Holiday Photo Shoot with Beau Beau and Angie

Holiday Photos from the Swick/Bentley house with the photoshoot mitsakes :-)

Even though our Beau Beau has crossed the Rainbow Bridge we wanted to show the photo ops we got not too long ago in anticipation of these "holy days".

The first day we put up the little tree trying to get Beau Beau and Angie's Christmas photo.  This was the best I could get (iphone photos...)

 At this point - Angie had had it with Beau Beau and gave him a whap.

 Angie was done.  She swished her tail as she walked away.

 Right before I put the tree on the island to take the Christmas pics.  Beau Beau looked so good!  

This was last year's Christmas Photo shoot.  He was a good model :-)


Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!  Looking forward to the New Year!

Love and light and purrs and blessings to all.

Brenda, Bob, Angie and our angel Beau Beau

A collage for Beau Beau

BEAU BEAU

It's only been four days since Beau Beau's been gone.  We want to thank all the wonderful cat bloggers and everyone who has stopped by to leave their thoughts and sympathy and prayers.  It has been helpful to go through all the blogs and stop by to read what's happening with everyone else.  It does a heart good to see that the world indeed is still alive and moving.

I have been going through the hundreds of pictures I have taken of Beau Beau.  He was my inspiration to pick up with photography again at about the same time that digital pics became so popular and easy to take and share.  In fact, my first digital camera was a Kodak Easy Share and yes, it was easy.  Beau Beau's comical face with those expressive eyes just begged for capture and what better way than to share that than through his blog.   I'm so thankful that I have his journey with us captured through the years.

I'm still stunned that he is gone.  I really thought that with his diet and care and how healthy he seemed that he'd he be with us closer to the 20 year mark.  I totally subscribe to the thought that every day is precious and we have to be thankful for every second because life is so short.  Every day when I woke up my first thoughts were thanks to God for my husband, and Beau Beau and Angie in my life. The pain of such a sudden loss was an eye opener and I know there's a lesson in there, actually many lessons.  Life for me is all about learning and this was the most painful lesson I've ever had.  I also know that when one door closes it makes way for newness in life.  I must believe that something really good is coming my way.

As I had commented on some blogs, Beau Beau sure was in a hurry to go somewhere.  He made sure there was no way we could hold onto him any longer.  There were no obvious indications that he was ill whatsoever.  He ate well, had no other illnesses, his coat was healthy and so soft and shiny, and he did not seem to have slowed down any.  Only after he was gone and we thought back about how this could have happened we thought of some signs.  There was dandruff on the floor that had not been there before.  We thought it was just from the dry winter.  And now when we thought of it, he did tire easily but nothing where we were concerned with it.  And if there was any way he could have chosen his way to death, there was no saving him from the aggressive tumors they found.   We had one night with him where he rallied when he came home but was still very tired.  The next day he knew it was time to go.  I opened his carrier and said "go ahead on in" and he glanced outside once again and then for the first time ever he turned and walked into it on his own.

Beau Beau Your Light will Live Forever in our Hearts

RIP Beau Beau.  You gave your humans more love and joy than you could ever imagine.  You were brought into our lives when we needed you most and our life was forever changed for the better.  You taught your human Mommy unconditional love, faith and trust in the universe, kept her on her toes, and helped her find a way for creative expression through this blog and photography.  You were Daddy's 5AM or sometimes 4AM alarm clock.  You gave  him a way to show his love of routine and comfort and caregiving through feeding you and taking care of you like the wonderful father that he is.  You were here for our wedding and brought our family together.  You watched watched your human sister go from HS to College girl to worker girl.  You brought us all love.  We will miss you terribly.  And now because of our loving memories and this blog we can go back and look look at the funny, crazy, loving journey you enjoyed during your life with us.  In my heart I know I will see you again when we all cross the rainbow bridge. 

Here's how it started.  "I was a Mommy's boy and a Daddy's boy too.  Daddy is the one who picked me out at the Meriden CT Humane Society. I was only six-months old. When the humans came into the room that my cage was in, Daddy looked at me and gasped! He said he loved the way I looked. They got me out of my cage and held me and I just sat in their arms nice and quiet like. That seemed to be the charm and they took me to my forever home that day."

