Thursday, April 29, 2010

For the Love of Ginger


My first two cats; Ginger & Taffy. I was 19 or 20. On my own in my first apartment in Arizona. I went to a woman's house who had put the add in the paper 'Free Morris cats'. (LOL Back when cat lovers knew who Morris was). When I arrived I was directed to the barn. The kitten I first picked had run out to me from under a tractor. She became 'Taffy' (she is the cat on the right in the grouped photos) and the one just above by herself. She was SO Orange and SO white. She is also pictured on my antique sewing machine below in the window light.

Then; as I didn't want to have one kitten who would be alone while I worked all day; I needed one more. This proved daunting considering the only other kitten available was hiding; way under the tractor; with the black widow spiders. (now y'all know I like those spiders but I don't want to be bitten thank-you-very-much! and technically they'd be well within their rights considering I was intruding on their home turf!) Anyhow...



The woman grabbed a broom & 'shooed' the poor wretched mewling thing out from under the tractor & before she could scramble back. One of the woman's kids grabbed her first by her tail and then by the scruff of her neck & thrust her at me. She was hissing; trembly and growly and she appeared to be covered in grease! It was love at first sight (for my part).

I took both cats and put them in my car. This was before I knew there was such a thing as a cat carrier. I had a VW van (my first car too) and it had a bed in the back with a giant quilt on it; they both burrowed under the quilt and stayed there till we got back to my tiny apartment where I had to fish them out amid screams (mine) & claws (theirs).

That marked the start of a relationship that lasted over the next 20 years. Almost instantly after getting them inside and finding my bed (which was a mattress on the floor) we all lived quite wonderfully from that night on. Both curled up as you see them from then on; usually against me somewhere.

So many memories of my beloved Gin. When I got her home that day I washed her so much her poor fur was almost coming off till I realized she wasn't supposed to be the same color as her sister! Taffy was the wayward wanderer; fearless; hang from the drapery rods kind of cat. Gin; on me; on my lap; in my hair at bedtime for the next 17 + years.


My beloved Ginger Girls. I miss them e.v.e.r.y. d.a.y. And I can't wait to see them again.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

A note from Ms. Stella O'Houligan


This woman I live with is such computer hog. I must post this for all you sexie boy & girlie hep cats whose sites I visit and leave comments on. THIS is what I look like.


Here's what I look like when SHE thinks I should 'come in' when I've obviously just successfully managed to escape! YA RIGHT!


Here I am waiting for poor Ms. Scrappie to wander by so I can be hissy at her & show her my BIG tail & my TEEFS! Ya, she better RUN!

That's all for now; the sunlight just found me; finally some warmz...ZZZZZzzzzzzzzz

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

SAQA 1 Foot Square Donation for Auction


Celtic Pear for Peace

I am really in love with that color mustard! I drew the pear shape and then painted it in fabric medium and let it dry. Then on a sheet of paper I played with the calligraphy placing the words in the pear shape trying to get the dimensions right for the shapeliness of the pear. I then inked the design onto the fabric with my calligraphic pens. I used liquitex calligraphy inks.



The main word Siochian (can't put the fada's in this script) is Peace in Irish Gaelic. There is also Gra = Love; Neart = strength and Onoir = Honor. I then took my artist quill did the relief curlicues and tiny flowers and leaves. After that, it was off to the machine!



Machine quilted from the back in bright orange from a piece of tapestry fabric (I didn't get that photo yet) and then from from the front for all the other quilting of circles, lines, etc. I hope they can use it in auction!

Saturday, April 17, 2010


no; I won't bore you with up-to-the-minute photos of this plant. Just took one that I really liked.

Friday, April 16, 2010

A Tale of Two (pair of) Shoes and a Prince

Once upon a time, there was a single young, beautiful, vibrant middle aged mother who lived with her teenage daughter & four superior beings cats. She worked very hard at her day job, her art and keeping their home neat and tidy. She had been struggling for many months with ongoing health issues and some days it was simply all she could do to make it home; get the dinner done; take a warm shower and curl up with a good book to relax. Sadly, that type of relaxation is not condusive to maintaining any sort of waistline unless you consider resembeling the Pilates ball an acceptable shape.

Oh, She tried to be kind to her big fat toucas her middle aged body by following yogi but was disillusioned to find out that instead of follwing a stretching program; she was mistakenly following the ramblings of a friendlier than average bear who was enamoured with picnic baskets.

