A Tiny Cat of Rome

This was gruesome--fighting over a ham sandwich

with one of the tiny cats of Rome, he leaped

on my arm and half hung on to the food and half

hung on to my shirt and coat. i tore it apart

and let him have his portion, I think I lifted him

down, sandwich and all, on the sidewalk and sat

with my own sandwich beside him, maybe I petted

his bony head and felt him shiver. (rest of poem) from Another Insane Devotion, Gerald Stern

So you couldn't have found something pretty to write about a pretty Roman gatto? No, I'm feeling devilish tonight. Besides, I love this poem by Gerald Stern. (He was born in Pittsburgh, by the way.)

Thank you so much to Julie of Being Ruby for sending me a new version of the Coliseum Cat. She included an earlier version in a package last autumn, along with a beautiful handbag that I won on her blog. Julie publishes beautiful photographs of her travels & of her Sydney. This print sits patiently with many other things-I-love, ready to be placed just-so on a wall above the desk. If, when, if, when the wall is painted. Soon, soon. So I am told.

I love the nerve of this cat but I worry about him (or her), too. Don't blame the big cats for the hideous goings on at the Coliseum. Man invented it. Cats kill to eat, not to entertain themselves & others.

[photograph by Julie Newcombe/Being Ruby/all rights reserved]

Santa Baby

Surrounded by the guts of a fake tree (cannot believe I agreed to this). It defies reason. The Tasmanian Devil is tangled in fairy lights & squeals when she is removed from the Fairy Light Beast. Apparently it is feline performance art; I am not amused. She tore up (& ate? I have no idea) part of the (real) wreath. It's freezing in here & it's been a dumb day. Cranking up Santa Baby CD & ignoring all else. Here's a goofy video of Eartha Kitt (with three backup singers) singing the (kinda creepy) song. I cringe, I really do...

[images via GG blog]

I'm Looking Through You

You don't look different, but you have changed...

I just typed a whole bunch of words & poof. All gone. I've decided to take it as a sign. Just don't want to keep seeing that glowing red poppy at the top of the page. It's reminding me of too many things (that are not good). Off to swim & perhaps to change. The cat photo business has got to stop; Julie has a blog of her own. Please visit it & find out about IKEA's Soft Toy Animal campaign.

There were words to go with necklaces, boots, dresses, & so forth. Leaving the photos in anyway. Still can't believe I did that...

[photographs via we heart it. Two of the feeds are messed up & give error messages when I tried to visit the original site. So the cat is by scarlipop/tumbler, the others are pearls & tea/tumblr, & Ped Shoes ]

Cat Naps

Even dogs catnap. A friend sent me an email today full of gratuitously cute animals (domestic & wild & two children) catnapping. (It was titled, "Have You Ever Been This Tired?") I don't usually do this (posting without permission or Creative Commons) but I don't know the sources of the photos. If you know, please let me know. I saw one (not posted here) that I used on Giulia Geranium for a St. Francis Blessing of the Animals day last year.

Anyway, Julie is getting a sense that she is not allowed to lie on the keyboard of the new laptop...probably from my semi-shriek when she gets near it.

I'm having a fairly miserable, tiring few weeks. So here are some of the cute pix to cheer myself up. Maybe you, too.

xo

La Coiffure

It's no wonder that this is from Cute Overload via We Heart It. It's from a GG post last holiday time but I wanted to see it over here now. Maybe it will balance out my sarcasm. The great kitten hunt is on after the weekend. A gift for Julie/Giulia (& me).

Polka Dot Peek

Another one running around the house...causing mayhem...am I really going to do this?

[photograph from Holga {Paint with your Holga and shoot from the heart} via we heart it.

Week's End - Tony in Black & White

The last thing I wanted to do was toss in another b&w...no matter how sweet. Apparently, though, buckets o' rain & apocalyptic lightening is on its way . [from Hollywood Cats/personal scan/info here]

Wanted color in here...I just saw the pink vintage dress (same brand, the exact dress) that I have hanging outside my closet door--to remind me of the days before my period of avoirdupois (aka POA). [Philosophy of pink, a Tina-Muse pink link .] However, too afraid to go looking & then have the power go out. You'd think I was in the Year of Living Dangerously with our weather (& other matters). Go look at Hazel's fabulous trifle recipe. I plan to make it for a party in early June. Uh oh. First rumblings of scary-sounding thunder. Julie, afraid of nearly nada, just jumped into my lap & spilt iced espresso. To her credit, she looks sheepish about it.

So ciao for now & will be back later. I hope. I find it curious, though, that not a soul was interested in either Spanish post in Giulia Geranium or this site. Hmmmm. That won't stop me; not about to start 'hearting' stuff. It's obvious what I like.

PS: Yes, it was Tony's personal tabby...not a set-up shot. Even better.

Week's End - Grace in Black & White

Just trying to get by, that's what. Doing the best I can. That's my response to the mean poet & financial success-through-you-don't-want-to-know-how writer about town. Yeah, I could've gone that route, too, & quite publicly did not. Posting in her blog & sending it to me (!) that this is pathetic, derivative, & so forth My posting images of "dumb stuff." Why is she looking in then? That's the first & last mention. What a way to end the week. (via scan from Hollywood Cats, see here for credits)

Week's End - Poet's Day

When I last left here, I said I didn't envision myself as Milton Berle. I still don't. There's a funny photograph in the LIFE archives of Uncle Miltie, asleep with a mask on. I was being literal. My sleep mask is navy blue silk, if you must know. Sequin-free. Julie the Cat would surely spend hours prying them off anyway.

Where to begin. Week has been weird, weekend forecasts more of the same. I've tons of beautiful photographs but I cannot bring myself to use them now. Perversely, I have to go with these two wackidoodles.

