CITY BIRD

     Rainy cold morning.
Men digging trenches for pipes blocking my

regular route west to the grocery store.

     Crossed further down turning my cart south to Spruce. 

    In the middle of the wet sidewalk, head turned backward, 

wings splayed, a poor dead little city Pigeon.

Possibly broke its neck flying into the pub window nearby. 
Looked like it just happened. 

     Poor thing. Plump and smooth. 

     Couldn't leave it there. 

     Carefully lifted the bird in a handful of tissues

from my purse. 

Amazing how little a bird weighs in respect to its size.

Wrapped the Pigeon in some found newspaper and 

placed the package carefully in the parking

lot bin. 

     Best I could do in the middle of the city

on a rainy morning. 

     Rest in peace gentle city Bird.

  

STANDARD CAT TIME

Just realized Tizzycat is operating on Standard Cat Time, 

NOT just showing up an hour early for his snack!  

(Come to think of it.... I prefer SCT to changing clocks twice
a year, too!)


⏰🐱❤️

MY BIRTHDAY BOY AT 17

Summer of 2000,  my Neighbor's son and
his pretty little year old Tortoiseshell
Cat, Nutty, (short for Nutmeg)
arrived from Las Vegas.
Just before leaving Vegas, Nutty got out.
Was gone for 2 weeks returning at
the last minute.

   
   
Tizzy's Mom, Nutmeg





     Arrived here and taken to the Vet for spaying,
Nutty had a surprise. A litter of kittens to deliver first.
What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but
the results happened in Philly.
     July 31, 2000 4 kittens delivered in the back
of a walk in closet. Sadly, one didn't make it.
But 2 tiny tigers and 1 tiny tuxie were fine.
Eyes closed and squeaking.
Nutty kept them fed, clean and together after
they started crawling.
    Picked up the tiny tuxie, he hissed
at me. Love at first hiss!
     Called him Tizzy, nickname of Thomas, the
mischievious little boy from the FLAMBARDS
TV series based on K M Peyton's books.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flambards_(TV_series)
     8 weeks later, little Tizzy moved in.
     Showed him his new litterbox, food and water bowls,
new toys and soft new bed. Used the litterbox and
the bowls. Batted and chased the toys and tried out
his bed, my bed, chair, window sill, folded blankets and
daybed. And been doing it all ever since.
    2 weeks later, his sister Jasmine (Jazzy) came to visit.
Greeted her with hisses!! His house and wasn't sharing.
Happy Birthday Tizzybeans!!


    Tizzy going on 18.

 

FAREWELL SWEET DIAVOLINO

Poor little Freddie Cat became so skinny.
Vet exam + ultra sound.
Lymphoma. Agressive Cancer.
Maybe 3-4mos...but as the Vet says...they can
fool you.
He tried hard to carry on.

But eating almost nothing.
Just wanted milk.
Wobbling now not scooting into
the corridor when I opened the door.
A kiss on that sweet little head
instead of our chase.



With every ounce of strength, hauling
himself up and onto his favorite folded
blanket bed on Bubbe Sarah's old chair
by the door.
Joining Tizzy for afternoon treats,
but not eating any.

My sweet little diavolino Freddie Cat's struggle ended
last Monday, June 12, 2017.

Deeply sad. 
Full of love, fun, pranks and life. Always purring.
Missing his dear little face every day.

Heartfelt deepest gratitude to Dr Christine Kirnos, The Cat Hospital of Media and Dr Brad Bates, Hospice Vet with THE LAP OF LOVE Veterinary Hospice services for their great care, devotion and compassion for Cats (and their Humans).... 🐱❤️🐱❤️

HOLIDAY GREETINGS 2016

★★WARMEST WISHES!!★★

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LOUISA MAY ALCOTT

Meg, Jo, Beth & Amy March are dear old friends. 
With me nearly all my life. 
They have remained in my heart and mind since our first encounter, a century after Louisa May Alcott published LITTLE WOMEN and now that more than 50 years more have passed. 

My dear English friend Rosalind once confided that she always identified with Meg. Perfect casting! 
On the other hand, I've always found solace in Jo's trials and comfort in her all to familiar tribulations.

Revisit them frequently in the well worn pages of my ancient copy of this favorite book.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Louisa May Alcott!! November 29, 1832, Germantown, PA (outside Philadelphia)

MOM, HER MOM, HER MOM & ME

                                                      

            

            🌺 HAPPY MOTHER"S DAY !!! 🌺

My Mom, her Mom (left), her Mom (middle) and Me. Four generations!!

Great Grandmother Sarah (middle) once told me that she had seen Queen Victoria
pass by in her carriage during her Diamond Jubilee in London, England. During the
present Queen's Jubilee I found a map on the internet showing Queen Victoria's route
through the East End of London. Likely, along which my Great Grandmother saw her.

                                  

   From Queen Victoria's Scrapbook http://www.queen-victorias-scrapbook.org/contents/8-3.html

ALARMING

Fire Alarm Wednesday night. 
Only this time there was SMOKE in the hallway. 
Hearts racing, 
Cats yowling!! 
Stuffed the Cat Boys in their carriers and headed
into the fire tower across the hall. 
Worried how to get the 3 of us down 30-some concrete flights 
with my very sore left hip. 
The tower door opened 
and a fully kitted out Philly Fireman said, 
"Thought I heard Cats!" 
Emergency over, fire in a dryer on 6.
Back home. Whew!!

