§ A Day in the Life...

To begin the week, it was a chilly morning upon my wake-up hour. But the sky was clear; cloudless. I really had no special plans to do much of anything...I was playing lazy. I even went back to take a nap, only a couple hours after I got up for the day!! And I slept! Now, I tellya, that respite  really ruined my mojo. I couldn't get going afterward. Okay, so for the slow start, I had an old power line, ceramic, very large, insulator that I picked up, that had fallen from the pole, on a deserted county road when I was out looking for hawks, etc. several days ago.

§ Comfy?

This was too good to miss. But, my phone was in the living room, and I knew if I even walked past Isaiah, I would wake him up and he'd move. I stretched my arm out to the hutch where, luckily, Bud's phone was sitting. Grabbed it as silently as I could and sneaked a few steps forward. Aha!! Captured in full sleeping bliss. Then, I pushed my luck and tip-toed to the OTHER side of the table for the back view....voilà!! I present to you...Isaiah [aka Mr. Tubbs...They call him Mr. Tubbs]

§ I Can Dream of the Old Days...Life Was Beautiful Then...

Do you like ballet? Do you enjoy musicals? Perhaps you enjoy movies that are a bit different than the action figure come-to-life genre that is so popular these days. It was too hot to go out, so I finished my household chores and sat down and watched a movie that I had seen in the theater a few months back, which came out on DVD recently. I love the story CATS which is based on T. S. Eliot's 1939 poetry book Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, with the songs in the Broadway musical consisting of Eliot's verse set to music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. This version is enjoyable, tho it didn't do well at the box office, at first [when I saw it at the theater] I was kinda disappointed. Then, afterward, when I got home, the more I thought about it, the more I liked it.   Ballet is more of an 'acquired taste' I guess. I like ballet and even opera if I can understand what's going on... The animated costumes for one. How the art-costume direction got worked on is beyond me, but oh my goodness, to see the cats ears twitching as they sing or talk...their tails moving in such an animated fashion is incredible.   Not to mention their hair-like whiskers. The setting, the songs of course, the celebrities with the likes of Taylor Swift, Ian McKellan, Judi Dench, and Jennifer Hudson. I enjoyed it immensely the 2nd time. And, I will keep this in our repertoire of movies to be watched over and over. And naturally, I cried when the song Memory is sang. It happens every time...I get so emotional when I hear that song.  I couldn't help but grab my phone on the table next to me and snap some photos.  Yes, I know the movie is copyrighted, but like I said, I couldn't help myself...

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I broke down and went shopping. I made a special trip to Hobby Lobby for more yarn. While watching CATS, I crocheted six more pansies for my afghan. You see, I wanted more 'warm colors' in my afghan and most yarns I have are cool colors like blues, purples, and greens.  I had made a special trip and while I was waiting the social distance of 6 feet, I saw this cutie and grabbed him off Hobby Lobby's shelf.  I'm a sucker for stuffed animals. I named him Llary the Llama [yes, why not....two "Ls".]  Bud just shakes his head and asks "Where y'gonna put that one?"

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Then, I was hungry, and even ventured a bit further against my common sense when I was done with my early Sunday morning walk.  Driving home...I stopped at Denny's and ordered two breakfasts for our brunch. The Ultimate Omelet with hash browns and toast. It was delicious, but would have been better if we coulda dined in. I just can't get myself to do that yet. But, I'm gettin' antsy.  As the lyrics to the song, Memory/Memories...If I could go back to May 2019 when life was beautiful then...I could go out to eat.  As Dorothy, in the Wizard of Oz, says to the Scarecrow:  "I think I'll miss you  most of all".  The "you" in my case is restaurants.

© CATS images, tho from my cellphone, the movie itself is property of Universal Studios.  No infringement intended.

§ A Slight PAWS in the sketches....

Tiger, and our white Persian...Winston


A Mountain Lion [cougar]


One of my favorite big cats, a Cheetah, and Jemima from Broadway, CATS


Portfolio - Chapter one
Portfolio - Chapter two
Portfolio - Chapter three
Portfolio - Chapter four
Portfolio - Chapter five

§ Ms. Elainie

I treated myself to a box of popcorn, a small drink, and a movie the other day. I went to see CATS. Now I know why it isn't doing well at the box office. I was greatly disappointed in the movie. Yes, it was a musical of sorts. But, in my opinion it was more a ballet than anything else. Naturally, my favorite character is Mr. Mistoffelees.  The one song [Memory] made up for the fiasco.

