The Adventures of Tober, the Thorntown Library Cat

Tuesday Snoozeday

2012-01-24T11:23:00.005-05:00

Winter decided to come back this week, so it's good weather for a snooze.

In other news, I have slept almost entirely through the preparation of the State Report. I'm slightly annoyed that, in all the questions about budgets, materials, circulations, computers, staffing, library visits, and programs, there is not ONE question about Library Cats or other Library Animals!

Someone needs to get their priorities straight!

Purrs & brrrrs,

Tober

Back by Popular Demand!

2012-01-17T13:09:00.005-05:00

Dear World,

I have been Terribly Neglected by my staff. Now, when I think about it, my Blogging Friends (that's you) look forward to my posts and hang on my every word--so YOU have been Neglected by my staff, too.

Well. SHAME ON YOU Assistant Assistant Boss Blog Helper! Now you've gone and gotten the whole Internets worried about me! (Well, okay, just a little bit of the Internets--but a very Important segment, I must say.)

We have (according to my staff) had a Busy last few weeks. It wouldn't have been so bad, but everyone rushes off to their Unauthorized Vacations, and they leave me to manage the library during the holidays. Oh, and they get distracted by the cookies and chocolate and other goodies that make it in the building, so it's hard to get them to do anything important like help me blog.

So, I'm going to make a (Belated) New Year's Resolution:

I, Tober the Cat, Boss of Thorntown Public Library (and all lands visible from Library windows), do hereby resolve to make one (1) new Blog Post, complete with handsome/cute/funny/interesting photos, each week during the rest of 2012.

Wow.

Wish me luck, guys.

Purrs, and headbutts, and nose-touches,

Tober

PS---

(It would have been bad to forget the first picture on the very first post!)

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T02:56:00.005-05:00

Merry Christmas everybody!

I am very lucky and glad to have all of you for faithful readers. I enjoy reading the posts of my blogging friends and getting to know all of the great people, kitties, woofies, bunnies, horses, and other critters that post about their exciting lives!

Here is a picture of me with my Very Own Christmas Tree. I'm snoopervising the Carnegie part of the library since AB Karen was busy at the desk and AAB Photographer was busy capturing my handsomeness.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year!

That means no eating tinsel! Wrapping paper is okay in small doses! (Ribbon is not.)

Purrs,

Tober

PS I need to send a very special headbump to my very special girlcat, Ziva Zophia!

Christmas Party & Stuff

2011-12-15T15:31:00.013-05:00

Here I am!

Again, the AAB Blog Helper is claiming "busyness"--which we all know is actually "busy taking care of leftover Christmas Party Cookies"--a job at which she excels.

Once again, I was safely snugged up in my office while the Library was invaded by 250+ people. Children got to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and the magical Marc Lehmann performed for folks waiting in line or having snacks. Very unique snowflake crafts were made, and downstairs Jingle John from Silly Safaris did animal shows at 6:30 and 7:30.

Wow. Those animals left behind a stink in my meeting rooms.

Here is a picture of the Big-Eared Ratdog:

Oh. Wait.

It's "official" name is a fennec fox. (I like Big-Eared Ratdog better--more descriptive.) Anyhoo, it is very small and cute and AAB Blog Helper touched it and said it could use a bath. But that was AFTER all the AAWWWWWing and squeeing that went on.

Jingle John also brought a bullfrog. I wouldn't want to meet this guy in a dark alley, would you?

Whatever you do, don't biggify. That only makes it scarier! I'm proud that my Christmas Partiers were brave enough to face that fearsome beastie.

Oh, and we also had Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. I thought they'd be good for snack, but it was determined that we should treat them as honored Guests (not for chasing or eating):

Of course, the reindeer was the Big Hit of the night. Her name was Fruitcake, and she very obligingly pooped during BOTH Silly Safaris shows, much to the delight of her fans.

Here she is. . .

. . . WAIT A MINUTE! What is Fruitcake doing off the Tarp? She is supposed to be ON the Tarp!

Whew. Luckily for AAB Ritchie, Fruitcake pooped on the Tarp like a good Guest.

The Christmas Party was deemed a Big Success! (If anyone needs any candy canes, we have them ALL.)

In other news, feet and legs were found sticking out of our ceiling this morning:

In addition to all of the holiday goings-on, I have been very busy Continuing my education. This is very important if you're going to be in the Library business. I have encouraged AB Karen to participate with me. (AAB Barb is participating, too, but Photographer only got her paw in the shot.)

Notice how I am watching the screen very attentively while Karen doodles smiley-faces on her paper. (She said she was taking notes. Huh.)

Okay, back to snoopervising the Christmas goodies. . .

Headbutts,

Tober

Do You See What I See?

2011-12-01T15:23:00.013-05:00

Well, it's been a rough few days here at my Library, friends!

As you all know, Christmas is coming. That means three (3) things here at TPL:

1. Trees. Everywhere!

2. My stocking is hung by the chimney with care!

3. "Surprises" in the litter box. (Sorry AAB Cathie.)

I think my staff is watching the placement of Christmas bows a little better this year, since I'm such a bow-hunting master!

I kind of like Christmas decorating, especially at night after the staff leaves and I can inspect their handiwork. What I don't like is the Chaos that ensues on the day after Thanksgiving (Christmas Decoration Day). All of the stuff getting moved around, the staff not staying in their assigned seats, the treats sitting, forgotten, in desk drawers. . .

You're lucky to be reading this post.

BUT! A momentous and wonderful thing happened this year:

Did you see what I see?

Click the picture and biggify it!

That's right! I've got my Very Own Tree! It is decorated with ~~Cat Toys~~ Feline Training Devices, and lights, and garland! AAB Britta made it special Just For Me, and put it in the Young Adult Room so that everyone could admire it.

Dear Santa, I will try my very best NOT to eat the garland.

Speaking of Santa--Santa and his lovely wife, Mrs., will be here on Monday night to visit with any children (and hopefully Boss Cats) who would like to see him (and ask for special Christmas treats). Christmas is Snow Much Fun at the Library! We will also have an animal show presented by Silly Safaris (yes, they're letting that ~~stinky~~ really cool reindeer back in my Library again). And we have magician Marc Lehmann entertaining visitors of all ages, and snacks, and some snowflake-themed crafts for the little ones!

I will be Hiding in my Office for most of this, because Library Cats and over TWO HUNDRED (200!) people at one time! is a bit terrifying!

Since we have a Snow-Themed Christmas Party, I decided to check out the decorations:

The staff was all excited because I got Glitter on me. (AAB Ritchie especially loves it when Glitter gets in the carpet.) I was tormented by AAB Photographer's attempt to photograph Glitter on my furs.

If you look really closely in this picture you can see Glitter:

If you look really closely in this picture you can More Glitter (and a Pink Horsey):

If you look really closely in this picture you can see Irritation:

Thankfully the photographer remembered to turn the flash off for once.

Loving my special Tree-t,

Tober

A Perfect Specimen of Cathood

2011-11-10T10:31:00.013-05:00

I started blogging this blog post ELEVEN (11) DAYS AGO.

Never mind. I started blogging this blog post THIRTEEN (13) DAYS AGO.

So you will notice a change in tone. . . from crabby NEGLECTED library Boss Cat to crabby SORE poked and prodded evil v-e-t experiment. AAB Blog Helper promises that she will never Neglect me and this Very Important Blog (V.I.B.) ever again and has tearfully cancelled her Thanksgiving plans.

Here you have the recap of my Horriblefying Experience at the my annual checkup:

I don't know why they even bother taking me to the V-E-T anymore. I eat well, I use my box in an acceptable manner, I drink lots of waters, and I get plenty of rest. I don't have any lumps, bumps, or lacerations, and my Assistants smear that awful Flea-stuff on me once a month without fail.

I don't cough or sneeze or urp too much (except for Hairballs, which makes me feel like a Million Bucks afterward), and I have nice clean ears and bright eyes and strong Heart.

So why do we have to visit Thorntown Veterinary Clinic every year???

I think AB Karen and AAB Christine just like going on a Field Trip.

I must say I get V.I.P. treatment when I arrive at the Clinic. I am whisked away into a room where they check to see whether I've gotten heavy from the many, many treats I receive as a Beloved Library Cat:

Guess what? 10.06 pounds of Feline Purrfection!

BRING ON THE TREATS, PEOPLE!!!

Then AB Karen holds me while we wait for Dr. Jon, the poker-prodder-needle-sticker, to come in and try to make nice with me.

Here she is lying and telling me everything will be okay:

See my face? I know what's going on here. Things are going to get personal.

Then Dr. Jon comes in. He's all smiles, 'cause I don't guess it's everyday a big Library/Internet Celebrity visits his V-E-T ~~Torture Chamber~~ Clinic. I don't smile or purr or headbutt him even one time.

Here we are later in the examination. Please note how my right paw is very near the edge of the exam table. Kitties, if you can grab the edge of that table, you are only one more paw away from freedom!

Here Dr. Jon is using the V-E-T version of the Vulcan Death Grip in order to keep me manageable. He is, as usual, in Awe of my awesome Mancatliness, and very relieved that I don't have front toenails.

After that things get really bad:

And then they get worse:

See the paw!?!? Almost free! But Dr. Jon meant business, and he had my Assistants and his Helper guarding the door, so I eventually succumbed to the vaccinations, even the most Horriblest one that makes that terrible POP!

I have been declared Healthy for the next One Whole Year. My AB and AAB insist that Dr. Jon was very gentle with me and that the people at the Thorntown Veterinary Clinic are a great group of caring professionals. (Whatever. I saw them all smiling and laughing while I was suffering terrible indignities.)

No, really, they're great!

Waiting for my ~~bribes~~ treats, and

Purrfectly yours,

Tober

Poster Contest Winners!!!

2011-11-08T18:26:00.016-05:00

Well, everybody. . . my Poster Contest is over! Unfortunately, my AAB Blog Helper has been less-than-dependable (as usual) in getting anything posted in a timely manner. Plus they distracted me with a dreadful V-E-T visit last Friday (you'll hear ALL about that in another post). So I'm finally getting around to posting the winners!

Better late than never, right?

Anyhow, on November 3, my staff and I voted for winning posters submitted to my Poster Contest. Let me tell you, Friends, it was a very hard decision, and I'm glad I had my staff to help me out! I'm lucky to have so many talented library customers and blogging friends who took the time to celebrate my Awesomeness!

Without further ado, here are the BIG WINNERS from the contest!

The Big Winner in the Gr. K-2 Category:

I think the artist has perfectly captured my vibrant fur-coloring, don't you? Voters also liked the fun border on the construction paper. Thank you Fayth!

The Big Winner in the Gr. 3-6 Category:

This one features colored construction paper on a plain paper background, and the drawing is done with crayon. My staff really like the somewhat-disgruntled expression on my face. Good job, Krisha!

The Big Winner in the Gr 7-12 Category:

This one is a real-for-real painting, friends! How cool is that? In real life it's even bigger and brighter! Alec did great, didn't he?

The Big Winner in the Adult Category:

Check out my Halo!!! It's shiny on the poster, even if you can't see it in the scan. I don't know what that "almost" is about, though. Maybe someone vandalized the poster before it was submitted. . . ? Thanks for the great poster, Kathleen!

And the Big Winner for the Blogging Friends Category:

Jan the the Funny Farmers did a great job of illustrating the many hats I wear as a Boss Library Cat. And my staff really like the clown hat, probably because they would NEVER be allowed to do such a thing to me in real life!

Those were all of the Big Winners, but all of the entries were excellent! Here they are, in no particular order:

This one is by my friend Cherakee. As you can see, she shows what an purrfect Greeter I am here at the library.

This one was from my Special Girlcat, Ali Zophia. She wrote me an awesome poem in honor of my Finding Day--she must like me a LOT!

This wonderful work of art is by my friend Bailey. Look at all of the beautiful colors she used--and she even sneaked an Evergreen Indiana library card in there, too!

This next artist imagined me as a Rock Star (which I am, kinda). I'm thinking we need to start an annual Toberfest in the spring, since we don't get to celebrate my Finding Month until Fall. Thanks Corey!

This one is by my friend Ellie's son, Miguel. I look especially fancy with all of those stars, don't I? And I'm thinking being a COSMIC Library Cat entitles me to even more treats!

Hanna did a really cool poster of me at the beach! Look how happy I am in the poster. Do you know why? Well, I think it must be all of the sunshine at the beach!

Here is a poster by my friend Tyler. This one show me going on a picnic--this sounds fun because it involves all sorts of treats! (At least they tell me you get treats at picnics.) Look at that tree, and all those bricks! That's a lot of drawing!

Lastly but not leastly, LuAnne made a nice poster celebrating the Specialness of all Cats (but me most of all, it being my poster contest)!

Whew! That was a lot of pictures! I hope you enjoy the wonderful entries as much as I did! I've decided that the pictures will be used on special bookmarks that my library staff will give out to my Library customers during the winter months--doesn't that sound fun?

Okay, my paws are sore from all the typing and scanning I've had to do, and AAB is grouching about needed to do "other" (but not more important) things.

Thanks for reading--and look for the Awful V-E-T visit recap later in the week!

Headbutts,

Tober

The Horrors!

2011-11-02T17:26:00.005-04:00

Thanks everybody for the Happy Finding/Gotcha Day wishes! I'm super-excited that tomorrow is my Hire Date, and even super-duper-exciteder that I get to judge my Poster Contest tomorrow!

If you still have an entry you need to submit, you can email it to csterle at thorntown dot lib dot in dot us, and she'll be sure to print it out for the judging!

In my excitement about Finding Day and My Poster Contest and all of the extra treats and love that I get from everybody, I forgot.

I forgot that November is when the Little Orange Card of Doom shows up.

Yep, my invitation arrived in the mail.

I can't bear to look.

Strong, healthy, bright, alert, and responsive,

Tober

Happy 'Tocktober

2011-10-20T09:14:00.007-04:00

Today is my friend Derby's birthday, and he requests that we celebrate 'Tocktober on his birthday by showing pictures of our 'tocks.

I usually miss out because I'm so exhausted from Finding Day--but this year AAB Blog Helper made a special note so I wouldn't forget:

I don't usually show my 'tocks on the Internet (at least I don't think I do!), so I hope I picked a good picture that meets Cat Blogging Standards:

Maybe next year I'll command the staff to celebrate 'Tocktober.

Oh. They say "No."

Happy 'Tocktober, everybody!

Tober

Hooray for Finding Day!

2011-10-19T13:58:00.010-04:00

Today is the 3rd (third) Anniversary of my Finding Day! I know most of you call it Gotcha Day--same thing! Gotcha/Finding Day = Forever Home!

I was worried how my Finding Day would pan out after last week's fiasco. Luckily Not-Tober has not returned to my Library. No one has called to claim him, but his foster person will gladly give him a Forever Home if we don't hear anything soon.

So I guess it's okay that he used my Library.

I'm still not over the use of my litter pan, though. That was just rude.

Anyhow, today I have been a safe & sound FOUND cat for Three Whole Years. My AAB Karen knows a good cat when she sees one, and I'm glad she saw me!

On Monday I had my Very Own Special Storytime. My friend Michael read Splat the Cat to me. Splat the Cat is very worried about his first day of school. Of course, he has to go to school so he can learn things (maybe how to write blogs?), and the story tells all about how he coped with his first day.

Michael did an excellent job reading me the story, especially with all the hard words in it. I hope I get to have more Special Storytimes like that!

I commanded my Photographer to take a picture of my Poster Contest submissions. She listened for once!

Once November 2 is here, I will have one of my staff scan them and I'll post them on the blog so everybody can see how nice they all are! Don't forget to submit your entries! The winner will be announced on November 3--my Hire Date here at the Library.

I also got a Gotcha Day Card today!

Who knew they made Gotcha Day Cards? Especially with Handsome Orange Cats on them? Wow! Thanks Laila and Minchie!

Even when they do dumb things (like letting a strange cat Number One and Number Two in my box), I'm lucky to have such a Wonderful Staff and ~~Bored~~ Board here at my Library. Lots of animals don't have it so good. I'm also lucky to have such Great Blogging Friends and Library customers!

