Goody goody gum drops. I am now caught up and all of my previous blog is on Blogspot now. I am live. If you are tuning in for the first time, you may want to go to the last entry in September of 2010 and start reading up to now. The entries from now on would probably make more sense.
A gallery out in the Hill Country of Texas (Gallery At Spicewood) can get pretty lonely at times. During the week, I can go two or three days without a single visitor. Luckily, I have two permanent visitors, Roo and Squad Car, my trusty gallery cats.
They are always at the front door in the morning waiting to greet me with squeals, purrs, and lots of rubbing. It is really great to always have someone waiting who is glad to see you. This is one of the reasons I look forward to going to work. They entertain me, soothe me, make me happy, and best of all, they trust me. They can count on me and I can count on them to lift my spirits. Let me talk about Squad Car first.
In the morning after I finish feeding, watering the cats and the plants, tidying up the gallery, putting out the open signs, lighting the candles and various other chores associated with running your own business, I sit down and put my feet up and plan the day. This is where my little day-planner-helper shows up. Squad Car jumps up on my chest, does a little gentle kneading and lays down on my chest trying to get comfortable. When she gets into the position she wants, the purring starts, her breathing slows, and she goes to sleep. A little black and white soul laying on my chest trusting me that nothing bad will happen to her. To use a good old Texas phrase, "It don't get no better".
We sit there for fifteen or twenty minutes mentally planning my day (paintings, computer, etc) and then I gently lift her off my chest, get up and gently put her back on the chair. She briefly wakes up, licks a couple of ruffled spots on her coat, purrs a little, and goes back to sleep while I start my day.
Talk about Zen moments. Thank you Squad Car.
Next, Roo and her Zen moments.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Disaster Averted
January 19, 2011
I got to the gallery today about 9:00 am, feeling pretty good, whistling a little ditty, looking forward to a day of a painting, and perhaps, even selling a painting or two. As usual the two cats greeted me at the front door purring and rubbing against my legs. Always a good way to start a day.
As I walked toward the studio where my computer is, I noticed some papers laying on the floor beside the partition that separates the computer nook from my studio. I peered gingerly around the partition and was appalled by what I saw. The shelf I had installed about six feet off the ground had fallen onto my computer desk. It was hanging precariously by just one screw about six inches above my monitor and computer. The printer that had been on the shelf was laying on the floor upside down with all the paper scattered about the room. Lordy, Lordy, what a train wreck!
I had put the shelf up this high because of you-know-who. So I figured the shelf had just fallen off the wall due to my bad carpentry and short screws. This is where the plot thickens. As I was carefully taking down the remains of the shelf, and trying to keep it from falling on the computer, guess what I found clinging to the dangling shelf on a protruding screw? A little, fuzzy mouse toy! Now, how did that get up there?
Then I started doing some detective work. The previous day I had moved a four-drawer filing cabinet about four feet a way from the shelf never thinking what a foolish thing I was doing. This is what I suspect happened, but of course they are keeping mum.
One of the two gallery citizens discovered she could jump from my computer desk to a credenza, then onto the four drawer filing cabinet. New territory to explore. Then the blinding revelation occurred to the intrepid climber. With a little luck and a big jump, she could get to the forbidden shelf, so up she went in a cloud of dust and a "Mighty Hi Ho Kitty Away". Now, once the pathfinder was up there, the other member of the climbing party could follow in her paw prints. At this point, we have two full sized cats, a rather heavy HP printer, a couple of large art books, some papers, a lamp, and the final straw, a fuzzy toy mouse just asking to be played with. I do not know who brought the mouse up. I have watched them play with their mice and they can get very rambunctious. I imagine the screws in the wall finally gave way under the stress of the jumping and playing and the shelf went down like the Titanic. There were two survivors.
I cannot prove this theory, but I have a very strong hunch this is what happened. Of course, the two little innocent angels would not even look at the carnage all day. There will be no confessions forth coming.
We must live right here in the gallery. Nothing was broken except the shelf. The printer works fine, the lamp was all right (bulb not even broken) and the computer fired up perfectly. After a little cleaning and restructuring, everything was back to normal. Of course there was no offer of help from those two and they slept most of the day. Oh well, another day in paradise.
Here a couple of pictures of the gang of two looking innocent.
I got to the gallery today about 9:00 am, feeling pretty good, whistling a little ditty, looking forward to a day of a painting, and perhaps, even selling a painting or two. As usual the two cats greeted me at the front door purring and rubbing against my legs. Always a good way to start a day.
As I walked toward the studio where my computer is, I noticed some papers laying on the floor beside the partition that separates the computer nook from my studio. I peered gingerly around the partition and was appalled by what I saw. The shelf I had installed about six feet off the ground had fallen onto my computer desk. It was hanging precariously by just one screw about six inches above my monitor and computer. The printer that had been on the shelf was laying on the floor upside down with all the paper scattered about the room. Lordy, Lordy, what a train wreck!
I had put the shelf up this high because of you-know-who. So I figured the shelf had just fallen off the wall due to my bad carpentry and short screws. This is where the plot thickens. As I was carefully taking down the remains of the shelf, and trying to keep it from falling on the computer, guess what I found clinging to the dangling shelf on a protruding screw? A little, fuzzy mouse toy! Now, how did that get up there?
Then I started doing some detective work. The previous day I had moved a four-drawer filing cabinet about four feet a way from the shelf never thinking what a foolish thing I was doing. This is what I suspect happened, but of course they are keeping mum.
One of the two gallery citizens discovered she could jump from my computer desk to a credenza, then onto the four drawer filing cabinet. New territory to explore. Then the blinding revelation occurred to the intrepid climber. With a little luck and a big jump, she could get to the forbidden shelf, so up she went in a cloud of dust and a "Mighty Hi Ho Kitty Away". Now, once the pathfinder was up there, the other member of the climbing party could follow in her paw prints. At this point, we have two full sized cats, a rather heavy HP printer, a couple of large art books, some papers, a lamp, and the final straw, a fuzzy toy mouse just asking to be played with. I do not know who brought the mouse up. I have watched them play with their mice and they can get very rambunctious. I imagine the screws in the wall finally gave way under the stress of the jumping and playing and the shelf went down like the Titanic. There were two survivors.
I cannot prove this theory, but I have a very strong hunch this is what happened. Of course, the two little innocent angels would not even look at the carnage all day. There will be no confessions forth coming.
We must live right here in the gallery. Nothing was broken except the shelf. The printer works fine, the lamp was all right (bulb not even broken) and the computer fired up perfectly. After a little cleaning and restructuring, everything was back to normal. Of course there was no offer of help from those two and they slept most of the day. Oh well, another day in paradise.