 Baby Beau Beau.  Look how big his ears are compared to his body.  

 Loving his Sisfur, Angie

Our morning routine was for me to walk him to the kitchen with him over my shoulder.  

Enjoying his time with his Daddy.

Some of our favorite expressions and moments with Beau Beau:

 His favorite position - laying over something with his arms hanging down

 Scary dance.

 Leaping for fevvers.  

 Beau Beau's house and attention outside watching the birds.

His - ayyyyy ow you doin' look

His best "Monty Q"

A very recent photo - resting in the computer desk cubby hole - watching me work.

A few Christmases ago and one of the few times he ever let us put anything on him.

Your light will be forever remembered in our hearts.  We love you Beau Beau.

Beau Beau's Hurty Heart

I know it's been a while since we've posted but sometimes things happen that turn our lives around. I'll let Beau Beau tell his tale.

Hi effurryone!  It's bin a while.  But now I gots somefin to tell yoo.  I am in da middle of a scary adventure.  I gots a hurty heart.  Seems like I bin lucky dat I've bin around dis long as it is.

Lots of yoo know my story how I found my furever home when Daddy saw me at da place wif da cages.  I wuz only six mumfs old.  He saw mine big eyes and said to da lady to get me owt of da cage.  I wuz furry quiet when he held me and looked at him wif mine big eyes.  Dat wuz it!  I got to go to mine forever home!

For da most part I haf always felt pretty gud.  I ate good fud and I ran around da big house a lot fur exercise and sometimes owtside wif snoopervision.  Den one time I had to go to da stabby place to get my teef checked and dey stole dem!   I herd da v.e.t. say I had bad jeans.  I don't know when I got doze jeans but fur some reason it makes yur teef get stolen.  Now after a lots of years doze same bad jeans gave me a hurty heart and made me cry wif pain.  So now I am at a differnt stabby place. Da v.e.t. lady here did a good stabby fing to me so mine heart would feel better.

Mine mommy and daddy (aka da food man) are furry scared and purraying lots fur me and I know lots of you haf purrayed and purred for me too.  Fanks all of yoo!  It helped me today and da v.e.t. lady too.

Da strangest fing is dat my daddy's mommy is in da hospital too wif almost da same fing as me.  If yoo all could pray fur her too it would make me happy too.

Luvs and purrs to all mine furriends.
Beau Beau

We will add updates as they come.

Vishus Deer Wednesday

We wuz so surprized to see dis vishus lady deer in owr garden we almost peed owrselves.   Look at dis - she wuz sayin "I'm coming to get yoo!"

Oh my COD!  Jus like Skeezy used to say, she's likin' her lips thinkin of us nice joosy kittehs.

 Holy Cats!  I don't fink she can see me over here.  I am not movin' a muscle.  Now I know how da birdies feel.

Holy cats!  Daddy come get dis lady out of owr yard!  I fink she sees me! Ack!

Can yoo beleeve dis?  I am not afraid.  Do not fear the vishus introoders.  Stay tooned for more bisits of da manimal kingdom.

~Angie - 

Mancat Monday - Mighty Mouse Hunter

For all you sqeuamish humans out dare please look the other way so the picture of mine fresh hunt does not bodder you.  Since dis is Mancat Monday it seems dat dis is the purrfect post for the day. This is da mousie I have been hunting all week.  One day I was waitin' and waitin' for the food Daddy to give me more food cuz my food plate wuz empty.  I kept lookin' at the plate den lookin' at the lady, den lookin at the food Man.  Nuffin.  So when for the squillionish time I went owtsided I finally just went and caught mine own meal.  So the moral of da story is when you finally give up lookin' for something you want really bad then you get what you wanted all along.  

~Beau Beau da hunter

Fun Floofy Friday

I am so happy on Friday!  And everyday is a fun day when I get to roll around on da lawn.  Yoo are seeing a new pose.  It's da one armed crawl with a twist.  You likes it?  Something about dis makes me want to sing da "Happy Song!"