Of course, there is a price to pay for all of this Wonderfulness--even on my Finding Day. For some reason, Finding Day means I get chased around with the camera a LOT. Here I am frowning at Photographer. She has this obsession with my ears. She gets all upset when she thinks they are pointed the wrong way in a photo.

My ears are pointed appropriately forward (it makes AAB Photographer feel good when she thinks I give a hoot about her picture-taking), but I am Frowning just to spite her.

For those of you who requested a side-by-side of me and Not-Tober, here you go!

Now that you see us side-by-side, I bet you can see the differences. Not-Tober hasn't quite grown into his ears yet, and he's got a long long tail. I also have more face-white and Magnificent Whiskers.

I think I'm a much more Mature and Dignified cat. But I wish all the best to Not-Tober (as long as he stays out of my Library).

Okay, that's enough words in honor of my Finding Day!

Safe & Sound & Found,

Tober

PS I rehired the Fired staff because AAB Kathy was getting lonely without them.

Not-Tober

2011-10-16T11:45:00.002-04:00

Okay, friends. . . I played a trick on you, and it worked! You'll see what I mean.

I'm not sure where to begin today's post. Well, they say a picture is worth a skid-load of Temptations:

In case you don't notice anything wrong, let me illustrate the situation:

CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS???

Yesterday's picture was all Wrong because it featured Not-Tober!

So, Friday this Evil Imposter Cat shows up at my Library. His accomplice was a man named Chester, and the story goes that Chester "found" this cat and wanted to "return" it to the library. MY library.

So everybody runs downstairs all upset because they think that I'm gone and back again. Which I'm not. I'm RIGHT NEXT TO AAB Kathy having a snooze.

And they let this Not-Tober in the library anyway! They call him "cute" and "sweet" and "adorable" and all of the other nice things that should be reserved for me. AB Karen thinks he belongs to one of our neighbors, so she calls to see if he does.

NO. He's a cute, sweet, adorable, LOST HOMELESS cat--which apparently made him even cuter, sweeter, and adorabler to (most of) my Disloyal Staff. (AAB Kathy B. did not waver in her Loyalty and Devotion to me for one moment.)

Accomplice Chester made up some story about having to go to work, and not being able to take the Evil Imposter out of the building until he is done with work. AB Karen got all Sad thinking that this cute, sweet, adorable, lost homeless Not-Tober would have to survive on the mean streets of Thorntown.

So she put him in my Office.

The one with my food and water and ~~toys~~ Feline Training Devices and toilet.

He used my toilet. He Number Oned AND Number Twoed in my super-awesome litter pan.

Then he trained with my Feline Training Devices,

sniffed my Catnip-scented floorspot,

ate MY treats off of MY desk,

and when he was all tired out from using all my stuff, he took a snooze in one of MY chairs.

Letting this Imposter into my Office isn't even the half of it. AAB Cathie visited him and petted him, and AAB Britta cuddled him, told him he was the cutest, and came back from lunch early to see him. AAB Christine spent her whole lunch hour entertaining him--and she has never once in the history of my Librarycatdomhood EVER spent her lunch hour with me!

Then they made "Found Cat" posters to hang up, and they let him help. Friends, he helped type his own "Found Cat" poster on the very keyboard I use to write this blog. AAB Becki hung them up around town.

This is my Finding Month, and my most Trusted Staff let this Not-Tober into my Library.

Here I am being Mad Mad Mad because this ~~cute~~ stupid cat is in my Office. I would say I hate him, but they tell me that is Not a Nice Word. So I really really don't like this new weird-smelling teenage cat One Bit and I want him to leave.

My whole Office stinks like cute, sweet, adorable, lost homeless cat. I made AAB Christine Lysol her desk. AAB Britta is out buying Febreze.

And Guess What?

His accomplice, Chester, stopped by right before closing, picked him up, and took him home. (Home = Not My Library) Chester will foster him until someone claims him; otherwise, he will keep him (out of my library, hopefully) Forever.

As a result of this Most Horrible 14th Day of my Finding Month, I have Fired AB Karen and AABs Christine, Britta, Ritchie (he played with it! and he's Allergic!), and sadly, Becki and Cathie. (Becki and Cathie are two of my Favorites; the others were hanging on by a thread.)

AAB Kathy, who spent the day with me and did not ONCE visit the Not-Tober, has been promoted to Chief Treat-Giver and Tummy-Rubber.

I am relieved to have my Library all to myself again, but it's going to be days before the Not-Tober stink clears out of here.

The One and Only,

Tober

Do you see what I see?

2011-10-15T12:39:00.002-04:00

Blogging Friends,

There is something seriously wrong with the picture below. Do you know what it is?

One Disgruntled Boss Cat,

Tober

Toesday +

2011-10-11T15:04:00.005-04:00

Happy Toesday everybody!

Submissions are coming in for my Poster Contest--HOORAY! But that's all I'm going to say about that right now! My AAB is busy putting the posters up in the library so that everyone can appreciate them. I'll post a picture soon!

In honor of my Finding Month, my staff has been busy creating displays celebrating my Librarycatdomhood.

This one has all of the Cat books in the Whole Library in it!

Oh.

Okay, so not "all" of the Cat books. A LOT of the Cat books. Sorry. I got a little excited there.

And THIS display is in the glass case in the lobby:

Now, let me tell you a little something special about library displays: Only Very Important Things get displayed in glass cases in a library. Like the history of my Librarycatdomhood.

Okay, AAB Blog Helper says my head is getting a little Big. I should be a Humble cat.

What is a Humble cat? Is there such a thing?

One Display-Worthy Feline,

Tober

Fursday

2011-10-06T16:01:00.004-04:00

AAB Ritchie mentioned that I should be FURminated more often. I think Ritchie should be given an extra piece of cake this week.

A few ounces lighter,

Tober

My Poster Contest!

2011-10-02T08:39:00.004-04:00

Guess what??? In honor of my Finding Month, my library is having a "We Love Our Library Cat" Poster Contest!

My library visitors are invited to make a poster celebrating my Awesomeness. You'll see that the poster lists four categories for entrants. . . but let me tell you a secret:

There's a category missing.

Do you know what it is?

You do?

You do!

Yes, YOU, my blogging friends, have your own special category! You're invited to enter my poster contest!

The rules for you are the same as for my customers, although you can, of course, submit your entries via email. Your poster can be made using any artistic media, include Photoshop or other computer programs (MS Paint is more my speed), and entries are due by November 2, 2011--so you have forEVER to work on your masterpieces!

The winner from my Blogging Buddies category will receive a little care package of presents from me and I will also donate $25 to the animal rescue/sanctuary/humane society etc. of your choice. Sound good?

You can submit your entries to csterle at thorntown dot lib dot in dot us, or you can mail them (I love mail, too) to Thorntown Public Library, 124 N Market St, Thorntown, IN 46071, ATTN Tober, Boss.

I am so excited I can hardly nap!

Tober

A Proclamation

2011-09-30T17:45:00.005-04:00

This was supposed to be posted yesterday, but it's hard to get any work out of these people on the weekends.

Hear ye, hear ye!

Whereas, Boss Tober was rescued by Assistant Boss Karen on the Nineteenth day of the month between September and November; and,

Whereas, the previously Sad and Nameless month was given the name October in recognition of Boss Tober’s awesomeness; and,

Whereas, the tradition of Library Cathood is very important in the history of libraries of all types worldwide, as Cats protect library books from horrible mice and provide companionship to library users and staff; and

Whereas, Tober the Cat, Boss of the Thorntown Library, has performed admirably in his role, accepting all challenges laid before him, be they tedious or sticky-fingered and noisy; and,

Whereas, the Thorntown Public Library, by virtue of housing such a Handsome and Extraordinary Cat, has achieved World- and Internets-wide fame; and now therefore be it

Resolved, that I, Boss Tober of Thorntown Public Library, do hereby proclaim the month of October each year, commencing in 2011 and each year thereafter, as Tober’s Finding Month in Boone County, Indiana (and the Whole World), and I encourage all citizens to visit me, pet me, comment on my Wonderfulness, and give me treats.

Proclamations take an awful lot of Whereases. Whew!

I should probably stamp it with a pawprint, but that involves ink. We did that once before and I said never, ever, EVER again.

Happy OcTOBER!

Tober

Festival of the Floaty Book Sale: The Conclusion

2011-09-30T16:51:00.006-04:00

If you haven't read my blog in a few days, I suggest you begin reading this story from the beginning.

If you have been reading. . . here's the thrilling conclusion of Festival of the Turning Leaves/Book Sale/Carpet Cleaning/Mess Week!

So the tree fell down! BOOM! Screams and excitement from the ladies--and all of them managed to use nice words when it happened, too! (This is what happens when you steal a Float idea from Mooresville Public Library.)

Most Library ladies would have said, "Nevermind this parade. I'm going to get a barbecue sandwich and an elephant ear!" But not my staff. Nope, they're real troopers. They decided that they would hold the tree up during the ride over to the lineup, during the long wait for judging, during the whole Festival Parade!

Lifting library books makes for really strong, tough, tree-holding women.

About 15 minutes after this picture was taken, the parade float pulled out, and the skies opened. It rained and rained and rained on my library ladies, but they kept smiling and waving (to keep warm)!

They thought they were off the hook for the Float idea theft until the Are YOU Evergreen float pulled onto Main Street. AABs Christine and Britta heard two very friendly-looking people say "We're from Mooresville!!!" and they waved and waved! Then one of them said "We saw a float like that in our parade!"

So our Float was BUSTED. Twice!

AB Karen sent an Official Apology to Mooresville Library's Boss, Diane (they have a human boss!), who very graciously accepted. Libraries are very good about Sharing, I think.

Our book sale made a whopping $900+ dollars--that's a LOT of Temptations, friends! And my staff came in Monday and put everything in its proper place.

Except for that busted Evergreen tree. It's in the Dumpster.

Lastly but most definitely not least, I would like to say a special Thank You to Nina and Gerald Caldwell. You see, we recently ran out of "deposit bags" here at the library. . . the special ones they use for my nightly maintenance, you know? So AB Karen called and asked these kind folks if they had any bags to Share.

Now I can have even more treats! THANK YOU!!!!

It has been an exhausting two weeks. . . but I'm super-duper excited about tomorrow. Do you know what tomorrow is?

CAN'T WAIT!

Oh, and because there are way too many non-Tober pictures on here:

This is how I feel about the whole Turning Leaves/Book Sale/Carpet Cleaning/Mess Week. Which is fine, since I have Staff to do all the hard work!

Excited about tomorrow, YAY!

Tober

Festival of the Floaty Book Sale, Part 2

2011-09-29T16:51:00.009-04:00

Oh my. Let's see where I was in recounting Festival of the Turning Leaves/Book Sale/Carpet Cleaning/Mess Week.

I remember. . . I was getting ready to tell you about the creation of the Stolen Float!

Well, my staff got all excited about another library's parade float. Mooresville Public Library, home of Roving Reporter extraordinaire Cauli le Chat, used the theme "Are YOU Evergreen?" for the Old Settlers Parade. Evergreen refers to the Evergreen Indiana Library System. Over 90 libraries in the state of Indiana use the same system to check out books and dvds and things, so when you search our online catalog, you can also search the library catalogs of all those libraries. Library users are able to use their Evergreen cards at these other libraries, and they can place holds on items that other libraries own. . . it's a pretty cool thing.

So I guess my staff figured since we share books & things, why not share a parade float? I suppose it's good that they at least MADE the float by themselves (but that's probably only because a Stolen Parade Float probably wouldn't hold up well on the interstate).

So here's what happened:

First they found an Evergreen tree and decorated it. (This is NOT a Christmas tree. It's an Evergreen tree.)

Then AB Karen saw it, said it was boring, and it needed more stuff.

Here is a shot of me with the tree in the background. I'm Investigating the scrapbooking things in the tote:

The Float-to-be arrived in a very unFloatlike state, so the staff and some very nice Volunteers got to work adding petal paper. This was fun for the first hour:

Notice all of the green grassy stuff. Please join me in hoping that next year's Festival of the Turning Leaves Parade theme is something like "Putt-Putt" or "Lawn Maintenance is Good" or "What's Your Favorite Color?" or something.

The library staff working on the Float cried big crocodile tears because they missed out on helping to move all of the furniture in the library. Luckily the sunshine and fresh air dried their tears quickly.

I helped with the furniture moving by staying out the the way. I was very Upset when I learned that my toilet was moved into a public area, but at least furniture moving gets done lastly before closing for the weekend.

It was decided that the Evergreen tree should stay inside, and that it would be added to the Float in the morning.

In the morning, the staff put the tree on the Float. Just when everything was arranged perfectly, and AB Karen was expertly fluffing the tree skirt, and AAB Christine was standing back to take a picture. . .

. . . the tree broke and fell down.

With that cliffhanger, I must relax my paws for another evening. I hope everybody can sleep tonight with all the suspense!

I will sign off with a special picture for my special girlCat, Miss Ali Zophia:

AAB Photographer thinks that this is a particularly good picture of me. I hope you like it!

Who knew a Float Story would take so many words?

Tober

Festival of the Floaty Book Sale, Part 1

2011-09-27T18:49:00.009-04:00

Last week was THAT week in my Library. You know, the week when the staff Ignores me, then moves ALL of my furnitures (including the toilet!!!!), then lets Strangers with funny booties into my building, and then moves stuff BACK on the following Monday.

Festival of the Turning Leaves/Book Sale/Carpet Cleaning/Mess Week.

So I knew something was up when I saw cutout letters and huge pieces of paper lying around.

Am I Evergreen? Actually, I'm annoyed that all of this stuff is on my floor.

So first my Staff started working on the Float. Last year they had the Floatiest of All Floats, but this year they thought they would be Rebels and ignore the Festival theme. (The theme was Remember the Golden Oldies, but no one could agree on what a Golden Oldie was, so they gave up. Too much hard thinking.) Then they got super-rebellious and decided to ~~borrow~~ steal another library's parade theme. ("Borrowing" is when you ask first. More on that later.)

Anyway, once they got the preliminaries for the Stolen Float underway, they decided to set up the Humongous Book Sale.

For some reason the AABs were all excited when this sign was the first one out of the box:

This would have been helpful, except for the fact that the Very Nice Volunteers who showed up to help set up the sale really needed the signs that said stuff like fiction, nonfiction, VHS, etc. so that they could put things in the right places.

Luckily they found the signs before real Mayhem ensued. (You've never seen mayhem like Festival of the Turning Leaves/Book Sale/Carpet Cleaning/Mess Week Mayhem!)

So the Book Sale got set up, thanks to the efforts of many Volunteers and Staff:

AAB Miss Shirley found lots of Stuffies that were put up for adoption during the sale. Here they are looking cute and adoptable:

Now, please take special note of the Stuffie on the bottom left of the picture. One of my ABs (oh wait, I only have ONE of those) took it upon herself to harass me with that Stuffie. This was uncalled-for behavior, and I made my displeasure known:

See my displeasure?

Okay, I think I'd better pause my telling of Festival of the Turning Leaves/Book Sale/Carpet Cleaning/Mess Week right now. My pawpads are getting sore from all the typing and I really really need a snack.

Exhaustedly Yours,

Tober

PS The harassing Stuffie, and most of his friends, have been adopted by loving families.

Sharing

2011-09-19T17:21:00.006-04:00

How to share a chair with a person:

Notice that my back is to the person. This allows me to push my feets against the back of the chair with all my might, ensuring that I have ample relaxation space.

This also helps to make the person look busy and alert. She will thank you for this later.

Let me know how your sharing experience goes!

Purrs,

Tober

Long time, no blogging!

2011-09-14T11:20:00.010-04:00

Hi everybody!

