DYLAN IS HATUS MANUS CATUS: SURROUNDED!

Dylan might as well be out in the wild, but he's really only on the back deck.

Dylan is wearing his orange and brown plaid trappurr hat and orange and white cable knit scarf with woolly orange mittens, all designed to keep his vulnerable parts warm (his own fur coat protects the most vulnerable, yea vital!).  On his booted back feet are a pair of Timberland PROs with black bottoms and brown uppurrs.

He better watch his step so he doesn't crush those nuts (pun intended).  He is distracted by the chattering squirrels who are making so much noise it could well rise to the level of a CATegorical cacophony!

Considering their equidistant placement around him, those little beasties are providing nature's version of surround sound.  So it's a good thing Dylan's ears are protected by the thickly lined ear flaps on his hat!

Dylan is not only surrounded by sound, he is surrounded by rapacious little rodents, looking to fill their bellies and ...

... "squirrel away" as many nuts as possible for afters.

What Dylan couldn't know is that squirrel messengers had been sent back into the woods to spread the word about the piles and piles ...

... and piles of nuts that were available at the house beyond the fence -- and all for a song!

And so many more squirrels arrived to join what became a regular squirrelfest.  Among them were some of the most famous squirrel MEWSicians ever to be assembled.  Here's the lineup and their biggest hits:

Justy Timberland "Bringing Saxy Back"

 Monica Blue "Harmony Us"

Band Joe "Deliver Ants" 

Hose A. Guitarra  "Groovin' on my G-String"

Accor Dion "My Main Squeeze"

and last but not least ...

Funky Fiddlesticks "Drummin' Up Bizness"

They all gathered 'round Dylan and taught him the real meaning of Surround Sound.  It was High Def at its highest!  What had begun as a cacophony of idle chatter became a concert of idol harmony.  

The moral of this story is ...

Before you crittersize anything, take a good look at your surroundings and endeavour to realize their true potential.

DOMINO'S HATTY CATTY: HER CHAOS THEORY

Domino's off to the skating rink again, this time with her penguin buddies in tow.

She's dressed for warmth in a rust, navy and off-white check cuffed toque and matching scarf.  Her wool mittens in the same colours keep the frost off her front feet, and she's wearing sheepskin-lined rubber boots in a stylish pattern of rust, navy and white with orange laces and soles on her back feet.  Her handbag is black faux leather with rust trim, and a penguin clasp on the front.

You see, penguins are accustomed to walking on ice, of course, but she thought she could use her ice skating skills to teach them a more elegant way of traversing the slippery surface.

Here's her penguin friends just having a ball and slipping and sliding on the ice.

 They've even been known to practise some rudimentary jumps!

However, Domino was intent on instilling some discipline in her frisky friends, and ...

... it looks like she succeeded because this time her penguin buddy's on point!  

And the moral of the story is ...

When chaos reigns, you just have to learn to put a different spin on things.

DYLAN: FROZEN?

This is a beautiful winter portrait of Dylan.

He was so still when I took this picture that I thought he might be frozen.  Even after I was finished taking it, he still didn't move for quite some time.

Finally, he opened his mouth to yell ...

..."Halp!!!!!"

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY WITH DOMINO & DANTE: A BREATH OF FRESH AIR!

DYLAN IS HATUS MANUS CATUS: MY DEEREST FRIEND!

Dylan has a forest friend that is very near and deer to him.  He is just returning from a long-awaited visit with his aptly named friend, Deerborne.  It's been quite a while since they've seen each other.

For his sojourn into the snow, Dylan selected a dark purrple wool Burberry flatcap to cover his tender ears, and a coordinating light purple-striped scarf, and mitts in a slightly darker hue.  On his back feet he wore some waterproof ankle boots in purrple and gray.  They provided good traction in the hard-packed snow, and their thinsulate lining kept his toesies nice and TOESty.

What prompted this visit to his deer one, you may ask?

Dylan's mind cast back to the early fall, when such visits were so simple.  Life was easy then, and nothing could keep them apart.  He and his friend Deerborne saw each other every day.

And then one day, earlier in the season than usual, the snow started to fall.

And it snowed, and it snowed, and it snowed!!!

Deerborne missed Dylan deerly, but the extreme weather had come between them.  Deerborne was equipped for the elements, but Dylan was not.

Christmas came and went, and all Dylan could do was hunker down by the fire and dream of seeing his buddy Deerborne again.  Dylan kept a special present aside just for him.

Deerborne sadly had no choice but to hold on for deer life until he could see Dylan once more.  

Finally, the day came when they could face each other in purrson!  The sun had come out and the snow had parted (just like the Red Sea!).  "O frabjous joy!  Callooh, callay!"

