A woman and girl were out for a walk on the road near their home in the country. In the distance, they saw an expensive car pull over in front of a country church. A woman got out, pulled a box out of the car, walked a few feet away, turned the box over to dump the contents, and returned to the car (with the box). The woman in the expensive car with a now-empty box drove away, heedless of the calls from the first woman and girl, who were now running to the scene.

They knew what they would find.

Three Beautiful Kittens

They were beautiful, and yet, the box had been more important to the woman in the expensive car.

The woman and girl carried them back to their house, made a nest for them under the front porch, and made a few calls. They couldn’t keep them. They hoped to find a friend who would. They found a friend who found a friend who agreed to make the drive (about a half hour) to see if maybe one could be folded into her household.

She arrived to find them tumbling around the yard, playing hard with one another. They stopped long enough to sit down and look up. They were in a line. Two beautiful dilute calico girls and a very handsome long-haired gray boy. They were named Kali, Ko and Mo, and of course that friend of a friend took all three.

Locked In The Bathroom Together

To bring them into the house, we started slow. They were locked in the bathroom (it’s a very big room) with litter, food and water. Almost the first thing Mo did was search out a spot – it was a floor register that would allow water to drain away – and squiggle his little butt down in preparation to pee. He was shocked to find himself whisked up and placed in the litter pan, but he did his business, and the rest is history. Three kittens learned within the first five minutes in their new home that poo-ing and pee-ing had a place.

Eventually, after check-ups, shots, and a couple of weeks of sniffing under the door, they were allowed into the whole house, and the whole house was never the same.

There was not a single spot in the house that wasn’t fair game for a pile of three kittens. They napped in every chair, in the bed, in every sunbeam, under every Christmas tree.

Let’s talk about Christmas. Every year, they would receive – for their very own use – a garland that went on the floor instead of on the tree. The three of them would work with that garland, moving it around on the floor, stopping, sitting, communicating with one another, moving it again… It went from room to room, down the stairs and up the stairs and down again.

Mo, who had become a big boy, chose the smallest Christmas tree to climb. The girls, also big, liked the largest one.

They Did Everything Together

Everything. They snuggled together during the day, slept together at night, played with their toys together, tried to stick three heads into one food dish or one water dish. (I got bigger dishes.)

Mo was the youngest, based on his personality, and he demanded special attention from his siblings. They would lick him all over, at least once a day, paying particular attention to the little round things that were growing on his underside. (When Mo was fixed, until the day he died, he would, on occasion, gaze at that space as if to say, “Where did they go?”)

They ignored their siblings, Tiger Lily and Little Socks, but they loved their cousin, Daphne, the big farm dog, who spent a great deal of time in the house. (Instead of at her own house down the road.)

As they got older, they changed, but some things remained the same. They might not sleep together during the day, but they still did at night. Kali and Ko learned to speak cat (meows, etc.), but Mo never advanced past their secret kitten language.

All Things Must End

Kali, Ko and Mo remain vibrant characters in the cozy mystery series, Tiger Lily’s Café, but… things change. Mo only lived to the age of five. Ko just left us a few months ago, at the age of 17. Kali is still with us, but I have to wonder sometimes what she thinks about having been abandoned by her litter mates. She is surrounded by other cats, but it can’t be the same.

This is a Tiger Lily Approved Story.

The end of summer is almost here. It’s time to get those last-minute-summertime-cocktails made! These recipes come from this website. If you visit the site, you’ll see beautiful photos of the drinks.

French Rosé Sangria

Ingredients:
1 Bottle Lillette Rosé Wine
3 oz. Grand Marnier
5 oz. Club soda
2 oz. Fresh Raspberries
1 Spring Mint
Edible Flower Petals for Garnish

Directions: Pour each of the above into a tall bar glass or cocktail shaker. Shake with ice, pour into a cocktail or martini glass, and serve.

Grapefruit Collins

Ingredients:
2 oz. Gin
½ oz. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
½ oz. Fresh Squeezed Grapefruit Juice
1 oz. Simple Syrup
3 oz. of Pellegrino Sparkling Water
Grapefruit Zest
Mint Leaves

Directions: Rim glass with grapefruit wedge and dip into salt and grapefruit zest mixture.

