Breaking Cat News by Georgia Dunn for December 10, 2021

Yes, and the kitties have absolutely nothing to do with it, eh Puck? ;)

I feel like Lupin may be an established and regular source of decoration-tangling. It’s just a question of which one he’ll get tangled in THIS time.

What a great angle in panel 4! We don’t often get a Woman’s-eye view camera angle – Burt must be doing acrobatics with that Camera One drone.

Still no sign of Elvis!

Ah yes, the traditional light show commentary: Ooooooh, Ahhhhhhh, Lupin!

I am at the moment engaged in untangling decorations. Some of them are doomed.

Note to self: keep Lupin away from the tiny mitten garland/advent calendar I spent 100+ hours knitting.

I avoid this kind of issue by only having lights and leaving them up all year. They can’t get tangled if I don’t put them away.

Lupin, Cat of action! (And chaos)

This is typical cat chaos. I love Goldie’s “ooh” and “ahh” watching things come out.

One of the reasons our new tree is pre-lit, here! I have fond memories of untangling the lights with Dad while Mom and Brother assembled the tree, but with just Mom and me in the house now, limited storage, and the difficulty I have getting those dang lights to look as nice as Dad did, we sprung for the slightly fancier tree option. Couldn’t justify shelling out for the fancy programmable lights, though, cool as they look…

And I’d think the Lupin tangle would be a yearly occurrence?

That’s my boy!!!

New ways to get tangled, and all of them involve Lupin.

Are they (and you) all going to get pie in the end, after finding the mittens?

I use a clothes hanger and go up and down the tree, doing a figure 8 around the hanger when I take them off the tree so they’re easier to put on the next year. I have honest to gosh twinkle lights that are almost impossible to find, not those “twinkle/flash” things that try to pass for them. They’re expensive and I don’t want to have to toss them. They seem to entrance Loaner Cat and Murphy more too because the pair will stare at the tree for hours where they won’t bother with those cheap ‘twinkle/flash’ lights at all.

If Bob Dylan ever wrote a Christmas tune or had cats…

Hey, c’mon these ornaments, man! They play all tricks with me

I’m not catty but there is no place to straighten them

Hey, c’mon, please, Lupin, man! Play no foolery

In this jingle tangled morning the others following you

The Holiday season is not official, until the annual, Lupin Tree Tangle!

Four paw Lupin toe beans!

The tree has been up for three days, decorated for two. All breakable ornaments are on the top 2/3 of the tree. So far there has only been chewing on the fake branches and one ornament that fell – didn’t shatter – that is now under the couch where it got batted. Fingers crossed that this is the worst of it. We were all expecting the youngest to pull a Lupin and be peering out at us from the middle of the tree – he’s an accomplished climber. FYI he’s black with a white locket similar to Puck’s!

Chapter IV – An offer I can’t refuse

I make myself presentable and make sure my last will and testament is easy to find. I guess I am ready to see the God Mother.

I go up to her office, the last bedroom down the hall, and knock on the door. I am escorted in by her Consigliere guinea pig, Mr. Nibbles. He doesn’t talk much, but Nibbles knows where all the bodies are buried. I hope I just don’t add to his list.

The God Mother is up on the window sill, looking out at the yard; a couple of mouse lieutenants are standing nearby. I stop and look up at her as I feel Iko taking up a position right behind me. You don’t become head of all illegal activities by being sloppy with security.

“Hamilton, it’s been such a long time. Why haven’t you visited?” she asks.

“No reason, Mittens, just been busy, I guess,” I keep my voice steady – excellent!

“Speaking of busy, you have been investigating some broken ornaments under the Christmas tree.”

“Yeah, a few broken glass thingys. Got any leads for me?” I asked with more bravado than I felt.

“I want you to forget about this. Drop the case. You do, and your continued health is assured.” Mittens is great, always looking out for my health.

“What’s this case to you, Mitts?” I ask. “This is a little petty smash-em-up. Hardly worth your time.”

As soon as I ask, I realize the answer. Mittens niece, Holly-Bear. She is a little troublemaker, if there ever was one. I met her on one occasion, and the conversation stood out because it isn’t every kitten that tells you she didn’t want to be good; she wanted to be bad; it’s more fun.

That kitten broke the glass thingys.

Continued

“Hamilton, I am a businesswoman. I don’t like violence. So I am going to give you a chance to guess what will happen to you if you don’t drop this case,” she said with a smile.

“Drop the case, or I will get my paws broken?”

“Try again,” she encouraged with a purr.”

“Drop the case, or I will be fed down the garbage disposer?”

“Now that’s a good guess,” as she turns to her mouse lieutenants. “How come youse guys don’t guess that well?”

“Awe, come on, Boss,” the mice plead. “He got lucky.”

I soon found myself back in the hall with a lot to think about. Well, I know exactly what I need to do. Get drunk on catnip.

Tomorrow: Chapter V – To Have & Have Not

Toe beans in panel 4!

The (Young) Rascals: How Can I Be Sure?

How can I be sure?

When it’s time to decorate for Christmas

How can I be sure?

How to decorate right?

…….

Whenever I, whenever I bring out the strings,

They all get tangled, such frustrating things!

…….

How do I know how to untangle the mittens,

Lupin behaves like a kitten,

Hanging there all upside-down!

…….

Whenever I, whenever I am trying to hang up lights,

They’re in a knot, I know I’ll be here all night!

…….

Meanwhile Lupin’s hanging around

With his toe beans upside down

It’s frustrating, but each year it’s the same thing

Strings and cats tangled in knots!

…….

What do I do now?

I really, really need to know

I really, really need to know

Ooooh!

………….

I’ll do anything to put up all my decorations!

No matter about the frustrations!

I love it, I love it forever!

Where can those mittens be found?

…….

How can I be sure?

When it’s time to decorate for Christmas

How can I be sure?

I am sure with you!

And if they aren’t tangled already, the BCN crew will see to it that that deficiency is remedied.

It’s a heartache

Nothing but a heartache

Struggle ‘til it’s way late

Cuss and throw them out

It’s a fool’s game

Nothing but a fools game

Strands are such a big pain

Wait! Lupin’s helping out ❤️

- Steve Wolfe / Ronnie James Scott – It’s a Heartache – Bonnie Tyler

As usual, Lupin gets tied up in his work.

Lupinium—the answer to string theory …

Hurray traditon

Squeee! Just got a notice that my “Get Well Lupin” print is out for delivery.

Lupin is like a mischievous little brother, or sister in my case. Always keeping life interesting and fun!

And now there’s only one. It just popped up on my news feed that Michael Nesmith has passed away from “natural causes”. He brought a lot to the world—as a Monkee ❤ , a musician, and as the creator of MTV. Not to mention that he was a hot long tall Texan in his jeans and fringed suede boots back in the day. May he rest in the music venue section of Heaven.

Remember, Lupin cannot hear you yelling at him. So he gives no fluffs.

Wow, I had thought the Victorians were the ones who kept a lot of kitsch.

Someone’s not getting any pie.

Today I have a bad cold, and I sneezed so much yesterday at school, they had to send me home.

Hmmmm, I see three little kittens in that final panel. Two looking at the third (I’m assuming the angle means their looking down at the third). Maybe this can be the art for a Little Golden Book.

Mike was my favorite Monkee. I saw them 5 times but Mike was not with them any of those shows. Much sadness.

Happy Holidays, everybody!

Lupin on his back! In our house we call that pose an “adorableness emergency”.