Generations

Family Tangle
Ink on Smooth Bristol©BEDeuel Bronson Hill Arts

This month we had our annual family reunion. 

The gathering was started as a graduation celebrating our oldest daughter when she finished high school. It was such a wonderful experience, the decision to create an annual gathering was made.

It's not just a reunion though: it's a way to connect to a large, semi-scattered group of people who are intimately tied to each other by blood or marriage or less "traditional" relationships. And, even though we only really bring this many of the limbs of the family tree together one time a year, you realize that they are all a part of you and the course that your life has taken.

Gatherings like these make us whole. And remind us that our family will only continue to grow.

Seeing my children playing and fawning over my great-nieces and nephews, makes it clear that they want that connection. The great-nieces & great-nephews of varying ages taking care of each other, just naturally bonding, shows how much they belong together. And it is amazing. Listening to family stories and adventures brings the proverbial laughter and tears and, mostly, understanding.

We realize we are family, quirks and all. We belong to each other and we love each other.

Flowers & Five Senses

Bountiful Blooms
8x10" Watercolor & Water Soluble Pencil on 140# Strathmore 300 Paper
©BEDeuel Bronson Hill Arts

For so many years, I have gardened without gloves. My hands have been scratched, scraped, gouged, & bruised. Repeatedly.

With time, my skin also continues to get more and more sensitive to saps, sticky leaves and ant nibbles. So, this year, I've been trying to wear gloves to keep some of the "damage" under control.

I can't do it. It's too unnatural.

Just in the tedious task of weeding, it is much easier to "feel" where to grip the stem and how to twist and pull the noxious plant without gloves.

Then I started thinking about how tactile gardening can be: the silky sensation of a petal, the waxy smoothness of the pocket of a deep bloom. The strength that supports a multitude of colored crowns and the delicate curliques of a climbing vine can be sensed through naked fingertips.

Reaching deeper into the thought, it became obvious how the flowers in our gardens and in nature's fields envelop all of our five senses.

The visual beauty can be overwhelming in the flow of colors and textures. Either spread sparsely, elegantly amid grasses and trees or clustered like happy children, blending into a mosiac of life, the sight can be stunning.

Of course, inhaling the sweetness and freshness of blossoms is a treat beyond description. Memories and dreams are triggered with the slightest whiff on the breeze. Spring and summer become eternal, following a trail of scents that only flowers can create.

What do you hear in the garden? Whispers of the air sharing a laugh with you. The joyful hum of the bumblebees and the honey bees getting high on nectar. The swooping of swallow's wings, the hovering of the hummingbird.

How do you taste a garden? The berries, the grapes, yes. But just plucking a spike of chive and savoring the spontaneous zing can be delightful. Harvesting sunflower seeds, brewing chickweed tea. There are so many little surprises waiting to be sampled.

The next time you're feeling dull and uninspired, find a garden. Then let your senses run free!

A Different Approach

 

 

 



 

We're trying something a little bit different with the Bronson Hill Arts blog. We'll be using the home page to display new works, artwork and photography, completed as well as in-process.

 

However, the inspiration to write about thoughts and things still hits me. So, I'd like to introduce the Snippets Page. 

 

So, please join us on the Snippets Page! Please feel free to comment or, even contribute! I'd be thrilled to share your stories!

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Organizing to Do



Step 1: The Sketch
Where to Next?

A fellow creative soul, as well as a dear friend, and I managed to exchange a couple of emails that somewhat constituted a conversation.  With our equally crazy schedules, it has become a rarity, indeed.

In her part of the initial conversation, she was able to take a break from her thriving craft business. Instead of pushing ahead with marketing tedium, she was taking the available time to reorganize her art studio and areas.

While in several ways this may seem as if it is procrastination, I can appreciate the need to regroup. It may not seem to be working towards a successful art business, the need to step back and look at your surroundings. But, it is actually crucial at times.

Often, it seems that when we just roll with the tide of life, we flounder, unable find a focus. When we stop, look and evaluate the direction of the tide, we can remind ourselves of where it is exactly we meant to go in the first place.

I’ve found myself doing a tremendous amount of reevaluating where I want to go with my art, and with Mike’s photography. In the rush to get our name out to the local circuit of craft outlets and art groups, I found myself  being approached to do things that were, honestly, not what I enjoyed doing.  It was not what I wanted Bronson Hill Arts to become.

I enjoyed trying new crafts and mediums, techniques and designs. But I  feel  as though  I have been sidetracked in developing the type of artwork for which  I am passionate.

