Rosé All Day

It’s just one of the best sayings out there, isn’t it?

I am an equal opportunity wine lover. Aside from the too sweet Rieslings and Moscato, I have yet to meet a vino in which I can’t start a friendly relationship.

Fill to the brim, please.

The love affair started when I was looking for something to guzzle sip during weeknights that didn’t have caffeine and save overindulging of my Skinny Pirates for weekends.

Get the fuck out.

Just kidding. You can stay and sip a non-alcoholic beverage. Just be prepared for me to sweetly demand request you to be my bartender walking back and forth to the fridge for my refills.

I promise you’ll get your 10,000 steps in on your Fitbit.

I fell so hard for wine that when I was cooped up for days during a Nashville snow storm a few years ago, I walked two miles to the nearest liquor store for…

a) something to do

b) I wanted to use my snow boots

c) I NEEDED BOOZE

Desperation at its finest.

WORTH THE WALK.

Being that I’m the EEOC of wines, I love a chardonnay or Pinot Grigio in the spring and Pinot Noir or a red blend in fall and winter. And I love all of them in a bath full of bubbles.

I need someone to hold my book.

Thing is, I’m not a super fancy wine drinker. While I can surely appreciate a fabulously fine wine, I also have an adoration for wine that comes in boxes because it holds four bottles and costs $20.

Sister CBXB on the other hand is much more of a connoisseur of wine. Like, has been to Napa Valley and sent cases back expert. She introduced me to Rosé during one of my trips back to Iowa.

I fell in love. Hard.

Happy hour for everyone.

So upon my return home, when I saw a specialty bottle of Nashville Predators Rosé on the shelf of my fave liquor store, Reds, this past spring I sprung into action and made an unusual purchase of a $20 bottle. ONE bottle.

Collector’s edition…wine not? Pun intended.

It was delish. As I have found there are obviously different variations on the kinds of Rosé and some are way too sweet. So I was schooled that I liked dry Rosé or a sparkling brut Rosé. It’s crisp and the perfect pick for a summer day. Or night. Or both.

So when I was going in to get my weekly box of wine, I almost fell out of my stilettos when I saw that my favorite brand of cardboard wine had a Rosé. A DRY ROSÉ.

Dreams do come true.

It’s basically been my summer hydration station since then.

Summer IV bag.

Um, I have cats that drink wine, too. Although don’t tell any of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills that I serve it out of a margarita glass to the pussies.

I’ve done some converting to peeps that normally wouldn’t gravitate toward the pink wine. I brought a box over to First Mate’s one night and as she skeptically took a sip, it didn’t take more than the evening for the box to drain.

All aboard the rosé train.

Scooby and I often have texting dates while “sharing” a glass of the divine wine.

Cheers from Kansas City.

Dada CBXB, who typically partakes in rot gut vodka, has also hopped on the party train and might as well be the fucking conductor.

Drip drying the boxed bag.

No one I’d rather turn out like at 90 years of age than my fabulously fun party-her-pants off great Aunt Marge (one time she brought a bottle of champagne to Christmas, drank the entire bottle and then asked, “who drank all that?”), who also indulges in the pink stuff.

Ain’t no party like an Aunt Marge party.

There was a little hesitation from Mama CBXB but no worries, I shoved the straw down her throat.

Yes. She likes it.

But honestly, the icing on the cake comes from none other than Princess B, my mini me.

Relax. It’s just water.

But only for 15 more years.

There’s been many a time that I’ve thought I couldn’t have birthed my niece any better myself. I feel like I’m watching a tiny version of moi live her best life as she is deeply in love with sequins, having her nails painted, whipping her flair for dramatics out any chance she gets – oh, and she knows all of the names of my four pussies.

So when this text rolled in, I couldn’t wait to see what the fuck she was up to now.

My heart exploded with pride.

I WAS DRINKING ROSÉ WHEN THE VIDEO ROLLED IN. I’m contacting Bota Box to see if they need a new spokeswoman.

Coincidence? I think not.

If you need me to corrupt your children, please let me know. I’m just a glass of wine or Skinny Pirate away. Always happy to help, I am.

A definite, full on wino right here.

Now go Rosé all day.

Cheers!

CBXB

 

My Billion Dollar Pussy

Who knew you could buy a knight in shining armor?

He refuses to wear the armor.

This is a busted ass version of a fairy tale (what other version would you expect from me?), where I’m not the queen. That role is of course, has been occupied by His Royal Highness Teddy Bear ever since I rescued his ass seven years ago. I’ve happily played the role of loyal servant (and I still do) however, the perils of life turned me into a version of Humpty Dumpty…. one that weebles, wobbles and falls the fuck down (typically face first).

Me speedy recovery remedy after a fall.

While I’m the damsel in distress, my feline has caused me more torment as he’s decided to test the waters of almost every single ailment known to catkind while I was trying to trudge through the forest of life, getting us into some semblance of a kingdom. Even though his dramatic ailments added to my worry, he pulled the fuck through every time. Just like a knight in shining armour.

