Welcome!

Welcome to my world!

Can you spot the festive visitors?

Santa makes himself comfy on my desk...

Green glass kitty hangs around all year 
- she matches the lamp!

She insisted on being included,
as this is Cat Whisperer's blog after all!

And of course, the little tree,
bedecked with ornaments new and old...

Vintage publications grace the table
 on which the tree sits...
Representing Britain, The Illustrated London News...

Inuit: The Night the City Sang.
Many many years ago,
when I was just starting in this field,
as a student assistant,
my boss would gather us "kids" at Christmas
to listen to a reading of this book,
a charming tale.
This book comes off the shelf every
Christmas to sit under the tree,
and I recall the wonderful time we all had,
and remember fondly,
this special lady who left us too soon.

And of course, French Canada - this is Quebec after all!

There is something so lovely about vintage decorations.

Over at the main library,
my colleagues got busy with a new twist
on a Christmas tree,
using books!

How cool is that?
"Behold! Our beautiful tree, created from Forbes,
Fortune and The Economic Journal –
with some Church History added to the mix!
Topped by The Great Atlas of the Stars,
opened up to the Omega Centauri –
the largest globular cluster in the Milky Way!"

The tree is complemented by a paper star,
fashioned from discarded magazines,
a trick learned from YouTube of course!

Gone too Long

The beautiful and graceful Acidanthera has come and gone,
That's how long
I've been gone.
More soon!

Cat on a hot tin roof?

.....well, no - on a cool garden umbrella. Silly Ginja decided it might be fun to climb aboard - it even spun around a bit - too funny! At first he was dubious about getting off, but once he perfected his technique - he hops on an off - just for fun, and the insects underneath.

King of the world!

The Ginja Ninja

What a sweetie huh?

We have a feeling that this little guy was never socialized by mummy - so sad - God knows what these little ones have gone through by the time they find "sanctuary".
For the time being he is being isolated at night, due to his tendency to ambush and "play" a little too roughly, and a little too long.
Zena too must be isolated, due to her "hunting" our poor gentle Manitou - such a mystery, and very difficult when one has few rooms and we have the others to accommodate as well.
It was bound to happen one, that integration would not be an easy thing. For well over 25 years we have been lucky, and mostly everyone has learned to get along - most of the time.
Oh well - one day, and night, at a time.
(Btw, apologies to Willowhousechronicles for not approving her comments before now.)

Meanwhile, little LV has grown up, and lost most of her kittenish ways, which is a bit sad, but her size has not increased by much - still very small, and kitten-sized.
Such an adorable little girl.

GINJA !

Comes into our garden, on a sunny June afternoon,
 a sweet ginger cat,
called him Ginja, how about that?!
Little did we know,
a "ginja" is a red-haired ninja,
kid you not!
And now, sweet little ginger cat
is a terrorist, with sharp white teeth,
jumping every cat he meets,
I mean chases them,
jumps them,
then wrassles them down,
until they squeal, growl,
or run
or both.
Oh my - what to do???
Please, ideas, suggestions are welcome.
(sigh)
More to come.....

Death and Life, and so it goes...

Easter came and went... 

My sister created some incredible patterns with a unique procedure.

It has been hard getting over the long winter, over Longfellow, and all sorts of other issues. I dwell too much on the pointlessness of it all, and wallow too much. I came across this new term in the wellness field: self-compassion. Well, I am pretty sure I don't have any! I recently heard of the passing of an old high school friend. She was my age and had MS since 1997, and yet despite all that, she was able to remain cheerful, joyful even. How? I complain of my hip pain (osteoarthritis), but I can still walk. It is painful getting up, but I can still get up. What is it about me that cannot seem to focus on anything positive - the clock is ticking, and still I am incapable of any type of sustained happiness or contentment. Sometimes I pity those who have to live with me.

I even thought my desire for gardening had left me. But spring has come at last, all is fresh and green, and that spark is ignited once again. As Robert Frost said, "nature's first green is gold."  I saw this greenhouse on ebay, shelves included (though 2 were actually missing - bummer) - and for now, I am able to lose myself where I love to be, where the cats love to be, and for a little while, I am away from myself - and that is always a good thing.

Hooray! Not the greenhouse of my dreams, but it will do!

The elegant and regal visitor Butterscotch relaxes
(if you look carefully, you'll spot another frequent visitor)

Wee LV peeks through the tulips - her wide-eyed antics cheer us all up on a regular basis.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

RIP Patti - sorry I wasn't there.

R.I.P. Our Longfellow

 The poet Longfellow died on March 24 - the same day our Longfellow fell into decline. 

He passed to the Rainbow Bridge yesterday. 

May you always find that sunny spot you so loved.

Little Voice

 Little Voice: aka L.V. - Mega squeee alert!!!

Zena looks down on LV,
and wonders when she gave birth to her!
She doesn't remember when that happened!
(Just kidding, of course :)

Now how darned cute is that???

Intently hunting her prey

Awwwwww!

Strike a pose!

Little babe in Amaryllis-land

PS - Little Voice is a splendid movie with Michael Caine, Ewan McGregor and in the title role, Jane Horrocks. Check it out - it's a gem!  We named our new girl after LV, because she does not meow, not since we first found her in the snow and ice, she just emits the tiniest little squeaks - so cute!