So, yes, here’s to “procrastinating” enough to redirect and refocus.

It’s not only a necessity: it’s a wonderful thing to give one’s self.

Step 2: Watercolor Colorization 

 

IF "New"

A New Position
6x6 Permanent Marker on Smooth Bristol
©2012 BEDeuel
 

Yes, it’s time for the dread New Year’s Resolution fiasco! Time to try something new, to stretch your boundaries, to turn your life around! Yay.

Oh, I mean, “Yay!!”.

One of the most stubborn tendencies we all struggle with is negativity. It’s a very easy trap to get caught in. Being weighed down by day-to-day details and frustrations, it’s easy to just throw your hands up and say, “It’ll never happen”.

Been there, too?

I know you have just by the support and encouragement I’ve received from this blogging/art community. Empathy and shared experiences help to keep the negativity at bay. Especially while learning to navigate the world of art and marketing! Not an easy challenge for certain.

That’s my goal this upcoming year: to bring a consistent thread of positive thought and action into other avenues of life. I wish I could say that this is the first year I’ve attempted this, but, it isn’t.

As we all know, though, it often takes several attempts to succeed. Sometimes, success never comes. But, yes, as we’ve all been taught, if you don’t try, success will never happen.

So, here’s to “new” (or not so new) efforts in the New Year! And, with some persistence, here’s to achieving success in all those efforts!

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For our neighbors, our friends, our heroes.

 

IF Puzzle

Man's Greatest Puzzle
Graphite on 6x9 60# Paper
©2012 BEDeuel/Bronson Hill Arts

The topic for this week's Illustration Friday is "Puzzle". It strikes a nerve for me this week: the puzzle of human nature is a neverending challenge.

So many people throw away a good situation reaching for the recreation of a glorified past relationship. A lot of us take for granted a wonderful person in our lives because "something" is "missing". As for men and women, well, John Gray's made a fortune trying to reconcile the male/female conundrum! And, many more authors will continue to make money this way.

But, the puzzle will never be solved.

Because, people always want more than they perceive that they possess. This is an important and positive trait that has made man alter his environment, always looking to improve his lot. It's a destructive and negative tendency in that it blinds us to what we do possess that does make us happy.

I guess all I really want to say today is this: Take a look at your life and do whatever you can to enhance the presence of the good things in your world and expand on them. Don't toss them in pursuit of something different; work to make your life better with what you already have.

You have the pieces to the puzzle. Just take the time and effort to put them in the right places!

IF Intention: The Gift

The Gift
Permanent Marker 6x6 Smooth Bristol
©2012 BEDeuel/Bronson Hill Arts

I'm sure we've all had an occasion in our lives when it's been hard to gracefully accept a heartfelt, but awkward, gift.

The first time, that I can clearly recall, was when I was a kid. My great-aunt was part of the family and had taken to hand-feeding a sickly cat who had taken residence outside our house. The cat, named Tigger, regained her health (and went on to live a very long life) thanks to Aunt Marie's efforts. You might guess how Tigger repaid her based on the illustration for IF posted here. Yep: dead critters left at the front door. There were a lot of screams on a lot of early mornings. Aunt Marie thought she could avoid the gifts by going out through the garage door, but Tigger caught on quickly and started to deposit her presents of gratitude at that door. The morning screams continued for quite a while.

Another time, in more recent years, was that first well-intentioned, but, decidedly, unromantic gift from the hubby, at-that-time boyfriend. I learned then (but still forget frequently) he actually does listen to me when I mention something I might like to get. Like a convertible vacuum cleaner. For my birthday. Yes, very awkward, indeed.

Most of the time, we manage to gather our wits enough to react, perhaps belatedly,but with as much grace as we can. However, the gift-giver knows, no matter how rapidly we may recover. 

I don't know about you, but I find that when that happens, I feel so awful for not being grateful, that I start to see the gift in a different light. It becomes all the more precious for the thought and love put into it, from the giver to the recipient, even if it doesn't meet the expectation initially.

When a daughter needed a vacuum cleaner for her school residence, she asked if she could take that convertible one with her. Oddly enough, it was hard to part with it. I think you may know why now.

Capacity

Filled to Capacity
Permanent Marker on 6x6 Smooth Bristol Paper
©BEDeuel/Bronson Hill Arts

Today was one of those just-good days: Lots of chatting and laughing with my hubby into the early hours of the morning, a birthday phone call to an awesome friend, an early dinner with my wonderful parents, a great night of bowling with good people, and a surprise visit with one of the daughters which culminated in a late-night dinner.

