Ancient Roots

Did you know that St. Nicholas has a counterpart named Krampus? I just learned that today, and this is the evening he runs about, scaring children and catching the naughty ones in his large rusty chains to give them a beating with a collection of birch rods. The especially bad ones he would toss into a large basket on his back and take them to the river to drown, or toss them into the firey maw of Hell (good kiddies get fruit and sweets).

Now there's an incentive to behave. Even better than coal or no gifts at all!

This ides is still alive and well in the Alps where young men dress up as Krampus and run around scaring children or switching young women (though not likely to hurt like the real Krampus would have). This happens on the 5th of December, the eve before St. Nicholas Day.

I love old traditions! Especially the ones that scare little childrens.

Winter Raiments

We haz da snowz!

Again.

But this time more fell and it got a lot colder.

This was the view of the inner courtyard at my apartment building. Too bad you cannot really see the fluffy bits of crystal white floating down from the sky though the muted evening sun. It really was quite pretty. Sadly I am never really able to capture the beauty I see.

I need a better camera. One day.

Clicky for slightly larger picture.

'Tis The Season

One of the lovely things about being a stay-at-home mom and wife is that I have the mornings and afternoons to myself, to accomplish what I want or to take leisure time. Naturally my later afternoons and evenings are dedicated to cooking and looking after my family. I also have a sister who is able to stay at home, though her circumstances are slightly different, and her health dis-allows her from working too much outside of her home.

It is with this sister I enjoy spending some of my time with during the regular week (my other sister is busy and I can only kidnap her on Fridays and the weekends). However, lately, this has become a source of frustration. Not that my sister has done anything wrong, quite the contrary. It's me.

Twice now in the past month we have tried to get together to play amongst the pretty shops and sparkly things that catch our attentions. Twice now I have had to flatly refuse her.

Why?

Both hers and my own health.

I seem to be party central for the local cold/flu/virus. And it's not like I leave the doors wide open for these homewreckers either. They just seem to find me a rather hospitable host. And normally I appreciate that. But right now, it is just flat out making me mutter bizzarre curses in my little mind as I cough or try to swallow anything (sore throat). For this issue, I dare not expose my sister to my tenants, for she has a battered immune system as it is.

So alone I get to be tomorrow morning and afternoon. But that is okay. I still have a lot of cleaning to do. Well, there is always a lot of cleaning to do. It's like it multiplies in dark corners with the fertility of rabbits then crawls out in the predawn hours for me to trip over or stumble across later that morning.

Maybe the cats have something to do with it.

This is a picture I took a couple years ago. If you look carefully you can see this was taken in the city. Instead of 'Where's Waldo' it's Where's Stop Light'. I post this now because I love winter and I love snow, and it has been snowing outside this evening. Just a little. But I enjoy watching it fall from the murky cold skies to the earth.

Winter is my favorite time of year. I love the feel of things sleeping softly. If you pay close attention, you can actually feel the trees dozing. Well at least the ones of the non-evergreen variety. Though the evergreens to feel a little drowsy in winter because their sap slows down dramatically.

Now, hopefully that cough medicine I took a little while ago will kick in soon so I can drift off to my own rest without trying to expell my internal organs.

They really do need to stay on the inside.

Merry Chriharranunzaastice?!?

I read an interesting article today about two different women who made their decisions to go back to a store based on what was said to them this time of year. One was going to flat out challenge employees to say 'Merry Christmas' after she made the initial move, the other would only return if she got a 'Happy Holidays'. I think both of them are a little insane.

First off, I certainly would by happy to get a friendly greeting of "Happy Holidays", though this year I am tempted to ask which holiday they are referring to. Seriously! There are tons. This year the Solstice is going to be on the 21st. Yule is celebrated at that time too. Hanukkah starts on the 22nd and runs through the 29th. Christmas, is of course, the 25th. Kwanzaa starts on the 26th and runs through the first day of the New Year. There is even Muharram on the 29th, the Islamic New Year. So for what I have counted, that's six different holidays, not counting New Years, in an eighteen day spread.

