Farewell, 2010.

Textures, articles of clothing that bring me comfort and style, good food as well as good relations with my family became important items for me in 2010. I said good-bye to my mother during this year and '10 as well as 1998, the year my father ran to the hills, will always be bittersweet, but also have provided such a vat of knowledge, energy, and love that of course these two years are very precious to me. And so I keep growing and learning, and building on what I've lost and gained, and gathered inbetween. I wish for you happiness, doing what you love, and knowing that wholeness is possible. It really is all about love and that means knowing who you are and what you need to be healthy, wealthy, and wise.
Happy New Year. 
May you continue to discover your worth and infinite glow.

Russell Roars

I haven't been holding true to my statement header that I will be tackling a different topic for every day of the week. Well, it's Monday and NYC and the tri state area is pretty landlocked by the last blizzard of '10, so let's just say I have a little time.

My Monday posts are to revolve around Russell, our cat since July 1999. He came with his "brother" Oscar, an orange cat that we adored and who died in 2007 from cancer. Russell is a black and white nervous cat who has become much more active in the household since Oscar's departure. Still rather skinny, he at least can eat freely now without Oscar batting him away and hogging the food. 

Russell - as did Oscar - has a personality. He is stubborn. If he wants to sit by you, he will whether you like it or not. I don't mind him sitting by me unless I'm on my laptop as I am now and he wants to "dominate" it. He's also found his voice, but not in a healthy way. Two summers ago, my older daughter thought he might have fleas, so I went to the pet store across the street for a flea collar and the owner's teenage son was tending the register. He told me if my cat already had fleas a collar wouldn't help, so I asked him for a good flea medicine and he gave me a cream, instructing me to run the tube from Russell's nape of his neck down to the tip of his tail.

And I did.

Russell proceeded to turn and lick the cream off his lower back, immediately turning wild eyed and hissing at us (primarily my daughter).  I found the telephone number on the carton of cream and called the company. A very nice woman talked to us and gasped when I relayed what I had done. "Oh no!" she exclaimed. "Just at the nape of the neck! Give him a bath right now and get it all off!" I did, my daughter and I pulling him out from under the bed, him hissing hysterically at her. Once it was over, he retreated back under the bed, and we waited the explained 24 hours to observe his recovery.

Finally, he emerged and became Russell again, but the use of his voice has stayed the same. He gives a low, guttural meow that sounds more like "owwwwww" followed by an even lower "raaaaaaaw," His acid trip voice has now meshed with his personality, and if I don't want him batting his head into my laptop, once I direct him off the couch, he leaves, yet staring at me with a slew of what must be curse words:

"Owwwwwwww, raaaaw, uhrumpf, growwwwl, raaawww, %$#&!"

 Don't let your cats do drugs.

The pet store owner readily gave me my money back for the crazy cream, his eyes wide over the reality that his son could convey such improper information.

Russell never had fleas.

Happy Holidays

It Just Feels Right

I bought a new coat. My old one, a peacoat I purchased at Old Navy literally was threadbare. But I loved it. I loved the way it felt and buttoned, and looked on me. But this season, it was time. So I went on a coat search with my daughter, Sarah. First, it was Burlington Coat Factory. The sight of wall to wall coats was overwhelming. For a second I couldn't breathe, and Sarah went to the other side of the store to let me look. I think she was a bit afraid after seeing the look on my face. Later, she returned, and we went through every row of coats. Finally, I was ready to buy anything just to get out of there! And then, Sarah took me by the arm and we went to T.J. Maxx and there she handed me coat after coat, as I yanked on ones I'd found, too.

And then, I slipped on a wool coat that had an incredible collar and set of buttons to keep my neck safe from brutal northern winds. And the coat was styled much like my worn out favorite. I put it on and smiled, really smiled and told Sarah "this is it!" She came out from the rack she'd attached herself to and stared blankly at me. "Really?" she asked, shocked and relieved. "Yes! I love it!" I exclaimed.

"It's Calvin Kline, too," she said, smiling wryly, knowing the label "whore" I am known to be.

And that was the cherry on the top!

Every morning is a new chance

Friday, I'm in Love: Fantasy of the Week

The weather is just as it is today. I'm in a room, painted a soft yellow with windows circling the room. I'm sitting at a thick oak desk with my laptop in front of me, and on the other side is a vase with red, yellow, and white flowers with greenery.

I am deep into a story I am writing. If someone were to walk into the room, I wouldn't realize it. The soundtrack to a movie is playing and I am writing as fast as I can.

There is a green sofa across the room from me. On the opposite side of the room is a gigantic framed poster of Georgia O'Keeffe's artwork.

It's an old Brownstone I live in and I own it. I'm on the top floor, writing, happy as a pig in mud. Later, I will go downstairs to prepare my dinner, watch a little TV, go for a walk, and call my daughters. It's going to storm soon. I like a candle as evening draws closer and decide to push on so I pull a sweater around me. I've got a couple more hours of writing in me before I call it a day.