Black Cat

Here is the black cat, all finished and looking excited about Halloween. He'll just have to be patient though. And if he is, maybe I'll make him a friend. They can sit together on the windowsill and watch for the leaves to start changing color--a sure sign that Halloween is on the way. I made lots of the fabric pumpkins a few years ago. Everytime I went to the fabric store, I'd see something in a great shade of orange that I couldn't resist. Soon I was Queen of the Pumpkin Patch. I had quite a festive booth at craft fairs. I've given many away to friends, who have learned over the years that when I'm invited to their houses, I don't bring wine or flowers. It's strictly cloth.

And here are the painted rocks, as promised. The cat is a special piece because I found the rock here in Connecticut and sent it to my friend in Texas with a request that her daughter paint it to look like my calico cat, Sparkle. It's a good likeness I think, and certainly more special to me now that Sparkle has moved on to kitty heaven.

My mother used to pick up rocks when she traveled. She had a bowl in the living room where she'd keep them. When I started traveling, I would occasionally bring one back to add to her collection. On a student trip to Europe back in the 60's, I picked up a small piece of the Berlin Wall. I don't know what became of the rock collection. After my mom passed away, my dad went into a clearing-out mode. He may have just figured they were....well.....old rocks and tossed them. Sometimes men don't recognize true treasures.

I started a little rock collection of my own not long ago. I picked up a nice round stone from the driveway of BCG's first off-campus apartment. You might remember, this was the place where the girls lived upstairs and the boys down. These were the boys who borrowed the girls' dishes when their own were dirty, and broke the pipes when they let the oil run out. The same boys who assumed the girls' apartment was open 24/7 for video games. I think I'll paint the rock with some pretty colors, wrap it up in a nice gift box, and give it to her.....maybe for graduation....as a little memento of all those fun-filled college years....