The Light From A Single Candle....

...can illuminate the darkest night.
(Click picture for larger view)

An Irish Blessing

May the blessing of light be upon you,
Light on the outside, Light on the inside.
With God's sunlight shining on you,
May your heart glow with warmth,
Like a turf fire that welcomes friends and strangers alike.
May the light of the Lord shine from your eyes,
Like a candle in the window,
Welcoming the weary traveler.

May the blessing of God's soft rain be on you,
Falling gently on your head, refreshing your soul
With the sweetness of little flowers newly blooming.
May the strength of the winds of Heaven bless you,
Carrying the rain to wash your spirit clean
Sparkling after in the sunlight.
May the blessing of God's earth be on you,
And as you walk the roads,
May you always have a kind word for those you meet.

May you understand the strength and power of God.
In a thunderstorm in Winter, And the quiet beauty of creation,
In the calm of a Summer sunset, And may you come to realize,
that, insignificant as you may seem in this great Universe,
You are an important part of God's plan.
May "HE" watch over you and keep you safe from harm.

~ Phil Coulter

A simple blessing for a complex world. May a candle so shine to light your way.

Submission for Moody Monday topic "light". (end of post)

To Arrive, Depart

A subway train arrives in Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY.
(Click picture for larger view)

"Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling." ~ Margaret Lee Runbeck (1910 - 1956)

I love the subways of New York and the fact that by riding them, you do not have to face the impossible task of dodging pedestrians and taxicabs, limos and buses, or those poor fools who think they can drive in downtown Manhattan. The intricate schedules, with trains arriving and departing every few minutes throughout the day and the extensive maze of underground tunnels and lines that criss-cross, one on top of the other, is mind-boggling! Now, I understand why so many New Yorkers do not own cars....with the subway, there really is no need.

Submission for this week's Shutterday topic "arrivals and departures". (end of post)

A "Rare" Bird.... So To Speak

My brother Stephen.
(Click all pictures for larger views)

"To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time." ~ Clara Ortega

My brother Stephen is a rare find. He is the reason I am not an only child. Thank goodness! I wouldn't have been a very good only child. As it is, I was an only child for nine years and he was essentially an only child for ten years after I left for college. We did our share of fighting but then I left and he discovered that he missed me and of course, he grew up and up and up and when he turned twelve he was taller than me. We quit fighting.

Stephen sings the title role in Wagner's opera, Lohengrin.

He has trained long and hard and has found success in Europe performing as a Heldentenor in classical opera. Stephen has a rare voice, a large voice that can fill an auditorium with mellow sound and do it without any microphone. He has big dreams and has made them come true... he is a star... in the opera world and in our world.

Nyssa and Stephen spy me pointing the camera in their direction.

"There are wonderful moments,
those rare moments when there is silence,
a tangible silence out there,
a silence deeper than silence."
~ Derek Jacobi

Now his visits back home are rare, only once a year; twice if we are lucky, so Nyssa tries to steal moments alone with her uncle. He has been so generous with us, providing most of the funds for her college education. Here I caught them in quiet moment together at the botanical gardens. Can you tell they adore each other?

Stephen and the "swan", a silly side.

Stephen just finished a visit here where he helped celebrate Nyssa's 21st birthday. He took her to a wonderful restaurant and showered her with pearls...and comedy. You see, my brother is quite the comedian. Dinner at our house is and has always been a hysterical time; sometimes degenerating in to fits of laughter that make eating food almost impossible!

Nyssa gets into the act. Like uncle...like niece.

"All splendid things are rare. " ~ Cicero

Where else on earth could you find such a rare pair of comics, this rare love between uncle and niece, the rare booming voice of a Heldentenor, and such rare generosity all rolled into one? Nowhere but here...my daughter, my brother... both are rare jewels and I am blessed.

The theme for Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt this week is "rare". You can go here to "Grab the Scavenger Hunt code" and here to join the blogroll. This really cute logo is available there as well. The link to other participants is in my blogroll on the sidebar. NOTE: If you want to visit his website, click here. You can see if he is coming to an opera house near you.

(end of post)

To Sit In The Shade On A Fine Day...