It's been two whole weeks since my last post! I've tried to at least snoop around on everyone's blogs a bit, but we've been "busy" here. I use the quotes because sometimes I suspect that helping me with my blog is not the High Priority Library Business that it should be. So there's all sorts of "busyness" going on that isn't very important, like:

1. A big long staff meeting during which I heard laughter,

2. Making a tree out of construction paper,

3. Putting stickers on books,

4. Eating lunch,

5. Having bored meetings and working on library budget things,

6. And, last but not least, planning for festival parade float book sale carpet cleaning mess week.

None of these things are as important as UPDATING MY BLOG. Here is how I have been spending my time:

Supervising staff:

Greeting customers:

Helping with decorations:

Guarding unattended belongings:

NOT BLOGGING because my helper is too "busy":

I can almost promise that I will have lots of posts later this month, because something about moving books and furnitures and making floaty parade floats inspires AAB Blog Helper to sit down at her desk and be a helpful Assistant. Maybe it's her way of shirking her Librarianly duties?

Purrs,

Tober

PS--I would like to issue a Formal Apology to AAB Linda White for urping on her very important papers. AAB Linda, I am the most sorry about that. You will need to cover your desk with a tarp from now on. (AB Karen should do this, too. Just in case.)

What???

2011-08-31T16:32:00.006-04:00

Today I decided to be an Adventurous Cat and try something new and exciting.

I click on the "Stats" button next to my blog for the first time ever. At first I thought it was super-cool! I could see where all of my readers (and would-be Evil Spammers) are from, and how people are finding me, and how many pageviews I'm getting. Really exciting stuff, right?

Well, then I see this:

What does this mean????

NOT a Potato! I am NOT a Potato!

I thought I cleared this up ages ago! I even wrote a very polite letter to Microsoft explaining that they needed to update their spell-checker.

So does this mean that people are Googling potatoes and finding me? Are that many people Googling potatoes? Wow. I'm not sure what to think of all this. . .

I will have to sleep on it.

Dreaming of Potatoes and ~~Tuber~~Toberness,

Tober

The Big Reveal & Mancat Monday

2011-08-22T09:25:00.009-04:00

Happy Monday!

There were many good guesses about the New Thing's purpose!

First of all, I did not get a bazillion pictures of the New Thing getting finished because Mr. Spear came at 8:00am and AAB Sleepyhead Photographer doesn't come in until 9:00am. So she was all like "Darn, I missed my chance for the Pulitzer Prize in Feature Photography" when she straggled in to work at 9:01. I have changed her work day to begin at 6:30am effective immediately so she doesn't miss any more important goings-on in the future. Oh, and she works 7 days a week now.

You will also notice that this post is being posted on Monday rather than Friday, as promised. Oops. (I know you're not one bit Surprised by this little development.)

Drum roll. . . but a quiet one, because we're in a Library. . .

It IS a display case. It is NOT a display case for special books, hermit crabs, butterflies (!), or a sculpture of me (although those are all worthy reasons to have a beautiful display case built).

I am relieved to report that it is a box for the red-tailed hawk! Now it can't get at me, being in a class case and all, and the customers who are brave enough to approach it (shudder) can get a better look at its menacing talons, ginormous wings, and potentially cat-eating hooked bill.

Here are some pictures, all reflecty because the glass is squeaky-clean:

In the last picture he kind of looks like he's smiling. Like he knows there's a tasty Cat sleeping in the next room.

Everyone is very excited to have the hawk in its new special home. Especially AAB Ritchie, who read his email wrong and took it down Thursday (a day early), wandered around looking for another place to hang it, then had to get the ladder out and hang it way up by the ceiling again. Poor Ritchie.

Okay, enough about all that--it's Mancat Monday, too!

On Friday I had a movie made. As you can see, I'm being quite ferocious. That hawk had better stay in his glass case if he knows what's good for him!

I'm one Tough Cat, and I strike fear into the hearts of camera-straps everywhere!

My staff thinks this is "awwwww" and "cute" for some reason. Why when I look fierce does everyone think it's cute? Does this happen to any other Cats? (When dogs look fierce, everyone seems to take them seriously.)

Confused, but Tough, and safe from the Hawk thanks to the Hawk-box,

Tober

Guessing Game!

2011-08-18T16:35:00.004-04:00

Wow.

My library has acquired a New Thing. This New Thing is sitting atop an old desk in the Carnegie section of my library, and it's very big. The Staff seems very curious and excited about it. Does anyone want to venture a guess as to what this New Thing is and what it is for? Put your best guesses in a comment!

I have learned that Mike Spear, the creator of the Thing, will be stopping by tomorrow to finish it. I'll try to post pictures if AAB Slacker Photograper manages to get the camera out while all of the excitement is going on.

Today is Thankful Thursday, too. I am Thankful for:

1. The knowledge that the New Thing is NOT a library cat container, and

2. Sunshine, and

3. Naps.

I am also super-Thankful for all of my readers, Human and furry, and my special beautiful girlcat-friend Ali Zophia, and my blogging friends who don't get visits from me nearly as often as they should.

Headbutts,

Tober

PS--Visit Miss Huffle Mawson's blog and read her 1,000th post! Someday maybe I, too, will have a 1,000th post. *ahem* If folks around here would stop hogging the computers, that is.

New Cat Toilet Causes Excitement @ TPL

2011-08-12T15:07:00.003-04:00

It doesn't take much to get the staff here excited.

The newspaper ending up in a weird place one morning or a new flavor of coffee creamer making its way into the building really stir things up around here. . .

I'm not a huge fan of change, like when people start switching my favorite chairs from desk to desk, or worse, when whole FURNITURES move places (bracing for September Mayhem).

Well, I was recently the victim of Big Change:

This is NOT my usual Toilet. This is a "new" and "improved" toilet box, thoughtfully ordered for me by AB Karen. This is an Omega Paw Roll 'n Clean Litter Box.

I glared at it for a while, but when a guy's gotta go, a guy's gotta go. So I used it.

I don't see what's the big deal. It's not like I have an extra spring in my step when I'm done doing my business. I guess I should be glad AB Karen didn't do anything earth-shattering, like change my brand of litter.

But you should see the staff swoon over this new Toilet!!! They had to put it together and watched the Amazon video on how to work it and then some people wanted demonstrations so they could someday empty my Toilet, too. Poor AAB Cathie has competition now when it comes time to make my nightly deposit! Sometimes people beat her to it, poor thing! Hopefully the excitement will die down soon and I'll be able to use the bathroom in peace.

Below is a photo of me that I have titled "I Loaf Catnip." (Get it? Loaf=Love and I'm Loafing?!)

I hope everyone has happy happy weekends, free from Big Changes!

Purrs,

Tober

Foodie Friday

2011-08-05T09:35:00.000-04:00

Many of you were shocked and appalled when you found out that I did NOT get to try any of the Wonderful Foods at the International Food Tasting a few weeks ago.

I was shocked and appalled, too, and I let the Staff know that I felt left out and sad.

So to rectify this grievous error, my coworkers arranged for me to have a Food Tasting of my Very Own.

No Humans Allowed.

Here I have Posty-Notes, two kinds of Temptations, Pounces, Stinky Fish Flakes, Party Mix, Catnip, and a Gum Wrapper! I love love love all of these things!

Now, the Staff doesn't actually feed me Posty-Notes. What happens is, they use Posty-Notes to leave each other Super-Important Library Business Messages, and I eat them when they go home at night. I especially love the tiny ones.

I love the special Stinky Fish Flakes, too. AAB Cathie feeds me these special. Nobody else has any in their desk drawers.

I also love Gum Wrappers, especially Orbit Sweet Mint flavor. When AAB Christine gets out a piece of gum, I come running to see if I can have the wrapper. Usually she hides them in her desk drawer, because she discovered that if she puts them in the trash I find them and eat them.

I didn't get the Gum Wrapper in the picture because I'd already stolen one this week.

My Food Tasting was delicious and exhausting.

Now, furry blogging friends, I highly suggest that you demand a special food tasting of your own! What are your favorite treats? Do any of you have strange things you like to nom on?

Full of treats and Love,

Tober

AC + Sunbeams = Glowing Tober

2011-07-28T10:31:00.003-04:00

It's hot hot hot here, friends, so it's a good thing that I live in Air Conditioning! Otherwise I wouldn't want to have all of these sunbeams.

Sunshines make me all glowy and super-Handsome, don't you think?

I hope everyone is having a nice End of July!

Basking in the glow,

Tober

Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!

2011-07-20T14:26:00.008-04:00

Yesterday we had a terrifying Summer Reading Finale program here at the Library! I knew that Coyote Chris from Silly Safaris was going to be here, and I knew that there would be an International Food Tasting after the show, but I was NOT told about all the weird and vicious creatures that would be inside my library! The program was Animals with "Tales" from around the World.

Here are the animals he brought in order of horribleness (least to most), as determined by me: a tree frog, a turtle named Shelby, a fuzzy rabbit, a skunk (it was destinktified), a coatimundi, a Madagascar hissing Cockroach (the horrors!), a snake as thick as a well-fed cat belly, a baby (or at least SMALL) alligator, and a potentially cat-eating Owl of Doom.

Here is the Owl of Doom, probably convinced it sees a handsome, tasty, ginger Mancat in the hallway:

The children (and grown-ups!) really enjoyed the program. Coyote Chris told all sorts of stories and interesting facts about each of the creatures, and the children even got to pet some of the less-horrible ones. I think the children were very Brave to be in a room with some of those animals.

After the program, and after all of the people washed their hands, we had the International Food Tasting.

The Staff was very eager to help with the ~~eating~~ serving of all of the different foods. (From this picture you cannot tell it. For some reason, the staff hides from camera-pictures. If we ever need to evacuate the building, we'll send AAB Photographer around to point the camera at people.) Some Mommies and Volunteers helped as well. Visitors got to try Coconut Macaroons, ANZAC Biscuits, Sweet Scones, homemade Ginger Ale, Mealie Meal Bread, Pasta Guayabe con Queso, Tacos, Puerto Rican Rice with Chicken, Sweet Potato Fries, Chinese Fried Rice, Asian Snack Mix, Thai Candle Cookies, and Hummus. Much of the food was declared Quite Yummy by the tasters, although the smaller tasters had no qualms emitting "yucks" and "ewwws" when they found things not to their liking.

No one brought me anything to eat, and I was exhausted from all the working.

Maybe the owl sensed that I was a tired, weak, underfed kitty and decided that it should settle for whatever Coyote Chris feeds it, instead? Hmmmm.

I am happy to report that the unauthorized (by me) animals left promptly after the program, and I am now the only non-human living in the Library. Which is how it should be.

Star of a One-Mancat Show,

Tober

Finally Friday

2011-07-15T09:46:00.006-04:00

The library meeting rooms have been visited by an Anonymous Artist. This person has captured very perfectly my expression when about 30 children come to pet me at the same time:

Isn't that great? No one seems to know who made this wonderful Picture of me, but AAB Becki has been commanded NOT to erase it from the wipey-board. (She usually listens pretty well.)

But just in case someone comes in who DOESN'T listen, it is now preserved forever and ever on the Internets.

AAB Christine, in her (vain) attempts to be officially re-Hired, has been bribing me with fresh Catnip.

Do you see the orange posty-note in the background? That is my reminder to thank Von for bringing in nice blue "deposit" bags for me (mostly because my Blog-helper is forgetful and doesn't help me post enough). Blue is a manly color, so they are double-appreciated. Thank you, Von!

Junior and Orion let me know that I was featured on mousebreath! earlier this week. I had never heard of mousebreath! before, but now I know that it's a really neat online magazine by cats and for cats (and cat lovers). Skeezix submitted a nice post about my Bossliness, and as a result of his writing, I am now officially Emperor of the Library!

According to Wikipedia (which may-or-may-not-be-true), "the emperor of Japan is the only reigning monarch with the title." Well! I'm just going to have to fix that silly Wikipedia article, I think.

I hope everyone has a happy weekend!

Emperor Tober

Loafing

2011-07-08T16:14:00.005-04:00

I do a text-book perfect (or Internets-perfect) example of a Catloaf.

I think they should remove the picture in the Wiktionary definition and maybe stick me in there instead?

Here is another view of my perfect Catloaf:

Notice, everything--feets, tail, front paws--is tucked nicely away! I am a much better Loafer than I was in 2009.

Ready for a Loaf-ly weekend,

Tober

Tobers, Tobers Everywhere

2011-06-25T12:01:00.014-04:00

My Summer Readers have been reading about places all over the World this summer! On the bulletin board, we have a big map, and readers are sticking pins into the places that they have "visited" during their reading adventures!

The Storytime group has visited sea creatures (snacks) that live in the oceans, hippos that live in Africa, and Polar bears that live in the Arctic. Other readers have visited France, Canada, and many of the US states.

I have visited Thorntown and am so Handsome that I get a whole photo on the map:

The Youth Department staff are particularly good at incorporating me into displays and bulletin boards. This is because they are well-trained, conscientious staff members who Have Their Priorities Straight. Here is a photo that they keep in a very Important location--between the calendar and the who's-working-today board:

Yep, that's right.

Orange Library Cats are so popular right now that the people who designed the 2011 Collaborative Summer Library Program added an Orange Library Cat to the available artwork. We have him on a Youth Department bulletin board:

It is widely agreed that I have more interesting eyes. But it's good to see cats represented during summer reading, especially since Browser is still on his World Tour.

I also posed by a Birdie. Now, this birdie isn't real, but it sure looks life-like! It was carved by Mr. Craig White, who is a really talented woodcarver and all-around great guy. (For a guy with a big booming man-voice, that is.) Thanks to Mr. Craig I can pose with this birdie and almost look like an Outside Cat!

This next thing is not at all related to the ~~over~~abundance of Tobers at the library. Now, I know I am a handsome Mancat, but I've never had an Admirer before. Well, wait a minute. . .

I'm SURE I've had an admirer before, probably lots. And I did have a sweet and beautiful girlcat Kumari who I Loved (with a big "L") but she went to the Bridge.

Anyhow, NOW I have a new admirer--the persnickety and lovely Miss Ali Zophia--who hijacked, er, borrowed Stella's blog to answer questions and confessed her admiration for my pretty (her word) orange furs. Thank you Ali--you are as wise as you are beautiful! Or as beautiful or as you are wise? How does that go? Anyhow, you are both!

Crushed,

Tober

It's that time of year again.

2011-06-22T14:29:00.008-04:00

Today I got The Flea Stuff. Apparently it's the time of year for those nasty and vile things to come around again, so I'm forced to endure these monthly assaults. I mean, treatments.

I hate it with all of the furs on my mancatly body--even the gross ones that currently have The Flea Stuff on them.

AAB Christine (who, if you recall, I FIRED last month) did this to me. This is the Mad-face I gave her when she tried to make up with me:

She is crying in her office now.

On the brighter (but not by much) side, I found a good use for my Storm Shelter. My AAB Cathie very thoughtfully made this for me because I do NOT like thunderboomers. She thought it would be safer for me to stay in a Storm Shelter, since I usually tuck myself into the stairs during storms.

But, since I am a Cat, I have to do the opposite of what is expected. So I've never used it before. Until today:

(The "Mean Staff" refers to AAB Mean Christine, not AAB Thoughtful and Kind Cathie.) The Shelter made an excellent retreat from the awful apologies, whines, and sniffles that were emanating from my ex-AAB once she realized I've decided to Fire her again. (Maybe this time it will sink in.)

Feeling gross, but

Flea-Free is the Way to Be,

Tober

New Snack Bar!

2011-06-17T09:00:00.001-04:00

I am pleased to announce that My Library has a new cat-friendly snack bar!

For a comparison, let me show you the old snack bar:

If you will notice, it is filled with bland (i.e. un-smelly or -Catnip-y) items like juice, crackers, and chips. The children, they LOVE these snacks. The Library Cat. . . not so much.

So I was pleasantly surprised when a Mr. Chris Griggs visited and stocked a snack bar for Me:

I like fishes 'cause they're so delicious. . .

There is a nice variety of snacks in there, although they are very Small. (That is okay, because I'm kind of Small, too.)

Oh, wait. What?

Oh, so apparently these fishes aren't snacks at all. They're decorative, kind of like those bottles of oil infused with garlic and peppers and carrots and stuff. I can look, but no snacking.

