"The Frog"
You don’t know why this is called “The Frog”? Check our entry of June 3rd 2008. Also visit our "Press Room".June 23rd 2009
Hey everybody we have exciting news... we are celebrating our third birthday! Since we can't remember the exact date we were born, we have chosen July 1st as our official birthday. Born on a local farm, were happy to be adopted by our human parents who not only look after us very well but spoil us too! We knew when we moved into West Hill House that we would add the perfect touch to the B&B atmosphere. 
We were just 6 weeks old and ever so tiny when we came to our new home, as you can see in this very early photo of us having dinner. One of us sometimes needed a steadying hand as he learned to explore while his brother was quite adventurous and was off by leaps and bounds. Now that we are more grown up we are both quite adventurous but one of us (yes, the handsome guy in the grey and white suite) continues to be the real explorer while the chap in the white suite has perfected napping. Check the Birthday Time blog entry for more about our early days and for more photos of us!
We hope you will come visit us soon, we love making new friends.
À bientôt from the birthday boys,
Snowball >^,^< and Smoky =^,^=
April 5th 2009
Here we are again, the learned cats, Snowball and Smoky.
We love hearing stories about what people do, where they go, and what their interests are. We learn a lot of useful stuff. We also love having guests who make a big fuss over us, after all, we’re worth it!
During a recent visit we found out that one of our guests who absolutely loved us, and had cats of his own, had spent many years living in Alaska, working on the diesel engines of the machinery used to build the Alaska pipeline. He said he really felt drawn to working with diesel engines over gasoline engines. Most people would think an engine is an engine but we cats know why a person crazy about cats would be drawn to working with diesel engines.
So, to add to your store of useful knowledge, here is the answer. It is really quite simple: you see cats purr at the same frequency as an idling diesel engine, about 26 cycles per minute. Naturally one who loves the sound of a purring cat would also love the sound of an idling diesel engine. How do we know? Check back to June 14th! However we must admit, as I think our guest would also, it is much easier on the ears to have a purring cat sitting on your lap than to have a diesel engine idling in a workshop! So, for all you diesel engine mechanics who just hate coming home from work, go out and adopt a cat, or even better come and visit us, then you will have the best of both worlds, 26 cycles per minute of a diesel purring and 26 cycles per minute of a cat purring!
À bientôt
Smoky =^,^= and Snowball >^,^<
February 26th 2009 
Yes, Snowball and Smoky once again reporting in.
Every once in a while we decide that trying to sneak outdoors isn’t such a good idea. Why would we, who would be happy to jump at the chance to beat a guest through the front door, cringe at the thought of going outdoors? Mainly because we are certain that just now we would get lost!! Yes, lost!
Since last Wednesday we have been sitting on the windowsills watching the fluffy snowflakes coming down. Day and night the snow gets deeper and deeper. Our human parents say it is over 2 feet deep! We hear guests saying it is more than twice as deep on the mountains where they have been out playing all day. Can you imagine? That would mean our human mom would be right up to her eyes in snow!! Hey that would be funny to see!! Want to hear a couple of cats laugh?!!!
Can you imagine us trying playing in the snow? Trying to leap around in 2 feet of snow? We could see as we were landing but we’d have no idea where we’d be going on the way up! Yikes!!
If you dream of lots of snow you really should be here. For now, for the two of us, just dreaming about snow adventures is just fine as we would rather lie in the beautiful warm sunshine getting our morning zzzz.
À bientôt
Smoky =^,^= and Snowball >^,^<February 6th 2009
It’s us, the wonderful West Hill House pussy cats. Well, it’s actually just me, Smoky. Even though there is a lot of activity here today, Snowball is asleep in the sun so he won’t be much help today.
Anyway, we’ve been wondering about something. Here’s the situation: there is a lot of talk around here about going green. Thing is, we don’t see anything changing color.
We have been thinking long and hard about this green situation and have decided it must have something to do with us since we write “The Frog” and frogs are green.
