The Light From A Single Candle....

...can illuminate the darkest night.
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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.
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"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.
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"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 hear his voice you can visit his website here. He has bits of several operas listed for listening there.

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

....and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment. (Jane Austin)
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"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?
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"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!
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"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.
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"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

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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.
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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!
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"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.
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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.
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"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.

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Napping, Always A Good Choice

A sunbeam and a snooze always make sense.(Miss Clover)
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"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.
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"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.
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"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)
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"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)

The Kiss A Mother Could Love

Nyssa and The Frog Prince? No such luck.
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"How did it happen that their lips came together? How does it happen that birds sing, that snow melts, that the rose unfolds, that the dawn whitens behind the stark shapes of trees on the quivering summit of the hill? A kiss, and all was said." ~ Victor Hugo

"It's not easy being green!" ~ Kermit T. Frog

This might qualify as the strangest "creature" Nyssa has ever kissed. No, I take that back. There was that poor snowman last year... you remember, the one they built in the middle of the night when it snowed in Williamsburg; with the leaves in his face and the crooked eyes and smile. Of course then you have to think about the real guys too... John and the Chris's... how many boys named Chris did you date? Let me tell you, a couple of them were almost as different as this frog. Too bad the frog didn't turn into a handsome prince but then, neither did the snowman, nor the boys for that matter. You could say she had to file these kisses in the "Cold Kiss Files"! Better luck next time.

Submission for Shutterday topic "kiss". (end of post)

Smocking Rocks!

Nyssa modeling my first smocked dress attempt.
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"My personal hobbies are reading, listening to music, and silence." ~ Edith Sitwell

Unfortunately, with a full time job and being a then (and now) single mom raising a little girl; the light reading, soft music and silence were few and far between, so other hobbies had to take their places.

I took sewing in junior high school, two years worth. We made a blouse without set in sleeves the first year and a skirt the second year. Most of the girls chose simple A-line skirts... but, not me. Mine was a pleated skirt, but not just a simple pleated skirt... one with each pleat pocket sewn in. Do you know what happens when you have that kind of skirt? It swings and sways and if you twirl around the hemline will fly up and out into a perfect or almost perfect circle. I made it out of a soft apricot colored wool. Do you know what happens when you make a skirt like that with wool and each individual pleat sewn in? First, you have to call your grandmother to help you because you become totally lost in the instructions.... Did I mention that I got a C on my blouse in the 7th grade? Did I also mention that my mother could not help me... she couldn't sew at all? Even years later when she tried to sew in a zipper, the stitches almost clipped the zipper teeth on one side and missed the zipper all together on the other... she still cannot sew anything more than a simple straight line. Anyway, the second thing about a wool skirt with set in pleats is that it is HEAVY... you could loose a good inch in height by wearing that skirt... traction compressing vertebrae in the lower back. I made an A on that skirt although I think the teacher just felt sorry for my stupidity at picking such a complicated pattern. After that, I put my sewing stuff away....

Until my sophomore year in high school, when I spent the summer with my grandmother and was bored to tears. She took me to the store and we got a simple A-line dress pattern with a tab front that could be changed up. She got a piece of colorful but inexpensive cotton, showed me how to lay out the pattern and cut the material and turned me loose with it. I made a dress! It worked! So she got me another piece of material and I made another dress! By the time my vacation there was over, I had a new wardrobe for school. True... they were all the same pattern but different materials and small changes in the details at the neck. I probably made six to eight dresses out of that same pattern before it finally fell apart.

I made almost all my clothes in high school and college and continued making some after I was married and during med school. Gradually this ground to a halt as I became busier. Then along came a baby girl Nyssa. While I made a few things for her while she was an infant... it really wasn't until she was two that I started making play outfits and her dresses. I took two courses learning to smock, doing both geometric and picture smocking. She went to a school where the little girls had to wear dresses, so I smocked and smocked and sewed and made my own piping and even designed one smocking plate to go with Paddington material.

In those days, I could take my yoke on the airplane and smock to my heart's content. I worked during the day, spent time with Nyssa in the early evening with piano and homework and baths; then when she went to bed around 8 PM I would sew until midnight. Each time I finished a dress, she would try it on and say in her most dramatic Southern bell drawl.... "Oh! Mom! It's so beautiful! I love it sooooo much! Thank you soooo much for my new dress!" Of course I would mentally say to myself... "Ok, that's good... how many more do you want and what color?"

