Category Archives: ANIMALS!

Fluffy Animals: Kitties!

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Hello, Fluffsters! And welcome back to today’s edition of Fluffy Animals!

Oh goody. I’m soo thrilled.

Oh, good! I’m glad somebody is.

Why do I even try sarcasm. Why do I even try?

Today’s Fluffy Animal post is…

Kitties!

Yes, what kind of blog about fluff would this be if I didn’t have a post devoted to man’s worst enemy, the cat?

… Worst enemy? Really?

…Yes?

I mean, think about it. You see articles and books on how to tell if your cat is trying to kill you. You don’t see that sort of thing with dogs.

But I digress.

Information about kitties

1) They are cute. Especially when younger. After all, the only problem with kittens is that they eventually turn into cats.

Cute kitten which will, alas, turn into a cat.

Cute kitten!

2) They are useful for rodent control. Of course, if you love rodents, this is another problem. You wouldn’t want your kitten to kill a Marmot, would you?

3) Intelligence of conversation decreases as a kitten gets closer. XKCD says so, and they wouldn’t lie to us, right?

So, there you go! Happy Monday.

Seriously? That’s it?

It’s after midnight my time as I’m writing this, and I’m getting up too early my time tomorrow, which is when this is going to be posted. So, yes. I’m not responsible-

-Boy is that ever true-

-for the rest of this post. You can write more, I suppose…

All right, I will!

After all, you left out some of the best parts.

Fluffy’s perspectives on Kitties

1) They are awesome carnivores. Unlike dogs, they don’t eat carrots. At least, normal cats don’t.

2) They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. I kid you not. There are huge cats, medium sized cats, and very small cats.

3) Some cats are celebrities. Take Grumpy Cat, for example. I’m sure you’ve heard of him her. (Can you really believe that Grumpy Cat is female? That just seems very odd. She looks like she should be male.) Or Nyan Cat.

4) Some “wildcats” are extremely cute. In fact, I’m not sure whether Ocelots and Horpadies might actually share some sort of purpose in life- being really cute and deadly at the same time.

And that is a much more reasonable fluff post- don’t you agree? I fully realize that I left many details about cats uncovered, but I think it’s still significantly better than how the Webmaster was originally going to leave it.

Fluffy Animals: Marmots

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Hello, Fluffsters!

So, I’m still on vacation. And I still found internet! Yay!

Today is Sunday, so I’m going to start another new series: Animals. More to the point, fluffy animals. (Lizards are right out. So are hairless cats. Eww.)

So today, I’m going to be talking a bit about…

Marmots.

Marmots are really cute. They’re a small rodent, and they’re all over the place in Rocky Mountain National Park. (At least, I think they’re marmots.)

I got a few photos.

A small rodent from rocky mountain national park perching on a rock

Marmot on a Rock

So, I can’t quite get my camera to cooperate and focus on the nearby things. Sorry about that. The rocks and grass in the background are quite lovely though, aren’t they?

A rather chubby looking smaller rodent in a colorado national park

This fella was big.

This picture turned out better!

But anyways. Here’s a bit of information about marmots.

1) My first introduction to them was through fiction. Wolf-Speaker by Tamora Pierce is still one of my favorite books. It’s number 2 in a quartet of books, so you can’t just start with it. (The first one is Wild Magic. Have I mentioned I like fantasy?)

You know, I think you may have gone a week without mentioning that fact! How remarkable!

Hmpf.

And the quartet is something like the 2nd or 3rd quartet of books in this particular universe, but I think you can probably start with it anyways. But yeah, there’s a marmot in that book. I don’t quite remember her name, but I do remember wondering whether marmots were even real.

2) They are fairly cute. They’re small, furry, and dark colored. I was unable to get too close to any marmot, but they were adorable from a distance.An adorable marmot in the distance.

They were especially cute when they would run around. They seemed to just boing along.

3) Marmots have a shorter wikipedia article than unicorns do. It’s true. Look at the article about marmots, then look at the article on unicorns. There’s clearly a difference in length. So what is this? Discrimination against real animals? Dscrimination against rodents? Anti-discrimination against fictional animals…?

4) Groundhogs are a subspecies of marmot. Fact. Thus sayeth the wikipedia, and so it must therefore be true, right?

So, what information do you know about marmots? Or do you have any fluffy animals you’d like me to highlight?

Happy Sunday!

Cuddly Critters

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I’ve mentioned I have small dogs, right?

Yes. Repeatedly.

Good. Well, given that they’re the fluffiest thing I have (and that includes my various skeins of furry yarn!) so they should be mentioned fairly regularly on this blog.

Anyways. I was thinking about how interesting small fuzzy animals are.

What’s so interesting about them? It’s not as though they talk to you or anything.