Only hitch is that, well, we're definitely "filled to capacity". The stomachs may not really look like this guy's belly, but, boy, do they feel like it!

Hope your day was at least half as good and that you have an equally fantastic week!

IF Popular

Uh-Oh: Popular
Permanent Marker on 6x6 120# Smooth Bristol
©2012 BEDeuel/Bronson Hill Arts

I had the pleasure of gathering with the girlfriends for lunch today. One of the ladies related her latest adventure with her new-ish-ly adopted cats, 2 beautiful torties, and her beta fish. Yep, the kitties are fascinated with the fish and have been very creative in trying to "catch" a meal. Thus, the inspiration for this very quick sketch for Illustration Friday.

I know all of us can emphasize with this fish: feeling like the outside world is encroaching on our own private nook. What options do we have except to watch helplessly? It can be overwhelming and, sometimes, frightening.

Sometimes all we can do is what this little goldfish is doing: looking the threat in the eye and holding his head up, perhaps, preparing to go head-to-head with the imminent danger. Or, perhaps, getting ready to dive deeper into safety.

Whatever defenses we have to stave off personal disasters, the ability to rally, quietly or defiantly, is amazing. We do get through the crises to face another day. There is no right way or wrong way to muddle our way through these inevitable aspects of life. The only way is the way that works for us as individuals.

So, next time you feel like you're trapped in a goldfish bowl, trust your instincts. You'll be okay.

IF Suspense

Watercolor Paint on 4x6 Cold Press Paper
©2012 BEDeuel/Bronson Hill Arts

Illustration Friday's topic this week is "Suspense". This illustration may look more like "Peek-a-Boo", but it really represents suspense and mystery for me.

The suspense is, "How will my hair behave today?" and the mystery often is, "What did I do to make it look this good and how will I do it again?".

In my lifetime, I don't know that I've ever known a woman who's been consistently happy about her hair. This phenomenon can be demonstrated simply by wandering the hair care aisle in any store. Between the cleaning, conditioning and coloring products available to the sprays, styling gels and mousses, it takes an entire aisle to hold it all. And if you want a tool to curl your hair, you can choose from small, medium or large curls, spiral curls, crimped waves, etc. Straightening tools offer broad irons for longer needs and 1" or less irons for just a light, wispy effect. It's a great business in which to have stock! Go Conair!

I'm no different in regards to being dissatisfied with my hair. I have 3 things working against me: thin, wavy hair, allergies to stay-in hair products and, mostly, that I'm just plain lazy when it comes to working with it. I've had wonderful hair stylists do great cuts to no avail. It's too fickle to try to anticipate what momentous steps I'll have to take to tame it on any given day.

However, one advantage to age, or, preferably, aging with a certain amount of grace, is that it seems to matter less and less. I don't like the days when my hair goes completely and wildly bad, but the normal, mediocre days are fine.

Think I'll try to avoid the suspense and mystery and just let it go. I'd rather be doing a lot of other things with my time anyway!

IF Forward

Koi
6x9 Water Color Paint, Acrylic Interference Paint & Water Soluble Pencil on 140# Watercolor Paper
©2012 BEDeuel/Bronson Hill Arts

The Illustration Friday topic this week is "Forward". This painting depicts so many moves forward it couldn't not be used for this week.

Late last year, I was "refreshing" the decor in my house; changing wall hangings, curtains, table dressings, knicknacks, etc. One of the things I had in mind for my bath was to find a round wallhanging of Koi to offset the larger, rectangular print I already had. Do you think I could find a Koi image that would work? No. Of course not. Next year, I'll be tripping over them in every store into which I walk. That's how it always works for me. You, too, probably!

In the meantime, though, I guess that means it's time to learn how to paint Koi. So here is the first step. Painting fish. Not really my area of interest, but, it's time to go, as the cliche says, outside my comfort zone. Moving forward.

Unfortunately, the second indication of moving forward doesn't translate with the image you're viewing here.

A while ago, a beautiful, dear friend of mine was cleaning out her overstock of painting supplies and was good enough to send me some acrylic interference paints. I'd never even heard of them, much less used them. The paints add gloss and sparkle over an image. The picture becomes almost reflective. Sadly, you'll just have to take my word for it, that it looks fantastic on this piece. A gold interference paint on the fish, red violet on the lily pads, and blue over the water.

A new media was incorporated over a familar one. Now I just need to figure how to get a  photographic shot that shows it!

