I just got word from Beth S. that she has completed the Balloon Juice 2012 calendar, and it is now available for purchase. I hope each and every one of you takes a moment to than Beth S. for all the hard work she did putting this together for us, as she picked up where Laura W. left off last year. Also, take a moment to thank Laura W. and Ahab for really getting this started and allowing us to help all those wonderful animals. All three of them have given up a great amount of time to make this possible, and I thank them.
As a reminder, every penny from sales of all Balloon Juice store items and the 2012 Calendar will go to support Charlie’s Angels Animal Rescue, a truly wonderful charity that helps a ton of needy animals.
BTW- we did something different and have a Where’s Waldo sort of thing going, with a picture of Tunch in every month. Why? Because he said so.
phoebes-in-santa fe
How do I know if my cats, “Alice Obama” and “Robin Obama” are in it? I sent their picture in a few weeks ago.
Mustang Bobby
Great job, Beth S., and what a great charity to serve. I’m ordering mine now.
Raven
Aw, Raven and Bohdi made the cover! We’re here in Virginia where Raven wha born. I’m depply touched.
Maude
Anyone heard anything from arguingwithsignposts? I’ve been thinking about him.
Raven
Awsp is proly on semester break.
Steeplejack
@Raven:
There’s no semester breaks in blogging!
SiubhanDuinne
@Maude:
It’s so funny you would ask that, Maude, I’ve been waiting for a fresh open thread so I could inquire the same. Apart from anything else, I’d love to see the beautiful Lady Smudge.
Also too, General Stuck and Charlie.
The calendar looks wonderful! Big thanks to everyone who contributed pictures, stories, creativity, time, and technical expertise. I sent a little year-end cheque to Charlie’s Angels a couple of days ago, but will put in my order for some calendars on Monday. New Year’s presents!
Raven
Click on the calendar to launch cafe press. Click on “view calendars” and scroll through month by month.
Maude
@Raven:
I hope so. Is that your dog with the bourbon and “soda”?
jeffreyw
Yay! Ordered mine. Thanks, Beth, Laura, et al.
SiubhanDuinne
@Raven:
Seems he hasn’t been around for a lot longer than that. Maybe I’ve just missed his comments, I confess I don’t always read every thread all the way through.
beth s.
@phoebes-in-santa fe: alice and robin are front and center for april.
to the best of my ability to make lists and follow them, everyone who sent a photo of their animal got at least one photo of each animal in the calendar. no one was left out for lack of space. if i did miss your pet, i feel terrible and apologize profusely.
this was such a fun project for me. i really appreciate that john gave me, a long time lurker, a chance to give back to a blog community that’s meant a lot to me for several years.
i thank all of you who sent in photos and stories and i thank annie laurie for helping me manage the flood of emails and photos.
MikeInSewickely
I was waiting for this. Just bought it through Amazon and will be looking for it on my doorstep next week!
Merry Christmas.
Yutsano
@SiubhanDuinne: FWIW he did post on a Benen piece not too long back. He might just be on BJ holiday.
SiubhanDuinne
@Yutsano:
Must have missed that. Thanks, Yutsy.
Cain
I hope my animals got in.. I sent it late.. I didn’t know there was a deadline yet.. none was mentioned! :(
Kristine
@phoebes-in-santa fe: If you follow the link to CafePress, you can view the pages individually.
King and Gaby are in June.
Thank you, Beth S!
Maude
@Yutsano:
Thank you. I have been concerned. The General is on a break.
You have a merry.
phoebes-in-santa fe
@beth s.: Thanks, Beth!!! And the “Obama Twins” thank you, too! (Actually, they’re not even related but they love each other and spend hours grooming and playing together).
Jane2
Thanks, Beth S! *Goes to order.
arguingwithsignposts
thanks to those who asked. I’ve had a tough coupla months, and haven’t felt like commenting much. have a merry christmas all.
Jane2
The shipping cost to Canada pretty much doubles the cost. That’s ridiculous, Cafe Press…it’s sent USPS.
phoebes-in-santa fe
@Kristine: Must be something wrong with my computer because I couldn’t click past “January”, but Beth said they’re in April. So I ordered some copies for family and friends.
BD of MN
Awesome. Now just gotta wait until Wednesday to order, since I drained all the money out of my paypal account on xmas gifts…
Thanks Beth, looks great!
WereBear (itouch)
Thank you, Beth! It looks great. And what a lovely bunch of happy pets.
I’m having trouble finding my “Laurel and Hardy” of rescue cats, Reverend Jim and Sir Tristan. If you can tell me what month, I’d appreciate it.
Kristine
Thanks to Laura W and Ahab, too. This is a nice tradition. Wish I was a better photographer.
WereBear (itouch)
@arguingwithsignposts: Sorry to hear. Happy Holidays to you and the Lady Smudge.
SiubhanDuinne
@arguingwithsignposts:
Sorry you’ve been going through tough times recently. I hope things are much brighter for you in 2012. You’re one of my favourite commenters around these parts.