When I wasn't smocking dresses, I also made painted T-shirts, sweat suit sets, hair bows to match the dresses, Halloween costumes and a huge dress-up box with fancy little girl play clothes and a bride dress and veil. She and her friends spent more hours dressing up and making up plays with that box and the clothes and accessories made for six years of imaginative learning for them.

So while I have a lot of hobbies that I enjoy... I picked "smocking" and "sewing" to highlight for today's photo hunt. Above is Nyssa in the first dress I smocked for her... a geometric pattern. In fact, it was the yoke front I used in my smocking class. Below is a collage of four dresses I did in picture smocking.

Just a few asides:

• The best cotton material for smocking children's clothes is made by Robert Kaufman Co. The name is printed in the selvage along with a color dot code. These cottons are bright and vivid and unlike cheaper cloth, they wash beautifully. Even after fifty washes, the dresses haven't faded or lost body.
• Yes, I have ALL the smocked dresses I made for Nyssa carefully wrapped in acid free paper and put away for the remote chance that she has a little girl some day.
• Yes, Nyssa finally put an end to the smocked dress phase in the fifth grade and yes, it was before I was ready to be finished. I have at least two yoked dress fronts finished and two or three that are partially done. None have been sewn together.
• Yes, I am SO old that I DID take both cooking and sewing in junior high school; even took typing in ninth grade... all the girls did back in the dark ages.

Clockwise from top left: ABC's, Birthday Bears, Easter Bunnies and Tulips

"There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness." ~ Unknown

This isn't my only hobby of course. I have also done cross stitch, embroidery, craft quilting and scrapbooking. In med school we didn't have money for Christmas presents so I made most of them. I made quilted photo albums for family and cross stitched never-ending calendars that my parents still use today. I also made Mom a fancy artist's smock coat with embroidered fun figures all around the hemline that mom could wear in the reading circle with her little first graders. I do not knit or crochet. And I do try to get in a little light reading, soft music and silence too, at least once in a while.

The theme for Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt this week is "hobby". 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)

Rainy Days And Mondays.......

....always get me down. (Click picture for larger view)

"The blues ain't nothing but a good man feelin' bad."
~ Leon Redbone

"The blues", everyone has them; those days when the world weighs heavy, the future is dark and invisible, the past a clouded mess of chaos and the present, a frantic attempt just to keep your head above water. If you've got "the blues" it will probably rain or snow; surely life would be better if you could hibernate in a dark, warm, quiet cave, all by yourself. Yes, everyone gets "the blues".

But not everyone can play the blues. Chester Burnett, "Howlin' Wolf" was born near West Point, Mississippi and became one of the most successful blues artists of the 50's and 60's. Several years ago the Howlin' Wolf Blues Festival was held in West Point, only a twenty mile drive from our house in Columbus, Mississippi. Nyssa and I had never been to a blues venue so we went. It was a typical hot Mississippi summer night and the crickets were going strong. Group after group got up to play and there were horns, piano, electric guitar and that swaying beat of the drums. My favorite group was a family one with a couple of small boys playing the horns; though they weren't more than 10 or 11, the sounds that came from those horns was unbelievable. The women in the audience were humming to the music and we had those old time hand held fans going double time in the heat. It was a great experience; people came and went as they felt, refreshment stands did a great business and the music continued late, or should I say early into the next day, according to the papers. Unfortunately, it was a school night so we had to leave before the major group performed. Several of the surviving members of Howlin' Wolf's band had returned to play together in his honor.

We moved away several years ago. I wonder if musicians still gather in that little town on a hot Mississippi night to sing and play "The Blues".

Submission for PhotoFriday topic "The Blues". (end of post)

"I'm Ready For My Close-up"

Miss Clover, a Norma Desmond wannabe.
(Click picture for larger view)

"A thing of beauty, strength, and grace lies behind that whiskered face." ~ Anonymous

Miss Clover is today's model. She doesn't like to have her picture taken, preferring to pace back and forth through the house and sleeping where she pleases. Clover epitomizes the word "independent". Other cats will at least stop and turn when their name is called. She continues on as if the sound must be for someone else. She has all she wants; a soft place to sleep, a sunbeam to warm, marbleized intense blue eyes, the tilt of a whiskered face, the well placed black paw, the low, rolling "meow" and that dark air of mystery .... "Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close up."