....and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment. (Jane Austin)
(Click picture for larger view)

"If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it." ~ Herodotus (484 BC - 430 BC)

To rest suspended between earth and sky, on a warm sun-filled spring day, with shade provided by ancient oaks and an cool ocean breeze on your face; that is relaxation. Add a good book; no, not a technical journal or textbook or a two thousand page epic novel, but a bit of fluff... perhaps a mystery or fantasy or even a cookbook (for those unique people to whom cookbooks read like novels); and you have a day that approaches perfection. Should there be colorful flowers blooming nearby, the fragrance of lilac and the music of a mockingbird... well, what would you call something beyond perfection?

Submission for PhotoFriday topic "relaxation". (end of post)

To Sleep; Perchance To Dream....

...there's the rub. Can one dream in the upright position?
(Click picture for larger view)

"Oh sleep! it is a gentle thing,
Beloved from pole to pole...
~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Miss Chloe has discovered a patch of warm sun and is compelled to do what cats do best.... sleep. As she is our proper lady, all paws and tail are tucked in securely, yet she isn't curled up in a tight ball or spread out on her back, belly up. No, she prefers to sleep in the upright position; a serene soft sitting statue of grace and beauty. But is she really asleep? That is always the primary question. As all cats do, she sleeps with her ears open.

Miss Chloe is hurrying on over to board Friday's Ark at the Modulator today and she will have fun at the Carnival of the Cats on Sunday; the carnival is held this week over at Catymology. (end of post)

A Couple of Daredevils......

..... And they only fell out once!
(Click picture for larger view)

"Love bravely, live bravely, be courageous, there's really nothing to lose. There's no wrong you can't make right again, so be kinder to yourself, you know, have fun, take chances. There's no bounds." ~ Jewel Kilcher

Take a hot day late in the month of May, add sunshine, a breeze, water, a pontoon boat, a huge blow-up float and kids. What do you have? The perfect recipe for fun. These two little boys were the daredevils... their parents may have held tight to the side grips on their ride, but not these two... they ride the choppy wake with arms raised high over their heads. What fun! Not my idea of fun, but obviously theirs. Give me the camera, a long lens and solid footing on shore... I'll stick to that.

Submission for Thursday Challenge topic "fun". (end of post)

Reflections Beside Still Waters

Still waters, fall reflections.
(Click picture for larger view)

"No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see." ~ Unknown

Still waters on a fall day, the fish are silent, the insects gone and the water is as smooth as glass reflecting the trees and the sunlit blue sky. Water, the world's looking glass, reflects the beauty and serenity of nature. And as I stand here gazing at the scene, a peace and joy from the Creator fills my heart and mind.... this is contentment.

Submission for Tuesday Challenge topic "reflections" and LensDay topic "water". (end of post)

How Fast Time Flies!!

Happy 21st Birthday, Nyssa!!

(Clockwise from top left: 1986 ~ One day old, 1986 ~ 7 months,
1988 ~ 2 years old, 1992 ~ 6 years old)

For My Beautiful Daughter

by Susan Polis Schultz

I looked at you today and saw the same beautiful eyes that looked at me with love when you were a baby.
I looked at you today and saw the same beautiful mouth that made me cry when you first smiled at me when you were a baby.
It was not long ago that I held you in my arms long after you fell asleep and I just kept rocking you all night long.

(Clockwise from top left: 1999 ~ 13 years old, 2001 ~ 15 years old,
2002 ~ 16 years old, 2004 ~ 18 years old)

I looked at you today and saw my beautiful daughter, no longer a baby but a beautiful person with a full range of emotions and feelings and ideas and goals.
Every day is exciting as I continue to watch you grow.

(Clockwise from top left: 2005 ~ 19 years old, 2006 ~ 20 years old,
2006 ~ still 20 years old, 2007 ~ 21 years old)

And I want you to always know that in good and bad times I will Love you and that no matter what you do or how you think or what you say, you can depend on my support, guidance, friendship and love every minute of every day.
I love being your mother.

Twenty one years ago today at 5:00 PM, you came into this world screaming with outrage at being disturbed, even before you were completely delivered. You had your first "day at the beach" under those bili lights; sleeping for eight hours, naked and warm and content. Thus began your love affair with the beach and your ever present battle with the alarm clock.

