https://www.aristocatic.com/omg-japan daily 0.75 2026-03-23 https://www.aristocatic.com/omg-japan/hello-kitty-coin-bank-makes-theft-look-cute monthly 0.5 2026-03-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/e35fe360-e980-44d2-a8ed-c2b9ae26d346/HelloKittyBank2.jpg OMG Japan - Hello Kitty Coin Bank Makes Theft Look Cute! - The officially licensed Hello Kitty Coin Bank helps kids save, with the help of Japan’s most famous anime (or should we say, “animeow”) character, Hello Kitty! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/40811aed-df95-428e-af8e-b3b4bcae761c/HelloKittyBank1.jpg OMG Japan - Hello Kitty Coin Bank Makes Theft Look Cute! - Although this coin bank was designed for 500-yen Japanese coins that are 26.5mm (1.04”) wide and weigh 7.1 grams (0.25 oz), it will work with other Japanese coins down to 1-yen, and will also take other coins from other nations. Just to compare, a U.S. quarter is 24.3mm (0.96”) wide and weighs 5.67 grams (0.20 oz) – close enough? The bank will hold up to forty 500-yen coins (and/or coins of roughly that size). The enclosure measures 112 x 126 x 106mm (4.4 x 5 x 4.2"), and is powered by two AA batteries (not included). The instructions are in Japanese but are easy to understand. https://www.aristocatic.com/omg-japan/fabcat-cat-tunnel monthly 0.5 2026-03-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/6fc4d7b6-e547-40bc-a023-75aa4c1b45d1/oppo1.jpg OMG Japan - FabCat Cat Tunnel - The FabCat Cat Tunnel from Oppo provides indoor cats with stimulation, security and satisfaction! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/006caa65-4042-4b9d-85a0-c29f626fb37e/oppo2.jpg OMG Japan - FabCat Cat Tunnel - Cats will also find fun and stimulation as they poke their paws in and out of the holes – with two or more cats, it’s at least twice as fun! The two pieces of fabric – one Brick Red; the other Dark Blue – are made from durable, non-toxic polyester. Cats love the soft, felt-like texture! The fabric is easy to clean once separated into two flat pieces. The tough, durable snaps are composed of non-toxic polyoxymethylene (POM) plastic. https://www.aristocatic.com/omg-japan/mount-fuji-soy-sauce-dish-for-peak-sushi-enjoyment monthly 0.5 2026-03-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/d2b9b5c4-d581-4727-b4fa-16c08b47bbb4/Fuji2.jpg OMG Japan - Mount Fuji Soy Sauce Dish for Peak Sushi Enjoyment - What's sushi without wasabi and shoyu (aka soy sauce)? Gustatorial blasphemy, that's what! Providing the essential dipping sauce in just any old dish isn't acceptable either. What to do? Include the Mount Fuji Soy Sauce Dish with your table setting – one dish per person – and you instantly add authentic Japanese cred to your dinner! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/3b736e6b-1da4-4558-a634-8d0cd603ae44/Fuji3.jpg OMG Japan - Mount Fuji Soy Sauce Dish for Peak Sushi Enjoyment - Once soy sauce is added to the dish, the classic view of Mount Fuji is revealed, complementarily framed by a branch of blooming Sakura cherry blossoms. The Mount Fuji Soy Sauce Dish is made in Japan from food-safe white glazed ceramic. Each dish measures 3.5 inches wide by 0.7 inches high (9 x 1.9 cm). They're microwave and dishwasher safe, and should last a lifetime of gentle use. https://www.aristocatic.com/community-cats daily 0.75 2025-11-22 https://www.aristocatic.com/community-cats/meet-the-one-color-cat monthly 0.5 2025-11-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/6254052e-218f-4783-b30c-2402827d6ec8/20251025onecolorcat1.jpg Community Cats - Meet the One-Color Cat Yo Yo Yo, mah kittens, there’s a new cat in da ‘hood! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/334d1e40-37d4-4e9f-b5c5-5ed0f2c62b92/20251025onecolorcat2a.jpg Community Cats - Meet the One-Color Cat - This cat lives with at least one other – a gorgeous, blue-eyed Himalayan and possibly a third, although they all look somewhat alike from a distance and I’ve only seen two of them up close. The One-Color Cat might be part-Himalayan… its coat shows some variation between cream and buff, with darker shades on the face and tail, hinting at Point Coloration. Its eyes are pale blue, though not as deeply tinted as those of a Himalayan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/c25e6ac0-af60-4947-864d-472d5637912d/onecolourcat20251122a.jpg Community Cats - Meet the One-Color Cat https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/9db76443-3c80-4cf0-b19a-7e4d50c0bf4d/onecolourcat20251122b.jpg Community Cats - Meet the One-Color Cat - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/9d2c6f95-bb68-41e4-b037-60f947032923/onecolourcat20251122c.jpg Community Cats - Meet the One-Color Cat - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/9063ace5-1f59-4d0f-bf4d-30c6aae9ae4b/250x250.jpg Community Cats - Meet the One-Color Cat - Whether your cat is a seasoned explorer or just starting to venture outside, a reliable tracker is a must-have for any cat parent. Get your Tabcat Cat Tracker V2 Now! https://www.aristocatic.com/community-cats/nbsp-nemo-finds-me monthly 0.5 2025-07-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/71ae0bd9-cde3-47f4-a361-a7995f9a31a3/IMG_6630+%281024x768%29+%281%29.jpg Community Cats - Nemo Finds Me - Here is Nemo, who lives two doors down from where Jean Grey (the Brazilian Shorthair) used to live and a stone's throw from The White Cat's former abode. I'm not sure if Nemo is a Russian Blue – his face isn't as round as one of those – but his fur is a lustrous shade of blue-gray very similar to the Polymetal Gray hue of my car, "Polly" (Yes, I have named my car). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/6314cd26-005f-48cb-b027-3c5c458b34de/930x180.jpg Community Cats - Nemo Finds Me - Keep Your Furry Friend Safe With the Tabcat Tracker! Order Yours Today! Keep Your Furry Friend Safe With Tabcat Tracker! Get Your Tabcat Tracker Today! https://www.aristocatic.com/community-cats/caramel-cow-cat-comes-calling monthly 0.5 2025-07-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/11b2c2fa-219d-4cde-823b-477db99dad85/IMG_5928.JPG Community Cats - Caramel Cow Cat Calling - This is the "Caramel Cow Cat". He has a name; his owner told it to me once but I've forgotten it (as with people, I remember faces much better than names). So I call him Caramel Cow Cat as his coat pattern is cow-like with rusty orange and white. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/6de8e633-6d93-4d66-85ad-ac4e395f891e/caramel_cowcat_1.jpg Community Cats - Caramel Cow Cat Calling - He's a very friendly cat, or I should say he's very friendly to me as I've never seen him interacting with anyone but his owners. He always comes to greet me, tail held up high, and he'll give me a glance and a single strained "meow" when he gets to me. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/772a20ee-897d-42ba-a1b4-c05f4d561963/Tabcat468x60.jpg Community Cats - Caramel Cow Cat Calling - Smaller Tags, Longer Range. Tabcat's reliable cat tracker ensures their safety and your peace of mind. Get your Tabcat tracker today! https://www.aristocatic.com/community-cats/blog-post-title-three-79d92 monthly 0.5 2025-10-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/8b25bb30-9929-41a4-afce-94bdd1f23ce2/20250501.jpg Community Cats - Cryptic Calico Cat “Pishi” Sets Her Own Boundaries - Pishi, our neighborhood calico cat, just loves to be outside, but her penchant for the great outdoors doesn't extend to the neighboring species she finds there. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/c38eb99a-eb2f-4a97-9ba7-f2d3ca158b94/930x180.jpg Community Cats - Cryptic Calico Cat “Pishi” Sets Her Own Boundaries - Is your cat an adventurous explorer or a sunbathing lazy-bones? No matter what type they are, Tabcat is here to keep them safe! If your feline friend loves seeking new adventures or simply enjoys soaking up the sun, Tabcat's reliable cat tracker ensures their safety and your peace of mind. Get your Tabcat tracker today! https://www.aristocatic.com/community-cats/blog-post-title-two-gttnb monthly 0.5 2025-07-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/d3a8bb6b-8550-45d9-b88c-16ec718fcd06/Maxy_1.jpg Community Cats - Maxi: A Strong Silent Tabby Cat With A Heart Of Gold - Maxi, the striped tabby cat from two doors over, was the feline version of a steel fist in a velvet glove. Neither especially speedy nor noticeably vocal, Maxi was strong when he had to be and to every cat around he was the unquestioned master of his domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/15758c43-6b06-46b0-853f-776d6ea0d8ae/st3.jpg Community Cats - Maxi: A Strong Silent Tabby Cat With A Heart Of Gold - After about a minute of intense activity he suddenly jumped out of the hedge... with a snake in his jaws! Now calm and relaxed, Maxi sat proudly with the now-deceased, foot-long snake between his paws. There was, I thought, definitely more to this cat than meets the eyes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/5cfef228-3c39-420a-80c6-6726cc278042/st2.jpg Community Cats - Maxi: A Strong Silent Tabby Cat With A Heart Of Gold - Having determined we were “harmless” (though we never fed him — that's a big no-no) and with warmer weather allowing us to open our sliding screen door more often, Maxi decided to add the inside of our house to his territory. He'd come in, lay down on a small rug, and look at me... his silent request for a head & neck rub, which he then received to a chorus of purrs. Hmm, who was training who here? As time passed, the mere sound of our screen door opening was enough to alert him, and in mere seconds he'd round the corner of our yard like a lion in one of those old safari movies (an appropriate analogy, as Maxi seemed to think of himself as a tiny lion). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/de128562-d00f-4ee6-b638-18474b15f840/250x250.jpg Community Cats - Maxi: A Strong Silent Tabby Cat With A Heart Of Gold - Whether your cat is a seasoned explorer or just starting to venture outside, a reliable tracker is a must-have for any cat parent. Get your Tabcat Cat Tracker V2 Now! https://www.aristocatic.com/community-cats/one-in-brazilian-jean-grey monthly 0.5 2025-05-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/0570928c-dea5-48e1-88f2-9ec6a763082b/Brazilian+Shorthair+cat+Jean+Grey+5.jpg Community Cats - One In Brazilian: Jean Grey - A quick internet search for "Brazilian cat" brought up numerous mentions of the Brazilian Shorthair, a relatively new breed only officially recognized by the World Cat Federation in 1998. In the early years of the 16th century, the first ship-borne waves of Portuguese emigrants to Brazil brought their cats along with them. While today's American Shorthair cats originated from northern European farm cats (and further back, European wildcats), Brazilian Shorthairs are descended from the wild cats of the Iberian Peninsula. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/22132e5a-4f3f-4a39-8153-3d51f817314e/Brazilian+Shorthair+cat+Jean+Grey+33-468.jpg Community Cats - One In Brazilian: Jean Grey - Upon arriving in Brazil, the colonists' cats began adapting to local climatic conditions, with many of these adaptations being genetically passed on to their offspring. Centuries of gradual acclimatization have given today's Brazilian Shorthair its defining features: large, pointed ears; a muscular and agile body; and a very short, silky, and glossy coat with no undercoat. Owners of Brazilian Shorthair cats report that their pets are very loving and express affection almost to the point of being clingy. https://www.aristocatic.com/community-cats/Blog Post Title One-8lkcp monthly 0.5 2025-07-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/93ca9ea2-2a83-4632-b387-04d53ccc2df5/whiteneko_4.jpg Community Cats - The White Cat: One Man's Tale Of One Tough Tomcat - As I walked out my front door, the cat had just reached the path that runs through our community. He avoided me but I managed to follow him and stay on his tail, er, trail. Sure enough, after a few minutes we had arrived in front of his house; distinguished by the woven mat and water dish by the front door. Fortuitously, the cat's owner had just stepped outside and I was able to confirm a few things about him. His name was indeed Pikachu, which rather disappointed me as he seemed to deserve a much more dignified moniker. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/b995282f-8145-406f-bd7f-30dffc08d2f1/Picture+001.jpg Community Cats - The White Cat: One Man's Tale Of One Tough Tomcat - Impressed and intrigued, I made it my mission to befriend this atypical cat and adjusted my daily walks to swing by his house and the area around it where he usually could be found. As he became more familiar with me, The White Cat would come over to me and rub his head against my legs. He was marking me with his scent, as I later learned, and not merely being affectionate. As if! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/80f3400c-ba2f-4fb1-80aa-973c1ec7b1f8/930x180.jpg Community Cats - The White Cat: One Man's Tale Of One Tough Tomcat - Make it stand out Whether your cat is a seasoned explorer or just starting to venture outside, a reliable tracker is a must-have for any cat parent. Get your Tabcat Cat Tracker V2 Now! https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-2 daily 0.75 2026-03-05 https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-2/frost-world-problems monthly 0.5 2025-12-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/aeae4b9c-7d43-4838-9b3e-5cd80214906a/photo-chicago-winter-a-record-cold-day-parked-car-as-ice-sculpture-1982.jpg Blog - Frost World Problems - Everyone loves to complain about the weather but nobody does anything about it… and that includes me. https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-2/modding-blues monthly 0.5 2026-03-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/86538b37-3800-44bf-9910-e0ceec2e7096/101124b.jpg Blog - Modding Blues https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-2/uz24ukkfee05swerzg7a4mnszj98mt monthly 0.5 2025-06-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/f7c85fc3-6f72-45c2-828d-edf00331a52a/rock-carvings-twyfelfontein-namibia.jpg Blog - African Folktales - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-2/the-road-to-the-deal monthly 0.5 2025-08-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/3edb7164-4d24-485b-8d16-0a15c80a5bf7/81Zcx9DFMjL._SY522_.jpg Blog - The Road to the Deal - "The Road to the Deal" is an invaluable negotiating and buying guide that puts vehicle sellers and buyers on a level playing field. The art of new vehicle buying is as old as... well, as old as the very first automobiles offered for retail sale. Just as cars and trucks have evolved immeasurably from those primitive beginnings, so have customer buying strategies AND the many ways dealer salespeople have employed to counter them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/69930294-a3ad-4575-83b6-26f8c98cc6fd/eBook.png Blog - The Road to the Deal - For a long time, the advantage was firmly on the dealer's side because the intricacies of pricing were, for the most part, a mystery to the average new car buyer. Those days are over, thanks to the advent of the internet and the so-called "information highway". I ghost-wrote "The Road to The Deal" in 2020 for Armada Data Corp. and CarCostCanada. It's available in eBook format at CarCostCanada and Amazon. https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-2/teal-this-car monthly 0.5 2025-06-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/58e26436-b75b-47a6-aad7-9ff264b10e3c/greatadever.jpg Blog - TEAL This Car! https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-2/southern-arts-journal monthly 0.5 2026-03-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/e661612d-91e8-4441-9c2c-363dcad6d672/002.jpg Blog - Southern Arts Journal - From late 2005 through the summer of 2006, I wrote a series of articles for the now-defunct Southern Arts Journal. The SAJ was a paperback-style magazine running roughly 200 pages per issue, featuring topics relevant to Southern American culture and history. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/3fcef423-00e3-4533-aab6-2c4b06fe66e5/007.jpg Blog - Southern Arts Journal - * "Dixie Doubloons: The Story of the 1861 Confederate Half Dollar" and "Uncommon Cents: The 1861 Confederate Cent" (Issue #1) * "Arms and the Men: How Bankers, Blockade Runners and Bravado Supplied the South" and "Museum Pieces" (Issue #2) * "Rebels or Revolutionaries? Rehabilitating the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War" and "Light Horse Harry" (Issue #3) * "A Man, a Plan and a Span: Henry Flagler and the Overseas Railroad" (Issue #4) Researching and writing these articles posed a difficult challenge for me: I had to appeal to the sensibilities of the mostly-southern readers, resist the temptation to "northsplain" the concepts central to each topic (no small deal since as a Canadian, I'm more "northern" than every non-Alaskan Yankee), and above all tell the truth. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/f0c222ff-62ac-42bf-9278-112a38e9f33d/009.jpg Blog - Southern Arts Journal - I think I succeeded on all counts, learned a lot, maybe enlightened a few folks, and had a ton of fun! Formerly available on Amazon, any of the four issues of the Southern Arts Journal is a rare find today. The only remaining listings (Issue #1 and Issue #3) at Amazon have been tagged "Currently Unavailable" , even in Kindle format. https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-2/scam-spam monthly 0.5 2025-07-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/922a6752-98bd-4d0c-b910-743a7fc57c82/Scam_Spam_can_featured.jpg Blog - SCAM SPAM - "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night can stay these scam-spammers from the swift (Hormel, actually) completion of their appointed e-mail rounds" This ongoing compilation of email spam scams I’ve received proves that you can lead a scammer to teh intarwebs but you can’t make them think… https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-2/survey-safari monthly 0.5 2026-03-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/d28a8957-839c-41f7-8c21-74066fe0aeef/surveycatking.jpg Blog - Survey Safari! - At home, got time, need cash? There's a money-making avenue worth exploring: Online Surveys! https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-2/worldline-wants-you-to-cut-the-cord-from-big-name-telecoms monthly 0.5 2025-07-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/f34d8b09-4e97-4d5c-8d59-6733ceac485b/worldline5050.jpg Blog - Worldline wants you... - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.aristocatic.com/tuft-paw daily 0.75 2026-03-11 https://www.aristocatic.com/tuft-paw/really-great-cat-litter-odorstop monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/e7cbd2c4-c853-4fed-a46c-c16ff47e557f/OdorStop3-compressed.jpg Tuft & Paw - Really Great Cat Litter OdorStop Really Great Cat Litter’s NEW OdorStop Blend takes Clumping, Low-Tracking, 99% Dust-Free cat litter to the next level… one might say it’s Heaven Scent! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/ed67ecd7-8b96-4e77-be5a-3a6066773ced/RGCLodorstop2.jpg Tuft & Paw - Really Great Cat Litter OdorStop - OdorStop features a unique triple-action blend that combines charcoal-infused tofu pellets, premium pea litter, and low-dust bentonite balls that manage odors better than other natural litters. This specially-formulated cat litter is triple-screened to reduce dust and keep litter in the box, not the air. What makes OdorStop so great? OdorStop is a mixed tofu litter, while tuft&paw’s cat-tested Charcoal and Lavender formulas are pure tofu litters. Accentuating the odor-reducing properties makes OdorStop a powerful option for odor control and the perfect choice for multi-cat households. It still boasts Really Great Cat Litter’s other appealing attributes, such as being low-tracking, 99% dust-free, and lightweight: At 9.25 lbs per bag (50% lighter than pure clay litter), one bag lasts roughly one month for each cat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/aaca7e81-0c4c-46b0-85ab-68cca3e66220/RGCLodorstop1.jpg Tuft & Paw - Really Great Cat Litter OdorStop - People have asked if Really Great Cat Litter’s signature feature – 100% flushability – applies to OdorStop as well. Here’s the straight poop: OdorStop has been third-party tested and shown to pass through household plumbing with little to no residue. It does contain Bentonite, however, which doesn’t break down as easily as plant-based fibers. Therefore, tuft&paw does not recommend flushing OdorStop. Really Great Cat Litter’s OdorStop Blend works well with any standard cat litter box including tuft&paw's own Cove Litter Box. Priced at only $29 per bag (with volume discounts); you can “Subscribe & Save” to get 25% off your first order and 5% off on all future shipments! https://www.aristocatic.com/tuft-paw/nuzzle-cat-bed monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/b6660ea3-6ad1-4e54-b725-450646a48822/NuzzleBed1.jpg Tuft & Paw - Nuzzle Cat Bed - The Nuzzle Cat Bed is so invitingly soft and comfy, your cat's just bound to prefer sleeping on it instead of the box it came in, your keyboard, or YOU... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/4c33426b-b6f3-4c1a-aa4c-6e06a203a1aa/NuzzleBed3.jpg Tuft & Paw - Nuzzle Cat Bed - This plush and sumptuous bed is designed with cats in mind; that's cat furniture expert tuft&paw's specialty, after all. Soft faux fur on top soothes and comforts while an ultrasuede cover on the bottom ensures the bed won't shift or slide on hardwood, tile or linoleum floors. Inside, a matrix of sturdy tubing swathed in molded foam helps the bed retain its donut shape and prevents sagging over time. The Nuzzle Cat Bed is “right-sized” to be suitable for all cats of all ages, breeds and chonkiness. It measures 22 inches (56 cm) in width and stands 7 inches (18 cm) tall. To clean your Nuzzle Cat Bed, simply vacuum or shake out the bed for a light clean, or machine wash (on gentle cycle) and hang to dry. https://www.aristocatic.com/tuft-paw/blog-post-title-two-by83p monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/c4460124-9d3f-418a-bc9d-e16362b55c39/Cubby1.jpg Tuft & Paw - Really Great Cat Litter Really Great Cat Litter Is Natural, Sustainable and Flushable https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/7db93b54-240f-4216-b2d8-e474e238e853/ReallyGreatCatLitterLavender.jpg Tuft & Paw - Really Great Cat Litter - This revolutionary cat litter is formulated to be 99% dust-free and, of course, the ingredients are non-toxic and safe for cats and their owners. It clumps quickly and satisfyingly, the charcoal helps reduce odor, and it breaks down completely when immersed in water. Each bag weighs 9.25 lbs (4.2 kg) – 58% lighter than traditional clay litter – and a bag typically lasts one month for one cat. https://www.aristocatic.com/tuft-paw/zip-scratching-board monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/21e736ff-1cd6-4b10-82bb-ff2a9c976348/ZipScratching1a.jpg Tuft & Paw - Zip Scratching Post - This isn't the first cat scratching post we've featured here but unlike tuft&paw's versatile wall-mounted Tab Scratching Board, the Zip Scratching Post stands on its own via an 18” by 18” wood veneered base. The wide base provides essential stability for the 36” tall, sisal-covered post while a complementary flat cap offers a roost where kitty can survey his or her kingdom. According to the website copy and accompanying photos, the post is “modeled by Kyro, who weighs 12 pounds,” and who appears to enjoy being perched upon this imperious tower of feline power. As long as we're on the topic of specs, the Zip Scratching Post is constructed from premium plywood with your choice of Ash or Walnut veneer on the base and cap. The vertical post surfaces are covered top to bottom with woven sisal carpet fabric dyed a pleasing medium-grey. Cleaning is a cinch – simply wipe down the frame with a damp cloth and lint roll the sisal. The post itself is designed for easy 5-minute assembly at home using common household tools. Levelers are included to accommodate uneven floor surfaces. Uneven cats are your problem, however. https://www.aristocatic.com/tuft-paw/stellar-cat-bed monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/d16b0684-75b4-4fd3-810b-8d27db2f418d/stellar2.jpg Tuft & Paw - Stellar Cat Bed - The Stellar Cat Bed from tuft&paw, the everything-for-your-cat emporium, is a win=win for both cats and their owners… or should we say, cats and their humans! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/93d22cd8-f67e-4108-9c9d-a5b8922cbfa3/stellar1.jpg Tuft & Paw - Stellar Cat Bed - The heart of the Stellar Cat Bed is a handspun, breathable sphere constructed of yarn and resin that provides security without stuffiness; no sharp edges allows even the fluffiest felines to comfortably switch to Liquid Mode. The somnolence sphere is weighted down by a fabric-covered sandbag and securely seated on a powder-coated steel base. Inside, a foam cushion covered in faux fur and Ultrasuede offers a cozy invitation to dreamland! Privacy is one thing, keeping an eye on those mischievous hairless ones is another: the wide circular entrance/exit opening ensures they can sleep with one eye open… and the other on you! https://www.aristocatic.com/tuft-paw/blog-post-title-four-cpwdb monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/3e13b651-3e0e-456f-8179-0c33f1c55536/Cove1.jpg Tuft & Paw - Cove Litter Box - The Cove Litter Box from tuft&paw cleverly reboots the classic cat litter box to make life easier for cats and cat owners alike. Cove Litter Box https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/f6e7b076-1543-4e2a-bcea-5db86473794e/Cove3.jpg Tuft & Paw - Cove Litter Box - Measuring 26" (66.05 cm) long by 16" (40.65 cm) wide and 6.5" (16.5 cm) tall, plus the 8" (20.32 cm) tall removeable Shelter, this luxury litter box will accommodate most cats weighing under 20 pounds (9.07 kg). It ships fully-assembled: just add litter (and a cat), and you're good to go! At least, your cat will be. https://www.aristocatic.com/tuft-paw/cubby-litter-box-simplifies-your-life-litter-ally monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/28ed5636-8868-476b-912f-395d804c29b1/Cubby2+%281%29.jpg Tuft & Paw - Cubby Litter Box - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/525e6b06-fef7-4973-88c7-47315421982b/Cubby1.jpg Tuft & Paw - Cubby Litter Box - The Cubby Litter Box is a compact, all-in-one design made from sturdy, durable, double-walled plastic and features an anti-slip plastic base with raised rings to help prevent scratching floors. The matte-finished plastic is smooth to the touch, making it both easy to clean and easy on the eyes. https://www.aristocatic.com/tuft-paw/blog-post-title-three-28w5z monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/1746711174485-C28PTBX405595W2XTNFK/ReallyGreatCatFood2.jpg Tuft & Paw - Really Great Cat Food https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/1746711178580-6HDLHZ6DS1PZJI05T9OV/ReallyGreatCatFood1.jpg Tuft & Paw - Really Great Cat Food https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/1746711181390-1X55ST633DFAHEQGO8L1/ReallyGreatCatFood3.jpg Tuft & Paw - Really Great Cat Food https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/3e5c9fb3-aaec-4a60-84e1-86883756174d/ReallyGreatCatFood3.jpg Tuft & Paw - Really Great Cat Food - Inspired by the natural diet of wild felines, Really Great Cat Food features a meat-first, high-protein recipe using cage-free chicken and rabbit. It supports your cat's wellness by promoting healthy digestion, a lustrous coat, hairball prevention, and hydration. Limited vegetables are inspired by what a cat's prey would eat, while fibrous ingredients have been carefully selected to mimic feathers, bones, gristle, and stomach contents of prey. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/e513583b-7ce2-4d72-adb1-4c61082a296f/ReallyGreatCatFood1.jpg Tuft & Paw - Really Great Cat Food - Really Great Cat Food comes in tetra-packed boxes for convenient home storage. Each box contains 5.5 oz (156 gm) of wet food, prepared from local and imported ingredients at tuft&paw’s manufacturing facility in Wisconsin, USA. Subscribe and save! Get 25% off your first order of Really Great Cat Food, then enjoy 5% off on future shipments. Cancel or pause your subscription at any time, with a 30 day money-back guarantee. https://www.aristocatic.com/tuft-paw/dock-bowl-and-stand-for-next-level-cat-food-consumption monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/419e2e50-fc3f-4d32-a03e-5aee60cf2775/dock1.jpg Tuft & Paw - The Dock Bowl and Stand - The Dock Bowl and Stand from the cat furniture & accessories experts at tuft&paw provides cats and kittens with a stylish eating and drinking experience free from whisker fatigue https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/e747039a-c3fe-405e-a66b-fea44810512f/dock2.jpg Tuft & Paw - The Dock Bowl and Stand - True, the bowls don't shoot incendiary energy beams but at least they're not in danger of being crushed by a dwarf. With that said, cat owners regularly visited by clumsy dwarves are advised to take relevant precautions. Where were we? Ah yes, the Dock Bowl and Stand: tuft&paw's terrific tabby/tortie treat-tasting table designed to elevate your furry BFF’s food and/or water while raising the overall aesthetic of your modern home's décor. It may not be rocket science but giving kitty's bowl a boost instantly makes eating easier by reducing neck strain, and the bowl's sloped sides are designed to minimize whisker fatigue. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/6886e7da-ef18-4fdd-af72-3aaf59cee32d/dock3.jpg Tuft & Paw - The Dock Bowl and Stand - Choose from three appealing color combinations: Mint Green, Classic White and Granite Gray, each paired with a Classic White stand. You may purchase The Dock Bowl separately for just $19. All bowls are dishwasher-safe with no assembly required – just fill with food or water and let the nom-nom-nomming begin! https://www.aristocatic.com/tuft-paw/cloud-nine-window-hammock-keeps-kittens-off-your-keyboard monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/ff293e68-cfc5-4ddb-9886-aad6bd1f6778/cloud+hammock2.jpg Tuft & Paw - Cloud Nine Window Hammock - The Cloud Nine Window Hammock provides cats with a sumptuously padded resting place offering a birds-eye view of, well birds… and the outside world beyond the window! Like many of the quality cat lifestyle products featured at tuft&paw, the Cloud Nine Window Hammock combines appealingly modern minimalist design with subtle features certain to satisfy pets and their owners. At first glance the sleek, streamlined shelf and its matte black powder coated metal frame seems to float in midair! It doesn't, of course, but a trio of powerful suction cup mounts give that very impression. Speaking of floating feelings, your cat will just love snuggling into the integrated soft-but-sturdy, removeable and durable, dark heather grey felt (with PVC lining) hammock base. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/60c41949-4ec4-459b-bd60-6210c3e8a919/cloud+hammock1.jpg Tuft & Paw - Cloud Nine Window Hammock - Cleaning your Floof Cat Blanket is a cinch: usually a good shaking or gentle vacuuming does the trick. The blanket is also reversible; the non-slip ultrasuede side is ideal for smooth hardwood, linoleum or ceramic floors. The Floof Cat Blanket measures 22 inches by 14 inches (55.88 cm by 35.5 cm) and it's ideal for cats of any size and age. Choose from two naturalistic colors: Shadow Grey or Ivory. https://www.aristocatic.com/tuft-paw/luxurious-floof-cat-blanket-is-faux-fur-for-sure monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/21baa6f7-3cef-434d-89f4-fab6b4599f53/floof2+%281%29.jpg Tuft & Paw - Floof Cat Blanket https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/1b5ad847-bb79-49f3-84b8-d90705d0d39c/floof1.jpg Tuft & Paw - Floof Cat Blanket - Even a “lowly” cat blanket can shine... if it's a proven, cat-tested, tuft&paw signature design. Take the Floof Cat Blanket – made to look and feel like a sumptuous mink stole but made from durable, non-toxic faux fur and ultrasuede fabric for exceptional comfort, strength and durability. Cleaning your Floof Cat Blanket is a cinch: usually a good shaking or gentle vacuuming does the trick. The blanket is also reversible; the non-slip ultrasuede side is ideal for smooth hardwood, linoleum or ceramic floors. https://www.aristocatic.com/tuft-paw/really-great-cat-treats-soothe-cat-snack-fever monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/93014e42-5791-4983-9f64-ceabc649f6fe/ReallyGreatCatTreats2.jpg Tuft & Paw - Really Great Cat Treats - Make it stand out Really Great Cat Treats support your pet’s gut health with wild-caught salmon and a freeze-dried, crunchy texture cats crave! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/ebd24622-8a7f-457d-b56c-298dc3faf1c5/ReallyGreatCatTreats1.jpg Tuft & Paw - Really Great Cat Treats - Really Great Cat Treats provide all the benefits of raw nutrition without the mess or risk of bacteria. They're shelf-stable: no fridge or freezer needed! Plus, their crunchy texture can help keep your cat's teeth clean. Really Great Cat Treats are amazingly versatile! Top your cat's food to add interest and variety. Just crush or break up some treats and sprinkle the crumbles over wet or dry cat food. Use them in play: toss treats to encourage hunting behavior. Hide treats in snuffle mats or other scavenger toys to provide necessary stimulation and enrichment. https://www.aristocatic.com/tuft-paw/gorgeous-grove-cat-tree-puts-pampered-pusses-on-a-pedestalnbspnbspnbspnbspnbspnbspnbspnbsp monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/34cc4b51-0982-43f6-ba99-1926931deedb/grove_cat_tower_1.jpg Tuft & Paw - Grove Cat Tower https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/1513f327-b85c-45c6-8008-8c3db841abb1/grove_cat_tower_2.jpg Tuft & Paw - Grove Cat Tower - Make it stand out Kip Cat Cushion https://www.aristocatic.com/tuft-paw/top-cats-love-the-haven-litter-box-enclosure monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/54485184-8622-4f51-854c-0b222b057752/Haven-LitterBox4.jpg Tuft & Paw - Haven Litter Box Enclosure https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/bc6933ad-4272-491a-a087-7083254cd383/Haven-LitterBox1.jpg Tuft & Paw - Haven Litter Box Enclosure - Make it stand out Haven Litter Box Enclosure https://www.aristocatic.com/tuft-paw/frond-cat-tree-has-a-scratchable-trunk monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/ce952d22-4b0d-428a-b0cf-0da1005b1185/frond_cat_tree_1.jpg Tuft & Paw - Frond Cat Tree https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/5f1cc563-4ef8-4ab0-8737-2902833b3d18/frond_cat_tree_3.jpg Tuft & Paw - Frond Cat Tree - Make it stand out Frond Cat Tree https://www.aristocatic.com/tuft-paw/cats-wont-get-bored-with-the-tab-scratching-board monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/684f8b3d-ddb9-4502-8b76-a11528c0ab6d/Tab-Board-3.jpg Tuft & Paw - Tab Scratching Board - Make it stand out Tab Scratching Board https://www.aristocatic.com/tuft-paw/porto-cat-carrier-takes-travel-with-felines-to-the-next-level monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/b45dad53-cdb4-41ce-a44b-1203497651ef/Porto2.jpg Tuft & Paw - Porto Cat Carrier - Make it stand out Porto Cat Carrier (in Charcoal) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/0d33ea28-a699-42ea-99b1-c1adfd7b6731/Porto1.jpg Tuft & Paw - Porto Cat Carrier https://www.aristocatic.com/arbonne daily 0.75 2025-07-02 https://www.aristocatic.com/arbonne/energyfizz-ginseng-fizz-sticks monthly 0.5 2025-07-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/a77bdae3-03fb-4590-a988-92014dc3eb7d/009.jpg Arbonne - EnergyFizz Ginseng Fizz Sticks - EnergyFizz Ginseng Fizz Sticks - Blood Orange Flavor https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/4e6b056c-9ebd-42ef-a9e6-fcbb47b2fdb7/2113-CA-03-EF-GinsengFizzSticks-BloodOrange-586x586.png Arbonne - EnergyFizz Ginseng Fizz Sticks - EnergyFizz Ginseng Fizz Sticks are the optimum replacement for those morning (and mid-day, and mid-afternoon) coffees! Whether you’re kick-starting your morning or powering out of an afternoon slump, all you need are a standard cup and cool fresh water. EnergyFizz Ginseng Fizz Sticks are a vegan blend featuring Panax ginseng, used in herbal medicine to promote healthy glucose levels. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/5cba0b5d-0841-4a97-8f01-147f4b134ae5/2113-CA-02-EF-GinsengFizzSticks-BloodOrange-586x586.png Arbonne - EnergyFizz Ginseng Fizz Sticks - These beneficial botanicals and B vitamins are complemented by naturally derived caffeine from Guarana and Green Tea (Camellia sinensis). EnergyFizz Ginseng Fizz Sticks are available in a variety of great-tasting flavors including Blood Orange, Blackberry, Mango Peach, and Pomegranate. All are formulated without artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners, high-fructose corn syrup, dairy or soy. https://www.aristocatic.com/arbonne/groomwell-cleansing-3-in-1-face-hair-body-wash-with-charcoal monthly 0.5 2025-07-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/a667a2f2-2b30-460d-b67c-8085de979baa/006.jpg Arbonne - GroomWell Cleansing 3-in-1 Face-Hair-Body Wash with Charcoal - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/ded80037-f1f7-441a-a42b-e07e85b38758/5523-US-02-GW-3-in-1Cleanser-586x586.png Arbonne - GroomWell Cleansing 3-in-1 Face-Hair-Body Wash with Charcoal - Thankfully, there’s GroomWell Cleansing 3-in-1 Face-Hair-Body Wash with Charcoal from Arbonne. Formulated with Activated Charcoal and hydrating Argan Oil, this vegan gel cleanser does Triple Duty as a face, hair and body wash that works to clear pores, helps your skin stay soft, and helps maintain healthy hair. I’ve been using Cetaphil Oily Skin Cleanser for my face and hair, and Dalan Organic Argan Oil glycerin soap for the rest of me. It’s a two-step process that doesn’t take long but… yeah, I’m up for simplification. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/f2a98e05-eedd-4d26-a589-60fec7b96c44/5523-US-04-GW-3-in-1Cleanser-586x586.png Arbonne - GroomWell Cleansing 3-in-1 Face-Hair-Body Wash with Charcoal - So, when I discovered GroomWell Cleansing 3-in-1 Face-Hair-Body Wash with Charcoal and checked out the ingredients, I was pleased to note the presence of Argan Oil, “known for its moisturizing properties… helps the formula hydrate hair and skin”. Other ingredients include Activated Charcoal Powder “derived from vegetables, helps cleanse and detoxify skin,” and Rice Protein that “contains antioxidant properties and helps moisturize the skin.” I’m all on board with the charcoal – it’s in the Crest 3D White Whitening Therapy toothpaste that I use, and the GroomWell Energizing Soap Bar with Charcoal I also use (and highly recommend!) for non-shower face washing. https://www.aristocatic.com/arbonne/groomwell-energizing-soap-bar-with-charcoal monthly 0.5 2025-07-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/127e706d-ee07-475e-9bbd-028ca6af525f/soap_main.jpg Arbonne - GroomWell Energizing Soap Bar with Charcoal - GroomWell Energizing Soap Bar with Charcoal GroomWell Energizing Soap Bar with Charcoal, from Arbonne https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/3f3d6f7d-f8cf-4c6f-a182-09176f51eabe/5522-CA-02-GW-EnergizingSoapBar-586x586.png Arbonne - GroomWell Energizing Soap Bar with Charcoal - Make it stand out Aloe Aloe, wot’s all this then? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/49554086-0ac2-45d4-9bec-4e6869430c71/black_soap.jpg Arbonne - GroomWell Energizing Soap Bar with Charcoal - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.aristocatic.com/arbonne/groomwell-invigorating-cleanser-with-micro-exfoliants monthly 0.5 2025-07-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/515fa139-bf51-4d2e-a193-2ac1cc18bea8/invigorating_cleanser_scrub.jpg Arbonne - GroomWell Invigorating Cleanser with Micro-Exfoliants - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/1747232215923-K3UD7856TACINSVNGJSM/invigorating_cleanser_scrub2.jpg Arbonne - GroomWell Invigorating Cleanser with Micro-Exfoliants - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/5b66aae1-f269-4568-9377-0920ff019486/5514-CA-04-GW-InvigoratingCleanser-586x586.png Arbonne - GroomWell Invigorating Cleanser with Micro-Exfoliants - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.aristocatic.com/arbonne/groomwell-weightless-lotion-with-mineral-broad-spectrum-spf-15 monthly 0.5 2025-07-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/04efb49e-28c1-4efd-bb85-3a94186871db/5513-US-02-GW-WeightlessCream-586x586.png Arbonne - GroomWell Weightless Cream with Mineral Broad Spectrum SPF 15 - A daily-use cream made for men that keeps moisture in while keeping the sun’s skin-aging UVA out The rugged, weather-beaten look might be fine for those who ride the range but there comes a time when the Old West look just looks old. Put the “boy” back in cowboy with GroomWell Weightless Cream with Mineral Broad Spectrum SPF 15 from Arbonne. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/159333d4-086e-428d-a47f-89392a416e9e/5513-US-04-GW-WeightlessCream-586x586.png Arbonne - GroomWell Weightless Cream with Mineral Broad Spectrum SPF 15 - Hydration, protection, rejuvenation: this lightweight, daily-use cream covers all the bases with broad-spectrum mineral-based SPF 15, Malachite Extract, Stabilized Vitamin C, and GroomWell’s botanically inspired Pagoda Blend. The cream’s bright white tint is derived from Zinc Oxide, a non-toxic natural mineral sunscreen agent that provides broad spectrum SPF protection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/27c2e53e-e968-4f3e-96b0-b17f7a0f2416/groomwell5513a.png Arbonne - GroomWell Weightless Cream with Mineral Broad Spectrum SPF 15 You can’t turn back the clock but GroomWell Weightless Cream with Mineral Broad Spectrum SPF 15 can improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, promote firmness through moisturization, and keep your skin looking its healthiest today, tomorrow and for years to come. https://www.aristocatic.com/catsplay-furniture daily 0.75 2026-03-11 https://www.aristocatic.com/catsplay-furniture/tucker-multifunction-shoe-storage-cabinet-and-cat-condo-lounge monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/58e351fc-3981-43e7-ab82-8ed3151e7b36/tucker4.jpg CatsPlay Furniture - Tucker Multifunction Shoe Storage Cabinet and Cat Condo Lounge You’ll get a “kick” out of the Tucker Multifunction Shoe Storage Cabinet and Cat Condo Lounge from CatsPlay Furniture, and so will your cat! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/bd7247d5-0143-4ddd-8eb4-d56d46fd2c7d/tucker3.jpg CatsPlay Furniture - Tucker Multifunction Shoe Storage Cabinet and Cat Condo Lounge - What to do? Conjure up a “smart, space-saving hybrid that works for both you and your cat”, as CatsPlay puts it! The Tucker Multifunction Shoe Storage Cabinet and Cat Condo Lounge is a clever flex on practical shoe storage and organization that features a built-in cat lounge. We’re talkin’ win=win on multiple levels: the upper section’s angled, pull-out shelves keep your shoes organized and out of sight. But wait, there’s more! A dedicated Cat Condo Lounge provides your pet with privacy, security and comfort while a wide entry/exit doubles as a window on the wider world from which to gaze upon its kingdom and subjects… that would be you! https://www.aristocatic.com/catsplay-furniture/cool-cedar-cat-cottage monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/4b7489e5-2860-4f61-a8d0-7eb4dc1cd317/kottage1.jpg CatsPlay Furniture - Cool Cedar Cat Cottage - The Cool Cedar Cat Cottage is a cathouse even the most prudish among us will approve of! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/f392a74f-d75d-41fa-9b72-a599cb7f40aa/kottage2.jpg CatsPlay Furniture - Cool Cedar Cat Cottage - The Cool Cedar Cat Cottage was designed to keep cats comfy in any climate. The walls are insulated, 2 x 2 framing with diagonal wind bracing ensures lasting strength and durability. Even the nails are made from stainless steel nails and the screws are ACQ Powder Coated because nobody wants rust or black runs marring the clean, natural look of the western red cedar siding. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/4d69dcda-640f-4e5f-8fc2-cf2218eb94d8/kottage3.jpg CatsPlay Furniture - Cool Cedar Cat Cottage - CatsPlay Furniture offers a wealth of options that allow owners to customize the Cool Cedar Cat Cottage to fit the needs of their cat(s). Choose from a remote control air conditioner, heater small or large cat-friendly heating pads in soft or hard varieties, magnetic seal-safe doors, add-on porch and deck systems, even a raised foundation with 12" tall support legs. With all of these options on the table, every Cool Cedar Cat Cottage is a custom-made kitty castle! Please allow approximately 14-18 weeks for your order to be built especially for you – and your cats. https://www.aristocatic.com/catsplay-furniture/cats-choice-large-breed-cat-tree monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/7993ad3f-ab0c-435e-97c3-1056171e33c4/cats-choice-65-inch-main-coon-cat-tower-1-1200x1200.jpg CatsPlay Furniture - Cat's Choice Large Breed Cat Tree - The Cat's Choice Large Breed Cat Tree is stout, sturdy, strong and good-looking – just like its users. The Cat's Choice Large Breed Cat Tree is stout, sturdy, strong and good-looking – just like its users. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/8a1f9624-8cec-405a-91e4-5107d788ff6b/solidwoodpoles-1200x1200.jpg CatsPlay Furniture - Cat's Choice Large Breed Cat Tree - It's big, it's beautiful, it's a substantial piece of furniture... and more attractive to cats than your ho-hum hoo-man furniture, too. The entire tower is clad in neutral beige, gray and taupe tones than complement most modern room décor schemes. Every Cat's Choice Large Breed Cat Tree is handcrafted in the USA, and they're custom made to order in 14 to 21 days. Once delivered, owners can easily assemble the tower in an estimated 4 to 5 minutes with no tools required. https://www.aristocatic.com/catsplay-furniture/modular-cat-tree-city-san-francisco monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/f3c5f967-17ee-4189-8372-2ba78284c98e/modular-cat-tree-city-san-francisco_4-1200x1200.jpg CatsPlay Furniture - Modular Cat Tree “City San Francisco” - The colorful Modular Cat Tree “City San Francisco” is either a handsome piece of pet furniture or the next best thing to actually playing Tetris with live kittens. Why not both? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/4f7e8bf3-e8f9-40d6-b6f7-c3be52da14e2/modular-cat-tree-city-san-francisco-1200x1200.jpg CatsPlay Furniture - Modular Cat Tree “City San Francisco” - This unique modular cat tree is multi-functional yet features not a single moving part requiring maintenance and/or replacement. The concept allows owners to change it up whenever kitty's feeling bored, thanks to an included set of custom clips for securely fastening one block to another. What's more, additional 5-block units can be added, removed and rearranged quickly and easily. The paw-sibilities are endless: if you thought Mongo was only pawn in game of life, consider that Cat is now only "paw" in game of Tetris. Mind blown yet? https://www.aristocatic.com/catsplay-furniture/royal-pyramid-modern-elevated-cat-bed monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/bc68c751-5330-4ca4-acf7-84ed3df556bc/Pyramid-Cat-lounge-Cat-tree-white-2_1000x-1200x1200.jpg CatsPlay Furniture - Royal Pyramid Modern Elevated Cat Bed - Elevate your cat with purr pyramid power! The Royal Pyramid Modern Elevated Cat Bed puts your pampered purring pet on a pharaonic pedestal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/4121b258-d6d8-42df-923f-15c25500137f/Pyramid-Cat-lounge-Cat-tree-black-1.jpg CatsPlay Furniture - Royal Pyramid Modern Elevated Cat Bed - A plush foam cushion with a zippered, washable faux fur cover supports your pet in regal style. The pillow is also reversible: when it's time to switch things up, simply flip it from white to black or vice versa. Choose from two complementary color combinations: a white pyramid with a black stand or a gray pyramid with a white stand. The bed is designed to support cats weighing up to 15 lbs so, like, most non-chonker cats. https://www.aristocatic.com/catsplay-furniture/wall-mounted-cat-tree-artisan-perch monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/68f2cbe4-da35-4ed6-8182-a2a851428511/81623440_10156612393412341_1744524305846239232_n-1200x1200.jpg CatsPlay Furniture - Wall Mounted Cat Tree Artisan Perch - This gorgeous Wall Mounted Cat Tree Artisan Perch puts kitty in the catbird seat while adding an artistic touch to the art of moggie maintenance. Cat perches come in all shapes and sizes but we bet you've never seen one like THIS before! The Wall Mounted Cat Tree Artisan Perch from CatsPlay Furniture covers all the bases: it's a cat perch, a cat “tree”, and a strikingly beautiful work of decorative art. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/90b494bc-6f67-482c-9575-4a9627683664/wall-mounted-cat-tree-artisan-perch_2-1200x1200.jpg CatsPlay Furniture - Wall Mounted Cat Tree Artisan Perch - The piece consists of a handmade, birch plywood artwork in the shape of a tree and flying birds. The perch is made of solid hardwood padded with soft & comfy micro fleece. The whole kit & caboodle measures approximately 6.5 feet wide by 4 feet tall, while the heart of the piece – the actual cat perch – measures 24 inches wide by 10.5 inches deep. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/10862f0c-dec5-4871-a68a-fcb090276773/wall-mounted-cat-tree-artisan-perch_3.jpg CatsPlay Furniture - Wall Mounted Cat Tree Artisan Perch - It may look complex but the Wall Mounted Cat Tree Artisan Perch was designed for easy installation by non-professionals... that means YOU! All hardware, instructions, and tools needed for hanging are included. Choose from Black or White, either of which complements the color of your precious pussycat. https://www.aristocatic.com/catsplay-furniture/blog-post-title-one-mk8c2 monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/2a24a089-b6f1-4970-a2dc-2fb28575e106/PTH0842222510_002-1200x1200.jpg CatsPlay Furniture - Solid Wood Cat Climber Enclosure - Make it stand out Spring may be in the air but for your indoor cat or cats, one season looks pretty much like any other. Change things up with the Solid Wood Outdoor Cat Climber Enclosure from CatsPlay Furniture! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/7fdb562c-6685-423b-b139-b8dd71e43cd2/PTH0842222510_009-1200x1200.jpg CatsPlay Furniture - Solid Wood Cat Climber Enclosure - This stylish and sturdy cat enclosure is made from quality Canadian Hemlock wood tinted with non-toxic water-based stain. Durable, high-strength wire screening ensures security without sacrificing clear sightlines. Overall dimensions of 27.5′′ deep by 40′′ wide by 72.25′′ tall give your cat plenty of room to stretch his or her paws while the partially enclosed, upper level shelter space ensures privacy is available when needed. Access doors up top and at ground level make it easy to insert and retrieve your cat to/from their “outdoor” playtime experience. https://www.aristocatic.com/southern-arts-journal daily 0.75 2025-05-24 https://www.aristocatic.com/southern-arts-journal/a-man-a-plan-and-a-span-henry-flagler-and-the-overseas-railroad monthly 0.5 2025-05-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/1a8adc69-8c60-4b10-b3c1-7973851d9463/the-over-sea-railroad-tampa-cigar-city.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - A Man, a Plan and a Span: Henry Flagler and the Overseas Railroad - The Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railroad was known in its time as “The Eighth Wonder of the World”. It ranked with the Panama Canal as one of the great engineering projects of the new century; a demonstration of America’s burgeoning confidence, technological ingenuity and “can do” spirit that would soon be further expressed in the creation of other marvels such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Hoover Dam and the Empire State Building. On a more practical note, the Overseas Railroad directly linked the island boomtown of Key West to Miami and the rest of Florida, and was the culmination of Henry Flagler’s dream of providing reliable and fast transportation throughout the state. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/4247cc1c-4dcb-495f-9f92-54896b093b1c/tumblr_e5ca1b8343458933c30d43828829c52f_da9249f0_500.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - A Man, a Plan and a Span: Henry Flagler and the Overseas Railroad - Henry Flagler was the kind of man who was blessed with the gift of being able to see the big picture. This talent served him well at Standard Oil where he oversaw the establishment of the many supporting industries needed to facilitate the flow of oil from the company’s fields. One of these essential cogs was the railroad, without which oil could not be transported to refineries - these being the days before pipelines and modern road networks. As Flagler enjoyed his honeymoon with his new wife Ida in St. Augustine, Florida, he could see that an efficient railroad network and upgraded visitor accommodations were crucial to Florida’s success as a vacation paradise. Flushed with excitement and buoyed with optimism, Flagler resigned his position at Standard Oil and systematically began to turn his dream into reality. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/751b1a5d-989d-4763-8f26-674aaa4e9c4d/lantern-press-key-west-florida-east-coast-railway_u-l-q1i31tk0.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - A Man, a Plan and a Span: Henry Flagler and the Overseas Railroad - Florida’s building boom shifted into high gear and Flagler was no longer alone in his efforts to improve the Sunshine State’s attractions and infrastructure. In response to interest from landowners and investors in the southernmost part of the state, the FEC continued to extend its rails southward, reaching the frost-free shores of Biscayne Bay by 1896. Flagler saw in the unincorporated land at the line’s terminus an enticing opportunity to build a residential, entertainment and industrial center that would act as an economic engine for the entire southern part of the state. As before, Flagler got the ball rolling by improving the harbor, laying down electric, water and sewer lines beneath brand new streets, even subsidizing the new town’s first newspaper. It was fitting that the new town should bear the name of the man responsible for its establishment but Flagler was modest to a fault. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/e41b1625-1226-4830-9435-0c57285c9ab6/FEC13_8_key_west_train-264-1200-1200-100.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - A Man, a Plan and a Span: Henry Flagler and the Overseas Railroad https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/bb154cb2-a102-4bc7-97ab-1ccb1dde7e70/1935hurricane.png Southern Arts Journal Articles - A Man, a Plan and a Span: Henry Flagler and the Overseas Railroad - Perhaps a comparison can be made to the designers of the Titanic who were fully aware of the silent mountains of ice the great ship would be expected to encounter in the frigid waters south of Greenland. They planned for any eventuality by incorporating a system of watertight bulkheads into the Titanic’s hull. The ship could withstand the flooding of four bulkheads, but not the five breached by the iceberg. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/bf5ea297-b16a-4d11-936e-b938985819bf/t_1536786344172_name_rpod_4_Hurricane.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - A Man, a Plan and a Span: Henry Flagler and the Overseas Railroad - Make it stand out The crowning blow was the 16-foot storm surge that washed away anything not already blown away by the winds, and that included the rescue train sent down the Extension by the FEC from which only the engine remained upright and on the rails. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/5fe034a5-c53f-4acb-bf4f-476df28c39af/042520Overseas2520Highway252C2520Florida2520Keys.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - A Man, a Plan and a Span: Henry Flagler and the Overseas Railroad - The State immediately set about re-establishing the land link to Key West, but this time it would be roads and not rails that spanned the seas. Many of the Key West Extension’s surviving bridges and causeways were utilized to form the Overseas Highway that opened in 1938. The highway was beginning to show its age by the 1970s and most of it was rebuilt over the following decade. Driving down US1 to Key West is still an exhilarating experience. One can imagine the excitement (and not a little trepidation) felt by passengers riding the Overseas Railroad in those bygone days. Looking back at the Key West Extension of the FEC and its catastrophic demise, one must resist the temptation to blame the tragedy on the unbridled optimism so characteristic of the early years of the 20th century. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/5e1181db-9e16-4c79-beb1-70e8271b5db1/overseas-highway-01.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - A Man, a Plan and a Span: Henry Flagler and the Overseas Railroad - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.aristocatic.com/southern-arts-journal/light-horse-harry monthly 0.5 2025-05-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/3bcf5938-d52f-4655-a785-c89913cb7d4b/5463070966_21e1a014c1_b.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Light Horse Harry - Make it stand out “My name is Legion, for we are many” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/a5cf94c6-05c6-44b7-9cf5-194281458a01/Harry-Lee-e1521753434218.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Light Horse Harry - Lee himself won one of only 8 Congressional Gold Medals awarded by the Continental Congress. The medal was presented in recognition of his capture of the British-held fort at Paulus Hook, New Jersey along with its entire 400-man garrison on August 19, 1779. Major Lee and the regiment of Virginia Light Cavalry under his command suffered but a single casualty in the action. Astonishingly, Lee was only 23 years old at the time! Just over a year later, Lee was promoted to the rank of Lt. Colonel and his expanded command, now known as Lee’s Legion, consisted of 3 troops of horse plus 3 infantry companies. In early 1781, Lee’s Legion was sent to South Carolina to support General Nathanael Greene, commander of the armies of the Southern Department. The year 1781 saw great and small victories won and lost by both sides, with Lee’s Legion in the thick of the action. They took part in numerous battles across the Southern colonies, distinguishing themselves at Fort 96, Guilford Courthouse and the siege of Augusta, Georgia. When Lord Cornwallis surrendered his forces after the Battle of Yorktown, Lee and his Legion were there supporting Washington’s Continental army. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/22c34549-0251-480c-81c1-ae59d3606de0/432330258_844237231076161_8725697289827603473_n.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Light Horse Harry Perhaps a quote from the Journals of the Continental Congress praising Lee and awarding him his Gold Medal will suffice: “Resolved, That the thanks of Congress be given to Major Lee, for the remarkable prudence, address and bravery displayed by him on the occasion; and that they approve the humanity shewn in circumstances prompting to severity, as honorable to the arms of the United States, and correspondent to the noble principles on which they were assumed.” Times change, however, and regrettably nowadays Lee’s heroic and gallant service to his country is little known outside of Virginia. It may be that his parentage of Robert E. Lee had the effect of discouraging later writers and historians from crediting the elder Lee with the widespread appreciation he so rightly deserves. https://www.aristocatic.com/southern-arts-journal/rebels-or-revolutionaries monthly 0.5 2025-05-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/09f789ed-2a2d-42b0-8988-a05c23c7dbbb/rebrev1.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Rebels or Revolutionaries? - Make it stand out Rehabilitating the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/41c9b1c3-b81a-42a8-9074-afb70423d503/Washington_and_Lee_U._1948_U.S._stamp.1.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Rebels or Revolutionaries? - Imagine how Lee would be portrayed today if “The War for Southern Independence” had succeeded. Even as a defeated “rebel”, Lee has achieved a considerable level of respect in the North and near-saintly reverence in the South due to his outstanding personal and professional qualities. If the Confederacy had secured a lasting independence, Lee would today be depicted as an Olympian figure and the most noble of revolutionaries... at least, according to Southern historians. But of course, it was not to be. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/5c0e6b6c-62f6-411f-b10d-fb312d7d1ef5/10157870.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Rebels or Revolutionaries? - Mildred Lewis Rutherford, a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and a renowned speaker, advised in the 1920s to “Reject a text-book that does not give the principles for which the South fought in 1861, and does not clearly outline the interferences with the rights guaranteed to the South by the Constitution and which caused secession. Reject a book that calls the Confederate soldier a traitor or rebel, and the war a rebellion… …Ours was not a Civil War, it was the War Between the States, for the non-seceding States of the United States made war upon the seceding States of United States to force them back into the Union. Please call it so, and teach it so.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/cd46f27d-b95d-4035-aeb7-922071cbb755/ROA_05438_07_M04.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Rebels or Revolutionaries? - Most of the early battles of the Revolutionary War had occurred in New England and the state of New York. It is from these engagements that many of the “buzzwords” referring to the war devolve from. Bunker Hill, Saratoga, Lexington and Concord, Ticonderoga, the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere’s Ride and Washington’s Crossing of the Delaware are all emblematic of the patriotic struggle - and all of them took place north of the Mason-Dixon line. By 1778, the war had ground to a virtual stalemate and Washington’s troops were demoralized and mutinous. The British looked to the southern colonies as a way to open up the conflict to their advantage. It was a reasonable strategy that was very successful at first, as Charleston and Savannah were captured and occupied in 1778 and 1779 respectively. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/0d29de05-9bdc-4250-a1a0-d7624cb7aa4e/2nd-Maryland-1777-185x300.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Rebels or Revolutionaries? - American General Baron de Kalb was killed in action and Gates himself barely escaped with his life. The battlefield was carpeted with 1,000 dead and wounded Americans. The British suffered nearly 400 casualties, but captured 1,000 patriots, all of their artillery, and most of their supplies and ammunition. As Gates’ battle-ready forces only numbered 3,000 or so, the loss was crippling. Cornwallis now had a free hand - or so he thought - in the Carolinas with no other significant force able to challenge him. His strategy was to mop up any organized patriot resistance while pushing north to eventually do battle with Washington’s Continental Army. Washington received the news of Gates’ defeat at Camden and, seeing that the situation was one of great danger, called on his friend Nathanael Greene to assume command of the Southern Department. Greene was not only one of Washington’s best Generals, he was perhaps the one he trusted the most. Greene was a realist who was not going to fall prey to the kind of overconfidence that had led Gates to disaster. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/a83d4164-4c1e-4d4a-a15d-3b3dd2e7ea76/rebrev2.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Rebels or Revolutionaries? - As the British were traversing the rocky terrain near Blacksburg, South Carolina they were surprised by groups of frontier riflemen who raked the British formation with accurate fire from the woods. British commander Major Patrick Ferguson was killed and nearly 700 of his men were captured. Undaunted by this defeat, Cornwallis then dispatched Colonel Banastre Tarleton, who had garnered an infamous reputation for alleged atrocities including killing prisoners, to attack a force of 700 militia and 300 Continentals under the command of General Daniel Morgan. Among the militia were about 150 sharpshooters from Georgia and North Carolina. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/711b037a-e554-4435-b79b-28d99b5fa79d/rebrev3.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Rebels or Revolutionaries? - Make it stand out Greene now perceived that Cornwallis’ weakened army was ripe for the picking, so with a numerically superior force of 4,400 men he confronted 1,900 British at Guilford Courthouse in the present-day city of Greensboro, North Carolina. Cornwallis chose to fight a defensive battle and was technically victorious. His army emerged mortally wounded, however, losing 93 killed and over 400 wounded. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/d09fc169-1a27-4b30-be15-bab63b7361bb/71njsChVW8L._AC_UF1000%2C1000_QL80_.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Rebels or Revolutionaries? - Over 7,000 redcoats would not have laid down their arms; instead, they would have linked up with Clinton’s army in occupied New York and then challenged Washington in his northern base. Greene’s generalship has been lately re-evaluated by modern historians who look past the “spin” put on the Revolutionary War by previous chroniclers. A native of Rhode Island, Greene has had two large cities named for him: Greenville SC and Greensboro NC - both, notably, located in the South. It may be too late to recast the events and personalities of the Revolutionary War under the clear and unbiased light of reason, since the popular conception of the war is one colored by the tint (or taint) of Civil War era prejudices. However, those who look beyond the version of events crafted by the spin doctors will find a stirring story of genius and glory whose pivotal chapters were played out on Southern soil by unsung Southern rebels and revolutionaries. https://www.aristocatic.com/southern-arts-journal/museum-pieces monthly 0.5 2025-05-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/dbc7fc34-71aa-44d8-9df0-a4a79c3256f0/tumblr_nqmrq1GEs01rwjpnyo1_1280.