And I'll bet you're wondering what was in that Christmas present that Dylan saved for Deerborne ...

... Why it was a signed picture of Dylan so Deerborne could have a face-to face with him any time he wanted!  And the fact that Dylan's deerest wish was to become one himself (a deer, that is) only brought the two friends even closer.

"If yoor not born a deer, like Deerborne, then imitation is da next best fing!" says Dylan sincerely.

And the moral of the story is ...

If someone is truly deer to your heart, you'll always find your way back to each other.

DOMINO: HATTY CATTY ON ICE

Domino's stylishly dressed (as purr usual) for the cold weather.  She's a pro when it comes to ice, being a top contender for Figure Skating in the Female Feline Division for Skate Canada, which is an international event.

On this exciting day, Domino is wearing a retro pillbox-style wool hat with a diamond-shaped pattern in ivory and taupe.  She is also sporting (she's very sporty, after all) a coordinating scarf in similar tones, fastened with a sterling silver pearl cat brooch.  Voila!

On her front paws she is wearing soft woollen mink-coloured mittens, and on her back feet she is well-heeled in taupe-coloured suede boots.  Her purse is a shiny taupe shoulder bag with funky fringe.  It's small just for carrying her essentials.

Later that evening, Domino purrforms her short compulsory routine to the mewsic from 'The Phantom of the Opurra' to dramatic effect.  She landed efurry jump and nailed each spin.  She is a marvel to behold and rightly earns one of the top scores.

The next night, Domino purrforms her 'free skate' program to the mewsic of 'Swan Lake'.  Once again she didn't put a paw wrong and receives roses and much apaws from the patriotic crowd.

As well as all of her jumps in both the long and short programs, Domino landed a silver medal!  She is thrilled and not at all disappointed that she didn't get the gold.

"All dat shines is not gold" says she.  "Yoo kin cross my 'pawm' wif silver any time!"

But best of all ...

... "Happyness is knowin' yoo rose above yoor greatist expectations."

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY WITH DANTE & DOMINO: SNOW AND ICE

DANTE AND DYLAN TAKE THEIR TURN

As it 'turns' out, both Dante and Dylan liked to take their turn in the snow.  In these pictures, they are each making a hard right!

It's like each of them is frozen in time with one paw raised in PURRpetuity.

Like someone pressed the PAWS button!

DYLAN IS HATUS MANUS CATUS: GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER!

Dylan's on his way to the pet shop to pick up something for dinner.  He's having guests today.  Can you guess WHO?

Here's a hint:  Dylan only deigns to invite those on the "Who's Who" list for Canada.  It saves on getting your 'woods-be' guests pre-screened, and it's much more polite!

(An Aside:  What Dylan couldn't know was that these two birds of a feather were scam artists who had hacked the "Who's Who" list.  Indeed, they're known for their fowl deeds!)

For this expedition to the shopping mall, Dylan is wearing a dark blue faux fur Sherlock Holmes-style hat which nicely covers his ears (even with the ear flaps up).  He has a beautiful dark blue wool scarf decorated with snowflakes and reindeer around his neck, and plain dark blue mittens on his front paws.  He got some new boots for Christmas and is breaking them in for the first time.  They are dark gray suede Timberland boots -- just purrfect for hiking.

When Dylan asked his guests what they might like for dinner, they both replied:  "Something of the rodent variety".  So he bought a particularly large one (good for carving) and brought it home in a bag which he left on the kitchen island.

"O rats -- I'm outta here!" exclaimed the rodent, making his escape along with part of the cheese course.

When Dylan discovered that the main course had mysteriously disappeared (he couldn't help but wonder "Who dunnit?"), he had no choice but to open up a can of worms.

 And the moral of this story is ...

... if you worm your way into dinner, you just might have to eat them!

DOMINO: HATTY CATTY SNOW BOUND!

Domino's been out shopping again and was dressed up accordingly.  It looks like she's getting home just in time because it's starting to snow.

Domino is wearing a dark green wool cloche hat with bronze-coloured satin band and feather ornament at the back.  Around her neck is an avant-garde green and ivory leopard-print scarf with matching mitts on her front paws.  The scarf is fastened with a sweet lily-of-the-valley pin:

She is keeping her back toes dry and cozy in ivory woollen Ugg boots.  And, as always, Domino has selected the purrfect purrse to accompany the outfit; this one in green alligator leather.

One might think that Domino is anxious to get back inside the house now that it's snowing, but she actually just wanted to change into something more casual so she can play in it -- the snow, that is.

"Yoo needs ta get rite down into it, if yoo got any chance a 'wingin' it!" remarks she.  

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY WITH DYLAN & DANTE: HITTING THE SLOPES?