The Cat's Meow

 

The newest residents of The County Line are the cat's meow. Literally.

On November 3, Randy added two new kitties to our farmstead. While we've sometimes been overrun with cats, the population had been severely depleted. Randy spent some time on area humane society websites, looking for new feline friends.

Randy has a particular affinity for yellow kitties. You might remember Big Cat, who was a favorite around here for a long time. 

Big Cat - May he rest in peace.

Randy's newest yellow kitties were adopted from the Golden Belt Humane Society in Great Bend on November 3.

 

 They are Carat ...

 

And A Boy Named Sue. As you might suspect, there's a story behind Sue's name. Susan and Brent gave Randy money to adopt a kitty for his 70th birthday. Hence - A Boy Named Sue.

The girls got to meet them during Christmas.

They are fitting right in ... at least, in Randy's estimation.

Sue

 Most days, they are good for some evening TV viewing ... at least, for awhile.

Carat & Randy

Randy was glad to welcome them to the menagerie, but one of the older cats was less welcoming. 

That cat decided that there was no vacancy in the Igloo Inn.

As the weather got colder, the kitties discovered the area between the back steps and the house.

 

They certainly aren't the first ones to find that cozy sleeping spot. Randy even purchased a cozy rug for the space. 

Kitties from the past - Salt and Pepper

We had done some looking in pet stores and farm stores for another igloo or small cat abode, but they were more expensive than Randy wanted to spend.

But I decided that I'd buy one for a Christmas gift for Randy. Unfortunately, the box that arrived on the back porch was clearly marked "Cat House." So I skipped the wrapping paper, and Randy put it together before Christmas.

 

 We texted the kids with our new cat apartment complex.

 Little did I know at the time that Brent and Susan had the same gift idea for Randy. 

 

As the kids say, we now have a cat compound.  

Word on the street must have spread among the cat community that the County Line now has deluxe apartments. On Friday, January 2, one of our long-lost cats showed back up. 

We're not sure whether it's Will or Avery. Since it was the day that the NCAA portal opened up again, Eric said we should say it's Avery, in hopes that K-State's quarterback Avery Johnson would stay put. (He did!) However, Randy's pretty sure it's Will.

Will seemed to be in great shape. We can't believe how big he's gotten. Randy says he either found another family to mooch from or he's an excellent hunter.  

 

Will definitely remembered the routine. Randy would let him in the back door and he'd immediately go to the loveseat in the living room, where he'd curl up with his favorite human to do things like watch Jeopardy!

The text thread with the kids gave us lots of laughs. Brent said:

"Would pay for a ticket to a documentary that tracked Will's actions for the months he's been away and what made him do a Homeward Bound." 

 It came complete with a snippet of Homeward Bound, one of Brent's favorite childhood movies.

But, Will was gone again on Sunday. As Randy said:

"I guess Will hit the transfer portal."

Well ... the saga continues. On Monday, Will returned. 

I need a scorecard ... kind of like college sports these days.

Snacking Your Way to 2026

Do I need more snack mix recipes? No.

But do I keep adding them anyway? Yes.

Susan raved about this one after a K-State football tailgate and got the recipe from a friend. I made it for the first time for our family appetizer Thanksgiving. 

But I also added it to the mix - so to speak - for the Christmas array of snack mixes. I made a total of eight different snack mixes this year. Lots of it is given away as gifts from the kitchen. But there's always plenty for our own family Christmas celebration, too. And I always provide plenty of plastic bags for much of it to go home with the kids. 

This one would be a good one to say goodbye to 2025 and hello to 2026. There's just a hint of sweetness and a little kick from some cayenne pepper. I was a little worried about the spiciness because Randy and I are wimps when it comes to heat. But it even worked for our wimpy palates. 

It also uses a fun combination of mix-ins.

So, whether you're looking for a last-minute snack mix for a New Year's Eve party or wanting something different for the full array of bowl games and NCAA football playoff games to come, check out this mix. It didn't really have a name. So I've christened it "Tailgate Snack Mix."

 

 Tailgate Snack Mix

1 cup butter, melted

2 packets ranch dressing mix

1/4 cup light brown sugar

3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

5 cups Chex (I used Life cereal for part of this)

3 cups mini pretzels

3 cups mini club crackers

3 cups Cheez-Its

2 cups Ranch Cheez-It Grooves

 

Preheat oven to 225 degrees and line two trays with parchment paper. 

