The desk

Ms. Bea says no more letters, petting instead.

She really liked playing with those pink strips of paper.

The desk now has a couple plants on it. I've been really wanting to have plants on my desk, but it was a challenge because my desk was always so crowded... But I just had to make room for them. So these marigolds are super hardy. They were pulled up from the garden earlier this summer because they were growing too close together. I just placed them in this bowl outside that had water in it and they kept growing and even flowered! So I brought them in and placed them in our old coffee pot with more water. The roots are huge. I think soon I'll add some dirt and/or plant food. They don't get nearly as much light as they used to, but I think they will be fine.

Ms. Bea and Rascal

Introducing my new cats!!!

Ms. Bea and Rascal

They are super sweet and they make me so so happy.

Here's Ms. Bea again.

and close ups of the mail she's posing with:

My Kitties

It seems like everyone posts photos of their cats posing/helping with their mail.  Well, now it's my turn. Let me introduce you to my two kitties who love to help me with the mail...

This is the first kitty.

 She loves guarding my mail for me.  Though she may look sad, she's never lonely with her little friends there with her.

Here is my second kitty. She's a little rough around the edges...

 She came to me all the way from Haiti as a gift from my mom.

She goes with me everyday to check the mail.

Well, I hope you enjoyed meeting my cats!

And the winner is...

Felicia in Canada!

And everyone else who entered will receive a small "consolation prize" since there were only 4 people total.

I have said this before... I think there is a link between cat lovers and letter writers. All four entries listed cats as one of their loves!

Not too long ago I found these two lovely books at Goodwill. I thought I would share the lovely cat illustrations with you now...
so cute!

 

Old Sketchbook ---> Mailart

Not too long ago I found an old sketchbook of mine and decided to turn it into some mailart and send it to my parents.  The first photo is of an unfinished sketch I did of my cat, Cotty. He passed away about a year and a half ago. You can see his photo in this post. His leg was broken when he was a kitten, and it healed straight.  Despite being unable to bend that leg, he lived outdoors, was quite the hunter and was able to climb trees. He lived to age 19.

The envelope was made from a sketch I did of the field in Wisconsin where my horse and the mules grazed.  After feeding the animals, I would lean against the shed and look out at this field and our neighbor's barn and scratch Cotty.  These sketches have a lot of meaning for me because they are tied to memories of my animals.

Cotty-Cat

This morning as I was drinking my coffee in the kitchen and listening to Buddy Holly and Ricky Nelson, I saw a beautiful gray cat with white feet outside my window.  She was stalking the squirrels that gambol around out there.  She must have been a pretty good hunter because she was quite a fat cat! Or perhaps she belonged to someone.  It reminded me of looking out of my window at my parents' old house in Maryland, watching our cat, Cotton, stalk things out in the yard near the woods beneath my window.  I miss having an animal so much.  I wish I was allowed to have a cat in my apartment... I'm promising myself that this will be the last year without one.

This is Cotton.  He passed away last winter, at the age of 19.  He has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. 

Do you have any stories to share of special cats in your life?