Curiouser and curiouser!
Mural of Cat in Baltimore, Remington neighborhood. Sensa the cat on the rail and watching the fish!
©LaineQuinn2022
I can see you!
Puma in the ferns, and his gorgeous eyes looking back at me.
©2021 Laine Quinn
Here I am surrounded by giant old oak trees,
dripping with spanish moss,
living with a joyful dog
and a handsome cat,
while it feels like the world is coming apart at the seams.
It is not.
The birds still sing.
The frogs still croak and slap themselves onto the windows at night.
The moon rises and shines.
The sun too.
All that is worrying us will change,
and soon.
One way or the other.
To quote Wendell Barry,
Be joyful even though you have considered all the facts.
Be joyful and see the world around you with fresh eyes and love.
"Love is why we have hope"
Love your world!
And hope for the very best for all of us.
Inspired by the book by Anne Lamott, Almost Everything, Notes on Hope.
The quote about love is from the back cover and the Wendell Barry quote is found on the inside front cover.
She is fearless and funny and inspiring!
Photo is a view outside of Lake Lure, NC. ©Laine Quinn 2015
Social distancing not required...
Cat (DJ) and Armadillo, the Moon and Venus, Two Butterflies, Cat (Lucy) kisses Gator, Two Web-footed friends, Five Turtles! All Safe.
"...a soulful ecology is rooted in the feeling that this world is our home
and that our responsibility to it comes not from obligation
or logic, but from true affection.
...As long as the heart is involved, care of the place will follow."
Thomas Moore, Care of The Soul
The thing to understand is that this in not your fault or my fault
because we didn't recycle enough or we use too much plastic,
or we believed that Round Up was safe.
The problem is institutionalized.
From the auto industry to plastics manufacturing,
oil producers have held sway over these industries for a century.
Chemical companies have been spreading their propaganda since WWII.
And governments have been holding their hands ever since
and silencing concerned voices.
There are little things that we can do in our lives and homes.
And lots of little things add up.
More later!
Home sweet Home! The cat, the hammock, and the flowers are still with me in my new home!
I didn't do it!
"HONEY", the new kid on the block looking guilty for no apparent reason!
When the web of your days and nights gets so tangled
that you start losing sleep,
is it really so complicated?
If you look your life in the eye,
it's not all roses and buttercups
AND
it's not half bad either.
All the loveliness, that is your life,
outweighs the self doubts and insecurities,
if you let it.
Breathe in the Troubles,
and breathe out the Joy.
It's really not half bad,
this life.
Just ask DJ...
...who has become fond of a certain flower pot with Rosemary.
A possum at the door last night reminded me of this one...
No worries!
Reprinted from Laine's Blog October, 2011.
It's CeCe,
the little dog who runs in very tight circles,
doing the
"So happy to see you" dance!
She is much cuter than in this photo!
To see such craft...
And the dish ran away with the spoon!
Which Provincetown Restaurant?
Childhood rhyme,
Hey Diddle Diddle.
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed to see such craft,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.
These dogs are rescued by these good people and taught to fly!
(chasing a frisbee, of course!)
Patience, perseverance and love are the ingredients that make these dogs great.
Nocatee Farmer's Market, the wonderful couple make up Disc.connectedK9's and they and their dogs win national competitions on a regular basis.
Amazing to watch!
Sometimes our furry companions positively glow.
(and look all too human!)
D J, backlit and giving that look of love!
When I was a little girl,
I loved the smell of the earth,
flowers and trees and fresh mown grass,
starry nights and beautiful sunsets,
and time spent at the beach.
A lot of life has happened between then and now,
and I still love all of those things,
as well as making people smile,
feeling connected to just about everyone (on a good day!),
and I especially love the deep friendship that I have cultivated with myself.
The essence remains-
we are still those children that we once were
with the refinement that a life lived allows.
Prepare to anchor!
These good samaritan pups and their two Lady Companions are bringers of joy to anyone whoever put on a sailor hat or loved a dog and are lucky enough to have a close encounter with them!
On a lucky rainy Sunday on St. George Street in St. Augustine, Florida.
A Mother Goose Rhyme,
just in time for election day.
Hark! Hark!
The dogs do bark,
The beggars are coming to town:
Some in rags,
Some in tags,
And some in velvet gown.