She finally decided to make a concerted effort to clean up her act and clear off her treadmill and start using it again (as something other than a place to rest her feet while doing hand sewing work at the card table).

She remembered why she placed it in front of her windows to the backyard. She remembered planting things specifically with her viewing pleasure in mind from the height of the running pad. Watching the birds backlit from the sun with their wings laced with gold flitting to and from the loquat tree and bird feeder was something she could watch for hours with a smile on her face. And this year; a pair of bush tits had decided to think so much of her unwillingness to rip out a wandering vine beautiful landscaping they have made a lovely hanging nest in it.


These tiny imps of birds only measure 3 to 4 inches from the tip of their 1/4 inch beak to the end of their tiny tails. The are darling & travel the neighborhood in small groups leap frogging from plant to plant; tree to tree; to glean tiny insects and building materials. They are not quiet and their chirps sound more like tiny ray gun bursts and with each chirp the tail and wings snap. How adorable is this tiny ball of fluff? She has been head over heels in love for many weeks now.

Photo courtesy of Carl Schmidt

With the advent of Spring; it seemed to her the right time to get started on improving her overall health now that her chemical levels were, well, level. With renewed determination she vowed to start at the beginning doing what she really liked, just walking on her treadmill and losing herself in the meanderings of her mind while watching the bird tv in her yard. She told herself that she need only walk for 15 to 20 minutes per day to start but as she always knew; this reeled into at least an hour she found such enjoyment in it. "The trick" she told herself "is getting on to just do the 20 minutes first."

After a week or so of being on target and walking 3 miles each day; her legs were starting to give her some pings. Not because they were sore from lack of excersize (though there certainly was some of that) but as she thought; she probably needed new shoes. She'd been wearing the same pair for so long she'd lost track of how long she'd actually had them. They were pretty sad indeed.



It had been at least 4 years since she last was devout in her daily treadmill worship. But alas; our heroine (like so many others in the kingdom) were seriously suffering economic hardship and new shoes were not on any horizon. Then she remembered something: a Prince, who lived in a far off and dusty hot land was himself a fellow runner had mentioned one time to her that he and his friends donate their old shoes; owing to the fact that as many runners know; you only get about 3 months of serious running out of a new pair if you are running daily. So she had an idea and texted him about where this place might be that she could go and see if they might have a pair with some use left in them (until she herself got back up to speed) and she wouldn't have to ransom her firstborn. The Prince wrote back right away that the shoes were donated but as far as he knew they all went over seas. But he had 'contacts' and he would 'see what he could do'. He enquired as to what size she wore; width & so on. Later that evening she got a text saying that her shoes would be delivered in 2 to 9 days.

You can imagine her surprise when she wrote back how astonished she was that he could locate a used pair of shoes in her size & width on such short notice but he simply said he had gone online and bought her a brand new pair!

Even greater still her amazement when they arrived by post and she put them on the first time. Ahhhh, pure bliss.



It's amazing what a new pair of shoes can do for you, even more amazing when they are athletic shoes. But nothing is so amazing as having a friend who appears so ordinary, so everyday but in reality is a everything a Prince should be. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you Rich Owings for being that Prince!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Finally!



After 15 years of being in this house & trying at one time or another to grow these in my front planter (and failing miserably each time) the official 'bleeding heart fairies' have finally decided to grace me with their presence. I have no way of telling which of the myriad old leftover roots these are from but I am heartily glad to to see them!

I am surreptitiously watering them (this must be done without looking directly at them) and furtively slinging plant food (also without direct eye contact) as I wouldn't want them to think any of my efforts were on their behalf (as that would ensure their subsequent immediate death) so we'll see how big they get. It's an exciting time. All for one ennsey-weensey fragile plant that has always captured my heart; broken, bleeding or not.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Livin' the Life!



I come home from a hard day's work, need to run get out of my work clothes and into my workout clothes and on the way to the treadmill, THIS is what I see... *sigh* So hard not to just lay out right there with all those snugglyon particle emitters! Especially that pied in front who has her emitter on 'if you can make it past me you have a will of iron'...


Yes I made it past;, but only just. If it weren't for the fact that my er...backyard area has grown roughly to the size of Rhode Island, I would stop and lounge but alas, cellulite expulsion waits for no one.

A Victim was claimed later by a rain of particles that was emitted at such concentrated force the poor girl didn't stand a chance!