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.

And now for something completely different

I really have been tremendously busy lately but no pictures to prove it. I still do not have much to say either. I am mute. I have been discovering things about myself that are not so "L.A.". Everyone in L.A. has a little dog. Do you think I could put a little dog costume on Jakey and disguise him as one? Probably not, right? Plus, lots of people in L.A. drive really, really old cars like 25-30 years old. I have never seen so many old cars but not shabby! Nice, completely restored and probably very pricey. I love to drive an old car but usually far from being an antique. I like the paid for kind. ;) Not so L.A. again. Oh well, I do have to keep somethings about myself true. Again, not so L.A. :)

I love music. This song makes me smile. It is a great karaoke song too! Get past the advertisement at first and it is so much fun.

Neon Trees

Oh and how could I forget! This is not so different. Meet my new nephew, Bow. He is a cutie! He could give my Jakey a run for his money.

Same Old, Same Old

I know it seems like I continually take the same picture of the same thing because well, I actually am taking the same picture of the same thing. Boo can't get enough of that chair and I can't get enough of watching him in it. Last night, he was sleeping in it like this.

If I was king of the manor, I suppose I would lounge like this too. Alas, (sigh) I am only a lowly servant.

Fortune Comes My Way

It is a beautiful thing when someone can make someone elses life better. Just look at my Jakey Robin. He seems so happy and content now that he has made my life a playground. I am so lucky he found my house out of the dozens he could have found. Sweet fortune smiled on me when he made my life better.

Thank you, Jakey. And playing is very, very tiring, folks. That boy has to rest.

Such is the nature of life

Is that how I appear to God? A tiny hand wishing I was there and not here?

If you cannot tell what that is in the picture, it is a cat's paw hanging over a sky light. He (feral cat, Patch Adams) had been only seconds prior peering down inside at all of us wondering why those cats got such a cush set up and he is still outside sizzling like a fish in a pan full of grease.

It is not uncommon for the ferals to get on the roof and peer in this way which always gets me thinking about what seems to be the nature of life or the old roll of the dice. Why me and not them? Why not me instead of them? Is it the roll of the dice or is there a master plan?

I cannot observe nature without knowing that there is obviously a master plan. But I do not know anyone privy to the details. I know some smart people too but none on the level of God.

I had an odd conversation the other day in a store with a complete stranger about this very topic. I was standing in a long line waiting to check out probably looking bored when the lady behind me says to me "Do you know why we are here?". I awoke from my daydream to respond something like "Why we are here at Wal-Mart? Good question. Wish I had gone to Krogers.". She said "No. Here on this planet." I said no, I didn't know but if she had any secrets I really wished she would share them with me. She said very matter of factly, "We are only here to help each other." I told her that I agreed that was as good a reason as any and no doubt that was part of it but I believe there is much more to it than that. Unfortunately, I doubt I will ever know the real reason because I am certain it is far beyond my human comprehension. Apparently, it is beyond feral cat, Patch Adam's comprehension too. ;)

Jakey Frankenstein

I fear that I, Dr. Frankenstein have created a little monster. This is how my boy and I watch television. He can sit this way for hours. I cross my legs and he uses the leg on top as a bed propping his head up on my knee. I tried to get his picture without disturbing him but he immediately glanced around to see what I was doing. Everyone who knows me knows my internal temperature is about 683 degrees so this set up makes things a bit warm. Still, I never encourage him to get away. Like my mom always said 'never turn away friendship'.

He is such a good, good boy.

She Loved the Ocean

This is a first for me. I created a she art piece for someone I do not know. All I know about her is that she is homesick and not feeling well. A mutual friend asked me if I would create this for her so she could take it on a trip soon where she will be healing. Hopefully, it will offer her some tranquility and peacefulness while she recovers.

Plus, another first for me, this piece contains a dog! I do not dislike dogs. Oh, not at all. I love all animals. But I am a cat. Notice I did not say a cat person? No, I am not a cat person. I am a cat disguised as a human. So putting a dog on this piece was quite a leap for me but no leap is too broad for us cats. ;)

Dragon Slayer Offspring

Remember 'She was a dragon slayer'? Ever wonder what kind of offspring a dragon slayer would have? Probably not, right? Well, I will tell you anyway. They have leaders for offspring. Makes sense when you think about it. I made this for my friend, Carol's daughter, Amy. Amy is in her senior year at University of Oklahoma. She is beautiful, cheerful, and inspirational. She is a born leader.

She Was a Born Leader