The Catholic church really bungled this one, using this as a band aid to cover all the pagan celebrations this time of year. Nonetheless, I still plan on celebrating it in the Christian context, with a nod to the Solstice (I think it's fun and enlightening to celebrate some of the non-'traditional' days everyone used to celebrate a few hundred years ago). So all the 'Happy Holiday' people will be getting a hearty 'Merry Christmas' as my reply. And if they choose to give me funny looks for daring to name what the majority of what everyone is actually celebrating anyways, I shall ask them to which holiday they were referring.

And that does make me wonder, all these people, these secular people bent on including everyone and not naming Christ and his day that we are all celebrating, do they truly not have a Christmas tree? Is it perhaps topped with an angel or a star (representative of the star over Bethlehem)? Do they have candy canes (recalling shepherds crooks and the story of the nativity)? Perhaps?

Well if their trees no longer represent Christmas and Christ, do they hearken back to their ancient roots? The evergreen tree represents rebirth and renewal as the pagans saw it. Santa Claus has Christian origins, generous to children. The Yule Log is most certainly pagan, burning on the Solstice from dusk till dawn (and longer), but now situated with Christmas tradition. Wreaths and garlands of evergreens, holly, and mistletoe adorn homes, back to when celebrating pagans would adorn their homes for their festivities. Do they do these things because they are honoring ancient practices?

Well, then, just what are they celebrating? Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Muharram? If they can't answer with anything specific (love, brotherhood, the season, etc. do not count), then they are simply posers, doing things because the Joneses are doing them and they look pretty. "I can do it if I want to!" certainly, but why are you doing it? If you aren't really celebrating anything, then why participate in Christian and Pagan rituals?

It's okay, you may borrow my huff to leave in.

And if anyone wants to wish me a Happy Hanukkah, or Solstice, or Yule, or Kwanzaa, or Muharram, I will not be offended. I will smile and say thank-you and wish a Merry Christmas (as I don't think it's proper to give greetings for a holiday you aren't celebrating) in return, since that is what I shall be celebrating.

Not Enough Tryptophan

And apparently not enough other sleepytime stuff either. I should be sleeping an hour ago, at least. Maybe it's all the Thanksgiving pie.

So now I am going to likely babble.

Whee.

After watching Jeff Dunham, I grow more respectful of this gentleman's ability to personify his various head voices and externalize them so perfectly. It is quite amusing to see how the line between the two different realities of 'individual characters' and simply another head voice blurs so well. And so amusingly. His comedy act is a riot.

If you don't know who Jefuh-fuh is, he's a stand-up ventriloquist comedian.

My favorite character of his is Peanut. Perhaps because, in a way, he reminds me of myself at times.

And that is a terribly frightening thought.

Onward to chaos, laughing hysterically the whole way.

It's probably a good thing that I have my husband. He keeps me grounded, which in turn keeps the men in the white coats with the funny looking jacket made just for me away. Though their drugs are pretty rockin'.

Just FYI, right now I am post Thanksgiving desert high combined with perscription pain and muscle relaxer meds because I seriously over-did it the past few days, especially today. However, the turkey was NOT dry, and the potatoes were good (though they could have stood another 5 or so minutes cooking, but it's just that I am so paranoid about having potato soup instead of mashing potatoes, I tend to take them off a smidgen too early, so I need to remind myself to give 'em five more minutes) and my altered stuffing from a box was awwwwwwwwesooooome! I added two extra table spoons of butter, sauteed mushrooms and a bit of onion, added a little garlic and more sage, then added the water to boil and the stuffing from the box.

No, I don't know how to get the little marky thing over the 'e' to indicate a dipthong or whatever that is called. It's French anyways. the word sauteed, not the dipthong or the 'e' marky thing. See, I remember stuff from crappy high school french, even though I learned better french in fourth grade in Canada.

Canada has their Thanksgiving closer to when it might actually have occurred, in the first part of October. Ooooh Canada, we time Thanksgiving riiiight. Think of that last sentence as singing. The national anthem. The Canadian one.

