Friday, November 9, 2012

My Mom's Vegetable Soup & Soup Kitties...

Happy Weekend, Everyone!
 
Here's something interesting...
 
I have heard the terms
 
 Orange Tabby,
 
Red Tabby,
 
Ginger Tabby
 
 and Orange-Marmalade Cat...
 
but Soup Kitty?
 
Ummm, Nooo...
 
Not until my sister-in-law Marcena told me that it's a a colloquialism for orange-stripey kitties
across the river from us in rural Ballard County, Kentucky.
 
Is it because they are the color of vegetable-soup broth?
 
They really are the color of Campbell's Alphabet Soup, that all my kids loved when they were little...
 
(We could usually spell their names with the noodle-letters, though Jonathan's was sometimes a challenge...)
 
No one really knows...but there, orange kitties are Soup Kitties.
 
 
So, I thought I'd share some Soup Kitties I've known and loved...
 
 
This is Tibbs ~ (My girls got his name from a character in 101 Dalmations; Sergeant Tibbs...)
 
He is one of my Angel Kitties...
 
We had him for almost eighteen years.
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Tibbs' name was almost Goldenfuzz.
 
Yes.
 
Goldenfuzz.
 
In the 1930s my Daddy's little sister had an orange kitten she'd named Goldilocks.
 
Daddy, the ever-teasing big brother,
 
 reportedly said "Goldilocks?...Looks more like golden fuzz to me!"
 
So, Goldenfuzz she became...
 
The first of a succession of "Goldenfuzz"~ named kitties,
 
 the last being a boy that Grandma and Grandpa Launius had when I was little...
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Goldenfuzz was a smart kitty...he could open doors
 
 (interior doors, that didn't close too tightly) using the door knob!
 
If he'd had thumbs, there's no telling what he could have done.
 
Somewhere there is a picture of him reaching for a doorknob...
 
I'll have to ask daughter Mandy ~ she's our
 
Keeper of the Photos ~ ;^)
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Tibbs on his fourteenth birthday with a cake my daughters made for him...
 
He dove right in...
 
Yes, we are those kind of people ~ ;^).
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This cutie-patootie dust-kitty was a WILD little fellow, totally feral, born in a shed behind an empty house next to one of the older homes we lived in...

I kept watching from the window of our house,

and I finally managed to creep up on him in the shed when he was napping...

What a hissing, spitting ball of baby teeth and sharp little claws he was!

It only took a few days inside for him to calm down, though...

I called him Alexander ~ :)

He was adopted by another volunteer at the kitty shelter where we helped out at the time...

(since we had NINE kitties already...all indoors...)

So sweet!


 
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This is Audrey, one of the kitties at the shelter (she has been adopted since, happily).
 
Female Soup Kitties are few and far between!
 
Marcena has one, though, named Reba, with long fur ~ she's so beautiful!

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This is my daughter Mandy's pastel Soup Kitty, Albus ~ a.k.a. "Busman" ...

Isn't he a sweet fellow?

He was our house guest recently, along with his "brothers", while Mandy was vacationing.
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And last but not least, my daughter Katie's Half-Soup-Kitty, Honeybunch ~ a.k.a. "Bunch"...

We know this because Bunch was born at the shelter where we volunteered...

All the kitties there were spayed and neutered, except, uh...two.

They weren't in a huge hurry to get them neutered

because someone thought Bunch's mommy was a boy...

Oops.

Anyway, that's how we know that Bunch's daddy was a Soup Kitty...;^)

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Now for the recipe...

This is my Mom's excellent, easy, vegetable soup.

1 lb. Ground Chuck, browned and crumbled

2 Cups Diced Potatoes

Cover with water and cook until potatoes are partially done.

1 can each: peas, corn, carrots.

Add to meat and potatoes and simmer for 20 minutes; add 1 large can of tomato juice.

Add small pkg. egg noodles if desired.

Season to taste.

