At last summer has arrived, and with it an end to the early morning drive to Chinatown and the classroom. The endless list of duties, assignments, arguments, complaints, accidents, packing, masks, moving to a new classroom, talking, listening, involvement. I kept our ship on course for 10 months, but now the passengers must find their own way. Captain Moss has pushed off and is rowing and drifting towards a new shore. Alone.
I am here. Home. Where the wind is blowing through the trees as I write this. Cool air is moving through the windows in the middle of the day. Squirrels are lounging on branches. I can hear acorn woodpeckers knocking and tapping. Just now a big butterfly on the porch. A yellow-green flurry of Jacaranda leaves rain down. The kittens are napping next to each other. Iris has her paw on Otto’s back. When I walk into the kitchen I can smell peaches ripening in the fruit bowl on the table.
How nice to rest in the quietness of this place right now. No one talking, asking questions, or needing anything.
I made a little accordion book from a left over scrap.
Lately, all I want to do artistically is map out the shapes of my new kittens. They are 8 months old now!
They aren’t shy around me anymore, but they run from visitors. Dear Iris has come such a long way in a month. She approaches me now for pets and doesn’t run when I approach her. Otto is like a lightening bolt. He is very wriggly. I have no idea how I’m going to get them into the cat carrier together next week to take them in for their first vet visit next week. Adventures!
If you’re a cat person the following info may be of interest to you: Otto had some digestive distress with a capital D (read between the lines here) which I’ve finally got under control. He seems to be very sensitive to ingredients in the food and treats. I’ve had good luck with Instincts Original pate: chicken for kittens, rabbit, adult chicken. Weruva pouches of chicken & pumpkin (stomach soother). Weruva Chicken Frick-A-Zee, Tiki brand pumpkin/wheat grass tummy toppers which I mix with the cans. But the food that finally seemed to get the smelly digestive issues under control were the Stella & Chewy free-dried raw rabbit morsels. I soak them in water and after about 15 minutes they gobble them up. I also just tried Smallbatch raw chicken sliders (frozen). I was going to supplement everything with dry kibble but Otto can’t seem to tolerate any kibble without adverse affects. Iris seems to eat anything and doesn’t share her brother’s sensitivity to ingredients.
I share all of that food-related information in case you are at your wit’s end with kitty digestive distress. You might want to give the Stella & Chewy rabbit a try. For now they are on a half raw/half canned diet. I noticed immediate improvement in Otto with the addition of the raw.
They are adjusting so well to Moss Cottage life and don’t even try to get outside.
Well, except when they do. Otto got the patio slider open last weekend. He was tempted outside by an orchid that was swaying in the breeze. Apparently he got the door open, knocked the orchid pot over, and brought the orchid pup inside to bat around. I caught him with it in the kitchen when I went to investigate. I have since created a duct tape locking mechanism on the screen door. No more funny business!
They are delighted by the windows and sit in them all day chatting with the birds and squirrels, when they aren’t chasing their tails or each other around the house. I also have several fishing pole contraptions, a zillion balls, feathers, and other toys. Jackson Galaxy on Youtube is my new cat mentor. I haven’t had kittens for so very long and never indoor cats so his videos have been informative and entertaining.
Otto & Iris are a JOY.
A balm to my school-weary soul.
I think of Wyatt every single day. He was not shy, but he was a stinker just like Otto when he was that age. High energy and full of tricks!
Little Iris lets her brother know when she’s had enough of his nonsense by hissing at him.
Otto is full of the dickens!
I’m so very glad I have both of them. I can’t imagine one without the other.
Little partners.
I am in the process of making a few videos to add to Oh My Gouache as I mentioned in my March post.
I will start filming any day now and will let OMG class members know right here on DFLA when I post those new videos to the class. This will take me a few weeks. Expect 3-5 new videos. It’s just a small update to share my current palette and how I’m working with gouache these days.
I’ll also let you know when I have our first Zoom scheduled. That will not be instructional, it will just be a chance to work together casually drawing and painting with gouache. Think of it as a playful art date. The fun part will be sharing out at the end. I’m thinking it will go for about an hour. I’ll try and schedule for 10 am PST on a weekend. I look forward to meeting some of you in Zoom! This might be live only and not recorded. It will depend on my new internet upload speed.
My internet is the slowest in LA. My download speed is 6 mbps and my upload speed is less than 1 mbps. You can check to see what yours is if you’re curious by running a speed test. I usually use speedtest.net. I’m in the process of switching providers.