Miss Clover loves to board Friday's Ark at the Modulator tomorrow and will play with the other cats at the Carnival of the Cats on Sunday. This week's Carnival is hosted by Books for Israel. See you there.

(end of post)

Circles And Shadows

Circles in a row. Wrought iron fence.
(Click picture for larger view)

"So then time has two aspects. There is the arrow, the running river, without which there is no change, no progress, or direction, or creation. And there is the circle or the cycle, without which there is chaos, meaningless succession of instants, a world without clocks or seasons or promises."
~ Ursula K. Le Guin (1929 - ), "The Dispossessed"

It was my father's birthday and we went to lunch at Erma & Max's. This fence surrounded the patio dining area, closed for the winter and I thought the black circles or wrought iron and shadows of the bars made a great still life. Sunny days in February are not always easy to come by after all.

Submission to Thursday Challenge topic "circle". (end of post)

Spring Fire

Spring tulips have arrived! (Click picture for larger view)

Sonnet 98
From you have I been absent in the spring,
When proud-pied April, dressed in all his trim,
Hath put a spirit of youth in everything,
That heavy Saturn laughed and leaped with him,
Yet nor the lays of birds, nor the sweet smell
Of different flowers in odor and in hue,
Could make me any summer's story tell,
Or from their proud lap pluck them where they grew.
Nor did I wonder at the lily's white,
Nor praise the deep vermilion in the rose;
They were but sweet, but figures of delight,
Drawn after you, you pattern of all those.
Yet seemed it winter still, and, you away,
As with your shadow I with these did play.

~ William Shakespeare

We are still waiting for the temperatures to warm up, the wind is cold and there is rain in the forecast. It is tulip time in Virginia Beach. These are right across the street and there are pinks and creams and purples in the area as well.

We are having a good visit with my brother, who is here from Vienna. Just resting from the hustle and bustle of of the opera world. He practiced this morning in the living room and his voice is so booming and loud, it permeates the house with sound and no one can hear anyone else talk. The cats retire to the far rooms, confused by the music. Nyssa will get home to see her uncle this weekend and he will be here for her birthday.

Scarlett is doing well and gets her stitches out on Friday. She seems to be eating better and I let her keep that horrid collar off for several hours during the day. She doesn't bother her incision. I think (fingers crossed) that she might be gaining some weight.

Now if Spring temperatures could arrive, I think a trip to the Norfolk Botanical Garden is in order, don't you?

Submission for LensDay topic "spring". (end of post)

Nicky: A Timid Tummy

Nicky helps fold the clean laundry with a distracting "tummy" pose.
(Click pictures for larger view)

"The really great thing about cats is their endless variety. One can pick a cat to fit almost any kind of decor, color, scheme, income, personality, mood. But under the fur, whatever color it may be, there still lies, essentially unchanged, one of the world's free souls." ~ Eric Gurney

When Nicky and his sister, Willow first arrived at our home, he was a strange and tiny little creature. Willow explored and bounded around the room with that energetic, independent kitten attitude. Nicky hid under the bed, propping himself up against the baseboards and refused to eat. He had been the "last to the table" when his mother fed the other kittens, just not that interested. The owner worried about him. After a full day of enticement with stinky canned food and dry kitten food that his sister inhaled, I bought a can of kitten formula and broke out a large syringe. I held him wrapped in a towel and offered the treat. He took one taste and wrapped his paws around the syringe and drank the whole thing. We fed him like this for two days and suddenly he began to eat dry kitten food and play and grow. He still is smaller by comparison than his sister but is a huge cat in relationship to all the others.

Timid Nicky hides under the cover. (One of my favorite pictures)

The one thing Nicky has never outgrown is his timid nature. He prefers to spend his days on my parent's bed than with the other cats. Of course, this may be due to the thermafoam mattress pad they have on their bed as he craves comfort. He hides under the bedspread and twists his body into contorted shapes as he sleeps. He turns and shows his belly as a distraction technique, begging for his morning tummy rub. Nicky slinks, rather than walks. He always looks as if he has just been caught in a lie or has stolen a piece of ham off the dinner plate. He still sleeps on his back, props on the baseboards and hides under the curtains and in closets.