CAT ON A WARM TIN HEATING ELEMENT

One cool Cat.
Morning toast.
Cat on a warm tin heating element….

Tizzy cat warming his old bones on the heat
vent before breakfast…….
(Also reminds me of Whistler's "Arrangement in Gray & Black" (aka Whistler's Mother).

VALENTINE

                                HAVE A HEART

Made it myself on the Ipad

       

                                                   TAKE 2                            

9 CAT FACES ?

9 kitty faces sitting on the bed…..

1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9

Looked again and now there are 10!

Fred E. Cat cannot resist a freshly made bed.

Cute Kitty cushion, a purrfect Christmas present from friends.

WISHING ALL FAMILY & FRIENDS A HEALTHY, 

PEACEFUL AND PROSPEROUS 2015

WHO KNEW?

December 15 is NATIONAL CAT HERDERS DAY!!
Con molti ringraziamenti al mio grande amico, Tomasso Di Paola
che mi ha mandato questa notizia di oggi.❤❤❤
Without a doubt, my new favorite holiday!!
Finally, something to celebrate on a magnificent scale.
Maybe a RODEO!!
Too late for this year…..but will be ready next time!!

©Tomie DePaola art - all rights reserved 

MOM'S BIRTHDAY

Susan, Jock. Mom. Ted, Me c.
mid 1950's

Remembering, celebrating and missing our 

dearest, loving, beautiful, bright, funny, 

courageous, late Mom and Mom Mom on her

92nd birthday (33 Celsius - thanks, George Carlin) 

today.

GIVING THANKS

My cover art/ Ladybug mag.

Giving thanks for my loving caring funny 
family and friends.

NEW TRICKS, OLD CAT

Add caption

This might look like just another 

picture of a lady holding a cat. But to me 

it is a long leap in learning to "draw and paint" 
on my trusty IMac and IPod with a stylus and software. 

My biggest problem? 
It doesn't take many written directions to make my 
eyes cross and my brain stall out. 

Video tutorials are better, but they seldom to 

never cover that moment's difficulty. 

Now you know why I never considered

Law School or (heaven forbid) Medical School. 

I learn best when I have a problem

to solve. Here I wanted to build a scene with

more than a figure and with textures.

Couldn't rely on rulers and templates for straight

lines and smooth shapes. (Yes, Virginia, real 

artists often draw straight lines WITH a ruler).

This unfinished garden is a beginning try at some

computer "magic". I created only one of each flowering

plant then copied it across to repeat the plant.

I could also flip the art for more variation and

changed colors as well. Good fun for Illustrators.

I find my old way of working, preparing a strong 

sketch to work from by layering new

sheets of tracing paper over the old sketch

and re-drawing, refining, altering is too

cumbersome with stylus and screen. 

So I now start with big scribbled shapes

of color and wittle away, add and subtract,

duplicate and continue on, much easier.

I'm concentrating on shapes of color

rather than outlining shapes. Still shapes,

because that's what I see, shapes, color and 

pattern. Apologies if this is more than you

want to know and YOUR eyes are beginning 

to cross.

Learning more each day. Good mental and

creative exercise. And the BEST part?

No mess to clean up and no dirty paint water 
for Cats to steal a (yuck) drink.

Wrote this a while back...just before life took 
some unexpected turns including a new hip.
Picking up where I left off…and moving on.
CC

GET WELL SOON, TIZZYBEAN

Sweet Tizzy is in hospital.
Skinny. Lost 4 lbs.
Receiving treatment for hyperthyroidism.
Will be better and home again Thursday.
Sorry I couldn't explain any of this to him.

CATCHING UP

Bigger challenge than doing the crossword in ink.

Doing it through 14 lbs of opaque Tuxedo cat.

The Tizzy challenge. =^..^=

No need to tweak the design of the FRED100 scanner weight.
Sits on the scanner lid preventing dust from settling on inside
glass.
Never needs charging.

Like

HOORAY, HIP! HIP!

Fred E. Cat hiding under the bedspread.

   Haven't posted much for a long while 
due to a number of unforseen momentous 
life events suddenly requiring all my attention.

   The latest of which is preparation for 
impending hip replacement surgery in 
about a week. 

   Can hardly wait to sit, stand, walk 
and/or roll over after so many months 
of awful soreness, exhaustion, 
expletives and pain meds.
   Brother Ted nicknamed me "Sore Ella" 
from sorella, Italian for sister.

   SO looking forward to getting back 
to work and gathering normally again 
with family and friends.
  Just a little more patience.

    

   

GROSS, DISGUSTING & UTTERLY FASCINATING

February just happens to be National Children's Dental Health Month. 

Yawning?

Well maybe a look through Dr. Theodore Croll's
GROSSER, MORE DISGUSTING, BUT STILL TOTALLY COOL MOUTH BOOK, 
will snap you and/ or your kids out of the deep freeze outside and into the hot stuff that could be happening in your mouth!

Not  just your usual admonition to brush and floss. 
A Dentist's view of what's gross, disgusting and needs fixing inside a neglected mouth.
Accompanied by riviting clearly written descriptions, and inluding results of the Dentist's fascinating work.

Encouragement for better dental hygiene!

Proud to declare that long before becoming a most respected Pediatric Dentist, Husband and Father, the Author/ Photographer has always been my dearest clever brother Ted.

Book available:
http://www.practicon.com/item/the-grosser-more-disgusting-but-still-totally-cool-mouth-book-hardback-8099613/8099613

FROM MY HEART