Just to clarify, there is no additional charge for this OMG update, but you will need to be a current member to access.
ON MY BOOKSHELF
Enjoyed both of these very much!
Okay, it’s your turn. Tell me what you’re reading, how your fur people are, what you’re making, and how you’re living. All of it. Every last thing.
Such cute kitties. Right now, I’m reading Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel and enjoying immensely. I also loved The Maid. Isn’t it a perfect summer read?
So happy for you and your new kitties! I’m super excited about the OMG update and zoom call!! Happy Summer
I love seeing your journal and gardens! AND, I love hearing about your kitties… and food solutions!
We had a brother and a sister, Hobbes and Allie for a long time. Now just one tortie named Mowie.
Book suggestions are always appreciated… I just finished “The Dictionary of Lost Words”
and really loved it. I started reading “The Scent Keeper”, recommended by my sister.
Congratulations on a summer off! Seize the day.
Happy Sweet Soulful Sunday.
So glad to see you in my inbox.
Iris and Otto are adorable. Your note conveys your well deserved relaxed spirit of the end of a school year… a joy to read.
I am spritzing my gouache paints in anticipation of the new OMG videos. A zoom session sounds delightful.
BTW, your photos are wonderful and I may try and paint those cuties myself…I will of course share with you.
The Overstory by Richard Powers is my curent read…you probably already read it, if not you might enjoy it
I loved The Overstory! Thought I found it to be two different books in one. I really loved the first half, the second I liked, but not as much.
Otto and Iris are adorable, so glad that you all found each other. I am reading “Plain Bad Heroines” by Emily Danforth and “The Witch’s Heart” by Genevieve Gornichec, so far both are good.
Oh my Gosh! I love your posts so much! Those pictures of one kitty holding his/her paw out to the other is so precious.They are beautiful creatures. I don’t know why but when I look at their back feet I think of kangaroos. I also can’t believe how smart they are – opening the patio door? Cmon!!!!!!!!!! I Love cats but am allergic so I really enjoy following you. Thank you so much!
Sincerely,
Jan
I am reading Kate Carlisle’s Bibliophile Mystery series. It is light, cute and I enjoy her book making and restoration parts. You might like it. It takes place in Northern California. It has lots of wine, good food, hippies, book making and humor.
What beautiful, exotic cats. Your paintings of them are full of love and humor.
Such a lovely, evocative post! Are your kitties part jack rabbit? Look at the long hind legs on those two. Thanks for the cat information. My mature kitty has begun to develop digestive issues. We are having a heat wave here since last week and into next, so it’s perfect for laying low and reading. My daughter sent me one of her favorites, “Mapp and Lucia”, a category she calls “vicars and tea”. I’m also rereading an old favorite adventure romance by Mary Stewart, “Airs Above the Ground”. Looking forward to the new OMG videos and Zoom.
looking up the books. thanks, mary. see you in the ZOOM v.v. soon.
yes long legs especially on otto. he’s a magnificent JUMPER. the little miss, can’t scale the kitchen counter as easily as he.
Oh Mary-Anne, that feeling of the end of the school year is like no other! Enjoy it! And your kitties, they are so cute and will be a balm for your tired soul!
Oh I’m so happy you got the kittens! They’re so much fun, and your sketches are awesome! I finally bit the bullet and ordered some Schmincke gouache from Jackson Art Supply in the UK. Love it! I just got it yesterday and I’m playing and mixing already. I’ve painted with watercolors for 30 years so this is new and exciting fun! My cats are 13, 14, and 15 years old. My daughters and I used to volunteer at the Humane Society in the cattery – obviously. I love kittens! Once you’ve had fur babies it’s hard to imagine life without any. We still miss out golden retriever that passed right after my hubby. Anyway, life goes on. Had the lovely experience of my hot water heater dying and leaking out in my art room… I am about to start taming the paper tiger, message me with your address and I’ll send you some stuff for ROD journals! 🙂 I got a little carried away collecting…
Awwwww. your doggy and husband. gone, but not forgotten. We carry them with us – all the peeps and animals. I love the Schmincke as you know. Sending address in an email and THANK YOU…!!!
