Flat Moo Comes To Town - Part 3

Hallo, Effurrybuddies!

The Little Purrince Shimshi here - Master of the Queen's Mischiefs!

You're all dying to hear more about Moo's adventures, aren't you?
Well, here goes.

Moo was furry keen to see what effurryday life was like in the streets of Jerusalem, so earlier this week, We took her downtown, to "The Triangle".
This is a spot in the centre of town bordered by Jaffa Road, King George V Street and Ben-Yehuda Street. These used to be the three main streets of Jerusalem, back in the Bad Old Days when Jerusalem was divided between Israel and Jordan. We have heard that in those days, what is now a modern Capital city was a sleepy, provincial-like town. But now, the Triangle is a bustling pedestrian precinct, with lots of shops - many of which cater mainly to tourists - cafes, restaurants and pubs. What's more, it's a popular spot for street mewsicians, like the one in the picture below.

Moo loved it! She could hardly keep from dancing to the mewsic - or maybe We should say Moosic (mol) - and these little humans just widened the circle to include her and make her welcome:

The Triangle includes many little sidestreets and narrow lanes. In some of them, there are private houses and even synagogues. One of these is Yavetz Street, a little lane known to Jerusalem residents as "Bahari Alley", because it has been home since the 1960s to the Bahari family's famous shop selling pitzuchim (פיצוחים) - one of those untranslateable Hebrew slang words meaning nuts and seeds, such as pumpkin, watermelon or sunflower seeds. At one time, there used to be two such  shops belonging to the Bahari family, in the same short, narrow street - due to a quarrel between two of the brothers, who could not get on with each other.

Anyway, in this little alleyway, We met these sweet kitties, who were sharing a tub of cottage cheese put out for them by one of the residents of the street.  We stopped for a chat with them and asked them for suggestions where to take Moo next.

They thought Moo might be interested in the Italian Mewseum and synagogue in Hillel Street, just a short walk away. I didn't really want to see another mewseum, but Moo and Trixie liked the idea and Caspurr is so easy-going, he didn't really mind where We went, so that was decided.

Mummy knows the Mewseum and synagogue well, because She has several times purrformed there with her Caterwauling Club.

Outside the Mewseum, We met the Guardian, Laila.






We explained to her who Moo was and what she was doing in Jerusalem. Laila wasn't in the least bit surprised. It turns out that she knows Cleopatra, whom We met at the Israel Mewseum earlier this week, furry well indeed. She and Cleopatra are both on the Mewseum Cats Committee  and Cleopatra had already told her about Moo. So she had been expecting Us and was furry happy to give Moo a purrsonal, guided tour - the highlight of which was the beautiful synagogue. The synagogue was originally located in Conegliano Veneto and after the Second World War, it was transported to Israel and reconstructed in Jerusalem, where, as well as being a part of the mewseum, it is also in regular weekly use by the Italian Jewish Community of Jerusalem!

Here is a picture of Moo, in front of the Ark of the synagogue.

After our guided tour, We decided to take Moo to Independence Park. To get there, we crossed what is popularly known as "Cats' Square" (כיכר החתולות - Kikar Hachatulot).  Nobody seems to know what its real name is. Mummy had to look it up. Officially, it is called Maccabi Motsri Square, after a Palmach commander who was killed in Israel's War of Independence. Why it's called "Cats' Square" is also something of a mystery. It might be because there is a large cat population in the area, due to the many restaurants and eateries in the surrounding streets. But some people say it is because before the neighbourhood was cleaned up and gentrified, there used to be a lot of not furry respectable ladies working there, and the local residents referred to them as "cats".

(Trixie says that is furry insulting to Us Felines.)

Anyway, as I said, We took Moo to the park and she enjoyed grazing on the grass there, while We had a pleasant rest in the shade under the trees by one of the pools.



After We had rested, it was time to head back home, where, after a snack or two, We were all of Us (#MooToo) in need of a nap.

Flat Moo Comes To Town - Part 2

Hallo, Effurrybody!

Queen Trixie here - Empurress of Jerusalem, Israel and the Entire Middle East, Guardian of the Boudoir, Alpha Kitty Extraordinaire etc. etc. etc.

Today, it is MY turn to blog, and to update you all on Flat Moo's visit. Moo, as you remember, is Joanie's Travelling Cow from 15 and Meowing and she has come to visit Us as part of her World Tour. We have so much to show her - and all of you - so let's get started.

