Happy 2012 one and all.

I'm not too concerned about what the Mayan calendar prediction is but seriously, couldn't the end of the world come AFTER Christmas? Granted, we could all celebrate a month early. Nothing says "surprise" like opening gifts on November 25. And we would all have time to enjoy our goodies. Then if we all wake up on December 22, 2012, imagine all the joy we will bring the retail market as we dash around getting gifts, food staples and other assorted holiday fixins, not to mention the sales that will surely be in play. Think about it...Macy's One-Day End of the World Sale!!! Best Buy's Last Best Buys Ever!!! Tiffany's Buy 3/Get 1 Half Off!!! And could the end of the world even spark Louis Vuitton to have their first ever sale. Hummm...Have I just found the up side to the end of days???

KH-G

Time flys

Today Rory & I are celebrating our second anniversary. Funny how it seems like forever...in a good way of course! He continues to be everything I've ever wanted. Love is difficult to explain but in the immortal words of Belinda Carlisle during her Go-Go's period...

"When I'm with you, I shake inside
My heart's all tangled up
My tongue is tied it's crazy.
Can't walk, can't talk, can't eat, can't sleep
Oh, I'm in love, oh I'm in deep 'cuz baby
With a kiss you can strip me defenseless
With a touch I completely lose control
'Til all that's left of my strength is a memory

I get weak when I look at you, weak when we touch
I can't speak when I look in your eyes
I get weak when you're next to me, weak from this love
I can't speak when I look in your eyes
I get weak

Convincing eyes, persuasive lips
The helpless heart just can't resist their power
You know you've got a hold over me
You know you've got me where I want to be ..."

It's been an amazing 2 years and I hope to have many, many more just like them.

Kathy

Addressing the mavens

Vending at various art shows and dog events gives one a lot of down time. When not chit-chatting with the potential buyers, I'll doddle new drawing ideas or read or simply watch the world go by. Often my inner fashionista goes postal when faced with couture red flags passing my booth.

The time has come to get a few things off my chest. Heed my warnings!!! There are people looking at you ~ and not in a good way!

* If your purse is bigger than your head, your purse is too big.

* Big sunglasses can't hide ugly.

* If people hand you change while you're sitting on a park bench, you've worn the wrong outfit.

* "Designer" does not always mean better.

* Woman wearing too low-riding jeans + too tight top = beer belly look.
It doesn't look good on your dad and it sure doesn't look good on you!

* If you can afford it, you can afford to have taste.

* No matter what Vogue tells you, wearing florals and plaids do not mix.

* You can be too thin (but never too rich!!!!).

* If you can't walk and bend your knees while wearing 4 inch spike heels, perhaps you should
reconsider your footwear.

And one last tip....

Look in the mirror one last time before you walk out of the house. You'll be happy you did. And so will I. ;)

Kathy

When faced with the road you don't want to retravel

The loss of a beloved parent is traumatic for a child no matter what their age. But when there is no love, the emotions take a different form. Waking up to find the police knocking at your door in the middle of the night to inform you of the suicide of one of your parents can force you to relive a childhood you would, for the most part, rather forget. You face a road you don't want to retravel but you have no choice and you know you have to open your eyes and face what you walked away from.

To say there are no emotions for the death of an unloved parent is incorrect. The emotions swell and crash. It feels as if they will never stop haunting you. They are undefinable aside from the rage, but that rage was always just below the surface. Yet little by little, those emotions are defined and the unanswered becomes clear. Suddenly you discover what you felt, what you thought, what you walked away from really existed. You learn one thing - you made the right choice all those years ago and because of that choice you became the person your parent would never be rather than becoming your parent.

A good friend of mine in Nevada told me to put my thoughts into words, but my words on this are still too harsh. Instead, I will use someone else's words....

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

It's a pity, it's a crying shame.
He pulled you down again.
How painful it must be
To bruise so easily inside.

It's a pity, it's a downright crime.
But it happens all the time.
You wanna stay a little girl.
Wanna hide from the vicious world outside.

But don't cry.
Know the tears will do no good, so dry your eyes.