Color point, blue mitted lynx Ragdoll. Quite the handsome devil!

Perhaps as he ages he will come out of his shell. I did see him chase his sister, Willow through the den... at least until she stopped and swatted him. And he does follow Maggie around, although I think this is a "puppy love" type of thing and Maggie has more emotional issues than he does. Primarily, he is handsome with his gray-blue points, pink nose rimmed in black, blue almond eyes with white eyeliner, his lynx facial stripes and that tiny white star in the middle of his forehead. His tiny little voice hasn't changed since he was a kitten and he is still very unassuming. One word to describe this gentle giant? Sweetheart!

Nicky is visiting Cats on Tuesday, hosted by gattina. He will be embarrassed by me showing his tummy at Tummy Tuesday over at catstuff. His sister Willow was the subject of the Photo Hunt post on Saturday so Nicky felt it was his turn to be here today. I agreed.
Nicky is so shy he is afraid to ask if he can board Friday's Ark at the Modulator on Friday or go to the Carnival of the Cats on Sunday. I told him it was OK. This week's Carnival is hosted by Books for Israel. See you there.

(end of post)

I'm Thinking! Does It Hurt? Ask Me Again Later.

Flowering dogwood, traditional white (Cornus florida)
(Click picture for larger view)

"To see a hillside white with dogwood bloom is to know a particular ecstasy of beauty, but to walk the gray Winter woods and find the buds which will resurrect that beauty in another May is to partake of continuity." ~ Hal Borland (1900 - 1978)

Last week Bob-kat left a cryptic message about a surprise and I love surprises, or at least those that don't involve changing life situations or bills or.... let's just say I love "nice" surprises.... and this was. She tagged me for a "Thinking Blogger Award" and I am honored. There are so many more out there more deserving with eloquent words and a better eye for photos.

The participation rules of the award are simple:
1) If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think
2) Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.
3) Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.

When I tried to think of who to tag, I found that Carmi, Judy and Utenzi had already been tagged. They always make me think, gasp in awe at their pictures and laugh at times I need a laugh. So before someone else tags them, here is my list.

Vicki at Outside In, or as it is now known... A Mark On My Wall. She is a psychologist, zoo docent, mother to two starter persons, married to her soulmate (lucky girl)and caretaker to two cats, McCloud and Sophie. She recently moved from her lovely home in Michigan to Chicago and spends winters now (when she is not jetting to Hawaii or other parts of the world) in Florida. She packs more into one day than I could cram in a week and still manages to grace us with pulled together posts and glorious pictures. (My Mr. Rhett is particularly fond of the pictures of his heartthrob Sophie.) Our daughters have given us similar numbers of gray hairs even though she is older than I am...oops, perhaps I shouldn't have mentioned that.

Paul N. at Writing From The Hip is a wonderful storyteller. His posts never fail to move me to tears or, more often, make me laugh hysterically. He weaves tales with such clarity and depth of character that it leaves you wanting more in the end. He is a bit of a joker as well and I have been lulled into believing a tall tale written to pull our collective leg. Now, I just enjoy and don't worry about the specifics; he will eventually tell us if it was true. I love how he is a grandfather, loving father and extraordinary husband to the lovely lady he calls "his first wife." She certainly is special and I hear she makes the best fried chicken in the Southwest.

Karen, at Pondering Penguin always keeps me up to date with news that isn't printed or aired in the mainstream news media, or at least not without a left wing slant. I am conservative and believe the country took a turn for the worse the day we let God be banned from schools and legalized the murder of millions of unborn babies. Karen gives us items to think about even if you don't agree completely. Her site is human, empathetic and brutally honest. She probably doesn't agree completely with my views but we are similar and besides.... she loves penguins...! Her son is about to enter that last senior year of high school so she will be approaching the "starter person" whirlpool soon. Bless you, Karen.

