Ace of Spades Pet Thread, March 14

Courtesy Troy Rubright

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Good afternoon and welcome to the almost world famous Ace of Spades Pet Thread. Thanks for stopping by. Kick back and enjoy the world of animals.

Would you like a treat?

Let's relax a little with the animals and leave the world of politics and current events outside today.

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It's cat day today!

Courtesy David Thompson:

Cats in Medieval Manuscripts & Paintings

Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer (1471–152 never saw a rhino himself, but by relying on eyewitness descriptions of the one King Manuel I of Portugal intended as a gift to the Pope, he managed to render a fairly realistic one, all things considered.
Medieval artists’ renderings of cats so often fell short of the mark, Youtuber Art Deco wonders if any of them had seen a cat before.
Point taken, but cats were well integrated into medieval society.

Much more information on the death penalty connected with cats and so forth at the link above.

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Courtesy Carla Brown

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Meet The PetMorons

&&&

Tutti Fruitti was in his wicker house, turns 18 in April; Henrietta Hot Paws keeping me company while I sew, in the sun, at almost 14…
Nan in AZ

What lovely companions! Thanks for sharing their photos.

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&&&

Hi,
I know it's a bit late. This is moron Dark Litigator. I was the co-owner (3%) of cat Maceo ("MAYseeoh") who I occasionally mentioned over the years. His mama (97% owner) had him for nearly 6 years. He was a special needs rescue cat from the mean streets of Fresno but he blossomed into the coolest, little dude. A few weeks ago he developed late-stage heart and kidney disease so we sadly had to euthanize him at 2pm on 2/22. Here are a couple of pics from his better days, if you could put one or both up.
Thanks.

So sorry you have lost Maceo - - such a cool cat. Thanks for rescuing him. Keep in touch.

* * *

Thank you for sharing your pets and animal photos and stories with us today.

If you would like to send pet and/or animal stories, links, etc. for the Ace of Spades Pet Thread, the address is:

petmorons at protonmail dot com
Remember to include the nic or name by which you wish to be known when you comment at AoSHQ, or let us know if you want to remain a lurker.

Until next Saturday, have a great week!

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If you start feeling nostalgic, here a link to last week's Pet Thread, the Ace of Spades Pet Thread, March 7

I closed the comments on that post so you wouldn't get banned for commenting on a week-old post, but don't try it anyway. There was a discussion of pine cat litter in the comments last week. Anyone else try it this week?

Posted by: K.T. at 03:23 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 pets!

Posted by: m at March 14, 2026 03:26 PM (+YA9H)

2 Top 5?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 14, 2026 03:27 PM (wzUl9)

3 Cat Fud ------------------->

Posted by: The dog standing just outside the door, waiting at March 14, 2026 03:28 PM (0sNs1)

4 CATS!

Posted by: Joe Mama at March 14, 2026 03:29 PM (TezPK)

5 Yay all pets and their morons !

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at March 14, 2026 03:29 PM (Kt19C)

6 Hi Wolfus.

Thanks for the pet thread. I'll read later. I'm watching a Japanese horror movie now.

My friends' cat Snowflake, who is now back to being their outdoor cat, is taking the afternoon off from the wild and is sleeping comfortably in my lap at this very moment. She's sound asleep.

Cute. Not my cat.

Back to the movie. Later everyone.

Posted by: Stateless at March 14, 2026 03:34 PM (Sco7b)

7 Whaddaya know, I breezed right into it --!

Afternoon, Pet Folken. Saturday, Cat Day on the Pet Thread, and Pi Day all in one (at 4 pm, 1600 hours, it will be 3.1416)! Surely all of these things rarely happen at one time. It portends something peculiar!

Joyenz, if you're here: As you mentioned last week, I bought the 20-lb. bag of Feline Pine at Walmart yesterday and changed the cats' box, leaving a layer of the old clay on top. I don't know if I got clumping or non-clumping. There was only one kind on the shelf, and after putting the stuff into the 30-lb. Petco bucket, I threw away the bag without noticing what it said.