One of the furrst places We took Moo, was the Israel Mewseum - a favourite of Ours.  It was a furry hot day, and scarcely had We arrived when We encountered this sweet little kitty, who was plainly furry thirsty and waiting for some kind human to press the button which turns on the tap. 

Fortunately, Mummy was with Us (We brought her along as Official Photographer) and She obliged with alacrity, while doing her best to photograph the kitty with her free hand - no easy task, you can be sure.

Anyway, that kitty - who told Us her name was Cleopatra - effur so kindly offered to show Us around the Mewseum. We were happy to accept. Cleopatra, who was born in the Mewseum grounds and has lived there all her life, was an extremely knowledgeable and infurrmative guide and gave Us an extensive tour.

We all agreed that one of the most interesting parts of the Mewseum was the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are kept - and where Moo insisted that she must, simply must, have her photo taken.








If you were wondering about the shape of the building, Cleopatra told Us that it symbolises the lids of the ancient pottery jars in which the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.

After we had seen all we wanted of the Mewseum, Cleopatra suggested that Moo might like to visit the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, which was just across the road. We all thought this was a Good Idea - but, unfortunately, when We got there, the guards said that entry was restricted to Humans and guide dogs! Such chutzpah! Cleopatra said not to worry. She knew of a gap in the fence a few hundred metres down the road where We could sneak in.
Alas! Although the gap was the purrfect size for kitties, there was no way a cow was going to get through. So We were obliged to give up the idea and make do with the view from outside.

By that time, We were all furry hungry. Cleopatra had to leave Us, as she had an urgent meeting of the Mewseum Cats Committee to attend and We decided that after a morning spent at the Mewseum, looking at Furry Old Things, it was time to show Moo some of the more modern things in town. So off We went to the Mamilla Mall (Alrov Avenue), where there are lots and lots of coffee shops and restaurants and there are always people ready to share a bite of their meal with a hungry kitty. Of course, they were rather surprised to see a cow as well, but when We explained what Moo was doing here and about her world tour, they were furry kind and welcoming.

After We had eaten, the Mancats decided to take a nap and Moo and I decided to have a look at the shops. Mamilla is a furry up-market open air shopping mall and we girls enjoyed effurry minute of our afternoon out.

One of the nicest things about the Mall is the changing sculpture exhibits all along the avenue. When Moo saw this one, We both realised at once that the one thing missing was a cow. So Moo stepped in and now, I think the picture is just purrfect - don't you?  







  


Of course, Moo herself was attracting quite a bit of attention and a lot of people wanted to take her picture.   




   





By now, it was getting rather late and the heat was making both of Us quite sleepy. So we collected the Mancats and We all came home to have supper and a nap, and to plan the next day's adventures.

About which - more to follow...

Flat Moo Comes To Town - Part 1

Hallo, Effurryone!

Here I am again - Caspurr the Courageous, King of the Tigger Tabbies!

We are all furry excited here, because We have a Visitor! Can you guess who it is?
Yes! It is Joanie's Travelling Cow! Flat Moo from the Lady Ellen's blog 15 and Miaowing has come all the way from the United States, on her world tour. She arrived a few days ago and has been resting after her long, long journey.





Here she is with ME!

And then she posed for a picture with Trixie.

It looks as if Trixie is roaring here, but she isn't really. She was yawning (mol) because she had just woken up from a nap.

After Mummy took these pictures, She looked around for Shimshi to take his picture with Moo. But Shimshi was more interested in the purresents Moo brought with her - especially the silvervine toast, which he immediately pounced on and then ran off with.  But he came back later to check out the Visitor.




We have lots of things We want to show Moo. We are sure she will want to share the sights of Jerusalem with you. So watch out for our next post.

Miaowndial Blues

Hallo again, Effurybody!


It is I, again - Queen Trixie, Empurress of Jerusalem, Israel and the Entire Middle East, Guardian of the Boudoir, Alpha Kitty Extraordinaire.

I have to tell you, kitties - this World Cup business, what they call the Miaowndial, is really getting Me down. There is no escaping it. 
Though to be quite honest, it's really rather amewsing, watching 22 "adult" humans kicking a ball about, just as if they were kitties (mol). 