Okay, my mouth is as dry as if I have been sucking on cotton balls, and I am being too ADD even for my own tolerance, and the sleepy pills are working their magic, so I shall stumble off to bed to hopefully catch up on some much needed sleep.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I Have No Idea What You're Talking About...

... So here's a picture of a green bunny hiding in pumpkin vines.


I have no idea what happened with the flash. Maybe it went through one of the leaves I was pushing aside to get this shot. Either way, everything ended with a distinctively chlorophyll tinted hue.

This was out at my sister's garden. It's actually a community garden. This little guy and his family was wreaking havoc on the tomatoes. I chased him and a sibling to a neighboring plot and was actually able to catch him. He was about the size of a clementine orange. Just a little tiny thing. Probably one of his first few ventures out into the garden. I was able to pet him, and I let my baby water dragon pet him as I held the little guy. I didn't let her hold him because this little guy is wild after all.

He was adorable. I'm glad no one got fleas or rabies.

Good Night? Good Morning??

I'm not certain if this is a sunrise or sunset. I was thinking it was a sunset, but now that I look at it more, I think it is a sunrise. I am up that early on a fairly regualr basis.

I hate mornings.

Five Months Later, They Are All Still Best Buddies

Canyon: "Zzzzzzzzzzz."
Voodoo: "That's really annoying."
Gypsy: "Stupid human."
Copper: "Shhh, I's sleepin'."

Mittens Are Not For Wearing

If you recall, my husband nicknamed the new kittens in the house 'the Mittens'. He has a unique gift for the oddball things. It makes me laugh. He's fun.

"I r t3h skarri tygrr! Rrrrarrr!!1!!"

We had the mittens for almost two weeks at this point. We've had them for five months now. Boo loves having kittens in the house. It's nice that Canyon is such a cuddle monkey and doesn't mind being picked up and snuggled.


They grow up so fast! This was one month ago. They are almost six months old here. You can't see how full and fluffy their tails are, but oh my goodness, they are balls of fluff, both of them. I need to get rolling again on some pictures, get some good updated photos of the little ones. Gypsy is still so small and delicate, though her personality can be rather abrasive with the way she enjoys disdaining people. Canyon is a much more robust boy, and much bigger than she is, but a total purring lovebug. One of his common nicknames is Purrball.

I can hardly wait to have an actual house so we can see about fostering kittens from the local Humane Society, and also see about adopting those greyhounds I want.

I Taek Pikumchurs

You really do need to click on this for the full effect of the larger size. I really like watching water drip like this. It moves in such fascinating ways. It's a challenge to catch it on camera without setting it up. I guess I'm obsessed with water partially because I'm a Piscean.

Yay fishies!

This is one of the railing posts at my apartment complex during a rainshower.

All Hallow's E'en

Each picture should be clickable. It will take you to the flickr photo, and 'all sizes' can be clicked on to get a better look at the actual size I uploaded. Now on to the pickychures!!


The young man (I wanted to type boy, he's just so young!) wearing the dress shirt and trousers is a missionary for my church. His partner is featured here in just a moment. They were a blast to have in our area. They both really connected with Brandon, especially when it came to video games. Buncha nerds! (jokes! I'm a total gamer too)

Here we had taken them to the local pumpkin patch. We like having the misisonaries over for dinner from time to time, and this time we decided on a picnic dinner amidst the pumpkins. I think Elder Johnson and Brandon are discussing the variety of chips sitting in the trunk at the moment.


Here is our little picnic spread. My sister is with us, even though she was a smidgen late to the party. The other missionary boy is out exploring amongst the pumpkins at this point.

We all probably got a bit of dust and dirt in our sandwiches, but everyone needs a peck of dirt every now and then!

Boo looking for the perfect Boo Pumpkin. She may have narrowed her sights on one!

Note the look of dismay and disgust on Elder Harrill's face. Note the piece of pumpkin stem in his right hand. Also note the freshly overturned pumpkin in the lower left of the picture, right in front of him.

I'd be irritated too.

Jazz hands!! With more feeling Elder Johnson!!