.....
Daylight
I must wait for the sunrise
I must think of a new life
And I mustn't give in
When the dawn comes
Tonight will be a memory too
And a new day will begin
.....

Those lyrics always bring tears to my eyes.  I'm such a push-over!

Yet, the set, the costumes, the special effects, and make-up were fabulous. In fact, I would be surprised if those categories were ignored by the Academy for at least nominating the movie ...for the animated cat ears alone. But, it was a near total wipe-out otherwise. Unless you enjoy ballet! lol The initial trailers of upcoming movies, there were two I think I may have to see on the big screen. Both based on classic stories. Jack London's Call of the Wild and the other Dolittle. The aforementioned has Harrison Ford and the Dr. Dolittle will be played by the Iron Man...[Robert Downey Jr.] In fact, I have never read the book Call of the Wild...I am now!! Bud bought me a copy of it when he was in Barnes and Noble the other day. I've only read the first chapter so far. I was worn out when I opened the book and dozed off. Must get my nose into the book before the movie comes to the theater. So, I can say what I usually say "The Book Was Better".

Moving to another subject, I was conversing with a cashier at our neighborhood grocery store. She had the acrylic nails that are so popular these days. But what caught my eye while she was scanning my purchases was the color and the finish. Black [I wear a lot of black 'cause I like it], and the finish was matte. It was nice looking; the finish. I mentioned that I liked it and she had to tell me that at the nail salon, if you want the matte look, it's an extra $5 charge. Well, I have only been to a salon once in my life and the gal that worked on my nails was uncaring...she cut my cuticles too close, jammed it into my finger so rough I was in pain. Then, to top it off, my index finger became infected from the close cut. I vowed to never go again. I do my own nails. Anyway, to stop the chit chat on this subject, I looked for "matte" polish online. What I came up with is the matte top coat. I went into Target and found it. Now, I hafta 'try my hand' at the job. Hope it is what I want to accomplish.

Before and After

What is the meaning of multi-colored fingernails? According to this site, this is the best answer.

One more thing. My Christmas gift from me...I couldn't resist him. I don't have one like it. At least not until this year. It was his slippers that sold me:

The Nutcracker

§ Ola Amigos! I Had Mexican Food...the Spanish Speaking Comes Naturally After Beans and Rice!!! ----

---and not only speaking the language, a bit of Gas!!! :::wink:::


Spanish to English:  Ola Amigos = Hello Frends [Amiga is feminine]

A cold front moved in with a 20-25 degree drop in temperature from mid week last week...with rain! For the most part of two days I stayed home. Before the rains came, I did a bit of work outdoors. Mainly on the patio and the bird feeding station. Three times now, one feeder kept breaking [probably with the weight of a half dozen or more heavy white winged doves on the perches at one time]...that called for a replacement instead of repairing it for the fourth time...

Now, we have a colorful BIRD HOUSE, with windows and chimney. It's kinda comical, the doves have a difficult time of steadying themselves on plastic instead of wood like the old one. It won't take long for them to get accustomed to the newer surface; they're not dumb!

I did some re-potting with some of the patio plants. I need to get more potting soil also! Next trip I take to the store. My Christmas Cactus is blooming again, and the geranium is getting new growth and blossoms [I love geranium scent]...

After pulling a few broad leafed weeds from the lawn, I just perused the yard a bit....the pomegranate tree is blooming, and is in need of trimming to get the 'weeping branches' off the privacy fence. Some amaryllis are budding. The tombstone rose [lady banks] is blooming. The purple bougainvillea is heavy with blooming. One of my favorite sub-tropical plants, the hibiscus, are beginning to get heavy with blossoms and buds....

When I figured I was done with the amount of yard work I was going to do for the day, I went indoors to see Isaiah in his basket....

"You can't see me, but I see you!!"

"boo!"

"Scare ya? Did I?"

After showering, Bud and I decided to go out for lunch, and then visit the book store. We went to a new Mexican restaurant...Something Del Sol of Mexico. Good food, but I was most impressed with the tables and chairs...very authentic style! Leather, upholstery tacks galore and beautiful rich laminated table tops. Each chair backing there was a painted scene. That part, I really liked. Plus the chair legs. Bud took a photo of it on his cell phone for me...