~Purrs,
Angie

Happy Valentines Furry Day

Happy Furry Valentines Day to effury one! I know da fleurs are for me. But I can share. Yoo want a taste? Not supposed to eat dis kind of fleur so some buddy keeps moovin dem on me. Purrs and head butts to all! Loves, Angie

Beasty Beau Beau

Well da lady wuz going frew some piksures from Chrismouse time and she found dis freaky amazing piksure of me.  I don't yoozhulee let humans see how big I reely am but I let da lady put dis one owt dare.  Even I gots scared how big I am!  If I pushed on her a little harder I cudda pushed her rite over hahahaha!  Efun da lady wuz laffin cuz she can't beleeve how big I am.  Am I da biggest mancat or what? Hah!

~Beau Beau da big mancat

Vishus Deer Sighting in Connecticat

Oh my goodness a vishus deer came right in owr yard! He was so close I cud almost smell him! Him was staring rite at me den he started stamping hims feets! I thot him was gonna charge da window jus like da birds do! I started Wavin mine paws tellin' him to go way. Quess what? Dare wuz a bunch more of dem waitin fur a signal cuz we saw dem at da corner of da yard. Oh my Cod! Finally he turned an ran away and da whole herd went wif him waving dems white tails behind dem.

Dis is one acitin Sunday!

Beau Beau

Meowy Christmas

Meowy Christmas to all! Peace, joy and love to everyone on this special day.

Love, Beau Beau and Angie

Good for Santy Paws

Da holiday season is here again.  Da lights da lights!  I finks I should get a good gift from Santy Paws  cuz I did mine job reely good dis year.  I cot one whole paws werth of mousies in da howse.  I did not eat one of dem.  And I did not even put one on da humans bed.  I get xtra points fur dat one.  And I did not leave any one of dem in da hallway so da humans cud step on it.  So I finks I did a reely good job.

What do yoo fink?  Did yoo do a good job dis  year and xpeck a gift from Santy Paws?

I know who won't get any gift from Santy Paws and dats Mommie.  She forgotted Angie's Gotcha Day.  And she wuz late for mine Gotcha day too.  Dat means we shud get xtra gifts rite?

~Beau Beau

Where's the Heat?

Hey Lady!  Do yoo finks yoo can turn da heat on?  It's gettin a little chilly here in Connecticat.  We knows da heat is aposed to come owt of dis silly fing on da floor cuz it did beefor.  So can yoo make it werk?  Can yoo, can yoo? Schmaybe dis is a good reesin to go to TAMPA!  We heer it is warm dare.  We likes da heat.  Finks about it ok?

Fantastic Friday

I haf a new sleepy spot high up on da table. Shhhhhhh no one knows I am here coz me and da Beau's are not a posed to go on dis table. "Snickers" daddy's stuff is not aposed to be on da table either. Schmaybe he will had to sleep up here wif me when Mom sees his football stuff. Hoo boy!

Floofy Butt Friday

Floofy Butt Friday.  Yeah.  We just made dat one up.  Do you think da lady is gettin' a little too close here or what?  A lady cat's butt is her own bizness if yoo know what I mean.
We cannot believe dat da end of da Summer is almost here.  I will be hanging out enjoyin' da sun as long as I can.  I haf a feeling dat we felines need our vitamin D as much as humans do to keep us healthy.  Enjoy da rest of da Summer for all us on dis side of da planet.

Purrs,
Angie

Hot Friday

I don't care how hot it is I still want to be owtside! My furs do not curl up too much in dis humidity.
Psssst. I haf a secret to tell u. Beau Beau haz fwees for da ferst time in his life. I'm scared cuz dat means I might haz fweez too.
~Angie

Kittehs and Birdies

Beau Beau

Angie

Can yoo see us in our green werld?  Da spot where I am (Beau Beau) is normally Angie's hidey spot.  It is almost right unner da neybers bird feeder.  We waits and waits and waits and once in a while we finally gets one of da slow ones.  Den we run ofur to owr howse and one of da humans slaps gently taps owr head or grabs da birdie rite from owr mouf!  Geez we only were givvin da birdie as a gift.  An it takes so loooong to finally get on of dem buggers.