The pumpking patch we go to each year is more of a pumpking farm than a little patch. It's awesome.

"Hey! I found one that looks like my head!"

I kid you not he said that.

Fastfoward a little to the Trunk-or-Treat. This was a highlight for me. Pin-the-nose-on-the-pumpkin game. Boo had just finished her turn. If you look under the girl's right wrist, you will see where she landed the nose.

I laughed.

This is my sister's husband. No, not that sister, the other one. He and my sister put this together. It looks AWESOME! My sister made the vest for him. Just took an old sheet and marked a pattern out right on his body. Then they cut the pattern out and cut the material, then just used the leather to stitch it together. She also coffee dyed the shirt. They bought the legs, mask, and gloves. He had a blast scaring the childrens. In fact, he scared the beejeebies out of our little niece.

The little girl is two and a half. My mother took her and her four year old brother over to their (sister and husband's) house too. I do it every year more or less because boo likes to show off for her aunties. So when my mother brought the little ones up to the door, my bro-in-law answers in his costume. Immediately our neice says "I'm tired. I wanna go home." and tries to leave.

Of couse she won't say she's scared. She just is suddenly tired. It was hilarious.

So, this is my little faerie. The only thing I made was the headband and I replaced the flowers on the wings. My accident prevented me from laboring over a sewing machine. But I think we were able to conjure up a fairly cute fae. Some of it we borrowed, some bought, some of it we already had. The choker I made a while back was the perfect final touch. :)

And now off into the night to revel with the other spirits and spooks, begging treats in place of mischevious tricks.

I Mean It This Time

Okay, so maybe I don't, but seriously, I do want to blog. I just haven't been. And I don't have any good excuses. But don't tell my ego that.

So, since it has been quite a while, I suppose to should at least write a little about what has been going on. That in and of itself is a small paradox, because both a lot and nothing has really happened.

To be specific, it feels like nothing much has happened the past couple months. Before I think too much on it, it seems I have just lazily sailed through the days, poking at cats, cleaning, and internet. However, when I do start going back over what has gone on, a surprising amount has happened to me.

It all sort of starts with the Kia. Of course I had written a little about the issues we had. Well, it turned out, it just needed some transmission fluid. My hubby is not a car guy, so when he had taken it to Grease Monkey, and was told ALL fluids, including transmission, were filled, he took their word for it. So when things started to go downhill, he never thought to crawl through the hood. Neither did I, and I should have.

We discovered this when I took the Kia into a local, trustworthy mechanic.

I could have spit nails. Metal ones. Really long pointy metal ones.

They filled it up, charged me for the fluid, and sent me on my merry way.

Yay! So we had a second vehicle on good condition. Life was good. I had my own wheels now. I could take Boo to school in the morning, now that it's too cold for her to walk (her asthma acts up in the cold air), and have a vehicle to run about in for whatever I needed.

So I personally detail the car (mostly) with a little assistance provided by Boo. We at least get it cleaned, wiped down, and looking passable for a clean-ish car. We get all the trash out of the cab and the trunk, and vaccuum till there's nothing left to vaccuum. It shines inside and out. My plan is to drive Boo to school in the mornings, and walk to school to pick her up. Exercise for me, exercise for her. We both get stronger, and her lungs get stronger.

Then I get sick.

No walkies for me.

Okay, no big deal. I take a week of illness, then go back to the plan. The massive coffee table in the livingroom gets moved so the hubby and I can at least think about properly exercising, and I start formulating a plan. I get better, and am ready to enact my plan when screech crash bang.

Some lady headed the opposite direction as me decides to make a left hand turn right in front of me three weeks ago.

My poor little car. My plans. My walkies. My exercising. My sewing projects (Boos Halloween costume specifically, along with one for me, a fuzzy pillow, and pink and black fairy skirts). All either wrecked or placed on hold.

The whole situation was quite upsetting. I had already purchased the material for the Halloween costume. My Virgo-ness (my rising sign) was very irate that my plans had been scrambled. I was devastated and sickened about the car (fortunately it's not in bad condition and still drivable) and all the time I had just put into it, and all the plans I was making for it.