AC, at Sonnets of the Hermit is a fabulous Tennessee gardener who grows blackberries and raspberries and tomatoes and all these things that I wish I could grow. She has gorgeous pictures of walks with her dogs and her flowers and she has a daughter just a year older than mine. Her daughter is a photographer, graduating from college this spring and one of the many "not quite sure about what to do now" group. This is not unusual and truthfully, I seem to find myself in that situation as well. She and I share a similar past with an ex-husband that has been and continues to be a less than hands on dad. (This is really trying to be nice) So we understand each other completely. And she is left-handed!

Beverly, at Lacooche Kid is a wonderful, loving, Christian lady in Florida. She writes inspirational pieces about her lovely children, now grown and her beautiful and brilliant granddaughter, Ella. Through the hardships of life; losing a beloved husband and discovering that dear Ella has cystic fibrosis, Beverly keeps her eyes on God and fully depends on his love and care and spreads cheer to all those around her. She is involved in the Sweet Adeliines and her church and posts about her years as a missionary in Haiti. She brings us inspirational stories of God's power working in the lives of others and is always a blessing to visit. I am very jealous that she and Vicki have met... sigh! I know that she is a prayer warrior and that she will be there for anyone in need. And she loves baseball!

Those were my five but I have to add two more. These two lovely ladies don't post as often as I would like them to, but the entries are worth the wait and always leave me with something to savor and ponder.

Bonnie or Babette's Feast as she calls herself is an absolutely amazing woman. She has a huge loving family and is more pulled together and organized than I could ever hope to be. Her spirit is gentle, kind and her posts are magnificent with art and music history... I always learn something new. She pulls together this information and relates it to her daily life...it leaves me speechless! She creates limericks and short poems with hysterical play on word lines.... she is very "punny"! Her signature sign off includes the words of wisdom... "call your mother".

Lori, at Thoughts of Laurel, is the mother of two teenagers who writes the most beautiful memories... thoughts of her children, her childhood, her family, her God. Her photographs of family and nature are spectacular. Each post is filled with such a calmness and joy, they never fail to inspire and I can feel the love she has for her family in her words.

So there it is. There are more wonderful sites out there with inspiring stories and wonderful artistic pictures than words to tell about them. So, go forth and find them and ..... report back, please!

(end of post)

Easter Dogwood

Flowering dogwood. Cornus florida, 'Cherokee Brave var.'
(Click picture for larger view)

The Legend of the Dogwood
At the time of Christ's crucifixion, the dogwood tree was as tall as the oak and other forest trees. Its wood was so strong and firm that it was chosen for the cross. The tree was very distressed to be used for such a purpose and Jesus understood. He told the tree, "Because of your regret and pity for my suffering, I promise this: never again shall the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used for a cross. Henceforth it shall be slender and bent and twisted, and its blossoms shall be in the form of a cross. And in the center of the outer edge of each petal there will be nail prints. And in the center of the flower, brown with rust and stained with blood, will be a crown of thorns – so that all who see it will remember it was upon a dogwood tree that I was crucified, and this tree shall not be mutilated nor destroyed, but cherished and protected as a reminder of my agony and death upon the cross."
~ Author Unknown

Easter in Mississippi (and Virginia for that matter) means tulip trees, azalea blooms in rose, red and white, wisteria, forsythia and of course the dogwood. The tree grows wild and some homes are graced with five or six having pink or white blossoms. These are glorious in full bloom! This picture is of a small pink dogwood in our neighbor's yard, although it is the darkest pink I have ever seen. In fact the petals are almost red; it really speaks to me of the Easter season.

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

"I Was Minding My Own Business , When......"

".....I was ambushed from behind."
(Click pictures for larger view)

"I don't think it is so much the actual bath that most cats dislike; I think it's the fact that they have to spend a good part of the day putting their hair back in place." ~ Debbie Peterson

"Oh, no here we go again!"

"First she wet me down and soaped me up."

"Then she rinsed me off,"

"And she rinsed me off,"

"And she rinsed me off some more."

"Now I am clean....But I am NOT happy!"

"This is how I look after two hours of blow drying and fluffing and combing and brushing. Mom says this is harder than actually washing me. She couldn't get a picture of the blow drying... as you can see, she had her hands full with the brush, comb, dryer and me. I am a handful."

"Of course I don't think she did that great of a job. No one cleans my face and fur better than I do. So now if you'll excuse me, I must work on these paws and get all the hair on my tail back in place and the hair on my tummy too. This is going to take me a while."