I had AAB Photographer take some pictures of the fishes. She has never tried to photograph swimming fishes before, so it was quite a challenge (especially for her).

Here is a little Orange fish. He is Nemo:

We have two Dory-fishes. Here is one of them:

We also have lots of Crabby-things. NOTE: This is a different kind of Crabby than the Crabby I see when the Library ladies haven't had coffee and/or chocolate. THAT kind of Crabby makes these little Crabby-things look like sweet fluffy baby bunnies:

Now that we have more exciting fishes living in the ~~snack bar~~ fish tank, it's hard getting the staff to DO anything--like feed me dinner on time. They're taking this "fish tanks are relaxing" thing way too far. Pretty soon they'll have a La-Z-Boy installed at the Youth Circulation Desk.

Me, I'm just biding my time. Here I am using my superior mental powers to bend the staff to my will:

One day they'll forget to close the lid on that treat can. And when they do,

I'll probably be asleep.

Waiting for appetizers,

Tober

Helping & Browser & Sun & Twins

2011-06-07T11:38:00.008-04:00

Last week the Community Foundation of Boone County sent us a big poster with a make-it-yourself Bow. (This year the CFBC is celebrating 20 years of Gifts Making a Difference in Boone County.) Since I Love Bows with All My Heart and am a Master at deconstructing them, it only makes sense that I would help/snoopervise AB Karen while she made the Bow.

Karen was relieved to have my help. Bow-making is serious business, and she was worried that she wouldn't be able to do it right. She didn't want to hang the only Bowless Community Foundation poster!

I've also been trying to keep up with Browser's World Tour. I miss him lots, but I'm sure he's having fun on his adventures!

Reading about his adventures really tires me out. Luckily we've had good sunpuddle weather in Indiana lately. (It also helps that I got a really thorough Furmination, too.)

I have also discovered that I am Kitikata-san's Brother of Another Mother! (Say that 3 times fast!) Kitikata-san is a Most Extraordinary and Beautiful Girlcat from Nashville, TN. For your viewing pleasure, she has posted side-by-side shots of us on her blog.

If you visit, please prepare to be dazzled by all the Handsomeness & Beauty on the page. It's almost too much for Blogger to handle! (You may also find that Google is Googling slower since she posted her pictures on June 4. Our apologies.)

One Helpful Cat,

Tober

Good-bye, Browser.

2011-06-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

Browser the Library Cat is now on his way to the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville, North Carolina. AAB Blog Helper suggested that he go visit that library because it was the one that she visited as a middle-schooler. Obviously the library staff there must be patient and kind, because they never kicked her out for her shenanigans. (She claims she was mostly well-behaved, but a little noisy.)

Before he left for the next stop on his World Tour, Browser attended the Indianapolis 500. (For a great write-up of his last few days in Indiana, visit his blog.)

Things are awfully expensive at the race, so Browser went shopping for snacks the night before. I have never been shopping before--I'm not sure how I'd feel about being out of the library like that. Browser managed to get my AAB to make a pit stop in the Cat Treat aisle.

Browser enjoyed the race except for the excessive loudness of the cars going around and around and around again. I'm glad he got to do something Special while he was in Indiana.

I think Browser must be a very Good and Vigilant Library Cat. The Pine River Public Library is very lucky to have him!

I, for one, and a little Sad to see him go. Now that we're back to a One-Cat Library I will never get a Vacation.

Missing my friend,

(Hoping for a post-card,)

Tober

Don't forget to check on Browser as he travels. See what he has to say about libraries across the country--and maybe even the World!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

A Special Visitor

2011-05-27T17:42:00.003-04:00

Oh oh oh we have a special visitor at Thorntown Public Library! Browser the Library Cat is here with us and is exploring my Library! Browser is from the Pine River Public Library in Pine River, Minnesota.

He has been a Library Cat even longer than I have! Browser moved into his library in 2002 when he was only nine months old, and he has been there ever since. This summer he is trying to visit as many libraries around the World as he can. Since the summer reading program is "One World, Many Stories," his library people back home are having the children keep track of where he goes. They have a map at the library to track his progress.

Here we are together:

Don't we make quite the team? I'm thinking of sending the rest of the staff home for the weekend. I'm sure one Library Cat per floor can handle things around here!

Stop by Browser's blog and leave lots of nice comments for his young readers--I'm sure they'll love to hear the friendly meows from the cat community!

The Host with the Most,

Tober

PS - My Library has a very exciting new Blog! If you (or your humans) are interested in Young Adult literature, stop by the TPL Teens Blog. It's just a newborn blog right now, but there is much more on the way!

Very Important Stuff

2011-05-21T12:18:00.000-04:00

For every two crummy employees, at least I get one good one. (See last post for recent Firements.)

AAB Ritchie, despite being ~~a Lergic~~ Allergic, is turning out to be a pretty good Assistant.

In the mornings he is the Very First person to come to the Library, which means he has very Important responsibilities. . . like giving me treats.

(I think he learned much of this when he was promoted to Assistant Boss for a week back in January.)

Last week I intercepted an inter-office email of Great Importance:

Please note that my name is in ALL CAPS while the rest of the email is in silly little baby lowercase letters. I'm sure that this is to draw attention to the importance of the subject (ME) so that AB Karen doesn't accidentally delete the email. (She gets lots of emails, mostly about Acai berries and Rolex watches and other things which I probably shouldn't mention. Occasionally some library business makes it through, too.)

It is good to know that my AABs worry about my happiness and comfort. Just for that, I'm going to leave extra furs on AAB Ritchie's computer monitor. I'm sure he'll be pleasantly surprised.

Treat-ed well,

Boss Tober

PS - A picture of me looking very Official:

An Oversight

2011-05-19T10:40:00.008-04:00

Last night I sent two of my staff people to give a presentation for the Western Boone Education Foundation annual meeting. Judi Hendrix called the library and wanted someone to speak at the meeting. (I'm assuming that she wanted ME Most of All, but I do not leave the Library.) AB Karen is Away "working" and so she asked AABs Christine and Britta to go and represent the Library.

From what I understand, they presented a book talk (meaning they yammered on and on for about 30 minutes about--you guessed it--books). Which is great! I love books, and reading is fun and important, especially if you're a Cat looking for Attentions (see my previous post).

But.

They talked and talked and talked, and mentioned all sorts of stuff about books, and audiobooks, and MP3 CDs, and OverDrive, and mysteries and Westerns and Christian fiction and suspense and adventure and magazines and nonfiction books and young adult books and Alice in Wonderland.

But.

They forgot something.

After they were All Done, one of the nice & attentive audience members came up and said "I can't believe you didn't mention Tober."

SO FIRED. This is the Most Fired I have ever Fired anyone.

I am so Disappointed in my AABs. AAB Christine spends way too much of my time harassing me with a camera and turning me upside-down to FORGET me, and AAB Britta is my Catnip-getter-outer and gives great tummy rubs.

Karen is going to be really Sad that these two got Fired, but really, who can blame me? When you're Bossed by a World- and Internet-Famous Cat, you shouldn't really be forgetting him. Especially when the mention of said Cat would bring interestingness, humor, and Class to the presentation.

Watching my Staff get Smaller & Smaller,

Tober

Book Sale! Take 2

2011-05-13T14:32:00.008-04:00

So, yesterday I posted about our Big Ginormous Book Sale at the Library. Apparently Blogger wasn't impressed, because it coughed it right up. So now my Book Sale post is gone Forever. I have asked AAB Christine to be helpful for a change and help me repost it.

She is only complying because she doesn't want to re-pack all of the Book Sale books on May 20th. (Something about having tiny, weak twig-arms that have a hard time hoisting anything heavier than a cat. Or a coffee cup.)

Here's all of what we've got For Sale:

We have James Patterson books and Nora Roberts books and books with Fabio on the cover. We have Disney VHS movies. We have books for kids of all sizes. We have puzzles and other miscellaneous. (We had to keep the "miscellaneous" stuff away from Ritchie so he doesn't try to stuff it in a drawer and label it.) We have paperbacks and hardcovers and books in large print and also magazines. These things are all available for the low, low price of a Donation!

AB Karen requested that I visit for a Special Photo Shoot. This is kind of like how they have a super-famous author come to do a luncheon--AB Karen wanted me to draw people in. That's what I do. It's one of my many duties as Boss Cat.

Before any Photo Shoot, though, I need a quick bath to freshen up. One must look one's best for the whole wide Internets.

Once I was all Handsomed up (which took hardly any time), I received some instructions from AB Karen:

See how Karen is talking and I am only kind of paying attention? That's pretty much how things work between us. Unless she mentions treats or tummy rubs or Catnip.

Plus, I already understand how to promote a love of reading! I love reading! Reading is an activity that can guarantee Attention for us cats. It's simple: When you see a human reading a book, go sit on the page that they are most interested in. (You can tell by the staring they do. Sometimes they even point at the page with their fingers.) When you sit on the reading page, they will stop what they're doing and exclaim that you are Handsome (or Beautiful) and Clever, and then they will pet you. And give treats.

For the Photo Shoot I decided to promote the Fiction Section:

See how I love Books?

If you love VHS movies and magazines and books with Fabio on the cover, be sure to stop by the TPL Book Sale. It will go on until May 20th, and is open during our usual business hours. (That means Monday & Friday 9-6, Tuesday through Thursday 9-8, and Saturday 10-4. If you come on a Sunday I can only gaze at you through the windows.)

This was my final move during the Book Sale Photo Shoot:

If I still had front toenails (which I don't, thanks to the Person Before Karen), that would have really gotten my staff motivated!

Please please please don't delete my post Blogger,

Tober

14 Days Later

2011-05-05T13:50:00.014-04:00

It has been fourteen (14) days (that's TWO WHOLE WEEKS) since my last post! We have been busy busy bees around here. In recognition of our Busyness, I will blog about 14 things that have happened here in the last 14 days:

Thing 1: Mr. Mike Spear refinished two of the wood desks. One of them is not too old, but needed to be prettied up a bit, but the other desk is positively ancient--nearly 100 years old! In cat years, that's. . . that's. . . really old. Ancient!

So to fix up the old old desk, the staff had to uncover it and move all of their ~~junk~~ very important work things to book carts and other places. So it looked like this:

Yes, it looks like a crime scene.

Thing 2: Refinishing the old old desk (and the new one) made it Stink to High Heaven. This was a Stink to End All Stinks. Because of the Stink, the staff opened a few windows. I got to smell the Outside while safely Inside!

This was a wonderful thing, since I only get to smell the Outside when (a) a People-Counter mistakenly puts me Out twice or (b) I'm being carried to the V-E-T.

Thing 3: AAB Ritchie labeled the tool/"miscellaneous" drawers in the Storage Room.

See all those little stickers? Those are the labels. What you can't see is that of the 23 labels, 11 of them say "& MISC." What is Miscellaneous? No one knows. But if we ever need any, we know right where to look!

Thing 4: AAB Photographer took a picture of me with huge paws.

Thing 5: The desk got done Stinking, and now we have to be all careful about eating Treats off of it. I'm forced to use a plate:

Also, if you want to make AAB Becki crazy, leave a coffee cup on the corner of the desk. It will drive her nuts!

Thing 6: The staff made Fun of AAB Ritchie for his labeling job by labeling his desk for him one evening.

You probably can't see, but each sticker says something-or-other & MISC. (!) on it.

Thing 7: Mark Twain came to visit the Library! Dave Ehlert, an impressionist who does shows in Branson, MO, performed and 90-minute show about Mark Twain and his interesting life. I hear it was big Fun, although I was NOT invited to show and spent the night feeling quite Neglected.

Thing 8: I am such an Important Library Boss that even the contractors who do work at the Library ask after my well-being. John from Precision Control Systems very thoughtfully asked how I was when he last visited. Knowing that I am happy and well-fed helps him to get a good night's sleep.

Thing 9: (At this point I'm realizing maybe it wasn't that exciting around here over the last two weeks.) I have learned that the quickest way to motivate my Staff is to approach the Automatic Doors when they are wide Open. This makes them yell "Tober!" and "NO!" and then they lecture me and pet me and give me treats. I have been told Never Never Ever do I go Outside. But since they give me treats when I twitch in the general direction of an open door, I think I'll keep up the ruse.

Thing 10: Ooooh, we've had rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, a sunshine, rain, rain, and rain here. And Thunderboomers. Here's how I look during Thunderboomers (which are Terrifying despite my brave Mancatliness):

I sit on the landing on the stairs during storms, so that I can be almost Upstairs and almost Downstairs at the same time. That way I'm close to all of my staff at the same time.

Thing 11: AAB Photographer took a picture of me being Annoyed.

Thing 12: I was encouraged to participate in an Apple Trick photo shoot. The only reason I agreed to this is because I think it's funny watching my Photographer crawl around on the floor to take pictures of me.

Thing 13: I was accosted by a wooden Duckie.

AB Karen thought that the Duckie and I would be friends. (She was wrong.) But I was entertained as I got to watch first Karen, then AABs Christine and Britta, take turns pushing a flapping, waddling wooden Duck across the office while getting weird looks from Library customers.

Thing 14: In lieu of a 14 Thing, I'm going to cross my paws and hit the Publish Post button and hope that all of my Handsome photos and evidence of Busyness don't blow up the Blogger site.

Hoping for (slightly) less Busy times ahead,

But realizing that I'm not going to get my wish,

Tober, Busy Boss of TPL

Don't Get Any Ideas

2011-04-21T10:14:00.000-04:00

Before I begin, let me make something absolutely clear. I am a non-circulating Cat. I am for In-house use only.

Why do I feel the need to mention this? One of my Assistant Assistant Bosses came across a travesty earlier this week.

Apparently the Yale Law Library recently had a pilot program during which they circulated Monty, the library dog, to stressed-out law school students.

Here's Monty:

What they don't tell you is that Monty had thick, luxurious furs before they circulated him. He was probably snow white. He also smiled more.

Seriously, Yale students could "borrow" Monty for 30 minutes at a time, during which they could pet him, play with him, or just hang out in the same room with him.

Everyone is welcome to come in my Library and pet me, give me treats, rub my tummy, give me treats, bask in my handsomeness, and most importantly, give me treats. . . but I am For Reference Only Not To Be Taken From This Building.

Hoping no one gets the Bright Idea to barcode me,

Tober, Non-Circulating Boss of TPL

Research

2011-04-13T17:02:00.006-04:00

Ever since I decided on a fine of one (1) skid-load of Temptations treats for the assault on Garden Tober, I have been wondering how many treats are in a skid-load. I suspect that a skid-load will provide plenty for me to send to (you) my blogging friends and readers! So I have tried to Investigate.

My first Investigation led to a dead end. I have out-Googled Google. Look what happens when I ask Google how many are in a skid-load:

You might need to biggify, but you will see that I am the first Cat in the history of the Internets to ask Google how many are in a skid-load.

Now, since Google didn't seem to know anything, I went directly to the Temptations website, where I had AAB Christine fill out the little online form demanding to know how many Temptations come in a skid-load.

Well, a few days ago they replied:

Dear Christine:

Thank you for taking the time to contact Mars Petcare US.

Mars Petcare US is committed to developing quality products which meet your pet's nutritional needs. Your confidence in our products and continued goodwill are very important to us. We would like the opportunity to speak with you over the phone so please give us a call at 1-800-525-5273, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Central Standard time.

When calling, please have the package available and refer to file number 011040082A.

Sincerely,

K. Kelly
Mars Petcare US
Consumer Relations - Corporate Affairs

AAB Christine says she absolutely refuses to call the Mars Petcare people and ask them a stupid question about Temptations.

I think she needs to be Fired.

That got her all scared about losing her job, so she clicked on a linky at the bottom of the email from K. Kelly and asked how many Temptations bags come in a case, and how many cases get shipped together. Then we can Estimate (that means "guess" in Librarian) how many Temptations are in a skid-load.

All of this work is exhausting.

I hope the rest of the week is more peaceful.