Purrsonally, I would rather be watching Bird TV. The Mancats, however, outvoted Me, two to one - and even Mummy, who pretends She isn't interested, keeps zapping over in the middle of whatever She's watching, to check up on the score and see who's winning. She has a rule about not watching the games, because She thinks she somehow jinxes whichever side She supports, if She watches.
We think that's nonsense, of course - but maybe She is right after all...

The other day, she decided to watch the semi-final match between England and Croatia. Mummy was born in England, you see - and She really, really wanted the England team to win and although She tried not to watch, She couldn't help herself.

Why do We now think She might have been right about the Jinx? Well, She got up for two minutes, right at the beginning, to get a glass of cold water, and as soon as She turned her back, England scored. So then She decided she really couldn't miss this and settled down to watch the rest of the match - which, as I said before, She almost never does.

Here is a picture of Me, watching Mummy watching the match:

I have to tell you, kitties, watching Mummy was even funnier than watching all those humans kicking the ball about. She kept jumping up, screaming things like: "Yes,yes, yes!" and "No, no, no!" and "Go, go, go!" 

But then effurrything started to go wrong and the Other Side scored and Mummy said She wasn't going to watch anymore - because of the Jinx. She thought it was all her Fault that things were going badly. And She said the tension was too much for her Blood Pressure. So She turned over to watch something else - only she kept flicking back and forth to see what was going on. She just couldn't resist it.

And then they went into this thing called "Extra Time". And by now, Mummy didn't know what to do - because now She began to realise that it didn't really make any difference to the result of the match whether She watched or not (although it certainly made a difference to Moi, because Mummy was much funnier to watch when She was watching the game). 

Anyway, when the Other Side scored their second goal, it got too much for Mummy and She said some (whisper) Bad Words.

Yes, She did, kitties!

I am a Ladycat, so I won't repeat what Mummy said, but I can tell you, kitties - if Caspurr and Shimshi had used such language in My Purresence, I would have whapped them!

So you see, kitties - Football is not good for ladies or ladycats. Fortunately, the End is in sight (mol) and then We can all get back to Normal.

It's Hot - H o t - HOT!

Hallo again, Effurrybody!

Trixie here - with my "little" brofurs.

Well, Mummy has finished most of her "activities" for now, such as her Bible class and her mewsic lectures and her nature rambles and her Caterwauling Club and her opurras - until it all starts again in September/October. That means She can devote more ALL her time to Us. We know She has been looking forward to that. She will now have time to dance attendance on Us round the clock. No more excuses, like concerts to appear in, no more disappearing for the whole day to go on nature rambles. The Purrfect Summer Vacation, in fact (mol).

We have urged her to take up some more cat-centred activities over the next couple of months - such as learning how to purr-ticipate in blog hops, how to use free photo apps to enhance our purr-traits (not that they need any enhancing, of course, but they look  like fun) et CATera, et CATera.

She has promised to take our demands requests purr-posals Under Advisement. We hope that won't take too long, or the Summer will be over before We know it!

Meanwhile, as you can see, We have been making strenuous efforts to avoid the heat:

We do have air conditioning, of course - but it's furry noisy and if Mummy wants to watch television, She has to turn that up loud too, in order to hear it over the noise of the AC.

Ah! Purr-oblems, purr-oblems.....

Have a great summer, effurybody!

Memories of Minxie

Hallo again, Effurrybody!

We don't think We have effur told you about Mummy's furrst kitty, have We?
The Most Beauteous and neffur-to-be-furgotten Minxie, Queen of Cats.

Well, We think it's high time We did so, and there is no day better for doing so than today, because today is Minxie's yardzeit, the anniversary of the day she flew away to the Bridge.

Mummy gotcha-ed Minxie some time in the summer of 1980, when she was a tiny little kitten, just a couple of months old. Mummy found her down in the garden shared by the residents of the apartment block where She was then living and to save her from being "adopted" by the neighbour's children, who had absolutely no idea how to look after animals, Mummy took her in herself. Those children had previously "adopted" all kinds of other animals, including pigeons (who didn't last long) and even a donkey, which they kept in their living room!!!
Even though those children meant well, and even though Mummy had neffur had a pet anipal before, She thought that sweet little kitty had a better chance of survival with Her than with them.

So it was that Minxie came to live with Mummy, and because she was such a little minx (says Mummy), that's how she got her name (mol).