It was hard for me to imagine this day, your 21st birthday, way back when you were first placed in my arms. It is still hard for me to comprehend how fast time has flown by. What is easy to remember is how much I loved you then, how much I loved watching you grow and how proud I am of the person you've become!

The path your life will take is now in your hands; I must take off the training wheels and let you go. Now, the decisions of your life are yours, make them wisely and always with the help of God.

"I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be." ~ Robert Munsch

(end of post)

Tuesday's Tumbling Tummy

"When you are looking, a cat acts like a princess, but the minute they think you are not looking, a cat acts like a fool."
~ K. C. Buffington

The "tickle my tummy with your toes" pose.
(Click pictures for larger view)

Hello, my name is Maggie... actually it is Magnolia Blossom but that is so cumbersome. My dad sometimes calls me Maggot... and that is just rude! I am a princess and spoiled and usually get my own way. Today I am mortified! That lady who my people tell me is my human sister, the one who brought those six heathen cats into my house to take over.... WELL! She took pictures of me while I was practicing for the Cat Olympics. Yes, you heard me! The Cat Olympics! I compete in gymnastics... specifically the floor exercise!

My warm up stretching pose.

These are my stretching exercises. It is so important to warm up those muscles before any strenuous exertion; we wouldn't want any of those awful claw cramps or tail spasms during our event. So, here we go now. Stretch the front paws out as far as we can and make our legs longer, first one then the other. Do the same with the back legs, each one stretching. Don't forget the tail.... did you know that many an Olympic event was lost simply due to inadequate tail and leg warm ups? Hmmpf! Even people know that much!

My floor exercise, with sound effects.

My floor exercise consists of several flips and turns and twists, with a lot of rapid wiggles and the occasional forward roll. My back legs are kept in the V-shaped kangaroo fight position at all times, if possible. I have incorporated a variety of forward lunges and jabs in the mode of Rocky Balboa and for effect, I add a few snarls and bare my fangs! My mom told me to "smile" at the audience but... everyone smiles; I wanted to do something so the judges would remember me!

My humble victory pose.

Of course the floor exercise must be done on one's back with tummy exposed from starting introduction to final bow, even to acceptance of the winning trophy. A true athlete never tucks tail or buries her belly. When the crowd cheers and the judges hold up those perfect "10's" across the board and the flower petals and kitty treats are raining down from the bleachers; the champion places her paw demurely over her mouth and blows kisses to her fans. Yes, for the athletic cat... humility is next to impossible!

Miss Maggie is tumbling right on over to Cats on Tuesday, hosted by gattina. She will be showing off her athletic tummy at Tummy Tuesday over at catstuff.

Update: Maggie is a Ragdoll cat with the same markings as my Lady Willow. They have different faces and personalities and Maggie belongs to my parents. She is not that fond of me and usually runs when I get the camera. This day she must have been on something.... I managed to get off at least ten shots of her gymnastics before she had enough. Perhaps she just wanted to be included on Friday's Ark hosted by the Modulator or she wanted to show off for the cats at the Carnival of the Cats. The carnival is hosted this week by Catymology. (end of post)

Stormy Weather

Lightning striking again and again and again!
(Click picture to enlarge)

"It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake." ~ Frederick Douglass

Stormy weather always brings out the photographer in me and more often than not, you'll find me out trying to capture the beauty and power of lightning. It isn't an easy task. Some times a hundred shots will yield only one decent strike. I think it would be perfect if I could set up a tripod somewhere out in the country, with no interference from street lights and city lights. In complete darkness with only the storm as a light source, perhaps a long exposure could catch some extreme weather!

My daughter is a college junior with a major in Geology and an interest in weather, BIG weather. She was born in Oklahoma City.... in "tornado alley" ... and when she was two weeks old, attended a baby shower during an evening of very BIG weather. That early May saw a breakout of more than ten tornadoes in OKC and during those three hours, the sirens went off eight times. Could this perhaps had some mysterious influence on her choice of a college major? Who knows!?