May your beloved cats have many more years ahead of them. xo
xoxo
Hey sweetest Mary Ann
OOoooh I so enjoyed the update on the kittoes, and each and every photo of them. I can’t imagine you with out a cat posse, much as you can’t imagine not having the pair, and it warms my heart that you are all there in your nest at Moss Cottage enjoying life at a much slower, pace and with ease. All good things. Thanks for all the info on digestive issues. My lil un is a fussy girl and it took me awhile to find food she likes. She is a bit odd in that she doesn’t like wet food, kibble is her favorite but I felt the need to supplement her diet when the vet on a comprehensive visit that her weight was right on the money but that I should boost her diet just a tich. She is such a tiny thing for a 6 year old cat, my mini kitty as I call her. Good luck on the cat carrier business. Lucy absolutely hates going in hers and I’ve had to try several different styles, she prefers the soft sider/ top load over the hard carrier but I have to do it quick, she has lightning paws and will splay herself to not be scooted into it. She has her check up next week which is always a challenge since she is very shy. We have to kennel her in a few months when we go to our daughter’s wedding in Oct. and it took me a very long time to settle on a place for her for those days along with the puppers. She is super sensitive about noise and strangers so I found a place that has completely separate 8 by 8 foot rooms with a chair, cat tree, big window for perching and plenty of space to not feel cramped, yet corners she can scoot into and also have her favorite binkie and close as our home environment I could get. If I could find a place for both Lucy and Tilly together since they are buds would have been awesome, but I understand why that is not practical for most boarding environments. Tilly will get the same kind of space but without the window, but she will have private access to her own fenced in run outside since she is not a dog that likes to play tho she tolerated being around other pups so long as they mind their manners. Needless to say we are spending about as much for their lodging as ours that weekend. 🙂 Anything for the fur kids to keep them comfy and as unstressed as possible. Enjoy every single day of your vacation and soak up as much quiet as you can. s
I’m glad you found something for the missus. I’ll update on the trip to the vet. could be a comic book. hmmmm….
Wishing you a very long, healthy and happy retirement. It won’t take long (believe me) that those bells, report cards, demands, phone calls, preps, endless meetings, will seem like a distant past. I know…
Retired Canadian high school teacher (and artist)
Mam
Just yesterday we installed a lock on our patio slider screen door. Two in a package $3.00 ours was from home depot. Latch hooks and screws.
Hope that helps keep the chief investigator safe.
Whaaaa? That sounds doable. Not for me, but for my neighbor, Larry. He’s super helpful and would probably install if for me. Will go check it out at HD. The duct tape works but is kind of hillbilly. modern hillbilly. which i’m good with. but still….
Loved this update on your new babies….they’re just beautiful. I have an adopted girl also and I love how much personality she has. She has 7 toes on both front feet and I have a zillion photos of her because she’s always doing something cute or funny to me, at least!
Enjoying the class too. 😉
7 toes! i bet she’s cute. send me a pic through my email link (up top)
Sister!!!! good morning. I can NOT believe it has been a whole month since Iris & Otto came to Moss cottage. I especially love it when the use each other’s body parts as pillows and props. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I just adopted sister kittens a little over a week ago. We lost our 2 year old abruptly at the beginning of May and I did not want to be catless. Scout and Boo are grey tabbies, short- and long-haired. They are sooo tiny at 3 lbs each. Seeing Otto and Iris looking so very cat-like reminds me to enjoy this time. They were born into care at a no-kill shelter and have known nothing but love. It is the best kitten experience I’ve had in my life. Seeing your delightful drawings of your posse reminds me to do the same
I recently read Andrew Weir’s HailMary twice, in both audio and kindle version. It was fun!
New 3 lb baby cats! Wonder of wonders. I think Iris weighs 6 and Otto 8. Will find out if they can be weighed on Thursday. Thanks for the book rec: Hail Mary I had that in my Libby app…I think. will go check again.
I have 4 carriers of various sizes (5cats). !!!😂😂😂 Just finished Rocket Men about Apollo 8. I sort of remember Apollo 8. I like books that make me think! Currently reading Lydia Sherrer’s Love,Lies,and HocusPocus: Legends. Fantasy series. Pure brain candy.
Iris and Otto are adorable. Jupiter, my furbaby, is doing well. He is shy around strangers but full of mischief around family. I’m trying to make better use of my art supplies and stop impulse buying. Experiments with Posca paint pens on wood. Looking forward to more dispatches from Moss cottage.
mmmm posca on wood sounds fun and fabulous! more dispatches coming soon to a computer near you. xoxo
otto and iris say to tell jupiter to come over for a night of whiskey and cards.