Purrs,

Tober

Gourds Have Invaded My Library

2011-04-06T17:43:00.007-04:00

My library is overflowing at all times with beautiful things: my Assistant and Assistant-Assistant Bosses, my board of trustees Super Bosses, the smiles and pats of the customers who ask to see my own Most Handsome and Mancatly Self, and--this week--a BE-YOO—TIFUL collection of GOURDS!! (Gourds are dead plant things.)

Although I was not invited, my AB Karen (who was Fired for leaving me and Re-Hired when she got back) spent 4 days setting up, enjoying, and taking down the Indiana Gourd Society’s annual state show. It seems that being the IGS President is Pretty Big Stuff and takes A Lot Of Work!! I am worn out with all the Work I have heard about, but I am very Pleased to check out and taste some of the new gourds in our library. She brought back some musical instruments, some bowls, some birdhouses (these have Great Possibilities as Cat Entertainment) and even some CARROTS! (More about Carrots later.)

Here is a gourd centerpiece made by IGS 1st Vice-President Jim Ballard of Greenfield, Indiana. (1st Vice-President is also Pretty Big Stuff, from what I hear.) Jim grew the long-handled dipper gourd, twisted it every single day (forever and ever) until frost killed it, then scraped off all the green skin. He made a gourd base and added some VERY TASTY flowers.

Now, all week I have tried to investigate this very Interesting centerpiece, and my Staff says No, No, No Tober! and makes me go ~~play with~~ attack something (not nearly as Interesting) instead. Then, today, my AB Karen puts me right by it and AAB Christine gets the Stupid Flashy Box and I get to nom on a flower.

Then right after AB Karen takes me AWAY from the Interesting centerpiece and AAB Christine says No Tober don't ever eat on those flowers again!

I'm so confused.

It is Sad, Very Sad, that My Staff do not trust me alone with the Gourd at night. They lock it in an office. It is only here until Karen figures out how to get it to Joy Bishop, an IGS member who won the gourd in a raffle on April 3 and lives in Covington, KY. (Covington is Far Away.) Joy is Very Happy to know she won such a stupendous piece and she and my AB Karen will figure it out. Until the big transport day arrives, I am allowed to daily check on the condition of the centerpiece. I trust EVERYONE will Notice that the Gourd is the SAME MANCATLY COLOR as Myself!!

Now, about those Carrots: It seems that Ann Lankford, a Very Nice Lady in Martinsville, makes carrots out of Banana Gourds. (I wonder does she make Bananas out of Carrot gourds?) She allowed my AB Karen to buy two carrots: one is to stay in My Office in the Library, but the other one was for Gene. Gene comes to the library for lunch almost every day and is known for his love of carrots, which he gets to eat almost every day: cubed carrots, peas and carrots, mixed vegetables, Italian blend, carrot cake—I trust my Readers get the Idea. The daily senior lunches are BIG on healthy eating even though Gene’s favorite kind of carrots is the cake with the Icing on it. Sometimes I get to sample the icing, but My Staff does not make Salmon-flavored Icing and that would be My Favorite!

Soon I will post about a New Cat in the Library—but now I need to check out my supper bowl—all this Writing has used up all the Complex Carbohydrates that keep my Curiosity Cells bouncing around in my Smart, Busy Brain. ‘til then—Happy GOURDING!!

Purrs,

Tober

Garden Tobers

2011-04-05T18:44:00.006-04:00

Some of you may remember Garden Tober. He lived in the Library's Secret Garden for a very long time.

Well, I am Sad to report that Garden Tober has been replaced. He was mortally wounded while defending the Garden from Ice and Snow. (Actually his ear broke off and he looked tacky so AB Karen said to put him in the trash.)

I commanded that my staff replace him so that I was properly represented in the Outside World. They brought a very handsome concrete cat for the Garden and put my "Tober" necklace on him.

But then one of my AABs looked out the window this morning and saw this:

What happened here? Did someone covet my beautiful necklace? Were they trying to make Garden Tober II look goofy? I made AAB Photographer go out and put the necklace on properly. Soon I will contact CSI: Thorntown to discover who perpetrated this shenanigan! I will fine them one (1) skid-load of Temptations--the catnip flavor ones--and two (2) ethernet cords for their misbehavior!

But until then I will look handsome and purposesly not-pose with my picture:

How long do you think it would take me to eat a skid-load of Temptations? How many are in a skid-load?

Doing lots of maths,

Tober

Right now I am thinking. . .

2011-04-01T15:57:00.003-04:00

. . . it would be nice if AAB Photographer would back away a little bit.

I hope April bring everyone lots of beautiful weather and flowers for chewing! (Except for my friends on the other side of the world; I hope you have crisp fall days!)

Have good weekends,

Tober

This week.

2011-03-25T16:21:00.004-04:00

The Library has been broken this week. Our Evergreen library system--the book/DVD/magazine checker-inner and checker-outer we use--has been on the fritz. So the library ladies have been wearing their pencils to the nubs writing barcode numbers down so that people can still take things out.

The Evergreen thing is also how they catalog all the new books that come in the library. And it's how they issue new library cards. And it's how they FIND the books in the library. And it's how they assign call numbers to put stickers on the books.

So pretty much the ladies have been confused and helpless all week. Luckily they have had ME to keep them busy working.

In my office there is a big bag of kitty litter. It's not my usual stuff, so it's just been sitting propped up against the wall.

I thought I'd give somebody something to do, because that's the kind of Thoughtful Cat I am:

That took up a whole five minutes or so of down-time! They had to get the little broom and dustpan, and then the DustBuster, and then bag the kitty litter in a trash bag--I'm so glad I got to help out!

Here I'm admiring my handiwork:

Today they got Evergreen fixed, but then it broke again. Then they fixed, and it broke again. Then they fixed it again, and I think it might keep working but I'll keep my paws crossed. Having a broken library catalog really keeps everybody's brains working overtime. I was on hand to let people know that 636.8 is the Dewey Decimal number for Cat books. I let my staff handle the rest.

World's Most Helpfullest Boss,

Tober

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-23T14:17:00.001-04:00

Apparently, the Bird's the Word

2011-03-18T14:13:00.009-04:00

Birds now outnumber cats 2 to 1 in this Library.

Remember how I said I was looking out for more Treachery? Here it is!

And no, we can't just have normal birds in here--not the small, pretty, snack-sized birds. We need huge, monstrous, terrifying scary-birds.

The first bird is a juvenile bald eagle. We've had it for a while, and that's okay. It's in a box. It can't get me.

It's also in a very relaxed, non-threatening, I've-just-eaten-a-big-meal-and-can't-possibly-eat-a-cat position.

Now, today, thanks to the Boone County Conservation League, we have a red-tailed hawk. The staff ladies seem to be all in a tizzy about it (the good kind, like when you bring them chocolate), but I don't trust it one bit:

First problem? It's not in a box. Second problem? It looks like it might want to eat me. Third problem? I am a Brave Tough Mancat and it makes me want to go cower in my litter box. (I can't believe I just said that to the whole Internets.)

I would have a better close-up picture of it, but my AAB Photographer is ~~busy cowering in fear~~ only five feet two and not terribly good about ladders (trans. wuss) so we'll have to wait to look it in the eye.

Be glad.

So how will I cope with this new development?

If you need me, I'll be NOT near the bird.

Nervous Purrs,

Tober

Excuses & Treachery

2011-03-16T14:13:00.009-04:00

First of all, I did NOT receive 2:00 am Daylight Savings Time Visits from ANYONE on my staff. I am now taking applications for new AABs. If you're interested, just mail me a resume and several bags of Temptations.

Speaking of Mail, I'm finding that more and more people are using Library business as an excuse to contact, praise, and discuss me.

Exhibit #1: This is a Thank-you card from a person who visited the Library to do some Genealogy research.

Inside was a note to AB Karen and words, words, words and then:

Regards to Tober. Yes, this person was happy with our Genealogy help, but I think it was really just an excuse to send her regards to Me!

Exhibit #2:

Today we got a promotional card about an Indiana author's new book, and a personal note was included from a librarian!

Not really an Exhibit, but #3:

I have intercepted a disturbing email conversation between my Assistant Traitor Boss and another Library Director (you know who you are). Apparently there is some confusion about who writes my blog posts. Hrmph. Treachery! ATB Karen says that she and AAB Christine write my blog posts! Hrmph. I don't think so.

I have 85 Followers. They couldn't get 85 Followers if they were dragging 85-lb. bags of Catnip-crusted Salmon behind them.

I write my own stuff.

And I'm watching for more treachery.

Tober

Are you ready?

2011-03-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

I have been told that Daylight Savings Time is going to start soon. I've never paid attention to such things before, but as Boss of the Library, I've decided that I need to be included in these weird Human observances.

So I got ready.

I had to get my AAB to take the lid off, because otherwise how will the Daylight get in there?

Do you think my jar is big enough? Do I need to punch holes in the lid, or will that let the Daylight out? Maybe I need a bucket.

Now all that's left to do is wait.

Expecting a 2 a.m. visit from my staff so that all of the clocks can be changed in a timely fashion,

Tober
Daylight-Saver

This Office is My Office.

2011-03-09T10:03:00.005-05:00

Don't let the nameplate fool you.

You know who's Boss around these parts.

Sometimes I need a change of scenery, so I go Boss at another desk. They're all My desks and Offices anyway.

AAB Britta has always wondered how she gets cat furs in her chair, since I never sleep in her office. Well, I've just never been caught. Until now:

Please notice the stuffed dog in the photo. Grounds for Firement, I say!

Just kidding! Britta remembers my catnip, so she's a keeper!

Bossily yours,

Tober

Blog Post, Interrupted

2011-03-05T11:21:00.003-05:00

I was going to make a really Awesome blog post for everybody.

But it's exhausting being Handsome and brilliant, and I was Handsome and brilliant all day yesterday. I decided I would take a nap instead.

Hopefully my Staff can handle things for a while.

Napping away a rainy Saturday,

Tober

PS AAB Photographer just found out that she has taken almost 1500 pictures of me since I was hired here at the Library. (Most of them are really obnoxious close-ups and not suitable for unleashing on the Internets.)

Real Mancats Love Pink Bows and Flowers

2011-03-03T16:22:00.011-05:00

I have decided that I am quite a fan of Pink Bows, and I'm not ashamed one bit.

One of my Staff Ladies got some flowers last week, so she decided to put them in the window (to help scare winter Away). I pulled the Bow off to see if it would be good to eat.

It was.

When I got bored with munching on the Bow, I decided to see if the flowers looked good to eat.

Brace yourselves. . . I hear this one has extra-special AWWWWWW power.

Flowers are only good for a few nibbles, since I don't want to urp them back up again.

But the Bow. . . I worked on the Bow all weekend. . .

My Staff kept moving the bow, sticking it back on the flowers, trying to make it hard to get--but I am One Determined Cat. (MY ABs also say lucky thing the Bow tore off in little pieces or I'd be having "issues"--whatever that means.)

The moral of this story is my Staff Ladies need more flowers (with big Bows) sent to them at the Library.

A Real Mancat,

Tober

No Sneaking

2011-02-24T17:43:00.003-05:00

Ha! AAB Photographer was trying to do some nature-hippie "Boss Cat in his natural habitat" stuff the other day.

Well guess what? We're not Wild Kingdom around here, and I've got super-high-powered ears to help me hear (a) treats being opened, (b) gum wrappers being removed, (c) the pitter-patter of little feet and (d) not-so-stealthy Photographers.

Yup, I'm looking at you.

My natural habitat is Awesomeness,

Tober

Good to the Last Drop

2011-02-16T17:44:00.004-05:00

When I Boss my staff, I try to make sure that they are not wasteful. Wasteful is Bad. Here we try to make our books, computers, printer toner, paper, furniture--everything--last as long as possible. Staff are only allowed four squares of toilet paper. . .

Okay, maybe I'm not quite that strict!

Anyhow, I did catch one of my AABs getting ready to waste precious Library supplies on Friday:

See that look on my face? That is disappointment. That is "surely I Bossed you better than this." That is SADNESS over the near-waste of precious Catnip. Throwing away perfectly good Catnip, even the crumbs, is grounds for Firement. Never mind that AAB Wasteful also brought a new bucket of Catnip (with a ~~toy~~ Feline Training Device inside)--there was perfectly good Catnip-dust in the bottom of the old bucket!

That's the best part!

So I got it.

Sometimes being a big Mancatly Library Boss means you have to get your whiskers dirty.

Dusted in Catnip particles,

Tober

Tober's Command Center

2011-02-11T10:32:00.008-05:00

One of the big differences between Ladies (most of my Staff) and Men (me and AAB Ritchie) is that Ladies like to move stuff around all the time and Men like for things to stay the same.

Well, Ritchie and I are outnumbered, so here was my Office on Friday:

See that big file cabinet in the back, with the computer monitors on it? That has my Catnip in it. I get nervous when that moves around.

So Friday they made a big Mess in my office to put in a new desk for AAB Linda. We got it for Free from a very nice man named Mr. Sloan. (Thank you Mr. Sloan for ~~making a mess of my office~~ giving us a desk.)

Here is a picture of me Snoopervising/worrying:

I am worrying because there used to be FOOD on this shelf.

On Saturday strange Men came to move this Humongous desk into my Office. I'm already not a fan of all of my Stuff moving, and now strangers are in moving it even MORE and I had a bad feeling that it would move again on Monday.

On Sunday I rested, because Thank Goodness we were closed and the crazy Ladies were locked out of the building. Nothing got moved about.

On Monday we moved everything into its proper place. I do like the new arrangement because I can now make it around most of the Office without having to touch the floor. I was a little upset that my Dining Area was shifted a few feet to the right, and now my Toilet is behind AAB Blog Helper's desk (she LOVES this development heh heh). But all in all it's not so bad. Especially since I fired AAB Linda and now have my own Command Center:

Okay, I didn't fire Linda. But I did take her desk. If she wants it back, she's going to have to pick me up and move me.

Now no one can contest my true Bossliness. Everyone knows that he who has the biggest desk rules the Library.

In command,

Tober

AB Karen is back and I don't like Hairball Food.

2011-02-09T10:23:00.006-05:00

Apparently I don't rate around here anymore. I am the Boss of this Library, and I have got Very Important things to say to the Blogosphere and all of my faithful fans and Library customers. Like this.

AB Karen is home safe and sound and has been re-hired. AAB Ritchie's week of Bossitude was written into the the February newsletter like so:

Boss Tober is Relieved, Exhausted

Thorntown Public Library’s Resident Cat and Boss Tober is relieved to announce that his AB Karen Niemeyer has safely returned from her (unauthorized) Vacation and has been re-hired as Assistant Boss and Library Director. During her absence, custodian Ritchie Barton helpfully agreed to fill in as Director and Assistant Boss, and he did a fantastic job of answering the phone (once), making coffee (once), and emptying the book return (once).

AB Ritchie was taken to task about his avoidance of one of the Director’s very important duties--leading the SHINE lunch bunch during afternoon exercises. Fortunately, library staff, with the help of customer Betty Maze, were able to track Ritchie down and get him to join the group on Friday. AB Ritchie felt better having met his responsibilities and is now fully-qualified as a Library Director.

When asked about Karen’s absence, Boss Tober admits that “Managing this bunch is quite exhausting without AB Karen’s help. Ritchie did okay, but he’s not nearly as good about tummy rubs.”

The Thorntown Library staff would like to thank ex-Assistant Boss Ritchie for being such a great sport during his week of leadership. We would also like to thank Karen for returning from Vacation.

I have also been put on a special Hairball diet food. This special food is $13 a bag and I don't like it One Bit.

What I like is my Stinky Goodness food that is sometimes served to me in one of my comfy chairs:

I am thinking of Firing my Assistant Assistant Boss Blog (not)Helper and asking Santa for thumbs again this Christmas. But Christmas is kind of far away, so maybe I'll find some other method of getting more blog-posting time. Any suggestions?

The most Neglectedest Blogging Library Cat in the Whole Wide World,

Tober

There's a New Sheriff in Town.

