Welcome to the Caturday open thread! If it’s snowing where you are, beware of snowball stalkers sneaking up behind you.
Cat, by svklimkin, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Weekend Open Thread
Welcome to the Caturday open thread! If it’s snowing where you are, beware of snowball stalkers sneaking up behind you.
Cat, by svklimkin, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Yesterday afternoon Minnie let us know that after 18 years it was time for her to leave us.
Goodby my sweet angel, mommy will miss you forever.
I’m so sorry. The Rainbow Bridge gained another beautiful baby. Run free and may there be endless sunny spots to lounge, and tuna for eating. Sending hugs and puppy kisses.
I’m so sorry. However long they live, it’s never long enough. What a lovely picture of her.
What Allein said.
Oh Georgiana, I’m so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing your beautiful girl with us.
Oh, Georgiana.😢 Sending healing thoughts. Do you have other kitties to comfort you?
I’m so sorry, Georgiana.
Georgiana, I’m so very sorry. What a beautiful girl.
Oh no! Thank you for sharing Minnie with us over the years. She was a sweet girl.
Gentle feathered hugs coming your way.
Oh so sorry to hear about Sweet Minnie! She looks like such a perfect floofy empress, and I bet she had the personality to match! My dear departed Dmitri Purrshkavich will meet her at the Rainbow Bridge with welcoming purrs.
My deepest condolences to you and your family. One day there will be less raw grief, but there will always be warm memories and great love.
So very sorry, Georgiana. She brought light to us all, through your stories and photos.
Oh, what a sad start to 2025. She was absolutely gorgeous.
Ohhh, I am very sorry. Ugghh, that’s a wonderful long time you had together. Big hug, such a pure grief.
Oh i’m so sorry.
It hurts to lose them but know that you gave Minnie a wonderful life and endless love. Remember the special and everyday times that you loved each other.
Its only been six weeks since I lost my Donna and Im still looking/expecting her everywhere.
I’m sorry. What a gorgeous kitty, and she was very lucky to have such a loving person. Peace.
Rest in peace, sweet Minnie. My heart goes out to you, Georgiana.
Kitty can stalk me. We got some snow yesterday but not enough to make snowballs. Thankfully it stopped shortly after I left work so I didn’t have to drive home in it.
The dogs were…engaged?
Awww such good doggos as usual. The dog not getting steak just cracked me up. Such a look of disappointment and disgust. “Really lady?? You expect me to eat … this? after tasting the good stuff last night? Jut fork it over and no one will be hurt.”
Pure magic, as always. I loved that Great Dane so much.
Stay warm everyone., and watch out for sneak attacks, human or kitty. After looking at the maps, I think I might be in one of the few spots in the US that’s not going to be hit by the wave of artic air. Not much happening this week end. Still trying to get back into a semi-normal routine after the holidays. Having a day off in the middle of the week left me so confused. What day is it?? Where am I supposed to be?? Is it that time already?
Our city park (think big like Central Park) offers an annual pass that allows you entrance to 14 museums in the park and after several years of saying I want to do that, I’m getting one. Now to decide which museum to visit today – art, natural history, science. Hmmm decisions, decisions. I definitely will be visiting the Japanese Garden, So pretty and so peaceful. Then just errands, and cleaning tomorrow.
I’d go science or natural history, personally. Japanese Garden sounds nice.
Same👍🏼
I’ve been to the art museums before so the Nat or science sounds good too just for something different. But I think I’ll hit the Museum of Art as they have a special exhibit “Wonders of Creation: Art, Science, and Innovation in the Islamic World” that ends tomorrow and it sounds fascinating. The good thing is I have a full year of visits so if I don’t go to the Nat this week there’s always next week.
https://www.sdmart.org/exhibition/wonders-of-creation-art-science-and-innovation-in-the-islamic-world/
That looks interesting. Okay, well, since it’s ending then I’d do that.
I absolutely vote for the Islamic exhibit, not just because it’s closing. The Islamic sections at the Met museum and Philadelphia Museum are one of my favorite permanent collections. The deep history, gorgeous colors and craftsmanship, the tiles (gosh, I love the tiles).
