Gratitude

Gratitude is a wonderous thing. Anyone who cannot find a thing to be grateful for has had too much. Anyone who cannot be grateful has never walked through the fire.

As I grow older, I find myself being grateful for many things that I used to take for granted. I am grateful for each new sunrise. I am grateful for the full moon. I am grateful that I can walk the icey winded walk from my car into work and grateful for the job that I walk to.

I am very grateful that all of my fuzzy tails seem to be over the sniffles now!!! Yippee! It was rough there for awhile.

Christmas 2012 Scant Highlights

It snowed on Christmas Day 2012. Last night, we went to see "Les Miserables".

My niece, Lea Ann modeling a 'cat's Christmas hat'. Her daughter, Victoria, in the background taking a picture of me taking a picture of Lea Ann.

Oh yeah, we had fun!

Synthetic Bokeh

Look what I did to this picture using Glaze. It did not have any bokeh in it at all until I created it.

By the way, my entire kitten family has been sick for the past two weeks with an upper respiratory infection which in kittens is very similar to the common cold in humans. However, for felines this condition is much, much more serious. But I am keeping a close eye on all of them and I am very happy to report that so far, so good.

Friend? Really?

Remember about 3 or 4 posts back, I posted a picture of the 'furniture friend' that was 'supposed' to keep 'furniture enemies' away?

Nigel Under Cover

Okay, now I am not so sure if this furniture thing is a friend, an enemy or maybe we are merely acquaintances. At any rate, it really seems to be a friend to Nigel who has figured out how to wrap himself up in it sort of like a sleeping bag.

It is like my mother always said. "I can't have anything because I have a cat." I keep reminding myself that it is my choice and to stop with my complaining. I mean that thing under the furniture friend is really the most beautiful thing I have and I wouldn't trade him for a gazillion sofas.

Prince Moon and Stars

Anyone that even occassionally visits my blog knows I am an ardent angliophile. I was born this way. Long after reaching adulthood when investigating my own deep roots, it was not a surprise when I discovered 80% of my ancestry was British.

Then it makes sense that my little Jakey is the Prince Moon and Stars, right?

He is a prince but he maybe wearing the crown of a duke.

Plus, I think everyone is very familiar with my love for British music. Along about this time last year, I remember making a post about one of my favorite Christmas songs to hear, "Last Christmas" by George Michael. That does not mean that I do not like it by a cool, Austin,Texas group called Dexter Freebish. We have cool stuff here in Texas too.

I love how these guys rock this song. You cannot listen to it without really getting into it. There is no video really just the song but hey, that is all you really want, right?

Look What I Did!

I am an upholstering fool! I upholstered this coffee table.

Here it is out in the garage where I spent a week scrubbing around on the floor with it trying to get it painted then upholstered. It would have been simple enough except lately I have been dealing with a bum knee. My bum knee is caused from certain movements that I can no longer do with my leg without tearing the meniscus.

Table Before Refurb

That is at least one other entire blog post but not this one. This one is about upholstery! Long story short, I needed to make those movements when down on the floor with this table but I had to be creative and find a way to deal with it. I dealt with it and this is how it turned out.

Refurbed Table

Look at that beautiful cat prancing by it! It is in his colors! Moon and Stars can hide on that table now and believe me, he does. It is soft and comfy just for him or so he thinks.

I did a Glaze of the she-arts on the wall. The part I love best about this Glazed picture are the two toy balls laying on the floor. See them?

Glazed Cat Toys

What's Been On My Mind

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about a little island that I love. The oddest thing about this little island is that it produces some extraordinary musicians. Musicians with their roots far across the Atlantic in the bluesy deep, south. Strangers in another land putting their own flavor on something already beautiful.

I have most particularly been thinking about George Harrison which led me to thinking about Eric Clapton and how they really know their way around a guitar. Speaking of George reminds me that one of the many beautiful things about the Beatles were that each one of them individually was awesome in their own right. Each of them knicked off traits of American singers/musicians of the time. Yet, as a whole no Beatles song sounded like Elvis, Carl Perkins or Little Richard.

If I could interview Paul McCartney, I would love to ask him what particularly was going through his mind when he wrote the words to "Long and Winding Road". What/who was he thinking about when he wrote "the wild and windy night that the rain washed away has left a pool of tears crying for the day" ? Those are awesome words. I would love to know what he was thinking about when he put those down on paper.

Okay, time for some Glazed.

