Aby-a-Day – 2 Juli: Remembering Jacoby on Canada Day

Yesterday was Canada Day, and the above memory from last year popped up on my Facebook feed. Even though the celebrations this year are rather subdued this year, I can’t help but recall Jacoby’s past Canada Day fashion statements.

There was that one time when he wore a wool sweater…and a mitten.

Of course, in 2014 he was very excited about the Winter Olympics in Sochi…and with good reason: Canada beat Sweden to win hockey gold!

Then there was the year he was feeling a little conflicted about being a Canadian in Boston, which is kind of famous for its epic Fourth of July celebrations.

Aby-a-Day – 27 November 2020: Jake’s fabulous turkey outfit (Fashion Friday Flashback)

I know I’ve posted Jacoby and his fabulous turkey outfit many times before, but the memory came up again on Facebook this week, and I couldn’t resist sharing it again.

Preparing for the fashion show at the Westchester Cat Club show, Jake didn’t just wear that thing. He owned it. So much so that the creator gifted it to Jake after the show.

He posed so perfectly on that green sofa.

Jake was so confident, he didn’t mind sharing the sofa with another contestant.

My favourite thing about that turkey outfit is that even Jake himself knew how good he looked wearing it.

He looked at himself for the longest time, admiring himself. I know they say cats don’t recognise themselves in mirrors, but I think Jake definitely did.

Aby-a-Day – 1 Juli 2020: Wordless Wednesday (Canada day, down Canada way)

Aby-a-Day – 24 April 2020: Fancy face masks (Fashion Friday)

As everyone on the planet knows, we are experiencing a pandemic and we’re all being held hostage by a familiar virus. Unlike the rest of the world, Sweden is managing the Covid-19 situation in a…unique way. Most businesses are still open, high schools and universities are teaching online but all other schools are still in session, there are markings on the floors near the checkouts in shops, but there are no measures taken in the aisles to keep people apart. And nobody is wearing masks. But I am. I have asthma, and everytime I get a cold, it doesn’t go away. It settles in my lungs, and turns into bronchitis or pneumonia. I know how insidious coronaviruses can be. I have been reading studies of one certain type of coronavirus for twelve years now, and I am not taking any chances.

I bought a box of 50 semi-disposable medical masks on Amazon.de to tide me over until I can get some cuter ones. On a whim, I thought I would try one on Izaak. Whoops…sorry, Zak, you can’t see with it on like that!

Okay, that’s better. Zak actually wore it pretty well, but I am not going to lie, I miss Jacoby. He would rocked this mask!

Even though he’s not the pro Jake was, Zak did finally strike a couple of pretty good poses for me.

Of course Alfred had to come check out what Zak and I were doing.

Huh. That’s rude. Guess he’s not a fan of masks.

Given his reaction, of course I made him model it, too. He only kept it on long enough for one good photo, though, and I didn’t have time to adjust it so it wasn’t covering his eyes. Again, sometimes I really miss Jake.

But I really want a better mask than these disposables. One of my Facebook friends sent me a link to a super cute face mask with Abyssinians wearing masks on it! I love that a blue Aby is the main cat on the mask. (There is also one with Somalis on it.)

But look what else they have! A Singapura face mask! I ordered one of each. I know they seem a bit expensive ($24.95), but each mask comes with three replaceable filter pads, to give a little more protection when you go outside, and you can always get more filters. I can’t wait to try them on!

Aby-a-Day – 25 Januari 2020: “Get you a cat who can do it all” (Silly Saturday)

So, you may have noticed there’s a new social media challenge meme going around. Of course I had to do it…and of course, I had to do it with Jacoby. So…here you go: Jake’s profile photos on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Tinder.

Aby-a-Day: June’s over? Julying! (Fashion Friday Flashback)

Four years ago, I posted about how Canadian-born Jacoby tended to get a little confused about what to wear the first few days of July.

To prove this point, I dressed him up in an Uncle Sam hat along with a maple leaf bandanna and Team Canada sweater.