I’m also having a hard time getting into the routine post holidays. All I want to do is sit on the couch and watch movies (I have seen a lot of great movies…). Work, what’s that? Exercise, never heard of it? Cleaning/errands, ugh, do I have to? Lol.
When I moved to NYC in the late 80s, one of my first visits to the Met was for an Islamic exhibit from the Age of Suleiman the Great, early 16th century. I still remember the glorious colors and designs.
THIS!
This is beyond beautiful! I also love that the Arabic language looks so pretty.
Calligraphy became a major art form because artists weren’t supposed to sculpt/draw/paint human forms. They could be seen as idols, so it was forbidden. An “arabesque” in ballet was a nod to the swirling motifs and lines in Muslim (Arab) art.
I did not know this!👍🏼
I love the combination of strong, masculine Islamic architecture with its simple, clean lines and the flowing almost feminine calligraphy.
I feel you! Yesterday felt like Saturday, because I took off work on Thurs and Friday. You also inspired me to pursue a reorg project (see below). Love your museum pass!
I know this was posted in another thread the other day but I wanted to make sure no one missed it!
New Year’s Resolutions advice from Olive & Mabel:
“aim low and you’re never disappointed”
Thank you, Allein, I did miss that! Hilarious! I am definitely those two dogs right now. 🤣
Good Morning everyone. I took Jacques to the Vet on Thursday for a check up. He’s lost another pound so he’s 9lbs, down from 16. He is in good spirits, but a few other issues are concerning. I love my vet. The office is a quirky trio of people who’ve been working together for decades, I’m guessing. There are also two office cats. Clark, a tuxie, who is the supervisor, and Ophelia. Ophelia is a long-haired, chunky diva, who loves people but not dogs. Clark, on the other hand (I was told), has a knack for knowing which dogs need comfort. There was a little tri-pod mix who came in while I was there. She is apparently so terrified of the vet she shakes uncontrollably until Clark goes over to her and calms her down. ❤️
Errands to run today including dropping off “treasures” to the vet for testing. I discovered there is a Sierra Trading post in Morrestown NJ! Weehoo! I also need to stop by Joann’s for a long zipper, Pet Smart for cat food, my therapist for a debrief of family “holiday,” and the groceries I forgot yesterday.
Alice – how is your back?
DebG – did you get your appliances? Sorry if I missed that update.
Hope everyone is well!
Keep us posted about Jacques. And good luck with the debrief!
Thanks DebG. There was massive change of plans since my car wouldn’t start. I tried my portable jumper box – which was also out of juice. Charged it – car still wouldn’t start. Calling AAA tomorrow. The “treasures” made it to the vet, I made it to my debrief, and managed to pick up the forgotten groceries. It is so great that Philly is compact, has great public transportation* and is also navigable via feet.
*(perspective: I’m from So Cal – and you can’t get anywhere without at car).
One last thing:
Angel the (de-)matted pup visits the Humane Society office (this was a few days after her grooming; still haven’t seen a more recent update):
I was already crying over sweet Minnie, and Angel’s appearance made me sob even harder. So happy for her transformation! What a lovely little pup.
SO MUCH BETTER!!💙🩷
It was hard to watch the video where they cut off all the mats. This poor baby!
To see Angel now is just an amazing transformation.🥰 She needs all the best things in life from now on👍🏼
Oh yay! Sweet Angel – I’m so glad she is well on the mend.
I can’t believe it’s the weekend already. Yes, AJ, that day off in the middle of the week, twice, threw me off, too.
Snowball cat looks a bit intimidating. I’m not afraid of snowballs; I just worry about where he might leave one.
Much happening this coming week. Hubby and I will be sitting down to discuss his retirement, full or part. Car gets new tires. I get to reorganize our place. Little Duckie’s moult seems to be easing a bit. Books I ordered as Christmas presents for me are arriving. The local jerk face whose mom used to work at mall administration is being forced to deal with the fact that, now mom’s retiring, he is banned for life. Last vitamin B12 shot. Restocking fabric stash.
Off to fold laundry and take a trip to the library. Have a safe first weekend of 2025.
I 💙💙💙💙 receiving books! My favorite thing!