If all this talk means we are going to turn green then someone has a lot to answer for! I for one don’t think green is the proper color for a cat and I know that Snowball even has some question about the color gray!
Feeling a bit concerned, we asked our human parents to help us understand the situation.
It’s not us at all! It’s everyone here who is turning green and “green” means caring for our environment!! We already see the florescent light bulbs everywhere in the house, we can smell the environmentally safe soaps, love to perch on top of the recycling bin and we even have environmentally friendly (and cat safe) kitty litter for our box! So... all the activity here this week is because of the latest “green” project. Our humans call it a Solar Hot Water Heating System – it preheats water using sunlight so the water can be warmed up before it goes into the hot water tanks to be heated by propane. This means less energy is needed to heat the water. Good idea, human parents! Mind you, we cats provide our own environmentally friendly washing water!
So, Snowball and I will remain all white, and gray and white (whew!) and the world around us will be a little greener because our humans, like many other humans, are helping the world by going “green”.
À bientôt
Smoky =^,^= and Snowball >^,^< zzzzzzzz
December 19th 2008
It’s us, your favorite cats.
Did you ever notice how life goes along just fine then one day you wake up from your nap and everything around you has changed? That is exactly what happened to us. One day we were napping all curled up in front of a lovely warm fire dreaming of a white Christmas when the sounds of “oohs and aaahs” disturbed our sleep. We sprang from our beds to see what was the matter and what to our wondering eyes should appear but two beautiful trees with brightly colored lights. Interested, yet cautious, we circled and sniffed all around the tree and finding it quite harmless decided to check out these new additions from a perch on the windowsill. Imagine our amazement when we saw shiny decorations! “Yippee, new stuff to play with”, we thought. Alas, our human mom knows us too well, while she did put some kitty-proof decorations where we could reach them, the shiny things are up very high and we are too big to climb in the tree to get them.
Christmas is just around the corner and we await the arrival of many new friends to whom we can show off our Christmas trees. And who knows, we might even pose in front of one for a photo op!
À bientôt from under the Christmas tree!
Snowball >^,^< and Smoky =^,^=
December 1st 2008
It us reporting in once again.
We have spent a lot of time lately curled-up sound asleep in our favorite spots. Of course, when we sleep our little minds just keep ticking away, sometimes thinking of what mischief we can get into, and other times, like these past few days, we have been dreaming of a white Christmas. Almost every day the snowflakes swirl around outside the windows and we sit on the windowsill in not quite a catatonic state but, shall we say, entranced by the scene. We snuck out the downstairs door last week and discovered that not only was the air cold, the snow was too! In addition to that, it made our feet all wet and we really dislike wet feet! We were actually glad when our human parents scooped us up, took us back inside and set us down by the fire so we could clean our paws and warm up a bit before guests arrived. We decided that for cats, snow is best viewed from inside, and the outdoor enjoyment of the snow is best left for our guests.
À bientôt from the snow!
Snowball >^,^< and Smoky =^,^=
October 26th 2008
Your favorite B&B cats here again. Guess what? 
From our favorite viewing spot on the front window sill we can see the mountains across the valley! We can only see these when the leaves are off the trees. We also get an excellent view of our handsome red barn. This foliage season was glorious with yellow, orange, and scarlet leaves adorning the trees. (People say cats cannot see colors other than shades of green and blue but we are extra-special cats and we believe we can see other colors as well!) As the leaves fell from the trees we tried to catch them but of course they were on the other side of the window so, while we got a lot of exercise, we didn’t catch anything!.
We made lots of new friends from all around the world during the past month as B&B guests arrived from England, Scotland, Australia, Canada, Austria, India, Israel, Switzerland, and of course from the four corners of the USA to see the marvelous spectacle of autumn in Vermont.