Just scaring mom for shits and giggles.

I couldn’t love my cat Teddy Bear more than if I birthed him from my own loins (but let’s be real, I’d pay a surrogate because ew, pain) and I would take a bullet the size of Donald Trump’s ego to save his furry life. Although over the years, the amount of cold hard cash I’ve shelled out to keep the love of my life alive and kickin’ rivals the amount NASA spends to put an astronaut on the moon. But it’s worth every fucking penny.

Like the start of many fairy tales, ours was love at first meow. Never mind the fact that he had an upper respiratory infection and ringworm due to being crammed in a one-bedroom apartment of 30 other felines before he was rescued (save your fucking jokes about this being me one day for later, please and thanks). Being such a trashtacular high maintenance gal myself, it felt nothing other than natural that this soon-to-be drama king chose me as his human soulmate.

Forced Soulmates.

After His Majesty’s ringworm and respiratory infection subsided, we learned that he had a food allergy to chicken (through several visits to the vet) as he would develop what basically looked like kitty chicken pox. The little red dots would scab over and Tedstar got to wear a cone, which ever pet owner knows is the best time ever.

The most pissed off cone head on the planet.

All the feels about the cone, complete with puke.

So I received a prescription card to purchase $80 per bag cat food that’s a mixture of peas and duck. Maybe I should have known when I walked into the kitchen one day and saw this…

Bitch Peas

Forcing Ted to be my bestie took a solid two years, as he was skiddish, nervous and full of anxiety due to the lack of human contact while he was one of 29 others the first year of his life. But one miraculous day, my shy little pussy morphed into a full on stalker. I couldn’t sit (and still can’t) down for 15 seconds without him creeping onto my lap or darting like a figure skater through my legs while I tried to walk or wanting to partake in chores as he sat on my hip (mostly pouring Skinny Pirates and applying lipstick) but he does love to assist…

…with laundry…

…with dishwasher loading…

…and unloading…

…and letting me know when the shitter’s full.

He even started presenting me with lavish gifts only a pussy could deliver to his mother.

Prancing in one night with a cardinal in his mouth while I was relaxing in the bath.

He proudly corralled tampons like John Wayne did cowboys.

Once, he even tried to reenact scenes from my favorite crime show, Forensic Files, by creating an outline of his body in a bush, as he misjudged it being a solid surface.

Forensic feline body outline.

As life tends to twist and turn, shit hit the fan after our first three years together. I went through what might as well have been a divorce, losing a long-term relationship, my house, my job AND getting to move in with my parents all in the same week.

WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK.

Trying to get back up on my own paws, I moved four times in three years. During this tumultuous time in life, Ted remained steadfast by my side. Although he continued to be high maintenance as fuck, making his mother stress to the max about her sidekick literally kicking the bucket. Among his many ailments:

Kitty Celiac Disease which forces me to feed my cat rather than myself the week his food runs out.

Fancy fucking feast.

Bi-yearly upper respiratory infections that always allow us a road trip to the vet.

Kitty colds suck.

And often require overnight stays for fluids.

Skin sensitivity at the most random times of the year.

Also, requiring visits to the vet, along with medication.

In more than one place, at different times naturally.

Resting bitch face.

No cost for me.

Motion sickness that was a super fun thing to discover.

The utmost dignity for the unattractive regurgitating of food in his mother’s lap.

A case of curiosity as he went missing from the mini manse for 24 hours and I spent my last dime making color copies and plastering car windshields in my apartment complex.

Every. single. car. But worth the $300, as he was found.

Fleas…after being outside one time in his entire life. It was like he had a one night stand….with fucking fleas.

This dip was fun before a trip to the vet.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease that took three weeks to uncover through exploratory surgery, endless testing and finally the right medications.

The gift that keeps on giving.

Congestive heart failure brought on by the steroid medications he was put on for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Which also took weeks of fun in the kitty ICU to uncover.

He’s been living with congestive heart failure for over a year now, which requires five medications daily, that I shove down his throat in a ball of cheese.

My own version of Walter White’s lab.

We single-handedly keep our veterinary’s lights on, where Ted is a motherfucking celebrity. He is their fave patient (most likely because we pay their mortgage bills).

Ted with his loyal and loving vet tech, Danielle.

Why go this far for my baby? Why the fuck wouldn’t I?

In the last two years, I’ve lost a career I’d spent years building, I lost the type of immediate family I thought would never be shaken, I lost friends who chose sides, I lost emotional, mental and financial stability I thought I’d created for myself. And then, I was raped. So this cat (and I want to punch people in the throat who say “it’s just a cat”), is – and has been my knight in shining armor.

Sometimes a smothering knight in shining armor.

He greets me at the door daily. He eats, shits, commands all of the attention, helps me put my make-up on every morning, sunbathes on his terrace daily, sleeps on my chest, demands the food in his martini glass be filled to the brim so as not to strain his neck, enjoys an occassional glass of wine (kidding…kind of…I mean he is my cat).

