December 2018

TUXIE ART WITH ASTRID

Caturday Art

Astrid is the subject of today’s art. I created it using the Ridge effect and a frame from Painnt. I had tinkered with the photo previously using Picasa and piZap. This is what the photo looked like after doing that.

Astrid is entering the Caturday Art blog hop on Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty’s blog. It’s a fun hop and allows the participants to show their creative side. If you’ve not joined in the past, we encourage you to do so. You can go to the hop by clicking on Athena’s badge.

I also made a jigsaw puzzle out of the Painnt version. Click on the small image below to go to Jigsaw Planet to solve it.180

Sunday Selfies Reminder

Tomorrow’s the day to smooth your furs, clean the sleep out of your eyes and put on your biggest smile. Then snap a selfie, put a festive holiday frame around it (if you wish) and link it to our blog hop. When you’ve finished, you’ll have the entire day to take your easy unless, of course, you are helping your humans with the holiday decorations. We know this is an important job, and they cannot do it without your help and snoopervision.

None of the Kitties Blue have volunteered to host tomorrow, so you’ll need to stop by to see which one of them gets coerced into being your greeter! We all hope to see lots of you here.

BOXES = THE HOLIDAYS FOR CATS

Friendly Fill-Ins: Week #134

Friendly Fill-Ins is a blog hop hosted each Friday by Ellen (15 And Meowing) and Lorianne (Four-Legged Furballs). Ellen and Lorianne each select two sentences to be completed by those participating and post them on their blogs on Thursday. Those of us who do take part find it a fun way to learn a little more about our blogging friends.

Kitties Blue and I completed this week’s Fill-Ins using teal italics.

If you’d like to participate, click on the badge at the right. That will take you to Four-Legged Furballs where you can leave the link to your post.

1. I love buying gifts for my friends, as I know exactly what each one likes.

2. I have a hard time finding a gift for Mau, Astrid and Lisbeth’s significant others. My aging brain has a tendency to forget what I have gotten for them in previous years.

3. It’s the most wonderful time for driving around neighborhoods where the homeowners put up lots of lights and decorations.

4. Kitties Blue: There’s no place like a box for the holidays.

Cooper Murphy shares the fun of boxes and tissue paper with Sawyer last year on his first Christmas.

Cooper Murphy and Sawyer are joining the Feline Friday blog hop at Comedy Plus. To join in, click on the badge below.

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS & THANKFULS

Thoroughly Poetic Thursday

Each Thursday either Kitties Blue or I write a poem for Thoroughly Poetic Thursday hosted by Teddy and Angel Sammy from Two Spoiled Cats. They provide an inspiration photo to give our imaginations a boost. Below is this week’s photo and my poem.

Unanswered Questions

Is this lady in distress?
Was she banished from the castle?
Did she wash up on the shore?
Is she trying to get home?
Or did she just decide to roam?
Is there a message in that bottle?
Is she sending or receiving?
So many unanswered questions,
With no real discernable clues.
She’s dressed as an aristocrat;
Though, she’s disheveled and
Appears to be quite alone, with
No servants to attend her needs.
We cannot view her countenance
Or delve within her consciousness.
What has or will become of her
We suspect we’ll never know.

Poetry is a fun way to express yourself. If you haven’t tried it, check out the web-site, Shadow Poetry. You’ll find it interesting and most likely helpful as well. If you decide to write a poem. you can leave a link to it in a comment at Two Spoiled Cats by clicking on the badge at the left. Even if you don’t write a poem, stop by Teddy and Angel Sammy’s Thursday poet. Sammy transmits a poem each week from the Rainbow Bridge, and he is a masterful poet.

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday is a blog hop hosted each week by our friend, Brian. We all post for what we are thankful, leave that in a comment on Brian’s blog and join the hop. Most of our thankfuls are small this week.

Mom is happy to have all the Christmas decorating completed except the tree.
Mau and Cooper Murphy are grateful for Mom getting their Christmas cards to their Cat Scout pals in the mail.
The trusses for the addition were delivered.
We are especially thankful that the projected snow total for the upcoming storm has been lowered from 10 to 22 inches to six to 12 inches!
Finally, Mom is thankful Sawyer trusted her enough to allow her to hold and comfort him for a long time after he had the worst seizure he’s had in months.