Anyway, no disasters yet. The felines seemed startled but were not deterred from using it. I do hope this $12.00 bag will last longer than the $8.00 20-lb. jug of the clay stuff, and be both more effective and easier to clean up!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 14, 2026 03:34 PM (wzUl9)

8 Awww, look at all the beautiful kitties today.

So sorry about Maceo, he was a handsome boy.

I hope Tutti and Henrietta continue on for many more years.

Our cat blog is updated

https://tinyurl.com/dg65258

Posted by: Joyenz at March 14, 2026 03:37 PM (2F0/Y)

9 Happy Caturday everyone

Posted by: Skip at March 14, 2026 03:37 PM (Ia/+0)

10 Tutti Frutti and Henrietta are both very good-looking cats, and handsome Maceo has a "Don' mess wid me, sucka" look on his face in both photos. How old was he?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 14, 2026 03:37 PM (wzUl9)

11 Thanks KT!

Posted by: Huck Follywood at March 14, 2026 03:38 PM (OI3q8)

12 such pretty cats. I will have to start sending in pics of my furry bandits.

I have a cat, Chloe, who is 16 and a bit and is getting thin. I took her to the vet, who did the blood tests, and from all indications the tests came out unremarkable, but she was a bit dehydrated.
The vet offered some anti-nausea shots, and a cat-sized unit of ringer's lactate, and I chose the ringer's.
She is also getting a bit stiff so I will be trying a dab of DMSO on her ears to see if that helps. I use it on my own shoulder, so it may help.
Poor little lady is getting to be a senior citizen. She is doing ok, but the young kittens get rambunctious around her which she disapproves of.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 14, 2026 03:38 PM (rbvCR)

13 Medieval cat on the left looks devilish.

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at March 14, 2026 03:38 PM (Cqx++)

14 Top pic cat looks much like a Ragdoll -- that same patented innocent expression of "Who, me?"

Maceo, I see, had a few speckles of what I was told was cat acne on the edge of his nose. My late red tabby with white, Arizona, developed that in his mature years. Never bothered him or me. Oh, I'd tell him it made him defective and he'd have to go back to the SPCA, but he paid no attention.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 14, 2026 03:41 PM (wzUl9)

15 i read wicker house as whisker house at first.

Posted by: cmeat at March 14, 2026 03:43 PM (R11M+)

16 Woof!!! Really, isn't every day a cat day? Beautiful cats, thanks for the thread.

Posted by: Rufus T. Firefly at March 14, 2026 03:43 PM (QZXg7)

17 Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 14, 2026 03:34 PM (wzUl9)

Glad to hear that there are no accidents yet. I think putting the regular litter on top is to slowly help transition them over. Hopefully it continues to only needing the pine.

Your bag will probably last longer than it does us. We have quite a few more cats than you. It's why we buy the 40lb bag from Walmart online and with my sister's employee discount and her free Walmart+, it works out well for us.

Posted by: Joyenz at March 14, 2026 03:43 PM (2F0/Y)

18 Cool looking kitteh neighbor.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at March 14, 2026 03:44 PM (RIvkX)

19 Wolfus, I put a layer of pellet stove pellets down in the litter box, and then a layer of kitty litter. The cats mix the two layers, but the pellets absorb the urine and keep the smell down. There is a technique to separate out the feces from the clean pellets, but it is similar to panning for gold. The pellets turn into wet sawdust, and when the smell gets ahead of the wood pulp, it is time to change out.
The pellets are cheaper than the kitty litter, and do a better job of keeping the smell down.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 14, 2026 03:44 PM (rbvCR)

20 That wasn't acne. Those were nose freckles. He had a few on his lower eyelid too.

Posted by: Dark Litigator at March 14, 2026 03:44 PM (KAi1n)