Here a couple of pictures of the gang of two looking innocent.
Cat Proofed My Foot!
January 11, 2010
It never fails. Just when I thought everything in the gallery had been "cat proofed" they find a new way to prove me wrong. These two cats have way to much time on their paws!
I had (you notice that is past tense) a thick, plastic bag of shipping peanuts (those white Styrofoam things) stashed under my work bench in the gallery. It had been there for at least a year with no problems at all. I came in this morning and it looked like it had snowed back in the studio part of the gallery. The plastic was really thick on this bag. I had trouble opening it originally and finally had to cut it open with scissors. Silly me assumed if I had to use scissors to open the bag, it was probably safe from the gang of two. Wrong again! From the forensic evidence I gathered, both of them took turns working on a single spot on the bag with their teeth and claws. I don't know how long it took to finally break into the bag, but they accomplished that task last night. Then they enlarged the original small hole so both of them could get into the bag and enjoy the winter wonderland inside the bag.
But, they wanted me to also enjoy the beauty of winter. They made the hole really big and started running in and out of the bag while spreading peanuts all over the place. They are so thoughtful that way. I knew something was wrong the minute I walked in. Squad Car (black and white) looked like she had a terminal case dandruff. The humidity has been really low these past couple of days so the static electricity made little pieces of broken peanuts stick to her coat. I examined Roo closer, and she also had a bad case of peanut dandruff. Both of them sat there looking at me and I could imagine the little thought blurbs over their heads saying "Do I Need a Lawyer"? It was an open and shut case and no lawyer worth his or her salt would touch the case. Guilty as charged was the verdict. Big deal! What was I going to do to them.
I found a large sturdy card board box and started shoveling peanuts into the box. It is a heavy duty box, so the peanuts should be safe. They both wanted to help, but it was way past their nap time so helping me was not an option. They napped, I peanuted (I am pretty sure "peanuted" is not a word, but that's what I did). When Squad Car finished her nap, the first thing she did was go sniff the box with the peanuts in it, then looked up at me and I swear she smiled. I am going to lock the scissors in a drawer.
It never fails. Just when I thought everything in the gallery had been "cat proofed" they find a new way to prove me wrong. These two cats have way to much time on their paws!
I had (you notice that is past tense) a thick, plastic bag of shipping peanuts (those white Styrofoam things) stashed under my work bench in the gallery. It had been there for at least a year with no problems at all. I came in this morning and it looked like it had snowed back in the studio part of the gallery. The plastic was really thick on this bag. I had trouble opening it originally and finally had to cut it open with scissors. Silly me assumed if I had to use scissors to open the bag, it was probably safe from the gang of two. Wrong again! From the forensic evidence I gathered, both of them took turns working on a single spot on the bag with their teeth and claws. I don't know how long it took to finally break into the bag, but they accomplished that task last night. Then they enlarged the original small hole so both of them could get into the bag and enjoy the winter wonderland inside the bag.
But, they wanted me to also enjoy the beauty of winter. They made the hole really big and started running in and out of the bag while spreading peanuts all over the place. They are so thoughtful that way. I knew something was wrong the minute I walked in. Squad Car (black and white) looked like she had a terminal case dandruff. The humidity has been really low these past couple of days so the static electricity made little pieces of broken peanuts stick to her coat. I examined Roo closer, and she also had a bad case of peanut dandruff. Both of them sat there looking at me and I could imagine the little thought blurbs over their heads saying "Do I Need a Lawyer"? It was an open and shut case and no lawyer worth his or her salt would touch the case. Guilty as charged was the verdict. Big deal! What was I going to do to them.
I found a large sturdy card board box and started shoveling peanuts into the box. It is a heavy duty box, so the peanuts should be safe. They both wanted to help, but it was way past their nap time so helping me was not an option. They napped, I peanuted (I am pretty sure "peanuted" is not a word, but that's what I did). When Squad Car finished her nap, the first thing she did was go sniff the box with the peanuts in it, then looked up at me and I swear she smiled. I am going to lock the scissors in a drawer.
Hammocks
Jan 4, 2011
Lets talk about hammocks. I have a large window at the back of the gallery (you can see the bird watchers looking out of the window in the Dec 9 entry). I thought it would be really nice for plants. I put up two shelves across the window, painted them so they would not rot from wet pots and stood back and admired my carpentry work. They it hit me! What was I thinking - shelves -window - plants- cats? Why didn't I just throw the plants on the floor and dig out all of the dirt in the pots and save myself a lot of time? It was not five minutes later that Squad Car was camped out on the top shelf and Roo had made herself comfortable on the bottom shelf, both of them happy and content in the morning sun. So much for my mini-greenhouse.
The cats were perfectly content with the arrangements as they were but were forced to lean against the window so they would not fall off as they dozed off. There is about an inch of space between the glass and the shelf and as they relaxed, legs, paws, and tails would slowly droop down to the next shelf and for the cat on that shelf, it was just too tempting of a target to ignore. The first fight started about ten minutes later. Roo could not resist the tail flicking about in front of her face and swiped at it with her paw. Of course, the Car took offense to having her tail dissed and started swatting at Roo from the shelf above and proceeded to fall off the shelf. These problems had to be fixed.
Sooo, what I did was take a curtain I had stashed away and created little hammocks for the shelf dwellers to recreate and relax in. I hooked the curtain on a sturdy curtain rod at the top of the window, and then draped the curtain under the first shelf on the side toward the gallery, stapled it and did the same thing under the bottom shelf. I left enough slack in the curtain so it formed a pocket just the size of an average cat's body. It took a couple of days for them to realize what the slack part of the curtain was for. Roo figured it out first by falling off the shelf into the slack area of the curtain. A perfect fit and it did not take long for Squad Car to figure out why Roo was so happy in her new hammock. By the end of the day, they were both in the hammocks and loving it. Another benefit of the hammocks is they both love to be scratched through the curtain as they are taking their leisure. Here is a picture of Squad Car in her hammock.
Lets talk about hammocks. I have a large window at the back of the gallery (you can see the bird watchers looking out of the window in the Dec 9 entry). I thought it would be really nice for plants. I put up two shelves across the window, painted them so they would not rot from wet pots and stood back and admired my carpentry work. They it hit me! What was I thinking - shelves -window - plants- cats? Why didn't I just throw the plants on the floor and dig out all of the dirt in the pots and save myself a lot of time? It was not five minutes later that Squad Car was camped out on the top shelf and Roo had made herself comfortable on the bottom shelf, both of them happy and content in the morning sun. So much for my mini-greenhouse.