SiubhanDuinne
@phoebes-in-santa fe:
I can’t click past January either, but for the first month I found
WaldoTunch right away! What a treat to look forward to 12 months of His Royal Tunchitude.phoebes-in-santa fe
@SiubhanDuinne: I’ll be looking forward to my mail next week or so! And if you go to the Cafepress website directly, and pull up “Balloon Juice”, you can view the calendar and select the month you want to see!
seabe
Well, speaking of the 2012 pet calendar, this wasn’t exactly how I wanted to spend Christmas Eve:
Rushed my cat of 11 years to the hospital. Had to put her down. Well, not had to, but I opted for it. Hey, it’s another part of life, and now my family and I can celebrate how awesome it was. It was a good decision to make; she was dehydrated and starved, and her liver was enlarging (our best guess, we don’t know what exactly was wrong). I was there by her side, mom couldn’t handle it. She laid her head in my hands, purred, and then I called the doctor for the injection. It was beautiful.
arguingwithsignposts
Speaking of the lady, here she is.
Maude
@arguingwithsignposts:
I figured it was a rough patch. You take good care of yourself and be gentle with yourself. Check in here once in a while. Don’t make me worry. I have been thinking of you every night before I go to sleep. All the best to you.
Maude
@seabe:
Good on you. You were kind not to let her suffer. I’m very glad to see you here.
Maude
@SiubhanDuinne:
If Tunch is on every month, is there any room for other pets on the page?
wonkie
Lovely claendar ad i cetialy will buy one. I skimmed though and didn’t see Mercy but if every pic made it then hers did too! Thank you so much!
Seabe, My Blackie died in my arms at the vet clinic about a month ago. Like you I was comforted by the manner of his death: he wasn’t scared. It was his time. It’s sad, but not tragic. Best holiday wishes to you
passerby
@seabe:
It takes courage to show mercy like that. That’s love, no?
I bought my 2nd annual BJ Pets calender. I don’t know these pets from Adam. I do know they are loved.
Peace.
suzanne
@arguingwithsignposts: Hugs. You’re in my thoughts.
I can’t find my Luna, Scout or Zelda, but I can’t make the pages big enough to see…..anyone spot them?
schrodinger's cat
I ordered my copy. Yogi aka Boss Tweed is playing Scrabble in January and my Tunch sized Inji is a November girl. Thanks Beth S. and Anne Laurie.
schrodinger's cat
@arguingwithsignposts: I had a worried about you. {{{awsp}}}
{{{ }}} = > virtual hugs
seabe
Yeah, it may have been reversible, but I just don’t know. She showed signs of jaundice, which usually means it’s in the later stages. She just refused to eat, and I don’t know why. The doctor didn’t think she’d make it to Monday, even with hospitalization and intensive forced feeding. So I weighed the options, and opted euthanasia. Of course the family weighed in, but it was mostly my decision.
Raven
@Maude: The cocker and white pup on the cover are ours. We lost Raven a few years back and the Bohdi is 8 now. That was the day we found Bohdi, he wandered up to us at the bakery we frequent for our morning coffee.
SiubhanDuinne
@seabe: It is usually the right decision — and it remains one of the hardest. I’m sorry for your loss but glad she is out of pain. I always picture the newly-released cats lapping heavenly cream at the shores of the Milky Way, and I hope your girl is feasting!
Hugs to you and the family.
SiubhanDuinne
@arguingwithsignposts:
Thanks for the photo. My goodness, she’s stunning, isn’t she? Even with that silly pink tongue sticking out.
Raven
@arguingwithsignposts: Hang tough.
WereBear (itouch)
@seabe: Sounds like you made the right, tough, decision. My heartfelt condolences.
SiubhanDuinne
@phoebes-in-santa fe:
Thanks. I did try doing that but it doesn’t seem to work on the iPad interface. No worries, I’m not looking for any particular month or pet, and I’ll have fun going through the real thing in a few days.
SiubhanDuinne
@Maude: LOL
FlipYrWhig
Congrats on the project, and peace and strength to all the pet owners.
elftx
Ordered…Best present EVAH !!!
Thanks to all for the hard work, looks great !!
phoebes-in-santa fe
@seabe: So sorry to hear of your cat’s death. But you fulfilled your implicit promise to her of both a good life and a good death. You were blessed by her presence and love. Take some time and then find another cat, in her honor.
Jeffraham Prestonian
Aw — touched that LarryElvis made the cut (October)! Longtime reader, first-time caller. :)
.
Joy
Great job on the calendar. And I just ordered my copy. My orange cat Arthur and my Great Dane Eowyn are in January! Thank you, Beth, for the time you put in, and to everybody who started this tradition.
Libby's person
Thank you, Beth S.! It looks beautiful! It was so nice to see my sweet Libby in September; I can’t wait to get my copy. Thank you so much for doing this!
kc
Jane2
@seabe: I hope I have the strength to do that when my kitties’ time comes.
Jane2
@arguingwithsignposts: Have a good holiday season…hope things are going to look up soon for you.
Mike in NC
I’ll pass if the needy animals include Mitt Romney, the guy with the charisma of a loaf of stale Wonder Bread.