21 Poor little lady is getting to be a senior citizen. She is doing ok, but the young kittens get rambunctious around her which she disapproves of.
Posted by: Kindltot at March 14, 2026

***
My long-haired tuxedo cat Oreo was like that when kitten Tatiana Romanova came to live with us. Tati's main idea in life was to PLAY, and Oreo -- who might have been twelve or older -- didn't want to fuss with any of that.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 14, 2026 03:44 PM (wzUl9)

22 Meow....

Posted by: Puddleglum, drive by meow at March 14, 2026 03:45 PM (sAmhv)

23 Cats.....yes! But we must ask the question......Why?

Professor Erwin Cory, World Renowned Expert

Posted by: Ries Gorthanes at March 14, 2026 03:46 PM (uNwvV)

24 That wasn't acne. Those were nose freckles. He had a few on his lower eyelid too.
Posted by: Dark Litigator at March 14, 2026

***
Freckles is what I thought too, but to this day Linda insists one local vet told her Arizona had developed acne. I'll give that vet office this, that they kept him alive at a critical juncture when he was fourteen. But they also missed discovering that smart black cat Marie-Antoinette had been born a boy. (Imagine the hilarity when we found that out several years later --!)

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 14, 2026 03:49 PM (wzUl9)

25 We adopted a feral cat, born in the shop on an office chair, actually we assisted with her birth at the workplace, and made her one of the team.

I never once heard her purr. Why is that? She was made the queen of the facility. Nicest, friendliest cool cat I've ever seen.

She was hooked on treats like a crackhead.

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at March 14, 2026 03:52 PM (M9gjJ)

26 Great thread. I will come back later to read the rest of the comments.

Very tired as the last few days I have had issues breathing, even with all my medical devices. Time to curl up with the four cats who have deemed me a suitable bed.

Posted by: Joyenz at March 14, 2026 03:53 PM (2F0/Y)

27 Of course, my cat's a jerk. But he eats a lot of rats, and saves me the parts he doesn't like, so I know he's been hard at it. And he doesn't seem to mind much when I get a deer and gloat about it. He is a barn cat and has only cost me a vet bill twice, so I keep him fed and free of fleas and ticks. Every time he sees me he does something he knows I don't like, so, I know he cares.

Posted by: Don in SoCo at March 14, 2026 03:55 PM (zQagC)

28 Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at March 14, 2026 03:52 PM (M9gjJ)

Mr. Grey has such a soft purr, you cannot hear or feel it. You know he's purring though by his behavior when he makes biscuits or just flops like a baby into my arms and lap.

Ok, sleep time.

Posted by: Joyenz at March 14, 2026 03:56 PM (2F0/Y)

29 I never once heard her purr. Why is that? She was made the queen of the facility. Nicest, friendliest cool cat I've ever seen.

She was hooked on treats like a crackhead.
Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at March 14, 2026

***
Miss Linda swears that Angelique, the Siamese-pointed Siberian who came up to me in a parking lot to be rescued, didn't remember how to purr for a year after she adopted the cat. This is the one who would sit in your lap of her own accord, but if you shifted your leg an inch, she would growl on a rising note, like "I'm gonna explode --!!!" She wouldn't leap away after the growl, but would stay on your lap. (The cat was a bit cracked, I think.)

I believe purring is learned in kittenhood from the mother, and is used to communicate between cats and maybe humans too. It's been found, I think, that cats do not purr when they are alone.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 14, 2026 03:58 PM (wzUl9)

30 The furriest post of the week (if we ignore the cafes).

Know what's on the Moron-adjacent pet thread lunch menu for today?

Four and twenty blackbirds baked into a Pi.