2011-01-25T18:21:00.006-05:00

I have been Abandoned and Betrayed by my ex-Assistant Boss Karen. She has run away on Vacation and left me behind, and I have been assigned a new Assistant Boss.

My new Assistant Boss is Ritchie. He used to be the custodian, but he decided that he would like to be Director and so he moved into my office:

Please notice that he is not actually IN the office. Ritchie is Allergic to me, so he does not actually visit much. He did give me a few treats, and he's doing a good job being Director in that none of the staff can find him when they need him.

I am very stressed about my ex-AB being away for so long. Everyone else is doing a good job keeping me distracted, except for AAB Kathy, who actually THREW ME OUT of her office this morning for rubbing my furs on her computer monitor and knocking her hand sanitizer on the floor! (Okay, she did not throw me. She carried my Majestic self upstairs and deposited me in another office.)

See how bad things are getting?

My precious Whisker-hairs are falling out! I'm going to name that one "Ritchie." The one after that shall be "Ritchie Jr."

I have also decided that I want to make my own cat breed--all by myself. I like being an orange tiger-kitty, but I think I deserve my own special breed name. One of my AABs really likes those Scottish Fold cats, so I'm going to compromise and work on being an Indiana Half-Fold cat:

I don't know how successful I will be, because I keep switching sides. . .

Hoping Whiskers grow back fast,

Tober

Brought to you by the letter "B"

2011-01-19T14:37:00.007-05:00

Last week I was a Busy B(ee) at the library.

On Tuesday nights I usually make it a point to supervise AB Karen and AAB Christine when they work Downstairs. They do not usually work Downstairs with the little ones, so I have to keep a close eye on them to make sure they do it right.

Last Tuesday when I visited I found that Miss Myrtle had put up a bulletin board for me! I really liked the last one, with the bows and jingle bells, and I was happy to see that my new bulletin board has hearts on it! And leaves and FLOWERS! Leaves and flowers--the fake kind--are especially nice to chomp on.

Here I am Busy trying to reach some tasty, crunchy roses. See how tall I can be?

After I was done inspecting my new bulletin board, I had to keep an eye on AB Karen's Very Important Papers. (These are Papers she drags all over the library with her. I don't know what they are, but they must be Important, since they follow her around everywhere.)

See how Busy!?

After that I Busied myself in one of the many nooks & crannies. I discovered a heart-shaped paper that was very nice to munch on:

Last but not least, earlier this week I was Very Busy Being MAD. My AB Karen decided that because she put Nasty Flea Stuff on her Cats and Dogs at her house, she should go ahead and put Nasty Flea Stuff on me, too. I knew something was wrong because AAB Traitor Christine was holding me and AB Traitor Karen was trying to give me a treat--this has NEVER EVER happened before, so I was suspicious.

Then I thought AB Traitor Karen petted me between the shoulder blades, but it was really her putting the Nasty Stuff on me and I don't like it because it makes my neck furs look stupid and so I fired her. She cried a lot, and I didn't want to do the State Report all by myself, so I re-hired her on the condition that she give me a few treats.

Here I was Busy being Mad.

One Busy B(oss),

Tober

State Report Time!

2011-01-11T18:15:00.009-05:00

It is time for Assistant Boss Karen to do the State Report. If you'll remember, I contribute to the State Report by holding it down on the desk so it doesn't get away:

One of the numbers AB Karen needs for the Report each year is the number of hits that the library's website gets. Well, when AAB Linda was finding that number for Karen, she found out that my Handsome Face on the TPL website got 8030 hits in 2010! See! Who needs words when you've got pictures of ME on the website?

Oooh. AAB Christine said that wasn't a very Librarycatlike thing to say about the words. Words are wonderful! They fill books and magazines and newspapers and blogs and greeting cards and letters and emails and the Internet!

Anyhow, I am very proud that I've gotten so many hits on the library website. I don't know how many hits the whole site got; I'm guessing 8032. (Just kidding. It gets hit a lot!)

I decided to reward myself by fishing some Posty-notes out of the trashcan:

After all the excitement, I needed a nice long bath. . .

. . . which, as usual, was interrupted by a stupid flashy box.

A lean clean State Reporting Machine,

Tober

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-05T17:50:00.003-05:00

A Forever Pepper and Other Gifts

2010-12-21T17:41:00.011-05:00

I have been working on this post since last year--December 21 to be exact!

So before I start on my Pepper story, I want to say Merry Late Christmas and Happy Late New Year and I hope that everyone is safe and had a wonderful time with family and got lots of treats and tummy rubs and Catnip. I have had very Happy Holidays with my Library Staff and especially My Assistant Boss Mommy Karen who can't stay out of the library when it is Closed and spent lots of time with me when all the other ~~slackers~~ employees were off doing non-Tober related things.

Yesterday (really December 20, now!) in the mail I got a Forever Pepper.

It is green & orange like my little greenish orangish pepper (RIP) was, and it is cram-packed full of some powerful 'nip. I like normal catnip, but this catnip is super special. When I'm with my pepper, I lick it and bite it and chew it and bunny-kick it and rub my face on it and Love it with All My Heart.

Here we are together.

*This is where there should be a video of us playing together, but Blogger is being Bad and won't let me post it. So maybe I'll save it for later, and here's another picture.*

Because I love my Pepper so much and so violently, my Assistant Bosses have decided to keep it in my treat drawer, so that I can enjoy it while I'm being supervised. (I think they just want to take lots of pictures of me being fierce and Mancatly.) Thank you Pepper-givers for my special treat--you could probably go into business making Forever Peppers!

On Christmas AB Karen got my stocking down and I got treats! I got some from Santa and some from a kitty friend of mine named Chi.

Then, a few days later, I got some of Frankie Frank's Fabulous Feline Frenzy Inducing Homegrown Organic Catnip! And treats!

Here I am wondering why in the heck we're taking pictures of the stuff instead of rolling in it:

This Catnip is also not like the normal stuff (although I like that, too, Staff). This stuff makes my nose super-excited and I can eat whole leafs of it at a time! And then I take a nap. Thank you Kelly for my treats! Now could you please send Karen a note and let her know that she doesn't need to be all stingy with it?

My staff has been very busy un-decorating the library and leaving bits of garland and other sparkly things everywhere. They've also been working to make a January newsletter since (oops) it's now January. And on top of that they've been doing the usual library things like checking out books and shelving books and drinking coffee and eating chocolate. It's exhausting watching them work so hard.

Feeling like One Special Cat,

Tober

Busy busy times!

2010-12-14T13:29:00.005-05:00

Hi everybody,

We (meaning My Staff) have been Very Busy here at the library in the last few weeks. I'm sorry I haven't been a very good blogging cat lately, but it's hard to get on a computer when all of my people are acting Busy and ignoring my need for computer time.

So let me tell you what's been going on around here:

1. The library is now decorated for Christmas! There are trees everywhere, and lights, and wreaths, and presents (that are decoration only and don't really have stuff in them). Some of the presents have been taken Away because I chew on the ribbons--which upsets my belly--and then the ribbons come out again one way or another. So we're watching the tinsel & ribbon around here, folks!

Here is a picture of a Bulletin Board that got all dressed up for Christmas:

Please notice the bows lying below the Bulletin Board--these have been removed by Me because they were fun to chew. Assistant Assistant Boss Myrtle said that she has Given Up on trying to keep bows and things on the bottom of the board.

2. We had the big Library Christmas party and the bazillion little kids came and saw Santa and Mrs. Claus. The reindeer also came for a program and pooped on the floor. But Big Fun was had by all and I was safely locked up (this is the ONE time of the year that such an act is acceptable) so that I could supervise without being mauled by well-meaning little ones.

Here is a picture of the reindeer and Jingle John and the reindeer poo:

Here is another picture. In this one I am telling Santa and Mrs. Claus that for Christmas I would like to be Not Held:

3. I have been made even Famouser by a person named Patrick Roberts who included me on his Purr 'n' Fur website. You can find my handsome self listed with other American Library Cats on the Featuring Felines page! Purr 'n' Fur also includes pages about famous felines (like Dewey and Scarlett) and literary felines and puzzles and pictures and stories about feline fans and. . . well, really, by now you really should have clicked the link!

4. I have got to get Assistant Assistant Boss Photographer on the ball so we can make my Christmas card. I need to spread cheer!

Okay Friends, that is my update! I will try to get out and about and visit blogs this week--I am so far behind! I hope everyone is having a good holiday-time and that everyone is safe and warm!

Purrs,

Tober

Enemy at the Gate!!!!

2010-11-27T13:00:00.001-05:00

I was on High Alert the other night! It seems a horrible slobbering monster was trying to get in my Library! AAB Christine and AB Karen were working downstairs when they noticed a monstrous presence at the door. Christine ran and got me (she's chicken) so I could give the would-be Intruder the Stink-eye:

Do you see it? Isn't it a horrible thing? It scraped at the doors a bit trying to invade the place, but then it got a good look at me and made some whimpery baby-woofie noises because I'm One Intimidating Cat.

Here's a closer picture, just so you can see the Danger my Library was in:

That thing could have gotten in and left drool-splotches on the carpets. It could have eaten all of the Cat Treats! It could have left black furs where all of my orange furs are supposed to be!

Oh, hang on a minute. . .

Okay, so AAB Christine says she was NOT scared (liar-liar-pants-on-fire) and that the monster was a woofie-dog named Peppy and he's a boy and he was just pausing outside for a minute while his person came in to get some library books. And he's really quite friendly and probably wanted to Play. ("Play" roughly translates to "eat Library Cat.") He's a Sheltie/lab mix--similar in ferociousness to the Godzilla/Mothra variety of monster.

AB Karen gave Peppy some of MY Cat Treats (see it could have eaten all the Cat Treats!) probably to distract him from his goal of Complete Library Domination. My Stink-eye and her ingenious use of Cat Treats meant that our evening ended peacefully and without incident.

Defending my Library from slobbering Beasties,

Tober

Thanksgiving Thursday

2010-11-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

I am a Thankful Cat.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving with families and friends.

One Lucky Cat,

Tober

Dear Jon

2010-11-24T14:07:00.003-05:00

Dear (Dr.) Jon,

I have decided that it is not your Fault that my Assistant Bosses make me visit you every year. I don't know why they insist on doing this to me, since it goes the same way every time I visit. Maybe they do not pay attention when you tell them that I am bright (that's my smarts), alert, and responsive. Maybe they need to buy a scale to see that I am maintaining my slim and Mancatly figure so you don't have to use yours. Also I do not know what anomalies are but I'm pretty sure my teeths don't have any of those.

Maybe they just like to visit with you and your nice staff. I think that's A-OK, but I think they can just leave me at home with my pinecone and my fake leaves and my books and my sleeping blankie.

Anyway, I'm sorry I got all growly when you stabbed me in the rear with that needle. But I'm pretty sure you would get all growly with me if the situation were reversed.

Here is a picture of me in your window Saying No To Fleas:

When I looked over my clean bill of health, I did notice that you gave me a Birthday of November 5, 2006. I have never had a Birthday before! I'm thinking my staff knew about this Birthday all along and just didn't celebrate it because they're too cheap to buy me presents. I'm thinking of Firing them, but I'll decide after Thanksgiving. (Some might bring in turkey for me.)

(But you didn't see that, 'cause I'm not allowed to eat people food.)

(Except maybe on Thanksgiving?)

Purrs & headbutts, mingled with some growls,

Tober

Tober the Fly-Swatter Eats Again!

2010-11-17T17:41:00.008-05:00

Dear Supporters of Stinky Goodness (and by extension, Me)--

I am happy to report that my Staff lasted a whole ten hours or so before succumbing to my pleas for nourishment. All it took was throwing myself at everyone's feet and extending my shrinking tummy for their inspection. AB Karen was the first to notice that I was wasting away before her eyes, and she (very sneakily) served me breakfast in ~~her~~ my office on Tuesday morning. Then she got busted when someone else noticed a bowl of smelly soft food on the floor, and now we are back to the way things should be. Forever.

My formerly Mean Staff have been reinstated as Nice Staff (especially Karen the Softie) and I have decided that I will not Fire anyone. Yet.

Today has been an exhausting day (it's a good thing they decided to feed me again!). I have had to patrol the Downstairs to make sure everybody showed up on time, I had to fling the Apple from Karen's desk several times, I had to provide a stool sample for the V-E-T, and I had to slay a Fly that invaded my Library.

I don't really understand why I was needed to kill the Fly, as it was a very slow-moving and kind of stupid one. AAB Christine could have easily caught and eaten it herself. But instead she came to get me. Maybe she was afraid?

So I am pooped. Here I am saying I can't take it anymore, World:

And yes, I'm supposed to go to see Dr. Jon (my mean V-E-T) tomorrow. Okay, maybe he's not mean, but he sure is rude with all the poking and prodding and sticking stuff in my ears! Anyway, I don't see why I have to do this again; I'm perfectly healthy and handsome and I use my box like a nice Mancat and I've got clean ears and feets and I'm strong and tough and have a soft coat. So Dr. Jon if you're reading this I want you to know that all you need to do tomorrow is pet me and I don't even need any of those dental treats because I have tartar control Whisker Lickin's. See you when you next visit the Library.

TPL's resident Fly-Swatter (and Slayer),

Tober

The Mean Staff Diet

2010-11-15T16:49:00.005-05:00

I have heard my staff muttering the most alarming things lately. I keep hearing words like "supper" and "dry food only" and "treats" and "he'll be okay" and, most importantly, "No More Soft Food."

No More Soft Food.

This is getting out of hand. They think that they can deny me my daily doses of Stinky Goodness because I don't eat it at it too much. I just like the gravy. But still, I like the routine--knowing that they will drop whatever they're doing and run to the grocery store. . . how they apologize and give extra Catnip when AAB Breakfast-Giver Becki is out and they do the usual bang-up job of FORGETTING to FEED ME. . . how the smell of my squishy food invigorates my nose and whiskers after a good seven-hour nap!

What am I supposed to do with these people? I'd fire them all, but I suspect they'd come back because they wouldn't have anything better to do. Oooh, AAB Christine said that was a Rotten thing to say. Well, it's Rotten to starve a Poor Defenseless (no thumbs!) Little Orange Cat and change his routine without asking permission!

You know what else is Rotten?

My pepper from my gracious West Lafayette friends. AAB Britta discovered some fur growing on the underside of it (in the broken part) last week, so we took one last photo together. They even wrapped it in paper towel so AAB Ritchie wouldn't fish it out of the trash like he kept doing with Little Green Pepper.

If I'd know they were going to take my suppers and breakfasts Away, I'd have saved Pepper for a snack.

Wasting away at the hands of my Treacherous Staff,

Tober the (skinny) Cat

Little greenish orangish reddish pepper

2010-11-10T15:43:00.007-05:00

Something weird is happened to my New green pepper that was brought to my by my gracious West Lafayette Friends. We have been hanging out together over the last week or so, and I'm noticing changes. Here is a picture of me head-bumping Pepper to the floor last Wednesday. Please note the beautiful green color:

Now, Pepper is starting to get a little wrinkly in this picture, which is A-OK, because that's what little green Pepper (R.I.P.) started to do before he was thrown Away. But then on Monday I saw this:

It's turning orange!!! What is happening? Is it defective? How did it turn from green to green & orange without my permission? Such a mystery.

Today I had AAB Photographer take a new picture of Pepper before he turns purple or something. He looks weird now, but he still smells nice, and the stem is still sturdy and grabbable:

I hope that little ~~green~~ multicolored pepper and I have lots of time left together. My staff have noticed a gaping split in the bottom, but nothing is oozing out yet, so it's all good.

Purrs,

Tober

One Happy Cat

2010-11-04T14:20:00.005-04:00

The last time I posted, I was pretty heartbroken about the loss of Little Pepper. While I was pepperless, I tried to make do with items that we have at hand. Here is the text of a Top-Secret Library Business Email (I'm sharing it because we are all such good friends):

Hi everyone,

This morning as I was putting away some Toddler books I noticed a small pine cone in the drawer of books that is on the floor. What? Did a child bring a pine cone in and lose it in the books? Oh well. Myrtle and I threw it away. I also noticed that Tober has decided he doesn’t like the leaves in one of the windows in the J room – he had knocked them completely to the floor! This afternoon I decided the leaves should be put back and in so doing noticed that there are also pine cones within the leaves. Aha! Tober has apparently been playing with the pine cone from the leaves and lost it in the Toddler books! If Tober would like his pine cone to play with it is now on my desk. Myrtle rescued it from the trash.