Iris and Otto certainly hit the cottage and human jackpot! It seems that you all needed and deserve each other. I will certainly be joining your OMG class so that I can zoom too!
Cat antics on this front have included an ear infection as well as a possible tick removal, which actually turned out to be some kind of small scab instead. And we are also on all kinds of special diets and feel the pain I’m sure you are feeling in your wallet. But, once those critters make their way into your heart, what else can you do?
I think most of this country is weary right along with you; we shall continue to take solace wherever we can and appreciate the small joys… thank you for reminding us of that. Your newsletter never fails to make me feel less alone.
Beth…hello!
I always enjoy hearing from you, so thanks for your note. It seems the cat health worries never end do they? And the older I get the more I am attuned to every possible issue. But the love and companionship make up for it. I try in my daily sitting practice to BE with all the uncertainty. But it’s neither successful nor easy. Amen!
Let us take solace in knowing a long glimmering thread connects us all.
xo
Loved getting this update! I am reading The Paris Bookseller, as I was trying to read a load of nonfiction about WWII, but this world was too much with me, great and small–so I needed something lighter. It’s about Sylvia Beach, the owner of Shakespeare and Co. and much more. Jury still out on its merits. V excited about new gouache videos!
Let me know if you end up finishing and liking after all. I just abandoned Lillian Boxfish Takes A Walk. The main character seemed predictable, overly confident, and I found the retelling of her life a bore. I tried to like it, but failed.
MAM- something you may want to try for Otto’s GI distress is an elimination diet. About ten years ago one of my girls developed inexplicable troubles, and after much experimenting, we found she was sensitive to fish. Once I removed all fish protein (including all those fancy mixed recipes), everything cleared up. Maybe try single protein foods and see if you can narrow it down?
Looks like they’re settling in beautifully. Happy summer!
excellent advice. will keep that in mind. thank you, amy!
I love to hear about the new kitties and see your paintings and photos! Since entering the last year of my 60’s I am currently reading one of May Sarton’s books: At Seventy- A Journal. I have too many close friends who are complaining that we are so old!!! It drives me crazy! Your writing reminds me of hers- lots of detail and appreciation for nature. I am not a fan of poetry but I am really enjoying this book- only a little poetry and lots of thoughts.
i am taking that book off the shelf and going out on the porch forthwith. love to reread it from time to time. thanks for the reminder.
A few cat pictures there 🙂 . They’re lovely–no wonder you’re smitten.
Returned after living in Oaxaca, MX for 2+ years. Now in the midst of a huge remodel on a rental home we own to bring it up to date to live in permanently. No fur babies but keeping my sanity during this remodel by doing small index card art (ICAD). Just finished “The Sentence” by Louise Erdrich. Currently reading “The School of Essential Ingredients” by Erica Bauermeister. Of these two, The Sentence is the better one.
mmmm The Sentence. will check it out.. THX. Oaxaca. Oh! my mind instantly filled with questions. sounds intriguing. are you in north america somewhere now?
So glad that Otto and Iris are settling in. As someone who moved to Australia in 2006 with seven (YES, 7!) cats, who have all departed by now, I love seeing your new furry friends join you Moss Cottage.
I love your blog, though I am art-challenged, so no sketching or painting for me. I do knit and quilt, which satisfied my artistic cravings.
As I LOVE to read. I also enjoyed Oh, William, and have the Maid in my queue at Libby. I can heartily recommend to recent reads:
Horse, by Geraldine Brooks
The Violin Conspuractm by Brendan Slocum
Once Upon a River, by Diane Setterfield
All really wonderful reads. Also, a sort of chick-lit one that I really liked: Bloomsbury Girls, by Natalie Jenner
Let me know if you try any of them. I’ll be interested to hear what you think!
Enjoy your summer. We are freezing our patooties off here in Australia…
Oops, that should have been “The Violin Conspiracy”…fat fingers!
hi dianne,
looking forward to exploring the books you mentioned. BTW I adored Once Upon a River. so evocative and good!
Oh joy, it’s always a treat to read your updates. Iris and Otto are lovely as are your paintings of them!!! I adopted two kittens almost 3 years ago and also can’t imagine one without the other 😉. Looking forward to your new OMG videos — I will have to renew my subscription, yay 😃!
Stay well, dear 😘😇
Thanks Arlene!
cats save the universe. send me a pic sometime of your kitties. email link up top…
xo
I’m so glad for you that Otto and Iris have worked out so well! We always miss the cats that have gone before and are never forgotten. To new cat babies!