To join the Thankful Thursday blog hop, click on Brian’s badge.

December 6, 2018 by Janet Blue Poetry Thankful Thursday Thoroughly Poetic Thursday 8

EAT YOUR HEART OUT GENE SIMMONS

Wordless Wednesday

I liked this photo so much, I made a puzzle. Click on it to go to Jigsaw Planet and solve it.

180 Giuliettastars-001

December 5, 2018 by Janet Blue Wordless Wednesday 13

REMEMBERING ANGEL FIONA WITH A SPARK

Sparks

Saturday, December 1, was the second anniversary of one of the true loves of my life, Fiona, receiving her wings. Just a few weeks short of one year from receiving a diagnosis of CKD, our beautiful six-year-old took her last breath as she lay on my chest.

I will never stop missing her. My heart hurts with the loss whenever I see her photo, which is daily.

I thought a good way to honor and remember her would be with this week’s Spark.

While searching for a photo to use for the Spark, I found this art I had never posted. I didn’t realize until I read the title on this photo that Calista Jo is lying behind Fiona. You can see the arch of her back on the left and her face to the right of Fiona.

The author of today’s Spark, John Galsworthy, was an English novelist and playwright. His works include The Forsyte Saga (1906–1921) and its sequels, A Modern Comedy and End of the Chapter. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1932. Through his writings Galsworthy campaigned for a variety of causes, including prison reform, women’s rights and animal welfare, and also against censorship. In 1917 he turned down a knighthood, for which he was nominated by Prime Minister David Lloyd George.

Sparks began as a blog hop, created by our friend, Annie (McGuffy’s Reader). Annie is taking a “break” from blogging, so there is no hop. Many of us still continue to post a Spark on Monday, as we believe in Annie’s vision: “I believe we are meant to be lights in this world. If we allow our light to shine, we can see where we are going. It is then that we can begin to truly see each other clearly. Together, we can light up the entire world!”

Awww Mondays

Fiona and C.J. are joining the blog hop, Awww Mondays, at Comedy Plus. To join the hop, click on the Awww Mondays badge.

December 3, 2018 by Janet Blue Angel Cat Awww Mondays Sparks 15

SNOOPERVISOR SNAPS SELFIE

Sunday Selfies: Week #225

I snapped this selfie for you while I was helping and snoopervising Mom as she hung the Christmas garland.

I was trying to wink at you, but my timing was off.*

Blog Hop

As I have little to say today, it is time for you to post your selfie and hop around to visit some of the other bloggers who have joined us. Of course, Mom asked me to print that list of “stuff” about hopping, so here it is.

The link to add your selfie to the hop is below.
You also will find below the code to use if you’d like the hop to appear on your blog.
Posting on Sundays is not necessary to join.
You do not need to be a cat to enter. All anipals are welcome regardless of species.
The hop remains open for entries through Thursday midnight.
Please be so kind as to display our badge and/or link to The Cat on My Head.

* Mom Janet here: I’m certain you know that Cooper Murphy wasn’t winking. He doesn’t have the eye “icks,” but he has been experiencing some off-and-on issues with drainage. Neither he nor I wanted anyone to worry about him.

Have a terrific easy Sunday.

December 2, 2018 by Janet Blue Sunday Selfies 36

SAWYER’S SQUINTY CATURDAY ART

Caturday Art

When I started searching for a photo for today’s post, I discovered that neither Dad Tom nor I had taken any photos of Kitties Blue for days and days. Dad Tom mostly has been taking photos of the progress on our addition. You heard that right! We now have a slab (also known as the garage floor) poured. Yippee!

Anyhoo, I found an old photo of Sawyer from last March that I thought would make for a good arty creation. He and I hope you all like it. Sawyer was on the catio squinting in the sunlight.

I created this with the Forest Run effect in Painnt and added the Surreal effect with LunaPic. The mat and frame are from Picasa.

