My Friends in Texas--The Royal Kitties & Renna

Mike here:

Well, it's been quite a couple of months—April and May. I finally made it over to visit with the Royal Kitties, Queen Snickers and Empress, in the Great State of Texas. The Lone Star State. Near Dallas—the Big D.

I thought I'd never get there, however. First their mom bean had to have a little operation and then Texas was having a lot of big thunderstorms and a few power outages before I could transport out. So there was a lot of waiting around home, waiting for the signal that everything was a-okay at their end, and I could go.

Even using a transport room, I still have to have pretty good weather to get where I'm going. When there's a lot of violent storms around things can get pretty fuzzy—kind of tingly, too. But Gretchen is getting better at the controls in my transport room. She landed me right in-between Queen Snickers and Empress in their living room, Sunday night on April 21st. I wonder if Gretchen practices sending other things into outer space while I'm away. Anyway, I arrived in a shaft of rainbow colors, as my luggage and I materialized right before their eyes. Queen Empress was holding up a pretty purple Welcome Banner that they had made for me. That was so sweet of them. I like welcome banners.

The two royal kitties have a neat-o kitty-castle that we hung out in, and played a lot of racing around games on. When the blinds were open we just lolled around on our favorite levels and watched the birds and the bugs fly around in the garden. The bottom of the kitty-condo is a little house-like structure. That spot is strictly for Empress.



On Tuesday we went shopping! Now that would be more of a Gretchen thing to go shopping at Neiman Marcus than it would be mine, but it wasn't so bad after spending time shopping in Dallas, where there is more shopping per bean than anywhere else in the United States. Like not even New Yorkers or Hollywoodies, or even Vegas-ites shop as much as the beans do in the Big D! It's a good thing my official fashionista, Queen Snickers, was with me to explain all this to me.

The best place I liked was a store called the Cat Connection. Now that is a cool store. Queen Snickers pointed out that all their food, and even their new little puppy, Renna, food and toys come from the Cat Connection. The toys and treats were the greatest thing I've seen so far, and after all that shopping from store to store, we needed to go home and eat and rest a while and plan out our next adventure.

On Wednesday they took me up over the big city of Dallas in a helicopter. Wow! This is surely a big town (oh, sorry—City!) From our seat in the helicopter we could see Big D's skyline. At and night? Wow, lights everywhere! We also had a vintage postcard made of all of us. It was an exciting day and it was loads of fun flying around in a whirly-bird, looking down on all the tiny, little humans.



We had a terrible storm Wednesday night and the power went out. It was really annoying to Queen Snickers; she said that it was more like a rolling blackout…the power never stayed on for more than five minutes at a time all night. That was my first time being in a big thunderstorm and it was pretty magnanimously scary.



Thursday turned out great, however. We got to go outside and spend some time in the garden. Queen Snickers wears this very pretty pink halter when she goes outside. I'm thinking Gretchen might like to have one of those. Gretchen slips right out of the smaller ones. Anyway the day turned pretty, so Renna (that's their new little puppy) and the rest of us went out to romp on the grass. Puppies are kind of cute and a lot of fun for a while, but they do wear on ya a bit. So after a long romp in the backyard, Queen Snickers and I retired to the porch throne for some relaxation and a bit of kibble. I was panting by then and welcomed the chance to rest.

Friday was Fashion day on the Internet and I got to help dress up the little pooch for her first Fashion Friday event. She wore a little shirt—really little, like XXS, and then it nearly swallowed her up. Queen Snickers said that Renna likes to wear it outside in the mornings or when she goes on evening walks with the beans. It keeps her from shivering. The beans get all excited to see her dressed up and ooo and aw over the tiny woofie. After all…she is kind of cute.

For Fashion Friday, Queen Snickers wore a designer brand, pink polo shirt. It's called a designer brand because there is a cute little paw imprinted on the sleeve. QS even wore some jewelry. Then guess what? I got to be in the Fashion Friday thing, too. I got to wear a colorful polo shirt. I was quite handsome in it, I'd say. QS said I was very chic in my PAWSOME striped polo and matching pale yellow bow-tie. I shared my sunglass collection with them, too.



I never knew playing dress-up could be so much fun. After we put away all our pretty clothes, we got our Temptation treats for working the photo shoot. Saturday and Sunday we were going on a BIG adventure, so we had to get to sleep early.

Saturday, everyone was packed and off we went to the Scarborough Faire Renaissances Festival. Queen Snickers and Empress's cousins, Kirara and Rossetti from the Kiaton Empire, went with us. After the main gates were pretty much empty, Empress demonstrated her Kung Fu moves. She'd planned on using her Kung Fu skills if the guards tried to stop our entry. But there was no problem. We got in safe and sound. Instead we just glided through the gates, past the guards, under the beans hooped skirts. Hee, hee, we thought ourselves pretty slick with that move.
The Faire was a wonderful place to visit. We pretty much did as we pleased, everyone was so nice and there was so much stuff to play with.



Now, all the while we're getting ready to go to this place, all I kept hearing out of the beans was how incredible the food was here. You could get just about anything on a stick—chicken, steak, macaroni and cheese, (yes, I said macaroni and cheese) and cheese cake. All kinds of stuff you could ever imagine…you could get it on a stick! That had a wow factor of 10! Kirara and I found the Best of the Best, however…Fish Tacos! Oh, yeah, baby! Better than a 10!