Add Gin, lemon juice, grapefruit juice and simple syrup to a martini shaker with ice, shake well, and strain into glass. Add Pellegrino sparkling water and stir. Garnish with grapefruit zest and mint leaves.

Citrus-Basil Spiked Sweet Tea

Ingredients:
8 cups water
7 black tea bags
1 1/2 cups sugar
Juice from 2 lemons
Juice from 2 oranges
1 cup high proof golden rum
Lots of fresh basil leaves, left intact

Directions: Bring half of the water to boil and add your tea bags. Steep them for about 5 minutes, and remove. Add the sugar and stir the tea until it’s dissolved. Transfer the tea to a pitcher and stir in your lemon and orange juice and the rum. Add some fresh basil leaves and chill in the fridge until ready to serve. Serve in a tall glass over ice with fresh orange and lemon wedges with fresh basil leaves.

The Razzle-Dazzle

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 oz. raspberry vodka
1/2 teaspoon simple syrup
Champagne
2 raspberries

Directions: Pour the lemon juice, vodka, and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Shake well, strain into a champagne flute and top with champagne and garnish with a raspberry

Spicy Strawberry Moji-tea

Ingredients:
4 oz. Tea & Honey Strawberry Acai Tea
1 oz Tanteo Jalapeno Tequila
Prosecco
Mint
Strawberries

Directions: Muddle mint and strawberries in the bottom of a shaker. Add the Lipton Tea & Honey Iced Tea, tequila and ice in a shaker. Shake and strain into a glass. Top with Prosecco and serve.

In Closing

These sound good enough to make right now.

This is a Tiger Lily Approved Summer Drink Menu

Dis is me, Sassy Pants. Ize a kitty kat and I lives wit my Mommy and da udder cats.

An Older Kitten

I wuz a older kitty when Ant Sherwy taketed me to Mommy’s. I founded Ant Sherwy and she liketed me, but it wuzn’t working for me 2 stay. When Little Socks makes fun of da way I tawk, dat Tiger Lily tell her I wuz a older kitty be4 hearing talk a lot, an I haz a little trubble wit da words.

Dis Is A Kitty Kat’s Life

In our house, we haz windows everywhere. We can moves around an stay in sunbeams all day.

We has toys, like boxes and mousies an stuff.

We has food an water. An we gets treats.

Sometimes my sisters are mean to me.

I has had to go see doctor Ralph more dan da udders. I hadded a lump on my haunch (2 times!) an once I hadded crystals in my kidney.

I likes when we brings new kitties in da house cuz I goze into da batroom to sit wifs dem.

I likes it when Mommy – or any hooman dat comes in – tickles my stummy. I gots spots in jus da right place to show dem where.

Life Is Gud.

I hi-ly recommends you gets rescued.

This is a Tiger Lily Approved Story.

Hi I’m Mattie I’m the youngest I’m special I’m beautiful everyone in the house knows it and if they don’t then I chase them around did I say I’m beautiful?

Mattie Meets Mommy

Mommy said she saw a picture of my pretty face on Facebook so she ran to the PAC and said she wanted me and the PAC said she could have me but first they had to get me fixed and they had to shave me because I was just a big ball of mats and no one could get rid of them and the only thing to do was shave me and I was too squiggly so they had to do it when they put me to sleep to fix me so Mommy left and I didn’t think I would see her again and then she came back and she put me in this carrier thing and she didn’t care that I was bald naked.

Oh I forgot it was really cold winter and snow and ice and all kinds of bad things for a baby kitty like me to be losted so it was nice to be in the warm PAC but I wanted a better nicer place.

Mattie Comes Home With Mommy

So we got home and Mommy took me to this big room it was lots bigger than the cage I had been in and there was a big window with steps to get up to the ledge and steps to get up a couple of other places and litter – I already knew how to use that – and food and water and a door that had cat paws underneath it and I could smell several cats but I only saw the paws under the door for the longest time and  Mommy had this chair in the room and a tall desk and other things and she would spend a lot of time with me and sleep with me in the room overnight and sometimes she let some of the other cats in especially at night so they wouldn’t think she didn’t love them and I got to know those cats a little bit and it was okay.

Mommy said I was in the room to keep me safe and to keep the other cats safe and everyone would be safe and we would get to know one another slow and steady and I would never be hungry or thirsty or cold again and now I had a family.

