom!! Anyway, here is the People cover:

You're probably thinking, Bets we already saw this. We know PG wears Crocs like nobodies business.

Let's zoom in. 

and again.

annndddd one more time.

UGHHHH PG is doing all this GREAT PR for Crocs and they just HAVE to put another pair of Crocs on the cover with him, and that person HAPPENS to be a criminal?? This sounds like a conspiracy. Also, prisoners get Crocs? Better hide your cats, because I am coming a catnappin'. JK, I'll probably just stop doing my taxes so I can go to the Martha Stewart prison. I will then start a cat therapy program similar to the dog therapy program they have in the big houses. See above about the cat socialization program. Y'all, this is starting to sound like a good scheme! I've got at least a 10 year going here. 

Back to the cover of People, I cannot believe they put that horrible lady on the front cover with Crocs along with PG wearing Crocs. I mean, when else has Crocs EVER, EVER been on People much less TWICE? I really think someone deeply hates Crocs over there and heads should roll. Time to move me in for the fashion and cover spreads. Your girl is moving on up!

I'll be back soon with some adventures that I have taken my Crocs on in Maine! We've been quiteeee busy. Remember: stay safe and cute in your Crocs, but if you have to go to prison, at least you'll get a free pair!

Crocs Out,

Betsy