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Museum Pieces - Tarpley Carbine https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/94036e33-b6dd-4cbb-8266-fa49f4c8d825/4-reb-feature.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Museum Pieces - The situation was somewhat different for the defeated warriors of the South. Although regional Union commanders were given some discretion, many Confederate veterans were allowed to keep their rifles as it was assumed they would be needed to provide sustenance for their families. In doing so, the Union was taking some risk: there were voices in the South who advocated continuing resistance and guerilla warfare, and other voices in the North who predicted that would come to pass. Nevertheless, thousands of Confederate rifles saw use in the post-war years as hunting weapons. These guns were used hard, often until they were worn out. Others rested (and rusted) in attics and basements, slowly succumbing to the effects of Southern humidity in the long decades before the advent of air conditioning. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/cdcc547d-3001-42d5-bb41-2e1dbc4bacec/Murphy-Exhibit09.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Museum Pieces - In that respect he was eminently successful. Dr. Murphy and his wife Isabel spent the years after his retirement following leads and purchasing Confederate rifles, carbines and muskets from across the country, eventually accumulating over 140. Some of the makers include Morse, Cook & Brother, Cody & Son, Read & Watson, Sharps and Hall. Several of the rifles were made by small regional craftsmen and had very low production runs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/b93e9563-3314-41fc-b0ad-fab6e4bcc4fa/Murphy-Exhibit-Intro01.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Museum Pieces - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.aristocatic.com/southern-arts-journal/arms-and-the-men-how-bankers-blockade-runners-and-bravado-supplied-the-south monthly 0.5 2025-05-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/4f8cc052-b570-479b-b1bc-fb8f1cff467a/71HL8Um0I7L._AC_UF1000%2C1000_QL80_.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Arms and the Men: How Bankers, Blockade Runners and Bravado supplied the South - Benjamin was a tireless and energetic man who typically arrived at his office by 8:00am in the morning and often did not leave until 2:00am at night. Ever the optimist, he saw that there were pre-existing conditions and situations that he could exploit to the South's advantage. For one, there was a general feeling in the capitols of Europe that it would benefit their own self-interest if the pre-eminent power in North America remained divided. Benjamin focused on Great Britain. His overriding priority was to bring the British into the war on the side of the Confederacy, but if that wasn't possible then at least secure their cooperation with and acquiescence to the sourcing and supplying of arms. Benjamin assumed that Britain needed to maintain good relations with the Confederacy in order to assure continuing delivery of the cotton upon which their textile industry depended. On this point, however, he was overly confident. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/4bb9ee99-5135-451f-8826-a240e8d2dc19/s-l1200.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Arms and the Men: How Bankers, Blockade Runners and Bravado supplied the South - Make it stand out "You Can Run" by Tom Freeman - The Confederate Raider C.S.S. Alabama in pursuit of the clipper ship Contest, November 1863 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/e7e34d45-02bd-479f-94e7-517c5ea57e4a/468844835_10160685094035677_4559754093695286578_n.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Arms and the Men: How Bankers, Blockade Runners and Bravado supplied the South - In recent years, speculation has arisen that Trenholm was the model and inspiration for the Rhett Butler character from Margaret Mitchell's epic "Gone with the Wind". Certainly, there are parallels: Both Trenholm and Butler were wealthy raconteurs and admired philanthropists. Trenholm was described by those who knew him as "tall, brave and handsome, with the sweetest smile of any man". Trenholm and Butler were praised for their efforts to supply the Confederacy with weapons, but also criticized for importing luxury goods and selling them at a spectacular profit. After the war, both Trenholm and Butler were arrested and nearly executed - but escaped that fate when they threatened to expose their Northern business connections in the arms trade. Yet another curious fact is that Trenholm had a good friend in Richmond by the name of Edmund Rhett. Margaret Mitchell had always claimed that her characters were fictional and not based on any actual personages, and she certainly never admitted any connection between George Trenholm and Rhett Butler. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/4e69a1c6-fc80-492c-b1d6-1058550a1e7d/s-l1600.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Arms and the Men: How Bankers, Blockade Runners and Bravado supplied the South - Now, there were Enfields and there were Enfields... and Huse was perceptive enough to know the difference. He had been advised that he couldn't deal directly with the British Defence Ministry as that would breach their neutrality, but that he could order, purchase and take delivery directly from of the dozens of suppliers who actually manufactured the arms. Huse would settle for only the very best "Number 1" Enfield rifles. The suppliers had various standards and production methods, but only the London Armoury Company could guarantee delivery of machine-made Enfield rifles with interchangeable parts. Huse contracted with London Armoury to supply as many rifles as they could make. In fact, ALL of the company's production for 1864 was destined for the Confederacy, and a good portion of their 1865 production as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/57591508-1bd0-457c-bee3-6926ae5a1996/banshee.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Arms and the Men: How Bankers, Blockade Runners and Bravado supplied the South - Make it stand out Banshee II - Pride of the Anglo-Confederate Trading Company, launched in the summer of 1864 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/4e5091c7-413c-4ac4-a376-0087b0fa8242/union_blockade_anaconda_plan.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Arms and the Men: How Bankers, Blockade Runners and Bravado supplied the South - In the summer of 1861, Lockwood was given command of the armed privateer Theodora and began his legendary career as a blockade runner. On one of his trips to Havana, he returned to Charleston with a load of supplies that included 200,000 Cuban cigars. By 1862, Lockwood had firmly established himself as one of the most skilled and successful blockade runners and he was often called upon when sensitive or crucial cargoes needed to be run past the blockade. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/3882063f-7757-4944-9b6d-89f98e760b3c/22893_rd.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Arms and the Men: How Bankers, Blockade Runners and Bravado supplied the South https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/39367249-65f2-48d0-8ec8-d1c37ecb04a1/s-l400.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Arms and the Men: How Bankers, Blockade Runners and Bravado supplied the South - As for the CSS Stonewall, the American government sold it to Japan in 1868 - evidently they wanted it as far away as possible. The Stonewall arrived in time to become the flagship of the new Imperial Japanese Navy. Renamed "Kotetsu" (literally "Ironclad"), the ship helped Imperial forces soundly defeat the last organized Shogunate rebels at the Battle of Hakodate in May of 1869, thus unifying Japan and demonstrating the value of advanced military technology. https://www.aristocatic.com/southern-arts-journal/uncommon-cents-the-1861-confederate-cent monthly 0.5 2025-05-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/3272c6d6-e41e-4645-a93c-0abea4a238a8/1861cents.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Uncommon Cents: The 1861 Confederate Cent https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/3b547dfd-e90b-4101-8cd0-1a279083a502/6235658b93da39f6778f5ecdbd6ff584.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Uncommon Cents: The 1861 Confederate Cent - The design of the cent is simple, elegant, and typical for its time. On the obverse, Minerva wears a Phrygian Cap signifying Liberty. The cap's band has six stars. The legend "CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA" and the date of 1861 circle the field inside the rim. The reverse features a cereal wreath formed from sprigs of corn and cotton on the left, wheat and tobacco on the right. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/18541efb-5015-4c74-9a55-9e23688333b8/43871010.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Uncommon Cents: The 1861 Confederate Cent - Make it stand out 1861 Confederate Cent, 1874 Haseltine restrike in gold https://www.aristocatic.com/southern-arts-journal/dixie-doubloons-the-story-of-the-1861-confederate-half-dollar monthly 0.5 2025-05-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/065be7f5-251c-49df-8c0e-683a2901a7b0/1861-half-lead.tmb-slide-1900.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Dixie Doubloons: The Story of the 1861 Confederate Half Dollar - Make it stand out An 1861 Confederate half dollar (one of only four minted) from the legendary Eric P. Newman Collection sold for $960,000 and set a record for a Confederate half dollar at auction https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/05cac925-fc34-4775-a292-4504d093c915/Ballous+Pictorial+Mint+2.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Dixie Doubloons: The Story of the 1861 Confederate Half Dollar - Make it stand out New Orleans Mint, opened 1838 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/1d1f6442-24eb-455a-a549-0d44120a2b12/1861fed.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Dixie Doubloons: The Story of the 1861 Confederate Half Dollar - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/99024068-2d99-4589-acc5-727322fc6630/1861con.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Dixie Doubloons: The Story of the 1861 Confederate Half Dollar - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/3193aec0-da65-497f-8589-04b4ac0b2159/1861_CSA_Original_50C_B-8000_PF40_Ex-Newcomer-Green_2064031-006_v2_tb.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Dixie Doubloons: The Story of the 1861 Confederate Half Dollar - Taylor, being Chief Coiner, kept one of the coins for himself. Two others were given to a Dr. E. Ames of New Orleans and Prof. Riddell (or Biddle) of the University of Louisiana. Both Ames and Riddell were prominent citizens; Riddell was a former mint employee. The fourth coin was sent to Treasury Secretary Memminger who in turn presented it to President Davis. In the natural course of events, Patterson would have completed a new obverse die and assuming the design was approved, the new half dollar would have then gone into production. It was not to be. As was the case with so many of the Confederacy's plans, however, they were frustrated by time and events: too little time and too many adverse events. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/212c24ff-4ec9-4a2e-8960-a6f42275b8bc/1861_half_davis.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Dixie Doubloons: The Story of the 1861 Confederate Half Dollar Beauvoir, P. O. Harrison Co., Miss. Sir: I had a Confederate coin. It was in my wife's trunk when it was rifled by the Federal officers on board the prison ship on which she was detained at Hampton Roads before and after my confinement in Fortress Monroe. The coin, some medals and other valuables were stolen at that time. Whether the coin be the same which has been offered to you as a duplicate, I cannot say. It is, however, not true, as published, that it is now in my possession. Regretting that I cannot give you more exact information on the particular subject of your enquiry, I remain, Respectfully, Jefferson Davis https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/28ec8c5f-3349-4aea-a145-4022af683d2c/165270651.jpg Southern Arts Journal Articles - Dixie Doubloons: The Story of the 1861 Confederate Half Dollar - Make it stand out "4 ORIGINALS STRUCK BY ORDER OF C.S.A. IN NEW ORLEANS 1861 ******* REV. SAME AS U.S. (FROM ORIGINAL DIE SCOTT)" https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales daily 0.75 2025-12-21 https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/Blog Post Title One-lp9hf monthly 0.5 2025-12-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/26e5795f-b2db-45b3-a485-33f2db4ad93a/33907003926_7a0f735ae6_z+%281%29.jpg African Folktales - How the Jackal got its Black Back - How the Jackal got its Black Back, a fable by Chrigi-in-Africa, Ranger of the San Clan https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/2b919312-b4ee-4af0-8d34-904ea48865c8/33104477324_7310434cec_z.jpg African Folktales - How the Jackal got its Black Back - But the jackal was very much in love with the sun, and did not want to listen. So he jumped up into the tree, and when he grabbed the sun to pull her free, he burned his paws. Yelping with pain, the jackal pulled her from the tree's thorny embrace and quickly set her upon his back. Running as fast as he could, he took her to the edge of the world, where she lives. https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/the-lion-who-lost-his-roar monthly 0.5 2025-12-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/2364d17f-0843-4d05-8ac5-6be8c4d656c1/Lion-Roaring-Savannah-1200x800.jpg African Folktales - The Lion Who Lost His Roar - In the heart of the South African plains, where the tall grasses whispered secrets to the wind and the sun burned gold across the land, there lived a lion named Tau… His mane was thick and shining, his claws sharp as stone, and his roar ah, his roar was said to echo from one end of the savannah to the other. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/b072cdac-d014-4eb4-97ee-4f7b363e512c/lionroar2.jpg African Folktales - The Lion Who Lost His Roar - But that night, something strange happened… when the moon rose and the stars began to dance, Tau tried to roar and nothing came out! His throat was silent, as if the wind itself had stolen his voice. He tried again, harder, but the sound that emerged was no more than a weak sigh. Panic filled him. What is a lion without his roar?? The next morning… birds sang, a gentle breeze rustled the grasses, but Tau’s hill stood empty. Hiding in his den, too ashamed to face the world, Tau thought no one would fear a silent lion! Finally, driven by desperation, Tau went to see the wise tortoise, Kgabo, who lived near the riverbank. The tortoise listened patiently as the lion spoke in a raspy, low, broken voice: https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/how-the-elephant-got-its-trunk monthly 0.5 2025-06-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/81f0ce46-a1ce-40f9-a146-7b29c00cbb65/elephantcroc1.jpg African Folktales - How The Elephant Got its Trunk - How The Elephant Got its Trunk, a folktale with great similarities to "The Elephant's Child" by Rudyard Kipling (1902) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/fefdc1ea-a412-42c5-a2f4-dc405912c372/elephantschild.jpg African Folktales - How The Elephant Got its Trunk - Crocodile swam stealthily up to where Elephant was drinking. She suddenly lunged out of the water, and with one snap of her toothy jaws she had Elephant by the nose! Elephant was startled and tried to pull away. Crocodile used all her strength to try and pull Elephant into the water, but Elephant was also very strong and he dug his feet into the muddy riverbank. The two battled for hours, and with every pull and tug, Elephant's nose stretched a little more. Eventually, Crocodile became too tired to pull any more and she released her grip on Elephant’s nose. Elephant ran off, with his now very long nose hanging down in front of him. He was distraught and ashamed, and he hid in the bush as he was too embarrassed to face the other animals. https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/a-terrible-friend monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/d7482d32-dd35-4b7a-9273-94c0403f005a/leopardfire.jpg African Folktales - A Terrible Friend - A Terrible Friend, a traditional African folk story https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/83732ba3-0a81-4fe2-9c79-8cb7321d85da/leopardinn.jpg African Folktales - A Terrible Friend - She told Fire just how sad she was so Fire might understand why she should be visited as well... or their longstanding relationship would come to an end Fire smiled and looked thoughtful - he was eager to please his good friend. Fire then told Leopard that travel was difficult, and that before he could visit some special arrangements must be made... Firstly, Fire explained, firewood must be piled alongside the path to Leopard's hut. Next, a big bundle of firewood must be set outside Leopard's hut so the flames could sustain him during his visit It was a Herculean task but Leopard obeyed all of the instructions, just to ensure that Fire would be safe... and would have no excuse to refuse her hospitality https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/9c78fa26-9b47-40d2-b2de-652cb3bcbbcc/22624414514_ee9b028554_w.jpg African Folktales - A Terrible Friend - Until they realized the big pile of firewood had been consumed! In a panic, Leopard ran about helter-skelter in search of anything that might sustain Fire. She gave him a few bundles of dried grass... ...but Fire immediately burnt them to ashes and requested more! When there was nothing left for Fire to burn, he jumped onto Leopard's hut and began consuming the reeds. Leopard begged her friend not to burn down her hut but Fire wouldn't listen https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/a-small-bird-as-a-symbol-of-love-and-forgiveness monthly 0.5 2025-06-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/6ad2e17f-f933-4005-99f7-b268857339fd/capesparrowstory.jpg African Folktales - A Small Bird as a Symbol of Love and Forgiveness - (Recently our Namib Desert Camera and our moderator Theeny LSG captured a Cape Sparrow in flight. I had never heard of the Cape Sparrow but upon doing some digging, a bittersweet story was revealed...) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/0a454e7b-0aba-4674-8ee6-cf627077b79b/s-l1200.png African Folktales - A Small Bird as a Symbol of Love and Forgiveness - After the war, the survivors sent a petition to General Jan Smuts (prime minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919-1924 and 1939-1948). The women requested the emblem of a sparrow to be emblazoned on the lowest-denomination coin to thank God for having survived the war, and to remind everyone of their true worth in God's eyes. In 1923, the South African Reserve Bank issued the first South African Union coin bearing two sparrows on the obverse. Cape Sparrows later adorned the Halfpenny, and from 1961 to 1964 the half-cent coin of the Republic of South Africa. https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/the-tale-of-the-indigo-jackal monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/a57cc494-8fed-4fd0-8b03-9a09c8a23eb4/jackal_indigo.jpg African Folktales - The Tale of the Indigo Jackal - The Tale of the Indigo Jackal, an Indian folktale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/715f66e2-ec85-46b7-9a60-c57f8fab5532/The-Blue-Jackal-Story-for-Kids2.jpg African Folktales - The Tale of the Indigo Jackal - He paraded through the forest, a spectacle the likes had never been seen! The animals stared, mouths agape, at this resplendent being. "Who are you?" they asked in awe, voices trembling. With a twinkle in his eye, the jackal declared, "I am a messenger of the gods, sent to rule over this land and protect all its inhabitants." The animals, naive and eager for guidance, hailed him as their king. They brought him juicy fruits, the freshest water, and served him with undying devotion. The jackal reveled in his newfound power! The jackal truly had the world at his paws. But with each passing day, his arrogance swelled. He had successfully fooled everyone yet nature always finds a way to reveal the truth... https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/the-lost-message monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/cd149812-716a-4650-ac5e-cf7415091f35/ants063024.jpg African Folktales - The Lost Message - The Lost Message, a South African folklore tale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/01d197d1-f5a6-4739-8286-46c640be9747/wormking.jpg African Folktales - The Lost Message - Some suggested that they should all go underground and live there; others wanted to have a large, strong dwelling built above ground where nobody could enter but an ant... Yet another wanted to dwell in the trees to avoid Anteater, forgetting entirely that up there they would be the prey of birds; some even seemed inclined to have their own wings and fly away... So the ants talked, and talked, and talked some more, but in the end their deliberations amounted to nothing, and each party resolved to go to work in its own way and on its own responsibility https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/0514ef0a-829c-4228-af11-e5da096c0ba8/lostmessage.jpg African Folktales - The Lost Message - The Rice Ants lived under the ground but with them it went no better for whenever they came out to forage for food, Anteater visited them and took them away, never to return The Wagtail Ants fled to the trees when danger loomed but there sat Centipede waiting on a branch, or the Birds flew in to gobble them up The Gray Ants were determined to save themselves by growing wings and taking flight, but this availed them nothing because Spiders set webs and the Birds could fly a great deal faster than they could All of this greatly troubled the Ant King. When he heard that his subjects could not come to any agreement, he sent them the secret of Unity and the message of Working Together https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/how-the-heron-got-a-bend-in-its-neck monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/8de1e432-1406-4b6c-a145-ec659494c4a8/51237038667_980c936bbe_w.jpg African Folktales - How the Heron got a Bend in its Neck - How the Heron got a Bend in its Neck, a San folktale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/e9e5729d-6b7b-423e-8f12-8f75fbf64b18/dayofjackal.jpg African Folktales - How the Heron got a Bend in its Neck - The heron, passing by, heard her crying. "Why do you weep?," she asked. "I weep for my poor babies," replied the dove. "If I do not give them to the jackal he will fly up here and devour me too." "You foolish bird!," retorted the heron. "How can he fly up to you when he has no wings? You must not give in to his silly threats." So, the next day when the jackal returned, the dove refused to part with another baby. "The heron has told me that you cannot fly after all," she said. "That nosy heron," muttered the jackal, trotting off, "I will pay her back for her wagging tongue." It wasn't long before the jackal found the heron wading in a pond, looking for frogs. She looked down her beak at him. "What a long neck you have," said the jackal, cloyingly. "What happens when the wind blows? Does it not break in half?" https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/why-are-rhinos-grey monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/6ffd5b8a-8430-40f8-964d-a6ab3f0d5642/9298019869_fcbd20d3f6_z.jpg African Folktales - Why are Rhinos Grey? - Why are Rhinos Grey?, a fable by Chrigi-in-Africa, Ranger of the San Clan https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/3f11e333-a66c-428d-ba6f-a5bd10617ece/rhinosmoke.jpg African Folktales - Why are Rhinos Grey? - Otter and Baboon were quite happy to share their knowledge but Rhino was a grumpy and bad-tempered old fellow. He stubbornly refused to share his fire-making knowledge with the San. Time after time the humans pleaded with Rhino, "Please teach us how to make fire, as we get cold at night and the dark night is scary." Rhino just snorted through his nose, "I do not know, go away!" But you know, a funny thing happened every time Rhino told this lie: the mighty horn on his nose started to itch terribly! Having no hands to scratch the tickling itch, he would rub his itchy horn against a tree, only to set the tree on fire... and every time the humans asked Rhino, the very same thing happened. https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/the-punishment-of-the-faithless-one monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/1f394721-4291-4e82-8082-9460f5165aeb/48326711267_031563c511_z.jpg African Folktales - The Punishment Of The Faithless One - The Punishment Of The Faithless One, a Matabele folk tale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/2483878c-e203-45e0-ab5d-ff8c4a7fc0b0/618IQx7KkYL._AC_UC200%2C200_CACC%2C200%2C200_QL85_.jpg African Folktales - The Punishment Of The Faithless One - The people of Matabeleland will tell you that the Hornbill cannot be blamed, for his wife richly deserves her imprisonment. It all started like this, they say – in the days of long, long ago... The Hornbills used to build their nests in the treetops using twigs sewn together with hair from the tails of zebra and gnu. Inside, the nest was plastered with clay and lined with soft thistledown. They were a happy couple; three fine eggs were the proof. Each day, Papa Hornbill sought the tastiest fruits in the forest so that his dear wife would never have to leave their precious eggs alone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/9acd7309-ea5b-4b7a-a9cd-a56427a09561/71Om3i559%2BL._AC_UC200%2C200_CACC%2C200%2C200_QL85_.jpg African Folktales - The Punishment Of The Faithless One - At first she did not listen to this stranger but, as her husband was away for longer and longer, she began to think wistfully of the days when she used to enjoy happy flights over green forests. Seeing her longing, the tempter increased his persuasion for her to join him. "Just one short flight with such a handsome companion!," she thought. "I will be back long before my husband returns." You can imagine what followed: while Papa Hornbill searched the forest for fruits for his wife, she was flitting over the countryside with the bold bachelor. Day by day their joy flights grew longer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/62eee0bc-280e-4826-9595-99542f1dd5ae/71trZOJCBsL._AC_UC200%2C200_CACC%2C200%2C200_QL85_.jpg African Folktales - The Punishment Of The Faithless One - "That is a voice I know," he said to himself. Then his wife and the handsome bachelor flew into sight. The husband launched himself upon the intruder with rage and a ferocious battle ensued! The wicked tempter was put to flight as he deserved. The faithless wife returned in disgrace to her nest but she had been away too long this time, and there was no warmth nor life in the eggs. The guilty wife carefully hid this fact from Papa Hornbill as, week after week, she sat upon the lifeless eggs. When eventually no chicks hatched, her husband realized the dreadful truth. https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/the-leopard-the-oryx-and-the-jackal monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/6caa78a3-d11b-448a-be56-5d4608cf8414/leojackal.jpg African Folktales - The Leopard, the Oryx and the Jackal - The Leopard, the Oryx and the Jackal, a South African folktale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/1c6ea024-dd04-4874-9743-712186d3af19/leojackal1.jpg African Folktales - The Leopard, the Oryx and the Jackal - "Friend Jackal, I am all out of breath and half dead with fright, for I have just seen a terrible-looking fellow! Long horns grew out of his head, and when I asked his name he answered, 'I am Oryx.'" "What a foolish fellow you are," cried Jackal, "to leave such a nice piece of flesh standing! Why did you do so? Never mind, we shall go back there tomorrow and eat it together." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/04ab28b5-3c1c-4fb5-9102-d04d60844442/leojackal2.jpg African Folktales - The Leopard, the Oryx and the Jackal - "Don't be afraid," said Oryx's wife. "Take up our child in your arms, go out with it, and pinch it to make it cry." Oryx, nodding, picked up his son and went outside, just as the confederates arrived. No sooner did Leopard cast his eyes on Oryx, than fear possessed him again and he wished to turn back. Jackal had provided against this, however, and had tied himself to Leopard with a leather thong. Oryx then pinched his child and called out in a loud voice, "You have done well, Friend Jackal, to have brought us Leopard to eat! Can you hear my hungry child crying out for food?" https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/why-the-bat-flies-by-night monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/36c51979-0306-46b2-a69b-836b75e41cd3/48966082108_063505d047_b.jpg African Folktales - Why the Bat Flies by Night - Why the Bat Flies by Night, a Nigerian Folktale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/f7fa8e5e-78b7-4720-af24-7c658bd2ff53/why_the_bat_flies_at_night.aw01.final_high_res.jpg African Folktales - Why the Bat Flies by Night - "I always boil myself in the water, and my flesh is sweet," the bat explained. "That's what makes the soup so good." But he was lying! Mamanthwane offered to show the bush rat how it was done. He got a pot of warm water that was not hot enough to burn anyone, but he told Legotlo that the water was boiling hot. Then Mamanthwane jumped into the pot and shortly afterwards came out again. When Mamanthwane served the soup it tasted just as strong, rich and good as usual, as the bat had prepared it beforehand. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/5fbd87fe-14ca-450c-a50f-bea38b6857b4/why_the_bat_flies_at_night.aw02.final_high_res.jpg African Folktales - Why the Bat Flies by Night - When Legotlo's wife looked into the pot and saw the dead body of her husband, she was very angry indeed. "Mamanthwane has betrayed his best friend and deprived me of a good husband," she cried. She reported the matter to the King and Queen, who ordered that the bat be caught and imprisoned. Everyone in their village turned out but Mamanthwane, who had been expecting trouble, flew away. https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/why-the-warthog-goes-about-on-his-knees monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/ec2997ad-2ff4-443c-ab34-ab2924594f49/2307770037-3.jpg African Folktales - Why the Warthog Goes About on His Knees - Why the Warthog Goes About on His Knees, an African folktale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/18cf73ce-4d51-4f32-80ce-828415b824b6/warthog-3.jpg African Folktales - Why the Warthog Goes About on His Knees - Warthog thought it was the most magnificent home in Africa, and he would often stand at the entrance of his dwelling with his snout in the air as other animals passed by on their way to the waterhole. "Haha!," he thought to himself, "no one has such a fine home as me!" One day as he looked out from the entrance of his luxurious burrow, he was horrified to see a Lion stealthily stalking toward him. He began to back away but because he had made the entrance so grand, Lion would have no difficulty in following him in. "Ahhhh," panicked Warthog, "Lion will eat me in my own lounge! What can I do?" Warthog remembered an old trick he'd heard Jackal bragging about. With Lion bearing down on him, he pretended to support the roof of his burrow with his back, pushing up with his tusks. https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/clever-jackal-gets-away monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/6b8e415e-5a63-4ec1-841e-9ee949ac3916/759798717_00d90265d2_c.jpg African Folktales - Clever Jackal Gets Away - Clever Jackal Gets Away, a traditional Zulu story https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/7a50408a-5919-402c-9ec7-dd6cb592fdd1/lionjackal1.jpg African Folktales - Clever Jackal Gets Away - "Help! Help!" cried Jackal. He cowered on the path, looking up at the rocks. Lion stopped short in surprise. "Help!" Jackal howled, using the fear he felt in the middle of his chest to accent his cry Jackal glanced up at Lion. "Oh, great Nkosi ('Lord')! Help! There is no time to lose! See those great rocks on the cliff above us? They are about to fall! We shall both be crushed to death!!!!" "Oh, mighty Nkosi, do something! Save us!" And Jackal cowered even lower, his paws covering his head. Lion looked up, most alarmed. Before Lion even had a chance to think, Jackal was begging him to use his strength to hold up the overhanging rock. So Lion put his brawny shoulder to the rock and heaved mightily. https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/lion-and-warthog monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/6e2eaac3-7f96-4199-ab24-d4cf31d399f6/52770050719_ceec8f0679_z.jpg African Folktales - Lion and Warthog - Lion and Warthog, a South African folktale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/bd2c7d97-1076-40ec-97e3-407fcc502185/lionwarthog1.jpg African Folktales - Lion and Warthog - Lion gave his loudest roar. He pulled and pulled to free himself from the trap. The trap got tighter and tighter around his leg every time he pulled. Lion grew tired and he felt more pain in his leg. Finally, he gave up. Days went past as Lion lay baking in the sun. He was hungry and thirsty and there was no one to save him. He became weaker and weaker. "I am going to die of hunger and thirst in this trap," he thought to himself. One morning, Lion heard a sound coming from the nearby bushes. He listened and looked closer. He saw Warthog walking with his family, talking and laughing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/7eff064d-1f71-411d-a85c-514b3ddf96e7/lionwarthog4.jpg African Folktales - Lion and Warthog - So he pulled at the trap with his long strong tusks and released Lion. Warthog saved his new friend. "Thank you for saving my life", said Lion. "I must go to my family now, good bye." Warthog replied, "Go well my friend." He was happy that Lion was his friend. "My family will never have to run from Lion again," he thought. Lion walked away limping and weak. He was also very hungry. Then he saw Warthog's children playing in the mud. "Today is my lucky day," said Lion with his mouth watering. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/422f8bff-0cfb-4e5b-9f5d-2c398a747191/lionwarthog2.jpg African Folktales - Lion and Warthog - "Run! Run! Run away!" Warthog's wife shouted to the children at the top of her voice. "Raise your tails when you are running so that your father can see you," she called. The babies ran as fast as they could through the bushes. "Warthog please help me!" begged Lion again. He was in pain from the trap. "I will do anything for you if you save me," he cried. "No way, liar! I will never believe you again," shouted Warthog. "I will also warn other animals not to save you because you are very sly." https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/the-jackal-and-the-farmer monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/31630a63-5558-486e-ba81-201cc96ab9a4/7003149661_fcb702c7be_z.jpg African Folktales - The Jackal and the Farmer - The Jackal and the Farmer, a fable of the Kabyle people of North Africa https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/d27c0d61-c3fe-4151-9e6e-c0af6d58f670/P1160363.jpg African Folktales - The Jackal and the Farmer - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/6c197eaa-c56d-45dd-a63e-92d6b19652a4/jackal.jpg African Folktales - The Jackal and the Farmer - "Tomorrow I will disguise my voice and call to you from up there on the hill," said the jackal. "I will ask who you are speaking to. Answer by saying it is only an Asko (a block of wood to be split)." "Have a hatchet at hand," added the jackal. "Do you understand?" The farmer replied "Yes, certainly, I understand you." The next day, the farmer went to his field and plowed as usual with the two oxen, from morning till eve, but this time he brought his hatchet along, just as the jackal told him. When evening came, so did the lion: "Farmer, give me an ox or I shall kill both oxen and you as well!" At once, a deep voice spoke from the hill, saying "Farmer, who is talking with you?" The lion, suddenly afraid, ducked down and said in a frightened voice, "That is God!" The farmer then called back loudly, "It is only an Asko." https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/why-hippos-dont-eat-fish monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/148120d9-f805-49f5-ab13-79e5f7a4cdf8/17665998000_b74e214fbd_z.jpg African Folktales - Why Hippos Don't Eat Fish - Why Hippos Don't Eat Fish, a Kikuyu folktale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/7596def4-2062-4726-9df2-82fc32e252e7/splatter_zone.jpg African Folktales - Why Hippos Don't Eat Fish - So Hippopotamus stayed in his home in the forests and plains, where the sun continued to beat down mercilessly on his unprotected hide. "This is more that I can bear!", moaned the poor creature. "Please, please, Good Lord N'gai," wailed Hippopotamus, "let me leave the forests and plains to live in the rivers and lakes! I promise most faithfully that I will not eat your little fishes." Good Lord N'gai looked down on the plains baking in the heat of the midday sun and his heart softened. "Hippopotamus," he called down, "how will you prove to me you are not eating my little fishes?" "I will lie in the cool water by day, and at night I will graze along the river bank until I have eaten my fill," replied Hippopotamus. "I promise you, I will never eat any of your little fishes." https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/how-jackal-fed-the-lion monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/8b8a8787-fe25-4d39-81ec-8a65a51810b1/3910434506_be259861b0_z.jpg African Folktales - How Jackal Fed The Lion - How Jackal Fed The Lion, a South African folktale, Parts 1 & 2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/fcfd05f2-116b-4f36-88cf-dc18ac51cc4a/lionandjackal3.jpg African Folktales - How Jackal Fed The Lion - Papa Lion awoke the next morning feeling refreshed and rather hungry... a new day meant a new hunt! There was one thing he wanted to do before setting off, so he went home to see how Mama Lion and the children were getting on. Had they feasted well on the nice fat sheep Jackal had brought them? Papa Lion was in for a surprise, however, and not a good one – his children were crying, his wife was spluttering and scratching with rage, and the bones of the sheep were nowhere to be seen. "Ohé! Ohé! Ohé!," cried Mama Lion. "That bad, wicked Jackal! That low, veldt dog!" Papa Lion looked around in confusion. "What is the matter, dear heart?," he asked, "and where is Jackal?" "Where is he?," she mockingly repeated. "How should I know? He has run off with the nice fat sheep, and me – yes me, the King's wife – he has beaten me with the entrails! Ohé! Ohé!" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/3028afc8-faf6-4e18-b7dc-70691621a90c/lionandjackal2.jpg African Folktales - How Jackal Fed The Lion - "Certainly, with pleasure," answered Lion, "but this cliff is so steep. How can I get up?" "Ach! That's quite easy, Lion. I'll pull you up in the blink of an eye." Dropping his voice so Lion couldn't hear him, Jackal whispered "Here, wife, give me a nice thick rope. Not the good one, that old rotten one that is nearly rubbed through." So Mrs. Jackal brought the rotten rope, tossed one end down to Papa Lion, and they both set to work pulling him up the sheer rock face. "Hoo-rah! Hoo-rah!," they sang out as they slowly hauled away. When he was just a few feet from the top, Jackal cried out, "Arre! but Lion is heavy!," and he pulled the rope this way and that way along the sharp edge of the cliff face 'til it frayed… https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/friends-in-high-places monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/590923e9-230a-4ff0-b0dc-ca7ddd90f3ec/10252361796_965e816338_z.jpg African Folktales - Friends in High Places - Friends in High Places, an African folklore story https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/5887f0f3-f28a-4b76-a0d3-9b032ef74b8a/jail.jpg African Folktales - Friends in High Places - One year later, the King went hunting in an unexplored corner of his Kingdom. Cannibals captured him and took him to their village where they stacked wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. Then they noticed the King was missing a thumb, which greatly dismayed them as it was a taboo to eat anyone who was less than whole. Muttering curses, they untied the King and sent him on his way. During his long journey home, the King marveled over his escape and recalled the traumatic event that had led to the loss of his thumb. He felt remorseful over the way he had treated his old friend. As soon as he got back, the King visited his friend at the jail and proceeded to tell him all that had happened. "You were right after all," the King said, "it WAS good that my thumb was blown off." https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/how-the-cheetah-got-her-speed monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/8f61e286-2020-4115-aff3-47507a84c73a/cheetahtsessebe.jpg African Folktales - How The Cheetah Got Her Speed - Make it stand out How The Cheetah Got Her Speed, a Bushmen fable by Southern Destinations https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/5541e5f3-d2dc-4272-ab4c-dc185088877e/45948679801_19e1c2f439_z.jpg African Folktales - How The Cheetah Got Her Speed https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/the-weeping-willows monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/6a08eb5e-83da-475b-a6b5-34675e5f26cf/2502628804_5e1338d938_z.jpg African Folktales - The Weeping Willows The Weeping Willows, a story from the San/Bushmen people https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/26212c10-9fdd-4c2d-92ce-55cfede6d813/shaman.jpg African Folktales - The Weeping Willows - "Dip me up some water, pretty girls," he croaked, "I am very thirsty." "How ugly he is!," giggled the girls, "just like an old frog." And they fell about laughing... all except one, who was ashamed of her sisters' rudeness. Unbeknownst to them, the old man was really a magician. With the wink of an eye, he turned nine of the girls into tall slender willow trees, drooping their long, leafy branches along the river bank. The one polite daughter who was spared by the magician ran crying to her parents and, weeping profusely, told them what had happened. Furious and blinded with grief, her parents ran to the river bank. Their father tried to chop down the nearest tree with his axe but recoiled in horror when blood gushed from the splintered bark. https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/the-giraffe-in-the-sky monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/e7c6cf9b-380d-4365-8bda-cf06150d98fd/33302134573_23fe309c6e_z.jpg African Folktales - The Giraffe in the Sky The Giraffe in the Sky, an ancient Bushman folktale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/3be5498d-2719-4167-9f6c-31818a43c15c/giraffesun.jpg African Folktales - The Giraffe in the Sky - The other animals wondered what they could do for Giraffe. Then one day, they realized that Giraffe could do something for them – precisely because he was so tall and was always staring at the sky. In those far-off days, the Sun often got lost in the high, wide heavens. It bumped up and down, wandered from side to side, and needed someone or something to guide it along its true celestial path. So Giraffe was put to work watching the Sun, and guided it through the sky. From sunup to sundown, Giraffe stretched his long neck and stared at the sky, making sure the Sun never lost its way again. Giraffe was very happy to have finally found a purpose, and he did such a good job that in his honor, some stars were rearranged in the sky so that they would always point in the direction of the Sun. https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/thunder-and-lightning monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/696326a0-4462-41a5-9328-95af9ee0a14f/5528015619_999aab2e82_z.jpg African Folktales - Thunder and Lightning Thunder and Lightning, a traditional San tale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/47c786be-4b82-429a-9145-f9be1e9dee5d/Lightening_at_waterhole_in_Etosha%2C_Namibia.jpg African Folktales - Thunder and Lightning - As you can imagine, the neighbors were very upset: first by the damage caused by Lightning, and then by the unbearable noise from his mother that always followed his destructive outbursts. Time after time the villagers would complain to the King, who finally sent the two of them to live at the very edge of the village. The King also warned them to never mix with the people again. https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/clever-jackal-and-foolish-crow monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/37626772-b091-4c58-9245-bc8bf1058f5c/42134483235_bf41991d6f_z.jpg African Folktales - Clever Jackal and Foolish Crow - Clever Jackal and Foolish Crow, a fable by Kholeka Mabeta https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/db1c9e9e-a95c-45cf-a22b-d623044e98f0/jackalcrow.jpg African Folktales - Clever Jackal and Foolish Crow - Crow was tired as he had been flying the whole morning. Scouting the ground below, he glided down to rest on a tree branch. Jackal trotted over and lay down beneath the branch where Crow was sitting. Jackal looked up and, wearing a huge smile, said "Hello Crow! You're looking very good today. Your feathers look so glossy and healthy. You must be taking very good care of yourself." Jackal knew that Crow thought he was the most beautiful of all the birds. "I hear you also have the most beautiful singing voice of all the birds," added Jackal. "Won't you sing a song for me?" https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/how-the-snake-lost-his-legs monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/262c9f8f-9646-435d-9f4d-06d613a089b9/3213042659_35682f4d4a_z.jpg African Folktales - How the Snake Lost his Legs - In the story of How the Snake Lost His Legs, a fable by Chrigi-in-Africa, Ranger of the San Clan, the moon is portrayed as a sympathetic deity who looked into the future, and saw that a terrible drought was impending... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/03d15a97-9da2-4f3c-9397-afcae014524a/snakestale.jpg African Folktales - How the Snake Lost his Legs - “I will stay here,” he mockingly replied to Mantis. “Your so-called 'drought' does not worry me!” Soon after, the rain ceased to fall. The grass begin to shrivel, the ponds dried up and all the fat little frogs hopped away. Hungry now and very thin, Snake decided to follow the other animals. But by then, the rain-less land had become a desert covered with shifting sand dunes. With every step he took, Snake sank deeper into the loose sands. The more he struggled, the less progress he made. https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/blog-post-title-four-7zarm monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/9e6125ea-f1c1-4831-90e1-4470c8924d59/5575195264_cf26d7b308_z.jpg African Folktales - How The Zebra Got Its Stripes - There are many stories and questions on How the Zebra Got his Stripes, and here in Africa one of the most well-known is from the the San/Bushmen people of the Namibian Kalahari Desert. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/fb821aa4-1ab5-4cf6-8cf7-69edb3aa6c6f/a-zebra-stands-near-a-campfire-surrounded-by-logs-in-a-natural-setting-photo.jpg African Folktales - How The Zebra Got Its Stripes - The Baboon landed with a smack on his seat, taking all the hair clean off, and to this very day he still carries the bare patch where he landed. The dazed and bruised young Zebra, not looking where he was going, staggered back through the Baboon's fire. The flames scorched him, leaving black burn stripes across his white fur. https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/blog-post-title-two-nggaw monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/e0263a5d-e84c-4f84-a2a1-fc8db75b9c61/27161184170_793aaf9da3_b.jpg African Folktales - Why the Porcupine has Quills - Make it stand out Why the Porcupine has Quills, an African folklore legend https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/d99cce51-a863-4d80-9be9-e843ff1a6b05/porcupinejackal.jpg African Folktales - Why the Porcupine has Quills - The conceited Porcupine fell for Jackal's scheme. He took off his much-admired coat, leaving it in Jackal's care. Thanking Jackal for his thoughtfulness, Porcupine made his way to the thorn patch. Porcupine had only pushed himself into the thicket a short distance before he was badly pricked all over by the sharp thorns. Try as he might, he could not move any further forward. Stymied, frustrated and weeping profusely, Porcupine backed his way out of the thorn patch. This was very painful, for most of the thorns broke off in his skin and he could not pull them out. https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/blog-post-title-three-hh4z7 monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/4a917cb5-b905-4bb2-af36-595171e7fd01/6874966748_9c838f529e_z.jpg African Folktales - Why Hyenas Have Short Hind Legs Why Hyenas Have Short Hind Legs, A Zulu Folktale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/d43085c7-bf2c-4039-9350-d7212e883bb9/IMG_7268.jpg African Folktales - Why Hyenas Have Short Hind Legs - So Hyena caught him and broke his fall. The piece of cloud Jackal gave her was so delicious she wanted more, so she jumped up on top of another white cloud and ate until she was full. She called down to Jackal, “Catch me, my cousin, and I'll bring a piece of cloud for us to share later." The scoundrel Jackal said to Hyena, "My cousin, trust me, I will catch you, jump down!" https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/how-the-tortoise-got-its-many-faceted-shell monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/66f105f3-ce78-4004-ba50-d798d049f373/tortoise_kalahari.jpg African Folktales - How the Tortoise Got its Many-Faceted Shell - Make it stand out How the Tortoise Got its Many-Faceted Shell, an African folktale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/6ad1d7c3-71c7-4a9e-901b-e17c9c9104ff/tortoiseshell1.jpg African Folktales - How the Tortoise Got its Many-Faceted Shell - One day when Gecko was carrying his yam home, he came across Tortoise, who asked him where he had gotten that juicy yam. He offered to tell her on the condition that Tortoise would tell no one else. Tortoise promised to keep the secret so Gecko told her to meet him next morning, before the very first cock crowed, and he would take her to the place where yams were free for the taking. Early the following morning Gecko and Tortoise met up and traveled together to the farmer's secret cave. When they arrived, Gecko rolled the rock away to reveal the cave's hidden entrance. Tortoise could hardly believe her eyes... there were more yams in there than even she could eat! Gecko picked out a yam and, as usual, started on his way home. Tortoise, however, was not done yet. https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/why-mosquitoes-buzz-in-peoples-ears monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/82ec34c7-9780-4215-9b7d-a4cda81e6862/mosquito_ear.jpg African Folktales - Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears - Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears, a West African folktale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/8d178598-e2de-4a31-9854-e76b1d748eb3/mosquito1.jpg African Folktales - Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears - Her suitors displayed such an impressive array of skills that Ear felt overwhelmed – how could she ever make a decision? Then along came Mosquito... "I would like you to be my wife," proposed Mosquito. Ear didn't know whether to laugh or cry... tiny Mosquito's proposal was so ludicrous that Ear felt deeply offended by this affront. "What makes you think I can entertain such a thought?," she shouted. "Look around you!" cried Ear, her words dripping with disdain. "Of all the people and creatures in the world, what makes you think I could marry YOU?!! You will be dead before the week is over!" Ear, exhausted from her tirade, sank into her seat, fanning herself vigorously as if to banish the episode from her mind. Meanwhile, Mosquito slunk away, shamed and hurt by Ear's mocking dismissal. https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/why-the-worms-live-underneath-the-ground monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/57cb2880-b13d-4c16-8b1a-e9ac94837d10/ants.jpg African Folktales - Why the Worms live Underneath the Ground - Why the Worms live Underneath the Ground, a Nigerian folktale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/9363adcf-8e86-4e32-a184-27e45c4ee1d9/driverants.jpg African Folktales - Why the Worms live Underneath the Ground - After one of these feasts the head Driver Ant stood up and bragged that he and his people were stronger than anyone, and that no one, not even the Elephant, could stand before him and his army. He was particularly offensive in his allusions to the Worms (whom he disliked very much), and disparaged them as “poor wriggling things.” Naturally, the worms were very angry and complained vociferously! The king then ordered that to decide who was stronger, both sides must meet on the main road and fight it out between themselves. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/6a8b6929-5fa6-4c62-810c-135a1b400f91/wormsvsants.jpg African Folktales - Why the Worms live Underneath the Ground - The army of the driver ants left their nest in the early morning, millions upon millions, marching in an inch-wide line so densely packed that it was like a dark brown band moving over the country. Spearheading the rolling column were the sharp-eyed scouts, the veteran advance guard and the agile flankers, with the main body of troops in their countless multitudes following closely behind. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/616ec1e3-11c8-4254-811d-4f15da820a7a/eyo3maskedking.jpg African Folktales - Why the Worms live Underneath the Ground - The fight was over in mere minutes as the worms were bitten to pieces by the sharp pincer-like mouths of the driver ants. The few worms who survived squirmed away and buried themselves out of sight. King Eyo then rose and proclaimed the driver ants to be the victors, and ever since then the worms have always been afraid, and have lived underground. So filled with fear were the worms that if they come to the surface after it rains, they hide themselves underground whenever anything approaches, as they fear everything from ants to eleph-ants. (adapted, via World of Tales) (images via My Short Stories: Leiningen Versus the Ants, IGN, and The Nollywood Reporter) https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/the-leopard-man monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/6c899c1c-f338-4270-9634-179c6a722d1b/leopardman.jpg African Folktales - The Leopard Man - The Leopard Man, an African folktale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/85ad89e8-059a-47c4-a108-2753426d8d46/leopardman_poster.jpg African Folktales - The Leopard Man - When the stranger looked back and saw her behind him, he stopped and begged her to return home. She refused, exclaiming "I will never leave you, and wherever you go, I will follow" "Beautiful maiden, you will regret it," replied the stranger sadly, as he turned away and hurried on ever deeper into the dark forest After a while he stopped again and begged her once more to retrace her steps, but her reply was the same, so again the handsome stranger said in sorrowful tones, "Beautiful maiden, you will regret it" They walked far into the depths of the forest, finally reaching a tall tree at the foot of which there lay the skin of a leopard. Standing under the tree, the stranger sang her a melancholy song... "Oh beautiful maiden, the great spirits have allowed me to wander through villages and towns like a man but in truth, I am a savage leopard who will rend you in pieces when I regain my natural form" https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/why-zebras-have-stripy-coats monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/9e7556d7-1a4a-4b89-a7fb-edb221d52a58/27586668695_5205e70f5f_c.jpg African Folktales - Why Zebras Have Stripy Coats - Why Zebras Have Stripy Coats, a South African folktale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/ad524073-ec78-47fd-a3b8-085ea38dec2a/the-zebras-stripes-and-other-african-animal-tales.jpg African Folktales - Why Zebras Have Stripy Coats - At long last when The Creator had finished his work, he invited the animals to come to his house and choose what they liked. The animals were very excited, of course, and they eagerly rushed off. All except Zebra, who was too busy eating her dinner. Now Zebra was well-known for her love of food; it was said that nothing could come between her and her mealtimes. As Zebra finished her dessert, she remembered The Creator's invitation. Stuffed from a multi-course meal, she was extremely full as she wandered slowly along the road to The Creator's house. Along the way, she passed many of the other animals who were now on their way back home, and she was surprised at how different they all looked now! https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/how-the-ostrich-got-his-long-neck monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/564640eb-bbea-4432-b3fe-dd4e68057a2c/ostriches.jpg African Folktales - How The Ostrich Got His Long Neck - How The Ostrich Got His Long Neck, an African folktale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/1638fd6d-ae45-4db8-87d6-e9873bcd877c/ostrich1.jpg African Folktales - How The Ostrich Got His Long Neck - He settled himself atop their clutch of eggs, determined to succeed in his unaccustomed task. His flighty wife, meanwhile, was more than thankful to be relieved of a duty she already found a trial. She clucked to herself, fluffed up her feathers and, showing how pleased she was, set off in a joyful high-stepping dance among the rocky termite mounds that surrounded their nest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/aebf06d8-ab2b-4f6d-87d6-9dcb9b58fd7d/ostrich2.jpg African Folktales - How The Ostrich Got His Long Neck - He wriggled his massive thighs on the ground as he had seen his wife do, shifting the position of the eggs so that they lay more comfortably in their bed, and settled down to his long night's wait. The full moon's silvery light cast strange shadows and threw up ghostly figures among the surrounding termite mounds. His head was beginning to nod when he became aware of his wife's hissing laugh. Instantly, he was wide awake. Straining his short neck to its utmost limit, he saw her weaving in and out between the termite mounds in a wild game of hide-and-seek with a handsome young ostrich! He half-rose from the nest; then sank back with a sigh. He dared not leave the precious eggs. What if they were to grow cold while he went to tell his flirting wife to cease her disgraceful behavior? https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/why-the-warthog-is-so-ugly monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/f3b51e5f-6b20-48fe-8d69-37dc0518e589/lionesswarthog122224.jpg African Folktales - Why The Warthog Is So Ugly - Why The Warthog Is So Ugly, an African folktale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/b9155671-4a95-4ba2-90ea-8a2d43e41eb7/uglywarthog2.jpg African Folktales - Why The Warthog Is So Ugly - Porcupine was extremely tired but he still had a long way to go before he reached his home. Porcupine had an idea… why not nip into Warthog's burrow and have a quick nap before Warthog returned? And so, Porcupine crawled into Warthog's burrow and promptly fell asleep. Meanwhile, Warthog had found a waterhole, wallowed luxuriously in the mud, and found some delicious fresh grass to graze on https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/2419cb6a-5ef8-448e-90e6-9cc11948d3bf/uglywarthog1.jpg African Folktales - Why The Warthog Is So Ugly - Warthog realized that he had pushed Lioness too far this time. Fleeing in panic, he ran as fast as he could back to his burrow… with the angry Lioness hot on his tail Warthog ran straight into his burrow, head first, knowing that Lioness was far too big to follow him in. Indeed, Lioness stopped short just outside the burrow's entrance, roaring in frustration https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/cab2b714-1aed-4d25-b8a2-c0094b84415a/uglywarthog3.jpg African Folktales - Why The Warthog Is So Ugly - He hastily backed out of his burrow but many of Porcupine's quills had become stuck in his face and nose. Lioness, seeing Warthog coming out with a face full of quills, laughed mockingly "Serves you right," said Lioness, "that will teach you to be so vain." When the other animals heard what had happened to Warthog, they all came to laugh too, and no one helped him pull out the quills https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/how-crocodile-got-its-ugly-skin monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/ee8eba92-cc8e-457e-83a3-5886b0e742cc/52135489388_3b014fc231_b.jpg African Folktales - How Crocodile got its Ugly Skin - How Crocodile got its Ugly Skin, a Namibian folklore tale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/3cc60e78-fa41-43b7-b867-92dd70bc454c/crocskin.jpg African Folktales - How Crocodile got its Ugly Skin - Egged on by the other animals' oohs and ahhs, she began to think she was better than her starry-eyed admirers. Her pride blossomed and soon she started bossing them around! As one might expect, her change in attitude offended the other animals. They were put off by her haughtiness, and fewer and fewer showed up each day to gaze upon her glistening skin Crocodile had come to crave the other animals' fawning admiration. She stayed out of the water for longer and longer times, hoping for an ooh or an ahh but all too often hearing no sound at all As days passed, the hot African sun began to burn Crocodile's skin. Deprived of its natural sunscreen, it grew thicker and bumpier and uglier, and was transformed into what looked like bulging armor https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/why-the-snake-can-shed-its-skin monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/4d4ee612-1e0c-45f7-a5e8-070b530463e4/snakeskin.jpg African Folktales - Why the Snake can Shed its Skin - Why the Snake can Shed its Skin, an African folklore tale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/27339601-7e12-40fb-bc65-3bb9081e6ea7/jackalamongsnakes.jpg African Folktales - Why the Snake can Shed its Skin - He then asked Jackal to deliver the basket of skins to Man. Of course, Jackal was anything but reliable and on the way to the village, Jackal felt hungry and stopped to have a meal He ate so much he felt very tired afterwards. “There’s no harm in laying down to rest for a while”, thought Jackal, before continuing on his journey to Man’s village As Jackal dozed, Snake slithered past. Snake stopped and asked Jackal what was in the basket. Jackal told her about the special skins and that The Creator had entrusted him with delivering them to Man Snake liked the idea of living forever and wanted the skins for herself, so she offered to guard the basket while Jackal had a little nap. Jackal thanked Snake, and promptly fell into a deep sleep When Snake was sure that Jackal was sleeping soundly, she snatched the basket of skins and disappeared into the bush. When Jackal awoke, he was distraught to realize that he had been betrayed! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/048b8fc2-ccff-45d5-a393-a228e7973661/imageedit_3_8510345777.jpg African Folktales - Why the Snake can Shed its Skin - He ran to the village and told Man what had happened. Man was annoyed with Jackal for being so careless but was not overly concerned, thinking “The Creator will simply make me another batch of skins” The Creator, angry at Man’s presumptuousness, refused to make any more skins. Man, therefore, had to die when he became old. Man blamed Jackal for this calamity and chased him away from the village The Creator was also angry with Snake for being so greedy and cunning, so He took away the magical power from the skins, leaving them just as ordinary skins with no power to prolong life To this day, Man still distrusts Jackals and Snakes, but Snakes still have the basket of skins so they can change their old skins for new ones whenever they want https://www.aristocatic.com/folktales/why-rhinos-are-ill-tempered monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/7043879e-6880-48f0-b19f-348b506527e8/23501180380_f577b0b37e_c.jpg African Folktales - Why Rhinos Are Ill-Tempered - Why Rhinos Are Ill-Tempered (and how Giraffe got such a long neck), an East African folktale https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/476b6fca-f357-4874-ba22-0dbfe60b850d/rhinogiraffe.jpg African Folktales - Why Rhinos Are Ill-Tempered - His friend Rhino saw this and laughed, snidely remarking how silly Giraffe looked. Giraffe, annoyed at being laughed at, stormed off until he couldn’t hear Rhino giggling anymore Along the trail he passed an old man who stopped and asked Giraffe why he was so upset. Giraffe told him, in a shaky voice, as he was still angry and even hungrier now Nodding sympathetically, the old man said "I am a witch doctor, and I have a special herb here that will make your friend Rhino regret laughing at you" He gave the herb to Giraffe, who ate it quickly. Suddenly, Giraffe felt very strange… he watched the ground start to get further and further away, even though he was standing still! Feeling dizzy, Giraffe closed his eyes… when he opened them he could see the luscious leaves at the treetops he had always longed for, level with his head, and he eagerly began to eat them https://www.aristocatic.com/teal-this-car daily 0.75 2025-12-14 https://www.aristocatic.com/teal-this-car/fox-hues monthly 0.5 2025-12-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/3997e370-080f-4da6-b37f-8753a5f4e43e/93mustang1.jpg TEAL This Car! - Fox Hues - Think of a teal car from the ‘Nineties and odds are, a Mustang comes to mind. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/7685fa22-6c24-44f1-bf14-f23729c04ca6/93mustang2.jpg TEAL This Car! - Fox Hues - How iconic was the proverbial Teal Mustang? Consider that Ford is offering an FX Package option on the 2026 Ford Mustang GT Premium that features "Adriatic Blue Metallic" paint. Anyway, '93 was the final year for the 3rd-gen “FOx Body” Mustang and of the 115,359 produced for that model year, almost 25,000 were notchback coupes like this natty 5-speed LX 5.0. This presentable example sold for us$25,000 at Bring A Trailer... not too shabby considering it stickered for a bit north of us$16,000 back in the day. https://www.aristocatic.com/teal-this-car/midget-minitruck-mania monthly 0.5 2025-09-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/ca89db22-6bf4-4bb5-a7f4-80781d5b7c9c/daihatsu1.jpg TEAL This Car! - Midget Minitruck Mania - Oh Kei baby let's go! This 1996 Daihatsu Midget II K100P truck is the polar opposite to the current crop of oversized, truck-nutz'd adorned uber-pickups. Best of all, it's as teal as the fin de siècle decade it hails from! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/eb45572e-736c-4315-b549-104a402f1d23/daihatsu2.jpg TEAL This Car! - Midget Minitruck Mania - The Daihatsu Midget II K100P is a single-seat, Japanese-market "kei truck" featuring a single-person cab and a compact 4ft-long bed. The vehicle is 113" long and is powered by a 659cc, three-cylinder, carbureted engine that puts out an underwhelming 31 horsepower... notably less when the AC is on (yes, this one's air conditioned!). Sure, it's cute but is it street-legal outside Japan? You betcha! This (and any 25-year-old or older) Midget II K100P can be imported and registered for use in North America - in fact, it's the smallest vehicle that can be. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/0766f748-2c0d-4e1c-89fb-c5305c2e3067/daihatsu3a.jpg TEAL This Car! - Midget Minitruck Mania - Owners report it can reach and maintain highway speeds... though attempting to pass 18-wheelers (or even being there while semis pass you) is NOT advised! The featured Daihatsu Midget II K100P is a first-year (1996) model with a "four on the floor" manual transmission. It's in great shape, notwithstanding an odometer reading of 53k kilometers (~33k miles). We're not sure if the paint and side graphics are original but the colors are authentic to 1996, somewhat late in the Teal Age. For more information, images and a walkaround/driving video (the Ferrari steering wheel is a cheeky touch), please view the auction listing at Bring A Trailer. https://www.aristocatic.com/teal-this-car/chic-kiwi-civic monthly 0.5 2025-07-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/0bf841af-d8c4-4935-9327-43b17242c280/hondacivic1992a.jpg TEAL This Car! - Chic Kiwi Civic - Honda New Zealand maintains a rolling museum that includes a NZ-assembled 1992 Civic three-door resplendent in Tahitian Green Pearl. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/03729e16-2052-44db-a175-7550f7836fa5/hondacivic1992b.jpg TEAL This Car! - Chic Kiwi Civic - It runs well too, with only routine maintenance required: the oil, tires, brake pads/discs and light bulbs have been replaced over its three-decade lifetime. Something to be proud of, certainly... but of all the Honda Civics the company could have chosen to save, why did it have to be a teal, er, "Tahitian Green Pearl" (paint code BG28P) one? Did they consciously choose a car representing its times, or were the odds of snatching a teal vehicle off the production line just too high? Why not both? https://www.aristocatic.com/teal-this-car/blog-post-title-three-wl8fg monthly 0.5 2025-09-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/35b71b1a-fa75-4f2c-af7b-e68a680f5446/tracker1.jpg TEAL This Car! - Keep On Trackerin’ - Nothing screams “NINETIES!” more than a teal & hot pink paint job, and this 1995 Geo Tracker LSi actually manages to pull it off… well, kinda. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/3fb08673-e898-41cd-a519-b745c6082d79/tracker2.jpg TEAL This Car! - Keep On Trackerin’ - Why hot pink? Our guess is that someone’s spouse or teen saw a teal & pink pairing somewhere, liked it, and suggested to their designer partner or parent that the younger demographic would think it’s hip and cool. Once one automaker took the plunge, others were quick to follow… much like lemmings. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/1ea231ab-cdcd-4990-958e-af0b304f2b05/reverseteal.jpg TEAL This Car! - Keep On Trackerin’ - If teal’s doing most of the heavy lifting here, be grateful: this junkyard 1994 Geo Tracker reverses the color placement and I can’t even. They say “rust never sleeps” but can it hurry the hell up! But I digress… the featured 1995 Geo Tracker LSi is lookin’ damn snazzy for a vehicle nearly three decades old. Might be that dry Idaho air. As for the authorized color “Tropical Green Metallic”, dey ain’t foolin’ nobody. More like “Tropical grEen metALlic”, amiright? (via cool.craigslist.cars and Row52) https://www.aristocatic.com/teal-this-car/blog-post-title-four-fyw6p monthly 0.5 2025-07-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/38787473-196e-443b-b7f8-ea39322282cf/ptcruiser1.jpg TEAL This Car! - PT Bloat - Teal, the choice of a new millennium? This Chrysler PT Cruiser, resplendent in “Seamist Green Metallic”, bravely led a rapidly-narrowing legion of teal automobiles into the 21st century. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/28e5ba00-7af7-4d0d-8985-31e203fd0e74/ptcruiser2.jpg TEAL This Car! - PT Bloat - Highland Park squeezed out about 1.35 million PT Cruisers by the time worldwide production ended in 2010… seen any lately? On the odd chance you do, odds are it won’t be teal – make that Seamist Green Metallic – as the eye-stinging shade was a one-year-only color choice. That helps us narrow the model year of this shimmering sedan down to 2004 and only 2004. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/5044380d-16bf-42a8-8799-3a53b1bcec24/ptcruiserwoodie.jpg TEAL This Car! - PT Bloat - But wait, there’s more! Chrysler offered a “Woodie package” (stop giggling!) on the PT Cruiser from 2002 until 2004. Simulated wood (actually vinyl) panels on the vehicle’s sides and rear hatch featured linear Medium Oak woodgrain framed with faux moldings in Light Ash. https://www.aristocatic.com/teal-this-car/no-justy-vacation monthly 0.5 2025-06-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/5e16fb8f-edfc-474d-b17c-11424c17745e/justy5.jpg TEAL This Car! - No Justy Vacation! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/02466304-1dea-46da-aece-ae9fcc85117c/justy4.jpg TEAL This Car! - No Justy Vacation! - I drove that car's twin in Japan, in 1992: right-hand drive but otherwise identical. As for the missus' car, it gave up the ghost after a decade of mild use when the ECVT transmission bit the biscuit. Until then, it was a very reliable, surprisingly comfortable car - even on the highway! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/4c24a5d7-d33a-481e-ba18-32f80eecd7a6/justy1.jpg TEAL This Car! - No Justy Vacation! - Bermuda Blue, by the way, is a more subdued silver-blue hue that was no longer available for our featured 1992 Justy... yep, Justy buyers in the mood for blue got teal and liked it, or they got nuthin! Er, excuse me, "Nassau Turquoise" - or as Murilee Martin from TTAC's Down On The Junkyard calls it: "Cherenkov Radiation Turquoise". (via Seattle's Parked Cars) https://www.aristocatic.com/teal-this-car/blog-post-title-two-hlwbk monthly 0.5 2025-07-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/42b56a37-712d-4a92-9761-34b9dc910f6f/mustang2025a.jpg TEAL This Car! - 2026 Ford Mustang GT / FX - Think of a teal car from the semi-recent past and the so-called "Fox Body" Mustang comes to mind. Seems it's come to Ford’s mind too. Witness the FX Package option on the 2026 Ford Mustang GT. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/ee93e5ba-f4a3-4d4e-a423-7844b85790f1/mustang2025b.jpg TEAL This Car! - 2026 Ford Mustang GT / FX - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.aristocatic.com/teal-this-car/you-beretta-you-beretta-you-bet monthly 0.5 2025-07-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/3b9e1b9d-0604-4e3b-8850-50629edad567/beretta1.jpg TEAL This Car! - You Beretta You Beretta You Bet https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/87d33c8c-6237-4e16-a6d6-ebf275cc3c48/beretta2.jpg TEAL This Car! - You Beretta You Beretta You Bet - You might recall that one of the Beretta's only (positively) memorable features was the vertical door handle in the B-pillar... maybe that's why there wasn't a Beretta convertible sold retail, as convertibles don't HAVE B-pillars, nyuk nyuk nyuk! You might recall that one of the Beretta's only (positively) memorable features was the vertical door handle in the B-pillar... maybe that's why there wasn't a Beretta convertible sold retail, as convertibles don't HAVE B-pillars, nyuk nyuk nyuk! What WAS sold retail were Beretta GT Indy Pace Car Edition coupes - about 3,140 of them, painted really teal-ly Turquoise Metallic with "fluorescent" Hot Pink graphics because of course they were. https://www.aristocatic.com/teal-this-car/blog-post-title-one-pyatw monthly 0.5 2025-07-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/e7eb66fd-0e2e-48d2-abf7-3cdfb65b2a74/95grandam.jpg TEAL This Car! - Peak Teal - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-1-1 daily 0.75 2026-03-09 https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-1-1/too-facked-up monthly 0.5 2026-03-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/a0012745-ce36-4844-9ab0-e0bba6f3ad00/2factor1.jpg SCAM SPAM - Too Facked-Up https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/2e4c4982-d859-4834-893b-c7a2f2ed736d/2fa1.jpg SCAM SPAM - Too Facked-Up - Wait though, you had me at "protection against scammers"... like these scammers who dangle the not-so-appealing prospect of 2FA in order to scam me. You read that right: the action I take to protect myself exposes me to the thing I'm supposed to protect myself against. They tell me that "Setting up 2FA takes less than a minute" (sure, Jan) and significantly improves your account protection" (actually, the opposite). https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-1-1/see-no-evil monthly 0.5 2025-12-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/0a3cf33e-8a28-4612-bff6-469df454c86d/cabelas.jpg SCAM SPAM - See No Evil https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/158f0e06-04c3-413f-97a6-148a01f7f9eb/3monkeys.jpg SCAM SPAM - See No Evil - One might think this is just more amateurism on the part of scammers who want me to drool over the wonders of a Yeti Outdoor Bundle before clicking the link(s) to unlock my chance to win it... but no, they employ a more subtle technique. First, they plant the thought of a Free Yeti Outdoor Bundle in my mind. Next, they don't show said Bundle, piquing my curiosity. "If the image does not appear, click here to show it", they say, while also providing additional links "to see in your browser" and, quite forcefully, "Click Me!". I can also "unsubscribe from all future emails" just by... yep, clicking here. https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-1-1/accent-accident monthly 0.5 2025-12-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/e3335e70-7871-41a0-87fb-f93f1c81cef2/scamspectrum1.jpg SCAM SPAM - Accent Accident - It's no accident that most email scams originate in foreign countries, but whomever authored this cheesy come-on isn't even trying to hide their accent - I count 30 of 'em in their 40-word message! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/9019049b-9e78-4ba1-a417-ddffad178a2c/accentkeepcalm.jpg SCAM SPAM - Accent Accident - It's said that email scams reveal themselves through spelling and grammar mistakes: a "real" company would use perfect English; even a foreign company would employ or hire professional writers. While the English in this message isn't the worst I've seen, the author makes it look more like Esperanto by sprinkling accents here, there and everywhere. What the heck font is that, anyway? Looks like Times New Roman as used by an actual Ancient Roman. That weirdness aside, I don't have a Spectrum account so I'm not concerned about any "problem" with it. I don't even know what a Spectrum is... maybe it's a foreign language course. https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-1-1/voice-amp-da-hoods monthly 0.5 2025-11-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/53d00542-2886-454c-820d-d00c010846fc/voicemail1.jpg SCAM SPAM - Voice & Da Hoods - Now here’s a bit of a head-scratcher… or is it? Why is my email provider advising me of voicemail messages? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/6c9e213b-cc47-4342-923b-7180acdb7b7e/voicemail2.jpg SCAM SPAM - Voice & Da Hoods - So, it seems these kinds of emails are categorized as “phishing”, in that scammers hope to reel in those who click on their invitations. Those who take the bait, give up personal information. Besides the obvious incongruity of “my” email provider advising me of un read, er, unheard voice messages, there’s also a notable disconnect between the sender’s apparent origin and their actual address. Try this at home: move your cursor over the sender, in this case “@ Telnet Communications”, and what should appear but ”knox.c.jessie @ gmail.com”. https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-1-1/maximum-security monthly 0.5 2025-11-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/e32a176c-d12f-4ce5-91ea-5356ab53a091/loanoffer1.jpg SCAM SPAM - Maximum Security! In a world where far too many people live paycheck-to-paycheck, it’s good to know the nice people at G&GJ Loan Ltd have got your back… to the tune of (touches tip of pinkie to corner of mouth) One Hundred MEEELION Dollars! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/b795bb2d-a164-407f-8253-ac2c1ee1a615/maxsecurity1.jpg SCAM SPAM - Maximum Security! - Think of what you could do with a cool Hunnerd Mill, besides buying a bunch of secure gov’t bonds and letting their interest pay the loan’s “cheap interest rate” for the next thirty years. It’s such a good deal, one wonders why G&GJ Loan Ltd just didn’t do that, instead of reaching out to li’l old me. Hmm, it really does make you wonder… But hey, life’s short and a million Benjamins can buy a lot of stuff, like a really big house. Speaking of which, G&GJ’s email states their loans are “well secured to maximum security”, which seems to infer they’ve mortgaged a prison! Maybe the “big house” you’ll find yourself living in isn’t the one you were expecting… https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-1-1/ill-still-pass monthly 0.5 2025-10-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/c3ab32be-1f7f-4450-8cf1-4f3fb34aaf04/passedon3.jpg SCAM SPAM - I’ll Still Pass… - Too bad, so sad… seems another supplier has passed on, not 3 months after the previous one shuffled off this mortal coil and prompted the sending of a suspiciously similar email… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/45691c5c-75d6-4c57-a138-e5ab723f6150/passedon4a.jpg SCAM SPAM - I’ll Still Pass… - Do we need to mention that the new email is titled “Investment Opportunity” yet the pitch is for the position of Supplier? I think we do, so we did. How about the fact that the message was sent by Allen Williamson but was signed “Best Regards, Allen Williamsons”? https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-1-1/reply-no monthly 0.5 2025-09-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/ae306085-ebfa-4060-88e1-23f0e499c6f8/replyNO1.jpg SCAM SPAM - REPLY? NO! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/2f6d480b-8d45-4aba-aa5b-855f62e614ad/selwin_hart.jpg SCAM SPAM - REPLY? NO! - Now let’s not be overly hasty here: with $10.5 million on the line, it would be foolish to dismiss this generous compensation for a claim I never filed, and a person such as the esteemed Mr Selwin Charles Hart should be given the benefit of the doubt. I mean, the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations would never do me wrong, right? Wrong! Granted, there IS a Selwin Charles Hart but he is the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Climate Action and Just Transition. You’d think he’d want to use that exalted title in his emails. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/208b0aee-3ae4-40f4-9adc-1edf315f79d2/replyNO2.jpg SCAM SPAM - REPLY? NO! - Only an email address for a “jisainz” at the Ministerio de Transporte in Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Oye, no me gusta! They say it It Takes Two to Tango but sorry Mr Under-Secretary-General, my dance card is full. https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-1-1/ill-pass monthly 0.5 2025-08-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/e7d3f87f-58a7-4ef5-9741-d3a4c092669f/passedon.jpg SCAM SPAM - I’ll Pass… - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-1-1/stop-the-steel monthly 0.5 2025-07-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/5a474524-ac09-4279-a442-f0288a81cb52/Chacko.jpg SCAM SPAM - Stop the Steel! - Not every spam/scam email features perfect spelling – in fact, the vast majority do NOT – but this one purportedly from Jindal Steel Group passed the spellcheck smell test with flying colors. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/5fe5cec7-e5e7-4f54-add1-bb460d5dae3e/jindal1.jpg SCAM SPAM - Stop the Steel! - Take the opening “I am sharing information about a receivable contract opportunity if you might be interested.” It’s a job offer (supposedly) so “sharing” sounds odd, as does “receivable contract” (what is that, anyway?). Last but not least, the pitch asks that we “please respond directly to steelpowerofficeltd@gmail.com”, which sure doesn’t look like an email addy Jindal Steel Group would use. There IS a Steel Power Ltd, or should I say, there WAS… a quick Googling shows that company was dissolved on February 17 of 2015. Dude, if your steel dissolves I don’t think I wanna work for you! https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-1-1/Blog Post Title One-g4lfh monthly 0.5 2025-09-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/3d19ed03-ce48-4810-aed5-37bbf7842469/barny.jpg SCAM SPAM - Barny's Rubble https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-1-1/blog-post-title-two-n4tax monthly 0.5 2025-09-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/d6ce96e4-90be-4544-ae25-4b655852b34e/hangzhou1.jpg SCAM SPAM - Married to the Company https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-1-2 daily 0.75 2026-03-03 https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-1-2/yakety-yak-dont-talk-backwards monthly 0.5 2026-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/0139d23d-032e-4369-8844-530cfd502559/20260225backwardschat1.jpg Modding Blues - Yakety-Yak, Don't Talk Back(wards)... - If it's one thing we've learned at NamibiaCam Chat, it's that some things are unlikely, some things are unusual, and others are so bizarre as to be impossible. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/187ea581-e9bd-461d-95f5-47815f7102b2/mrh.jpg Modding Blues - Yakety-Yak, Don't Talk Back(wards)... - Well, not everyone: "mrhuae1987", infamous for his "word salad" comments few could understand, was able to post in English (or his version of it). Everyone else? Nada! This presented a conundrum. How could moderators do their jobs if they couldn't communicate with chatters? How could they post timestamps? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/e833138e-d764-498a-8325-f1f2e1052c05/sddefault.jpg Modding Blues - Yakety-Yak, Don't Talk Back(wards)... - How could they tell chatters not to post in non-English when English could not be posted? I had an idea... if You Tube could tell English from non-English, would it be able to identify and hold English comments written backwards? It - the You Tube algorithm or whatever - could not! Mods and chatters began posting in English backwards and, while unwieldy and headache-inducing after a while, it worked! https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-1-2/waterhole-watch-2025-the-year-in-review monthly 0.5 2026-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/b8735468-61dd-47f4-856d-b708f321a4c8/25newyearOOrly.jpg Modding Blues - Waterhole Watch 2025, The Year In Review - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/bc90c5a6-14b1-4a1b-8909-740ea83e7b58/2025Mar3leaningtree.jpg Modding Blues - Waterhole Watch 2025, The Year In Review - March: Speaking of wild weather, who can forget the powerful derecho that dumped bucketloads of rain on the area around NC, surrounded the waterhole with a moat, and knocked down a few trees - one of which is (er, was) the much-beloved landmark "Leaning Tree". The silver lining to this literal dark cloud was that, after the camera was deemed to have been sand-blasted beyond repair, a New & Improved cam was installed that provides color viewing at night and a sharper view overall... spiders permitting. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/2b344fe8-812a-4982-bc6a-c0a0d269f9a0/2025May1.jpg Modding Blues - Waterhole Watch 2025, The Year In Review - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/a8511c67-8236-48fe-a7d3-0de3a736fd1f/2025Jun2a.jpg Modding Blues - Waterhole Watch 2025, The Year In Review - June: NC's "little" waterhole looks even smaller when Giraffes visit. It looked positively tiny when an official "tower" of 10 Giraffes came to drink on the morning of June 7th. One of the majestic beasts gave the new camera a test when it nudged the cam pole and gave the lens a lick. Meanwhile over at KC, an extremely rare visit from a Caracal provided a bit of extra excitement for chatters and viewers during an episode of Leopardy being played on June 25th. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/0275bd77-8d51-4ea8-b582-28339bd40216/2025Julysunset.jpg Modding Blues - Waterhole Watch 2025, The Year In Review - July: July surprised us early when a rare Black Heron appeared at OC on July 6th. The strikingly beautiful black bird was not a Maltese Falcon, by the way... it may have been a Black Fishing Heron (Egretta ardesiaca) that lures fish by providing a shady canopy with its feathers. Weed love to visit NC! July 26th was the day and night for that thanks to strong winds that blew grass, weeds and other debris into the waterhole. KC was not to be outdone, sending us a sunset MEH-sage on the afternoon of July 27th. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/50c5b17b-e57c-4e6d-ae86-6cb498279954/2025Aug2jackalbird.jpg Modding Blues - Waterhole Watch 2025, The Year In Review - August: The Giraffes got back to mischief-making in August when one got a bit too up-close and personal with the NC camera. The long-necked galoot was thwarted in its thievery, however, settling for tilting the cam and fogging the lens with its breath. The very next day, an opportunistic Black-backed Jackal exemplified the old "you snooze, you lose" cliche, scoring a rare win and a fresh breakfast by snapping up a napping Speckled Pigeon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/cb7a4d42-579b-4987-8e67-578439a6cbac/2025Sep1Leopard.jpg Modding Blues - Waterhole Watch 2025, The Year In Review - September: It took until the 29th day (night, actually) of the month but viewers' patience was finally rewarded by the appearance of a Leopard at NC - the first such sighting since April 13th of 2022! Namibia experienced a total lunar eclipse on Sunday, September 7th, and viewers at our Kalahari cam (KC) enjoyed an amazing view of it thanks to our awesome zoomies. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/bef871b7-9fda-4647-a06f-266468b15066/2025Octporcupette2.jpg Modding Blues - Waterhole Watch 2025, The Year In Review - October: Chatters were surprised and charmed when an African Wild Cat visited NC on October 10th; it was the first visit by an AWC since February 5th. Just a few days later on October 15th, Cape Porcupine couple "Gertrude" and "Dish" introduced us to their cute new porcupette "Beans" (named after clgildner's beloved pet, and as a tribute to our Mod Emeritus). Over at OC, a Cheetah visited the Okaukuejo waterhole on October 18th. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/15f0532f-398c-4ba0-a3d2-6f60086640ab/2025Nov08meteor.jpg Modding Blues - Waterhole Watch 2025, The Year In Review - November: The brilliant sightings began early in the month, as an unusually big and bright meteor blazed through the sky over NC on the early morning of November 8th. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/355db98a-ca68-4f74-a5ac-92fa6cc0cddc/2025Dec25Leopard.jpg Modding Blues - Waterhole Watch 2025, The Year In Review - NC Waterhole watchers got a gift of their own on Xmas Day: a Leopard (or one of the two that have visited lately, according to observers who have noticed two different spot patterns on the cat's neck). At press time, this was the most recent of the six Leopard visits to NC in 2025, with the others occurring on Sept 29, Oct 5, Oct 15, Oct 20, and Nov 11 - all at night. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/2838dd2c-0a26-4f99-b381-f265df216d0f/2026+newyearhare.jpg Modding Blues - Waterhole Watch 2025, The Year In Review https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-1-2/cringe-mas-carols monthly 0.5 2026-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/e31deee4-76b7-4638-a330-4bca5474f160/christmas-tree-namibia.jpg Modding Blues - Cringe-mas Carols - These cringe-worthy carols and seasonal serenades help add some local flavor to traditional tunes sung not around a chestnut-roasting campfire, but in a cozy little chatroom with a beautiful scene of the Wegkruip Waterhole at the southern hemisphere’s summer solstice… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/1dfdf1db-4c53-403d-92c9-7674f5ab5bbe/cand-owl-abra2.jpg Modding Blues - Cringe-mas Carols - O Camelthorn tree, O Camelthorn tree, what happened to your branches? O Camelthorn Tree, O Camelthorn tree, snapped by a zebra's scratches! Your bark's bleached bright by summer's heat, no longer will 8 owls meet, O Camelthorn tree, O Camelthorn tree, how lovely were your branches. O Camelthorn tree, O Camelthorn tree, of all the trees most lovely, O Camelthorn tree, O Camelthorn tree, "Owlstar" twinkling above thee, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/735ec6c1-b877-421d-be32-57e183aa613e/aa79a21172286a25aa9a2fda68143e06.jpg Modding Blues - Cringe-mas Carols - I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need, I don't care about the salt blocks placed beside the Camelthorn tree, I don't want an overflow, don't care if chatters call me "bro", make my wish come true: All I want for Christmas is Gnu! I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need, I don't care if an Oryx licks where Jackals have so lately pee'd, Solving mystery lights can wait, spamming Springboks can make me late, just make my wish come true: All I want for Christmas is Gnu! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/a2d24db6-4bdc-4a86-90c8-801fbb74868e/Herc2.jpg Modding Blues - Cringe-mas Carols - Jackals howl, are you listening? In IR, the sand is glistening, a beautiful sight, we're happy tonight, talkin' 'bout a desert wonderland Gone away to a lake lurk? Here to stay is our gnu Herc, to beep a love song while we stroll along, walkin' in a desert wonderland In the overflow we'll build a mud man, we'll pretend that he's Hyena Brown. He'll say, "are you hungry?" We'll say, "no man, but you can scavenge 'round when we leave town” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/93783e04-e676-4378-8904-102a5e842258/33104477324_7310434cec_z.jpg Modding Blues - Cringe-mas Carols - Hello Darkwood my old friend, I've come to chat with you again... 'cause a jackal softly creeping, stole my shoe while I was sleeping… And the vision of the timestamps in my brain, still remains... Within the sound of silence https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/50f0e563-35e3-4569-a465-28092ae58a7a/Untitled-design-2021-12-16T160529.857-1.jpg.optimal.jpg Modding Blues - Cringe-mas Carols - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/7c3ecd83-f018-45de-b2d1-dcf8f45231f0/Sprinkles.jpg Modding Blues - Cringe-mas Carols - You know Stumpy and Fancy and Bowie and Curly, ornery Mr Boss and some even more surly but do you recall... the most famous Oryx of all? Sprinkles the Incontinent Oryx only had one eyeshine, and if you ever saw him, you would say "that critter's not fine!" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/a4dae04e-d405-46e1-96f6-48ec0a4023fe/springboks3.jpg Modding Blues - Cringe-mas Carols - We three springs of antelope are, bearing horns we've pronked from afar, o'er field and fountain, dune and mountain, following yonder Owlstar… O star of wonder, star of night, better not be a Mystery Light, avoiding Jackals, Hyena cackles, guide us through the desert night. We three springs of antelope are, sounding much bigger than we actually are, westward leading, grunting and bleating, following yonder Owlstar… O star of wonder, star of night, could be a drone on a top-secret flight, westward leading, rarely sleeping, guide us through the desert night. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/14b3c1c6-f545-4cf6-b190-e02aa95b6294/GNU_Christmas_card.jpg Modding Blues - Cringe-mas Carols - 'Twas the night before Christmas and all thru the land, we get to watch critters thanks to NamibiaCam! https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-1-2/bokdrol-spoeg-home-game-kit monthly 0.5 2025-10-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/985760b6-c1c9-4c83-9b4d-65a0c24cdea4/006.jpg Modding Blues - Bokdrol Spoeg Home Game Kit The Bokdrol Spoeg home game kit makes an ideal gift for anyone bored with board games and sick of crappy video games! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/08525af4-8898-474f-88ed-64bb5a491a82/002.jpg Modding Blues - Bokdrol Spoeg Home Game Kit - Ya got yer Instruction sheet, marked with the unique NamibiaCam logo. The fancy-schmancy Blue Ribbon for “winners”. Last but not least, a small but surprisingly heavy box of “DUNG”, which exuded no obvious aroma: oh yeah, I gave it the ol’ sniff test! I have to say I’m impressed with the manufacturer’s dedication in sourcing sustainable and natural dried Kudo poop (Oryx poop would have also been acceptable), and for the sake of accuracy I cracked open the box and shook out a few nuggets… Heyyyy, wait a minute!! This don’t look like poop, and take it from me, I’ve seen my share of poop! It didn’t smell like poop, even from up close. It didn’t taste like poop either, and… hmm, that didn’t come out right but suffice to say, I took one for the team and put the bite on a bit… https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-1-2/the-gift-of-world-piece monthly 0.5 2025-10-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/7a20208f-6bc9-4110-a4a1-1188cb6e1e61/002.jpg Modding Blues - The Gift of World Piece - A terrible pun, I know, but consider the source… yours truly! These pieces of the world were gifted to me by Valerie, one of our chat moderators who recently returned from visiting Namibia… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/81983f2c-e0f0-44a1-afe1-4572859cffc2/007.jpg Modding Blues - The Gift of World Piece - Valerie returned from a visit there in September of 2025, one of “The Three Wise Mods” (I told her I’d retire “The Three Modges”) who traveled through the country, staying nights at a wide range of tourist lodges and visiting some of NamibiaCam’s livestreaming locations. Val was kind enough to bring back a huge haul of souvenirs – most purchased from local businesses and gift shops, but also a few natural keepsakes such as pebbles and twigs. I was lucky to be the recipient of one of her MANY care packages – how she was able to board her return flight with so much for so many, I’ll never know! And I do mean “care” packages: the contents of each box of goodies were chosen with care and consideration for every person. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/06d7d88c-25e0-417e-99c6-5427970985be/valpicframe.jpg Modding Blues - The Gift of World Piece - Interspersed with items from Namibia were thoughtful souvenirs from her home state, signifying her pride in her roots. Perhaps she felt that she herself was a souvenir of Maine, borne by the wind on a journey of a lifetime. Some have said the best souvenirs are not those you take but those you leave behind. Pursuant to that, I’ll add that Pericles, the Ancient Greek statesman and general, once said "What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others". https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-1-2/out-of-africa monthly 0.5 2025-09-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/c57f3e53-b03d-41e7-bdcf-9527cb0ac65d/namswag1.jpg Modding Blues - Out Of Africa https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/4fb0a302-fd95-40d1-ab4a-947b8a85ff90/namswag3.jpg Modding Blues - Out Of Africa - Each of the three objects tells their own story: A Country Code Car Magnet sticker from one of the lodge gift shops. I tested it out, it really works! A pair of plastic sunglasses, never worn, given to those who “hire” a vehicle from NAMIBIA2GO car rental. Last but certainly not least, a small sandstone pebble roughly 1” by 1” by ¼” that she picked up in the area close to NamibiaCam’s “NC” camera – still lightly dusted with the Namib desert’s trademark orange dust. That simple stone might look the least impressive of the three gifts but appearances do indeed deceive, as it’s by far the most special to me. https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-1-2/blog-post-title-two-78sh7 monthly 0.5 2025-07-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/a3b9979b-b912-4b5e-8a51-5502be46eca5/xmas2024.jpg Modding Blues - Holiday Message to Our Chatters - Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings to all of our wonderful chatters! The NamibiaCam Family is incredibly diverse, yet united in our appreciation of the amazing animals we see at all three cams. NamCamFam is growing, too – 437k subscribers and counting! To put that into perspective, it was exactly 3 years ago today that the channel notched its 100-thousandth subscriber. It only took 4 months to hit the 200k milestone. https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-1-2/Blog Post Title One-6nzkj monthly 0.5 2025-07-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/f08c2be9-d712-4326-b235-33927afe891d/485396026_626677037011898_728237410504359461_n.jpg Modding Blues - Thank You for All You Do – A Message to The Blue Crew - The end of a year is a time for reflection and I’m in a reflective mood, looking back on the good, the bad and the ugly of the year that was. https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-3-1 daily 0.75 2026-02-20 https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-3-1/sword-of-ice-ocles monthly 0.5 2026-02-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/4db746c9-c205-434c-afe8-e7989d37b802/20260207icicle.jpg Frost World Problems - Sword Of Ice-ocles - Winter has moved from the "Cold But Dry" phase into that messy, slushy, indecisive stage when temperatures hover over, under and at the freezing point. While this hints at the prospect of Spring, it also brings certain issues to the forefront such as a plague of potholes on the roads, and a ripe crop of icicles on the roofs… or is it "rooves". Neither of those sound right, but whatever. So, I stepped outside one day last week, wondering what Finicky February had in store today, when I felt a drop of water hit my shoulder. Then another, this time on top of my head. This seemed odd as the sky was partly cloudy, the paved walkways were dry, and no precip had been forecasted. I looked up, as if to question the sky, and quickly backed away! Hanging directly above me – well, before the aforementioned backtrack – was a tapered spear of milky-white ice. https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-3-1/frost-contact monthly 0.5 2026-02-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/8f82ffa8-0de4-4c6e-98ee-3bf18b3377d2/MV5BNmVkZmNmZDMtZjUzZS00MGY2LTk3NDgtNDM5MTk5ZTcyZDI4XkEyXkFqcGc%40._V1_.jpg Frost World Problems - Frost Contact - Old and busted: Your breath freezing in cold weather. New hotn- er, coldness: Your contact lenses freezing in even colder weather https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/cb0558c3-56c8-4abc-900f-13c8c0f8f0af/bella.jpg Frost World Problems - Frost Contact - But to the point… it’s been coooold here, especially in the morning when I drive my sone to work. It’s been windy too, driving down the dreaded Wind Chill Factor to regions much more than Minus Zero (shoutout to The Boomtown Rats). And that’s when I felt it: as I left the house, my contact lenses began fogging in a way they never had fogged before. I’d blink to restore them and they’d fog again, rinse and repeat. https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-3-1/cool-hand-look monthly 0.5 2026-02-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/6aee0105-2d6a-48a2-b4f0-4e2c46c673c9/HeatedMousePad2.jpg Frost World Problems - Cool Hand, Look - Old & busted: Being caught red-handed. New not-hotness: Being caught blue-handed whilst working a computer in winter. So it's winter and the north wind's howling outside, icicles grow long on your eaves, and you've forgotten what the colour green even looks like. You huddle inside your heated home, basking in artificial heat that holds back the seasonal chill and allows life-giving warmth to soothe you from head to toe... Hey heat, you missed a spot! Yes indeed, computer jockeys, your right hand might be the most active part of your body but perched atop a lump of hard plastic, it's not feeling the love. https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-3-1/fresh-prints monthly 0.5 2026-02-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/4fbfde2b-cc95-46ff-94c2-0347172780ef/FWP3b20251210.jpg Frost World Problems - Fresh Prints - "What does Will Smith leave in the snow?"... Thank you, Alex, but we're a long, long way from Bel Air and never will you ever see footprints like these there. What these are, are "negative footprints" and they're not nearly as cute as they look. Here comes the science: snow falls on pavement, human walks on pavement, walking human leaves footprints. So far so good, but that's when it all changes and gets annoying. Those footprints are in the snow, not the pavement, and the snow compacts under the walker's shoes. Then when the human sweeps the walkway, the light fluffy snow gets swept away while the compacted stepped-on snow sticks to the pavement. DOH! End result: They're footprints, Jim, but not as most know them. They're the polar (see what I did there?) opposite of footprints; evil anti-footprints that are convex, not concave like beach footprints. https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-3-1/blog-post-title-two-r7b4c monthly 0.5 2026-02-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/41bdc3c5-2cad-439d-b4f1-5dcb5b18ce78/icywindow.jpg Frost World Problems - Through the Locking Glass - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/5f5e250a-bb62-4c59-8e68-3e099fbc3c40/openwindow.jpg Frost World Problems - Through the Locking Glass - Here's the physics, from someone who actually received a "10" in Grade 12 Physics class. No, not 10 out of 10 on a test... but once again, I digress. Moist inside air condenses on the window panes, droplets expand and roll down the glass, eventually filling the track in which the windows slide. Outside air drops below the freezing point, as does the window, and the track in which it formerly slid... formerly being the key word. So now the window is frozen in place, which is merely annoying if you're someone looking for some white noise to sleep by. That's assuming the window is shut, by the way... Sometimes, however, the freezing occurs during the night and morning brings the harsh realization that the open window is going to STAY open for a while. This situation is also annoying: not only to me, but to someone who might ask me to "shut the #&@% window!!" https://www.aristocatic.com/blog-3-1/blog-post-title-one-l8s2h monthly 0.5 2026-02-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/0de99d9f-3842-4e1a-bc49-19ce07706caa/20251204FWP1b.jpg Frost World Problems - "I'm tired, of pumping up tires" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/a4794236-bddd-4a1d-bb45-09fbd420d271/20251204FWP1a.jpg Frost World Problems - "I'm tired, of pumping up tires" - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.aristocatic.com/contact daily 0.75 2025-05-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/c619f187-41dd-49e6-ae3f-4bba9131f0b0/so-you-wanted-6ada7666bf.jpg https://www.aristocatic.com/about daily 0.75 2026-02-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/fdd6cb67-fcae-4d30-95ee-2884504d442b/NEMO_1.jpg https://www.aristocatic.com/home daily 1.0 2026-01-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/422e3861-0b5f-4fc1-99e8-6cbdade8feec/aristocatic2.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/22995a9f-e7e9-4b5c-9a21-df5dedf5b830/Products.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/f4e4887f-23e1-40fb-b577-7f573bd697d4/ChatGPT+Image+May+8%2C+2025%2C+09_07_34+PM.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/a756c758-03a3-4de5-b182-ffd283063b78/Gift https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/d3d47ca0-6143-4de9-9fa3-b496d659a577/ChatGPT+Image+May+8%2C+2025%2C+09_16_30+PM.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/5cb3a7a7-56b3-4f8e-bfc6-649fe4cde859/tinyABClogo.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/27c8293b-a2f2-4717-ba15-08b9b235763c/KCBW.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/90f2bd78-1d07-42e8-9af4-ef31a49b867c/Deckly+Logos.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/e0a63831-f4fe-46a9-b206-584fa4dc8778/SBClogo1.jpg https://www.aristocatic.com/ritas-respite daily 0.75 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/43ce15ea-ddf8-4ec8-bfef-dac2d5ff37f7/89504857_1744326289890428_r.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/145d59c2-f9d3-4738-9df9-532fae3cb55f/89504857_1744145940481799_r.png https://www.aristocatic.com/cool-products daily 0.75 2026-03-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/1747067931303-TOKQFI48OS8CVT9HNS2R/Haven-LitterBox4.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/1747234096688-JCG4GY05MNXS4MJU2YJ9/5522-CA-02-GW-EnergizingSoapBar-586x586.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/29ba3def-e172-4be0-9ef0-4dcb78c493bd/promeed.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/a1624795-7ddd-49c8-b01f-c2700dd56de5/0x0.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/68f2cbe4-da35-4ed6-8182-a2a851428511/81623440_10156612393412341_1744524305846239232_n-1200x1200.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/4f3fcb8a-036f-4419-9de8-c68cf1a7c73f/cozeware2.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/036e1184-f386-4f37-85a2-1d884f96a81e/508104864_122130519350800489_1395246193028041161_n.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/3f5eace3-8cf0-4473-854b-ea1856e1478c/ZEALlogo.jpg https://www.aristocatic.com/fundraising daily 0.75 2025-07-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/145d59c2-f9d3-4738-9df9-532fae3cb55f/89504857_1744145940481799_r.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/cd68a8f3-5337-462d-800a-ad546ce72060/totontocat1+%281%29.jpg https://www.aristocatic.com/terms-and-conditions daily 0.75 2026-02-07 https://www.aristocatic.com/privacy-policy daily 0.75 2026-02-07 https://www.aristocatic.com/promeed daily 0.75 2026-03-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/680ed94e443b6219a1e0075c/7ce20838-4119-4513-baec-4d445c3b9549/promeedmain.jpg