The cats were perfectly content with the arrangements as they were but were forced to lean against the window so they would not fall off as they dozed off. There is about an inch of space between the glass and the shelf and as they relaxed, legs, paws, and tails would slowly droop down to the next shelf and for the cat on that shelf, it was just too tempting of a target to ignore. The first fight started about ten minutes later. Roo could not resist the tail flicking about in front of her face and swiped at it with her paw. Of course, the Car took offense to having her tail dissed and started swatting at Roo from the shelf above and proceeded to fall off the shelf. These problems had to be fixed.
Sooo, what I did was take a curtain I had stashed away and created little hammocks for the shelf dwellers to recreate and relax in. I hooked the curtain on a sturdy curtain rod at the top of the window, and then draped the curtain under the first shelf on the side toward the gallery, stapled it and did the same thing under the bottom shelf. I left enough slack in the curtain so it formed a pocket just the size of an average cat's body. It took a couple of days for them to realize what the slack part of the curtain was for. Roo figured it out first by falling off the shelf into the slack area of the curtain. A perfect fit and it did not take long for Squad Car to figure out why Roo was so happy in her new hammock. By the end of the day, they were both in the hammocks and loving it. Another benefit of the hammocks is they both love to be scratched through the curtain as they are taking their leisure. Here is a picture of Squad Car in her hammock.
Morning Coffee and Funny Papers
December 30, 2010
It is not next year yet, but I had to share with everyone this picture sent to me by one of my blog readers. A typical morning around their house drinking coffee and reading the funnies. Notice what is on the cat's coffee mug.
It is not next year yet, but I had to share with everyone this picture sent to me by one of my blog readers. A typical morning around their house drinking coffee and reading the funnies. Notice what is on the cat's coffee mug.
Cat Programmer
December 22, 2010
Previously, I had mentioned how much Squad Car loves to help me on the computer. I just happened to have camera handy and here are some pictures of my little computer geek getting ready to do some serious coding. She loves to use the mouse. Enjoy and I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Talk to you next year.
Previously, I had mentioned how much Squad Car loves to help me on the computer. I just happened to have camera handy and here are some pictures of my little computer geek getting ready to do some serious coding. She loves to use the mouse. Enjoy and I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Talk to you next year.
Christmas Cat Wishes
December 15, 2010
All the kitties are really psyched about Christmas being just around the corner. They have given me their wish lists and of course, are on their best behavior. They know Santa Claws is watching. Roo has put in request for a new mouse and a ball that bounces a little higher than the one she now has. She also mentioned that a small bag of catnip (organic of course) would more than be welcome. I am pretty sure Santa Claws will bring her everything she wants. She is always a pretty good cat.
On the other hand, Squad Car has had a few lapses in the past month, but I don't think they were bad enough to cost her the items on her wish list. The item at the top of the list is snacks. She is addicted to the snacks "Greenies", especially the "Wild Salmon Flavor. The Car bugs me all day for Greenies. She purrs, rubs against me, walks across the keyboard, meows, and can look extremely pitiful while she is begging. When I finally give in, she is my best friend and head butts me to show her appreciation. Then about an hour later she starts again. I finally have to raise my voice and say "No" loudly, and she goes away to find trouble elsewhere or climbs up into her window hammock and goes to sleep.
Of course, both of them want a nice container of rye grass to chew on. I have been buying the grass at the pet store but that gets to be very expensive, $4.95 for a small tub of grass. I am going to start growing some rye grass next month. All the cats at the house love to gnaw on the grass and it does seem to help their digestion. I will let you know how it goes.
If you are feeding your cats rye grass in the small tubs, here is a hint for you. When I started feeding them the grass, the tub would not stay upright or they pulled the whole bundle of grass out of the tub. Messy to say the least and not easy for them to munch on. What I did was to rubber band the tub to a chair leg (use a big rubber band) and then put a couple of rubber bands across the top of the tub to keep the grass in the container. Works pretty well. Use big rubber bands so they cannot get them off and chew on them. You can get huge rubber bands at Office Max that really anchor that tub to the chair. Hope it works for you and your cats.
All the kitties are really psyched about Christmas being just around the corner. They have given me their wish lists and of course, are on their best behavior. They know Santa Claws is watching. Roo has put in request for a new mouse and a ball that bounces a little higher than the one she now has. She also mentioned that a small bag of catnip (organic of course) would more than be welcome. I am pretty sure Santa Claws will bring her everything she wants. She is always a pretty good cat.
On the other hand, Squad Car has had a few lapses in the past month, but I don't think they were bad enough to cost her the items on her wish list. The item at the top of the list is snacks. She is addicted to the snacks "Greenies", especially the "Wild Salmon Flavor. The Car bugs me all day for Greenies. She purrs, rubs against me, walks across the keyboard, meows, and can look extremely pitiful while she is begging. When I finally give in, she is my best friend and head butts me to show her appreciation. Then about an hour later she starts again. I finally have to raise my voice and say "No" loudly, and she goes away to find trouble elsewhere or climbs up into her window hammock and goes to sleep.
Of course, both of them want a nice container of rye grass to chew on. I have been buying the grass at the pet store but that gets to be very expensive, $4.95 for a small tub of grass. I am going to start growing some rye grass next month. All the cats at the house love to gnaw on the grass and it does seem to help their digestion. I will let you know how it goes.
If you are feeding your cats rye grass in the small tubs, here is a hint for you. When I started feeding them the grass, the tub would not stay upright or they pulled the whole bundle of grass out of the tub. Messy to say the least and not easy for them to munch on. What I did was to rubber band the tub to a chair leg (use a big rubber band) and then put a couple of rubber bands across the top of the tub to keep the grass in the container. Works pretty well. Use big rubber bands so they cannot get them off and chew on them. You can get huge rubber bands at Office Max that really anchor that tub to the chair. Hope it works for you and your cats.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Cat Ornithologists
December 9, 2010
Roo and the Squad Car helped me draft the gallery Christmas email card and we sent it out day before yesterday. They were very happy with the message and are hoping to see some old friends stop by the gallery, have a glass of wine and a sprig of catnip.
Another routine that both of them have come to love is the open window policy. When it gets nice enough, I open the back window and put a wooden box by it so then get up into the window and check out the great outdoors. After the loving, eating, and playing in the morning, they both stand in front of the window waiting for me to open it. They jump up on the box and their noses go crazy. So many smells, so little time. They both spend a lot of time laying on the window sill or the box. Sometimes there is a territorial dispute that I have to referee, but for the most part, peace is the word of the day when the window is up.