I made some other fun art using the above photo and the Kaleidoscope effect from LunaPic.

Here’s the original photo.

Sawyer is joining the Caturday Art blog hop at Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty’s blog. This is a fun hop, as it allows participants to explore their arty side. It is easy to be creative with numerous, free, photo-editing apps on-line. If you haven’t joined in the fun, what are you waiting for? To visit Athena’s blog, click on the badge on the right.

Sunday Selfies Reminder

Can you believe that Christmas is just a few weeks away? I finally started doing some decorating around the house, with the help and snoopervison of Kitties Blue, of course! In the spirit of the season, I have promised them to dress up the selfies with holiday frames each Sunday this month. Kitties Blue invite all of you to do the same.

Looking forward to seeing lots of you tomorrow.

December 1, 2018 by Janet Blue Caturday Art Blog Hop 12

YOU
For Fiona

It seems like only yesterday…
You were just a kitten.
When I saw your pleading look,
I was completely smitten.

Now at only six years old,
You are getting ready to leave,
Soon you will have your wings.
I’ve already started to grieve.

You’ve fought hard for the past year,
And I’m not ready to say good-bye.
I can’t imagine you not in my life
I am so sad…today I had to cry.

I am grateful and blessed
For my six years with you.
You’ll live in my heart forever.
You’re one of the best ever Kitties Blue.

YESTERDAY

Many yesterdays have passed since
You gained your angel wings. Today
Is six months since you left us behind
To remember and mourn. Our hearts
Continue to hurt, and we miss
You as much as the day you left.
Giulietta whined from the catio
Yesterday as I worked in the yard.
I know you put her up to it. That
Was your way of getting me to,
Allow you to join me as I
Gardened. You were there with me
In spirit. With every meow
I thought of you and how much I miss
Your sweet face and disposition.
In these past few months, many friends
Have traveled your same path in your
paw-steps. I am certain you were
Waiting to greet them with purrs and hugs.
I pray you and your friends are laughing,
Frolicking and having fun together.
Picturing that makes me smile, but
Does not lessen my sadness at your
No longer being here to snuggle
And receive our love, care and kisses.
Fiona, please do not ever forget
You are still and always will be loved.

ONE YEAR MISSING YOU

One year has passed since you flew away,
And I still think of you everyday.
I see your sweet face in my mind’s eye
And wish we’d never had to say good-bye.
It’s nice you’ve sent us kitties needing a family,
But my dearest love, we are now at capacity.
You thought it would take more than one cat
To take your place in our habitat.
We love Cooper Murphy and baby Sawyer dearly
But thinking either could replace you makes me teary.
You were one-of-a-kind and will stay in my heart
Until the day I join you and we’re no longer apart.
When once again I can hold you in my arms
And revel in all your love and feline charms.
Together with you and all who have passed.
I will spend eternity contemplating how blessed
I was to share my life with my furry children,
Each and every one of you one-in-a billion.

UNTIL

I miss you each day.
Until we meet in heaven,
The pain will remain.

ONE OF A KIND

I don’t know how to say good-bye.
I thought you were invincible; though,
You used up many of your nine lives.
You ruled us all with an iron paw;
Never took “no” for an answer
And always got your way.
If not, you’d bark to signal your
Displeasure and sometimes raise a paw.
I always joked that you were bi-polar.
When I told people you were a calico
They immediately understood what I meant.
Today was unnaturally quiet in the house.
Can a home seem empty with eight cats?
I will miss waking up at night to find you
Sitting next to me and staring at me.
I will miss you yelling at us as you did
When you wanted breakfast and dinner.
I will miss watching you lounging and snoozing
On the porch settee on a warm afternoon.
But most of all I will miss your kisses!
When kitten Sawyer befriended you,
We suspect you were imparting your
Wisdom and secrets for controlling us.
Time will tell if he was a good listener.
But whatever he may have learned,
Neither Sawyer nor any other cat
Can or will replace you in our hearts.
Lily Olivia, you were one-of-a-kind.