Surprise! ~ from Kiki

Meow-meow mew-meow mew mew,
Meow-meow mew-meow mew mew,
Meow-meow mew-meow, my myoowww,
Meow-meow mew-meow mew mew.

Love from,
Kiki

Translation
meow-meow ... happy
mew-meow ..... birthday
mew mew ........ to you
my ................... dear
myoowww ....... Bonnie

There's another birthday girl, and I hope this reminds her of treats.  My treats.

Monday ~ books, of course

Books read last week

• Whale Rider ~ by Witi Tame Ihimaera, 2003, YA fiction (New Zealand), 9/10
• Winter's Bone ~ by Daniel Woodrell, 2006, fiction (Missouri Ozarks), 8/10
• My Cat, the Silliest Cat in the World ~ by Gilles Bachelet, 2004, children's, 10/10
• Raining Cats and Dogs ~ by Jane Yolen, 1993, children's, 7/10
• The Shell Woman and the King: A Chinese Folktale ~ by Laurence Yep, 1993, children's, 9/10
• Six Months to Live ~ by Lurlene McDaniel, 1985, YA fiction (Ohio), 8/10
• Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! : Voices from a Medieval Village ~ by Laura Amy Schlitz, 2007, children's (England), 10/10
• The White Darkness ~ by Geraldine McCaughrean, 2005, YA fiction (Antarctica), 8/10

Book currently reading

• Domestic Pleasures ~ by Beth Gutcheon, 1991, fiction (New York)

Books waiting in the wings

• The Rest of Us: Dispatches from the Mother Ship ~ by Jacquelyn Mitchard, 1997, essays
• The Pillars of the Earth ~ by Ken Follett, 1989, fiction (England)

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.  It's "where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list."

Library Lust ~ pair

Did two designers just happen to come up with the same concept? Or did one copy the other? I have no idea.

This would certainly curtail my habit of laying books atop the rows of books on my (straight) shelves, but I think I'd quickly become frustrated by wanting to "order" them in some manner or another.

Both photos are from 20 Cool Home Library Design Ideas.

Teaser ~ from Antarctica

I've already posted the beginning of The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean (2005).  Now I've read to page 67, where I found a teaser I want to share.  The characters are arriving in Antarctica, where these Adelie penguins live.  Symone, the 14-year-old narrator, thinks:

"By traveling west on the way here, we gained the best part of a day.  Does that mean that by the time noon gets to England, it will be secondhand really, covered in our footmarks and fingerprints?"

I like the way this quirky English girl thinks.  What a concept, to think of a day that's already covered with footmarks and fingerprints!

Kiki Caturday ~ raining cats and dogs

Raining Cats and Dogs by Jane Yolen (1993) has only two poems I like.

"Alley Cat Speaks"

I'm an alley cat,
an oily cat,
an only cat,
a hermit. ...

I can steal a little,
stretch a little,
stalk a little
more

Than your ordinary,
every dairy,
any wary
cat.

And there's not a butcher's
baker's
farmer's pet
who can say that!

This one made me think of two books.  The first is T. S. Eliot's book called Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (1939), and the other is May Sarton's The Fur Person (1957), that Bonnie wrote about, here.  That's what Bonnie calls me, a fur person, even though I'm a lady cat, not a gentleman cat.



The other poem is from the dog half of the book, and it's sad. The illustration shows a cat looking out a rainy window at a dog tied to a tree. Why are people so mean?

"It's Not Fair"

A cat can scratch,
A mouse can squeal,
And babies eat
A messy meal.

A bird can miss
Its paper lining
Kids can spend
An hour whining.

But do you put them
On a chain
Outside in sleet
Or snow or rain?

No! Only dogs
Are banished there.
It really isn't
Very fair!

No, it isn't. Beyond that, I have nothing further to say.

Kiki Cat,
signing off

P.S.  I rate this book at 7/10.

Kiki Caturday ~ a wet cat and me

In the news this week

Some of you know that I hate water.  I can hardly imagine what it must have been like for this poor cat, having to dog paddle.  DOG paddle!  Some kind folks fished her out of the water.  Read all about it here.

In other news ~ at our house

I have a new photo.  Bonnie took it because it was my birthday.  Well, I was busy on my birthday, but she took it the next day.  You can sort of see the blue in my eye, the one with light shining on it.

Kiki Cat,
signing off

Earth Day 2011

When I think about Earth Day, I think of trees.  So today I want to share a few tree quotes that I like.

"If a man walks in the woods for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer.  But if he spends his days as a speculator, shearing off those woods and making the earth bald before her time, he is deemed an industrious and enterprising citizen."

— Henry David Thoreau

"The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago — the next best time is now."

— Chinese Proverb

"The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing which stands in their way."

— William Blake

Coolidge Park in Chattanooga

"Trees are your best antiques." — Alexander Smith

"Happiness is sharing a bowl of cherries and a book of poetry with a shade tree. He doesn't eat much and doesn't read much, but listens well and is a most gracious host."

— Astrid Alauda

"Suburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees, then names the streets after them."

— Bill Vaughn

To read my review of Dr. Seuss's The Lorax, click here.
To read about a bookish tree, click here.
To read some of my previous Earth day posts, click here.