However, all in all, I was quite blessed that it had not been worse. I normally travel that stretch of road a lot faster. I also could have easily been distracted for a split second and not been able to hit the brakes as quickly. I could have chosen to ignore my seatbelt, as I do from time to time. Someone could have been driving right behind me.

Scary, but I was able to walk away from that situation. Now I get to busy myself with attournies (we got a lawyer to deal with her insurance company), chiropractic visits, and mountains of papers. Not fun, but it could have been so much worse.

On the lighter side, the new car, a shiny (would be shiny but needs a bath) wine coloured 2006 Ford Taurus SES, has something truly awesome, aside from all the features hanging out in the cab and under the hood. It's in the trunk.

This made me laugh. It still does. It's not enough to simply direct whomever may be trapped in the trunk to pull down to open trunk. They need to be certain to hop out and run away. Truly morbid in it's own way. I love it.

Up next time, Halloweeny pictures, pumpkiny pictures, and pictures in general.

And Somewhere Under The Dust

I know I haven't written here in well over a month. Actually, close to a month and a half. Bad little monkey! I can explain a little at least.

See, back at the end of July, the husband and I had noticed some issues starting up with our current car, a '97 Kia Sephia. So after some investigation, we came to the conclusion that it was transmission comitting very slow seppuku. Figuring that out wasn't too hard. I called around to sort out how much it was going to be to fix it. That's when we got some highly unsavory news. Labor and parts were going to be more than the current value of the car.

That was a highly unpleasant discovery.

So, we decided to treat ourselves to another vehicle.

That in and of itself is a whole other posting, and I shall get to it eventually. Suffice to say, it was not a pleasant experience.

So after that, we looked about for different vehicle insurance, as we still had the Kia running, and did not see why we had to pay over double insurance to add our new vehicle, an '06 Taurus, with some of the trimmings taken off of the Kia. I spent the following week making many many phone calles, getting rate quotes, and raking in information.

We settled on Geico. Lizards and cavemen. Joy. But the rates are awesome and their consumer reports aren't bad either.

So, shortly after all of this, I fell ill. It took me nearly two weeks to kick it, and then right after, my daughter fell ill. She needed nursing and constant reminder to stay in bed. School also started, and I just haven't felt quite the same after recovering from being sick.

All of these excuses are simply to surmise why I haven't been typing as much (or at all). Several of my duties and projects have been derelect, and that is something I plan on rectifying. The house needs thurough cleaning (the husband seems to be broken when it comes to knowing what needs to be done when), and I have many piles of laundry screeching for attention.

Oh dear, I might just need to lie down for a moment. Too many scary things needing attention.

Magical Creatures

There be fairies and dragons in these parts.

Fuzzy Zzz's

Canyon's pink little nose in macro. He was snoozing in my arms and I snagged my camera. Little boy is such a limp little ragdoll when he sleeps.

Aching Pencils

Okay, I'll admit it. I draw. Sometimes. I even get get out the occasional thing that isn't that hard on the eyes too. Hence the dA account and all that. However, I haven't worked on anything for quite some time, and the time before those scribblings, quite a spans had passed again. Sad really, as I love drawing, but it seems I have been in an artistic and creative funk for some time now. Years.

It feels as if I have lost an important and sweet dream that flitted off on the wisps of dawn. I'll remember snippets, a blurry frame of phantasm, and those spur me to some sort of industry, such as a single drawing, or a new medium and project such as silk flower fairies or bead decorated keys. It never stays long though, just enough for me to taste the sweet nectar of muse and inspiration before snatching back the cup and fading again into obscurity.

I'm in the midst of another such sweet sip.

Films by Studio Ghibli never fail to urge inspiration within me. Baby Water Dragon has most of the released collection, and we both avidly watch these moving canvases of chimerical fantasy beautifully back dropped by charming melodies. Being the escapist that I am, I tend to wrap myself in the silken threads woven by these inspired storytellers, transporting myself to realms beyond realms. They fill me with such imagery, feelings, desires, and inspirations, at times I feel as if I will simply burst if I am unable to express it in some manner.