And, lastly, the movement forward has nothing to do with me: it's just the Koi moving, well, forward!

Waiting for the Zen? Here it is: like Koi, we have to keep moving forward, my friends, or else, what's the point? You can stand still, but the view can become stagnant. You can look backwards and enjoy the memory, but you can't live your life with your head buried in the past. Yep. Forward is good.

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A reminder! Leave me a comment describing what you love about your sweetheart by tomorrow night! The best love song, if you will, wins! And, again, if you don't have a sweetheart, just let us know what you know love about Life!

The winner gets their choice of a handpainted bud vase or hurricane-style candle holder! See my previous post for the pictures of the bud vases!

IF Grounded

Grounded on a Rubber Sole
4x6 Watersoluble Pencil on 120# Paper
©2012 BE Deuel Bronson Hill Arts

“Grounded“. It’s one of those words that can mean so many different things.

In the mundane aspect, it can refer to the design of an electrical plug or the purpose of a lightning rod. In a child’s/teenager’s life, it can mean the end of the world; at least in the short run, which can seem like forever for them. In relation to the metaphysical, it can mean being well-adjusted and able to deal with reality.

Do I consider myself a grounded person? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

I’ve worked relatively steadily since I was 16, keep a decent home, support and love my family and friends. I can be so insanely realistic at times that I can irritate others with my apparent “negativity”. There is quite a bit of evidence that I am well-grounded.

But, even at that, I still dream dreams that aren’t practical. I would love to have an animal foster home and a fulltime art business. I have always wanted to write a book. It would be incredible to spend 6 months in an RV with my husband exploring the U.S. with cameras and canvas in hand!

On a smaller scale, I would be thrilled to have enough time to sleep and read in the hammock every spring, summer and fall day. Oh, actually, that would include the dream of being able to afford to hire someone to clean my house and weed my gardens! I would enjoy sampling a meal in every restaurant and diner in this area that we live in and anywhere else we‘d fancy.

I suppose what makes me a “grounded” person is that I know that the odds are that these dreams are, most likely, not going to happen in this incarnation. But what makes me happy, is still be able to enjoy those dreams and the reaching for those goals.

Yes, grounded is good, but happy is better.

Still Here!

I'm still here! Haven't forgotten all my Friends and Fellow Fans of Life!

We've just been busy here in the non-virtual world. Several wonderful opportunities have been stepping up to our door and a-knockin'. We've been taking the time to invite them in for some tea and chat, you might say!

So, we will be back. And, soon, I'm sure. Thank you so very much for all of your continued support!

And, take time to enjoy your non-virtual world, too!

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On another note:

I would love to have your suggestions on a holiday give-away from Bronson Hill Arts! Something easily customizable, or a print, or some notecards (which can be customizable, too), or anything else!

I'm planning on running it next week so that I can get it mailed to the winner by Thanksgiving week, so let me know what you think, friends!

Thanks, again!

IF Hibernate



Hi-BRRR-Nate
4x6 Water Soluble Pencil on 140# Coldpress Paper
©2011 BEDeuel

With the topic at Illustration Friday being "Hibernation" this week, it was too easy to think of cold and lots of protection in which to hide from it. And with the thought of cold, as well as the arrival this week of actual cold weather, it was bound to make me realize something:

It's official: the shortest summer (that I can remember) is over.

In some ways, it's good. In other ways, it's not.

Let me start with the "not" list.

The days are short. The temperature is very fickle, making it difficult to decide how much to wear at any given minute. The gardens and trees are fading. And, the worst, winter is coming up fast and furious. Indoor confinement and difficult travel lay ahead.

The good?

The shorter days make it easier to settle in earlier in the day. It feels good to put on some clothing that is soft and comfy, instead of trying to strip down to the bare basics without being arrested. Once the gardens are done, the workload is cut in half with only the house needing to be tended. The trees will turn gorgeous with vibrant colors to fill the heart with wonder and an urgency to appreciate the quick passing of time.

Winter, though, how can that be good? Unless you're a skier, snowmobiler, or general winter-sports fanatic, what fun is winter?

The fun is the excuse to use the fireplace and snuggle with whatever pleases you, be it a fuzzy blanket, a loving pet, or your best friend and lover. The fun is making sinfully indulgent comfort foods and drinking hot chocolate on a daily basis. The fun is watching the first flakes land and change the world before your eyes. The fun is knowing that there will be another spring in which to enjoy so many other pleasures of living.