They are both having a good time and enjoying the window, but I thought a little more stimulation would be good for them. I stopped by the pet store and picked up a small bird feeder. Can you see were I am going with this? I hung the feeder about twenty feet from the window on a piece of wire strung between two poles and loaded up the feeder with good wild bird food. It took a couple of days for the local feathered population to realize there was a free soup kitchen in the neighborhood. When word got around about the free chow, there were numerous mid-air collisions and a lot of near misses. I Have to fill the feeder every two days now.
What was the effect on Roo and Squad Car? I imagine they had both seen birds during their childhoods and had a vague recollection of what birds were for - stalking and eating. The first day the birds started showing up in large numbers, the two of them were a little intimidated and spent a lot of time running from the window when a huge, dangerous sparrow would swoop down and land on the feeder. But, their courage did return by the second day and the cat posturing took over. the crouching , the sneaking and pouncing ran amok. I am glad I installed heavy duty screens. They loved this new diversion.
The other action I got see was "bird talking". A lot of cats will "talk" to the birds and I have no idea why they do this. They don't even sound like a bird, but it seems to make them believe they are enticing the birds closer and closer. The sound is a series of high pitched squeaks caused by rapidly opening and closing their mouths. It is really funny watching their whiskers quiver as the are doing their bird calls. Squad Car does her bird calls all the time. Even if she on my lap and a bird flies by, the calls start. Roo is not as crazy about doing bird calls but if a juicy bird gets too close, the bird calls will start. They spend many happy hours now as little ornithologists. It is a shame they don't make little cat binoculars. They think the bird feeder is a huge success. Here is a recent photo of the two ornithologists at the back window trying to identify a new species.
Roo and the Squad Car helped me draft the gallery Christmas email card and we sent it out day before yesterday. They were very happy with the message and are hoping to see some old friends stop by the gallery, have a glass of wine and a sprig of catnip.
Another routine that both of them have come to love is the open window policy. When it gets nice enough, I open the back window and put a wooden box by it so then get up into the window and check out the great outdoors. After the loving, eating, and playing in the morning, they both stand in front of the window waiting for me to open it. They jump up on the box and their noses go crazy. So many smells, so little time. They both spend a lot of time laying on the window sill or the box. Sometimes there is a territorial dispute that I have to referee, but for the most part, peace is the word of the day when the window is up.
They are both having a good time and enjoying the window, but I thought a little more stimulation would be good for them. I stopped by the pet store and picked up a small bird feeder. Can you see were I am going with this? I hung the feeder about twenty feet from the window on a piece of wire strung between two poles and loaded up the feeder with good wild bird food. It took a couple of days for the local feathered population to realize there was a free soup kitchen in the neighborhood. When word got around about the free chow, there were numerous mid-air collisions and a lot of near misses. I Have to fill the feeder every two days now.
What was the effect on Roo and Squad Car? I imagine they had both seen birds during their childhoods and had a vague recollection of what birds were for - stalking and eating. The first day the birds started showing up in large numbers, the two of them were a little intimidated and spent a lot of time running from the window when a huge, dangerous sparrow would swoop down and land on the feeder. But, their courage did return by the second day and the cat posturing took over. the crouching , the sneaking and pouncing ran amok. I am glad I installed heavy duty screens. They loved this new diversion.
The other action I got see was "bird talking". A lot of cats will "talk" to the birds and I have no idea why they do this. They don't even sound like a bird, but it seems to make them believe they are enticing the birds closer and closer. The sound is a series of high pitched squeaks caused by rapidly opening and closing their mouths. It is really funny watching their whiskers quiver as the are doing their bird calls. Squad Car does her bird calls all the time. Even if she on my lap and a bird flies by, the calls start. Roo is not as crazy about doing bird calls but if a juicy bird gets too close, the bird calls will start. They spend many happy hours now as little ornithologists. It is a shame they don't make little cat binoculars. They think the bird feeder is a huge success. Here is a recent photo of the two ornithologists at the back window trying to identify a new species.
Cat Thanksgiving
November 28, 2010
Everyone had a great Thanksgiving. The gallery was closed on that day, but I went over twice to feed Roo and Squad Car their special Thanksgiving dinners. Why should humans be the only ones to pig-out on that day? I had picked some Fancy Feast Appetizers to mix in with their regular wet food. They both love shrimp so they had a seafood extravaganza consisting of wild salmon and shrimp cut up into bite size tidbits mixed together and served slightly warmed in the microwave. As I was heating their gourmet meal, the smell made them a little crazy and when I finally put down their plates, a small feeding frenzy ensued. I was lucky to get out of there with all of my fingers. Slurping and purring could be heard throughout the land. We had two very happy and full Thanksgiving kitties. They did not even want to watch any football and went right to sleep in their favorite spots. I am pretty sure they were thankful
I followed the same routine for the house felines with all five of them slurping, purring and eating their way into very sound catnaps. Everyone was happy and life was good. Happy Thanksgiving, you all.
Everyone had a great Thanksgiving. The gallery was closed on that day, but I went over twice to feed Roo and Squad Car their special Thanksgiving dinners. Why should humans be the only ones to pig-out on that day? I had picked some Fancy Feast Appetizers to mix in with their regular wet food. They both love shrimp so they had a seafood extravaganza consisting of wild salmon and shrimp cut up into bite size tidbits mixed together and served slightly warmed in the microwave. As I was heating their gourmet meal, the smell made them a little crazy and when I finally put down their plates, a small feeding frenzy ensued. I was lucky to get out of there with all of my fingers. Slurping and purring could be heard throughout the land. We had two very happy and full Thanksgiving kitties. They did not even want to watch any football and went right to sleep in their favorite spots. I am pretty sure they were thankful
I followed the same routine for the house felines with all five of them slurping, purring and eating their way into very sound catnaps. Everyone was happy and life was good. Happy Thanksgiving, you all.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Albert and Leena-Home Cats
November 20, 2010
Next, meet Albert and Leena. Albert is the one laying on top of Leena.
When I took her home from the vet, I already had three cats in the house. Usually, a new cat is a "Time of Terribles" for at least a month. Not with Miss Congeniality. Two days tops, and she was a part of the cat clan at the house. When the hissing and fluffing began, she would just lay down and look at the aggressor with those beautiful blue eyes. Hey, who can stay mad at someone that nice and that beautiful. Leena is now our official Goodwill Ambassador for the domicile. I really think she could bring about peace in the Middle East if she spoke Arabic.
Albert is the only male cat in the clan. Marianne found him out in a field hiding in a PVC pipe just meowing to beat the band. Marianne would meow, and Albert would answer back until he was located and rescued. This is what he looked like on the day of his rescue.