However, at this, I usually fail. I usually fail to do anything other than dream, and when I do attempt something, my artistic and writing skills are so atrophied that I utterly fail.

I do not, this time, intend on allowing myself the bitterness of self disappointment. I want to press forward, become more than I am, take a step towards what I see. I look at such artists as the one below and yearn for a fraction of that talent. I know I have it, I just need to tend to it and allow it to blossom. I will never be great, but I know that perhaps I can create something I can be proud of.

This picture has many flaws, but they have a depth of talent I currently lack, something I desperately hope to fix. One step at a time, each one forward.
I have a few different ideas on what I can do to help force myself out of this extremely deep rut. Best one I have is to just put on some music and force something onto the paper until it starts to come smoothly again. It might take a while, and a lot of wasted paper or time, but I never do anything well unless I just jump right into the deep end of the pool.

Old Skool

I make it to Boulder every now and that for various reasons. This time, I just happened to have my camera with me. I found something truly picture worthy outside a cluster of buildings at CSU, just across the way from their law building.

I hope you can see why this picture is just so awesome. *This* might help you know why it's so awesome.

I Want Mai Cheezburgr Nao

Over the weekend, various things tend to happen. Fark will have it's various amusing postings, like the Friday Mugshot Roundup, posted from The Smoking Gun, and then at least one article and thread dedicated to Caturday. Also, my cherished webcomics take the weekend off and I am left edgy for my next one panel giggle or sitting on the edge of my seat in anticipation of what X is going to say to Y and how Z is going to take it.

Yes yes, I know I have no life.

Well, this Saturday, I once again decided to throw my hat, and kitties, into the Caturday thread on Fark. I'm not very good with captions, especially humorous ones, so I decided to let the general Fark freaks have at.


One of our little ones decided that it was cool to play in the collection of grocery bags. We collect them because we reuse them. As you can see, he and his sister are already scattering them. I dunno why cats like to play in plastic bags. Maybe they have some weird asphyxiation fetish.
Anywho, that is the photo I offered up to the masses and this is what they did with it.

I think I got a pretty decent result. It made me giggle and my hubby laugh. It made me decide to try my own hand at it.

Not the best giggle inducer out there, but not bad for my second shot at it. Hopefully I'll be able to pull off some better giggles as I practice more.

Shutterbug In Blue

I'm a regular visitor to Fark. In fact, I waste an awful lot of time on that site. For the uninitiated, it's a non-news site. News of the weird, asinine, and actual info gets posted there, as do photoshop contests, caption contests, and photo contests. Lots of various contests. Not the norm, mind you, but lots of stuff there for everyone.

And definitely not for those of weak constitution.

I decided to throw my hat into the ring on the latest photography contest. The theme was Blue, the difficulty in it being no sky. I immediately thought of some of the pictures I had taken when a gaggle of us had gone to see Blaqk Audio when they graced Denver with their musical genius. No, I cannot say enough good about Davey Havok and Jade Puget's little side project.

This is Davey and Jade as Blaqk Audio. No, I did not take this one. They had a professional do this. Sadly blogger likes to shrink pictures. Both of them are deliciously pretty.

This picture is one of the ones I submitted for the photography contest. Davey singing against a back light of blue. However, the lens glare and all that created a pretty cool effect. He was awesome.

This was the other photo I submitted to the contest. I was right up against the stage. I took this while we listened to the opening act, some hack techno wannabe, and we were all trying to kill some time. This was a tape line on the stage. I thought it would take a cool picture.

I'll make a post about the concert sometime later, and include some more pictures. What got me so excited about this contest is that people actually voted for my entries. No, I came no where close to winning. It's just cool that someone else liked my snappings.

It gives me warm fuzzies that croon Davey's lyrics at me.

Down Came The Rain

The hurricane that has graced Texas and Mexico has brought is some wonderful rain showers. It has cooled things significantly this afternoon, and it's luscious. I've had the door and windows open to take advantage of the electricity-free cooling.