The Counting House, London

A Dozen Glazed, Please!

Well, I don't have a dozen glazed but how about 1/4 of a dozen? I have been playing with this Glazed app and having loads of fun. I feel like Claude Monet!

It has caused me to go digging for pictures. This is so much fun. I am glazing the world. Here are a few examples.

Moon and Stars

Eiffel Tower 

Malibu, CA

Horseless Steeple Chase

I had a very scarey dream the other night. Remember the commercial that showed during the days around Halloween regarding the horseless headsman for Snickers? I thought it was a really cute commercial. I liked it.

Well, I dreamed a few days ago that this type creature was chasing me. Except it was not this guy. It was very similar, in fact exactly the same, EXCEPT the head was that of Tom Cruise. His teeth were HUGE. I was so frightened. I have NO idea why Tom Cruise. I am sure it means something but I can't explain 'em. I can only dream 'em. Also, I do not know why it was so frightening to me. I am not sure what he intended to do once he caught me. Perhaps roll over me with his big head. I never found out because I did escape him.

And I Would Like to Thank...

I would like to thank all of my friends for the best birthday ever. Really. I don't know why but this year was just really special. Maybe because as I am getting older and my future birthdays are fewer in number  than my past birthdays, birthdays are becoming more special to me. This year was no exception.

Firstly, I would like to say that God certainly smiled on me when he passed out friends. I have THE BEST FRIENDS anyone could ever hope to have! I have been so blessed in this aspect of my life. I love my family but I love my friends too. I would NOT be happy without both categories. One is as important as the other to my way of thinking. Your family 'has' to put up with your shenanigans but your friends do not. They are good barometers of one's behavior. You can tell by their reactions as to whether or not you might be going a little bit too extreme. See, both categories are necessary, are they not?

It is sad for me to say that I have lost a friend or two along the way. I have not lost any lately though meaning in the past two or three decades. One lives and learns. Unfortunately, some learning experiences have costly consequences. However, one learns the most from these expensive experiences. As Oscar Wilde would say "Experience is the name people give to their mistakes." It is a good school but the tuition is high. No one has ever accused me of being a poor student and that goes for the school of experience too. I have learned much.

My special friends, Carol, Vickie, Shelly and Ellen all made my birthday extra special this year. I feel so lucky and so fortunate.

Okay, I am changing gears here slightly.

Shelly and Ellen decided I would do well to get one of these. This is called the Furniture Friend sold at Bed, Bath and Beyond. We noticed some slubby snags on the sofa that this might divert against any future slubby snags.

Furniture Friend

Never let it be said that cats lack an inventive mind. Nigel is providing the service to the other cats of removing the furniture friend so more slubby snags can be gained!

Nige Gets Jiggy

Oh yeah, cat shaped universe and all of that....

There was once an old woman that lived in a...

...cat shaped universe and it was me.

I am weird. At least I am when I compare myself to others. The truth is and really this is the truth, I am one of the happiest people on the planet...UNTIL...I begin comparing myself to others. As long as I am not comparing, I am happy, happy, happy flitting around in my world kind of like a bumble bee from flower to flower.

But when the comparisons begin, the doubts creep in. Should I have zigged when I zagged? Should I have turned right instead of left? Comparisons are wrong, aren't they? We are all the same yet we are all individuals. What is right for me, is probably not what is right for you and vice versa. So goes the story, there are many truths. There is my truth and there is your truth. Then, there are the millions of other truths on the planet.

Often I have to remind myself to stop with the comparisons. As long as I stay in my cat shaped universe, I am on cloud nine. A happier woman has never lived.

This is how it looks inside my cat shaped universe. Other people that live in cat shaped universes will get it.

Once There Was a Woman

"Once upon a time, a woman living in a cat shaped universe bought a chair. It turned out to be a cat shaped chair but only she could see that. Well, not only 'she' could see it but 'someone' else saw that too.

That someone else made it 'his' chair. The woman was happy with that because she did live in a cat shaped universe after all. Then, the woman decided that she needed another chair. This time she would get a human shaped chair because she was a human living in a cat shaped universe. She wanted her own chair that fit her. But as it turned out...

This chair was also cat shaped. What to do? What to do? There is only one thing to do. Just be happy and live. Cat shaped universes are all about sharing."

Living in a Cat Shaped Universe

I made another one of these but almost forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it away. The quality of the picture is poor but it was the best I could do at the moment. I intended to take a picture of it while I was still at home. I made this for a friend that shares my birthday.

