by the Mischief and Mayhem Crew - Sweetie, Etude, Gentle Mouse, Rondo Today we are sharing a little of Grammy's story and her volunteer knitting. Grammy D is our dear old Grammy at Mischief and Mayhem Central. She took up knitting again after the turn of the millennium... but had been a knitter and crocheter in her early years. Other occupations kept her busy during those early years too... calligraphy, stained glass and flower arranging being just a few of them but working with yarn was her passion. This love of using the hands all started when she was a toddler watching her own Grammy (aka. Nana). Nana was never idle. She started her morning with a cup of tea, buttered toast, a set of knitting needles and yarn. She knit socks for Grammy's dad, and mittens for all the grandkids in between helping care for those same children. Grammy D's own mama knitted for her own babies as they came along but then life got too busy with such a hectic household... 3 then 4 generations all under one roof ... there wasn't enough time in the day for such 'idle' occupations. Well, Grammy D from now on we'll just call her D, a young adult, took a course in knitting and crocheting, picked it up quickly and began teaching it a year later at a community high school. At the time she preferred to crochet focusing on handmade blankets, baby outfits until finally a bill-paying career took off and all else was set aside. It wasn't until illness side-lined D and her idle fingers were itching to be active that she began to crochet again. Crocheting soon became difficult with an arthritic thumb so she switched to the gentler activity - knitting. The rest is history. To start us off we have a slideshow of projects Grammy D has knitted as a volunteer for a local hospital. All made for the Adult Cancer ward and the hospital's NICU. Only a small sampling of the items is shown here. In addition, I, Sweetie, added in my doggy friends that Grammy knitted for. Each hat for the cancer ward has been made unique by using different coloured yarn combinations and stitch patterns. An attempt has been made to make the gowns unique. Different stitch patterns were created for the neck, sleeve cap and/or skirt of the gowns and the ribbon colours vary. Click here to watch the video slide show. We'll share Grammy's knitting for clients and friends another time. Enjoy!
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By Sweetie at Mischief and Mayhem Central Hi, friends. One of our feline friends recently passed on. Murphy (or the Murph as Grammy would call him) was a respectable 20 years old. May 22, 2001 - June 10, 2021 He is survived by his sister Bella and Mom and Dad who miss him so very much. We have few memories of him. Grammy and Malcolm spent time caring for him, Bella and Granddad while Mom and Pop were on vacation a couple of times. But then, back a few years ago - about 5, we think - we all went to visit Aunty L and stayed for about a month. Grammy was having some work done on her condo and so we were trundled off to visit and enjoy our 'summer vacation', so to speak. Well, it was an adventure. We girls took it all in stride but Rondo and Etude were freaked out when they were housed in a separated room from us girls. You ask why we were separated? Well, we had different diets and Grammy thought it would be easier for Aunty L. It might have been, if not for our brothers, the fraidy cats. There was a stranger cat outside their glass door. Who was this bold fellow staring at them through the window pane? Yes, it was Murphy... the mancat of the house... and we were intruding on HIS domain. And yes, our big brave brothers who outweighed the Murph by a good 7 or 8 pounds each... were intimidated. SO, it ended up all five of us hunkered down in one small room and were all fed the girls' food. Not so convenient for us girls but hey, we managed. The big memory of that vacation was Mousie's adventure. She managed to sneak past Aunty L and got into the nether reaches of the basement. Poor Aunty L was so upset and worried that she feared Mousie had gotten outside. Fortunately not. The little mischief was roaming around the furnace, plenum and pipes. Grammy went over to help look for her, thought she could hear footsteps on the pipes and decided to spend the night on the bed with us instead of upstairs in a comfy bed. Sure enough, in the wee small hours she heard scratching at the entrance to the furnace room. AND our wee adventure-cat Mousie had resurfaced. She was hungry, thirsty and tired and headed straight for the food dish and water bowl before curling up for a long nap. Well, this morning's blog is really about Murphy