Leena took him under her paw and treated him just like her long lost son. I have never seen two cats bond so quickly and steadfastly as those two did. Even now, eight months later, they still have that special relationship. They run and chase each other, rolling on the floor like two mighty lions in mock battle. They sleep together (usually on the bed - one on each side of my legs) causing me to do some pretty intricate yoga moves to get out of the bed without disturbing them. They are wonderful and welcome little souls to the household. You will be hearing more about these two later.
Home Cats
November 14, 2010
Let's take a break from the gallery cats for a day or two and I will introduce you to my cats at the house. I will start with my SPC (Senior Pussy Cat) - Vera. She has been with me for about six years and is my only indoor/outdoor cat. By that I mean she can be let outside without supervision and comes back inside before dark (or whenever she wants to come in). Vera is very mellow, gentle, and is a big time talker. She meows , purrs, squeals, and emits a few sounds I have never hear come out of a cat. Later on in the blog I will get back to Vera and some of her eccentricities. Here are a couple of mug shots of Vera.
On the right, I just told her a really funny dog joke.
Let's take a break from the gallery cats for a day or two and I will introduce you to my cats at the house. I will start with my SPC (Senior Pussy Cat) - Vera. She has been with me for about six years and is my only indoor/outdoor cat. By that I mean she can be let outside without supervision and comes back inside before dark (or whenever she wants to come in). Vera is very mellow, gentle, and is a big time talker. She meows , purrs, squeals, and emits a few sounds I have never hear come out of a cat. Later on in the blog I will get back to Vera and some of her eccentricities. Here are a couple of mug shots of Vera.
On the right, I just told her a really funny dog joke.
My next senior kitty is Agnes. She is the most independent of all my feline friends. She is very athletic, very fast, very thin, and runs everywhere. She is the real boss of the house and everyone pretty much does as she asks. If not, punishment is swift and vicious. However, she trains very well. There is a low rock wall (about a foot high) that encloses our property and I trained Agnes not to go past the rock wall. She knows if she does, I will take her back inside the house. So, she can go outside under supervision. I take her out two or three times a day (when it is warm-she does not like cold weather at all) and watch her do cat stuff. When I call her name and use the phrase "chica chica", she comes running and waits at the door to be let in. One other strange habit Agnes has is she will not use the bathroom while she outside. If she has to go potty, she will go to the door and wait to be let in and then scampers to the litter box and does her business. Then she wants back outside.
Here are a couple of shots of Miss Agnes.
Big time nap attack on the right.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Rituals
November 7, 2010
I think all pets come to enjoy rituals. Something they can count on happening when they see you. Roo and Squad Car love our morning ritual. Here is what happens.
I usually get to the gallery around 8:30 am every day. By the time I get to the front door, both of them are there waiting for me to open the door. They can see me pull up from the front window. Roo goes into a rubbing frenzy and her tail starts quivering like a plunked guitar string. Squad Car kneads the rug like there is no tomorrow and then flops over to have her belly rubbed. After a brief petting and scritching, we all head to the back of the gallery where the food is stored. Of course there is lots of squealing and meowing along the way.
When we get back to feeding pen, I turn the night lights off and get out their cans of kitty chow. Now, here is a funny ritual they both love. Roo runs back up to front of the gallery and I chase after her. She stops, leans up against the wall (usually in the same place) and that tail starts quivering again. She lets me pick her up and I nuzzle the top of her head with beard. Roo closes her eyes and squeals a couple of times. I put her down and she heads for the back of the gallery. When I get there, Squad Car is on my chair waiting to be picked up. the second I touch her, she goes completely limp like a wet dish towel. I pick her up and she puts her head up to be nuzzled just like I nuzzled Roo. Then, her purr motor goes into overdrive. After a minute or so, I put her down, go into the bathroom where their food is stored. They both have little metal dishes and I rattle the dishes together and say " Come and get it before I throw it to the hogs". When I come out of the bathroom with their dishes full of yummy cat goodies, Squad Car is on my chair waiting and Roo is on my painting table waiting. I put the dishes in front of them and the slurping and smacking begins with great gusto.
This happens every morning without fail. After they finish off the chow, Roo goes to the front window and begins cleaning and Squad Car jumps up into her hammock (more about the hammocks later) in the back window and starts her morning cleaning. Their morning ritual has been completed and they are happy cats.
I think all pets come to enjoy rituals. Something they can count on happening when they see you. Roo and Squad Car love our morning ritual. Here is what happens.
I usually get to the gallery around 8:30 am every day. By the time I get to the front door, both of them are there waiting for me to open the door. They can see me pull up from the front window. Roo goes into a rubbing frenzy and her tail starts quivering like a plunked guitar string. Squad Car kneads the rug like there is no tomorrow and then flops over to have her belly rubbed. After a brief petting and scritching, we all head to the back of the gallery where the food is stored. Of course there is lots of squealing and meowing along the way.
When we get back to feeding pen, I turn the night lights off and get out their cans of kitty chow. Now, here is a funny ritual they both love. Roo runs back up to front of the gallery and I chase after her. She stops, leans up against the wall (usually in the same place) and that tail starts quivering again. She lets me pick her up and I nuzzle the top of her head with beard. Roo closes her eyes and squeals a couple of times. I put her down and she heads for the back of the gallery. When I get there, Squad Car is on my chair waiting to be picked up. the second I touch her, she goes completely limp like a wet dish towel. I pick her up and she puts her head up to be nuzzled just like I nuzzled Roo. Then, her purr motor goes into overdrive. After a minute or so, I put her down, go into the bathroom where their food is stored. They both have little metal dishes and I rattle the dishes together and say " Come and get it before I throw it to the hogs". When I come out of the bathroom with their dishes full of yummy cat goodies, Squad Car is on my chair waiting and Roo is on my painting table waiting. I put the dishes in front of them and the slurping and smacking begins with great gusto.
This happens every morning without fail. After they finish off the chow, Roo goes to the front window and begins cleaning and Squad Car jumps up into her hammock (more about the hammocks later) in the back window and starts her morning cleaning. Their morning ritual has been completed and they are happy cats.
Cat Personalities
November 4, 2010
Lets talk about personalities. Roo and the Car get along famously. Every now and then there is a bite too hard and fur and tails get puffed for a couple of minutes. Then all is forgiven and it is back to being best buddies. Hey, that even happens with people. However, these cat's personalities could not be more different.
