We Had a Photo Shoot

He is a natural poser.

He sits in the sun looking like a King.

Handsome, sweet boy.

He likes to ignore the camera.

"What?

You were taking pictures of me? 

I never knew!"

This is Sir Theodore.

Theodorable

Teddy

Thank you, Misty.

And thank you Eileen at Saturday's Critters.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Rest

Mina would like you to rest and be thankful.

It is the little things.

Wishing You Well and Much Joy!

Chasing Sun Puddles

Sunlit Sunday is back for its third season.
The link-up was started in 2011 to help add a little sunshine to what can be
a rather grey period from January through March.

Today Teddy and Mina are chasing sun puddles.

Wishing you well and much joy.

Stay warm!

Potpourri

I like oatmeal and I save it for cold mornings.

It is an oatmeal day!

*

Christmas is just around the corner. 

Time to share a reproduction vintage postcard.
The artist on the original card was Margaret Evans Price
 and it was published around 1922.

"I'd like to share with you the joys of Christmas day,

so I send this little card on its

Merry Christmas way."

Thank you to the lovely Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday.

**

We girls (Cassie and Mina and moi) got an early Christmas present

and you might say that Teddy got one too.

It was time for Teddy's six month ultrasound on his heart.

He has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and is on medication.

He passed with flying colors yesterday.

His wonderful vet said there was very little if any change.

The medication is working.

Yippee! 

***

I haven't decided if I'm finished decorating. 

While I'm deciding, 

Cassie burrows under the tree skirt and moves the non-breakable ornaments

on the bottom of the tree onto the floor.

"Just helping, Mummy!"

****

The Rice University Owl football team is playing for the conference championship

tomorrow. I'm going. I'll probably freeze my fanny and other parts of my anatomy off,

but this doesn't happen often and I want to be there to see these scholar-athletes

get the job done. The football program here has the third highest graduation rate

for college football programs in the country.

Go OWLS.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Note Card Party!

I missed Vee's Note Card Party last month.
I had a cold and forgot all about the party.
But I was forgetting about almost everything.
I looked back at the month of September to see what I missed!

The end of summer.

Mina -- keeping Mummy's place on the sofa all safe and warm.

McHugh Tea -- the first day I could really enjoy tasting.

As long as I was curled up on the couch with kitties, I put the time to good use.
Crochet Christmas Wreath hot pads.

That's how I spent my time while I had a cold.

A big thank you to Vee for hosting the Note Card Party.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Good Morning!

Cassie (who is never still) and I wish YOU well and much joy!

Camera Critters: Jaguar

After a big meal, there is nothing like a nap!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

This and That

It is a day full of sunshine after several days of light rain.

We are still in drought conditions.

I'll take the rain.

Time for a little This and That.

A big thank you to Nancy for hosting. 

*

I cleaned out bird baths and fountains this morning.

After several days of light rain they really needed it. 

Fed the birds and noted that I need more bird food.

Have to keep the morning buffet going!

**

I spent some time with my BGD (beautiful god-daughter)

and her Knight in Shining Armor at my sista's new home.

It was lovely.

Precious time with people I love.

Sitting by the pool and watching the golfers go by.

***

The big neighborhood news this last week was the Grand Opening of

The Fresh Market.

They bill themselves as a selection of European type markets under one roof.

The atmosphere was lovely, classical music in the background, soft lighting.

The first thing that struck me was the amazing produce.

(I came home with heirloom tomatoes and Texas peaches.)

There is an Old World Butcher Shop, European Deli, Fresh Seafood, Imported Cheeses,

Gourmet Coffee (also a nice selection of Tea).

The Bakery -- Oh My! I came home with pineapple-coconut bread -- YUM.

Beer and Wine. 

If you need kitty litter or cleaning supplies this is not the place for you. 

You can order online and pick-up at the store or have your items delivered. 

My treat (besides the pineapple-coconut bread) was

tuna seaweed salad!

I love seaweed and only eat it when I go for dim sum every 4 or 5 years!

I bought the smallest amount I could just to see if I liked it 

and I thought it was delicious.

The next time I see it available, I'll get more. 

****

I'm still busy with the Index Card A Day challenge.

*****

The kitties continue to enjoy their nap on the new kitchen chairs.

Here's Cassie.

She is sitting on a receiving blanket.

When she was a kitten, I bought a set of receiving blankets and would wrap her up,

 sit her on my shoulder, and carry her around as she napped!

Little wonder that she's a Mummy's girl. 

She still finds comfort with her blankets and many days I'll find her

carrying one around the house with her.

I'm off to watch the Tour de France.

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Camera Critters: Ivy

This is Ivy, the black leopard living at the Houston Zoo.