Well, that in part depends upon how you define “talk”. With my younger dog, for example, she will definitely try to communicate with you. Especially if you try woofing or howling at her. It’s actually really cute! Most of the time.

But that isn’t even what I was thinking about. I was rather thinking about how the whole system works. A favorite webcomic of mine, Doghouse Diaries, sums it up perfectly. We take care of our pets, hypothetically, in return for… what?

My answer? One of the sweetest little things that can’t actually talk. (Unless you have a parrot. Or another type of mimicking bird.)

I mean, just think about it. I’m using my dog as an example, but you can use almost any other type of mammalian pet. And maybe birds, but that varies. (Fish and amphibians, alas, don’t quite fit the bill.)

We take care of the dogs. We give them food, water, toys, and shelter. (Not necessarily in that order.) And in return we get companionship. And hopefully loyalty, but that can vary by pet. I understand that most cats are trying to kill you, after all. And my older dog is quite persnickety- he isn’t overly loyal to most people. Just my Dad.

But my younger dog, on the other hand? She’s one of the sweetest things. She likes to cuddle, and she stares at me, and others, in an adoring, trusting way.

She wasn’t always like that. We got her as a rescue. It took her at least a few months to really develop comfort. She would freak out at some of the most trivial things. (For example, we live in a neighborhood that does an annual Christmas light-up event. One of the streets had carousel horse cutouts as a street decoration. The little dog wouldn’t go near those things.) She also never flopped onto her back when she was a lot younger.

These days? She is incredibly comfortable. She actually comes when called (mostly) and flops onto her back, legs sticking up in the air. And she likes to be held.

That’s another odd thing. Why is it that holding a fluffy creature is so enjoyable? Dogs. They love to be petted. And we like petting them. It’s a perfect win-win situation. But why is that? I personally don’t know, but I love it. I can pet my 8-year-old puppy, and she and I both love it. It’s marvelous, isn’t it?

Well, I’ve been rambling a fair bit. I’m actually a bit surprised Fluffy hasn’t interrupted me…

That’s because you’re actually talking about reasonable fluff. I had a fluffy pet too, remember. So what you were saying I actually agree with.

Oh. Um, thanks!

Don’t get used to it.

Don’t worry, I won’t.

But anyways, happy Saturday! I hope you have a great weekend!

Peafowl!

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I love where I live. The city wildlife is amazing.

City… wildlife. Can you explain this, possibly?

Sure! Alright, so I don’t particularly like the skunks, miscellaneous coyotes, opossums, or raccoons. But there are some really cute kitties-

Cats. How wild.

I wasn’t finished! There are some kitties. But we especially have some interesting wild birds. We occasionally get the rare owl, hawk or other raptors. And sparrows. But many places get those.

No, where I am right now, we get Peafowl. Wild peafowl

…Ah.

Yeah! I even got a few photos of some of them today. They were just meandering around the street, saying “neener neener.” So I decided to boost their egos by photographing them.

Peacock and family. Very pretty and cute.

Pretty Peacock! And look at those chicks!

Peafowl family on the road

Cute Peafowl family

Aren’t they pretty? And that’s a significantly less rare sight than seagulls where I went to college.

Let me guess. There’s a story behind that one, too.

Not much of one. Basically, I went to school at a college that was very in-state. Quite land-locked. And one day a miscellaneous seagull spontaneously generated.

A seagull that is highly out of place in a land-locked campus

The white speck is a seagull. It must have spontaneously generated.

So, how about you, Fluffsters? Any favorite city-wildlife? (Happy Friday, by the way!)

New CafePress Design (6/7/13)

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Hello, Fluffsters! Happy Saturday!

It’s a bit late, but did you know that yesterday was National Donut Day? I didn’t before I wrote yesterday’s post, or I would have mentioned it. Anyways, did you participate in the festifities? I had a half a stale chocolate-covered buttermilk bar. Not nearly as good as merely a glazed buttermilk bar, but still quite tasty.

But I digress.

I drew a picture last night! It didn’t turn out quite like I’d hoped, but it’s still similar(ish) to what I had in mind.

A crazy artistic owl going overboard with paints

I really wonder what he’s trying to draw…

And, because it’s the weekend, I’ve updated my CafePress shop. The “You Look Comfortable” designs have moved to the Total Fluff Original Designs section, and I’ve added a new design to the New and Now section. Basically, the design is that image above, with the caption “I’m not crazy. You’re just ordinary!” For this week, products with that design are in the discounted New and Now section. So get them before next week, and save!

Brassicae fati, Webmaster. Did you really just sound like an infomercial?

…Woops. Sorry, Fluffsters!

To make up for that, here’s an offsite link to a “pointer pointer.” Trust me, you need to visit this site. It’s pretty amusing.

