Adding a New Baby to My Household

When Rhea was alive, I couldn't imagine getting another cat after her. I told everyone that she would be the last cat I would own. She was also the first cat I owned. But, after her passing, I couldn't bare to have an empty home. It only took me hours to realize that I love cats, and I had to have another.  I just didn't realize how hard finding another cat would be.

As a child/teenager, I was constantly bringing cats home. When I was 19, I even kept a kitten in my room for two weeks before my parents found out. My mom doesn't like animals in the house. She likes to keep her place free of fur and smells that animals sometimes brings into a home. So, every time I found a cat, I had to return it, or find it a new home. As mentioned before, Rhea was a stray against her will. She was the last of a long line of cats that I had found. This was the first time I actually went looking for a cat.

I knew I wanted a kitten. I knew what I was looking for in a personality and in color. I also knew that I didn't want two. Most shelters in this area require you to adopt to kittens, though you can adopt one cat. I went to many shelters, but since it was the start of kitten season, there weren't many available. Also, they get adopted quickly.

Since I now live in the city, there aren't many strays running around who get pregnant. So, I spent most of my time looking on Craigslist. It was a frustrating experience. I didn't particularly want a kitten to be pulled away from her mother before she was 8 weeks old. But, most who had kittens, wanted to sell them as soon as they were weaned. Some of the "rehoming fees" were outrageous. They claimed they were so that the kitten would find a good home, but in my opinion some interviewing would assure that they went to a good home. Also, a lot of people wanted kittens. This meant that if I found one, I had to jump on her right away.

I hadn't actually planned to get a kitten before Memorial Day weekend, but couldn't stop myself from looking. Of course, I found the most adorable kitten - really the cutest thing out of all the other kittens I had seen. She was from my home town. My mom went to look at her for me, paid the lady, and brought her to her house. My friend picked her up from my mom's house, and brought her to me (a two hour drive) the same evening.

She is the exact coloring I had hoped for. And, though she was super scared at first, she is now jumping in my lap, and slept next to me this morning. She is still scared of her toys, and would prefer playing with the blankets and the material on my pjs. I can't wait to see how she grows, and how her personality develops. But, first, I have to teach her that hands are for petting, not biting.

Meet Naava.

New Blog Post of a New Blog Post - The Photo Shoot

Just wanted to make a quick note that some of the photos of Sunday's photo shoot are now up on Jonathan Fleming's blog. Be sure to check out his great work with other subjects too.

Please, be mindful of the work of Jonathan Fleming Photography, and do not steal or use this picture without his permission.

New Items Listed on Ebay

Just wanted to give a quick preview of the things I listed on EBay today. They can be found here. 

1940s/1950s Wool Skirt

1950s/1960s Plaid Skirt

1960s Bubble Skirt

1940s Hair Roller

There is also another listed on my page.

A Session With My Favorite Photographer - A Teaser

I had a session with my favorite photographer, Jonathan Fleming, on Sunday afternoon. Like my last session, it was a chance for him to try some new cameras and to experiment with new techniques, which is always fun to be a part of. We had planned this a little while ago, and I desperately tried to find an outfit that would photograph well, but it was in vain. I had to end up with something from my closet. I was afraid that my outfit would be too dark, and to make matters worse, the day started off overcast (after a week of warm sunny weather). By the time we started shooting, the sun decided to peek it's head through the clouds.

I wasn't sure how my hair was going to turn out. I used different curlers that I haven't used since I cut several inches off of my hair. I also put a lot bigger sections in each curler than I usually do. But, I was tired and lazy, and didn't feel like doing a precise job. To my surprise, my hair ended up into a pageboy with very little brushing or coaxing - something I've never been able to do before. It was a very happy accident.

We took photos at Golden Gate Park. I never go as often as I'd like to go, and there are still many parts of the park I have to discover. One such area I always meant to check out was Stow Lake. It was very peaceful and pretty. As we walked along the lake, there were all kinds of ducks and Canadian geese. As we got a little farther, we noticed there were several people standing around with big lenses on their cameras. Upon closer inspection, we found what they were taking photos of - goslings! 

Walking along the lake made me want to be in a boat and just row along the beautiful scenery, especially when we came across a stone bridge built in the late 1800s.

Jonathan used several different cameras including an early 60s Polaroid camera. He gave me a couple of the Polaroid prints, which I am posting here as a teaser to what is to come.

As always, I had fun. Jonathan and his wife, Bridget, are both super talent and super sweet people. I also got to meet their dog, Suki, for the first time. I look forward to working with them again.