On the other hand, Squad Car is a worrier and is easily scared by just about any unusual happening. She has a couple of "safe rooms" in the gallery for unexpected traumas. Her favorite is under a throw rug. I have watched her use her front claws to to lift up the rug and disappear under the rug. So, in the morning when I arrive at the gallery, I can usually tell if there were some monsters roaming around during the night. The rug has a little hump in it and the hump is usually a little black and white cat. When she hears me come in, out she pops acting like nothing happened. Roo of course, is perched on her favorite spot up by the front window waiting for breakfast.
Roo loves to be petted and scritched ("scritched is a cat word for using your fingers to rub the cat's fur against the grain - some cats will hurt you badly if you try this) and she especially likes to be brushed. But, it all has to be done on her bench or on the floor. Roo is not happy being held or picked up. She will not bite or scratch, but it is like picking up a board. As soon as her feet touch the floor, she is just fine. This is one thing I can say about both of the girls. They are not mean, biting or scratching cats. Just different goals in life.
Squad Car is just the opposite. I have to put her off my lap twenty time a day so I can get some work accomplished. She loves laps and adores being picked up and held. Just look like you are going to pick her up and purr motor revs' up instantly. I really believe if I let her on my lap in the morning when I open the gallery, she would stay there all day except for potty breaks and chow. Even as I am writing this blog, she is walking back and forth across the keyboard trying to get on my lap. She is a big, big help and thank goodness for spell check. Unfortunately, she is a really bad typist.
Every cat I have shared my space with (notice I did not say "own" because you cannot ever "own" a cat) has had a different personality. Some good, some not so good. I have never regretted being with any of them. Just like all animals, they have little souls that enhance the lives of humans lucky enough to be allowed into their lives. Don't you wish you could say that about humans?
Next installment, I will talk about the rituals that have evolved in the gallery.
The Mystery of The Room Divider
In the gallery, I have a room divider Marianne made for the gallery to display her equine paintings and photos. She spent a bunch of time designing and building this edifice and it really is gorgeous. Made out of colored reeds and various silks from India makes it a very striking example of creativity. Unfortunately, one of the gang took a disliking to this divider and made it one of her missions in life to pull the silk and reeds out of this divider.
I would come in mornings and there would a piece of silk laying on the floor and scattered about would be pieces of the colored reeds. At first, I did not know which one of the usual suspects was doing the vandalism. I got to the gallery early one morning and low and behold, Squad Car was perched atop the divider busily pulling out one of the reeds. Roo was on the ground encouraging her and waiting for the reed to drop so she could haul it off somewhere. Squad Car had climbed up the back of the divider (covered in a thick cloth) and was hanging precariously over the top (two feet on one side and two feet on the other side). The divider is over seven feet tall and Squad Car had pulled herself up to the top using only her little claws and brute strength. She had worked so hard getting to the top I almost felt bad getting her down and chastising her (of course you know how much good that did).
I had to figure a way to keep her on the ground. Again, that heavy duty cardboard came to the rescue. I taped two five foot by six foot pieces of cardboard to the back of the divider. Since the back of the divider faces my studio, I did not care that it looked like I was living in a cardboard box. Squad Car of course tried climbing the cardboard but it would not support her weight and there was nothing above the cardboard she could jump to. She circled around for two days trying to figure a new way to reach the summit. Finally, she admitted defeat and moved on to bigger and better things. The divider was safe for the time being.
I would come in mornings and there would a piece of silk laying on the floor and scattered about would be pieces of the colored reeds. At first, I did not know which one of the usual suspects was doing the vandalism. I got to the gallery early one morning and low and behold, Squad Car was perched atop the divider busily pulling out one of the reeds. Roo was on the ground encouraging her and waiting for the reed to drop so she could haul it off somewhere. Squad Car had climbed up the back of the divider (covered in a thick cloth) and was hanging precariously over the top (two feet on one side and two feet on the other side). The divider is over seven feet tall and Squad Car had pulled herself up to the top using only her little claws and brute strength. She had worked so hard getting to the top I almost felt bad getting her down and chastising her (of course you know how much good that did).
I had to figure a way to keep her on the ground. Again, that heavy duty cardboard came to the rescue. I taped two five foot by six foot pieces of cardboard to the back of the divider. Since the back of the divider faces my studio, I did not care that it looked like I was living in a cardboard box. Squad Car of course tried climbing the cardboard but it would not support her weight and there was nothing above the cardboard she could jump to. She circled around for two days trying to figure a new way to reach the summit. Finally, she admitted defeat and moved on to bigger and better things. The divider was safe for the time being.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Back From Galveston
October 20, 2010
I had a great show at Galveston and even better, the gallery was still in one piece when I got back. I had some kitties that were very happy to see me. As an aside, Galveston has really bounced back from hurricane Ike. The city and beaches looked really, really, great. Almost everything is brand new and there is very little construction going on now. If you want to have a great vacation or just a sweet weekend, visit Galveston and see for yourself.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch the cats were well taken care of by Marianne (my significant other) and my across-the-street neighbor, Heather. Thanks to both of them for keeping the beasts under control. I know Roo and Squad Car did not thank them. The cats do not see either Marianne or Heather very often so there was lots of hiding and hissing going on. It is good to be back and opening the gallery again.
I had a great show at Galveston and even better, the gallery was still in one piece when I got back. I had some kitties that were very happy to see me. As an aside, Galveston has really bounced back from hurricane Ike. The city and beaches looked really, really, great. Almost everything is brand new and there is very little construction going on now. If you want to have a great vacation or just a sweet weekend, visit Galveston and see for yourself.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch the cats were well taken care of by Marianne (my significant other) and my across-the-street neighbor, Heather. Thanks to both of them for keeping the beasts under control. I know Roo and Squad Car did not thank them. The cats do not see either Marianne or Heather very often so there was lots of hiding and hissing going on. It is good to be back and opening the gallery again.
Cat Proofing 101
October 6, 2010
Cats can get just about anywhere they want to go. The places I wanted to keep free of kitty investigative reporting had to be cat-proofed. I put latches on all the doors at ground level so they could not be opened by head-butting them. Squad Car learned very early the doors held shut by magnets can be opened very easily simply by head-butting them and standing back as the door opened slightly. She then inserted her tiny little paw into the opening and slipped into unexplored territory. Of course, Roo thought she was living with a genius and followed right behind Squad Car into these new, intriguing dark spaces. Latches soon put an end to the feline Stanley and Livingston's exploring. They were not pleased and started looking for other ways to aggravate me. I had no doubt they would find many more ways to trouble me.