You can use ground turkey if you prefer, and you can change the veggies or add macaroni or rice...

Sometimes Mom would use barley...you really can't go wrong.

My son Mark makes it for his boys...they add Louisiana Hot Sauce!

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That's all for now about the Soup Kitties...we are going to continue to research and try to find where that colorful term came from...
I do have a book called Ghost Cats of the South, by Randy Russell, that has a chapter called
"The Chicken Soup Cat"...:^)
Have a great weekend!
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A sweet (but a little sad) post script to the Goldenfuzz story...
not long before Daddy passed away
I brought this pretty white kitty to my Stepmom...
She had been left on the porch of the shelter where we volunteered...
I thought they needed each other...
The kitty jumped on Daddy's bed and he said, "Well, hey...is that Goldenfuzz?"
Of course, the little snow-white kitty didn't have a bit of golden fuzz on her,
 but my Stepmom, Therma, said
"Well, she sure can be!"...
So, she is Goldie.
Therma reminds me often that Daddy named her...
She does have beautiful golden eyes!
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34 comments:

  1. Oh MY Gosh! What cute cute kitty pictures. I just adore them. I love the little Goldenfuzz story. And...so...The Chicken Soup Cat...love that, too! xo diana

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  2. Hi Anne,
    your cat portraits are so cute. The name Goldenfuzz remind me to my first Persian cat. My FIL called him something like Woolrag, because the cat was so fluffy. I love all your pretty cats. Tiny Alexander looks like a strong personality in fur. I guess he became a interesting and entertaining cat. Thank you for sharing all your cuties. Those are the best Soup I ever saw.
    Best greetings, Johanna
    Best greetings, Johanna

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  3. Awwwwww super cute kitties pictures..
    Love and hugs x

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  4. Oh how I loved your story and pictures of all those cuties. I had one in my teens we called Sandy. He was a great character.
    Happy memories Anne. xx

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  5. Oh my goodness-- I am loving all your soup kitties! The first one looks so much like my sweet Phoebe. So--any ideas on keeping kitties out of Christmas trees?

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  6. Oh! They are all beautiful! Mine and my husband's first pet together, Joey looked justed like that. But before we had a chance to neuter him he ran away in the name of love! He was the cutest thing you have ever seen. He would "milk" our ears and sleep with them in his mouth when he was a baby!

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  7. We used to have a long-haired soup kitty, but of course we didn't know at the time he was a soup kitty, because this is the first time I have heard that name!
    We called him Godfrey. That was a compromise, because when we were naming him our son, who was about five at the time, wanted to call him God! I couldn't imagine standing at the back door calling God to come in at night!

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  8. awwwww....what cute kitties! i had a cat that opened doors too. smart kitties!

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  9. Such cute kitties! Thank you for sharing the story of Goldenfuzz! Love the picture of the kitty in the dustpan, kitties just love to curl up in the funniest places!

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  10. Soup kitties....that's a new one for me. Love it, though. In all my years of living with beautiful cats I have never had a soup kitty. These are beautiful photos, Anne. I just love them. I must go back and look again. The photo of your grandmother and her cat (and you, so sweet) is a treasure to have, I'm sure. I keep all my grandmother's photos close to my heart. Mine was a kitty-lover, too. Her little side-kick was Maggie, a little, sweet brown tabby. Hugs, Deb

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  11. There is nothing like a cat, Anne! Around here, we would call those orange and white kitties "Volunteer" for the Tennessee Vols!:) Never did hear them called "Soup Kitties," though.

    We have had only two cats through the years. Our first, Ashes, was gray, and our present one - 20 1/2 years old - is Shadow, black with a small white spot under his chin.

    Have a good Saturday!

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  12. Hi Anne!
    Oh, my favorite kind of kitty! We had Tiger. I loved him so much.
    The soup sounds delicious.

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  13. You are so good at catching the essence of kitty! I adore all of the pictures and sure enjoyed the stories.