Submission for Shutterday topic "stormy weather". (end of post)

A Nose For Trouble

Mr. Rhett's nose knows all things about cat food.
(Click picture for larger view)

A morning kiss, a discreet touch of his nose
landing somewhere on the middle of my face.
Because his long white whiskers tickled,
I began every day laughing.
~ Janet F. Faure

Mr. Rhett's nose and whiskers sniff and twitch to see where that food is. He loves the canned goodness that the thinner members of the household get to eat and he can smell it from the back bedroom. What a sensitive, serious nose you have there bud! But that face.... it is always dirty.... oops, I see specks of ...is that kibble on your face? Have you been chewing on the cat food bag again? Go wash your face!

Submission for SeeItSunday topic "nose". (end of post)

Steps For All Seasons

Nature Center, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York.
(Click pictures for larger view)

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.(1929 - 1968)

Taking a step in every direction; going no where at all? This was a unique double staircase that disappeared through the circular arc to the second floor. I thought it was exquisite architecture, so unusual.

Spiraling staircase in Jamestown South dorm. College of William & Mary.

"You know how it is when you're walking up the stairs, and you get to the top, and you think there's one more step? I'm like that all the time." ~ Steven Wright (1955 - ), Canadian comedian

The day Nyssa moved into the brand new dorm as a resident assistant, construction workers were busy unloading furniture, checking phone systems and various other last minute items. Scaffolding was still only partially taken down and the final cleaning had not yet been done. This wide open stairway compliments the elevator... YEAH!!!! Yes, there is an elevator.... great for the mom who has to deliver futons, computers, lamps and rugs to the fourth floor. I loved the fact that we were almost the first to use the stairs and I could picture all those smiling youthful faces as they greet friends returning from summer break. It did make me a bit dizzy as I hung over the railing with my camera, trying to get the right angled shot. Ohh! I must sit down!

Mysterious steps to where? Brooklyn Botanical Garden

"Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps, down new roads, armed with nothing but their own vision." ~ Ayn Rand

"Step into my parlor" said the spider to the fly. Ooooo! I call these my "secret garden" steps. No, we didn't take them to see where they went, somewhere very special I'm sure, but following them would have destroyed the mystery. And everyone must have some mystery in their life!

Fantasy stairway to the stars. Local carousel.

"Life is a series of steps. Things are done gradually. Once in a while there is a giant step, but most of the time we are taking small, seemingly insignificant steps on the stairway of life." ~ Ralph Ransom

These steps speak of fantasy, elegance, the red carpet, celebrity, and believe it or not... life! Wouldn't it be nice if the steps we take in life were always brightly lit with lights to show us the right way to go? Never getting lost in the forests and dense underbrush of circumstance? Yes, I know... fantasy!

Back lit step tile. Dylan's Candy Bar. New York City

"The greatest gift . . . is the realization that life does not consist either of wallowing in the past or of peering anxiously at the future; and it is appalling to contemplate the great number of often painful steps by which one arrives at a truth so old, so obvious, and so frequently expressed. It is good for one to appreciate that life is now. Whatever it offers, little or much, life is now-this day-this hour." ~ Charles Macomb Flandrau

Finally, I leave you with this tile, appropriately, from a candy store..... stay sweet.... but not sappy!

The theme for Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt this week is "steps". You can go here to "Grab the Scavenger Hunt code" and here to join the blogroll. This really cute logo is available there as well. The link to other participants is in my blogroll on the sidebar.

(end of post)

Napping, Always A Good Choice

A sunbeam and a snooze always make sense.(Miss Clover)
(Click picture for larger view)

"There are people who reshape the world by force or argument, but the cat just lies there, dozing, and the world quietly reshapes itself to suit his comfort and convenience." ~ Allen and Ivy Dodd

Miss Clover loves the afternoon sun and a soft bed... soon she is asleep. This summer she and her sister Chloe will be fourteen years old. I think she is mellowing in her golden years. She now lets unfamiliar people scratch her head and under her chin without flattening her ears and giving her best snappy yowl! She is the only one of the bunch who refuses to respond to the words "shoo-shoo time". Every other cat comes and saunters off to the sunroom when those words are uttered. Miss Clover ignores them and every night I have to pick her up off my bed and carry her to her nighttime sleeping quarters. But here she just looks so angelic... don't wake her though... she sometimes gets up on the wrong side of the hot tub.