With the change of the seasons coming around again, make some fun with it. Take a moment to realize it can all be good.

Here's hoping it is and will be all good for you!

A Long Week in a Short Summer

A common theme seems to be occupying my thoughts lately: Things we cannot control in our worlds and the anxiety it can cause.

The predominant problem in that arena is the havoc that Irene is creating along the east coast. I have friends who have been evacuated and are in a worrisome state over their homes and possessions, things that represent their lives. They're understandably concerned about the damage that will have to be dealt with once the storm has passed.

No matter how often anyone can say to them that there is no point  in fretting about possible problems that may or may not come to be, they will be fretting. There's no turning it off no matter how hard they try.

After these monumental events, the small worries pale dramatically. The hassles of vacation that diminish the fun of vacations. The frustrations of too much rain and too much heat in too short a time that stunts the growth of the gardens. The difficulties of finding the time to do the things that bring pleasure to your life.

These are minor problems that really are not worth the worry we put into them.

Wish that were true of the worries the people living through this storm have.

But, while we can't do a thing about the effects that Irene will have on our material world, we can pray for the safety of those enduring it.

And, we do.

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Just some reminders that no matter how badly things seem to be, there is still beauty in the simplest things:

 

 

Enjoy everything!

Launch! Illustration Friday

Summer Launch
5x5 Permanent Marker
©2011 BEDeuel

We've had a short, slightly volatile, but beautiful spring since the rain stopped about 4 weeks ago here in Western New York.

As a result, the windows have been ajar on a regular basis. And, no matter the presence of screens, there are always flying visitors in the house. For the most part, as long as they don't bite, get into food or dart around our faces, we don't make a big deal about them.

What the moths and gnats don't realize is that by entering the home of the ever-entertaining Mickey, they are likely to become toys.


Mickey on Watch

They're actually fairly safe. He is not a very successful hunter, which makes him all the more fortunate that I fell in love with him at first glance. We are convinced that he would starve on his own. But, he does like to play at being a Great and Mighty Hunter.

He'll leap and bat at anything that buzzes him. The first couple of years were a bit unnerving: I wasn't sure my home furnishings were going to survive this guy. I do know that the insects survive him just fine, though!

So, of course, he is the inspiration for this week's Illustration Friday topic of "Launch". He is constantly launching off of anything he can manage.

In honor of this moment of inspiration, I dedicate this IF sketch to my Great and Mighty Hunter, Mickey and the coming of a long, and buggy, summer for his unending entertainment. And mine.

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What Your Cat Really Thinks of You...Well, Only at Dinnertime. Maybe.

IF Shadows: Stepping Out

:

Dancing in the Shadows (B&W)
8x10 Permanent Marker
©BEDeuel 2010

A few years back, the middle daughter discovered the art of the Sharpie. She took any image that she liked, copied it and colored it in Sharpie, or permanent marker. She would (and still will) illustrate anything, including canvas shoes.

It was not, per se, something that I thought I'd enjoy doing myself. Until I saw an intriguing magazine cover.

The motion and colors of the dancers in the heavy shadows drew me into the scene. The intensity was there to be captured again, in a different medium.

So, I tried: Sharpies!



Dancers In the Shadows (Original)
©BEDeuel 2010

The uneven application of color detracts from the effect I was attempting to recreate. It was done on a mediocre paper and it shows.  I also, at that time, had a limited palette to work from so some of the coloring had to be improvised to a degree.

When the topic of "Shadow" was presented this week for Illo Friday, I had half-a-dozen different ideas, but stumbled across this picture in it's original form and decided to try it in a B&W effect.

And, I like it. Almost better than the original. Funny how that can happen at times, isn't it?

Since I did this sketch, I've done a great deal more with permanent markers. I've decided I like those, too. And, in working with markers, I started expanding into several different mediums I'd never thought I'd be interested in trying.

It's a series of links, like so many things in life. You're introduced to something different from the rest of your everyday world. You decide you like it, you decide to pursue it. It can lead to other new and interesting things. Some of those things you might like, others, not so much. Usually the positives outweigh the negatives, though, so the flow of new things into your world can be so exciting and energizing.

Embrace it, follow the flow wherever it goes and enjoy the results! Some of the most beautiful, yet unexpected, things can emerge from the shadows if you let them.

Love That Face!



Intrigued

About a week ago, a woman at work was commenting that a stranger had unexpectedly started up a long, and, perhaps, a little-too-intimate conversation with her in line at the grocery store. Knowing the woman, I had said that I wasn’t surprised. She has one of “those” faces. I don’t think she wanted to acknowledge that statement, as she is a naturally modest person.