Your daddy he's the iron man.
A battleship wrecked on dry land.
Your mama she's a bitter bride.
She'll never be satisfied.
Do you know? And that's not right.

But don't cry.
Know the tears will do no good, so dry your eyes.

They told you life is hard. It's misery from the start.
It's dull, it's slow, it's painful.
I tell you life is sweet in spite of the misery.
There's so much more to be grateful for.

Well, who do you believe?
Who will you listen to?
Who will it be?
It's high time that you decide in your own mind.

I've tried to comfort you.
Tried to tell you to be patient.
They are blind.
They can't see.
Fortune gonna come some day.
All gonna fade away.

Your daddy the war machine.
And your mama the long and suffering,
Prisoner of what she cannot see.
For they told you life is hard.
It's misery from the start.
It's dull, it's slow, it's painful.
But I tell you life is sweet in spite of the misery.
There's so much more to be grateful for.

Who do you believe?
Who will you listen to? Who will it be?
Because it's high time you decide.
It's time you make up your own sweet little mind.

Oh they told you life is long. Be thankful when it's done.
Don't ask for more, you should be grateful.
But I tell you life is short, be thankful.
Because before you know it will be over.
'Cause life is sweet and life is also very short.
Your life is sweet .

"Life Is Sweet" ~ Natalie Merchant

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

Oooh I believe that Fate smiled and
Destiny laughed as she came to my cradle
"Know this child will be able"
Laughed as she came to my mother
"Know this child will not suffer"
Laughed as my body she lifted,
"Know this child will be gifted,
With love, with patience, and with faith, she'll make her way, she'll make her way.

"Wonder" ~ Natalie Merchant

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

Kathy

for your holiday viewing pleasure

It's a long, lovely 3 day weekend. My big plans include some gardening, BBQing and romping with the pups. I plan on getting in some drawing as well as I have been selected to participate in the juried Old Town San Diego Art Festival. I just love the area and this trip will give me the perfect excuse to bask in luxury at the Hotel del Coranado during my free time.

Following are a few of my more lighthearted offerings....

"The Cats: le Chapeau"
I seldom actually I LIKE something I do, but I will admit, this twisted version of the cat in the hat is one of my favorites. The model is one of my homeless cats, Fluffy, who likes to sit on the top of my back porch fence each morning and worship the rising sun.

"Dinner"



"Grey Luv"



"Off Kilter"
My first meeting with an ostrich was not pretty. They are the oddest looking birds and this one was none too friendly. And I'm sure Mr. Ostrich was equally unimpressed about meeting me!

Kathy

Beauty

"I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."

She graced our life with the brilliance of a shooting star. And has gone too soon. But oh what joy she brought in her 4 years as part of the tribe. Beauty's brilliance will now light up the heavens as she takes her place among the stars.

Beauty lost her battle with lymphoma this morning. She had done so well with the first part of her treatments but shortly after they were over she developed a slight infection. That went away quickly and things seemed OK. Early last week some of her nodes began to swell again and by Friday she was not eating nor holding down what little she did eat. Our vet did everything possible but cancer has a mind of it's own.

This morning, we knew.

She was our Beauty Girl in a beauty world. Our little old lady. The mama of us all. She was the celebrity of the family, appearing with Rory in the book "Rescued". She was prolific and spunky and sweet and just a bit of a princess. She had Rory wrapped around her tiny paw from the moment he saw her. When I joined the family, she made sure I learned how to be a member of a greyhound pack.

So together again with our Marty and all the friends she knew and meeting my lovely Winston and all the friends she will soon get to know, the little cowgirl named Buxom Beauty starts on a new adventure. She will be missed by a family who loved her dearly and who's hearts will forever be missing a piece. It's nice to know that Beauty's essence will live on in her pups, grandpups and great-grandpups. So if you see Buxom Beauty in your greyhound line, please tell them that Beauty was a wonderful girl.

The evening sky will have an added twinkle tonight.
Our eternal Beauty 1996-2008.