This little love has put up with his big hearted mother and accepted the siblings introduced – who KNOW the pecking order of the mini manse. It’s like the seas part and Ted’s fucking Moses when any of my other four fur balls are on my lap and the Bear decides he’d like to sit there instead.

My pussy posse.

Adding to the brood just made the love grown. And animal rescuing always begs the question…who rescued whom?

Currently his home on my chest remains the same when I’m flat on my back. Although now, due to his congestive heart failure,  he’s like a sprinkler system, as every time he exhales through his nose, my face gets a hydrating snot mist (I should probably bottle this up and sell it). It’s even more adorable when I’m yawning and he occasionally sneezes into my mouth. It’s like a snot shot.

#relationship goals

We’ve kept one another going during the shit show of our lives over the past several years. I seriously look this pussy in the face (and you know you’re not supposed to do that because cats can see into your soul but let’s be real, mine’s still dark and twisty so there’s no harm done) and instruct him to hang on as long as possible.

You go, I go.

Thing is, without the constant companionship and unconditional love of the bitchiest feline on the planet, I may have ceased my emotional fight. Sound crazy? I don’t give a fuck. This pussy and I have been through the good, the bad, the ugly and the worst.

Shoulders to lean on.

From all of my family and all of my friends, Teddy’s lead my army in putting this busted ass version of Humpty Dumpty back together again. And while I may be trying to pay off pussy debt well into my golden years, he’s worth every goddamn penny.

He sure as shit knows it, too.

Our goodbyes in the morning on my way out the mini manse to work go something like this, “I love you Baby Bear. Don’t go dying on me.”

I’m going no where…you’ve purchased me an additional 46 lives.

Phew.

I think I’ve earned a bumper sticker that reads “My fur kid costs just as much as your human spawn.” Because there’s no one else in life I would rather have in the driver’s seat with me.

All aboard for the shit show.

Cheers!

CBXB

 

 

 

Weekend Winks – Cab Crashin’ Style

Cocktails, kitty time, football and a cab accident were the ingredients of my interesting Nashville weekend…

The little love of my life, Mr. Bear was impatiently waiting for his Friday evening cattails (and doing his best to blend in with the Halloween decor) upon my arrival home from work.

Desperate for a drink. He takes after his mother.

While enjoying our spirits, I shared news that will probably change Ted’s life for the better…there is now wine for cats (thank you dear readers for sharing the news – I don’t know how I wasn’t already in the loop, being bona fide cray over my cat). Although I’m going to have to fly to Japan to get my paws on one of the 1,000 bottles they’re making (but I think trekking across the world with my cat on the prowl for feline wine would make for some fun blog posts).

Never drink alone again?! Score for the all of the cat ladies out there.

While Tedstar reveled in his wine news and I continued to drink human vino, I got all kinds of confidence and started hanging up pictures that have been sitting on the floor since I moved in July. And I have to say, surprisingly none are crooked.

Yes, I will come do this for you but it will cost you one box of wine.

I was greeted with smiles from Iowa on Saturday morning, which made getting out of bed more tolerable.

Your adorableness for Monday compliments of my niece and nephew. You’re welcome.

Is there a better way to kick off college game day than with a tasty bloody mary?

Saturdays taste so good.

While I was prepping for the Iowa Hawkeye game, Ted participated (as it requires copious amounts of energy to sit) in the sport of bird watching.

The birds vacated the feeder upon Teddy’s presence. Smart birds.

With the tailgating (or rather homegating) goodies ready to go, my folks and I prepared to watch our Hawks get beat (which is a recurring theme this year).

Snack attack.

Even the pumpkins have spirit, yo.

And of course we kept up the shot after every score tradition, taking the sting out of the loss.

Classy family.

Teddy was so exhausted after his bird watching, he couldn’t keep his eyes open for one single second of the three-hour game.

Grandmas give the best belly rubs.

Late Saturday evening libations ended rather harshly as the cab we were riding home in got hit by a drunk driver.

Oh the fun times….

Ambulance not needed but arrived in what felt like seconds.

While everyone was thankfully OK after the impact, when it occurred I was leaning up from the backseat, talking to the driver (I seriously never shut up) and therefore slammed into the dash with my forearm. I think I feel a lovely bruise coming on.

It only hurts when I move it.

In recovery mode on Sunday, I was wishing I had a ticket to the Titans game. I must have turned into a witch at some point recently because a few minutes later, I got an invitation and free ticket.

Yes, please.

Once again, I became my own crafty bar tender in the bathroom (I just get classier, I know).

While it was a terrible football game (for Titans fans anyway), it was a beautiful fall day and fun times were had regardless.

Every team I like loses…maybe I’m not a witch with powers after all.

Upon my return home I found Ted in the same position he was in when I left earlier in the day.

Weekends are exhausting.

And he was in the same position yet again when I left for work this morning. Apparently all of the feline wine excitement really wore him out.

Here’s hoping your day isn’t as tough as Ted’s weekend.

Cheers!
CBXB