Treats All Around!

When Mr. Bryant calls from the kitchen, it's cookie time.  It might be for a home-made biscuit, it might be for a prepackaged treat, it might be for a graham cracker, or it might be mini-marshmallows.  One can never be sure just what goodie Mr. Bryant may produce - and so you see in our house, no one takes any chances.  :)

Our Best Friends

In December of 1980, Grandmother and Grandfather Hanson gave Aaron some Christmas money for books. He and I went to the book store together and any book that caught his eye came home with us. One of our very most favorite books was called "Our Best Friends" by Gyo Fujikawa. This delightful little board book has simple art work and tells the story of a little girl Mary, her doll (Doll), her cat Smudge, and her little mouse (Mouse), as they look for new friends. I remember us reading this book again and again to Aaron, and both of us never getting tired of the story. We took the book on picnics and to Grandmother's house; we read it in the car and at the park. My little blond boy sat in my lap and pointed at all the characters in the book as I said their names. I remember the sun shining down on us while we read outside, and listening to the wind chimes on the porch when we read again. I don't have any pictures of those days. But I do know that in the end, Mary, Doll, Smudge, and Mouse become fast friends with Harry, Larry, Spots, Mops, and Peeps. :)

I read the book to Amanda when she was little, and then again to both grandchildren. The book and the pictures and all the little creatures make me smile to this day. As my house fills up with sweet little souls, I watch them becoming the "dearest and the best of friends." The reality makes me smile and the memories of all those wonderful moments with my son, daughter, and grands wash over me. I am glad we have the memories that books bring, and thank Mr. Fujikawa for his gift to my children, and to me.

Opposites

Rosie went to Munich. She taught me - the german’s say: Anfangen ist leicht, beharren eine Kunst.

Or: To begin is easy. To persist is art.

So despite the long work hours in February, the challenging weekends and puppies, the cleaning and routining of home life, I persist.

My February Sketchbook Pages in the Opposite Theme --- >


Two different watercolor techniques, opposite in execution. Interesting results, no?


Pale acrylic neutrals with a touch of acrylic bright....soft/bright opposites.

Little busy sweet mischievous colorful Gracie Girl and big, laid back, soft, great hearted silver blue and white Max. Opposites of another sort. And attempt at real sketching - something that I am not confident with at all. Interesting. Persisting.

Wordless Wednesday September 14, 2010

Kittens named at last. . . .

We searched the internet, stories, and baby name books for ideas. We held naming contests. We researched ancestral Maine Coon names, and looked through lineage documents. We looked through the history of our personal heroes and the history of our country. And yet, we couldn't seem to find the perfect names that would work as both registered names for our kittens, as well as everyday "we call him/her" names.

And so we started writing poems about them as they scampered around, cuddling the unwilling dog, thundering through the house playing catch, climbing up the cat trees and knocking over the hamper. We held brainstorming sessions as we watched their personalities develop, and at last, after much deliberation, we finally have names.

We are delighted to formally introduce to you our Gracie and Max.

Alopeke's Aislinn Grace (Gracie) and

Old West Coon's Spencer Coeur de la Lune Thunderpaws Maximum Blue (Max),
having an early evening nap before playing chase like mad.

Wordless Wednesday - 6/2/2010

Settling In

The first night and day were pretty interesting, with new kittens in the house. They haven't decided to like each other yet, although they have both decided that it is ok to stalk and growl at the dog.

The good news is that as far as Gizmo is concerned, the cats just don't exist. Mr. Bryant thinks that it is because his eyesight isn't the best ("He just can't see them!") but I think it is because he is just that laid back. In any case, Gizmo still believes every cat bed in the house was put there for him.

Aislinn Grace has made it clear to our little boy that she is the Queen of Everything She Surveys, and he has been quite accommodating to this point. She wasted no time at all exploring everything she could get to, and took off us the stairs as fast as she could. Once at the top, she cried and cried until I called her name, and then she popped her head through the railings to let me know she was listening.


So far, they both have had super fun mornings with lots of playtime. Their schedule is really not bad, although they are getting me up at 5:00 AM for breakfast. Once they get moving, though, I feel like we need to hire a cat playtime assistant to keep them both racing around and using up their energy!

They will likely have a blast when they decide to play with each other, but at this point the closest they have gotten is to play with two ends of a cat toy.

Not only is our boy significantly larger than our little girl, but their personalities are really different, with Gracie being very outgoing with a super loud purr - and a super loud growl for her step-brother when he tries to get her toys! Our little/big boy is amazingly sweet, a bit reserved, and a tiny bit skittish with new sounds, but he is coming around swimmingly. He is so beautiful that the pictures don't really do him justice just yet, and at 5.6 pounds he is going to be a SERIOUS cat as he grows.

And yes, they both love the cat trees!