Mattie Takes Over The House

So eventually Mommy opened the door and let me come out and she only let me go in the upstairs rooms for a while because she would put me back in the room and shut the door but stay with me lots and let a cat or two visit at a time and then eventually she let me go downstairs too but then put me back in the room and she was saying she was keeping me safe but I wasn’t sure because whenever I got out I could hide under all kinds of things and she couldn’t find me and she said it scared her that she wouldn’t find me and I would get lost in the house or something and wouldn’t know where to get the food or something and anyway eventually she opened the door and let me out for all the time and I’m in charge of my own life now and she picks me up several times a day to tell me how beautiful I am and this is how a safe house works.

This is a Tiger Lily Approved Tale And Boy Can Mattie Tell A Tale.

The autumnal equinox—also called the September or fall equinox—is the astronomical start of the fall season in the Northern Hemisphere and the spring season in the Southern Hemisphere.

What Is An Equinox?

I think, for the most part, we all know the answer to this question. Some people, though, only think of the equinox as either the beginning of spring or the beginning of summer. The word “equinox” means, in Latin, “equal” and “night,” meaning that day and night are roughly equal in time.

After tomorrow (the 22^nd), the sun will begin to rise later and set sooner.

Meteorological vs Astronomical Seasons

There are actually two ends of summer, the Equinox, and, for meteorologists, September 1. Yes, the weather folks start talking about Fall on the first of September, barely blinking an eye on the day itself.

And really, if they would blink, they could miss it. The Equinox isn’t a day-long thing. It happens at a particular moment, the moment the Sun crosses the “celestial equator.”

This year, in my Eastern time zone, it will cross at 9:30 AM.

So, Now It’s Fall. What To Do? What To Do?

The changing seasons are perfect for family outings, getting the kids and the family pets out to do fun and interesting things. 10 ideas for the first day of fall come from this website.

Go for a nature hike: A fun fall activity doesn’t have to be all that complicated. It can be as easy as finding a pleasant trail and going for a hike. Cbeck the website for ideas on what to wear for a fall hike.

Carve a jack-o-lantern: The first day of fall is usually around the 22nd of September, so more than a month away from Halloween. But that doesn’t mean you can’t start carving pumpkins early. Head to a pumpkin patch and find a few pumpkins to carve up. You can always carve a few more before the end of October.

Preserve leaves: Preserving autumn leaves is a timeless tradition and a perfect activity for kids (or fall enthusiasts.) The website has tips on how to preserve leaves.

Visit an orchard: Around this time of year, farms and orchards will open their doors to the public and for tours and picking opportunities. Not only are their fresh apples to pick, but freshly made cider is usually available in the fall as well. An apple orchard is a great place to go to get outside and enjoy some fresh autumn air.

Find a festival: Autumn is a time of festivals, and most communities will have at least one. These festivals bring members of the community together to bond over good food, good drink, and fun activities. They are generally family friendly too.

Go to a football game: For many, autumn means pumpkin spice, fresh cider, changing leaves, and chilly weather. For some living in the United States, fall means only football season. If you can’t find a major football game near you, most junior high and high schools have teams with games open to the general public. Go cheer on your local team.

Visit a pumpkin patch: Visiting pumpkin patches is a quintessential autumn activity. These farms often have huge pumpkin fields, orchards, petting zoos, corn mazes, and fresh produce you can buy and take home. It’s a great way to spend an afternoon; getting fresh air, picking out the perfect pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns, and supporting local farms.

Roast pumpkin seeds: Once you’ve carved out your locally picked pumpkins, roast the seeds for a delicious and healthy treat. Roasting pumpkin seeds is simple. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Then toss the seeds into a bowl of melted butter and salt. Once your oven hits 300 degrees, spread the seeds out on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes. Voila. Roasted pumpkin seeds.

Have a bonfire: Fall bonfires are one of our favorite things to do when the weather starts getting colder. Getting together with good friends, drinking cider, warming up by the fire, and roasting marshmallows screams fall to us.

Watch the leaves change: Usually by the first day of fall, deciduous tree leaves are beginning to change across the Northern Hemisphere. What could be better than spending a crisp, September afternoon hiking through nature, driving through the countryside, and taking in the reds, oranges, yellows, and purples of the changing leaves.

In Closing

The Equinox is a sign of fun things to come.

This is a Tiger Lily Approved astrological happening.