so why don't you settle back and check out our video here. Just one more thing... the Murph will always be in our hearts. Created and written with love, Sweetie. Comments are welcomed. Sweetie and Mousie, loving sisters (sometimes) Well, friends. I, Sweetie, mentioned last week that the boys would be turning 10 years OLD, ANCIENT this month. *giggles* Well, it is only 2 days away... and Rondo and Etude will be over the hill. That is.... if they can manage to get up that hill. On a side note: Those chubbos, Rondo and Etude, whom we love so dearly and just cannot resist teasing, have grown from 100 grams as newborns to their highest 7.7 kilograms and 8.2 kilograms respectively. That is 80 times their birth weight, give or take They have come down to a respectable 6 kilos for Rondo, and 7.25 for Etude over the past two years and we are very proud of their progress. For those of you in pounds and ounces that is around 13 and 16 lbs. Chubby, short-legged, cobby-bodied Etude has some to go but hey, he had further to go to begin with. Okay... so back to the birthday stuff. Yes, the Over the Hill part.... remember? So Wednesday, it will be 10 years since those balls of fluff were wee scraps of fur. I wasn't here at the time as I'm younger, but Mousie tells me they were noisy right from the getgo - squealing for momma's milk, and scrapping with each other for the tastiest nipple. It was quite a battle at times. *Mousie pipes in: They were AWFUL little pipsqueaks! but then, so was Sweetie when she came along! *giggles* Glad I was perfect. Sweetie: Hey! I suppose you were a quiet little squeaker! Huh! Doubt it! We're supposed to be on the same side, Remember? Girls against the boys? So back to those boys.... Their poor momma. They sure were hard on her. Despite this she was a perfect, loving mom. She bathed, nursed and disciplined them as needed. Well, momma Fidelia lived to tell the tale and has now 'escaped' to a good home as have the sibs - Musetta and Scherzo. Grammy still keeps in touch occasionally with their families. And the boys? They can be sweet one moment, bullies, the next, and 'fraidy cats two seconds later. And above all, they are ALWAYS HUNGRY - or so they lead Grammy to believe. Between the two of them they keep Grammy on her toes! And that is quite a feet! *get it - feat! Oh, I'm just so on the ball today...*giggle* ... you know! Ball of the foot? Okay, I'll stop now. Unfortunately, we cannot tell you what Wednesday will bring as Grammy is on hiatus at the moment but we hope there will be some kind of birthday bash - at least Cake and Ice Cream would be a good start. In the meantime, here are the boys... over the years. by Sweetie, blogger and chronicler of silly stuff Good morning, Friends. We are back. At least, this week we are. No telling what other weeks will bring. A lot has been going on around here but nothing much worth writing about except our wee Mousie. Yes, little Mousie, my big sister. Let me clarify that. Mousie is not bigger than me, in fact she's a little over half my size, but she's bigger in the sense that she is older than me. Yes, she's ancient. She will be 11 this year whereas I just turned 9. Now, as I was saying, little Mousie, my big sister has never lost her kittenish behaviours. She curls up in her bed like a kitten and buries her nose in her paw. OH! So do I! Oh, and she loves to cuddle. Oops! So do I! Oh yes, and she grooms herself all the time. And so do I, but not as much as she. *Giggles* I guess we are sort of alike. But, most of all she loves to play with toys and with her tail. I don't! I chase intruders and sometimes Mousie and tease Rondo and Etude but I don't often play with toys. Oh, and I've told you this before but I'm going tell you again... Mousie chases her tail and when she catches it she bites it AND SQUEALS because, as she says with a look of shock on her puss, "It hurts!" Well, that's about all, except for this link of Mousie doing acrobatics and tail chasing AND a few photos of all of us, but mostly of our wee Gentle Mousie. Enjoy. I'm off now to chase her around the condo. Oh, oh, oh! And before I forget... The bratty boys turn 10 this month. Yep, can you believe it? So, stay tuned for a birthday celebration of a sort....late next week. *giggles* by Etude, aka Velcro, the cuddlebug Good morning, everyone. Well, here we are at another Monday and what is there to talk about other than a visit to our favourite Dr. Whitecoat? Well, not much but you must hear this... Grammy decided since we are reaching 10 years of age it was time to do a Senior blood panel. We are at the top end of Mature. The nerve! Senior. We are still young