KB

A pine cone is obviously no replacement for a small green pepper, but it did make a nice crunchy sound. . . Apparently my heartbrokenness upset some of my fans, because on Monday I had two visitors who came bringing a green pepper because they felt sad that mine was thrown Away. Karen Dalman and her friend Brenda came from the land of West Lafayette to meet me and to present me with a fresh small green pepper!!!!

Because of their niceness I allowed them several pets of my Mancatly self. They determined that I am a very Fine Manager and Boss, and they were able to see my 4' X 4' wood quilt (even though it has Tubby Tober on it).

They pronounced me a Very Fine Cat indeed (proving that they have Smarts), declared my quilt square and my Library Fine (more Smarts), and then visited the museum, which they also thought Fine (even more Smarts).

Here is an Action Shot of me with my New pepper, which I Love Love Love:

It makes a satisfying *thump* when it hits the floor (but it's not shriveled enough to fit in the paper tray thingie yet).

Then, because I am such a special Boss, I was presented with (!) a second small green pepper from AAB Becki!!!!!! AND AB Karen brought me a small winesap apple with a nice stem for flinging!

Now she (AB Karen) complains that staff desks are starting to look like Produce stands, but I ignore her because I am Boss and she is Not. I am One Happy Cat to have such thoughtful blog Readers!!!

Here I am posing for a Pepper Picture:

Now I have a desk-full of things to fling and slap! How great is that?

Many thankses and headbutts to my pepper-bringers!

Purrs,

Tober

Happy Early Halloween and Stuff

2010-10-29T16:15:00.010-04:00

This morning AB Karen found a Jealous Cat sitting by my barn quilt.

I would be Mad, but I guess maybe Jealous Cat just wishes he had a barn quilt and a Library, too. So he can sit near my barn quilt whenever he wants.

Today the Staff decided to celebrate Halloween early, since only four of them will work tomorrow, and zero of them will work on Halloween (because we are Closed on Sundays).

Left to right you see: a lady with paper feathers on her, a lady with a red cape, a lady with crazy socks, a lady with a wig-hat, a lady with a terrifying hat, and a lady with lots of smileys. These are my Peeps. My Posse. Don't mess with Tober, 'cause they've got my back. (They will probably also send me lots of emails complaining that I bloggified them without permissions.)

We had snacks for Halloween/Helen's-Last-Day-at-Work. Helen is Retiring, which I absolutely forbid, but she said she would anyways, so I Fired her. Helen has promised to return for Tober time, so I'll forgive her (as long as she brings treats).

We have lots of snacks around here, and sometimes it's hard to get Staff to understand that there are "help yourself" snacks and "special occasion" snacks. AAB Becki has to try to keep folks in line:

With all of the excitement and candy bars going on here, a cupcake was left unattended:

I made sure to lick just enough to determine that I really didn't like it, and then left it so AAB Christine could scrape the icing off. (I like cool whip better.)

I have to end this post with some sad news. After much consideration, we (meaning not me) have decided to do Away with the pepper. He is looking pretty rough these days, as he is almost two weeks old.

I still love the pepper, but we really don't have fun like we used to. His leaves are gone, and he doesn't make that nice hollow thumping sound when he hits the floor now. I did swat him into the paper-tray thingie a few times, but it just isn't the same.

R.I.P. little pepper. I will miss you.

Okay, last but not least. . . in case I do not do an Official Halloween Post, I want to say Happy Halloween to everyone, and a special stay safe for all of my blogging friends--especially the fuzzy ones. Stay close to home (or inside) so no rotten mean people mess with you!

Wishing everyone a Happy and Safe Halloween,

Tober

Tober + Pepper 4-Ever

2010-10-26T17:18:00.008-04:00

Very Firstly, thank you for all of my Finding Day wishes! I had a most wonderful day, and my Blogging friends helped make it even more special!

Last Monday Ritchie (the Allergic one) brought in lots of Produce and AAB Becki put some of it in a bowl for people to take. I put my teeth in a green pepper, so my AB Karen decided that maybe I should get to keep it since people don't want Produce that a Cat has chewed on (even if it was a Famous Library Cat who did it and the Produce would probably be worth a lot of moneys on Ebay). So it got put upstairs where I could knock it onto the floor with my paws or fling it off of the desk with my teeth.

When I first got it, it was nice and shiny and had a long stem and leaves on it. I could knock it or drop it into AAB Christine's paper tray thingie:

(AAB Britta's camera did this! Biggify to fully appreciate my Mighty Hunter face in the last few frames!)

I love my pepper, but once it started looking all wrinkly AAB Mean Christine decided to throw it Away. She took a picture so I would have something to remember it by (which didn't make things any easier).

But my pepper was saved when Ritchie (the Allergic one) noticed it in the trash. You see, Ritchie has been trained not to throw away my things. I'm sure he was worried that he would be Fired if my pepper came up missing, so he fished it out of the trash and put it near my Feline Training Device Box.

Christine found it on the floor this morning and put it in its rightful place. We have been reunited:

If something terrible should happen to my pepper, I have a nice Apple on standby.

Purrs,

Tober

Happy Finding Day to Me!

2010-10-19T14:55:00.011-04:00

I have been a Found Cat for two whole years! Hooray!

The day started with lots of people bothering me to let me know it was my Finding (aka "Gotcha") Day (as if I didn't already know). My naps have been interrupted all day. Here is a picture of an interrupted nap:

For my Finding Day, I got lots and lots of Presents from all of my Staff. We put them on the circulation desk with my picture slideshow so people could see that it was My Day.

Do you see that Dewey book, Dewey's Nine Lives? That book was given in my honor by my very nice staff. It will live in my Library now, and people can check it out.

I inspected all of my Presents while they were piled on the desk. Unfortunately I couldn't pick them up and shake them because I don't have Thumbs.

We had my Finding Day Party at 3:00 today. My Staff carried all of my loot into the catnip/lounge area, and I was presented with a Cupcake. I thought maybe my Cupcake would have a candle on, it, but I guess not.

Here I am with my Cupcake and my new catnip bag and my special salmon dinner (that got served early at 3:00 instead of 4-4:30 like usual).

And I got another new cool ~~Toy~~ Feline Training Device with a bell on it:

AND I got three cans of Friskies and FIVE bags of treats and some ribbon to chomp on. The staff got a bazillion cupcakes and brownies and danish-things and will all be lying in bed tonight holding their tummies and thinking of me.

I wish I could have a Finding Day every day!

But then, I'm kind of tired. So maybe one a year is enough.

A giant head-butt to my Assistant Boss Mommy Karen, who had the good sense to Find me,

Tober

Have a Crummy National Grouch Day!

2010-10-15T11:33:00.002-04:00

Today is National Grouch Day! We are celebrating at the Library by listing things that make us Grouchy (and eating snacks, of course). In recognition of Grouch Day, I will list ten things that make me Grouchy (in no particular order).

1. Being Ignored.

2. When meals are served late.

3. Collars.

4. Those stupid covers they've put on all the Cords so I can't bite on them anymore.

5. A stinky box.

6. Empty treat cans.

7. When people try to put boring plain CAT FOOD in treat cans to try to trick me. (This does not work and could be grounds for firement.)

8. Thunderboomers.

9. Being laughed at. Especially when they make my furs into a mohawk.

10. When little kids yell "KITTY!" and run at me really really fast!

Here is another Grouchy Picture to go with National Grouch Day:

Have a crummy day,

Tober the ~~Grouch~~ Cat

PS - Visit Puss in Boats (a Big Fat Ginger Cat who gets to go boating--and one of my blogging friends) for a nice post on Library Cats!

MPL loves Library Cats

2010-10-13T18:57:00.006-04:00

The Mooresville Public Library (which is in the land of Indiana, like Thorntown) does this really cool readers advisory bloggie. They make little movies about books and other library things and put them on the blog to inspire people to read.

Their last movie was about Dewey Readmore Books, who, as you might know, was a Very Super-Famous Library Cat from Spencer, Iowa. Dewey is so famous he has real books written about him that lots of people have read (and cried big sniffly crocodile tears over).

Go to the MPL Readers Advisory Blog ~~to see me~~ to learn more about Dewey, and check out some of their other neat book trailers while you're there!

I will be in My Office soaking up all the Famousness and planning my Finding Day Extravaganza.

Doing Dewey Proud,

Tober

Toesday

2010-10-12T14:31:00.005-04:00

I decided Toesies Tuesday was too many syllables, so I made it Toesday. But now that I typed all that, I guess I used all the syllables and then some. Anyway. . .

Here are some back-foot toes:

And here are some front-foot toes:

And here is a picture of the rest of me looking all Alert and stuff:

I hope everyone has a Toe-rific week!

Purrs,

Toe-ber

I am a Barn Quilt Cat

2010-10-07T18:12:00.004-04:00

Have you heard of a barn quilt? You might have seen them in places like Kentucky and Iowa and Wisconsin and other Far-Away places.

Here in Thorntown we have lots of creative people getting together to make barn quilts for our barns and things. Here's a bit from the most recent Library Newsletter:

The library’s barn quilt has been completed and has been mounted on the north side of the parking lot. Because of the many flower beds gracing the library, staff chose the flower basket quilt block but changed the top “flowers” to resemble an open book; they also added an orange cat.

Many thanks to Carol Fisher for suggesting the project, to Melissa Imbus for coordinating and painting, and to the Sugar Creek Historical Society, Inc., for backing the idea. Many artists, painters and installers are assisting. John and Sharon Gillan’s quilt is hanging on their large red barn just west of town. A tree of life quilt is presently being painted for the barn of John and Kelly Frank, a block is being selected by Tom and Keri Dull, and paint has been purchased for Leanna Woody’s Dresden flower block. Larry Truitt has completed and mounted a Civil War block that faces the Heritage Trail in Thorntown. More blocks will be added in 2011 as various groups and individuals expand on the idea of barn quilts.

Okay, now that's a lot of words to read, but you might have noticed the most important phrase at the end of the first paragraph: they also added an orange cat.

I bet you're wondering "why would they add an orange cat?" Well, NO, you're not. . . you know exactly why, don't you?

If you super-biggify the picture you will see that the call number on the spine label is 636.8 TOB which is Dewey Decimal-speak for Tober, Boss Cat of Thorntown Public Library. (Dewey Decimal is a Secret Language that Librarians use but if you ask really nicely they will teach it to you.)

I have only one problem with my barn quilt. Here is a picture of the real me:

If you will notice, I am Significantly Slimmer in my real me picture. When they made my barn quilt picture, they changed me from a Picture of Feline Health to a Tubby Tabby.

Don't get me wrong, I am Very Flattered that I am now on a barn quilt by my Library. But they really should have made me not chubby, since I work so hard to maintain my Mancatly figure.

Or maybe there's a stash of treats around here I don't know about?

I will start looking after my nap.

Famouser & famouser,

Tober

My Library has the floatiest float and the cleanest carpets!

2010-09-28T18:32:00.006-04:00

Hi everybody,

I am happy to report that everything is almost back to Normal here. It was a hectic weekend, but I survived!

My Library float won the Grand Champion of all the Floats in the Festival of the Turning Leaves Parade! The theme was "These are a few of our favorite things" and the Library's favorite things were Chocolate, Cats, Gourds, Smiles, and Books (not necessarily in that order) and that wad of tinfoil turned out to be a Sterno can and that card table turned into a giant Fondue Pot! (Sorry about all the ands. I'm a little excited!)

If you look to the right side of the shot, you will see the scary Imposter Tober lying (embarrassingly) face-down on a cushion. He is earning his place in the storage room by working as my Stunt-Double.

Here's the thing from the back of the Float of Excellence:

We also book-saled a LOT of books over the weekend. Over one half of the 80 boxes of books we put out for the sale found good homes, and people donated lots of moneys for the Friends of the Library to use for programs and things. (The moneys would also buy lots of Whisker Lickins.)

While my Staff and my Stunt-Double were lying around on an Award-Winning Float enjoying the parade, I was hard at Work snoopervising the cleaning of the Library carpets. To clean the carpets, my coworkers had to get all of the Stuff (except books & shelves) off of the carpets.

I took this literally:

This position made me very Tall and authoritative.

In other exciting news, my Library Staff discovered FURminators last week. Now, normally I wouldn't use this Esteemed Blog to advertise something unless I think it's pretty special. . . but I was quite impressed with the results of my FURmination last week, so my Staff ordered a box of FURminators so they can take them home for their house-dogs and -cats. I highly recommend them to all Animals who have extra furs they don't want.

The order arrived today, so if you fly over Indiana in the middle of the night, don't be surprised if you see a cloud of furs obscuring the Thorntown. That's a cloud of Happiness.

Proud and Recently DeFURminated Boss of TPL,

Tober

Another almost wordless Wednesday. . .

2010-09-22T09:14:00.000-04:00

Hi, Fall.

I like to chomp on your leaves.

Purrs,

Tober

Festival parade float book sale carpet cleaning mess week.

2010-09-21T18:51:00.006-04:00

Hello friends. This is the week that my staff tears up my Library and makes big messes so they can float and sell books on Saturday.

Oh, wait. I'm being told that's not quite what happens.

Okay, so the Friends of the Library are having a Big Book Sale this weekend, and that has to be set up. And the Library staff is making a float for the Thorntown Festival of the Turning Leaves, which is also this weekend. And they are taking all of the things off of the carpet on Friday so that the carpets can be cleaned, which is also this weekend.

Basically I was right the first time, except the staff doesn't really float.

Look at what they have done to my dining room and restroom area!!!!!

And the desk!!!! Look at the desk!!!!!

How is a cat supposed to fit up there?

If you think that is a mess, you should see the big card table parked by the elevator with a wad of tin foil underneath it. No telling what they think they're going to do with that. . . but I'll post pictures when they figure it out!

I did get to try envelope glue today, which I decided was pretty foul, and I had a smallbit of tape when no one was looking. I also found that it was necessary to interrupt to get some attention. The below distraction combines an irresistible tummy stretch with screwing up the letters in the poster-banner thing that AAB Britta was working on:

It worked like a charm.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better in the treat department, too. I feel I'm getting thin from this day of Neglect and messmaking.

Purrs (but weak ones from all the Neglect),

Tober

Nicknames

2010-09-15T14:57:00.006-04:00

I have a lot of Nicknames.

I don't really understand why I need a lot of Nicknames. My name is Tober. It isn't that long or complicated to say. But for some reason, my staff insist on calling me a lot of OTHER names. Some of them are nice names, like Big Man, Little Sweet Boy, Handsome, or Buddy.

Some are a bit insulting, like Fatso, Stink, and Booger.

And one Nickname that I haven't quite figured out: Smeet. This was condensed from a longer version: Smeet-Face Cat.

I've also been called an Itty Bitty Bosslet, and a Handsome Red-Head, and Tobey, and Kitty Kitty, and Doodle.

Do any of you have weird Nicknames that your people insist on calling you? Why do they do this?

Confusedly yours,

~~Big Man~~
~~Handsome~~
~~Stink~~
~~Kitty Kitty~~
~~Tobey~~
Tober

Tuesday is Snooze-day

2010-09-07T18:17:00.002-04:00

I am All Worn Out because everybody got Labor Day off except for me.

That's just the kind of Boss I am.

Snoozily yours,

Tober

Teamwork Tuesday

2010-08-31T09:50:00.008-04:00

In my library there is a nice big round window that overlooks the Fountain and the front of the building. This is where Angel Tober has been hanging out recently. It is also the window that my workers gaze out of when they are working the adult circulation desk and ~~daydreaming~~ monitoring the Outside.