The Weekend and the Start of Healing

It hasn't been a week yet since I had to put my Rhea down, but I already had a full weekend scheduled long before that traumatic day. As the weekend got nearer, I had mixed feelings. I was happy that I was going to be busy, but a little overwhelmed too. Saturday didn't start off so well. I was going through waves of grief, and because of that, any little frustration made me cry. So, my Saturday morning started with welled up eyes.  I attended an all day event with over 900 people, many that I knew. I wasn't feeling very social, and didn't feel like smiling. I had planned an outfit for this day months ago. I had also planned on doing a whole blog post, but when the day came, I didn't feel like having my picture taken. My friend took a couple photos on her phone, and I tried my hardest to smile. 

The suit I was wearing was made by the lovely shop Top Runway (She is also here and here.)  This was my fifth suit that I ordered from her, but my first custom suit. I had seen the suit on a film noir and saved some screen shots to have it made. I finally was able to get it done a few months ago. As always I was very pleased with it. The down side to not being in the mood to have my picture taken, is you can't really get a good view of the suit. And, the screen shots are not very crisp either.

That evening my friend was having a cocktail/housewarming party, and by that time I was feeling better. But, I got tired quickly from the long day and the emotional week, and went home early. I was feeling much better by Sunday morning, though I was still pretty tired. I spend the morning getting a few things done, and felt rather accomplished. A friend came over to help me with some of my tasks. We got done early, and decided to head over to the closet adoption center to play with the kitties. I picked out one cat who was a snuggler - just what I needed. As soon as I sat down, she jumped in my lap and wouldn't leave. 

This happened on Wednesday too. My mom and I went over to a local SPCA so that I could be around the animals. I picked out a cute puppy I wanted to spend some time with. She was a chihuahua mix about five months old. She was all white except the black around her eyes and on one ear. The other ear was spotted black. She also wouldn't leave my lap. Animals bring so much joy.

After we visited the kitty, we headed over to a friends house nearby for a jam session. It was relaxing listening to them play some Bossa Nova and some old jazz standards. We left a bit early and caught the tail end of one of the warmer days we have had this year. Though overwhelming at first, by the end of the weekend my smiles were real. 

I seriously hate how the Blogger has changed as regard to uploading videos. I can no longer add a video by url, but rather can only search. I use a different account for my YouTube account, which makes things even more difficult. I really wanted to up load a video of my friends on this post, but instead can only give you a link (Try as I might, I can't seem to find this video by just searching). You can watch it here.

How do you prepare to say goodbye?

I have had my cat for over thirteen years. She came into my life the same month I was moving out of my parent's house. She had a rough start, though. A young man had taken her away from her mother before she was old enough to be on her own. He brought her over to a buddy's house, who lived across the street from my parent's. That buddy was very neglectful of his pets, to the point that one neighbor had taken in two of his previous cats. This kitten, that became mine, only spent one night in the buddy's house, before he put her out on the street. She found her way into our yard. My father was able to lure her out with food. She has been mine ever since. The first two weeks I had her, I took her to work with me every day. Since then, she has been with me through several moves, boyfriends, and even a divorce. She sleeps with me every night, and waits by the front door when I come home. She has been my companion and my comforter all these years.

The last year has been rough. She has been in an out of the vet more times than my pocketbook enjoyed. I knew that she wouldn't live forever, but I kept hoping that the inevitable time would still be a long way off. Today, my very first furlough day, I spent it taking her to emergency. The previous diagnosis was either inflammatory bowel disease or small cell lymphoma. I kept hoping for the previous as that can be treated well with medication. But, today I got my answer. She has cancer that has spread to her other organs. The hardest part to accept is that she seemed to be doing just fine until Saturday - though she had lost quite a bit of weight. Within the last 24 hours things have dramatically changed.

I have often thought about the fact that this was a decision I was going to have to make - especially this last year. But, how do you prepare to say goodbye - forever - to something that has brought such great joy over so many years? I know that it is the right thing to do. She is in so much pain, that she won't even let me cuddle with her. But, why does it have to hurt so much? I know that many people before me have gone through this and survived. And, it gives me great comfort that others know and understand what I am feeling. 

Final Round of Family Photos

Here is the last round of my favorite photos of my grandfather and grandmother. The text below the photos are what is written on the back that particular photograph.

June 27, 1947

Santa Fe

September 1948

November 1949

March 1949

Front: "Tubby" U.S.N.

Back: Remember me

Jeny(?) and I

Jeny is 6'4" weights 225 lbs. My new body guard. Taken May 31, 1945.