I made that birthday card too. Christopher Columbus' world may have been flat but my world is cat shaped. Come to think of it, I live in a beautiful cat shaped universe spinning around with my little Moon and Stars.

She touched the sky and it was cat shaped!

What is Your Cocoon Made Of?

Do you have a cocoon? What is it made out of? I have a cocoon and it is made of Beatles' songs.

I crawl into my cocoon on those days when it would have been better to have just stayed in bed. You know the kind of day I am talking about.

Today is one of those days that I should have stayed in bed. Upon realizing this, I immediately crawled into my cocoon of comforting Beatles' music. It feels like a snuggly, warm sweater.

I love the Beatles. I have been to all of their houses. The picture below is when I was at Ringo's house. See the stars on his gate? As you can see, Ringo and I do not have that close of a relationship. It isn't exactly like I am sitting in his living room sharing a cup of tea with him, is it?

When I was at Paul's house, at least his neighbor came out and talked to us. She told us that he was not at home because she had seen him leave. But she did say that Paul sometimes comes out and talks to fans.

Okay, I am going back inside my cocoon now.

Grinning Chesshire Cat

Remember my new nephew, Bow? Well, he has had 50 different names since he came to live with my sister. Now, his name is Bruce. Yes, Springsteen.

This is his forever name. Makes sense, right? It would be like me having a cat named, Elton or Paul, however, I have not had any by those names yet.

At one point, the name "Paul McCatney" was being considered for baby because Paul McCartney likes to pronounce his name like that when he is embracing his Scottish heritage which is most of the time and my sister has a deep fondness for Paul.(Not as immeasurable as mine for him.)  But no, Bruce is my sister's true love (his picture resides on her iphone lock screen) so "Bruce" was determined to be baby's name now. (This is a way one can marry their love for cats with their love for music.)

It seems baby Bruce has been  having dental issues. His teeth have not been falling out as they should. Yesterday, he had 5 baby teeth removed so his other teeth may come in. This got me to thinking so I asked my sister.

"What do cats do that do not have mothers? Do they just roam around out there with jacked up teeth?".

Perplexedly she answered. "Yeah, I suppose they do. Sucks, huh? They are probably the butt of jokes and shunned by their peers."

Well, anyway, ever since baby Bruce had his toofies worked on, he can't quit flashing that beautiful smile. That is a gift bag around his neck where he stores his toys. Looks kind of like a dental bib, doesn't it?

Aspiring Male Model.

Moon and Stars + Another Moon?

There has been an interesting development in the local feline population. It seems 'someone' has come out of hiding and has recently been visiting his 'twin brother'.

As it turns out, my Moon and Stars has a twin and I do mean twin. I do not mean 'kinda, sorta'. I mean they look exactly alike right down to the cute patch on their noses. I would not have known about this handsome lad if he had not come 'a visiting'. He comes up to my back window and peers in looking for Jakey. As soon as Jakey spies him, he runs right over to greet him by jumping up onto the windowsill.

There is one difference in the two guys though. Seth, as I call him, does not have a 'bad' eye like my Moon and Stars does. Seth is perfection! Right down to the ground! We had wondered about this eye business and Seth helps to explain some of it.

When I came by my little Jakey, he was teeny, tiny yet with the bad eye already. The opthamologist said the damage to his eye could have been caused from injury or by disease but was unable to tell which. We thought it might be herpes which is common among feral cats. The fact that Seth has two perfect yellow eyes probably means there was not a herpes infection among the litter. That is good!! That means I do not have to worry so much about a recurrence of the herpes infection in Jakey. Jakey probably sustained an injury to his eye in utero or possibly during birth.

More importantly, this is what it means to me. Seth could have found his way to me with both of his perfect eyes and he could be living inside my home right now. But instead, my Moon and Stars found his way with one good eye and one blind eye. Love led him to me because he gave me his heart and I gave him my eyes.

This is a true love story.

Seth shuns the paparazzi.

Drop In The Bucket

My Henry likes to sleep in a bucket. Cats are so weird. If I tried to get him to sleep in that bucket, he would revolt. However, on his own volition, he completely loves to wad himself up into a tidy ball and pack himself into it just like a sardine.

Really, it isn't a bucket as much as it is some sort of dish pan. However, I do not use it for dishes. This is my "feet soaking" pan. Recently, I have become plagued with 'fungus' on my toenails. Ugh, I know. As it turns out, everyone is exposed to fungus but 'some' of us are more prone to having them settle in and finding a home on our bodies...those 'some' of us who have had too many antibiotics and too much antibacterial washes over the years.