whippersnappers, not old fogeys like Grammy. Dr. Whitecoat agreed and we had no say in the matter. Again I say, the nerve! Rondo was taken first to trim his claws. The techies did what they could but just as Grammy feared a couple of his claws had pierced his toe-pads. Those had to be left for the doctor to take care of and she did a great job. Just to be sure an antibiotic injection was given to ensure no infection takes hold. Grammy was advised to trim him or bring him back within 3 to 4 months. Little does she realize what a terror he is with Grammy. She stands a chance of losing her arm, fingers or nose. But with the 'cat whisperer' the little brat just sits quietly and allows her to do her thing. In addition, Mr Long-legs lost a pound. One whole pound and now sits at 14 lbs. According to the vettie 13 lbs is an ideal weight for boys of our build. I beg to differ but then, who listens to me! Certainly not Grammy, nor the vettie. Now to me and my issues. Grammy advised that I had an inflamed gum around the upper back tooth on the left. Turns out the upper back right tooth is in the same condition. With a special tool Dr. Whitecoat popped off the calcification around the two teeth, staunched the blood and said all the other teeth were in great shape. Of course they are. As to the chewing my fur off the belly and legs... They are growing in again and Dr. Whitecoat thinks it was because my teeth and gums were sore combined with the Grammy issue last August. So, Grammy has meds for when I am anxious. Otherwise, I'm perfect! As if I didn't know that already. Oh, and guess what!!! I was a good boy this year. I've lost two pounds bringing me down to 16 lbs from November 2019... so in 16 months. Not bad. But is Dr Whitecoat happy? Yes and no. Happy I'm down some but another three to go. Sheesh!!! How is this fair when Mousie is allowed all the food she can eat and Sweetie gets Turkey or Chicken and Giblets in Gravy while we are on a diet menu? So, back to the blood panel. We got great results in all areas. Liver, heart, kidneys and all other organs are in 100% condition. See, I told you I was perfect! Yes, yes, Rondo is too, I guess. Grammy said she was sure the old bladder and bowels were too! She said the proof was in the pudding! Or was that the litter box? Pudding! Yum!!! Oh, Grammyyyyy! We boys are hungry! Rondo wants yoghurt and I'll have a nice big bowl of Sweetie's Turkey and Giblets in Gravy, please. by Rondo, poet and songster. Good morning, friends. Today I'm a bit disgruntled. Oh, I know! It is spring finally and I should be happy but just wait until you hear what's going on today. Grammy is going out for a chocolate bar today and we aren't allowed to share it. At least she could bring home a nibble for each of us. Don't you agree? What's that, Sweetie? Sweetie: Not a Twix you goof. Twinrix. It's a needle. Do you want a needle in your leg? Huh? Rondo: She thinks she knows everything. (shouting out loud) You're spoofing me, Sweetie. Grammy wouldn't go willingly for a needle. She's either going for a candy bar or she's going out for breakfast. I heard her say Twix. Well, if it isn't a candybar maybe she's going for breakfast. That's almost as bad. Doesn't she know Twix are for kitts not old people. It ways so in the cereal commercials. *Walks off in a huff* Sweetie shakes her head... no talking to him. (chuckles to herself) Well, he's gone. Guess I'll finish the blog. Wait until he hears about his outing! *giggles* Yep! He and Etude are off to the vettie on Friday for a claw trim and health checkup *tehee* but not Mousie and me. We girls are perfect. Yep! See how 'disgruntled' he'll be then. See you next week. I'm sure he'll have lots to say then though it may not be printable. Have a great week, friends. Love from Mischief and Mayhem Central. By Sweetie, blogger and more Good morning, dear friends. This post is going to be brief today. We want to feature our doggie friend in Virgin Islands. MerriBugg is her name and she lost her mommy person suddenly and now she needs to find a new home where she can be loved and pampered forever. The following is the posting that has been put on Facebook by the St. Croix Animal Welfare Centre. MerriBugg is there and being cared for until a new home is found for her. Let's hope that is sooner than later. St. Croix Animal Welfare Centre posted the following ... They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, and it’s certainly true about this gentle, sweet girl. Her name is Merri Bugg. Her owner passed away unexpectedly last week. We all know how devastating it is to suddenly lose a loved one. Merri Bugg lost her whole world - the