Any art materials I wanted to leave out had to be moved up near the ceiling out of jumping range. After moving shelves, hooks, and hangers high enough to deter cat intrusion, the studio looks like a giant lives there. Everything is a least six feet off the floor and can have no nearby "leap spots" that could serve as a launch pad for feline astronauts. All my paper, pastels, chemicals, etc. are up in the clouds. Even then, I still see the two explorers eyeballing these heights trying to figure out how to get up there. After all, they have plenty of free time to scheme.
Before I forget, if any of you cat lovers have some good stories about cat-proofing or some strange place they got into, use the comments to share them. Also, I need to get a business plug in here in case you need a website of your own. I design websites for mostly artists, but I have done some commercial sites also. If you want to see some cool examples of what goes into my websites, go to www.jolleysites.com and check out the various pages in the site. Just pure fun and games. Yes, I know "jolley" is misspelled, but the domain with the correct spelling was already taken and I think I like "jolley" better.
Enough for today. I have to get back to painting as I have an art show coming up in Galveston, Texas on October 16 and 17. Hope I sell lots of art.
Cats can get just about anywhere they want to go. The places I wanted to keep free of kitty investigative reporting had to be cat-proofed. I put latches on all the doors at ground level so they could not be opened by head-butting them. Squad Car learned very early the doors held shut by magnets can be opened very easily simply by head-butting them and standing back as the door opened slightly. She then inserted her tiny little paw into the opening and slipped into unexplored territory. Of course, Roo thought she was living with a genius and followed right behind Squad Car into these new, intriguing dark spaces. Latches soon put an end to the feline Stanley and Livingston's exploring. They were not pleased and started looking for other ways to aggravate me. I had no doubt they would find many more ways to trouble me.
Any art materials I wanted to leave out had to be moved up near the ceiling out of jumping range. After moving shelves, hooks, and hangers high enough to deter cat intrusion, the studio looks like a giant lives there. Everything is a least six feet off the floor and can have no nearby "leap spots" that could serve as a launch pad for feline astronauts. All my paper, pastels, chemicals, etc. are up in the clouds. Even then, I still see the two explorers eyeballing these heights trying to figure out how to get up there. After all, they have plenty of free time to scheme.
Before I forget, if any of you cat lovers have some good stories about cat-proofing or some strange place they got into, use the comments to share them. Also, I need to get a business plug in here in case you need a website of your own. I design websites for mostly artists, but I have done some commercial sites also. If you want to see some cool examples of what goes into my websites, go to www.jolleysites.com and check out the various pages in the site. Just pure fun and games. Yes, I know "jolley" is misspelled, but the domain with the correct spelling was already taken and I think I like "jolley" better.
Enough for today. I have to get back to painting as I have an art show coming up in Galveston, Texas on October 16 and 17. Hope I sell lots of art.
Changes in the Gallery
October 1, 2010
As I mentioned previously, having the cats in the gallery forced me to change a lot of my painting and creative processes. Since they were going to be in the gallery full time, I had to cut down on the pastel dust they would be inhaling and tracking all over the place. So, I constructed a heavy duty cardboard box to put behind my pastel work area. It has a lid so I can close it when I not using it and the lid keeps the cats out of the box. When I am painting, the lid stays up against the wall and I hang damp rags on the lid and inside the box to catch most of the dust from the pastels. I noticed right away the dust everywhere else decreased quite a bit.
At the end of every painting session I use wet cloths to wash the other areas where pastel dust collects. It takes an extra fifteen or so, but it keeps Roo and Squad Car clean and free of inhaled pastel dust. Of course, all supplies have to be put in kitty-proof containers or up so high they cannot get to them. This sounds like a lot of extra work, but they are so worth it. Plus, it is better for my health and it makes a better work space for me. If I look at that way, they are doing me a big favor. But, I don't tell them because it would cost me extra treats if they thought they were actually helping.
Here are a couple of recent pictures of the rascals. No, Squad Car is not on drugs, just goofy.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
The Cast of Characters
September 25, 2010
How did come to be the proud owner of Roo and Squad Car? Squad Car was dropped off behind my gallery along with her mother, another sister and brother. They proceeded to homestead a cozy space under the gallery. Two days later, Roo shows up along with another kitten (Leena). Roo and Leena were not part of Momma Kitty's litter. Six cats, all of them female except for one, were now waiting to start a population explosion of biblical proportions. I of course made the mistake of feeding them because I felt sorry for the little critters and you know what a mistake that was. They had found a new home and now a new landlord.
Things went well for a couple of weeks and then I found the male kitten in front of the gallery thinking about crossing an extremely busy highway. I knew his days were numbered, so I borrowed a live trap from my neighbor, put on my Daniel Boone coonskin cap and tried my had at trapping. They had to be trapped, taken to the vet, neutered, and vaccinated so they could be put up for adoption.
A little tuna fish left in the trap proved to be irresistible for all of the cats except one. I got them all tapped, vet tripped, and somewhat calmed down. After the vet trip, I kept them indoors for three days talking to them and feeding them delectable tidbits while briefly touching them through the cage. I only got a couple of scratches and a lot of hisses. They started trusting me.
I let them out of their cages and let them explore the new territory. I had a small cat heard roaming around the gallery, sniffing and exploring all these new found nooks and crannies. The next day, I could approach them, pet them and slowly, very carefully pick them up. Momma Kitty was a big help as she let me pick her up first. The other cats soon followed suit and life was good. The male cat was adopted right away to a really good home. I had some people waiting until he was tamed and safe for adoption. That left Momma Kitty, Roo, Lena, Lucy, and the little bad girl, Squad Car. Roo really like the gallery and adjusted very quickly to her new role as the gallery cat. Lena went to my house and became the fourth indoor cat of the house. More about Lena later.
I decided to put Momma Kitty back outside with Lucy to see if she could talk some sense into Squad Car. But, alas, to no avail. Squad Car would not listen to her mom or her sister. She would get on the trap, stick her head in, walk around it, hiss at it, but would not go in to get the goodies. I almost gave up.
About two weeks later I was just starting a new painting, Momma Kitty and Lucy were outside the window eating their morning kibble and the Car was being aloof as usual. I don't know what made me think of it, but I went up the corner store and bought a can of sardines. Put a couple of the sardines in the trap and to my amazement, watched the little black and white poop head mosey into the trap and trip it. Success at last! To further astound me, When I brought the trap into the gallery to begin gentling her, she came around in about two hours. She was purring and rubbing up against me like she had been my cat for years. I let her out of the trap into the gallery and she had a joyous reunion with Roo, playing and running together all over the gallery and studio. That is how Roo and Squad Car came to be my gallery attack cats.