 

Melt butter and mix first five ingredients together. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Pour wet butter and seasoning mixture over dry mix and toss until evenly coated. Spread on the lined trays. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool, then store in airtight containers. 

Christmas-Birthday-Driver's Ed Combo

 

It never lasts long enough. But we always pack in plenty during our Christmas celebration. 

This year's Christmas Eve was extra special, since my mom was celebrating her 90th birthday, complete with balloon arch and all 33 of us.

We moved to the shed for our birthday meal several years ago. We outgrew the house. 

After the buffet, Mom got the annual rendition of "Happy Birthday to You!" and people chose from two kinds of cake (chocolate and confetti) and three kinds of homemade ice cream (mocha, cookies and cream and strawberry). 

Thanks to Tamara for setting up the camera timer so we could all be in the shot!

Then, we successfully accomplished our annual photo shoot.

Their kids ...

The grandkids ...

The great-grandkids ...

The group we affectionately call "the outlaws."

 

And a new one this year: The decorating committee, who did their usual wonderful job with place cards and table decor.

Before the "official" photos, we also managed to squeeze in a time for an updated family portrait. My tip for you: In the absence of a professional photographer, choose a teenage girl for your portrait. They are used to handling the phone camera. (Thanks to my great-niece Neelly for her assistance.)

Photo by Brent

I wish I'd gotten one with us and the granddaughters, but we missed that one.

Our own family Christmas was just as packed with activities. Besides opening presents and eating (a lot!), the girls met Grandpa's new cats - A Boy Named Sue and Carat.

Notice the kitty hiding under the blanket?

 

Brooke helped restock the bird feeders and added some of Grandpa's new feeders.

And, maybe most important of all, had driving lessons. 

Kinley, who will soon take her driving test, got a little practice on rural roads with both Grandpa and Uncle Brent.

And Brooke had her time in the driver's seat with the Gator. 

It was over too soon ... other than the leftovers. I'm thankful for those today!

 

 

Christmas Greetings

 

I think Christmas cards are going the way of the dinosaur. They are soon to be extinct.

 

However, I'll be one of those people hanging on until the bitter end. I've been part of photo Christmas cards for most of my life. 

 

 

 It's a family tradition. I starred in my very first one in 1957, as a 6-month-old baby.

By the time 1958 rolled around, I was already sharing space with my sister, Lisa, on the annual missive from Bob and Janis.

Though my brother, Kent, was born in December 1966, he didn't make the Christmas card until 1967. This is the first photo card with all my siblings. I would have been 10, Lisa, 9, Darci, 6 and Kent was 1.

My parents included their children on the family Christmas card until we graduated from college. Randy and I sent our first photo card in 1981, the year we were married.

We didn't send another photo card until 1985, the year Jill was born. It was only natural, I suppose, that we continued the tradition with our own children.

Christmas Card Photo - Jill - 1985

We sent one with the three of us in 1986, when Jill was 15 months old. After that, I usually stayed on the other side of the camera and just included the kids. (When you're the one doing the work, you get the most votes.)

Christmas Card Photo - 1986

The first one with Brent was in 1988. Brent would have been about 7 months and Jill was 3.

Christmas Card Photo - 1988

Back when Jill and Brent were little, this annual attempt was captured on film. And you weren't sure what you'd gotten until the film was developed. I have rolls and rolls of film chronicling the misadventures of getting two little kids to look their best in the same frame. The move to digital photography makes the storage problem easier - though it can't help everyone look great in every frame. 

Kinley made her first Christmas card appearance in 2012.

When Brooke joined the family in 2014, I featured several outtakes of the girls on the blog. This was just one of them. Kinley, almost 3 at the time, was definitely in her cheesy smile stage. 

 

This one was from 2020. (Boy, the girls have sure changed!)

We didn't do the formal family portrait this year, so some snapshots had to suffice for the 2025 Fritzemeier Christmas card.

No matter whether you're a Christmas card advocate or you aren't, Merry Christmas from our family to yours! 

Peace on earth, good will toward all.