He was such a legend at posing with outfits on.

And his eyes…so expressive!

And then…someone came and photobombed our little modelling session. Jake knew it immediately.

“Tessie’s right behind me, ruining my photo, isn’t she..?”

“Tessie, do you mind? I’m kinda doing a thing here.”

“Right. Let’s get back to the posing.” I’m just sorry I never found a Sweden jersey for him to pose in.

Aby-a-Day – 24 December: Julafton and Kalle Anka

It’s hard to describe how important watching Kalle Anka (Donald Duck) at 3pm on Christmas Eve is in Sweden.

Jacoby…seriously. It’s a big deal. Go sit down and watch.

That’s better.

Having experienced four Swedish Julaftons now, I can attest. Donald Duck and Christmas are a thing.

The annual broadcast, shown in Sweden since 1959 consists of Jiminy Cricket presenting about a dozen Disney cartoons from the 1930s to the 1960s, only a couple of which have anything to do with Christmas. There are “Silly Symphonies” shorts and clips from films like Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and The Jungle Book. The special is pretty much the same every year, except for the live introduction by a Swedish host and the addition of one new snippet from the latest Disney-produced movie (This year, it was a scene from Wreck-It Ralph Breaks the Internet and a scene from The Incredibles II).

The first year we lived here, we went to Jönköping and watched it at Björn’s mom’s house. We have done that every year…until this year. In a manner of speaking, Jake spent Christmas at Björn’s mom’s house before he even lived here.

This year, we had Julafton and watched Kalle Anka at home in Skövde.

But it was hard to not think of the Juls we had spent at Björn’s mom’s house. That defined Christmas in Sweden to me…and Christmas in general to Björn.

We did miss Björn’s mom’s Christmas tree, decorated with hand-cut paper hearts.

And also the weird straw pig that lived underneath the tree.

Björn’s mom also had this display of her collection of Dala horses. Jake tried to fit in.

“Ugh…these guys are a bunch of stiffs!”

Like his mini-me, Jake posed with the row of Tomten, too.

This Julafton was wonderful…but I miss the holiday in Jönköping.

Aby-a-Day – 23 December: “Momma, don’t make me wear that old thing again…I got them ugly sweater blues” (Silly Sunday)

If you’re a regular follower of this blog, you know that one of our holiday traditions is dressing up the cats. This year is no different. Especially since I have this little red dress with a plaid skirt that I knew would be just perfect for Lorelai.

And I was right. She rocked it.

…And then she went off to fight with Izaak, still wearing the dress…like the tomboy she is (She won, too).

Jacoby, of course, put on his Santa sweater and Mistletoe Hat like the pro that he is.

He gave me all his best poses.

I love him so much. Good old stable, reliable Jake.

What would I do without him?

Angel, too, is no stranger to the annual holiday dress-up routine.

She’s not quite the show-off Jake is, but she knows how to pose. Her ears aren’t really mad, though. That’s just the elastic on the hat.

She also knows that if she gives me a few good poses, I’ll take off the stuff and let her go.

Alfred didn’t get dressed up last year, so this was his first experience with our tradition.

It took him a second to really get the hang of it.

But he soon realised it really wasn’t all that bad. In fact, it was kind of fun!

“Freddy the Elf…what’s your favourite colour?”

Zak got to wear the infamous Christmas Tree Costume.

He…was less than thrilled.

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He decided he wanted to leave.

I tried to tell him that trees have roots and can’t move, but he wasn’t having any of it.

Logan also wore the tree costume last year.

Who do you think wore it better?

Aby-a-Day – 21 December: A festive trip to the vet (Fashion Friday)

Wednesday, Izaak got his Suprelorin implant.

It was chilly, so I dressed him in Jacoby’s red fleece snowflake hoodie and his festive red flannel diapers

He knew he looked festive and he owned it.

He also posed with the Jul decorations in the cat waiting room…like the Jul Goat.

He was also very interested in my tea.

Zak had a good time exploring the waiting room.

