New Year's Quests, 'cause I'm not good at resolutions

I'm  not real good at the resolution thing. I don't like putting too much pressure on myself. Hah! More like I fret myself into inaction.  It's a family thing. We are excellent worriers. 

A quest sounds more friendly and open-ended. No deadlines to worry about.  No intense pressure.  Just let the spirits guide you....

Here are my quests for the year.

1. Do more crafting! 
2. Sell my stuff on Etsy and/or Ebay
3. Don't let fear of failure stop me
4. Stop worrying so much
5. DO MORE CRAFTING

I think I can handle those. May the spirits be kind and help me keep this going....


 

Calvin's Story

Calvin is 10 years old now.  Hard to believe we've been together for 9 years. 

He is Mister Smarty Britches, The Big Brother and the Food Hoover. Some of his nicknames are Little Man, Charlie Brown (because he has a round head) and Catticus Bratticus (because he's a spoiled brat). Like most pets, he has numerous nicknames: Puddin' Tat, Lard Butt, Pest...

He loves to lick Mommy's face. I call it kitty dermabrasion - cute but scratchy.  I just wish he wouldn't do it at 5 a.m.!!  He will do tricks for treats.  He knows sit, shake, high-five, sit-up and a couple of others. If I'm ignoring him, he will be naughty to get my attention.  He is too smart for my own good!

Calvin has a very loud purr.  He uses that purr and his cute lovey-face to wrap me around his little paw.  He can be quite the snuggler.

 

I got Calvin because his previous owner couldn't handle him.  Calvin gets bored and he can be destructive without something to entertain him.  His previous owner left him home - with his brother - for 10 or more hours a day, and wouldn't play with him when she and her boyfriend got home. Calvin's brother Hobbes was a sleeper; not interested in keeping Calvin entertained all day. So Calvin would do what he could to get attention.  His owner's boyfriend would get angry at Calvin and his dog would get into the act.  Calvin would defend himself by scratching the boyfriend. Calvin still doesn't like men and dogs.  I can't blame him.

Calvin still needs to keep his brain busy.  He has two siblings to play with but still needs extra attention.  Reading is good, but I'm concerned about his choice of books....Calvin also gets supervised outside time to keep him entertained.  He thinks he is a great tree climber and hunter.  I don't tell him any different, it would break his heart.

 

Calvin enjoys lots of  toys and games.  The trick training is good but isn't enough.  He loves to chase string - that's his favorite. Playing and hiding in boxes and cabinets is great fun.  Can you tell he likes boxes?

 

 

Eating is another of Calvin's favorite hobbies. He's never met a tuna he didn't like.  Ice cream and yogurt are also favorite noms. Don't worry, these are special occasional treats. However, when his Grandma is around, it is hard to keep his kittenish figure.

So that is pretty much Calvin's story.  I think he is happy with me and, because of my brother, he's learning to like men.

I saw someone die on Sunday.

Sunday was a beautiful day.  The weather was great. The highway was busy at 5:00 p.m. as I was on the way home from work.  Lots of people had been out enjoying the day.  Motorcycle riders were out enjoying the weather, too.  A pretty and sunny day for everyone.

Unfortunately, two riders were speeding and weaving between cars on the highway. One rider, dressed in a bright orange and black jacket, cut in front of me in the far left lane. The other rider, in gray and black, cut in front of a car in the far right lane.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the motorcycle on the right swerve and flip and the rider went rolling down the shoulder. The rider in orange and black pulled over and glanced back.  He saw the rider had gone down so he took off.  Guess he was afraid of getting a ticket.

The rider that went down? She died.

My First Blog Post - oh, no!

I'm jumping onto the blog bandwagon.  Hopefully I can share some worthwhile crafty stuff, cat information, daily calamities and lunacy.  As a first blog, I guess I should say a little about myself.

My jobs include working at a colonial historic site and selling handcrafts online.  The name of my shop is Ginger Cat Crafts.(You'll see why.) I do nothing without the help of my cats, especially crafts.  Fortunately, they are napping right now, instead of sitting in front of my terminal, climbing in my lap, begging for dinner...

My 3 feline supervisors are:

Calvin, 10 years old, handsome, smart, messy and my funny boy (ginger cat #1)

 

Sam, 8 years old, pretty, a clean laundry hog and my cuddle-kitty (ginger cat #2)

Daisy, 5 years old, paper chewing artist, box lover, The Princess (obviously) We don't mention her former life as a sewer kitten.

Yes, I love my cats but I like all kinds of animals.  My family says if I was rich I'd have a huge place with horses, cats, dogs, goats....

Besides animals, my interests include needlework, costume and textile history, reading, spending time with my nieces, reading, traveling, old cemeteries, art, and reading. Yes, I am a bibliophile. Fiction, history, craft books, biographies. My tastes are pretty eclectic.


Okay, that is enough about me.  Thank goodness.