Everybody, every bean, and living thing, dresses up at this faire. It's like real old fashioned times…way back into the medieval times for which I wasn't even thought of being manufactured yet. Everyone pretends to be back in that era and has a blast doing it. The kitties and I dressed up, too. Everything was so much fun. But all good things have to come to an end. My trips are just a week long and it was time for me to go home. So, on Sunday night we found a place that had some space and said our goodbyes in the shadows of the setting sun. They had filled my luggage with bags of Temptations and my interview sheets, and then I soon began to feel that familiar tingle and sizzle as the tractor beam latched onto me and beamed me back home.

I have to say it was a great time being in the biggest state in the land, and then pretending to be in Renaissance England, too. They invited me back for another visit sometime, where I'll get to see more Texan things, like a real live cattle drive near Fort Worth, and a Rodeo. And the best thing of all—I picked up a bit of a Texas drawl, y'all. Gretchen's mouth fell to the floor when I greeted her with, "howdy, y'all--I'm home!'

I've retrieved my interview sheets and here's how it went:

My Interview with the Royal Kitties and Family

Mike: Are you an only cat or do you have siblings or companions? Who is your favorite?
QS: A year ago it was just me, Queen Snickers, then last August my sister Empress came along. Now we have a new baby woofie Renna. I still think being an only cat was nice, but Empress is staring to grow on me. I like playing tag and pounce and sometimes kitty snuggles are good.

Mike: How long have you lived with your bean(s)? Who is your favorite?
QS: Four years, and I’m a momma’s girl! So is Empress unless daddy has ham. Renna is an equal lover. Daddy loves that she will jump up from whatever she is doing and run to him when he gets home from day hunting.

Mike: What's your favorite food? Treat?
QS: Salmon, Greenes
Empress: Ham, Temptation
Renna: Roast, Freeze Dry Chicken

Mike: Where do you like to sleep at night? In the day?
QS: I sleep by momma's pillow at night, trade for the sunniest perch.
Empress: Me sometime on mommy legs or head like hat or on poof bed in liveroom. Day is in sun windows or poof beds (me has 2).
Renna: In big bed, tween mommy and daddy. I swiqqle next to one then next to other ALL NIGHT! In puppy bed in playroom.

Mike: What do you dream about? Do you have a secret wish?
QS: I dream about walking outside, playing in flowers and catching mice, sometimes I wish I had my kittens back.
Empress: Me dream about food, big piles of it. All kinds, ham, filet, scallops, stinky goodness, nip, nip, nip! Me wishes dat all my kitty friends froms my old house wheres here.
Renna: Chasin bunnies, wish for…. more play time!

Mike: Do you have a sweetheart or crush on someone?
QS: My sweetheart is Jake for PB&J.
Empress: Me is a Chase’s Charmers, an a special one me tink.
Renna: Ummm, me luv daddy?

Mike: Do have a special fluffhead friend or one you get along with best? Do they talk to you?
QS: My only fluffhead is a mouse and I kill it regularly, does that count?
Empress: Nope.
Renna: Yep, Yep! Purple Ducky is favorite of them all. He go Quakel Quakel and its secret what we say! I have many fluffhead but I not sleep without Purple Ducky.

Mike: Please tell me about the place where you live: your house, your town, your state or country.
QS: We live in a nice 3 bedroom house. It is a bit generic, but it was brand new when momma and I moved in 3 years ago. The front yard is pretty but the backyard needs work. Hehe. We actually live in a tiny suburb of Dallas. So it seems like we live in the country but with all the amenities of a giant metropolis 30 minutes away. Texas is really a great state; both Empress and I are not native Texans but are glad to be here now. Texas is 2 largest state and the bluebonnet is our state flower. They grow wild all along the highways, so pretty. I love flowers. Texas has mountains, forests, desert, beaches, caves, lakes, plains, marsh/swamp, just everything! We also have all kinds of weather! Tornados, hurricanes and yes-even blizzards in the panhandle! WOW! We border 4 other states and another country! We have also flown 6 different flags over our land.

Mike: Are you an inside or outside cat?
QS: Inside, with supervised outdoor excursions
Empress: Inside Only
Renna: Inside, with supervised outdoor excursions

Mike: Do you have a secret or any hidden talents?
QS: I have incredible dexterity with my front toes. I can pick up small objects and even string or treats. I use them independent of each other like beans use their fingers, all I need now is a thumb!
Empress: Me can puzzle food out a anything! Me got the auto food feeder to gives me crunchies when ever iz want an me brokes in to da pantry an steel food until mommy had to by big tubs for every ting. Now iz has to figure dose out.
Renna: I bunny hop.

Mike: Do you stalk real live critters like mice, spiders and stuff? Do you eat what you catch?
QS: Empress and I stalk bugs in the house all the time. Many times we work together. We eat everything but spider, those we smush. No mouse has ever made it in our house, but if it does…. It’s lunch!

Mike: Are you afraid of anything?
QS: Thunder, small spaces.
Empress: New beans, loud noises, sometimes beans I know, being pickup most of the time, quick movement, surprises, male beans in general.
Renna: Being left alone

Mike: What is the one thing you like to do the most?
QS: Sleep
Empress: Chase bird toy
Renna: Chew! No Tug A War! No CHEW!