We watched movies, and finished a 2nd jigsaw puzzle to complete our days indoors. Home sweet home. Now, I'm ready for the weather patterns to get back to partly sunny to clear skies to get back birding.

§ Ready Set Action...

I've been trying to keep busy with so many things these days, Spring cleaning, birding, helping Bud with yard work, reading, and playing with my new toy I received from Amazon. [and another book ordered]

Let me begin with my new toy...

Many times since we adopted Isaiah as a 3 month old kitten, his antics and play time can be hilarious as well as "awwwww, cute". Mostly hilarious. Then, getting up and grabbing the cell phone to move in closer to him as he plays to get a picture of his actions, he quits doing what he was doing!! I figured, if I had a good zoom on my CELL phone and not having to rely on the 8x auto zoom built in on the phone that blurs the image too much to begin with, I could keep it in my pocket or tote it around a bit easier, and yet, keep my distance so as to not distract him at all. I got online...off to Amazon I went. I found a very inexpensive [$21 before shipping and tax] 20x zoom lens that attaches to the phone. It fits most all smart phones and according to the site, any and all iPhones. Wooohoo. Well, it arrived the other day and I stopped what I was doing, opened the package and experimented.

By the way it comes with a tripod, an owner's manual, the lens, clip to secure the phone and a remote shutter button. You ready for this? The two of us, Bud and I, spent nearly an hour trying to figure out how to open and extend the tripod. The 'idiot sheet" was no good, 'cause it was all about the lens - not the tripod. Hmmmmm, Both of us were afraid we'd break something before I even got a chance to connect it to the phone. Then, as we sat and watched the local news for the evening, I could see Bud's brain in high gear. The wheels were turning. He got up ... went to the box which the lens was shipped in...stayed there for just a minute or two, came to my side by the couch....the tripod was open!!!! Trust me, as the Geico commercial goes, even a CAVEman can do it. Or a toddler!! But, no....not us!!

Anyway, I got it hooked up and Snoop Dogg Catt was watching me from a distance, a bit bored with the whole thing...



I tested the zoom when he started being himself. The pictures are blurry - I didn't have it on the tripod; hand held. I think I'm gonna like it...

Now onto the last of my post for the day.  The books.

THE BEAST'S HEART

I finished reading another novel on the subject of Beauty and the Beast.  This one is published in paperback in February of 2019.  The author is Australian, I believe, and the story is the famous fable of Beauty and the Beast.  This time, the story is told, and unfolded through the eyes and thoughts of the BEAST.  Very well written.  She combines the Disney version AND the original French story.  This love story that is never one I shy away from {I am not one to read romance novels, but Beauty and the Beast and Phantom of the Opera I can read over and over again}.  I just couldn't keep my hands away from it for long.  I wanted to see what lays in store for the reader from one page to another.  You have the sisters from the original, the magic mirror from the movie, tho the teapot and armoire, the candelabra, piano, clock etc. from Disney doesn't exist as characters, yet, the kingdom and his castle is quite magical.  There are the roses and the connection with them and the young daughter, and the father.  For anyone who likes this story....it's a 'must' read.  And safe enough for a young teenager to read.  No adult themes except for the love and happily ever after ending.  SPOILER Oh...and also through the eyes of the Beast, an epilogue enhances their life in the 'ever after'!!!  You'll have to read the book to find out the end of the story's ending.

DEAR GEORGE DEAR MARY

 “Love is said to be an involuntary passion, and it is, therefore, contended that it cannot be resisted.” —George Washington

Other than what was required of me through school, I don't believe I've ever read about George Washington.  This book, is a newly published historical novel.  I haven't opened the pages yet to begin reading, but I do look forward to doing so.  I can only give you a short synopsis of the 'theme'.  From the publisher, Macmillan 

A novel about heiress Mary Philipse's relationship with George Washington, based on historical accounts, letters, and personal journals by nine-time New York Emmy Award-winning journalist Mary Calvi. >Did unrequited love spark a flame that ignited a cause that became the American Revolution? Never before has this story about George Washington been told. Crafted from hundreds of letters, witness accounts, and journal entries, Dear George, Dear Mary explores George’s relationship with his first love, New York heiress Mary Philipse, the richest belle in Colonial America. From elegant eighteenth-century society to bloody battlefields, the novel creates breathtaking scenes and riveting characters. Dramatic portraits of the two main characters unveil a Washington on the precipice of greatness, using the very words he spoke and wrote, and his ravishing love, whose outward beauty and refinement disguise a complex inner struggle. Dear George, Dear Mary reveals why George Washington had such bitter resentment toward the Brits, established nearly two decades before the American Revolution, and it unveils details of a deception long hidden from the world that led Mary Philipse to be named a traitor, condemned to death and left with nothing. While that may sound like the end, ultimately both Mary and George achieve what they always wanted.

