Of Parties and Gender Confusion

If you've been following various blogs today, you might have heard there was a big, big birthday bash going on over at Misty Dawn's Place for her baby, Maggie May. Today, you see, was Maggie May's first birthday -making her seven years old then. I think that's the comparison of dog years to human, isn't it?

Anyway, everyone here affiliated with Downriver Drivel wants to wish Maggie Mae and her mistress, Misty Dawn, the very best wishes for the happiest birthday and many more.

Because of various problems, we weren't able to get away from the Downriver region to pay our respects in person - or even earlier today when the party was in full swing. But we have some good reasons for the delay.

First, there was a problem for Gram to get access to the computer as everybody and their flipping brother seemed to need to do something on it today and tonight. Then, when things finally cleared out and I could get here to search through pictures to use to send greetings from each party who was supposed to attend Maggie Mae's gala celebration, I couldn't locate the picture of Gracie, the senior feline family member. Gracie is the 16-year-old cat and apparently she's not the only one in the family getting senile either cause I searched all my files but couldn't find the photo I had of just Gracie, all by herself. The only picture I could find of her at all, was this one here below -of Maya and Gracie in the playpen together. Apparently Grace decided to go into hiding tonight too cause I couldn't locate her to take a current photo of her either. But, although Gracie probably doesn't remember what a birthday is much less when hers was and also, since she generally tends to hide from dogs, regardless how sweet and friendly they are, she probably heard me mention about this celebration and decided to play contrary old lady and hide out till it was too late to be included at the party. But, if she could (and if she weren't afraid of doggies), I'm sure she'd at least send a card asking for someone to keep these children here away from her and just let her sleep, peacefully, while everyone else carries on singing and dancing and eating dog and cat birthday treats.

Nina is currently visiting this week - and probably for a couple of weeks - maybe longer, we're not quite sure yet - up at Uncle Clate's house. Seems Uncle Clate and his roommate, Dan, have been having a little problem up at that house with mice and they were going to take Jorge up there to stay and hopefully, catch the bad mice but Gram suggested that Nina go instead because Nina has been known to understand that cats are expected to catch mice. (Yes, Nina did catch a mouse last fall one day here in the house.) But Nina, being the party cat she is, asked that I send this picture of her along with greetings for Maggie Mae's birthday.
Now Jorge had planned to attend but because of things getting jammed up with computer time being at a premium, Gram didn't have enough energy to send Jorge out to the party. Don't believe me? See for yourself.

And, since Gram and Maya looked pretty peaceful but just in case they needed a little bodyguard, Jorge decided to stick around here this evening but wishes you a very happy birthday all the same. See what a great "watch" cat Jorge is?
And now, it seems too we have a bit of a problem here pertaining to sweet little Jorge.

When this cat first arrived here - or maybe I should say, when I first discovered the cat had arrived here Sunday night but I didn't learn about it till Monday afternoon, the very first question I put forth was about Jorge's gender. I asked Kate, since she is the one who named the cat "Jorge" if she had checked to see what sex the cat was and she had assured me that yes, she had checked and the cat was most definitely a male.

Well, I took her at her word but yesterday afternoon, Mandy told me she happened to be "looking Jorge over" (if ya know what I mean) and in doing so, she thought perhaps a closer look might be in line with respect to the gender as she thought Jorge was kind of minus some things and we might want to consider a name change, maybe - to say "Jorgetta" or something like that -maybe even Mabel -but at least a feminine name.

So I asked Kate about this- if she was really sure, downright positive that Jorge is a male and again, she said she was certain. I asked her then what method she used to make her determinations about the sex of the cat and to my surprise, she said she had used a method I had never heard of before in determination of the sex of an animal.

She figured it out by the fur!

Yes, you read that line correctly - "by the fur!" Now how in blazes does one figure out if a cat is male or female by the fur? Well, it seems, according to Kate's apparently tried and true methodology, that female cats have very soft, silky fur whereas male cats fur is stiffer, not soft, not fluffy and that my friends, is how you tell the sex of a cat!

I proceeded to explain to Kate that I really do believe she is checking the wrong area there. Then I reminded Mandy of the one and only litter of kittens old Gracie had many years ago -before she went to spend two days with the vet and after that, kittens were a thing of her past -but one of Gracie's kittens -a male -was so obvious in his sexuality that when he walked away from you, because of what you saw then, we (the kids and I) referred to him as "Balzac" until some kind soul adopted him out from our home.

I really do think Kate may have missed some very important lessons last year in her biology class though too, don't you?

But, if anyone has any suggestions for another name for Jorge -feel free to pass it along to us. For my part, I'm just as happy to let things alone and keep calling her "Jorge" anyway -gives the cat added personality and character, I think. Kind of like the reverse of Johnny Cash and his son, "A Boy Named Sue" don't 'cha know?

But anyway - Happy, happy first-seventh birthday to Maggie Mae! Hope you got lots and lots of greetings and good wishes for many, many more occasions like today!

The Downriver Gang -with lots and lots of drivel here to spare,. ya know!