À bientôt
Smoky =^,^= & Snowball >^,^<
September 6th 2008
Snowball and Smoky here again, sorry we haven’t visited with you for a while. During these past sunny days our lives have been very busy and filled with important activities such as sitting in a comfortable spot a sunny window or curled up on a chair whilst contemplating the world. Some may think we are sleeping but we are actually deep in thought and, as with most humans, we do this best with our eyes closed. We often think of guests who have visited us here at West Hill House. We remember guests who gave us pats and snuggles and that makes us purr. We also try to imagine those guests who are yet to come especially when we have heard our human parents on the phone saying “…well then, you’ll love Smoky and Snowball as they are very friendly and love visitors.” because we know that more cat lovers are on the way! Here’s a photo of us deep in contemplation.
À bientôt
Smoky =^,^= & Snowball >^,^<
July 27th 2008
Smoky and Snowball back with you again.
It has been a while since we visited with you - we have been quite busy. While you may not know this, we actually help supervise the housekeeping department. For example, one of our tasks is to see that the red plaid carpet in the living room is vacuumed. Housekeeping does a great job but sometimes we just have to help. How do we do this? Simple, when we think the carpet needs some attention we carry out a prolonged wrestling match on it. White and gray fur flies in all directions and of course lands on the carpet, so it has to be vacuumed. You will notice that the carpet is always looking nice when you arrive, that is because we plan our wrestling to take place just before guests arrive or just before a special occasion like a wedding.
We mentioned being quite busy: we were getting ourselves all spruced up and looking beautiful for a wedding we had here recently. The photos above are our official portraits. Don’t we look handsome!
À bientôt
Smoky =^,^= & Snowball >^,^<
July 4th 2008 - Independence Day
Snowball and Smoky here.
Today another house full of guests whom we thought were here to pamper us and tell us how beautiful we are. We learned however, that they are here to celebrate Independence Day and to watch the 60th annual 4th of July parade in Warren.
Can you believe that our tiny town grows six times its size every year on this date as 6,000 plus visitors come to enjoy the parade? After the parade watching there are all kinds of activities from Frisbee golf to mountain bike riding to visiting shops, enjoying a BBQ and of course, fireworks. Oh and don’t forget the Farmers’ Market on Saturdays.
Even though our town is full of noise and excitement, our home is quiet and peaceful. We hope lots of people come stay with us next year for the long weekend celebrations because we love pats and snuggles from new friends. Humm, just thinking about that BBQ idea. I do believe it is time for us to curl up for a nap and dream of BBQ.
À bientôt
Smoky =^,^= & Snowball >^,^<
July 1st 2008 - Canada Day
Us again, reporting today from the comfort of a nice soft chair. The sun is shining, the air is warm, and it is a great day for a party! 
This morning the house was filled with excitement as today is Canada Day and Canada is 141 years old - gosh hope there are no candles on the birthday cake! Preparations are underway for a party this evening. Outside, small Canadian flags are decorating the front walk while inside there are special decorations on the dining room table. Susan likes to decorate the table and we love to help her pick out items from her big box of decorations. We find that to get the best look at the items it is necessary to jump right into the middle of things and start poking around.
We heard the rumors of grilled chicken and pork chops so we have each staked out a window seat to catch the great smells! Games of croquet or badminton on the lawn and after dinner, sparklers to wave in the air will make this day extra special for the humans. For now though, it is back to basking in the sun and catching 40 winks because pretty soon there will be more celebrations for the 4th of July and we need to rest up!
À bientôt
Smoky =^,^= and Snowball >^,^<
June 27th 2008
Hello again everyone! Remember us? We’re in charge of “The Frog”.
As adventurous cats we love to explore the nooks and crannies of the common rooms at the B&B, especially at night. However, when we have guests in, there is no exploration and we go down to the apartment with Susan and Peter and we curl up on the foot of their bed and dream of adventures. (Actually it’s our bed but we let them sleep in it too!) Morning comes early at a B&B and when we have a full house, Susan is in the kitchen by 6:30 so she can start breakfast for our guests. We, on the other hand, must stay in the apartment until all the guests are served their breakfast. It doesn't seem fair but Susan says we whine outside the guest room doors and that isn't nice. We of course don't see it that way, we’re simply saying "Good morning! Time to get ready for breakfast.”