All this, of course, was in Olden Times, before the Digital Age and so all the pictures of Minxie were taken with an old-fashioned camera, in which, so We have heard, one had to put in a film on a spool or cassette and then take a picture, and once the picture was taken, it couldn't be erased. And then, Mummy would take the film to a photographic shop and they would develop the pictures and after a few days, Mummy would get them back. And in those Olden Days, Mummy couldn't know how the picture would turn out until she got the developed pictures back!

Yes, Life must have been really hard back in the Old Days.

Anyway, Mummy scanned some of the old pictures of Minxie and uploaded them to her New Computer (which is driving her crazy, but more about that some other time) - and now We can show them to you all.

Minxie loved to sit in the bath tub. If there was a towel draped over the side, she would pull it into the bath tub and sit on it, like this:

    

And another thing Minxie liked to do was to curl up on the sofa next to one of Mummy's dollies (Mummy has a beautiful collection of pawcelain dollies, from all over the World, most of which, She keeps well out of Our reach - We have no idea why!). Here she is with Arabella, who was the furrst dolly in Mummy's collection - and with Felix, who We also like to play with:

But the thing Minxie loved most of all, was either to lie on Mummy's chest, with her head on Mummy's shoulder, or (when Mummy went to bed), to curl up in Mummy's armpit - once again, with her head on Mummy's shoulder. Naturally, Mummy has no pictures of this, to her Great Regret.

When Mummy would come home from work, She would call to Minxie from down below, in the parking lot, "Minxie! Minxie!" - and Minxie would run to the open window and answer her and then run to the front door to greet her.

Yes, Minxie and Mummy loved each other furry much.

Anyway, in 1995, Mummy found a furry large lump in Minxie's tummy, where no lump should be and when She took Minxie to the v-e-t, he said that it was in all probability cancer. He operated on Minxie and removed the lump but Minxie grew weaker and weaker and then Mummy discovered another lump. Minxie stopped eating and hid herself away in the wardrobe and Mummy knew it was time for the   v-e-t to help Minxie to the Rainbow Bridge.  Mummy stayed with Minxie and held her paw till she was Free - and that was the hardest thing Mummy had effur had to do. Mummy had neffur had to help an anipal to the Bridge before - She felt her heart was broken. That was on June 12th 1995 - just three days before what would have been Minxie's 15th birthday.

Mummy's heart was broken - but Minxie was watching over her from the Rainbow Bridge, and a couple of months later, she sent Possum to her. And a few weeks after that, Minxie sent Pixie to Mummy as well, for Good Measure.
Now Possum and Pixie are at the Bridge too, together with Minxie and they are all three of them watching over Mummy. And to make sure Mummy wouldn't be too lonely, they sent Us to her.

Now, they watch over Mummy from the Bridge, and We watch over Mummy down here on Earth.

And the Great Cat in the Sky watches over all of Us. 

Mummy's New Toy

Hallo again, Effurrybuddies!

It has been about a zillion years since We last posted! That's because Mummy's old computer was making so many purr-oblems, it would take almost the whole day to write a short post and try to add some pictures. But now, Mummy has bought herself Us a beautiful, brand new computer, with a super fast Purr-ocessor and a Solid State Drive (whatever that may be) and a   w i d e   screen, which will make looking at pictures of Us even more enjoyable than it already is (mol). And to make matters even better, Mummy is now allowing Us into the Study/Library/Computer Room - albeit under strict snoopervision and as long as We "behave ourselves", as She rather insultingly puts it.

There is no point now in writing about Caspurr's and Shimshi's Gotcha Days (April 11th and May 15th, respectively) - especially since Mummy more or less forgot about them till they were long past (Silly Mummy! Old Age is catching up with Her!).

What We are looking forward to now, with great excitement, is a visit from Joanie's Travelling Cow, from Our friends at 15 and Meowing. We have all sorts of fun planned for her, but We are keeping that a secret for the time being, so We can surprise her!

It took Mummy a while to figure out how to work with the New Computer. Well, not so much the computer as Windows 10 (because when she bought the New Toy, it came with Windows 10 and till now, She has been working with Windows XP), but with a lot little bit of help from Us, She finally understood (more or less) what She was doing, so now, without further ado, here are the latest pictures of Us, doing what We like doing best (mol)...

Oops! Missed! You can't catch Me that easily (mol)!

Try again!

Till next time, Kitties!