PS....two days in a row now, we've had SUN and warmer temps. Yay.

§ Another Day - another glitch

It's been trial and error for the last couple of days....connecting with my laptop. I'd get connected, then, go into blogger admin and open up a new blank page to begin composing a new post, and it became frozen at "loading". I tried several times throughout the day, and always nothing. Sat down and watched the 'human' version of Walt Disney's Beauty and the Beast.  Then, on Monday after lunch, I was going to use my hour time I limit myself a day sitting at my desk, to perhaps work on a post. I would get connected, but "no internet" .... "try again". I finally gave up on the whole shebang. Rebooted laptop, cleaned cache, and tried one last time today...I'm now online, with internet, and everything is hunky dorie!!

Here goes nuttin'....

When I was a kid, my dad brought me a gift when he returned home from his travels. It was a "Thirsty Bird". As a child, I was completely fascinated by it. Just the other day, I was at Hobby Lobby walking around looking for off white enamel paint for an in home project. Well, I didn't find the paint I wanted, but at one of the end-caps they had what they said was "Fun Stuff". I browsed the few shelves there, and I found "my toy" from my youth. Of course, if you don't know, you know now....You can use your phone and get a paperless 40% coupon. I grabbed one of the thirsty birds, and checked out, using my coupon....

Read about it at Hobby Lobby and the physics of how they work, HERE

Another thing that was giving me fits was trying to draw a horse. Tried a few times, didn't like it...tossed it. Then, another inspiring idea...a sail boat sketch...nope, nada. That too was tossed. While I was working on my sketch pad, Bud was cleaning out the library book shelves....I got up from my tablet, stored my art pencils and started to dust, wax, and clean all the hanging pictures and frames on the wall. Here is one that has been around since our Tucson days...it's titled Sonoran Serenade.  [Tucson is in the Sonoran Desert] I painted this coyote and cactus, along with the Tucson Mountains in the background...out of our front room, we could see the Tucson Mountains [this area is where a lot of western movies were filmed], and out our patio doors we could see the Catalina Mountains. Anyway, the painting is done in acrylics....

...and, since there has been so many damp cloudy days here of late, the two of us have been working on some Spring Cleaning. Well, we got all the library done. That's a chore...dusting each individual book [trust me hundreds of books and growing] - shelves, drapes and windows, furniture. Yay. We did the hall bathroom from ceiling to floor. Finished the dining room...curtains, windows, glass dolphin collection, inside and outside of the hutch and table and chairs. Oh ya....who is the 'idiot' that got the brilliant idea to frame bird photos?!!!! Dozens of frames, each collage frames with eight individual frames within a frame. But, they're done.  I hope to have some SUNNY days to get back out in the great outdoors. Enough cleaning for a while.  Besides, I am to get a package delivered today that I've been wanting to test out...in the SUN....another camera gadget.

One more thing that just recently got done...I cleaned out one of the computers' bird photo folders. And burned them on a disc. i don't do Flickr or any of those online clouds...I keep them safe, and on discs...who knows if Flickr will go belly up or we change cloud carriers? This way, I have them. Oh, and there were 4487 photos!! 8 GB total.  Who knows how many are on the other computer?  I'm in no hurry to get to going through THOSE.  lol

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While going through the bird photos and all the other photos, I came across some that I thought you may enjoy...



This cute little red-head was a handful of terror for her mother....she was not 'wild'...but hyper active. We are at the Texas State Aquarium, and at the dolphin tank [underwater]. She was so cute, I couldn't resist asking mama for permission to take her picture.


...speaking of hyper active,..so is Isaiah! Here he is with his laser light!



It's gotten to the point he loves this!!! He can be in another room, sound asleep [or so we think], and he hears the click of the button on his 'mouse light'...here he comes running at top speed ready to chase!



It looks as if he has an alien helmet on his head...,but that is a glass, nautical, ball light behind him.

All righty then, I'm gonna call it quits for the day and pre-schedule the post to publish.  We'll chit chat again soon?