Miss Clover is off to see the animals in Friday's Ark this week at the Modulator and we hope she is awake enough to join the others at the Carnival of the Cats, hosted this week by The Scratching Post. (end of post)

The Country Clothesline

....still common today. (Click picture for larger view)

"Happy, twice happy, you who dwell in the country, if you only knew the pleasures which surround you!" ~ Virgil

This is a common sight in the farmlands of the midwest. Barns and farmhouses with clotheslines in the yard; more often than not they are filled with drying laundry, overalls, t-shirts, underwear and socks.... many socks. Those warm winds sweeping down the plains will dry pretty quickly along with the added heat from the sun. There is nothing like the smell of laundry dried on the open line. Unfortunately, there is also nothing stiffer than laundry dried this way.

My grandmother's house was over 100 years old and in the dank and dark basement sat her old wringer washing machine. The machine would agitate the clothes with the soapy water... always hot back then. When Grandma thought the dirt was out, she picked up a shirt or sock or pair of pants with a huge wooden fork and fed it through the rollers of the wringer, into a waiting wash tub of warm water. We would help her dunk and dunk and dunk those clothes in the rinse water and send them back through the wringer. Then into a second fresh tub of clean water. After the second dunking, she would always feed the clothes slowly, sometimes twice through the wringers and into her basket. Then we headed out to the line stretching across the back yard. She quickly hung those clothes and then we waited. Sheets always came out white as new fallen snow and stiff as a board. Overalls could stand on their own after drying on the line. There was no Downy and certainly no Bounce dryer sheets back then. Oh but what fun an eight year old could have, running and hiding between the sheets and towels and what trouble she would be in should one of those items fall to the dirty ground due to her antics.

Grandma eventually got a dryer when Grandpa built her a new house, but they never did take down that clothesline. Above all Grandma was practical.... that newfangled dryer might just break down one day, and where would she be without her clothesline?

Submission to PhotoFriday for topic "the country". (end of post)

Dogfight!

"Two birds disputed about a kernel, when a third swooped down and carried it off." ~ Proverb (Congo)

Seagulls fight over crumbs of bread.
(Click picture for larger view)

"Splendid wildlife sights are a reminder that, while the gardens derives much of its beauty through our own endeavor and creativity, nature is still the world's most abundant and talented artist." ~ Jane Camp

Caught in a mid-air "dogfight", these two gulls spar over a piece of bread; their frenzied dance, with wings flapping will be for naught. The single slice of bread draws a crowd of twenty birds withing seconds; a mixture of geese, ducks, starlings and the ever present choir of seagulls; the cacophony of honks, quacks and screams of "mine, mine" are almost deafening. A moment after this picture was taken, the bread broke and the largest pieces fell into the water. The other birds commenced their feeding frenzy and these two were left hovering with only the tiniest of crumbs left in their greedy beaks. I always feel for the geese and the ducks... they don't have the fastest reflexes and more often than not, get food only after the gull's attention is drawn across the lake by someone else with a bag of bread. What a perfect object lesson for a child.... the pitfalls of greed!

Submission for Thursday Challenge topic "wildlife". (end of post)

Tiptoe Through The Tulips

Tulips in bloom at Norfolk Botanical Gardens.
(Click picture for larger view)

"There is material enough in a single flower for the ornament of a score of cathedrals." ~ John Ruskin

Before the wind and rain of the storm, we finally did it....finally made our first trip to the Norfolk Botanical Gardens! The roses aren't blooming yet and the butterfly garden plants are just beginning to push through the soil; but the dogwood, crabapple, wisteria and azalea are heavy with blossoms and the daffodils are hanging on. There is new life everywhere, even in the towering tops of the oak and pine trees. Each year the garden plays host to a nesting pair of bald eagles who have hatched three chicks this year. From a vantage point outfitted with a telescope, you can watch as the parents take turns bringing bits of prey to the nest. Even better is the webcam giving us a "bird's eye" view of the chicks.