Ivy is a beautiful lady.

Like many older women, she has bad joints.

She recently had stem cell therapy to treat her joint disease.

Thank you to Misty for hosting Camera Critters.

Wishing YOU well, much joy and a fun filled weekend.

Good Morning!

Five Random Things

It's Friday.

Sit back and relax.

I have some random, this and that, things for you.

Thank you, Nancy!

*

Since today is Good Friday and Easter is Sunday,

here is a reproduction vintage postcard celebrating the holiday.

No artist, publisher or date was listed.

Can you hear the music?!!!

Thank you to the lovely Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday each week.

**

Sometimes the kitties think simplest toys are the best.

Like an empty box.

In this case, it was a waded up piece of paper.

I think the sound got Cassie's attention.

I threw it across the room, Cassie fetched, and we had a game going that's lasted all week.

Of course, the other two had to get in on the act and two more pieces of paper gave their all in

two furious games of soccer for Teddy and Mina.

***

I mentioned that I finished a counted cross stitch project.

I couldn't share it with you as it was a birthday gift.

The gift has been delivered and here is the project all finished.

This is a kit I purchased from The Stitchery.

****

I'm taking part in the Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap.

This is my first postcard swap and the reason I liked it --

I could use photographs of art I had previously made.

Five postcards (goes well with 5 random things) could be made of one image or more.

I made five different postcards using 4 Index Card a Day images and one tea image.

Kat Sloma put the swap together and I should be seeing postcards in the mail by mid April.

I'll share as they come in.

Thank you Kat!

*****

I've started reading As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis Devoto

Food, Friendship and the Making of a Masterpiece edited by Joan Reardon.

What a lovely book and what lovely letter writing.

It really makes you think about the lost art of writing ... and writing letters.

I'm taking the letters a few at a time.

Wishing YOU well and much joy this holiday season.

Happy Spring!

Teddy

As you know, Teddy is the man of the house now.

He will be nine years old soon.

On his annual exam earlier this month the vet found a heart murmur.

Further testing shows that Teddy has HCM - hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

HCM causes the heart muscle to thicken making moving the blood more difficult.

It is the most common heart disease found in cats - especially in middle aged male cats -

just like Teddy.

There is no cure for HCM.

It can be treated - in Teddy's case with a beta blocker.

Hopefully, Teddy will be with me and the girls several more years.

He will be checked by his vet every 3 months.

He Came

He Purred

He Conquered all the hearts in this house.

Let this be a reminder.

Be sure you take your pet to the vet annually,

and, as they get older consider visits every 6 months.

Teddy and I wish YOU well and much joy!

Camera Critters: Mina

Doesn't Mina look sweet and innocent?!!! 

She likes her *house*.

It's a good place to hide and wait for her brother and sister to pass by.

Then -- watch the fur fly!!!!!

Thank you to Misty for hosting Camera Critters.

Wishing you well and much joy!

Good Morning!

A Soul HIdden In Everything

“How it is that animals understand things I do not know, but it is certain that they do understand. Perhaps there is a language which is not made of words and everything in the world understands it. Perhaps there is a soul hidden in everything and it can always speak, without even making a sound, to another soul.”  - Frances Hodgson Burnett (from A Little Princess)

Big Purrs

It's time for a favorite Blog Land party:

Vee's Note Card Party.

We are to share 4 photos with you that have been previously published on our blogs

that we think would make good note cards.

You all know how I love the Houston Zoo.

Here are some my favorite BIG PURRS that I've shared with you before.

Cheetah

Pandu - Malayan Tiger

Johnathan - King of Beasts

Cali and Johnny

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

If I Hide, Will They See Me?

If I hide behind the flowers, do you think they will see me?

Thank you to Misty for hosting Camera Critters each week.

Camera Critters: The Girls

Thanks to Misty for hosting Camera Critters.

This is the Princess Mina, a lilac point Siamese with a bobbed tail.

She came to live at Twisty Lane on July 5.

Mina was adopted from a no kill shelter and was the mother of 5!

She's had a few medical problems -- ear mites, intestinal bacteria infection

and to add insult to injury -- tape worms.

She's doing great now. Finished with all her medications.

She loves to eat and needs to lose a little weight.

She loves to play and would love to play with her adopted sister, Cassie.

Cassie isn't sure.

I'm not sure what Mina was looking at -- perhaps the ceiling fans!

She is a cute little thing.

This is Cassie -- the little star.

She is giving me the "Mummy, why did you bring her here?" look.

It's okay, Cassie.

You'll always be my baby girl!

Wishing YOU well, much joy and a fun filled weekend!

Stay cool!