Today is the first anniversary of the passing away of Jack the Cat

I miss him very much.

Jack the Cat

Jack the Monster

Goodbye to Jack the Cat

'A young man in the dark am I

But a wild old man in the light

That can make a cat laugh, or

Can touch by mother wit

Things hid in their marrow bones

From time long passed away,

Hid from all those warty lads

That by their bodies lay.

                                                          Day-break and a candle end.

William Butler Yeats

Jack has a new friend!

Manny the Cat

For one brief wonderful moment, Jack thought he had won!  The enemy was turning tail!  That was an hour ago.  Manny still shows no sign of leaving.

Visiting Day

Patty Comes to Visit Jack

This is Jack's favorite thing!  He fluffs up his tail, and tries to pat her through the window.  No, he's not scared at all.  Much...

Jack has a visitor!

She (?) came both last night and early this morning to visit with Jack through the glass door to the deck.  Jack was not happy.

She kind of looks like Hattie.

Jack the cat

Jack the bottom sniffer

Jack the mentalist

This really creeps me out.  He's exerting his mental powers to make me get up and feed him, and he's been sitting there for hours.  It's like "Now I'm watching Roger."  He's never noticed that Minkie doesn't bother and she gets fed anyway. 

Just a picture of Jack the Cat

Jack the cat

Last Friday Jack had his one month checkup after being treated for hyperthyroidism.  He has made a wonderful recovery.  His weight is up to 14 pounds 8 ounces and his patchy fur is now thick and shiny with no bald spots.  Best of all I'm not treated to a view of a hairless pink belly (with nipples) when he is lounging.  Unfortunately, although everyone who meets him says he is a handsome cat, he is not at all photogenic, so I'm posting a picture of "me" in my new spring hat instead.

And here is a picture I found in an old sewing book.  It's like getting to meet a former owner.  I think I would have really liked her.

Minkie and Jack

Minkie has made a wonderful recovery.  After a month of spa cuisine (i.e. people food) she is once again plump and fluffy, and she has her neck ruff back.  And best of all, her seizures seem to be under control.  Here's Minkie before and after.

Meanwhile, Jack came home from his radiation on Saturday.  He is wretchedly thin and for the first two days seemed to have trouble eating anything.  Even small pieces of cheese seemed difficult for him to manage.  But after a couple of good meals of ham and salmon, he finally seems to be settling down.  I'm hoping to have my 18 pounder back soon

Jack the cat

It's always something, isn't it?  Now Jack has been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, so soon we will have two radioactive cats.  He's not having as bad a time as the Mink, since he isn't having seizures, but he has gone from being a proud and hefty 18 pounder to a dainty 13 pounds.  He's still a beauty though.

This is how Minkie is feeling at the moment:

Working on the Burda pattern

Well, my machine is still gone away being repaired, so I'm working on non-sewing sewing.  This morning I decided to tackle the Burda pattern, and it turned out to be sooo easy!

First I decided on the size, and marked the box showing the pieces I needed to find.

Then I got out the supplies I would need:  Swedish pattern paper, tracing paper, a knitting needle (to use in place of a tracing wheel, so I wouldn't ruin the pattern) and a straight edge.

Now to find the pieces.  The box tells me I need pieces 1 - 6, that they are marked in black and that I'll find them on sheet D.  So far so good; D is hard to miss.  To find the individual pieces, look at the numbers printed along the top and bottom of the sheet.  They tell you exactly where the pieces you are looking for are located!  A miracle!  Then you just have to concentrate on seeing only the lines you're interested in.  I am so impressed.

And here's Annie's new pattern!  Well, it is kind of hard to see my markings, but they are there.

Now I'm going to rest from my labors, and read through the instructions.

The good life (Minkie version)

Almost forgot, I need to add one more thing.  What more could any little girl cat ask for, than a freshly laundered table cloth and mommy's purse to lie on, with fresh flowers and the newest Vogue pattern magazine to paw through.  Looks pretty pleased with herself, doesn't she?

Pure heaven!

Jack, of course, has his own idea of heaven, but I don't want to know what it is.  (Don't click on this picture, it's even worse close up.)