Paula


By saying that she has one of “those” faces, I was saying that her innate kindness and inclination to care about others actually shows on her face. It might be an acquired side effect from years of working with people, but that Face doesn’t happen to everyone who does so.

I grew up with a dad who has that magnetic Face. He made friends with everyone he with whom he made contact. Sometimes I think it would drive the rest of us up the proverbial wall. There was no anonymity anywhere we went. As a chronically sulky teenager, it could be frustrating.

But what I eventually realized with the passing of time is that Dad is someone who truly does care about other people. And, very simply, other kind people sensed it and responded in like. Obviously, I came to appreciate this trait, because I married Mike, who is, well, the same type of Soul and Face.


Just Closing His Eyes

I also noticed that I was developing that Face as well. Oh, there were days when the Aura was so dark, no one would come near me. But, there were more days when the connection was made. And, while I know that a short encounter with a stranger will not shake the world as we know it, I do also know that both of us will walk away happier for having had that time.

 So, to the lovely lady I had met the next day at the car dealership, and the waiter who sat down to enjoy a cup of coffee with my friend and me this week, I’m glad we’ve met and shared a few minutes of friendship.

 It seems that you also have one of “those” faces. And, that’s good to know because the world needs a whole lot more hearts with that Face.



Get Comfy; Let's Chat!


　

IF: (Amazing Technicolor) Journey

The Amazing Technicolor Journey
6x9 Watercolor on 140# Watercolor Paper
©2011 BEDeuel 

As the proverbial road of life often does, it turns. Sometimes sharply, sometimes subtly.
I’ve encountered a sharp, defining turn in that road as of late.

An opportunity came upon me make a job change. It’s with a newer, growing practice, run by a young, dynamic doctor who is also a very nice person. And it’s incredibly close to home. With the unbelievable increase in the cost of gasoline today, and continuing to increase at an unbelievable rate, the opportunity couldn’t have been more perfect.

The unfortunate aspects of the change are that I will miss the boss and people I worked with, as well as my patients, and I won’t have as much free time to devote to the blog and the artwork as I‘ve had the last 7 or so months.

And now with spring (hopefully) upon us, I’m looking forward to spending a lot more time outdoors. So where does that leave Bronson Hill Arts?

At this point, the energy and time I can devote to BHA will have to be more focused. I want to do more involved pieces of artwork and do more with printing and selling Mike’s images. We’ve been invited to participate in a couple of shows and will submit to a local art show over the summer at a state college gallery. These steps are just the beginnings of what we want to accomplish with Bronson Hill Arts.

As for the blog, I want to keep writing it. And I want to try to tie it in with showcases such as Illustration Friday and Cactus Monday. The Twenty Minute Challenge also intrigues me. The blog will be for connecting with all of you, which was not the original purpose. That was to promote the artwork, not for the fun of it. And it has been so much fun joining the blogging community. The support and shared joy of life and art has been fabulous!

So in taking this new turn in the road, the new road has narrowed. The path is more and differently defined than the first road was. The goals have changed, too. Which brings us back to the journey. The journey has had to be altered as well.

The journey has started. Again. Isn’t it fun?
　
　
　

IF Toy

Toy for IF
Prismacolor Soft Lead Art Pencils on Strathmore Bristol Smooth 100#
©2011 BEDeuel
For Spooky

Cats, no matter how self-impressed they appear, can revert to kitten-hood in a heartbeat if given the right toy.

My last little girl, Muffin, was with me for 16 of her 18 years. And she was the perfect cranky old lady. She was so cranky, she actually "slapped" our oldest when she talked "cat" at her once. She hated not being an only cat and got her wish her last year on this side of the Universe when she was the last feline resident standing.

But, when the mood hit her, she loved to chase her tail. She'd bounce around, curling about in her effort to nab that pesky critter behind her. Her face would light up, her pupils dilate and she'd look like she was 2 again. It was so wonderful to see her like that.

When it stopped, we knew we were on the bottom half of the hourglass. And, no matter how old they become, or how ill, it's horrible to deal with the anticipation of the loss. And, the loss is still hard to accept. 

But, when I think of my girl, I remember the love and the fun: the fun she had alone and the fun we had with her.

When "Toy" was the Illustration Friday suggestion this week, it took a while for the idea to click. But watching the newest generation of four-footed children wreak havoc nightly finally hit me.

So let's celebrate love of life and toys!