At last, it was time for Zak to go in and get his implant.

Unlike Logan, Zak had no problem with the lidocain, and he didn’t react at all to the actual injection. Even the vet commented on how great Zak accepted his implant compared to the way Logan accepted it. Zak is completely fine, two days later, and he doesn’t seem to need the diapers anymore, either. I think he’s already happier now that he’s on Suprelorin.

Aby-a-Day – 7 December: “I joined the Navy to see the world…what did I see? I saw the sea” (Fashion Friday)

When I first moved to Sweden, I found a Baltic pet life jacket at a second-hand shop. Björn’s brother has a boat, so who knows? Jacoby might go on a boating trip some day. Besides, it was too good a deal to pass up. In pet shops, these vests are at least 200kr (about $22), but I got this one, in perfect shape, for 25kr (about $2.75).

Not only that, but it’s a perfect fit, and Jake rocks it.

He knows how good he looks in it, too.

That feel when you know you’re spectacular.

Then Björn got the idea to put a little sailor’s hat on Jake to finish the outfit.

Which, of course, Jake wore with panache.

If anything, he was even prouder of himself than he was before!

Aby-a-Day – 30 November: Jacoby’s Don Draper suit (Friday Fashion Flashback)

Can you believe it’s been FIVE years since Jacoby got his United Bamboo retro suit that he, famously, wore as JFK to my Marilyn?

But it’s true…it was five years ago this year that I got Jake his “Don Draper” suit.

My, how time has flown, right?

Can you believe it’s been that long since Jake got his cool suit?

Because I can’t.

It seems like he’s always had it…and yet, at the same time, it feels like he just got it. Time is funny that way, isn’t it?

Aby-a-Day – 2 November: A Red Sox Therapy Visit (Fashion Friday Flashback)

On Sunday, the Boston Red Sox won their fourth World Series in fourteen years, which is incredibly awesome. Even more awesome, I was able to watch them every step of the way, because just this year, Swedish television started showing MLB games. I mean, I have been here for over two years, but when I saw they were (finally) showing baseball, I was so happy.

It also reminded me of when they won five years ago. About a week before they won, at the beginning of the series against the Cardinals, Jacoby and I went on a therapy visit to the Fuller Center in full Red Sox regalia.

We rocked it – I even found some real baseball pants to go with my jersey.

Jake was so good about wearing his Red Sox hat.

He actually wore it for most of the visit. He’s such a good boy.

I actually miss going on therapy visits, with Jake or with anyone else (Lorelai and Izaak, I think, would also be great therapy cats), but there doesn’t seem to be anything like that in Sweden. Too bad, too…because Skaraborg’s Sjukhuset is really close to where we live and super easy to get to by bus

Aby-a-Day – 12 October: “Unbelievable – No more going to Yankee Stadium and having to listen to ‘1918.’” (Fashion Friday Flashback)

Five years ago this month, the Boston Red Sox won their third World Series in 10 years, and of course our Jacoby wore his jersey to cheer the team on.

Well, this year the Red Sox have had an amazing season and just beat the Yankees in the first playoff round and face the Houston Astros at Fenway on Saturday night. I’m lucky in that just this year they actually started broadcasting MLB games on Swedish television! They’re shown live, which is…challenging, given that they start at 1 or 2 in the morning, but I usually DVR them and watch them the next day.

Of course, it being October and the Sox being in the ALCS reminded me of the last Boston World Series game we watched.

I found a bunch of photos of Jake watching that game that, apparently, I never posted here. Of course, Jake was excited to watch the game.

Nothing like Boston during a playoff game – especially one at Fenway!

The Dropkick Murphys sang the National Anthem. That was awesome.

This was Game 6, and Boston was leading St. Louis 3-2.

Checking out the Cardinals’ line-up.

Make sure you have your bat, Jake!

Let’s just hope that the Red Sox can get past the Astros. GO RED SOX!

Aby-a-Day – 21 September: Arrrrrrgh! It be Talk Like a Pirate Day! (Friday Fashion Flashback)

Wednesday was Talk Like a Pirate Day. But as you know, Angel has always been our pirate.