Lots of times we just go sit on da wall where Angie is in da pikshur an wait for somefin good to come along.  Lucky owr neyber is so close an he keeps such a nice garden fur us to hide owt in.
Do yoo haf a favrit place to hide an wait for somefin to bring to yur humans?

~BB and A

Independence Day Weekend Hot Hot Hot

It's hot hot hot here in Connecticat, USA.  We don't care cuz we are so happy dat it's not snowing!!!  So don't mind me while I  clean up mine face after all da good foods we been eatin' all weekend.  We has a rootine where da food man daddy cooks on da big fire fing and den he gives us some of da cooked stuff.  I haf decided I like dat better den da raw chick-hen lately.  So we been eatin' some fings called hot dogs, ham-burgs (cept da are not at all like da ham we like), and chick-hen.  Plus Beau Beau gets his assparagus cuz he's weerd.

Purrs to effuryone and hope yoo are all enjoying yur summer - or winter dependin' on what part of da werld yoo are in.

Purrs,
~Angie

Farewell Skeezix

We're not actually going pink today in honor of Skeezix because our background is already pink!  So, instead of waiting for Mancat Monday for this photo we decided to put this one up today.  It's more of a tribute to that special bond between human and feline.  Beau Beau will do anything to get in front of us to get attention and to show us his love and get some love from us.

I'm sure all of us in the cat blogosphere felt that special love whenever we read about Skeezix and his pleasure of licking Mr. Tasty Face's face.  It's something we will never forget and will miss hearing about.   We will miss the stories from Skeezix - the rides, the face "liks", the vishus deer reports, his loves and stories of his "urjes".   We will miss the fashionista photos of Skeezix too.  Well, heck, we're just gonna miss everything about him.

Farewell Skeezix. We'll miss you little dude.

Love, Beau Beau and Angie

Beau beau's Spring Fling

I wuz owtside bein a good boy, jus chillin' on da deck.  Daddy went inside for one minute and den I went for a little spring stroll.  Da scent of da lady kittehs lured me into da way backyard way past where I'm supposed to go. 

I was takin my time sniffing around even when I heard dem screaming callin' my name.  Daddy was ready to cry snots an stuff.  After feverish purraying by Mommy, and no lady kittehs in sight I decided to swagger home.  I made sure I screamed loud to Mommy when I saw her in da yard.  Daddy was still walking in da other humans yards but even he heard me when I came back.  An you know what?  I got put in da howse an now I finks I am grrroundeded.

Sigh.  We'll see how long dat lasts!  

A Drink and a Swat

Some of you have seen Angie's drinking habit and her cream splattered inspiration-turned artwork.   You now can view her in action.  Beau Beau gets a surprise at the end. Silly girl...

Two kitties in a cubby

Um, angie, dat used to be my spot up there. Yoo see somefin I don't see?

Snowblind Angie

Unless yoo are frum outer space yoo must haf heard about da BIGGGGG snowstorm we gots here in Mew England.  We lives in Connecticut and we gots snow that piled up to more than three of me high.  Dat's a lot of snow.  Mommy finally let me owt when dey gots da path shoveled out to da car.  I saw a mousie run across da path.  Can yoo see me?

~Angie

Snooperbowl Sunday 2013

What? No Snooperbowl party today? No food? No goodies? No chick-hen wings?!!! Oh mine goodness. We finks some siri-us whopping needs to take place with owr hyoomans.

Oh wait. We smell chick hen. Yoo gots dem raw ones for us rite?

Good luck to da teams dat yoo want to win today. Da Pack is not in da bowl so we don't care much one way or da other. Well, cept da lady kinda likes da 49ers..

Have a fun day/nite all yoo football fans!

Angie's thoughts

So I wuz thinkin' about how silly it is dat we cats chase string around. Den I thot about how humans chase a football around. Nuff said!

Beau Beau's Winter Wear

I finks I look lovely in brown don't you?don't worry - it's fake fur. If it was real I would prolly be eatin' it!

Invisible Angie