Long story short, nail salons are completely off limits to me now that I know I have no resistance to these fungus creatures.  Henry really likes the bucket when I am not using it.

Rekindling the Light

I refurbished a lamp that is about 30 years old. It was formerly shiny brass with smokey globes. I repainted high gloss apple red with opaque white globes. This was really difficult for me to capture in a picture as it is very bright. This is the best I can do with my amateur photography skills. I tried to knock down the glare with photoshop but it just made the picture appear more weird looking.

Dreaming of My Californian Friend

I forgot to post a picture of my friend in California. Here he is.

He followed me around for half of a day. I would talk to him and he would cock his little head and give me that sideways stare like 'what in the world are you talking about woman?' I am sure he just wanted me to feed him. I loved the way his little feet would leave big prints in the sand.

Just goes to show you that where I am concerned, if there are animals, there will be love! Being happy isn't so difficult a thing, is it?

The Constant Chameleon

Me-The Chameleon

I finally know who I am.

It has been a year of introspection and self discovery. That is saying a lot for someone such as me that has spent her entire life looking deep within her own heart seeking to understand.

There are aspects of my personality that I like. There are many more that I do not. I am my own harshest critic. This is how it should be.

One of the aspects of my personality that I did not like is that I have always seemed significantly fickle. I love one thing one day just to find that I strongly dislike it on the next day. I hated that about myself…before I understood it.

When I find something I like, I have a tendency to go somewhat overboard and head long into it. That is when I am on the highest peak of Mount Ardor. Then as a result of being at the highest point of my passion, I seek to discover more and more and more about this subject or topic of my affection. But lo, the worm turns. Often, the more information I scratch out, the more I learn that this thing is not worthy of my affection or even my attention. This is an enlightening. This is a reckoning. Rather than throw in the towel on this discovery, I often choose to delve even deeper just to see what else shakes out. Sometimes the findings are brutally ugly. This is when my passion descends into hatred. At other times, I get past the ugliness just to learn enough that deems this thing worthy of redemption.

So you see I am not fickle at all. I am just a work in progress wanting to score up all of the facts.

I am a chameleon. I so wanted to be feline but lizards are cool too.

This is not the only thing I have learned this year. I have been busy. Perhaps, I will share more of my findings at a later time. Perhaps not. But stay tuned anyway.

My Stint As a Painter

Remember a long time back (can't remember when exactly, maybe beginning of the summer), I started a project of furniture painting? I had pie in the sky dreams of painting the old kitchen table to make it look somewhat shabby chic not because that is my style but because that was only look I could coax out of it. I never posted a follow up to that project. Here it is now.

I learned a lot about myself during this project. I learned:

1. I do not like furniture painting.
2. I do not plan to do it ever again especially during a Texas summer.
3. Just like every other thing though, I am a perfectionist when I attempt it. (Refer back to item 2. This is reason I will not do it again. Too much margin for errors and flaws in these painting scenarios. Bugs fly into to the paint. Sand blows into the paint. Cats jump on wet paint. I could go on and on and on....
4. I am slightly crafty not a professional painter.

Here is how the old table looked before project began.

Nice bed for Jakey, no?

Long story short. During the hot Texas summer, I had this baby out in the backyard painting away. Oh how I loathe the heat! I sweated off about 15 pounds! Shoog and I bonded quite a lot while I would be recovering in the shade with an ice cold glass of lemonade. Plus, I got bitten by so many mosquitos that it is a wonder I did not catch West Nile. Maybe I did but didn't get a really bad case of it. It takes a lot to side line me especially when I have set my jaw to whipping a table into submission. My sister kept trying to convince me to ditch the project and just buy a new table set, something modern but oh no, my jaw was set. Even if I ditched this set, I wanted it to look nice for its new owner.

Here is the end result. Originally, it was going to be white. I changed my mind perhaps in a heat induced delirium and painted it candlelight to create more contrast. The candlelight voided the shabby concept. Now it has more of an elegant feeling about it or maybe I am still in that state of delirium.

Don't look for bugs because you will find them.

I still see a new kitchen set in my future. ;)

And now, how about some astronomy? Ready for the moon and stars? Here he is.

Using my hand for a pillow now. He might be spoiled. I am lucky he lets me live with him.