Happy first Caturday of 2025! Though I’m really not sure what day it is. Also snowball kitty has some impressive murder mittens!
I’ve spent my 5-day staycation well: finished* my friend’s runner, a handspun coat that I started last July**, and a hat to match said coat, My appliances came yesterday, so that meant lots of kitchen reorg. I’ve already used the air fryer mode of the oven 3 times. (I laid in a supply of tacky snacks for this very reason.) Today I’m transferring some clothes from my main closet to my hall closet, where Lavender can’t sleep or pee on them, and that means reorganizing BOTH closets. I may need a rest from my vacation.
*took off the loom—still have to hem and wash
**lots of other knitting projects took precendence, like a sweater for my niece, a hat and cowl set for my nephew, another sweater for me, etc. etc.
Happy new year to you all, and many hugs.
I actually checked the calendar on my phone to make sure it was Saturday when I woke up this morning. Then I hit snooze and went back to sleep.
For some reason I thought it was Sunday when I got up!
Holiday weeks threw me off even tho I don’t work!
Do you have a lot of looms? How do you take one off then put it back on? Seems complicated. Fortunately when I have to stop a crochet project to work on a different one, I don’t have to do anything special!
I have an inkle loom, a rigid heddle loom, and the big 35″ floor loom. On all of them, I cut off the project. If I’m making a series project, like a set of towels, I weave all of them and remove them, though there are ways to stop after each one and cut off the fabric.
Getting the warp ON is a much bigger project for the floor loom! (Inkle and rigid heddle are much much easier.) That’s why I like to tie one warp onto the other, like I did with the practice runner and the “real” one. However, when a project changes a lot, I can’t do that. First you wind warp chains to the required length, then you put them on the loom (through the reed and through the heddles on the shafts in pattern), then you try to keep them all at even tension as they roll around the back beam. Finally you tie on at the front of the loom, again with even tension, and you can start weaving. A loom is really just a big box to hold warp ends under tension. All of my looms also include ways to arrange the warp ends so that some go up and some stay down. Then the weft thread goes under the “up” threads and over the “down” threads. It’s really that simple. It’s also why looms led directly, if slowly, to computer technology–patterned weaving led to punch cards that could raise and lower shafts in a pattern. Punch cards are the great-great-grandparents of 0 and 1 in computers.
Wow, I’m really lecture-y today. Sorry about that.
OMG! This is why I’ve never learned to weave, and I didn’t even know it!😉 I liked the weaving I did with my art class, but it was waaaaaay less complicated!
oooeeee! I love the lecture-y DebG – this is so interesting. I didn’t know you could just continue on to make a ‘series’ of items, but it makes sense.
After an inauspicious start to the new year – throwing my back out whilst putting my trousers on (?!) – I’m delighted to report that I’m no longer walking like Laurence Olivier as Richard III.
Every January I tell myself that I’m not going to bother with any more New Year’s Resolutions, but after making some progress on a collection of poems inspired by Shakespeare’s plays I’ve resolved to finish the job and self-publish it before the end of 2025.
Finally, I’ve just realized that I’m only 13 months away from a pension. Although I’ve managed to do a lot of work on the house for considerably less money than I budgeted for, it will still be a relief to have a regular source of income coming in.
Alice, this is all great news. Especially not walking like Richard III–though historians think he had a crooked arm rather than an actual hump. I can never quite forgive Shakespeare for that Tudor smear piece, though I will also never forget watching Denzel Washington play him, in the 80s when I lived in NYC, at a Shakespear in the Park performance.
Hooray! for walking upright! I hope the pain is gone too.
Y’all think you’re confused about what day it is? I was in the hospital then a nursing home for all of November and half of December. Missed my birthday, Thanksgiving, and wasn’t able to go Christmas shopping. Then they went and changed the year on me! I was fortunate enough to have “Olive, Mabel, and Me” to read, followed by lots of other books.
Carlotta, hope you’re back to your old self now. I can only imagine how disorienting that experience must have been.
I was in hospital/rehab but fortunately it was during September and October. I can’t imagine how disorienting that must have been. Hope you had family or friends to visit!
Query: Has Luv Bunny been on recently? I think she has been missing for a few Sundays? I hope it’s just the holidays.