Anywho, Happy Saturday! I hope you have a good one. (And congratulations to any of you who are getting married! I know of at least two who occasionally visit here. So, again, congratulations!)

Finished Hippocampus Statuette

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Hello, Fluffsters! Happy Thursday! (Almost the weekend. Yes!)

As I’m sure you remember from yesterday, I’ve been working on a polymer-clay project. Well, I painted it last night, so I think it’s finished!

mottled hippocampus polymer clay statuette

Front view of the hippocampus statuette

Side view of the polymer clay horse-fishey statuette I made

Side view of the polymer clay horse-fishey statuette I made

I hope you enjoy! I’d love to hear any feedback you have.

Meanwhile, I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week!

The Phoenix and the Pineapple

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Greetings, Fluffsters! It has been too long since I’ve written a post.

You could have written yesterday’s…

You got there first. Besides, I like to keep my changes subtle. Like the change I did to- oh, right. I shouldn’t be telling you.

Change? What change? Where?

Oh, nothing… Pretend I didn’t say anything.

What did you change?

You don’t honestly think I’m going to tell you, do you?

Gah! Excuse me, Fluffsters. I’m going to try to track down Fluffy’s change…

 

Huh, that was effective.

Now, while she’s off on her wild goose chase, I’m going to tell you a story.

The Phoenix and the Pineapple

Once, a long time ago, one the Phoenixem had recently been reborn from the flames. It was a young phoenix, and had only celebrated its rebirth five times previously.

Now, each phoenix gains time between its rebirths. In fact, it may go up to as many months without a rebirth as it has had rebirths. So a new phoenix would burn into a new egg within a month. A Second Generating phoenix could wait up to two months. Of course, if something happened to it, it would instantly go up in flames into another egg. But no phoenix could enjoy its current generation for longer. The memories would survive each birth, and the personality would remain the same.

This young phoenix, as mentioned previously, just celebrated its fifth rebirth. It had lived, therefore, for nearly ten months. That of course is very young for a phoenix.

Within two days after its rebirth, the young phoenix decided to explore.

On wings of flame, it shot towards the skies- a comet in the clouds. Everyone who saw it watched with delight. There were only a few of the Phoenixem in existence. To watch one fly was said to bring Luck- both good and bad, for all magics were attracted to the Phoenixem – but the observers cared not. The spectacular beauty outweighed any potential negative effects.

That very day, a single seed fell in the spot of the Phoenix’s rebirth. The magics in the area sparked it to life, and out of the ground grew a slim pineapple plant. The plant absorbed the magics of the Phoenix, and glowed with an inner beauty. Rumors of this pineapple flew on the winds. Soon all had heard of it. Rumors abounded. Some claimed it would bring the dead back to life. Others claimed it would spontaneously combust. Before long, a crowd gathered around the plant. Half wanted to pluck the fruit and taste it; the other half were ready to defend it.

Finally, someone thought of the phoenix.

“It is a portent!” the villager said. “The Phoenix flew overhead, and the tree appeared! The Phoenix has not forgotten us; it left this in its place, to attract the magics!”

The villager was, of course, wrong. The Phoenix was young, and so had not intentionally drawn anything near its nesting ground. But none of the other members of the mob knew this.

“We must let it stand!” another villager said. “Eventually, it will ripen and fall on its own. Once that happens, we will see what it brings!”

And the villagers agreed. Although many still desired to pick it, they realized the folly of harvesting magic prematurely. And so they let the plant stand, and posted an honor guard, night and day, to watch the plant.

This lasted for 76 days.

On the 77th day, the Phoenix returned to its roost.

It came again on wings of flame, and the guards scattered. Although the phoenixem are peaceful, they may unintentionally harm others, for their flame is fierce.

When the phoenix returned to its roost, it noticed the plant with surprise and delight. It compared itself to the plant, and saw the inner glow. Slowly, the phoenix crept closer to the plant, still very curious.

It tilted its head around, to examine the plant better. It then finally understood. Despite the fact that it was glowing, the fruit was a pineapple!

A phoenix with its head nearly upside down

The phoenix tilted its head. It finally recognized the pineapple!

In the phoenix’s time abroad, it had come across the exquisite fruit multiple times before. It had developed quite the taste for them.

Without thinking about it further, the phoenix clawed the fruit open, and took a bite.

Delicious. The fruit was hot, sweet, and everything the phoenix looked for in a pineapple.

As soon as it removed he last vestiges of the fruit from the plant, to the phoenix’s surprise, the tree spontaneously combusted. In its place, a new seedling arose.

The phoenix smiled in delight, as only a bird can. The seed had gained some of the same magic of the Phoenixem! The fruit would regenerate!

And so the phoenix lived happily ever after with its fiery fruit.

The end.