Posted by: mindful webworker - yay pets at March 14, 2026 03:59 PM (O84gh)

31 All cats have a base level of retardation ranging from "mildly amusing" to "won't liver long because of sleeping on engines"

can't help it

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/
89ThOhd75Cw

Posted by: TheCatAttackedMyFoot at March 14, 2026 04:00 PM (jrgJz)

32 Marie had a purr you could hear across a quiet room. Most of my other cats, though, you had to put an ear to their ribs or a finger on their throats to hear or feel the purr. I used to think that cat purrs came in one size from the factory, and a big cat had too much mass and insulation to hear the sound well, while you could easily detect a purr from a smaller feline. But big Wolf's purr, while hard to hear, seemed louder than that of Arizona, who was the same size and heft.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 14, 2026 04:04 PM (wzUl9)

33 I may be stuck with Zero G Babymonster. My sister found someone looking to adopt a black cat but I guess it didn't pan out

Posted by: Victor Tango Kilo at March 14, 2026 04:05 PM (lUVvE)

34 My sister found someone looking to adopt a black cat but I guess it didn't pan out
Posted by: Victor Tango Kilo at March 14, 2026

***
Those of us who know, know that black cats are the best. At least they are the most easygoing and adaptable, and may even be the smartest. (There can be local variations, of course.) I've loved all my cats, even the difficult Codger Cat Chekov. But the black cats have all had something extra special.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 14, 2026 04:10 PM (wzUl9)

35 Story for the day with my dogs.

"OK, guys. Breakfast time."
Winnie quietly goes to her spot.
"Your turn, Domo."
"WAHOO! YAY! BREAKFAST!" hops everywhere
"In the crate, boy."
"WAHOO!" jumps into the crate
sigh "The other crate, dude."
"Oh right. I forgot." Jumps on two beds and makes it to the correct crate.

Posted by: NR Pax at March 14, 2026 04:13 PM (7xrfc)

36 Her defining characteristic right now is "sweet." She is perhaps the sweetest most docile cat I've known

Posted by: Victor Tango Kilo at March 14, 2026 04:13 PM (DqQmr)

37 looking to adopt a black cat but I guess it didn't pan out

You've got to brine them before pan ready

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at March 14, 2026 04:15 PM (Kt19C)

38 Such cute pictures. Thanks, everyone for sending them in and for KT for her work on this and the other threads.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at March 14, 2026 04:16 PM (PFs9e)

39 Her defining characteristic right now is "sweet." She is perhaps the sweetest most docile cat I've known
Posted by: Victor Tango Kilo at March 14, 2026

***
There you go.

I suspect, if there really was a fatwa against black cats in medieval Europe, that the smartest and sweetest got themselves hidden and protected by humans, and thus lived to breed and pass on their genes.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 14, 2026 04:16 PM (wzUl9)

40 I posted this on the tech thread, but I wanted to repeat it because it's such a cute video of a happy dog:

https://tinyurl.com/4zbhd9rn

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at March 14, 2026 04:18 PM (PFs9e)

41 Our little kitty Scout was a black cat. She was unbelievably sweet, but had that mischievous streak. We miss her.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, at March 14, 2026 04:19 PM (Ar/17)

42 The shelters are leery of adopting out black cats in September and October, so they tend to have them in those months. I apparently convinced the local shelter that I was of good intentions so I got our Magic the probably Bengal in October.
He hasn't taken over the house to fill the alpha cat role, but since he is so much bigger than the other cats they defaulted to him being in charge.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 14, 2026 04:21 PM (rbvCR)

43 Funny cat videos:

https://tinyurl.com/y76hpwzs

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at March 14, 2026 04:22 PM (PFs9e)

44 40 I posted this on the tech thread, but I wanted to repeat it because it's such a cute video of a happy dog:

Posted by: FenelonSpoke

Even if it's a repeat, you can't go wrong posting a happy dog video.

Posted by: NR Pax at March 14, 2026 04:22 PM (7xrfc)

45 My sister had a couple of Persians. The boy cat had a very quiet purr. The girl cat, her purr you could hear in another county. A variety of purrs in kittuhs.

