Happy New Year, Cutetropolitans! Our first cat for 2026 is Mutz (rhymes with “puts”) from reader N. Fritz, reminding us to look both ways before crossing into the new year:
I think Mutz is trying to tell us that he’s not quite ready for 2026, keeping his options open to return to the warm familiarity of 2025!
I commend Mutz for his caution, but frankly I was glad to see the back of 2025. Health-wise and financially it was probably the most stressful year of my whole life!
There’s not much to report from the Shortcakery. I’m still doing research for my tribute website for the actor Eric Porter (1928-1995), who is best remembered for playing Soames Forsyte in “The Forsyte Saga”. It’s a fascinating delve into the lost age of regional repertory theatre – in one season at Bristol he played King Lear, a pantomime dame called Cecily Suet, three characters in the musical “Salad Days”, and the fathers of several actresses older than him…all at the age of 26!
I’ve also discovered that I’m related, albeit distantly and by marriage, to a waterco!our artist named Frances Watson Sunderland, who specialised in views of her native Keighley (near Haworth) and some of whose works are displayed at Cliffe Castle Museum. I didn’t know this when I visited a couple of years ago but I’ll look out for them next time.
I remember Eric Porter best as Professor Moriarty, opposite Jeremy Brett’s Sherlock Holmes. I was just a little too young, I think, to watch The Forsyte Saga when it first aired in the US. And it was very difficult for a long time to find video of the full series.
I’m with you on kicking 2025 to the curb (or kerb).
Not sure I want to look back at much of 2025 (though if I were a cat I guess I might feel differently). The email said “It’s Caturday! Go outside!”…it’s 23 degrees, no thanks.
Actually I was just outside. My car’s engine light came on Monday morning, and I had an appointment to get it checked out today (but I had to drop it off, not wait for it, which means one of my parents would have to come get me). I was in the office Monday, made a couple stops on my way home, then worked from home the next couple days and didn’t go out for New Year’s, so I didn’t drive again until Friday. In the morning the light was still on, but by the time I left work (a couple hours early, with a migraine) it had gone off on its own. So I went out this morning to make sure that was still the case, car started normally, no engine light, and seemed fine when I drove a lap around the neighborhood. So I just cancelled the appointment. My last stop on Monday was to get gas, so I’m wondering if it wasn’t just that the cap was a little loose (though I’ve never had that issue with this car before; happened a lot a few cars ago but the cap on this one is different) and when the guy put it back on properly it fixed it. (I even thought “I should check the gas cap” after I got to work on Monday but then I forgot to do it when I was actually out there. Should have asked the guy at the gas station to look before he opened it. Oh well.) Anyway, hopefully that’s all it was but if it comes on again I’ll get it checked. I still have a bit of a headache so I really just want to curl up under a blanket with some tea.
My plans for the weekend include eating my lunch from yesterday that I couldn’t eat (I managed some tea, cherries and a little granola during my work day, and some noodle soup and ginger ale for dinner), doing some laundry, and finishing the second season of Silo (I think I have seven episodes left; I’ll watch a few today and the rest tomorrow).
As expected, the dogs were good again. But these dogs go to 11.
oh my gosh Ravioli! Now that is a funny lookin’ dog. Sweet – of course, but funny. The medieval reference is perfect.
I guess it’s better than a Chihuahua body with a Pit Bull head…still, confusing.
I concur on all points. What a wonderful first post of the year!
Silo is just fantastic. Even better than the first season, and that’s saying something. The books are also quite good, though of course different in some respects.
I read the books a long time ago (long enough that I can’t get distracted by noticing things they changed in the show). Not usually my genre, but my then-boss recommended them (and loaned them to me), and I had an inner ear infection at the time so I couldn’t do much but sit on the couch and look at things that didn’t move (in other words, couldn’t handle the TV or computer for more than a few minutes without getting queasy, but stationary pages were ok), so I read the whole series in a few days.
Car trouble is a pain.