"I really hate having to clean up after I've been cleaned up. Ackkkk! I feel a hairball in my future!"

"The love of dress is very marked in this attractive animal. He is proud of the lustre of his coat, and cannot endure that a hair of it shall lie the wrong way." ~ Jules Champfleury

The theme for Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt this week is "clean". 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)

The Shape Of Things

Shh! Miss Clover is sleeping.
(Click pictures to enlarge)

What is she sleeping in? It's an Amazon.com box and it's not very big!
It's got a towel in it too.

Hmm. All curled up and sleeping fine.
I guess she is comfortable after all.

"A cat will assume the shape of its container." ~ Unknown

Cats are contortionists and can force themselves into small spaces under, behind and in places you would never think to look. Well, at least the Siamese are able to do this... not so much the Ragdolls however.....


Willow is too wide to fit into the box Clover is in.. perhaps a box three or four times that size.. yes, that ought to do. (My, my! If looks could kill!)

Willow and Clover are heading out to board Friday's Ark hosted by the Modulator. They loved the boxing poster from last week's Carnival so this week's Carnival of the Cats, hosted by Bad Kitty Cats, is high on their list of places to go and cats to see. See you there.

(end of post)

My Blessing From God

My little blessing at age two. (1988) (Click to enlarge)

Count Your Blessings...
Count their fingers, count their toes,
count the freckles on their nose.
Count the laughter, count the tears,
count the memories through the years.
And when you add up all of your assets,
may your best investments be
the sum of all the blessings,
hanging from your family tree.

~ Keri Lyn

It's hard to believe that this little two year old will be twenty-one in less than three weeks.... where did the time go? She was, is and will forever be my blessing from God. God blessed me with this child and together we have laughed and cried, felt immense joy and deep sorrow, reached high goals and experienced the pits of failure. We have come through the valley of the shadows of both adolescence and menopause..... at the same time.... and we lived through it. She has been fiercely independent from the beginning and that will not change, nor do I wish it to; for I feel confident that whatever she endeavors to do with her life, she will succeed. I love you Nyssa.

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

Adam's Apple

An apple still life. (Click picture for larger view)

"How many apples fell on Newton's head before he took the hint? Nature is always hinting at us. It hints over and over again. And suddenly we take the hint." ~ Robert Frost (1874-1963)

This fruit has been intertwined with man's history from the beginning. When Eve gave in to temptation and ate the apple, she wrecked havoc on all humanity. Adam was spineless, ate a bite as well and then blamed the whole thing on Eve... this too has continued throughout history.

In Greek folklore, the Earth Goddess, Gaia, gave Hera, the Queen of Heaven, an apple tree when she married Zeus. That tree was kept in the Garden of the Hesperides, guarded by the dragon, Ladon. One of Hercules’ tasks was to fetch an apple from that tree.

The evil Queen gave Snow White a poison apple so perfectly red and shiny she couldn't resist. With one bite Snow White fell into a deep death-like sleep until she was awakened by the kiss of Prince Charming. (Where is Prince Charming when you need him?)

The Legend of William Tell describes a Swiss national who defied Austrian authority, was arrested and forced to shoot an apple from his small son's head with a crossbow at a distance of 80 paces by the hated Austrian governor. Successful, he subsequently ambushed and killed the governor, an event that is said to have led to rebellion against Austrian rule.

Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman), began his westward mission in 1797. Moving ahead of the pioneers, he planted apple seeds and seedlings, setting up nurseries in Ohio, Indiana and other areas of the Midwest. Often he sold or gave these orchards to the settlers moving in. He was a peacemaker between settlers and the Indians and never carried a weapon. He continued his work for fifty years and is memorialized as a man who based his life on the principles, "To Do Justly, To Love Mercy and To Walk Humbly With His God."

Then of course, there is Sir Isaac Newton who is said to have worked out the laws of gravity while sitting under an apple tree and after having an apple fall and hit him squarely on the head. Ouch!

These are but of few examples of the folklore surrounding the apple.... remember, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Well, at least most of them!