person who rescued her from the bush, who patiently taught her to trust humans and to accept love and kindness. Now she needs a new best friend - could it be you? Merri Bugg is about 7 years old. She is calm and quiet, good with cats, housebroken, and leash-trained. Please open your heart to this sweet soul. To meet Merri Bugg, come to the Animal Welfare Center’s main location at 5 Corners. As a dear friend said in comments: My heart goes out to her. Such a very loyal girl. She deserves a wonderful home. So, let's hope between Facebook postings and other exposure this new home with a loving family can be found very soon for this dear sweet girl. Best of Luck sweet MerriBugg. by Sweetie, purrsonal trainer and mischief maker March is here, dear friends and with it comes a need to shake off the winter lethargy, wiggle our butts, shake our tails and start a movin' and a groovin'! I know that'll be no problem for our wee Mousie. She is often seen chasing her tail and scampering between bedroom and livingroom, kitchen and litterbox ... but those boys! They are another thing altogether. Sedentary, sleepy and slumbering sloths, they tend to sleep away their days - Kind of like Grammy when she isn't knitting. What's that, Grammy? I sleep all day? Well, of course I do. I patrol and keep you and everyone else safe all night while you all sleep. BUT, to get you in shape I'm willing to give up my naps. *Adjusts halo* Well, it's time to light a fire under all three butts and get them out of their beds, chairs or whatever they hunker down in and into a routine. And that is my job. I must say, it isn't an easy one. No siree. It is definitely a challenge with those three. So, here's the plan. Empty Grammy's cupboards of appliances, and anything else that is hard and uncomfortable. You know the things I mean - Kitchen-Aid mixer, blender, food processor, slow cooker and anything else I can find. If I put them on all surfaces where the boys might nap and Grammy's chair and bed they'll have no place to sit or lie down to nap. Then drag them into my fitness gym to start exercising. That might take some work though. They can be stubborn, especially Grammy. Yep, She's bigger than me and feisty, but I'm determined. *giggles* So, here goes... *Scampers into the kitchen to gather appliances* Oomph! This mixer is heavy. *Drags it to the sofa.* Exhausted she lies down on sofa beside it and falls asleep. Etude and Rondo giggle and creep quietly onto the sofa then Etude whispers. Whew! That was close, Rondo. Well, folks. I think we are safe for today. She's out. Enjoy your day. by Rondo, mischief and blogger Can you believe it? I get to say my piece two weeks running. And so, here goes... This week has brought another change to Mischief and Mayhem Central. Oh my! It has caused quite a kerfuffle, really and truly. But a good kerfuffle. As you must know Grammy has been advised to be more careful on her feet. One of the adjustments is to no longer use tripping hazzards like the vacuum. So she hired cleaners to come in monthly to do a thorough clean. She can manage all except said vacuum, dusting the tops of book cases and scrubbing the tub. These things that require using a step ladder or kneeling are as unsafe for her as tripping. And so, this past week she spent a lot of her knitting time thinking of ways around these limitations. Cleaners only come once a month and the place is usually knee deep (cat knees, that is) in discarded fur and dander despite sweeping floors with a broom. Add to that the expense, especially when Grammy isn't all that satisfied with the service and there had to be another solution. Well, the thinking has paid off. She hauled out a long-handled scrubber for the tub and will give it a go again. Hopefully she can manage it. Then while doing a search on the computer she saw a couple of other possibilities. A long-handled Swiffer duster for the bookshelf tops - articulated, no less! That should do it. And then, a SALE of an android to help her learn to balance... a rumba robot. What do you think of that? Eh? Teach her to dance the rumba and she should be able to recover when she trips. Yes, that's the ticket! What's that, Sweetie? It's not rumba? Well, what is it then?...a Say that again? ...long pause.... OH! Sorry folks, It's not a rumba dancer. It's a Roomba. Actually, a Roomba Robot. Well, it sounded like Rumba to me. Hmph! This new dancing partner was on sale so Grammy decide, why not? Let's give it a try. Well, it arrived the next day... yes, the very next day. I was thinking something must be wrong with it if the store wanted rid of it so quickly but Grammy says they are very