First, in what state of lunacy/inebriation did a Pond's executive say, "Yes! A nightie-wearing, corsage-sporting gal sitting with a kitten...juxtaposed in front of a photo of the Colosseum....yes yes it's genius!" Perhaps it did sell tons of night cream. Hey, I can't claim it wouldn't work on me...though the Colosseum. Egad. But as a sign of Rome for Americans, sigh, I guess. Perhaps this was from the beginning of the la dolce vita period. I bet that's it. Otherwise, they would've tried a Parisian theme. No way am I "researching" this now. [advert from Jesssica aka myvintagevogue's flickrstream; she has a new website in progress & that is great news.]

Before you say, no ad guy would use "juxtaposed"...yes, they would. Art & literature majors were in that business. My parents had many friends in advertising...all with excellent personal vocabularies. They were terribly ambivalent (or hating) about the business. Wonder what they think of Mad Men. I suspect quite conflicted. As my mother says about the 1950s...it wasn't that Happy.

Second. I know he was a decidedly troubled & difficult man, but we didn't have to put up with it. We (the audience) got the best of him. Peter Sellers in a rare photo (via scan from The Hollywood Cats book, of Catapalooza-in-DC fame). From the British film, The Wrong Box. The text says..."In this comedy about inheritance, Peter Sellers played the mad surgeon Dr. Pratt, his office overrun by kittens. As one cat sits in the surgical bowl, the doctor contemplates the phony death certificate he's just made out for Michael Caine."

Of course, he played a mad surgeon named Pratt...what else?

Off to walk in the warmish DC weather (with my hat on!)...hope it's warm (or warming up) where you are...& I can't help myself. I have to say it, though it's not "mine." You naughty cheeky monkeys!

Circus of Flying Lunatics

The first of three in a set of camera-poetry by the luminous Ola Bell of England. I happened upon a photograph in weheartit, but it was an all rights reserved photo, originally on flickr. I wrote to ask her permission & she quickly answered; & could not have been more gracious. Go visit not only No. 2 & 3 in the set (I could not download them with this dodgy computer), but also her professional website, Oladios, for portfolio, bio, & more. Of course, it's quite the plus that she loves cats (& they, her). Bella Ola, indeed! [The results are always perfect published by kind permission of Ola Bell]

Week's End - Ava in Black & White

Lovely feline Ava with her Siamese kitty-cat. At home in Hollywood in 1946, before she (wisely) decamped for London & away from that crazy Sinatra. Why do I know these things? Surely, it clutters the mind. Anyway, this is from the Hollywood Cats book (via scan). Computer crisis, can you tell?! Hope to be back on the weekend. Wish me luck. xo

Week's End - Veronica in Black & White

This 1942 photograph of Veronica Lake & cat is via scan from the Hollywood Cats book I bought last month at the Washington Animal Rescue League's Catapalooza--which was great fun. It's the same book that Marlon Brando & his cool white cat inhabit (from a post a week or two ago) The small amount of text accompanying the photo said that the big ol' tuxedo cat fell asleep on Miss Lake's lap during the shoot. A relaxed kitty.

Hope we see you back here on the weekend. If not, that means that the computer crisis has blossomed (too nice a word) into meltdown.

Thanks to The Clever Pup for the darling Diverting blog award & I hope to post on that over the weekend.

Week's End - Listen to the Radio

Computer crisis. It's not like I can have it fixed or anything else & I don't have another office to go to. This is it. I find this photo appealing, not just because of the cat & the radio but because it's Depression-era. The First One. Because it definitely feels, to one on the edge already, that the Second is on its way. There's a camping ground in a Sacramento parking lot (I saw on the still-working TV) that grows daily; it looks dreadfully like an updated photo from the DPA archives. It's happening all over America. ( If you don't know what the DPA photographs are, do a search. You'll know immediately.) It's coming to a parking lot near you, if it's not there already. (Cat sitting on a radio in 1930s Sydney credit)

Week's End - Marlon in Black & White

How cool is this? Young Marlon with a great typewriter & his white cat (in 1955) via scan from Hollywood Cats that I found for $1.00 at Catapalooza on Valentine's Day. Such a bargain.) Off to brood (but never as cool as Marlon). Have a great weekend. Sunday is International Women's Day & I'll post something...they celebrate it in Europe (especially Italy) big time but in the States? Zip, really. What about Canada? Canadiennes, please weigh in, if you like. ciao, belle!

Meowsers - Mattissean & Moroccan

Indulge me. No, not a cat site despite Julie's profile photo in 'about me.' There isn't time/tech support to separate the blogs yet. And really, it's not important. (Yes, first person. Watching The Tudors DVDs has made me self-conscious & annoyed by the Royal We-ness.) I spent part of Saturday (Valentine's Day) at the Washington Animal Rescue League's Catapalooza Day. It was hilarious. A cat cocktail party. As I walked towards the cat area's double-doors, a big orange guy was casually walking out like he had things to do, people to see. As confident as you please. I busted him. His name is Jam & he let me carry him around, quite content. A real pistol. I hope someone applied to adopt him. I would have done immediately if I had a for-sure contract or job. Alas, Julie remains an only cat & is not happy about it. At all. ciao.

[There's a sale at Kittendales on Cute Overload:)/Daily Kitten; Morrocan kittens by only alice]

Week's End - Humphrey in Black & White

Dear sweet peaceable Humphrey of Grand Canaria (his soul brother is Alvar, here). His human mom, Marianne Perdomo, is very talented (& funny). See her flickrstream, here. Bon weekend!

Un chat blanc

I love this cat, Alvar. Again, from Marianne Perdomo's flickrstream.

Love No Matter What

via We Heart It. Love No Matter What from Epiphany/DeviantArt.