Posted by: Puddleglum, drive by meow at March 14, 2026 04:23 PM (sAmhv)

46 a fatwa against black cats in medieval Europe

Them old Greek homos!

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at March 14, 2026 04:23 PM (Kt19C)

47 How many childrin of coller dyed twoday in that Iran place because of that warmongerang Trump ??

Posted by: Mary Cloggistein from Brattleboro, Vt at March 14, 2026 04:24 PM (hVcDO)

48 A: Thank you for the pet thread! Such a lovely diversion at the end of a week.

II: I was unable to post in a timely manner on last weeks thread, and I see that the pellet thing has come up again this week, and I wanted to throw in my two cents........ pine pellet bedding comes in 40 pound bags at the tractor supply store and Rural King. Those are stores that are all over the place in central Ohio, though I don't know how far across the country they extend. But I have found them to be even slightly cheaper than buying pellets for a stove, and I tell myself that they're better because they've not been treated with anything. I don't know if woodstove pellets have anything added to them, I have not researched it. But I know that the bedding pellets are pine sawdust only. And I'm paying about $7.80 for a 40 pound bag. The disadvantage is that it does not come in smaller sizes than 40 pounds and, I am not aware of a way to get them delivered. So I have to be able to get those bags into my vehicle, unassisted, and then unload them at home unassisted. And for now, I can do that. Not sure what I'll do when I'm not able to heft them by myself, but that's a problem for another day.

Posted by: Appycay at March 14, 2026 04:25 PM (EdYR/)

49 IDK if this link works, but this is Zero G Babymonster

https://is.gd/vC6Jdm

Posted by: Victor Tango Kilo at March 14, 2026 04:28 PM (Cqf9B)

50 Not sure what I'll do when I'm not able to heft them by myself, but that's a problem for another day.
Posted by: Appycay at March 14, 2026 04:25 PM (EdYR/)

Get some 5 gallon buckets at KFC or any other fast food joint (pickles and mayo come in those buckets) and see if you can get some help at the store filling them from the bag. Even if you get the bags into your trunk, you can transfer them to the buckets downhill from there and you can choose how heavy to fill that bucket with the handy bail.
Also, you can store the buckets outside if you have lids for them. And if you have an outside.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 14, 2026 04:30 PM (rbvCR)

51 Just finished my taxes.

Can I at least get a thank you letter for each Somalian I am paying for?

Posted by: 18-1 at March 14, 2026 04:33 PM (sKqQm)

52 Addendum to my other post:
Because I am a bad cat mom, I spent no time acclimating them to the new litter, it just got changed over. And neither one seemed to care.
My cats and my plants know that they're not going to get fussed over by me, so they need to be able to take what they are given and be happy with it.
😁

Posted by: Appycay at March 14, 2026 04:34 PM (EdYR/)

53 Lily the House Tiger says hi.

What beautiful cats! I'm a sucker for tufted ears.

Was Maceo a Scottish Fold, or did he just spend too many years in the boxing ring?

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at March 14, 2026 04:34 PM (kpS4V)

54 I have a question. in what ways have your pets comforted you at a difficult time?. Yesterday was a long day as we buried our wonderful organist, Jessie. She was such a dear person. Pynchon, our black cat slept next to me in the bed, which he doesn't do very often. He will sleep on the bed, but not right next to me. I thought it was very sweet.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at March 14, 2026 04:34 PM (Nx5jP)

55 Thank you, Kindltot!

Posted by: Appycay at March 14, 2026 04:35 PM (EdYR/)

56 Cats are too independent. I will stick with my little rascal Chihuahua....

Posted by: Jackson K. at March 14, 2026 04:35 PM (jgBQB)

57 Posted by: Victor Tango Kilo

So adorable. Thanks.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at March 14, 2026 04:35 PM (Nx5jP)

58 PETZZZZ

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at March 14, 2026 04:37 PM (tcsrY)

59 Thanks Fen

Posted by: Victor Tango Kilo at March 14, 2026 04:40 PM (jCZC1)

60 Nyah!

Posted by: Anna Puma at March 14, 2026 04:41 PM (BS7wY)

61 Kitty patrol...

1. Jasmine is snoozing in the cat tree by my office window.
2. Penny and Allie are snoozing in my bed, but not curled up next to each other.
3. Kaylee and Hexie were lounging in the sun room, but decided to get up and stretch their legs.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 14, 2026 04:44 PM (ESVrU)

62 On another forum I frequent, there are posts of vintage horror pulp magazine covers, and you'd be surprised how often black cats are painted that look nothing like cats.

