Everybody Loves Somebody

As you may know, we are down to one kitty now.  We recently went away over night and left Button on her own with bowls of food and water making up two different feeding stations. Our neighbor, Next Door Maggie, checked on her, just to be safe. When we returned, there she was, Button, not  Next Door Maggie, sitting where we'd lefter her but she was not alone. She had found a friend!  Apparently, Button had gotten lonely and went looking for some company. She found some in the form of a small teddy bear in a pink t-shirt with the breast cancer ribbon logo on it, who lived on a branch of my Treasure Tree.  (I'll save the Treasure Tree story for another day.)  It wasn't that the bear was on the couch with Button as in the photo or tossed carelessly on the floor.  No. We found the little bear in Button's bowl of crunchies!  Apparently, she was making sure her new friend had plenty to eat!  Since then, we've seen Button carry her Baby, that's what we call the bear now, from room to room. Not all the time, however.  Since Button is new to this friend/mothering thing, she sometimes seems to forget her responsibilities.  Just when we think she's no longer interested, we get up in the morning to find a soggy, soaking Baby, half in, half out of the water bowl.  We squeeze Baby out, and set her on the window sill to dry.  It must be true love on Button's part because dry, wet or damp, Baby has a home and Button has a baby.  And a fine pair of critters they are.

Major Award!

My painting efforts were recently awarded with, not one but two, count 'um, two blue ribbons at the Northeast Florida Fair! Below is a glass carafe bearing a colorful palm tree.

Below is the tall ship I painted. There is a story behind this. Notice the smaller version in the lower left corner of the picture.  That is a photo of the much larger painting done my mother. Her painting is the favorite of all my siblings. Since my brother, Bob, is a retired Navy Chief and currently a tall ship sailor, who better to keep company with this treasure in the place it was created, our family home.  I took the photo just to have a copy of my mother's wonderful artistry. After a year or so, it came to me that I should try and re-create her ship. To see the ship through her eyes and stroke on paint in similar hues touched my heart as I realize my love of color is the same as hers. 

But wait, there's more.  On my list of things to do is the making of Captain Fancy Patch videos. Captain Patch will be played by my ever-cooperating husband, Bruce. He will read my silly and family friendly Martha Bear™  teddy bear stories meant to encourage reading through our free online Rascally Readers program at http://www.marthabear.com/. And what kind of pirate would he be without a ship? Well, Captain Patch has one now and so you have the origin of the Rosie Freckle. Mom would get quite a chuckle out of all this, I'm sure.