Insights from The Magic Tutu

My Baby Girl

When Margo had 5 kittens 11 years ago I wanted
to find homes for all of them.  When my friends
came over to pick a kitten, no one picked Baby
and I'm so glad.  She is my favorite cat EVER.

Happy in any basket or box, she is a
constant delight and ultra-sweet too.

The world is going bonkers and my reality
is tending my home, family & kitties.
If everyone on the whole planet would mind
their own business and stop spreading hate
wouldn't it be a more pleasant world?

I had that revelation about 1971 sitting
on the beach while in college in San Diego.
I was overwhelmed with the feeling that if
everyone would tend to their own life, be
kind, be neighborly, love their family,
work hard and NOT spread gloom that
the world would be less hostile.  I still
feel that way altho I've been working on
not thinking bad about anyone either.

"Think about others as you would wish
them to think about you."

Not sure of the source of this incredible
quote but if thoughts are energy (as physicists
say) we have to not only be careful of what
we say but what we think.  This gives a person
an inner-work project for life!

Baby Girl minds her own business and gives
unconditional love.  Ahhh... what a life.
xoxo Amy

 

 

Thank you Sally

 

My wonderful, creative, smart, helpful,
understanding, wise, quiet and mostly
lovable girlfriend Sally made this gem
for me a while back.  With the death of
Mr. Bubbles it has a whole new meaning.
~ Thank you Sally ~ 
xoxo Amy
(If you would like to send love & sympathy to
us regarding Mr. Bubbles, please comment on
the post below this one... Meow! We still need
love & sympathy.... sniff...) 

A most beautiful life

Sending our Thanks to the High Heavens for
12 years with our most beautiful big boy
Mr. Bubbles who died a peaceful death
Tuesday night. 

Being only 12 years old, we were surprised
that he was the one to go being much younger
than our other cats.  

Guarding his family, minding his own 
business, giving Love and lapping up
whipped cream!  He had a good life.

What a pleasure it was to know you
Mr. Beautiful.  Kisses, love and mostly
thanks for giving us the privilege
of being your humans.

Love from...
Amy, Desi & Haley
and your kitty family...
Margo, Baby, Angel & Miss Daisy 

The 2:20 appointment

Last Saturday I made a 2:20 appointment
to have our most beautiful, big boy Mr. Bubbles
put to sleep.  Mr. Arnaz put a big STOP to it.

Mr. Bubbles has had health issues for over a
year and the meds from our verterinarian
made him lethargic, depressed, weak, no
appetite, etc. ~ just like the possible side
affects on the info sheet listed.  So I thought
life was basically over for him and didn't want
him to suffer.  Thus... the 2:20 appointment.

Thank Goodness Mr. Arnaz intervened and
said take him off those meds!  I did, and now
one week later he's feeling much better
and so are we.  The thought of life without
Mr. Bubbles is heart-breaking.  But for now,
and hopefully for many years to come, we can
still enjoy the love, friendship & purrs
of our Big Boy.

Besides.... he's officially running for President
in 2012 now that he's found his First Lady,
the beautiful & elegant Miss Birdie.
 (you can see her photo in my August 30th post)

xoxo Amy ~ grateful for Love & Life 

 

 

 

September Sky

One of my ballet students is now 33 years old and has blossomed into a remarkable photographer.  Her name s Aimee and her photography business is named September Sky.  Love that name.  I asked her to photograph my cats and here is the finished project.  Enjoy my babies.

Margo Fonteyn ~ my mama cat 

Mr. Bubbles

Baby Girl

Angel

and of course, Jelly Belly    

Thank you Aimee.

xoxoAmy

Look how big the babies are

Haley's kittens are 3 weeks old.  Look how big they are compared to their birth photos a few posts ago.  This little one has a sibling the same color and almost identical in markings but the sibling wouldn't pose for a photo.  We're sure the father of the black & white kittens is Big Daddy -- a fluffy solid black feral cat that we trapped , neutered and released after he went on a mating spree this Spring.

We can't figure out who the father is of these two Siamese-looking kittens.  We thought we'd neutered all the Siamese-type ferals in the neighborhood but I guess we missed someone!   These two are so chubby and feisty. The little one with the white dot on it's nose hissed at me during this photo shoot.  Very funny.  

Our oldest cat, Bear, is 17.  He lives with Haley and her menagerie of cats that includes cats of all ages.  At one time Bear was the King of our neighborhood.  Now he's the Old Man.  When he was the King he dominated every cat who had the audacity to trespass into his territory.  Now poor Bear is surrounded by an assortment of neutered feral cats and.....the kittens.  

...and along came Jelly

When my old dog Sammy died, I swore I'd never get another dog.  Sammy grew up at my dance studio.  Loved by all, he was a gentle spirit with beautiful brown eyes.  He was the star of a ballet I wrote about cats!  We paraded him on the stage in his blue tutu.  He wore that tutu whenever he was at the dance studio and that vision made everyone smile -- even notorious grumps.  Since he was allowed to wander free inside the dance studio, he would cuddle up next to dancers who were stretching on the floor.  He would relax on the cool tile floor in the middle of the lobby so everyone had to step over him.   And he loved to frequent the girl's dressing room where he was sure to be fed french fries, pizza and left over sandwiches from lunch. 

When Sammy was only one year old, his first owners turned him into the pound for adoption.  Tina, a woman who was in charge of the pound back then, fell in love with him.  Our pound only keeps dogs for 2 weeks and then (you know what).  Well, no one adopted Sammy so Tina took his photo and put it in our local paper saying she'd keep him one more week and then on the next Friday at 4pm he'd be euthanized.  I saw that photo of Sammy.  I remember Tina's plea to the community for someone to rescue him.  I didn't rescue him but a little old woman named Virginia did.   She went to the pound on that Friday at 3pm and saved his life.  Knowing she couldn't keep him, she held him in her arms and began to walk around downtown asking everyone she saw if they would take him.  I just so happened to step outside my dance studio at the very moment she walked by.  Sammy and I made eye-contact.  End of story.

15 years passed, Sammy died....and along came Jelly.   Jelly also has beautiful brown eyes.  He's the same color as Sammy but a little smaller.  He also likes pizza and left over sandwiches but beyond that nothing is the same.  Sammy loved cats.  Jelly chases cats.   Sammy would lounge on the grass in the front yard for hours and wag his tail when someone walked by.   Jelly charges the fence and barks at everyone.  Sammy would come when called.  Jelly holds his ground.  Jelly came to us 3 years ago when his owner (our neighbor) died suddenly.   He doesn't like to be disciplined.  He's a terror.  Do we love him?  Yes.   He is fiercely loyal and protective.  He does the job that was assigned to him by Mother Nature and that's to be a guard dog.  He does his job well.  And he has beautiful brown eyes.

Up a tree

Mr. Bubbles and Jelly spend their mornings mesmerized by Haley's cat (Baby) who taunts them daily from a tree in our neighbor's yard.  Baby climbs that tree and stares down at the Boys and they will sit there for an hour staring up at her.  A comet could strike the earth and the Boys wouldn't take their attention from the cat in the tree.  It's a good lesson in attention -- for us -- to see how easily our minds pull us here and there and back again.  This is why I think it's so important for all of us to sit in silence for a while each day so we can see what's going on inside of us.  To come to a complete STOP will magnify the inner turmoil at first, but after time it will settle down so we can enjoy the silence.  The Boys have their full attention on Baby which translates into me keeping my attention where my body is -- right here.  That's a good feeling especially on a lovely Sunday morning.