10/11/2026
🐾 SMUDGE'S BOX THOUGHTS OF THE DAY 🐾
Attention peasants. We need to address the elephant in the kitchen.
WHY IN THE ACTUAL HELL DO TWO PEOPLE NEED SIXTY EGGS?!
SIXTY.
That's not grocery shopping. That's preparing for a poultry apocalypse.
Dad says Mom eats like a bird, so clearly she's not responsible for this ridiculous quantity of chicken offspring.
Dad has a disturbing history with hard-boiled eggs. All summer, he boiled them BY THE DOZEN and stuffed them into his face while working outside because he was too busy to eat like a civilized human.
He was one hard-boiled egg away from sprouting feathers.
But lately, his obsession seems to have fizzled.
And yet... THE EGGS KEEP COMING.
Naturally, I launched an investigation.
I conducted surveillance. Examined evidence. Interviewed nobody. I work better alone.
And then I discovered something deeply disturbing.
MOTHER IS FEEDING RAW EGGS TO SAKI.
TWO. EVERY. DAY.
One for breakfast and one for dinner.
RAW.
No cooking. No seasoning. Not even the courtesy of a nice little omelet.
Just CRACK. SPLAT. BON APPÉTIT. SHELLS AND ALL.
Disgusting.
But here's where things get REALLY suspicious.
Why isn't Kai getting raw eggs?
Hmmmmmm?
Mom is constantly fawning over that ridiculous tan house hippo.
"Ohhhh, Kai! You're so handsome!"
"Who's my sweet boy?"
"You're such a good boy!"
"I love you SOOOOO much!"
Oh, for the love of tuna.
WE GET IT.
I find his looks merely ordinary. His intelligence? MENSA won't be calling.
Mother acts like he's some magnificent gift to humanity. He's a dog, Mother. Get a grip.
Meanwhile, Saki is getting raw chicken goo dumped into her breakfast and dinner.
Interesting. VERY interesting.
Clearly, something sinister is happening.
Perhaps Mother is attempting to eliminate Saki through salmonella poisoning. Or some other revolting egg-borne affliction.
I'm not a veterinarian. I'm a detective. A brilliant one.
I'll continue monitoring Mother's suspicious culinary activities from the shadows.
If she IS plotting against a house hippo, I wish she'd hurry up.
They're both exhausting.
ANYWAY.
I've devoted far more of my extraordinary brainpower to those dimwitted house hippos than they deserve.
Let's discuss something FAR more important. ME.
And this absolutely GLORIOUS fall weather!
Seriously, what is happening?!
It's October, and apparently summer has decided to come back for an encore performance.
The sunshine! The warmth! The extended outdoor surveillance opportunities!
The birds are chirping away like they've got something important to say. Trust me, I've listened. They don't.
The squirrels are apparently under the impression that my kingdom is their personal playground. Adorable. And incorrect.
Naturally, I must investigate.
And by investigate, I mean stalk, intimidate, and generally make their lives uncomfortable.
It's called wildlife management, people. Look it up.
Mom and Dad seem equally thrilled about this extended summer situation.
Remarkable, since they spend three-quarters of the year acting like Mother Nature singled them out and infected them with Seasonal Affective Disorder.
"It's so dark."
"It's raining AGAIN."
"I'm tired of being cold."
"The dogs are covered in mud again"
GOOD GRIEF.
You'd think someone forced them to move to the Pacific Northwest against their will.
You've lived here for years, you giant babies.
IT RAINS.
It's kind of our thing.
Rain is acceptable from inside my kingdom, preferably atop freshly laundered clothes Mother thinks belong to her.
But sunshine?
Sunshine is an entirely different level of luxury.
It warms my magnificent gray fur, improves my delightful disposition, and extends my outdoor reign of terror over the local wildlife.
Of course, Mother insists on supervising my outdoor excursions.
Apparently something about "predators," "safety," and "not trusting me to make good decisions."
Excuse me?
I am a highly sophisticated feline with exceptional instincts.
Apparently, a few minor incidents involving sketchy wildlife encounters have convinced Mother that I cannot be trusted.
DRAMATIC MUCH?
Anyway, I'm going to enjoy this magnificent weather while it lasts. Soon the squirrels will disappear, the birds will become scarce, and I'll need new victims for my psychological warfare. Perhaps the house hippos. Easy targets.
As for the egg conspiracy?
The investigation remains open.
Mother remains a person of interest.
Saki remains blissfully unaware of her impending doom.
Kai remains handsome only in Mother's wildly biased opinion.
I'm still the only one here with functioning brain cells.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have sixty eggs to account for, a mother to surveil, and several squirrels to reprimand for getting too comfortable on my property.
Justice never sleeps.
Well, actually, I do.
About sixteen hours a day.
But you get the idea.
🐾 Smudge out. 👑