My Fourth Finding Day!

As most of you guessed, today is Friday was my Finding (or Gotcha) Day!  (Slow help around here.)

I have been a Found Cat for four whole years!

AB Karen made a cake for me for my Finding Day.  I misunderstood and thought the cake was for my eating, but really it was in honor of my Awesomeness.  But I didn't realize that until after I licked the corner.  That's why there's a knife sticking up--it means "Reserved For Tober Do Not Eat!"

According to all reports, it was a very good cake!  I can say that the frosting was very nice.  :)

I got lots of extra treats and tummy rubs and hugs for Finding Day.  I managed to nap for a good deal of it, so I think it was a success.

AND, just when I thought Finding Day couldn't get any better, I received an Official Visit from two foreign (not from Boone County) dignitaries!  Janet and Bill Buckley came to see me, and they brought presents!

AAB Becki carried me, fresh from my midafternoon nap, to meet my visitors:

They brought me a package of Party Mix cat treats! and a special 'nip pillow.  Check this out:

Bill works at the Mooresville Public Library with Cauli le Chat, the Feline Roving Reporter.  Remember my visit with Flat Five?  She's a busy busy reporter-Cat, and I'm sure she had lots to do in Mooresville, but she sent Bill and Janet to document my Fourth Finding Day. I could tell that Bill and Janet are great cat people, so I did them the rare honor of Standing Still and Letting Them Pet Me. 

Cauli's minions are obviously much more "with-it" when it comes to blogging about important events in a timely fashion (Help is still Wanted, folks).  You can read all about the visit on Cauli's Blog, which got updated on Saturday--while my AAB Blog Helper is frantically helping me type this at 3:19 pm three days AFTER my Finding Day! 

Check out the snazzy shirt that Bill is wearing!  (Ideas are forming, TPL staff!)

To see the Full Report from Cauli and the Minions, see Cauli's Saturday post.  While you're at it, check out her other posts, and the really cool MPL book trailers and videos, too.

Thanks to all of my blogging friends for the Finding Day wishes!

Purrs, Headbutts, and Nose-touches,

Tober

Welcoming

When my library people had their Strategic Planning meeting a few weeks ago, they talked about values.  One of the values they think is important is for the library building, and the library staff, to be Welcoming.

I think it's important to lead by example, so here I am being Welcoming:

See me???

After a while, I decided that AB Karen was doing a fine job of Welcoming everyone who came in the door, so I went back to my Office for a refreshing nap.

We also had Thunderboomers last week.  They were very impressive in their loudness, but much less impressive in the amount of rain and coolness they brought.  As always, I retreated to my safe in-between spot on the Stairs.  This allows me to be within earshot of my Upstairs AND Downstairs people.

I had visitors who tried to comfort me this time, though.

They helped distract me from the Thunderboomers, which was very nice of them.  I'm a tough, brave, mancatly mancat--but Thunderboomers really give me the willies.

So do fireworks, but since we are rainless and HOT here, there were no fireworks here this 4th of July.  I was absolutely thrilled, but I still wish it would rain so the corn and beans and vegetable gardens and lawns would perk up a little bit.

That is my Monday update!  Today is Bored Board Meeting Day, so I have to keep AB Karen on task!

Purring for Rain,

Tober

A Special Visitor

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!

One Happy Cat

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

An Official Visit

On Saturday, May 8, I had the honor of entertaining two foreign (i.e. not from Boone County) dignitaries who came to see me. They were very Official; they emailed in advance to make an appointment and asked what gift(s) they could bring.

I thought about asking for a hamster in a hamster-ball or some Cords or a pound or two of catnip, but I finally decided that a nice bag of Whisker Lickins would do.


A hamster in a hamster-ball would maybe have been a little bit greedy. And if I accidentally pushed the hamster-ball down the stairs, it might have broken open at the bottom and unleashed a fearsome beastie that would nibble Library books and then I would have had to hunt it down and that would have interrupted my regularly-scheduled naptime. I am very very pleased with my treats.

My visitors were named Pam and Debbie, and Pam hugged me and we took lots of pictures together. My Photographer did NOT bring her A Game because she was having all sorts of Technical Difficulties operating Pam's camera. She flashed me the first time, and then she kept making Pam's camera turn off. Then she used Debbie's camera which she figured out pretty quickly.

Then, just when I thought AAB Photographer was done, she decided SHE needed a picture of me (because she doesn't photograph me enough, you know).

I am a Very Patient Cat, but I can only be photographed so many times in a row while being hugged by a (very nice and thoughtful) stranger, so this is the picture my Photographer got:


Despite the Crazy Eyes in the picture, I had a wonderful Visit with Pam and Debbie, and have decided to make them Famous by mentioning them in my blog. (I got their Permissions first because now they're going to have to deal with the Paparazzis and stuff.)

Famouser and famouser,

Tober