You gotta have reliable transportation, I don’t want you stuck somewhere on the side of the road.
I got a carburetor for christmas myself. Ouch!
Love see Mutz popping up on this page. And in some ways I’m glad to put 2025 in the rear view mirror but at the same time, there were some good things that happened. 2026 is not starting out so great after looking at the latest headlines. I really need to learn to come here first before checking out the news.
Haircut today then going to the Auto show and ooh and ahh over the latest models.. Fingers crossed hubby doesn’t see something he just absolutely has to have. Tomorrow will be errands and maybe cleaning day. Also may check out the museums’ latest exhibits if the weather cooperates. It’s forecasted to rain off and on all weekend. Enjoy your weekend!
Hey Mutzchen, don’t worry about 2026. You have a wonderful loving family that will keep you warm this coming year.
I’m still in bed with Butch curled up by my legs. I should get up and do something productive, but I’m so cozy! I may have over committed myself this spring – full time job, two adjunct courses, and now I’ve agreed to bind an edition of books for my former writing professor (for whom I’ll do anything). We agreed to five before the end of February – which I think is manageable. The other 15 in the summer.
My dad’s birthday is Monday. He’ll be 86. We’ll have a zoom conference to decide what we will read next for Father-Daughter Book-Book Club. He’s a retired librarian, I’m a book conservator, so we read books about books. 🥰 The last one was a little esoteric for him as it was mostly about artists’ books. I think we will read The Future of the Book edited by Geoffrey Nunberg. It’s got an essay by Umberto Eco in it. I’m nervous because think the entire book will be very academic and dense. Not that that’s a bad thing. . . but it will take more effort.
Happy first Caturday of 2026 Everyone!
Happy birthday to your dad! Mine turned 86 in November. I love your Book-Book Club idea.
Mutz sends his love to all Cutetropolitans! He’s an old man, and he’s slowing down, but he’s got a great fan club to keep him going.
We took part in the Bird Hour Count today: 13 species, most of them common, but we got a couple of Eurasian jays and a great spotted woodpecker at the last minute. Unfortunately, our house kestrel doesn’t count because it was too early in the day.
Happy New Year to y’all!
Hmm.
Mutz wants to be both in and out. To have all options and to have others’ lives depend on his whims.
Oh, like a CAT! And I for one welcome our elderly overlord.
Mutz is right to be careful, I’m glad to see the end of 2025 and looking at the news this morning 2026 doesn’t look like it’s going to be a lot better, at least we have cute critters to look at and nice people here at Cutetropolis.
Happy New Year to Mutz and all fellow Cutetropolitans!
Lurking
Happy Caturday to you all, and especially to sweet Mutz. He’s right to be so cautious. Like most of you, I am *delighted* to see the end of 2025. But today’s news also makes me trepidatious for the future.
I took Friday off, so I’ve been enjoying another 4-day weekend. The dye pans came out today and I’ll need to do a thorough cleanup of the kitchen surfaces because stuff splashes no matter how careful I am. (I do the most messy stuff in my second bathroom, but the sink in there isn’t a good water source.) Meanwhile, I’m about to finish Snafu by Ed Helms, one of the actors from The Office. It’s a romp starting in the 1950s through the aughts, looking at big events caused usually by stupid or careless people. His chapter on Manual Noriega seems particularly apropos today.
Hugs to you all. Stay warm and dry if you’re experiencing “weather.”
“angry spicy nugget” 😂
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Very much describes my 2 burritos!!!
I wondered how you would react to this video! It’s hilarious.
Curious.
Anyone else interested in this?
https://www.rew.ca/properties/dl-1967-willow-cale-fs-road-prince-george-bc
If I was retired, and thought I could get CDN citizenship, I’d be on that in a heartbeat. That seems like a great price for so much acreage. The only possible downside I can see is it looks like it’s really close to the Fraser River, so maybe flooding potential, but it seems like there are high spots to put a house (always, always build on the highest part of the property).