Submission for Lensday topic "fruit". (end of post)

Through A Kaleidoscope

Colorful patterns in constant motion.
(Click picture for larger view)

"At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities." ~ Jean Houston

Every second a different pattern, different colors, always in motion and different... no two designs alike; colors glow through Nyssa's kaleidoscope. Each day is a new sunrise with endless possibilities, each different, no two days the same; and life moves on. It's Spring, that time of year when nature shows off its most glorious color. In our area the redbud and cherry trees are in bloom in vibrant pinks and burgundy; the dogwood in white and pink are filling in and the bright yellow forsythia are hanging in there. Our lilac is still just a promise, but the azaleas in white, rose, and red are already attracting the first bumblebees of the season. Vinca and wild violets grow amid the left over dead leaves with purple and blue flowers popping to life. And I am planting... lilies, dahlias, carnations, sunflowers, columbine... and wildflowers. Soon we will have a kaleidoscope of color in our garden, always different, always beautiful.

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

Open Sesame!

Lost in The Great Gatsby. (Click picture for larger view)

"An unread book is just a block of paper." ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them." ~ Mark Twain

You may have a huge library full of books, but unless you open the cover and read, they are as Fitzgerald says, "just a block of paper." So, where do you like to read?

Nyssa reads anywhere... sitting on the hot tub, in bed, curled up in a dorm room nook, in the back yard on a cold day, in the car and yes, in the bathroom. I'm just glad she has always loved to read.

Reading began early with the classic children's book Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. Every night we read this book, beginning the first night home from the hospital... "In the great green room, there was a telephone and a red balloon and a picture of...." One of her first words... "moon"; her answer to the question, "What would you like to read tonight?" We branched out to Caps for Sale, When You Give A Mouse A Cookie and others. We bought books and we checked them out of the library, twenty or thirty at a time; reading the classics first and then starting with the beginning of the alphabet and working our way through the children's section. We read fairy tales and Shakespeare plays, poem treasures and Bible stories and when she learned to read on her own The Wind in the Willows, The Chronicles of Narnia and Charlotte's Web. In high school and college she has found a fondness for Virginia Woolf and other modern writers.

We have different tastes in books, my daughter and I. She never gravitated toward some of my favorite childhood reads such as The Swiss Family Robinson, Nancy Drew Mysteries, or The Black Stallion Series. I went through a biography phase and she didn't. I read The Lord of the Rings back in the late 60's before it became a popular read, although I didn't read them in the right order; she hasn't gotten the urge to do so yet.

We both agree that The Giver by Lois Lowry is a must read for older kids, teenagers and adults. (a fabulous and thought provoking book) And I admit that we both love Harry Potter... actually we fought over Harry Potter a few times.

And now armed with my library cardn I can again revisit those classics from Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain and others. As I sit with a good book in a quiet space, I travel back in time to an old stone smokehouse off the 100 year old farm house in Illinois where my grandparents lived. I see a chunky little brunette girl sitting in the window seat with boxes of Reader's Digest Condensed Books at her feet and an open book in her hands. She is reading by dim light through the small soot coated window panes, when faintly she hears as if from another time and place.... "Roxanne? Come to supper!! Where is she?" Oh to be that little girl again.

Dear little child, this little book
Is less a primer than a key
To sunder gates where wonder waits
Your "Open Sesame!"
~ Rupert Hughes, "With a First Reader"

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

Scarlett Has A Sick Tummy

Scarlett puts on her best pitiful face.

"I hope to make people realize how totally helpless animals are, how dependent on us, trusting as a child must that we will be kind and take care of their needs... they are an obligation put on us, a responsibility we have no right to neglect, nor to violate by cruelty." ~ James Herriot

Miss Scarlett has been on her thyroid medication for over two weeks now and she still acted as if she couldn't sit still for very long. This past Friday she had the surgery to remove her bladder stones. She did very well and didn't even have to stay the night. The analysis is in progress to tell us what kind of food she needs to prevent them from recurring.

The dreaded collar.

She is supposed to be quiet and no jumping for two weeks... do you know how long it took her to break the jumping rule? About an hour. Her worst problem right now is this plastic collar; she must wear it for two full weeks. Bless her heart, Scarlett is having a time figuring out how to eat with it on. I did notice a bit of a depression in the food bowl so perhaps she is starting to get the hang of it. She has accepted being separated from the other kitties and seems to love the extra attention. The vet gave three days of pain medication and ten days of antibiotic. She hates pills and liquid and has to have the medicine with food. Right now to make sure she is getting enough water and calories, I am feeding her a special anorexic diet with a syringe three times a day, with her medicine. Sometimes she does ok, and sometimes she gets more food on the collar and on the outside of her face than in her mouth.