The Hungarian dog and the King and Queen in Tihany, Hungary.
Pirate smile...
Welcome,
my new furry friend!
Elton John song, which one? And Puma the black pirate!
Are you having trouble making a decision,
feeling like there might be something more on the other side of the fence?
Talking it over with friends?
Ready for a different perspective?
Sitting on a fence has its merits.
You get to see at least two versions of your story,
but sooner or later you must come down on one side or the other,
if only for your supper!
A cat named Kitty.
How to relax:
First - find a comfy chair.
Next - remove your head.
(This step is only necessary if the chair is smaller than your body with the head on.)
Then, stretch out just so,
and put your head back on, (if you want to)!
And, finally -
RELAX!
Cat in the pot!
Remember not to overwater!
Sometimes new friends sneak up on you
and take you by surprise.
Are you just two ships passing in the night,
or lifelong friends in the making?
Only time will tell.
Cat meets possum on the outside deck and pretends not to care.
Possum refuses to play possum.
They part amicably.
How do you catch a unique rabbit?
You 'neak up on him.
How do you catch a tame rabbit?
Tame way.
If you had a watchdog like that you would sleep like a baby too!
Me, I had to give up coffee for a couple of days
and hire a cat!
Happy New Year's Eve, Everyone!
Keep safe.
Adios 2012!
It has been a very interesting year, indeed!
On with the new!
Aden asleep in the great outdoors, with his dog watching, just the other day!
The English Language, being ambiguous, has a great many words
that have more than one meaning.
Bark is one of them.
And don't get me started on homophonic words.
Ok, I can't resist.
Here's a riddle, whose answer contains two pairs of homophonic words:
(Answer in Friday's blog post!)
What is the difference between a seamstress and an illusion?
"Ruff, ruff."
or
"Rough, rough."
or
"Bark, bark!"
Figures of dogs have been found in caves thousands of years old,
almost always protecting.
Dogs are top of the list of animal partners in our modern age,
yet the more we make friends with the multitude of other critters on our planet,
(and not just cats, my sweet companion),
the more friends we will have and the happier we'll be.
(My Klesha wants me to say
that cats have been depicted since ancient times as well,
and that she is not related in any way to the black and white creatures on the roof.)
Balancing on a surfboard with a paddle is challenging enough.
This guy takes his dog along!
It is pure joy watching them.
The furry one, in his excitement, manages to walk the length of the board,
going through his companion's legs to get to the back!
Only once did he knock them both off balance and into the drink.
No worries!
A hand up and they are surfing again or cutting through the waves to get beyond the breakers.
There is an amazing bond between these two.
The furry one with no words and a heart of gold and the surfer,
who knows how to have fun.
The sun might be setting,
but the surf's up,
and the moment is golden.
Buddha kitty.
Everyday a retreat.
Sitting meditation.
Yoga.
Chanting.
Two light meals a day.
There is a calm centeredness about cats.
They spend a lot of time alone and it suits them.
Petting one can be meditative and calming.
They are little buddhas among us.
"Mom, I can't get down."
"Yes, you can."
"No, I can't."
Yes, you can."
"Mom!"
"Dj!"
"Hey, you forgot to put the seed out.
I can see you in there. You forgot to put the seed out.
Can I come in?
I bet I could find it and save you the trouble of carrying it outside.
I can see you - is that a cat in there? Is that you, Dj?
Hi Dj, can you get the bird seed?
Dj, can you hear me? I'm here, over here, by the door.
Is somebody cooking?
That smells good.
I'm over here!
Hey!"
Life can be overwhelming at times - aging parents, sick children, losing a treasured pet.
Even joy can flood the heart, so much beauty, so much love, so complex.
That's where our friends come in.
They walk with us even when we are apart and help us to make sense of our mortal lives.
Where would we be without our friends?
Here's to old friends, new friends and the friends we are about to meet!
Salut!
A little lamp to keep her warm and decorative carousel horses
to keep her company.
Yes, there are cats in Iceland and this one has a pretty nice view of the snow
covered lava hills in Grindavik, a small town between Reykjavik
and the airport, near the Blue Lagoon.
Does she notice the two bundled up tourists walking by
on this chilly November day, or is she so focused on her grooming,
that she doesn't see?
Will someone be coming home to her soon?
With fish?