On this, my first trip to the garden, I was looking for color.... I was hoping for tulips. The garden did not disappoint. Tulips in all shapes, sizes and colors were in full bloom. For this post I chose just one classic; a deep red tulip with sunlight streaming through its petals, as though it were the stained glass window of an ancient cathedral.

Submission to LensDay for topic "flower". (end of post)

Small Hands, Large Hopes

Hands across the generations. (Nyssa, Christmas 1988)
(Click picture for larger view)

"When I was a child... With those five words, almost holy in their simplicity, we touch hands across the generations, each to the next. With that word 'when', we reach back, as if to take something special from a pocket. With the words 'I was', we stand with locked knees upon our place in history. And with 'a child', we remind the generations to follow that we were once young, too, and that they, too, will grow old and full of memories." ~ Ted Kooser, Poet Laureate of the United States

A small child with life unfolding before her, walks with her grandma on a windy winter beach. Little hands pat the sand and strain to find the foamy water... OH! It's cold! Grandma quickly dries those hands and encases them in her gloves...tiny hands hidden within those large gloves, safe and warm.

That's what we try to do as parents.... hide our children's hands, hearts and minds in a safe cocoon where the cold and rain and horrors of life cannot reach them; where they may grow strong in spirit, as well as in body. It hurts to know that we can only do so much to keep them in our hands of safety and all too soon those barbs of life will work their way through.

This little child grew up all too soon. Now her hands sport her own gloves and wrap arms around her friends during times of loss and my hands can no longer fix all her hurts. Perhaps someday, there will be another little girl walking along the beach with her grandma; tiny hands wrapped in large warm gloves and her future wrapped safely in her own mother's heart. Someday.

Submission for Tuesday Challenge topic "hands". (end of post)

Mr. Rhett and His Doll

"Anything on the ground is a cat toy. Anything not there yet, will be." ~ Anonymous

(Story by Mr. Rhett)
Most of us like to smell catnip. It is so yummy and it makes us feel good, almost as good as the sunshine. My sister had this toy first, but then I took it away from her. She was finished with it though. Look it is a little Siamese kitty that looks like we do! Well you can't see it very well here, but you can see my tummy. My little white patch is almost invisible here; my sister Scarlett has a large white tummy patch!

See, now you can see the little kitty toy! Isn't it cute? And it smells good too. I wonder if it will taste as good as it looks. Clover likes to eat the catnip, just a little bit. She and her sister Chloe go nuts when they get around the stuff. Not me! OK, so I go nuts too, just not as bad as they do.

I think I will lick the precious little kitty head. See no one got mad. Now I will nibble on the little ear... hmm, if I do this to Scarlett, she growls and hisses at me and then the lady tells me to stop and leave her alone... It really isn't fair! Just because she had surgery and has to eat special food, the lady has been very partial to her. Scarlett gets the most yummy stinky goodness to eat and it really makes me mad! Oops! I didn't mean to bite your ear so hard little kitty toy.

I will hug you tight and rock around a little. I never had a stuffed animal for my very own before. You are so much fun. Of course I will have to guard this kitty closely or one of the other cats will sneak in and steal it from me. I don't like that! I could go to sleep with this little soft toy in my paws.....


See, here is my precious Siamese kitty toy. Don't you think it looks a lot like me? Really handsome kitty here. You can't see them very well, but it has blue eyes, just like mine. And that is the end of my story... I hope you have a good day.

The people at our house were acting different yesterday, sad and they looked scared too. I heard them talk about the horrible shootings at the Virginia college and I was afraid because my favorite girl goes to college and she was just here this weekend. But the lady said not to be scared because the girl, Nyssa goes to a different college and all the people there were OK. They are still sad because some of the people at the girl's school know people at the other school. We are all sending prayers and heartfelt condolences to those who were hurt and to the families of those who were killed.

That's all... please say a prayer for all the people at Virginia Tech.

With purrs and nibbles,

Mr. Rhett

Rhett is going to read (well, he will have me read to him) other stories about kitties at Cats on Tuesday, hosted by gattina. He will be showing his tummy at Tummy Tuesday over at catstuff. He is hoping that his friend Sophie will also board Friday's Ark this week at the Modulator and he hopes to see Miss Boo over at the Carnival of the Cats, hosted this week by The Scratching Post. (end of post)