Yes some days it does not pay to get out of the box. However, Mom dumped me out after she finished decorating. Something I think she is regretting because of the wonderful highjinks of baby brudder Ko Ko, who now has 3 broken ornaments to his credit and who knows how many are hidden. He got smart after getting trouble for the first 3 and started hiding the ones he takes off the tree. The only problem is the little hooks fall off and Mom keeps finding the hooks and no ornaments and it is driving her nuts. I just like to lie under the tree and look at the lights, when I'm not lucky enough to have a box that is.

So I hope all you blogging buddies out there had a good Turkey Day or just regular day if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving. We did. It smelled so good here, I wish Mom would cook like that everyday. We were all beside ourselves, even the vermin. They ate so much all of their bellys were poking out. It was crazy. I've never seen them like that and they aren't thin to begin with. They ate and ate and ate and ate.

So now I have to decide what I want for Christmas besides the tree and ornaments. I think Mom and Dad are being very generous this year to offer more than that. I have to make my list.

~Merlin

This is the bruddahs snuggling together.

"Completely unfair that Mom takes these pictures and then post them up on OUR blog." Merlin

"This should be outlawed." KO KO

"Hahahahahahahah" (Shadow)

Goodbye Little Salsa....

Last Friday we had to put our little Salsa to sleep after he suffered what seemed to be a paralyzing stroke. He crossed the Rainbow Bridge after spending too short of a time with us. Salsa warmed our hearts from the time we brought the little guy home.

All throughout his life Salsa was the Alpha Guy, the doer, the seeker, the warrior who wouldn't back down for rat or cat. He was the gourmet who loved cheese and shrimp and the snuggler who loved to sleep with his Dad on the weekends all curled up between the pillows on the bed. Salsa and Rob would spend the whole day in there, snoozing away as you can see in the picture. He loved his Dad the best of all us 'beans. Dad was his guy; the one who tickled his tummy until he squirmed so hard you could tell he was rat laughing. The one who gave him a talking too after he peed on the remote, time after time, after time.



If you look in the picture you can see the little smile on his face while he takes his weekend snooze, probably dreaming of peeing on just about anything he can rub his goolies across.

We are going to miss our little Salsa so much. I'm sure Nicodemus and Gandalf were waiting at the bridge to escort him over to rat land where all is stinky, but tastes good and the beds are all ratted and soft.

Little Salsa we love you so much. We miss you little big nose.

5 Things Lists

5 Things by Rodentia in Poiland-Salsa, Pip"squeak", Horatio Phinneus Newton aka Fig, Georgie (Jorje), Aeowen, Narnia, Josie, Ford Prefect, Arthur Dent

5 Things We plan to do before we die:
1) Drive the cats insane
2) Talk Mom into keeping the rat condo doors open all the time
3) Hide all of the cat toys after chewing on then thoughtfully
4) Tasting every edible item in the condo
5) Moving into the couch

5 Things we can do:
1) Sneaking into the rat girls condo (Rat Boys)
2) Unmercifully teasing the rat boys by waving our scented butts in their faces, while hanging on the outside of their condo just out of reach (Rat Girls)
3) Enjoying gourmet meals from Mom when she feels like sharing (not often enough)
4) Yelling, shrieking, clawing, and overall acting like dying idiots while Mom is showering us
5) Pulling anything within reach, ie. that Mom is stupid enough to leave close, into the rat condos

5 Things we cannot do:
1) Tease the cats by dancing around where they can see and then running off when they pounce
2) Fill our own food bowls
3) Turn off the shower
4) Tease members of the opposite rodent sex
5) Poop anywhere in the house

5 Things that attract any of us to the opposite sex:
1) smelly butts
2) fluffy fur
3) bright eyes
4) a sense of humour
5) intelligence

5 Things we say most often:
1) tch, tch, tch (the grinding of our teeth to say we are content or happy)
2) ouyt, ouyt, ouyt (a sound made in our throat to communicate with humans-much prettier than words)
3) foof, foof, foof (a sound made by blowing out through the front teeth-to get our pets attention or let them know we care, best if done in ear)
4)boggling (not a sound but an acti of communication where we blow air up through a flap in the roof of our mouths making our eyes "boggle" or look like they are going to fly out of the socket-only done when VERY happy-warning: may freak out human pets when seen for the first time 'our Mom though Nic was having a seizure when she saw him do it for the first time')
5) yawn (also an act of contenment and tiredness)

5 Celebrity crushes:
1)Arthur and other Rat in a Box rodentia
2)Bastya and Vincent
3) Orlando Bun and Fiona Bun
4) Coda and other Rattie Rats
5) Ollie
6) Everyone else-we are very loving rodentia