Momma Kitty and Lucy were still outside and I was trying to find someone to adopt them to get them away from the highway. I should have been worrying about other things rather than the highway. I went out to feed Momma and Lucy one morning and Momma's head was so swollen her eyes were almost shut. Something had bitten her above her eyes. I rushed her to the vet and he said some animal caught Momma by the head and was trying to drag her away. She was so lucky to have escaped. She had to stay at the vet's overnight while he cleaned covered the wound. I brought her home the next day and she stayed in the gallery until she recovered. But she and Lucy were outside cats and did not like to be inside. I decided to take them home and make them my outdoor cats.
I took them both home and things worked out well. After a couple of rough weeks, they both settled down to their new location and started enjoying life at the homestead. Six months passed and I was so glad to see Momma and Lucy enjoying a good life finally.
How did come to be the proud owner of Roo and Squad Car? Squad Car was dropped off behind my gallery along with her mother, another sister and brother. They proceeded to homestead a cozy space under the gallery. Two days later, Roo shows up along with another kitten (Leena). Roo and Leena were not part of Momma Kitty's litter. Six cats, all of them female except for one, were now waiting to start a population explosion of biblical proportions. I of course made the mistake of feeding them because I felt sorry for the little critters and you know what a mistake that was. They had found a new home and now a new landlord.
Things went well for a couple of weeks and then I found the male kitten in front of the gallery thinking about crossing an extremely busy highway. I knew his days were numbered, so I borrowed a live trap from my neighbor, put on my Daniel Boone coonskin cap and tried my had at trapping. They had to be trapped, taken to the vet, neutered, and vaccinated so they could be put up for adoption.
A little tuna fish left in the trap proved to be irresistible for all of the cats except one. I got them all tapped, vet tripped, and somewhat calmed down. After the vet trip, I kept them indoors for three days talking to them and feeding them delectable tidbits while briefly touching them through the cage. I only got a couple of scratches and a lot of hisses. They started trusting me.
I let them out of their cages and let them explore the new territory. I had a small cat heard roaming around the gallery, sniffing and exploring all these new found nooks and crannies. The next day, I could approach them, pet them and slowly, very carefully pick them up. Momma Kitty was a big help as she let me pick her up first. The other cats soon followed suit and life was good. The male cat was adopted right away to a really good home. I had some people waiting until he was tamed and safe for adoption. That left Momma Kitty, Roo, Lena, Lucy, and the little bad girl, Squad Car. Roo really like the gallery and adjusted very quickly to her new role as the gallery cat. Lena went to my house and became the fourth indoor cat of the house. More about Lena later.
I decided to put Momma Kitty back outside with Lucy to see if she could talk some sense into Squad Car. But, alas, to no avail. Squad Car would not listen to her mom or her sister. She would get on the trap, stick her head in, walk around it, hiss at it, but would not go in to get the goodies. I almost gave up.
About two weeks later I was just starting a new painting, Momma Kitty and Lucy were outside the window eating their morning kibble and the Car was being aloof as usual. I don't know what made me think of it, but I went up the corner store and bought a can of sardines. Put a couple of the sardines in the trap and to my amazement, watched the little black and white poop head mosey into the trap and trip it. Success at last! To further astound me, When I brought the trap into the gallery to begin gentling her, she came around in about two hours. She was purring and rubbing up against me like she had been my cat for years. I let her out of the trap into the gallery and she had a joyous reunion with Roo, playing and running together all over the gallery and studio. That is how Roo and Squad Car came to be my gallery attack cats.
Momma Kitty and Lucy were still outside and I was trying to find someone to adopt them to get them away from the highway. I should have been worrying about other things rather than the highway. I went out to feed Momma and Lucy one morning and Momma's head was so swollen her eyes were almost shut. Something had bitten her above her eyes. I rushed her to the vet and he said some animal caught Momma by the head and was trying to drag her away. She was so lucky to have escaped. She had to stay at the vet's overnight while he cleaned covered the wound. I brought her home the next day and she stayed in the gallery until she recovered. But she and Lucy were outside cats and did not like to be inside. I decided to take them home and make them my outdoor cats.
I took them both home and things worked out well. After a couple of rough weeks, they both settled down to their new location and started enjoying life at the homestead. Six months passed and I was so glad to see Momma and Lucy enjoying a good life finally.
In The Beginning
September 24, 2010
Any cat lovers out there? This blog will deal with migrating two feral cats into the Gallery At Spicewood as loving, people trusting felines. I learned a lot about cats during this transition and just how adaptable pussycats can be if treated lovingly and honestly. The cat's names are Roo and Squad Car and here are pictures of the little rascals.
Roo is on the left and Squad car is on the right. Roo is short for "kangaroo" because she can jump to amazing heights and Squad Car is so named because she is black and white just like the police squad cars of years past. They are both just over a year old now, but I first got them when they were very young kittens. More about that experience later.
The problem with having cats in a Pastel studio/gallery is the mess. Pastels are very messy and dusty. They break easily and just touching them turns your fingers or hands into a color spreading nightmare. So, you can see how important it is to keep the kitties from frolicking in the pastels. To drive the point home, right after I moved both of the felines into gallery, I forgot to cover one small tray of soft pastels and went home dumb and happy. When I got to the gallery the next morning, I had two, count them, two new pastel artists very proud of their new colored fur and feet. Plus Technicolor paw prints over most of my studio. They had been very busy that night and I spent most of the day cleaning kittens and cat-proofing the remaining pastels in the studio.
Any cat lovers out there? This blog will deal with migrating two feral cats into the Gallery At Spicewood as loving, people trusting felines. I learned a lot about cats during this transition and just how adaptable pussycats can be if treated lovingly and honestly. The cat's names are Roo and Squad Car and here are pictures of the little rascals.
Roo is on the left and Squad car is on the right. Roo is short for "kangaroo" because she can jump to amazing heights and Squad Car is so named because she is black and white just like the police squad cars of years past. They are both just over a year old now, but I first got them when they were very young kittens. More about that experience later.
The problem with having cats in a Pastel studio/gallery is the mess. Pastels are very messy and dusty. They break easily and just touching them turns your fingers or hands into a color spreading nightmare. So, you can see how important it is to keep the kitties from frolicking in the pastels. To drive the point home, right after I moved both of the felines into gallery, I forgot to cover one small tray of soft pastels and went home dumb and happy. When I got to the gallery the next morning, I had two, count them, two new pastel artists very proud of their new colored fur and feet. Plus Technicolor paw prints over most of my studio. They had been very busy that night and I spent most of the day cleaning kittens and cat-proofing the remaining pastels in the studio.
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