Kathy

In The 'Hood

In November my neighborhood is having a historic home tour. It's an early 2oth century area, with homes of several architectural styles. There's also lots of grass, trees and flowers surrounded by picket fences and the streets are lined with vintage street lights. It's truly a charming place to live. During the first home tour committee meeting, I volunteered to design the poster for the home tour which will be used in all advertising, promotions, sales, etc. I've never done anything like this before and am very pleased with the end result.

While we do have a lot of homeless cats in the area - many living under my front porch - that's not the reason for the area's name of Catlin Court! Fluffy is the lucky kitty who got to be in the ad but I don't think his new found "fame" will change his routine much.

So if you're in Glendale, Arizona in November, please be sure to take the home tour! For more info visit the Catlin Court Home tour website at http://www.catlincourthometour.com/

Kathy

Catching up

It's been a while since I've bored you all. My lack of posts have been due partly to laziness and partly to the fact that between traveling and drawing and taking care of the tribe, by the end of the day my brain is a goo-ball that can barely grasp the topic of a "South Park" episode. Overall, life has been pretty darn good. I've ventured into the world of reptiles. This is a looooooooooooon story that you'll be hearing lots more about. Last month ago we found out that Beauty has lymphoma. I'll write more on that soon, but so far things are ok and Beauty is still her sassy, spunky 12 year old self. Last week I was notified that I was accepted into the Old Town San Diego Art Festival so I'm very excited about that and have hardly put down my pencils and pens. A new generation of homeless cats have moved in under my front porch. Oh dear! The 4 kittens have been christened Sundance, Butch, The Kid and Fred (as in Right Said Fred). They are a bit too quick for photos, but I did manage to get one of the blue eyed Miss Sundance through the front window...

Not sure exactly what's going to happen but most likely we'll round them all up and take them to the local shelter to be fixed. Oh well...eventually every homeless cat in the neighborhood finds it's way to my home.

Well before my brain shuts down for the night, I thought I'd share a few of the new doodles ~

"Pink Poodle"

"Nude #1"

"Danserez-vous, Remy"



Logo for the 2008 GPA/Southern Nevada picnic....

"Puppies" (for some odd reason the flash causing a glare on the paper, so I had to tilt the drawing in order to photograph it!!)

"White Star"

More exciting (???) adventures tomorrow. Or the next day. Maybe.

Kathy

Sail Away

My friend Judy is the proprietress the Singapore Bank Bookstore in Saugatuck, Michigan. Later this month she will be participating in her 37th running of the Chicago to Mackinac Race, which is celebrating it's 100th year. Judy shared some of her Mac Memories with the Chicago Yahct Club.
http://fw.nemexinc.com/modules/video_upload/uploads/237/Judy Hallisy_MacChat.wvx

Judy's the coolest person and Singapore Bank Bookstore is a fun, funky and comfortable bookshop for people who enjoy reading. If you're ever in Saugatuck, be sure to drop in. You won't leave empty handed. And if your in Chicago and can watch the start of the Mac Race, do so!! It's an awesome sight.

Kathy

An M is just an upsidedown W

Three years ago today, my lovely Winston left my side. I still miss him. Lots. Every day. He was my first greyhound. My universe. He was perfect. He made me look like a great "mom" but that's because he was so wonderful.

Early this morning I was doing some mindless walking and shopping. Mainly to get my mind off of the day. While shopping, I came across a funky bracelet made from vintage Bakelite mahjong tiles. As I love mahjong (OK, I'm addicted) I decided to take a closer look. One of the tiles on the bracelet was the 8 bamboo...which is 8 sticks forming the letter "W" with a mirror image forming the letter "M". The cosmic side of my brain decided that this was a good omen as not only was it a "W" for Winston, but also an "M" for my dear old boy Marty who passed away in July.

I've been wearing the bracelet all day. Maybe it does have some magic powers. Perhaps it's just wishful thinking. On what started as a sad day in my world, turned warm and soft, like a greyhound's ear and my heart was comforted because I truly believe both Winston & Marty found a special way to say hello today when I most needed it. But ya know, Winston always knew how to make me smile.

"You never know when you're making a memory.
They will wish they were here together again,
Someday..."
Young Blood - Rickie Lee Jones


Kathy