efficient at delivering purchases.. a consequence of COVID restrictions and a competitive market. So, back to the story. Grammy set up Roameo Roomba, charged the battery for 3 hours and then they started dancing. Well, that's what it seemed like. He lead and Grammy followed him around watching and dodging his every move. Alright, she didn't follow him around she just sent him on his way. For an hour and a half he rumbled around bumping into walls and furniture as he learned the layout of the rooms. AND a boot mat got the treatment 6 times and the kitchen 5. They must have been particularly filthy! Shame on you, Grammy! When he was done Roamin' danced a two-step (actually two wheel) back to his docking station to recharge. Boy, oh boy! Was he dusty and filled with debris! Grammy gave him a good clean, emptied his bin and left him to rest. Second trip a few days later was shorter and there was less bumping and banging into walls. His little computer brain is remembering where to stop and change direction. What a smart wee fellow. Bottom line? ... The cost of three 'professional' cleaning visits and this wee fellow will have more than paid for himself. And if Grammy wants Mr Roomba to be run every day that's not a problem either... just push the button twice and off he goes. BONUS! P.S. He's noisy... singing as he dances. We'll let you know what we think about him once we are not so scared of him. Grammy doctored the photo below. So far Sweetie is the only one who's gotten that close to him. Comments are welcomed. We especially love the funny ones. by Rondo, the singing poet and mischief maker Not much to say this week. Grammy has been busy with appointments and knitting. That leaves us free to sleep, and eat and nap and eat and sleep some more. Unfortunately all that sleeping and napping has left us bereft of a topic. So, Let's introduce you to a few special friends - you know - the significant others. Kind of appropriate since yesterday was St Valentine's Day, don't you think? Well, we'll start with the girls, then Etude and end with me. How's that for being gentlemanly? Pretty good, I'd say! If you've read any of our past blogs I'm sure you know Mousie's love is Little Boy Cat. She calls him Cheffy or Cheffy dearest. We call him LBC or anything he wants if he'll cook for us. Oh yes, He's a chef extraordinaire. Unfortunately, he's passed on but our wee Gentle Mousie still dreams about him. We hear her deep sighs in the night. She will love him to the end of time. Sweetie has a beau named Monty. He's not on Facebook too often and she misses him. Fortunately another friend, Frodo, steps in and is like a big brother if you know what I mean. Just a really good friend. He brought her fresh frozen shrimp for Valentine's day so she wouldn't feel left out. And we helped her eat the shrimpies. *giggles* Glad they were frozen. Those little footsies would have tickled on the way down our throats otherwise. Thank you, Frodo... for that and for escorting my special someone to visit today. Etude has had a girl for ages. If you remember, I wrote a poem about them a while ago. You can check it out here. RAINA is her name but he calls her his sweet butterfly or hummingbird... whichever fits the occasion. She's a wild thing but has an amazing voice and even more amazing cooking skills. Southern Comfort Picnic Baskets are her specialty and they are sent regularly to supplement our meager diets from Grammy. Good choice, brother. Keep those Picnic Baskets coming. Sorry, we don't have a link to share RAINA's lovely voice and she doesn't have her own page but, she loves trips in balloons. Etude arranged two heart-shaped balloons to take them (and us) up for a ride yesterday. What a time we had. Young love. Isn't it grand? Last on the list is my sweet Rosy Posy. She's an island girl... Virgin Islands, that is. She calls me Sweet Cheeks. Isn't that just so sweet? *Etude shouts "Saccharine! as in sickly sweet."* Oh stop that Etude. You're just as mushy with RAINA, you old dog, you! *Etude blushes* I am not a dog! Then why are you blushing? Ohhh, the mushy part. *giggles* Back to Rosy. Like RAINA, she's a wild thing... but hey, she loves me. That's all that matters. And a little wildness is good. It keeps me on my toes. She's always up for an adventure and she adores my singing. What more could a debonair young fellow ask! So, that's all for today. Enjoy the photos. We hope you, dear friends, have had a great weekend. Hugs. We enjoy your comments, so keep them coming. |
AuthorFive Cats, Five Personalities, One Goal - Mischief & Mayhem. Archives
August 2023
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