Today there was a little tree frog in my window:

Naturally, I wanted to Eat him. Luckily for him, there was glass between the two of us, and he was up too high (on the second floor) for me to get to him and I couldn't talk anyone into getting the ladder out so I had to settle for window-shopping.

But he climbed high and I needed help to see:

So AAB Becki helped me. She gave me a Boost which is a very Important part of any Library worker's job description--Library Cat Booster.

But Becki's arms got tired. (This part I don't really understand, since I am a Picture of Feline Health and I am Maintaining a Healthy Weight. I think I will have to start the staff doing some weight training.) Then AAB Linda P. jumped in to assist Backi!!!!!

Linda P. is assisting Becki's weakening arms (maybe my muscles are heavy?), and that is why this post is Teamwork Tuesday.

(Shortly after this last photo was taken, I decided that I was bored and wanted a Temptations. So I jumped down.)

I hope the rest of the week is as exciting as this morning!

There is no "I" in Team (but there is one in Library Cat),

Tober

PS I am sorry Becki for thwapping you in the face with my Excited tail.

Hello, Monday!

2010-08-23T14:21:00.003-04:00

I am ready for an exciting week at the Library!

By exciting I mean Let's have a few extra naps this week.

Purrs,

Tober

My Portrait

2010-08-19T16:05:00.007-04:00

Seeing as how I'm a Famous Library Cat and all, it was only a matter of time before an artist would come around and want to make my likeness. Well, fellow cats, I have been tastefully captured on notebook paper with #2 pencil:

This portrait was lovingly drawn by one of our Library customers, an 11-year-old girl who would come in to see me during the Summertime. As you can see, I am on the desk with my water cup, and there is no paperwork cluttering up my desk, and no computer monitor blocking my view of the Library, and I am very Happy and Alert. I think that the artist did a very good job of capturing my Handsomeness (even if she did fudge on the clean desk a bit!).

It is now hanging on my Office door since AB Karen has never had a nameplate made to put on my desk. I think this makes the office officially Mine.

On a different note, I have had to dedicate much more time to my Snoopervisory duties with some of the staff. I sometimes find it necessary to resort to spying to make sure my workers are doing their jobs correctly and efficiently:

Notice my frown. This is because she was SUPPOSED to be getting some Catnip out for me, but instead barricaded herself behind a bunch of books and pretended to be busy.

Stealthily yours,

Tober

F.I.T. -- Feline in Training

2010-08-11T13:52:00.004-04:00

I have decided to share some pictures of me working out and building my strong muscles.

Here I am attacking the mouse-string with my mancatly paws:

Here I am putting the bitey on the mouse-string. Notice that I very cleverly manage to do all of this training while lying on my side. In a comfy chair.

In this picture below I am burning HUGE amounts of treat-calories while swatting at the end of the string. I am giving the string a stare that says "I mean Business, String!"

Here I am looking Up because. . . well. . . that's where the string went. And since it's Up and I'm Down, we're at a bit of a standstill in my Training Activities.

Now, in this picture I am Very Disturbed because the intruder dot is ON MY ARM and that is really weird. How am I supposed to attack the dot when it is ON me? I can't bite at it because then I would bite my arm! That could hurt really badly seeing as how I have these super-strong and mancatly jaws.

Luckily I just had to glare at the dot for a while and it eventually got bored and went away.

One F.I.T. Feline,

Tober

Thankful Thursday

2010-07-29T11:12:00.002-04:00

I am thankful for big stretches. . .

. . . because they help wake my muscles up after a nice nap!

Purrs,

Tober

Rearranging.

2010-07-21T09:52:00.007-04:00

Let me tell you, fellow Cats, by the time these ladies are done pushing the Furnitures back and forth and all around, I won't know where anything is anymore. I should have known something was up when Assistant Boss Karen started running about with a yardstick.

Here I am being Perturbed for two reasons: #1--There used to be a Cart That Never Moved here and #2--An ironing board?

So my AAB Linda W. must have decided that my Extreme Handsomeness was just too much to bear, because she moved Away to a super-secret office of her very own. It is Downstairs and she is far away now but she comes to visit and I can visit her if I move very stealthily. Then AAB Christine went "Hey! A desk!" and moved into Linda's old desk. Then AAB Cathie went "Hey! A desk!" and moved into Christine's old desk.

Then AAB Bonnie moved herself and her desk Away to the processing office so that AAB Linda P. wouldn't be lonesome. Then Cathie's Old desk moved into the office with AABs Bonnie and Linda P. so that AAB Ritchie could have a real desk with more than one drawer.

Then we got a WHOLE NEW AAB, and guess what? She is a Kathy but with a K. She lives in the youth department, and she is a Cat Person! (Miss Kathy with a K is our new Youth Department Head. AAB Chris the Brave--remember the wasp?--is spending time with her grandchildren but promised to visit, so we are happy for her being happy even though we will miss her.)

So then AAB Britta decided that she didn't want everyone else to have all the Fun, so she got a new desk that fits better in her Young Adult room. She put all of her desk-things onto this cart. . .

. . . and then found out that the desk wouldn't be delivered for two more days.

As Boss and Supervisor of the library, I decided to lay low during this moving craziness.

As a reward for my patience with this whole moving process, I have been presented with a New and More Mancatly Feline Training Device Box:

Please note that it does NOT have flames or racing stripes as I suggested. But it is Not Pink, which is good enough for me.

Tober

PS--So far my Litterbox and Dining facilities have remained unmoved, which is a very Good Thing.

Catnip, Storms, Bravery & Planners

2010-07-09T09:31:00.008-04:00

On Wednesday, I was given a heap of Catnip by my Assistant Assistant Boss Linda W. I expressed my appreciation by passing out next to it for a good hour and a half:

I would have stayed in the position ALL DAY, but I heard the pitter-patter of little feet and a high-pitched voice say "Look Mommy, a kitty!" and so this is where I ended up:

(Please note the heap of abandoned Catnip, as well as the still-pink and Unmancatly Feline Training Device Box under the chair.)

On Thursday we had Thunderboomers. I am Not A Fan of storms and the accompanying Thunderboomers. I feel that when the storms get going, the absolute most safest place for me to be is on the stairs:

Apparently no one else felt that this was an adequately safe place (something about getting Stepped On!) and they tried to move me to other places in the Library, but I would have none of it. I wanted to be on the stairs. So my Staff took turns guarding me on the stairs--they weren't worried about being Stepped On! If they were so worried about me but were willing to risk their lives watching over me, I must have a Very Brave Library Staff.

Here is another picture. In this picture, AAB Christine has gotten her planner out. This is a book that she opens, scribbles some words in, and then forgets to open for a week or so. Then she gets mad at herself because apparently she was supposed to DO something about the words she scribbled. I have decided that this planner should be recycled as a Seat for Tober:

Thank you for reading this slightly weird post. This is what happens when my Blog Helper is too busy doing stuff like ordering books. Everybody have Wonderful Weekends!

The most important thing on anyone's To-Do List,

Tober

Don't boss the Boss.

2010-06-30T16:59:00.006-04:00

Today my Assistant Boss Mommy Karen bossed me. She told me that I needed to pick up my toys. (For the record, they are NOT toys. They are Feline Training Devices.)

My Assistant Assistant Boss Christine found an insultingly girly-pink box for me to keep my "toys" in. She calls this the "toy box."

Man-cats don't have "toy boxes."

Since my Assistant Assistant Boss Britta picked up my "toys" for me (she is a Very Good Employee), I was unaware of this "toy box" until after supper, when I visited the cataloging office to see if people were working. (They were.)

I am NOT happy about this "toy box" situation.

How am I supposed to get my Catnip ball out of there? I don't have thumbs! This is an Outrage! I demand a more Man-catly Feline Training Device Box by the end of the week, or I will. . . I'll. . . ummm. I'll think about that for a bit.

On a happier note, on Sunday I got to supervise a board meeting of the Indiana Gourd ~~Secret~~ Society. The Indiana Gourd Society is a group of people who are wild about gourds, and one of the members, Dallas Lundsford, took a picture of me looking quite Bossly:

I do not know much about gourds except to say that they are all over my Office and they are fun to smack into the wastebasket! Because they are fun to play with, I will approve future meetings of these Gourd Society Types in my library.

Waiting not-patiently for my Mancatly Feline Training Device Box,

(I'm thinking gunmetal gray with flames, or navy with Racing stripes,)

One Tough Cat,

Tober

The mystery of the funny-hatted statue.

2010-06-24T17:28:00.005-04:00

This week my Assistant Assistant Boss Becki found a statue of me with a Gold Thing sticking out of my head.

At first I thought the Tober-statue was wearing a funny-looking hat. If you will remember, I don't do hats. Or collars. Or necklaces.

Then I found out that this Tober-statue is also a Lotion Dispenser! (So that Gold Thing is NOT a hat! Whew!) I am very pleased that the Library has acquired a Lotion Dispenser, because everyone should have soft and smooth hands for petting the Boss Library Cat.

Some Staff have commented that the Tober-statue has a very Tober-like "disapproving look." I think those who find that they are overly familiar with my "disapproving look" should probably, oh, give me some treats. Then maybe they would know my usually pleasant side.

This new Lotion Dispenser is filled with some non-scented Lotion. This is for two reasons. 1) Some people don't like strong smells and 2) I don't want to smell like a Lady after I've been petted.

That second thing? It happens a LOT. You've never smelled a more flowery Man-cat.

Sad but true.

Tober

Posty-Notes!

2010-06-18T17:13:00.004-04:00

Yum! One of my favorites!

Paper is good for cleaning my teeths!

*crunch crunch munch*

Tober

Mohawks and snacks.

2010-06-08T16:28:00.005-04:00

Today I want to first Complain that I have been made fun of. Yesterday AAB Britta was holding and petting me and AAB Christine called me "Mr. T" and then Christine decided that I needed a Mr. T hairdo to go with my nickname.

She messed my headfurs all up and made a little mohawk on me. Thank goodness she didn't get any pictures of this horrible deed! But some of my staff saw me (AAB Bonnie and AAB Linda W.) and LAUGHED at me. Britta and Christine laughed, too. It really hurt my feelings. The only one in the room who did not laugh was AAB Cathie, who was scolding the Bad Staff and telling them that they should be Ashamed of themselves. Especially Christine, who made my furs look Stupid.

I did not Forgive her until she smashed my furs back down like normal and apologized and gave me a very good Tummy Rub. Oh, and lots of treats!

Speaking of treats. . . today there was a program in the Youth Department and someone brought snacks!

Three juicy guinea pigs visited the Library today! I was going to go down and visit, but the guinea pigs set up a Defensive Perimeter composed of little children. I thought the little children were saving the guinea pigs for themselves, but it turns out they preferred to have S'mores for snacktime instead.

Humans are kind of weird sometimes.

Tober

PS--I got an Award from a beautiful girl-cat. . . I'll tell you all about it in my next post!

Not Dead

2010-06-04T09:34:00.007-04:00

Apparently my present for Assistant Assistant Boss Mommy Karen has caused some confusion. Angel-Tober was placed on the adult circulation desk next to a big vase of Flowers. No one thought anything about this until people started asking if I had Died.

The very Important interoffice communication that alerted staff of the need to inform people of my not-Deadness:

This evening I moved the ceramic likeness of Tober. . .the one with wings, AWAY from the vase of flowers. . .Emily had 2 people ask her this evening if our cat had died. . .

Now my Staff will be mentally prepared to answer the question "What happened to Tober?" when people come to the desk all concerned. (It is Very Nice of them to be concerned.) I'm thinking of marketing myself as a Ghost and then we could have a Haunted Library!

Here I am posing with little Angel-Tober.

Here is further Proof that I am Alive and Well:

We had a dismal situation here for the last week or so as the Catnip Supply was getting low and Staff resorted to Rationing. So I have been rewarded for my patience with a Bucket of 'Nip. I was allowed, for a brief moment, to plunge my head in and lick some directly from the Bucket to celebrate my Aliveness.

Not-Dead,

Tober

Catch-up day!

2010-06-02T12:07:00.007-04:00

Hi Everybody!

Today I have to catch-up on this blog! I have had a very busy couple of weeks, so here goes:

Two weeks ago the Library was invaded by 2nd graders (medium-smallish children) and then last week it was invaded by kindergartners (really itty-bitty children). I don't mind children when they come in ones or twos (so long as they're quiet and they move nice and slow and don't slap-pet me), but the sudden arrival of 20 or 30 of them at a time is little intimidating. So I tried to spend most of my time here:

But then AB Karen and AAB Becki decided that I needed to be Sociable and held me while I was petted by about 30 kindergartners. I have "earned my keep" at least through July of 2013 because of my Sociable-ness and extreme Pettablility.

On this past Saturday I snoopervised my Staff to make sure they worked even though it was Memorial Day Weekend Saturday. This means they spent the early morning pouting about being at work and then put on their smiling faces for the people that came in to visit the Library. I was deemed a Very Good Boss that day and I was served my supper on the desk. I made the most of it:

For the record, this mess in Not My Fault. They keep feeding me my supper in this silly little dish with very low sides, so what do they expect to happen? After seeing the mess that supper caused, AAB Britta complimented my Handsomeness and petted me.

Last but not least, yesterday was Assistant Boss Mommy Karen's birthday. I would have posted a picture yesterday but someone Borrowed my camera for the weekend and forgot to return it. So here is a picture of her Presents:

The little Angel Cat is me! It used to be not-painted, but I commanded Assistant Assistant Boss Myrtle to paint it for me. Myrtle did a Most Excellent Job at capturing my Handsomeness, as well as my Charm and Personality. I will have to visit with her more, so that I can continue to Inspire her creativity.

These last few weeks have been exhausting. Yesterday the staff also ~~made a mess~~ put out the items for the book sale, so if you find yourself in Thorntown, Indiana, stop by and take a look!

If anyone needs me, I'll be here:

Purrs,

Tober

Almost wordless Wednesday. . .

2010-05-26T17:48:00.001-04:00

. . . because a Gentlemancat doesn't talk with his mouth full.

*nom nom nom*

Tober

Tober's Tuesday

2010-05-19T08:00:00.001-04:00

I had two very interesting visits on Tuesday. As a result, I am All Worn Out and sleeping in My Office.

First, David Alan Z. (yes, the Tober Putter-Outer/Census Man) brought in his birthday card from his wife. On the front was a gold tabby Cat in a birthday hat—-not as handsome as me, but looking very Celebratory. (Also, I would never wear a hat. Please refer to my St. Patrick's Day post.) When My Staff opened the card, there was a picture of many celebrating gold cats and they Meowed the “Happy Birthday” song, even the ". . . and many more!" in Loud Meows. My Staff, unfortunately, thought this was very funny, but I just had to Turn My Back and Flatten My Ears. People will have to learn that birthdays are for Tummy Rubs, Whipped Cream cake frosting, and compliments to me!

For our Senior Lunch Program we have cake almost every day because we celebrate birthdays of even those people who are not at lunch that day. . . we celebrate sunshine. . . we celebrate the fact that Ritchie has our floors shining. . . we celebrate that computers are working fine, that books stand up Straight on the shelves, and that everyone came to Work. . . we celebrate that I, Tober, am Boss of the Library. We have cake for any reason.

As for me, I still prefer crunchy cat Treats, but I have recently been known to steal a straw and bat it across the floor or across the AB’s desk. I am waiting for whipped cream icing.

Next, after working All Day to change filters on the heating and cooling system, John of Precision Control Systems of Indianapolis gave me a great head-scratching. AB Karen gave him the jar of Kitty Treats and I showed him where it is kept in the upper right desk drawer. Then I showed him how neatly I eat one Tidbit at a time. He was very impressed. John and his helpers do a great job of keeping My Library very comfortable, but he did startle me today. I heard him on the roof above my Napping Place and thought he might be a BIG Bird. He promised to bring Treats the next time he comes. He is behind—-David Alan Z. already brought treats. John is forgiven, however, for this was his First Visit, and he did not realize I am Boss of the Library and that I will be the one to OK his company’s Invoice.

Bossing is Exhausting,

Tober