While peeking outside, baby water dragon and I saw this little guy struggling desperately to create his own little home on the railing.

As you can see, his web is a bit rain and wind damaged. Quite determined for a little guy, he's no bigger than the top of a pencil including his legs, he kept trying to repair the threads as more kept breaking.
Spiders, as much as I despise them in my house, are quite amazing creatures.

The Big Bad Manager

So, I have had this utterly ridiculous idea of trying to post a blog every week day. It’s sort of like watching a canoe go out into a lake with a couple small holes in the bottom of the hull; you want to see how for it gets before it sinks entirely.

I thought I’d try talking about whatever comes to mind, and if nothing else, log the day before. I’m certain this will make good bedtime reading at some point with it’s snore inducing excitement, but it’s worth a try.

My husband’s work has been depriving me of his company for an extra hour and a half nearly every day. He works for a web security company (they make anti-viral/anti-spy ware) and unfortunately they have been gathering large corporate minded people into management. It’s not a massive company yet, and they are losing sight of the individual workers there, turning his job into mindless drone work. They also refuse to hire more people to cover all the support calls that come in. Hence he regularly works late (I’ve called him and heard some of conversations in the background, some of the people he has to help aren’t so bright).

It’s quite frustrating. I do actually like my husband, even when he frustrates me to no end, and I do like his company. We occasionally even do things together in the evening, but this is squelched at times because of his exhaustion when he finally crawls home. It will be nice when this is no longer the norm. Evil corporate money grubbers.

I hope their lawns die off and they get ingrown toenails.

Frustration And Annoyance

I very nearly had a post finished. I had two more things to add and a couple lines to write, and then fin!

Alas, a mis-click, and it was all wiped out, water over a sidewalk chalk sketch.

Please excuse me whilst I go curse before attempting the post again.

Three rights, then your first left, and the third padded room on the right

*EDIT* HUZZA to the Blogger.com for having autosave! Huzza to the code monkeys who the webmasters enslave! Aka. As per previous post, I thought this was long gone and I was going to have to start from scratch.

***********************************

I was thinking that perhaps a blog would assist me in my creative writing malaise. I have been having a horrendous time of trying to get some of the creative spiders out of my brain and into type of some form. Tricksy things, those spiders.

Unicorns don't poop rainbows. They poop rainbow colored creative spiders.

And this all says nothing of the drought my artsy leanings have suffered. I can't recall the last time I drew or sculpted something. Really I should just start doing something, no matter how aesthetically offensive the outcome, until something marvellous happens. Well, mayhap not marvellous. I'll settle for mildly interesting. We shall have to see what happens.

Moving onwards with the speed of molasses in January.

The household has aquired, as of a month and a half ago, two more cats. They have been dubbed Mittens by the resident patriarch. I think he aquired the idea of the story of naughty kittens and their lost mittens. Individually, they are Canyon, a slightly dusty, long-haired ginger tabby, and his sibling, a slightly patchy, long-haired tortie.

We had requested the two most aggressive/dominate kittens of the litters, and these are the two that were recomended. We reasoned that perhaps they would need to be able to stand up for themselves against the two younger tomcats in the house (dubbed The Boys, individually Copper and Voodoo). Little did we know that our fears of pained baby mews and flying fur were utterly unfounded.

Here we see Voodoo chillin' with the Mittens.

The hideous white thing is an upended sofa that we have not had the gumption to pack downstairs to the dumpster. It is serving as a temporary kitty tree.

We have further immasculated Copper by adding Mamma to the beginning of his name. He has earned this by his near motherly care of the mittens, insisting on cleaning them and snuggling with them when he deems fit, which is rather often.

Apparently it was Canyons turn.

Naturally our two oldest cats, Hydra and Castle, do what we always expect them to, hold undying disdain for any newcomers to the household. It will be picture time for them later at some point.

Well, that shall be it for the moment. I need to light a fire underneath my chair so I may have motivation to lurk my writing haunts. Really, there is some good stuff there that is begging for attention.