SiubhanDuinne
@Mike in NC:
This isn’t really fair to stale Wonder Bread.
Bruce S
Good lord. This is animalistic.
Yutsano
@SiubhanDuinne: Stale Wonder bread at least has culinary uses.
Hill Dweller
@Mike in NC: Saturday afternoon, when a college student asked Romney why she should support him, he said if he was President she would have a job. Conversely, if Obama was President, she wouldn’t. Of course, he didn’t explain how he would accomplish it, but who really cares about details, amirite.
Romney will literally say anything if he thinks it will help him.
kideni
It looks great, Beth. I love seeing both my guinea pig and my kitty in June, and my ever-tolerant butterfly dog in October. Fantastic work!
Soonergrunt
@beth s.: Well,you did a wonderful job, Beth. I missed getting my dog in, but that’s my fault, and only means that I’ll have a year to take more great pictures.
sfinny
Thanks to Beth, will be ordering the calendar forthwith. Here is my holiday pic:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sfinny/6567318827/
Hope this works, but it is picture of the tree at Rock Center tonight. ETA: Yes it is sideways.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@beth s.: The calendar looks great!
Alison
@sfinny: Sideways but super pretty :)
sfinny
@Alison: Thanks, still working on the whole rotating pictures thing.
The prophet Nostradumbass
I was going to brine the turkey overnight, so, a while ago, I made the brine, dumped the ice into it, and got the turkey put of the fridge. I peeled the wrapper off it, and goddamn, it was fucking frozen. I could not open up the cavity enough to pry the neck and giblets out of it. Goddamn it.
Mary G
The black and white beauty on the top left corner of January (in front of Balloon Juice on the monitor) is my Chenielle. She wandered into a local foam and fabric store where they fell in love with her. Cats not being a good match with expensive bolts of cloth, and with allergies at home, they turned her into the shelter, where I got her.
She is convinced that the printer means me harm, so as soon as it starts reviving up, she races into the room and leaps up onto the desk and attacks the paper ferociously as soon as she gets over being startled when it comes out.
Waldo
I’m right here.
Jim pharo
John, et al.,
Merry Christmas. Thanks for letting us play here.
Woodrowfan
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to the Balloon Juice crowd.
Buy a calendar. They look great! (Our pups made it! yay!)
We’re dog-siting for family/friends so we have five dogs (normally 3) and my mom with us, so lots of chaos and present-opening…
Malatesta
Ok, I laughed. Because the colors and layout reminds me of a certain classic hardcore punk album.
Joy
Great job Beth! Just purchased a couple for friends and family (and myself of course)!
WaterGirl
@SiubhanDuinne: I just checked his blog, and the last entry was October 21. Now you’ve got me worried!
Edit: Glad to see there have been recent sitings. Merry Christmas, AWS, if you’re out there.
WaterGirl
Beth, nice job on the calendar.
I found my puppy, Tucker, in November, but I’m having trouble finding my kitties, Willow and Bear.
My messages to the balloon juice email address for the calendar kept getting rejected, but Anne Laurie assured me she received the photo after I sent it to her directly, so, so I am sure they must be there somewhere. Two kitties in one photo – on the top of a kitty tree, if that helps.
Could you let me know what month they are in?
WaterGirl
@arguingwithsignposts: I guess I should have read through the whole post before I commented.
Sorry to hear you are going through a rough patch. I will second the wish for a brighter 2012 and
Sorry you’ve been going through tough times recently. Now that you have poked your head in, I hope you will be here more again. I will second the “one of my favorite commenters” statement above.
I am considering outsourcing all my comments to SiubhanDuinne for awhile – this is the third time in a week that she has expressed what I wanted to say better than I could. :-)
asiangrrlMN
Tunchie in every month? THANKS, COLE! Second best thing I could get for Christmas! I bet old-timey BJers can guess what the first would be. Thanks, Beth S., for picking up the mantle, and thanks, Laura W., and Ahab for cranking out the first BJ calendar!
Merry merry to all and shit.
Sarah Proud and Tall
@asiangrrlMN:
Happy Christmas, dear.
Evelyn
Thanks so very much to Beth, Anne, Laura W and Ahab for continuing with our 2nd Annual Pet Calendar to support Charlie’s Angels Animal Rescue in Brevard, NC..Have to get on line now and order mine…:) And special thanks to John C and all loyal Balloon Juice followers who have helped so many of our rescued animals..
beth s.
@WereBear (itouch): i owe you an apology, werebear. i totally missed your photo of your kitties — i got your email but failed to include the photo in the final compilation of files. however, i revised the calendar and rev. jim and sir tristan are now gracing the month of march. you’ll find them in the bottom row second from the right.
beth s.
@WaterGirl: i also owe you an apology. i had the photo of willow and bear but pulled it to the side while trying to work the big jigsaw puzzle of fitting everyone’s photos together. it languished far enough out on the pasteboard that i lost track of it.
however, i revised the calendar and your kitties are snozing adorably in march in the lower left hand corner.