Happy Tuesday, Fluffsters! Fare thee well, and I hope you have a marvelous day.

Real Fluffy Rabbit!!!

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Hello, Fluffsters!

I was out enjoying nature today, which is comfortable for me (see how I pulled in the theme?), and I (almost literally) ran into the most adorable bunny rabbit I’d seen all day!

Sideview of a fluffy cute bunny rabbit

Isn’t it cute?

I wasn’t able to get a good photo of it being extra cute, but it ate a dead leaf, and some dandelions, and it was just adorable.

You’re hopeless, you know that?

…What?

… Nevermind.

Anywho, Fluffsters, happy Thursday! Just think, it’s almost Friday! You can do it!

I guess I’m sleep-typing (NaBloPoMo 2)

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Hello again, everyone!

And if you’re here from the BlogHer challenge, Hi! Welcome! I’m glad you’re here. If you want to comment below to let me know you’re here, I’d love to meet you via the Interwebz!

Anywho, I know that you’re here for the content. So I’d like to get there. But I’m actually a bit confused by today’s prompt. You see, it’s:

Do you still sleep with a stuffed animal now?

And now? I’m writing this blog post. So how can I still be asleep?

Simple. This is a dream. You’re sleep-typing.

…Oh. Why didn’t I think of that?

…Nevermind.

So, if you are sleep-typing, are you sleeping with a stuffed animal?

Technically, no. At least probably not. I can’t quite tell; it feels so much like I’m awake! But if I am asleep, I’m either using my bright orange squish pillow, my absolute favorite doll of all time (that once again my sister gave me; the doll’s been mine since before I can remember) or maybe the felt superhero one of my really good friends sewed for me. Or maybe nothing. As I said it all depends.

That sounds comfortable.

It is. So, Fluffy, what about you?

I’m sort of trapped in the internet, remember? I’m your website’s personality?

But if I’m sleep-typing, I must be in the land of dreams, right? That means that you’re also here, in the land of dreams. So you can’t be in the internet.

That… almost made sense.

Well, back home, Peeves would normally cuddle. I haven’t really slept with a fake animal for a while. Not since Peeves grew sturdy enough to sleep in bed with me. So, after dinner I guess I slept with a stuffed animal!

Aww, that sound’s cute!

Well, if I’m dream typing, I may as well wish you all a happy Thursday anyways. Who knows, maybe this will actually be a genuine blog post for Thursday morning?

And how about you, readers? Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? Or something comfortable?

Favorite Stuffed Animal (NaBloPoMo 1)

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Hello, everyone! Happy May!

As I mentioned yesterday, I’m going to be trying to participate in a NaBloPoMo thingamabop. So if you’re here from that, welcome! I hope you enjoy this site!

Anywho. Today’s prompt is

“Did you have a favorite stuffed animal or lovey as a child? Tell us about it.”

Before I answer… Fluffy, did you?

…Of course you’re having me answer this before answering it yourself.

As it happens, I’m not entirely sure what your world means by stuffed animals… Peeves was a bit stuffed after she ate too much. But is that really what you mean?

Oh. I can see where that would be confusing!

But no. Stuffed animals are animal toys, usually fairly soft. Actually, I’m surprised I haven’t featured more of them; they fit Total Fluff perfectly!

When I was younger, for example, I used to have a lot of stuffed animals. Beanie Babies, Disney character animals, other miscellaneous stuffed animals, I loved them.

It made me so happy when I got my first horse stuffed animals one Christmas, shortly after I started horseback riding lessons. One was from my sister. It was a fairly big appaloosa stuffed animal, with a lovely red scarf around its neck. Because I was so original, his name was Apple.

Sometime shortly after that, one of my really good friends from that time got me a smaller appaloosa.

One of my two absolute favorite stuffed animals, though, is a GIGANTIC PINK UNICORN. Again, my sister got that one for me!

One of my other favorite stuffed animals was Chip the Cat. He’s an example of a pillow-pal, I believe, by TY. He was a birthday gift one year from a very good friend. When I got him, he was the softest thing in the world. At this point, he’s a little worn. But he’s still one of my other favorites.

But I got distracted. Does that explanation of “stuffed animals” make more sense?

Ok. I know what you’re talking about, now! And yes, I had one. And it was my favorite.

My parents, on my fifth birthday, gave me a toy that looked exactly like Peeves. I loved it, and brought it with me everywhere. I eventually outgrew it, of course. But I think my parents still have it somewhere. It might still even be used as one of the props in their performances sometimes.

Aww, that’s sweet!

You didn’t tell me you were going to get sentimental on me. Otherwise, I might not have said anything!

Why do you think I didn’t warn you about sentimentality?

… Good point.

But anywho. How about you, readers? Did you have a favorite stuffed animal when you were growing up?