Speaking of whining, did you know there are a number of wines produced in Vermont? Just type in Vermont Wines into your computer search engine and you will find websites for many Vermont wineries. The closest to West HIll House, on route 100 in Waterbury Center, is Grand View Winery, a family owned farm winery producing exceptional grape wines and wines from fruits that grow easily and naturally in Vermont. Most locations have tastings and some have tours of their facilities. Just about all of them can be visited as a day trip from Warren.
À bientôt
Smoky =^,^= & Snowball >^,^<
June 20th 2008
Breaking news! We now have our own photo gallery. Our staff (that is Peter & Susan) have compiled some of our favorite poses from photos taken both by them and by recent guest Lorand – who received a $25 gift voucher in appreciation of his contribution. Check us out. When you visit West Hill House we will be happy to pose for you so that your photo compositon can be added to our press room!
Smoky =^,^= and Snowball >^,^<
June 14th 2008
It’s us again, Smoky & Snowball.
Just recently our human parents, Susan and Peter, were telling us what wonderful cats we are, how we were the most beautiful and snuggly cats one could ever want - all of which is of course very true!
Well, the other day we looked out the front window and what did we see but another cat in our yard! It was orange and black and had a huge mouth and, as cats go, it was a bit on the dirty side. This creature was enormous, big enough for a man to ride on, in fact it was about the size of a brontosaurus! (Of course we know about dinosaurs!). Unlike us, this cat had the strangest name, it was called 315C. Now we know about R2D2 but really, what kind of a name is 315C?
It wasn’t long after a man climbed onto the cat’s back that it began to make a noise. At first we though it was purring but the noise got louder and louder so we think the cat was actually growling at the man. Soon the cat started to eat and instead of cat food, it ate dirt! 
Since we were at a complete loss as to what this strange creature was doing in our yard we consulted our parents. We learned that it wasn’t really a cat, it was actually a digging machine called a cat. It was in our yard helping the man to make a hole in the yard. so the B&B could expand its septic capacity and thus provide better facilities for our event guests.
We still don’t understand it all but fortunately the Bronto-cat was only here for a couple of days and we must admit we are glad it did its work and has now gone home. Our human parents reassured us that all was well and we are still the most wonderful, beautiful and snuggly cats ever.
À bientôt
Smoky =^,^= and Snowball >^,^<
June 3rd 2008
Let us introduce ourselves. We are Smoky and Snowball, Chasseurs des Souris. We are Vermont natives born and raised. We have been working at West Hill House B&B for nearly two years and have been in the B&B business all our lives... What? Oh, yes of course, we should mention we are the beautiful, adorable, majestic and most lovable resident cats.
Now, what were we saying? Ah! Susan and Peter recently decided to write a "blog", short little items about life at the B&B, on their website. We thought they said “frog” so we jumped right in (pardon the pun!) and decided to take ownership of the "frog" though we might share it from time to time with Susan.
So while the latest addition to websites may be blogs, we want to tell you about frogs. Each night just at dusk the frogs start filling the night air with the sound of music made by their chorus. The high pitched peeping, which some of our guests think comes from birds, is really the singing of the Spring Peeper Frogs. While their bodies are small their songs can be heard filling the air. Nature’s evening lullaby. The peepers' chorus is a welcome sound as it signals that winter has come to an end. The frogs must be right because just now we can see daffodils, jonquils, and tulips in the flower gardens and we can smell the chives, mint and sage in the herb garden. And if the frogs and new growth in the gardens weren't enough to announce spring's arrival, the warm sun is flooding through the open window making the windowsill a purrrrrrrfect place for our afternoon nap. So if you'll excuse us, we'll just curl up and catch a few ZZZs.
Smoky & Snowball