She has had her pirate dress, hat and eyepatch for over five years now!

That’s kind of mind-boggling to me. It feels like we just got everything yesterday!

But in fact, last year I had to replace the feathers on Angel’s hat because they were just starting to disintegrate.

However, I think the new feathers look a lot better than the old ones! Feathers are a big part of the Swedish Easter celebration; they are used to make Påskris, birch twigs decorated with colourful feathers. So every spring I will be able to easily find replacement feathers for Angel…

…as long as I can remember in October where I put them when I bought them in April!

Aby-a-Day – 16 August: “Scars are simply modern battle wounds. Sometimes the enemy happens to be inside us.”

As you saw from yesterday’s post, Jacoby came home from his exploratory surgery with no problems.

When I came to collect him, the first thing that happened was that I was handed a folder with Jake’s aftercare instructions.

They were detailed, but completely manageable.

However, as you saw yesterday, AniCura sent him home with a hard plastic “Cone of Shame*.” Nobody wants to wear that, least of all our Jake. So on our way back to the bus stop, we stopped off at a conveniently located pet shop, but they didn’t have any soft cones, so I ended up buying him a Trixie Surgery Suit. We dressed him at the shop, but, sadly, I didn’t take any photos when we tried the onesie on Jake.

But, as you saw yesterday, Jake had zero issues with wearing his onesie. In fact, he probably had fewer issues with it than he would have had with the hard cone!

This morning, I woke up to…this. Jake was in a cuddle puddle on our bed with Alfred and Izaak!

I think Jake was as surprised about that as I was. I blame his (prescribed) post-op opioid painkillers.

But it wasn’t just Freddy and Zak. Angel was on the bed, too!

She didn’t join the boys’ cuddle puddle, but she clearly approved of it.

Okay, Angel. Back off…

Meanwhile, on my stomach…we had Lorelai. Which means all five cats were on our bed at the same time!

It may be Jake’s medication, but I’m taking it as a solid win!

* Or “Cone of Courage,” as one friend called it.

Aby-a-Day – 15 August: Wordless Wednesday (Home again, home again, jiggity jig)

Aby-a-Day – 17 March: Jacoby’s first St. Patty’s Day

For Jacoby’s very first St. Patrick’s Day, I bought him a little T-shirt at a cart in Faneuil Hall.

Even then – not yet a year old – he was such a good poser!

Not to mention a total chick magnet.

We even went downstairs to show the building concierge how festive he was.

He was also, as you can see, a total show-off at that young age.

I know I still have this shirt somewhere. I just don’t know where…

Aby-a-Day – 11 March: Have fun storming the castle…(Fashion Friday)

Boston has this really awesome castle on Arlington Street. Walking home from the Apple Store, Jacoby and I happened to pass by it.

It was a bit chilly by then, so Jake was wearing the hoodie that our friend Sanna sent from Finland.

Aby-a-Day – 5 February: Plaid madness (Friday Fashion Flashback)

I thought for today’s Friday Flashback, I’d see what photo I’d taken and posted a year ago…but it was another photo from the World Show. So I looked for the photos I did take last year closest to today…and wouldn’t you know it? It was a Saturday Photohunt for Plaid! So now, today’s post is not only a Friday Flashback, it’s also Fashion Friday!

Angel modelled this little red dress with a plaid skirt.

Who says redheads can’t wear red?

Meanwhile, Jacoby wore his black mohawk hoodie…

His Cat Scouts plaid shirt…

And this festive summery plaid shirt. You know…Björn wears a lot of button-up shirts. He and Jake can be twins!

Or not…Björn’s probably making that same exact face reading that, Jake.

Aby-a-Day – 2 February: Såna byxor vill jag ha (Cartoon Tuesday)

So after yesterday’s post, you know how much I love Findus the cat.

It’s pretty much my life’s dream now to get Jacoby a pair of green striped pants. And a hat to match.