Kia's Stuff

Kritter, My Kritter -- A Valentine Lament

2012-02-14T01:08:00.000-08:00

I suppose it is appropriate to be writing this on Valentine's Day because it is a love song for my dear departed feline friend Kritter. Or to be more acurate J. Kritter -- J for jungle. (Somewhere in that name is a reference to T. S. Eliot's poem "The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock", the name "parted on the left hand side." I wish I could remember who said that.) I have a penchant for long thought out, meaningful (to me) and different names for my cats.

He was a plain brown tabby who I tried to give away after he was given to me by a student. I had asked for, and been told I was getting, a grey female. Brown tabbies were my least favourite type of cat. They brought back memories of a neighbour's cat from my childhood, unimaginatively named Brownie. Although thinking back that cat was female because I remember her having kittens. And there was nothing wrong with her. She was a little wild, but not mean. Just a boring colour.

But as I tried to give this tiny kitten away 12 years ago, I gradually fell under his spell, because he was the most affectionate cat I had ever known. At the time I had either 2 or 3 other cats. ( I was trying to work my way towards crazy cat lady status.) I adored my cats, but they were rather stereotypically cat cats. Would allow some touching. Liked to be with me but didn't really want to be cuddled. Not Kritter. He demanded to be picked up and fondled. At all times. As the years wore on and I became disabled from rheumatoid arthritis, he spent most of his nights sleeping on the pillow next to mine. The one for which I had dreamed a male companion of a different kind. When not on that pillow, he was curled up beside me with my arm around him. Sometimes he wanted that position so much he would sit on any other cat by my side and eventually end up in the coveted spot.

So on January 22, 2012, my beloved Kritter went off to kitty heaven, having had a heart attack, or so the vet thinks. He hadn't been deperately sick. He'd only been unlike himself for a couple days. I had just begun to think of taking him to a vet. I'm not a bad mommy. He really had not seemed sick. My first thought was he had eaten something he shouldn't have. But early Sunday morning I could not find him. It took nearly all day, in my movement restricted state, to find him. He was tucked away under a bookcase over a heat vent in a tiny space where no cat ever goes. I guess he had slipped away to find some place to die.

I miss my Kritter desperately. (Remember Elly May's kritters from The Beverly Hillbillys? That's where his name really came from.) I mourn his loss and am having trouble dealing with everyday things. I know this trauma will lessen. I have been through this before. But right now it is a big gaping hole of pain. This writing has been therapy, and if anyone is actually reading this, which I doubt, well, it was just something I needed to do.

Rest in peace my beloved Kritter. Kia and Kaliko are looking for you. And I miss my "cuddle-bunny".

Contest

2012-02-12T20:42:00.000-08:00

And now for one of the reasons for this blog -- so I can enter contests.

This one is at Going Buggy and is for a set of letraset markers, which I really want. I've been eyeing markers such as Copic, but they are so expensive. So maybe the contest fairy will smile on me.

I'm supposed to link back to their site, which I think I have just figured out how to do (woohoo!) The date of the post is Feb 13.

contest for letraset markers

2012-02-08T18:25:00.000-08:00

Mixed Minded

I just signed up for the Mixed Minded conference in Cambridge, Ontario, being put on by The Art House Studio of Kitchener. It's amazing how serendipity comes into play. I was looking at Donna Downey's website, which I absolutely adore, dreaming about going to North Carolina to take a class from her. I had even decided when -- May 25-7 or so, so I could potentially go to a NASCAR race in Charlotte. But I guess everyone who lives there flees the area when the influx of a hundred thousand rabid fans descend on the area.

Slight disappointment, but also some relief as huge crowds and my scooter do not mesh well., So I flip through her classes anyway only to discover she's going to be less than an hours drive away from me teaching that weekend. Out came the credit card. I'm so excited, maybe even more than about the inchies.

Now, of course, I have to go out and fill up the list of reqiured items needed for the classes. And something to carry them in. Such a hardship ;) I do have to figure out if all the items are available here. What, specifically, is a craft mat? I usually use a plastic table cloth and a smooth piece of wood. Can't truck a 2 foot square piece of wood around wirh me. Perhaps The Art Store will know.

It's got to be at least 5 years since I had any kind of vacation. Woohoo!

2012-02-08T18:21:00.000-08:00

Technical Difficulties

I just posted, or tried to post, a lovely long blurb about my good news, but typing and editing on my ASUS tablet, especially dealing with the spacebar, can be a royal pain. I'll be back later when my fingers are rested.

2012-02-07T22:52:00.000-08:00

More About my Inchie Love Affair

I am so excited. I ordered my inchies and inchie stamps and even an inchie punch last night. There may be a bit of a delay as we figure out how I'm going to pay shipping -- perhaps through Paypal. I may live north of the longest undefended border in the world, but someone should tell credit card companies and post offices that we are on friendly terms. I have no idea how long these tiny pieces of paper will take to arrive. Patience is not my friend. I'll try to forget I ordered them, then be pleasantly surprised when they come. (Can't wait.)

Lost Post -- I Love Inchies

I'm still learning blogspot and somehow I have managed to delete a post about my exciting discovery of inchies. About how much I love little things and how I want to go order all kinds of little pieces of paper, but how I'm having difficulties finding sources that will ship to Canada.

Most unfortunately, I also deleted a comment -- my first -- from someone, Bella I think, offering me welcomes to Bloggieland, encouragement and an offer of help. I'm sorry Bella.

A Place for My Stuff

2012-02-03T18:37:00.000-08:00

With thanks to George Carlin.