Almost 2009

... with best wishes for the New Year! 

(This is Tiger, my cat niece, who is a dear! )

Morning

I tiptoed down the dark staircase
early this morning to get
ready for my trip to Connecticut. As I flipped
on the light, there was Polly looking so
comfy on the couch.

Polly's Basket

Tonight Polly was sitting beside me on the
couch when she caught sight of Brody watching
her from the stairs. She immediately jumped up
and scurried over to one of her baskets where
she feels safe from that big orange cat!

A Birthday Greeting from the Furry Ones

Happy Birthday Grandfather Ben
with love from your grand-cats!

xo from Polly

xo from Brody

xo from Ellie May

Cats and Birds

After a sprig of catnip, Polly dreams...
perhaps of birds.

A chickadee waited as I shoveled around the
bird feeders late this afternoon.

At the beach, the gull could ignore
the message on the sign.

Winter Solstice

Happy Winter Solstice! May you all be warm
content and comfy.

Ellie May resting with my childhood cat, "Green Eyes".

Polly enjoys rubs from D.

Brody snuggles with a new catnip mouse.

How to Keep Warm in an Ice Storm

Polly, Ellie May and Brody found themselves

in a house and studio that was becoming
colder and colder when the power went out
during an Ice Storm on Friday and Saturday, the
12th and 13th of December. As the temperatures
outside plunged into the teens and low 20's,
they made the best of a cold situation.
Here's their advice.

Curl up in a cozy basket.

Wear many layers of warm clothing.

Surround yourself in an especially soft warm blanket.

When the power returns, get as close
as possible to the heat source.
In this case, Ellie May advises sitting
right on the heater!

Where Are The Cats?

Everyday our cats, Polly, Ellie May and Brody,
never cease to amaze me!
Here is just a small sampling of
places they sit and sleep.

Polly

Ellie May

Brody

Tiddles Too aka Ginger the Cat

quiltcat had a post about cats and books which reminded

me of Ginger aka Tiddles Too, a calico cat with a double
identity in the seacoast town of Kennebunkport in the late 1980's.

The Kennebunk Book Port was a
popular bookshop above a Candle Shop
in Kennebunkport run by Jack and Shirley.
Their welcome sign on the door read as
'ice cream, children, bare feet, long hair, no hair,
cats, dogs and small dragons are welcomed here
anytime.'

They loved cats and over the years there was a
succession of cats adopted from the shelter or strays
that called the Book Port home.
Georgie was a beautiful long haired cat who was adopted
and Jack thought she would love a companion so off he
went to the shelter returning with Ginger who had a bad
reputation for not getting along with others.
Georgie and Ginger became best buddies.


"Georgie" on the steps of the
Book Port's loft.

Ginger on the flowered deck of the
Kennebunk Book Port.

When Georgie suddenly passed away,
Ginger was terribly sad so Jack introduced
another Shelter cat to the Book Port.
Ginger was out at the time of the arrival of the
kitten and was horrified when she returned to find
a strange cat in her domain. She exited
not to return for a long time. There were sitings
of her at the Post Office, and Hotels and other
spots in Dock Square. Occasionally she would
appear at the Book Port for something to eat and
then disappear.

The South Congregational Church
was near the Post Office in Kennebunkport.
It seems that Ginger found the comfort she needed
at the church. The Reverend named her Tiddles Too
(after a famous Church cat in England)
and she became a part of the congregation,
regularly attending services and weddings.
Jack's curiosity was peaked when he got a
newsletter from the Church with an article and
photo of their Church Cat named Tiddles Too.
My how she resembled Ginger!

There are many amazing stories out there.
Cats have a way of adding so much to one's life, a neighborhood
or community. I have more stories about such things, do you?

Green Eyes, My Childhood Toy Cat

Buskitten recently posted her lovely old toys on
her blog and they reminded me of my
'Green Eyes', my favorite stuffed animal toy
that I've managed to keep with me since 3rd grade.
Green Eyes went through alot with me and
in 4th grade instead of counting sheep at
night to fall asleep I would softly recite
math multiplications to Green Eyes
hoping that I would remember them!


I grew up in a family without pets and never
realize how much cats would
become a part of my life when I became an adult!


Here's one of my first attempts with
watercolors when I was a child!

Do you still have any favorite childhood toys?

Thanksgiving Day and update

Jet and Gus are 2 of the 4 dogs that
will be at my sister's house for Thanksgiving.

Jet, Sugar and Gus wait patiently as my sister
slices the turkey.