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  14. Sis...Oh my goodness...what a super sweet post...I love my little nieces and nephews..they are so adorable..Mr. Tibbs..awe...sorry-too cute and so sad...the soup recipe looks great..I will keep it forever Sis!! Thanks for britening the day up with such sweet kitties and memories..xoxo

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  15. Bunch is just beautiful...Love those kitties.

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  16. Once again, you've written a post that reminds me of why cats were my first love and even if we have more dogs than any 2 people should, a cat will always be a part of my life! Thanks for sharing these sweet souls and what made and makes them so special!

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  17. Hi Anne~
    Your kittens are adorable!! I like the soup recipe too - especially adding the hot sauce.
    Just stopping by to say hello.

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  18. My dearly departed orange boy would have loved be be called a soup-kitty. We name our dogs after Presidents and even though we was a cat, he deserved the same respect. His name was Thomas Jefferson. He was 21 when we had to let him go. We found him when he was probably 12 years old and the time we had with him was special bonus time. Kitties are the perfect example of the wonder of genetics and many science classes use the topic of orange ones because of the color, gender and genetic issues.

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  19. Oh, I love soup kitties! I just lost my beloved 'soup kitty', Ninky. What is it about those orange tabby's that steal your heart? Love your photos, especially the one with your Grandmother...She looks like mine. The soup looks yummy, and easy, my favorite kind. Hope you have a lovely weekend. xx

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  20. We love the term "soup kitty" and such beautiful pictures.

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  21. So many beautiful kitties you have indeed!!! LOVE the colours, so warm and fuzzy! :) Thank you for sharing this with us! So sweet, also, thank you for the lovely soup! Must try it!

    Hugs,

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  22. What a beautiful post and gorgeous photos. Thank you for sharing them.X

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  23. I am absolutely astonished by the creativity and time spent creating your posts. And I'm so glad I am following your blog -- the treats just keep on coming here. Many cats have lived with me, but never an orange one. And I always dreamed of one finding me. When I lived in a family in England, the girl had an orange cat, named Ginger!

    All your photos are beautiful. That last one is precious.

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  24. Lovely post, lovely soup cats, lovely story.

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  25. Dear Anne - this post touches my heart - I had never heard of soup kitties but I have never met an orange tabby I didn't love. All of mine have been males. I have always described mine as orange marmalade but that goes to show there is always something new to learn. Your dad's white kitty that he called goldenfuzz made me want to cry. This is a wonderful post. Love the pic of that little girl in 1963!! She looks like someone I'd like to know!! Have a great day. Hugs Pixie

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  26. There is so much love in all your pictures...you have been blessed with so many beautiful kitty's in your life....I am so touched....

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  27. There is so much love in all your pictures...you have been blessed with so many beautiful kitty's in your life....I am so touched....

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  28. Great stories! I never heard of Soup Kitties either. And you are right-- very few female orange tabbies around. Love the fact your grandmother is wearing an apron!

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  29. AWWWW GREAT POST:)I have two cats myself...love them.
    Your blog is so wonderful..do you have twitter or fb??

    If you want some cute swedish decor inspiration...check out my blog:)

    Have a great week dear

    LOVE Maria at inredningsvis.se
    (sweden)

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  30. Hi Anne...
    Wow... you've had some pretty sweet, and beautiful cats.

    Such an interesting term; soup kitty... I've never heard that before.

    Thanks for sharing your Soup Kitties, and the sweet memories.

    Have a wonderful evening.

    K.

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  31. Oh, gosh, what a great post. (Yes, we're that kind of people, too!) I just loved meeting all your golden cats. We had one growing up named Fiend. He was a HUGE long haired orange cat. I love how your dad named your white kitty, too. How sweet... Thanks for sharing. The recipe looks awesome, too - I might have to try that!!

    Have a great week!

    Donna @ An Enchanted Cottage

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  32. Beautiful blog and very elegant pictures. You got some lovely stuffs here.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Hope to see you on my blog:)

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