It is so funny to watch her try to walk around the room. If she walks too close to the door, the collar hits the edge and she stops dead in her tracks. Scarlett tried to exit through the cat door but couldn't negotiate the pesky collar through the flap. Poor baby. I hope that by Thursday she can spend a few hours in the sunroom without all the curious kitties bothering her too much.

Scarlett: "I'll never be able to wear a bikini again!"

Oh, yes... I almost forgot her little shaved tummy. Just a tiny incision, three stitches... but before they come out I know she will be completely frustrated. And I bet they are going to itch.

Scarlett will tell her ordeal to any cat who will listen today at Cats on Tuesday, hosted by gattina. There will also be cat tummies at Tummy Tuesday over at catstuff, and though her tummy shot had to be done quickly, (Scarlett doesn't like to be on her back at all) she still is proud of her stitches.

Update(4/5): Scarlett has made it with the collar for one week. She isn't happy about it and is very comical to watch as she tries to wind through the kitchen and under the table, but we do attempt to contain our laughter. She seems to be learning how to navigate her food and water with it, but it took several days. Today she got to spend the day in the sunroom and enjoyed the light and warmth. I think she is up to visiting the animals at Friday's Ark hosted by the Moderator. And by Sunday she might find another kitty having to suffer with "the collar", so she won't feel conspicuous at the Carnival of the Cats, hosted by Bad Kitty Cats this week. See you there.

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It Might As Well Be Spring

No better mousetrap. (Click for larger view)

"A mouse-trap; easy to enter, but not easy to get out of.
~ Mrs. Clara Lucas Balfour

When I was almost six months pregnant with Nyssa, my colleague and Ob/Gyn decided that I should have an hour of bedrest in the morning and one in the afternoon. Before I could blink twice, he arranged it with the other pathologists in the group and the labor and delivery nurses. I guess he didn't trust me to do it. So, I would get my morning work done and head up the L&D where the nurses would take my blood pressure and call Dr. Coggins. (He really had a problem with trusting me, wonder why?) The labor rooms were decorated in bright colors; flowers, butterflies and other murals painted on the walls. Someone decided that decoration was needed on the ceiling as well, so large posters were placed in a position over the hospital bed. You remember those cute posters with a baby animal or cartoon character and a witty saying or quote? Yes, those. One day after hitting most of the others, they put me in the largest labor room. There on the ceiling was the poster showing a cute little beagle puppy, his feet in the air and head hanging out of a big bowl. He was covered with spaghetti and tomato sauce and looked absolutely miserable... he was stuck. And what witty saying did they have printed in bold letters?

"There are some things in life easier to get in to, than out of!"

Now! Does anyone out there think this will comfort any woman in labor? I didn't think so! A man probably wrote it. I was surprised some mother-to-be in her 24th hour of hard labor had not already torn it to shreds!

Pregnancy is much easier to get into than out of, so is a mouse trap. Once that spring snaps the mouse or rat or even your own fingers are stuck. Ouch! This winter there has been an influx of roof rats in the area, so we had to get these large spring traps and bait them with ... well, actually we baited one with cheese and one with dog biscuits. That is how we discovered the rats were getting into the garage through a small hole at the side of the door. These critters consumed a two pound bag of dog biscuits in three days. Counting dog biscuits hasn't been a top priority so it took two bags of them disappearing in the twinkling of an eye, to make me take notice. These look the same as they did fifty years ago... no one has made a better mouse trap. All I can say is ... they still work!

Have you figured out what this has to do with "spring"? This new photo meme is really going to be a hoot to do. At first you think the topic is one thing but you have to read the instructions completely. He usually takes the topic and goes in a tangential direction, as here. The topic for Shutterday this week is "It Might As Well Be Spring"... and the pictures? Anything with a "spring".... just NOT the season. So I leave you with these words of wisdom regarding the spring mouse trap....

"A mouse trap placed on top of your alarm clock will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep." ~ Author unknown, but wise.

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