Tiffany has found a cozy spot away from
all of those big dogs!

After running back and forth through
the house in split seconds, the puppy,
Marge, calmed down. She is so darling.


I am thankful for simply being with loved ones
on this Thanksgiving Day.
Hope this day brings contentment and love
to all.

A Cat Tale

I was just talking to a friend whose cat has been waking her
up at 6 am. on the weekend when she would love to in sleep late.
What "Stovie" the cat does is hop onto her bed, stand behind her
head, and tap her hair and when that doesn't work, the prickly
little claws tap her head. He is very persistent and will not stop
until she gets up!
What to do, Lynda got a brilliant idea.
She thought of putting a mixing bowl on her head, but she only
had glass bowls. She did have a plastic green colander which
she brought to bed.
When the tapping was about to occur she slid the colander over her
head....Hmmmmm, Stovie was puzzled...paused a moment and reached
around the side of the colander, Lynda kept sliding the colander over
trying to keep one step (or paw as the case may be) ahead of Stovie.
Stovie gave up briefly and Lynda fell asleep for hours with a colander
on her head. Next morning, Stovie was back and so was the
colander, but now Stovie tried a new tactic, reaching around and
tapping her jaw. Lynda, finally resorted to closing him out in the hall!
Oh, how could she...he started howling! So tired, the howling didn't
phase Lynda as she dozed off with the colander still on her head.
Do you have creative ways of outwitting your pet when they are the
boss?

Tiger

This is my cat niece, Tiger...it warmed my heart
to see her tonight when we had dinner at her house.
We sat together and communicated and she touched
my nose with her nose! She's such a sweet gentle
kitty.

Missing My Furry Family

I've been away since Tuesday visiting my parents
and I miss my cats! The closest thing I've seen to
them are the fluffy squirrels in my
parents' neighborhood. D will be returning home
today so I'm looking forward to seeing them on skype!

Just Before Leaving

Am visiting my parents in Connecticut and
after packing and what seemed like
a million last minute things to do before leaving
yesterday, just one more look at the kitties...
and I miss them already.

Polly was so content after filling up on her favorite food.

Brody loves to sit on D's pants so we left some
on the stairs by the window with a view.

Made sure they all have plenty of food and water
and Ellie May has so much to choose from...
D just dropped me off so he'll be holding down
the fort with them!

Thinking back...

When Polly was a tiny kitten, often times
we couldn't find her.
She used to climb the screen on the
front porch and jump into the plant
hanging from the ceiling!
We often got a clue as to her whereabouts
by following the gaze of our other kitten,
Pumpkin who was not much of a climber
and was often looking up!

A Computer Evening

Late night computer work with her Dad,
Polly was in her element. She actually made the
screen scroll down when she rested her head
on the track pad. Whatever D was reading
quickly disappeared!

Reflection

... some days are very reflective.

Catnaps and Art on a Rainy Day

All of my cats are napping on this cold, dreary
rainy day! Brody, the orange kitty, is out of sight
under a book shelf sound asleep.

Polly is very comfy in her basket lined with fleece.

Ellie May loves my old jacket that I leave out for
her at all times!

I think this portrait is nearly finished, will have
to leave it and return with fresh eyes...sometimes
just a few more details are needed.
Now on to the next one...

Oh, Brody is now awake and
downstairs on the couch!

Cozy Night

Brody found the polar fleece blanket placed
on the couch tonight...you'd think it was winter!
Sweet dreams!

A Gray Day to Spend Painting Inside

That's Ellie May watching from the studio window
this morning as I walked down the path to work
in the studio with her and also give her breakfast!

I love seeing her in the window watching
over things!

Been working for days on a portrait of this beautiful
dog from New York and it is finally taking shape.
Much subtlety is involved to capture the essence of
this loving pet. Hoping to finish it soon.

Polly's Baskets

Polly came to live with us as an
8 week old kitten... she was so tiny she
could fit in the palm of your hand and
also in a very small basket!
Since that time she has always loved
baskets and I have loved painting her
in them!
You can see more about Polly and the other
dear ones here.

Polly's Portrait

Polly is a wonderful cat model...
I've been drawing and painting her since she
was a tiny kitten in 1994. She may be a part of a
special book project I've been working on with
the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust.
Stay tuned for more news about that...

This evening Polly did her favorite thing,
she sat upon 2 pillows on her Dad's lap
and saw herself on the blog and felt
the hum of the laptop, like a big purring cat.
Bliss!