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at March 14, 2026 04:52 PM (CHHv1)

63 Was Maceo a Scottish Fold, or did he just spend too many years in the boxing ring?
Posted by: All Hail Eris

Ears were permanently folded down from past ear infection scarring. Not a Scottie. Gave him quite a distinguished look though. He also had 4" of tail left after amputation due to nerve trauma + a bear-shaped body + his back legs were slightly longer than his front so he walked a bit like Stegosaurus. He also had the most beautiful tufts on the bottom of his feet. On the SPCA website, they said his name meant "Gift from God" which he was. Some cats are just special and when one of them likes you, life is just a little more special.

Posted by: Dark Litigator at March 14, 2026 04:53 PM (KAi1n)

64 That's wonderful, Dark Litigator.

Stegosaurus walk! 😆

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at March 14, 2026 04:58 PM (kpS4V)

65 Just ended a phone call with a dear friend back in California. His Malamute/Australian Shepard mix spirit animal, Kojak, recently crossed the rainbow bridge. My friend is, understandably, bereft.

Kojak was a beautiful dog, bouncing at the end of his chain as I would walk up the driveway waving my arms overhead in greeting. Guess he was kind of my spirit animal too. Good boy, Kojak. Good boy...

Posted by: Joe Kidd at March 14, 2026 05:00 PM (nbLIj)

66 Cat litter availability is hit or miss here at the Wally World near Casa Some Guy. Unscented clumping has been out of stock as often as not here. "Fresh Scent" clumping -- hey, no problem. I won't buy it though. Decades ago, with a different cat, I switched from regular to something fresh scent to help keep the odor down. The cat went to the bedroom, passed over Mrs Some Guy's side of the bed (as the cat knew whose job it was to change the litter), and made her displeasure known by taking a dump on my pillow. I've been a bit leery of sudden drastic changes in the litter ever since.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 14, 2026 05:01 PM (q3u5l)

67 Posted by: Joe Kidd at March 14, 2026 05:00 PM (

What a lovely testimony to your friends dog, Kojak.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at March 14, 2026 05:04 PM (rZCVI)

68 Lucy the Fink sends greetings her horde cousins. Maceo was a lovely kitty, Dark Litigator. How is PG amd the big orange cremesickle?

Posted by: nurse ratched at March 14, 2026 05:05 PM (A5RD0)

69 ...they also missed discovering that smart black cat Marie-Antoinette had been born a boy. (Imagine the hilarity when we found that out several years later --!)
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 14, 2026 03:49 PM (wzUl9)

On a semi- non-cat-related note, we had the unfortunate experience of discovering that the "stewardess" in first class on yesterday's flight to San Francisco.....wasn't.

In fairness, this person was of a slight build, and had immaculately manicured nails, neatly styled hair, and lovely stud earrings. It was always a surprise, though, to hear the male voice accompanying the rest of the package.

Honestly, if we had never heard the voice, it would have taken more than a few double takes to figure out what was wrong with the picture - like I said, this person was of very slight build, and didn't have any of the annoying mannerisms that so many of the more "vocal" activists do. He was very professional and polite.

On the way out , Mr. TiFW even complimented him on how nice his manicure looked.

Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, AoSHQ's Plucky Wee One - Eat the Cheesecake, Buy the Yarn. at March 14, 2026 05:09 PM (S7WXb)

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