Who knew Dad would be in such good shape following his hip replacement just two weeks ago? He does have a walker still, but the way he was zipping around with it left us all a little breathless. —Charlotte most of all. (She’s missed her favorite dance partner.)
So nice to have you back, Dad! Happy Sunday, everyone!
Last night Charlotte dreamed that she flew up to Wisconsin on a larger-than-life Baby Woot. Her mission? To spring Dad out of the rehab facility (where he’s been staying for the last two weeks, following his hip replacement), and bring him back home.
In her dream, Charlotte wore a magnificent turban, big enough to conceal 2 bags of cookies, in case she and Stella got hungry along the way (even though in real life she’s on a diet). She also wore her favorite polka dot pajamas (that she outgrew 2 seasons ago), and the bunny slippers that she wanted for Christmas last year (but which couldn’t be found in any stores). I love how dreams often do that—i.e., mimic reality, but make it even better.
But the reality, in this case, is pretty hard to beat: Dad really is coming home, in just two more days, having made excellent progress getting back on his feet. We’re all very happy and excited—for him and for us!
Here’s to all our best dreams coming true. (—And not the scary ones where we are naked on stage, etc..) Happy Thursday, everyone!
Good news: Not only did Charlotte’s birthday card (sent out yesterday via Blue Swallow Express) reach our friend Dorothy in San Francisco today, but so did the hand-drawn doodle I had mailed to her, commissioned by her husband Steve. Now that she’s unwrapped it, and it’s not a secret anymore, here it is…
That’s Dorothy and Steve’s handsome cat Ace, whom you may remember from Oscar night, bestowing a crown on the Her Majesty’s head. He’s getting a little help from one of the bluebirds of happiness, who have flown in to ensure lots of good times for Dorothy in the coming year. And that’s Steve’s arm coming out from behind the curtain, offering champagne—like he would in real life, I think. (He’s an excellent host.)
Blackie, Max, and Charlotte all insisted on making an appearance as well—they love Dorothy (and birthdays), as much as the rest of us. See if you can also spot Daisy Mouse and Baby Woot in the larger image up above.
Meanwhile, another thing we’re celebrating this week is my Dad’s release from rehab and return home this coming weekend. (Way to go, Dad!) Just for fun, here’s the super loose scribble I emailed to him on Sunday morning. Charlotte’s especially excited, and was already starting to get ready as of Saturday night, as you can see.
Hope there are many good things to celebrate this week for all of you out there as well! Thanks, as always, for visiting the (Almost) Daily Cat Doodle, and sweet dreams on a late Monday night.
Even though it’s almost dinnertime, Miss Charlotte is still in her yellow nightie, and is just now taking a stab at some of the items on her To Do List from last week. —One of which is to send a card to one of her best friends (and favorite humans), whose birthday is today. (Oops!)
Will Blue Swallow Express deliver Charlotte’s card same day, on a Sunday? —Not for any price, I’m guessing. So I say, let’s go electronic. That way I can tack on my own greetings here as well (since guess who else didn’t go card-shopping in time?).
Happy Birthday dear Ms. D., from your entire Midwestern fan club—cats, mice and human: Hope you are having a fabulous day today, however you are spending it! (And may whatever you wish for on your candles come true!)
Best wishes to all our other friends on this Sunday evening, as well. I hope everyone had a really fine weekend, and is looking forward to a great week ahead. See you next time!
I’m sure a few of you have noticed that I haven’t been posting quite as often this past week—making this more like the Almost Daily Cat Doodle, as I’ve been thinking of retitling it (thanks to an inspired suggestion on the part of my pal, Jill). But even when time is too tight to do a proper drawing, Dad still gets some kind of morning scribble—often too loose to even be considered a doodle—as per an earlier post on this subject. (Though these days they’re emailed to him, versus left out on the breakfast table, since he is still in Wisconsin at the rehab center.)
Just for fun—and as a way of recapping his recent medical adventures so far—I thought I’d share some of these looser scribbles, starting with the one I sent him the morning after I got the news that he’d fallen, while up in Madison visiting my sister Carol. (The news caught us all off guard—though maybe Charlotte most of all.)
Within just a couple of days of that though, Dad had not only had a full hip replacement, but was doing so well that he was being shipped out to the rehab facility (where he is now), for Stage 2 of his recovery. Congratulations seemed in order, so I send him this “wishful thinking” image of him speeding out of the hospital with a walker and rollerblades.
When Dad told me later that he’d actually been transported on a stretcher (OK, I knew that), I figured he deserved a more restful doodle the next day, so here he is, settling into his room at Oak Park Place, with Charlotte somehow magically transported up there to look after him (and sticking close).
But alas, Charlotte wasn’t really up there at all—She was back here in Illinois, pining away for her favorite human. So I brought home a get well card from the grocery store for her to send him, which she then personalized.
The next morning, while hunting for a postage stamp for her card, Charlotte nearly got stuck in the tiny box on Dad’s desk where he keeps them.
—Which prompted the next doodle, commenting on Charlotte’s recent weight gain.
Well, the really good news is, Charlotte won’t be anxious much longer, nor will I be emailing Dad his doodles, versus leaving them out on the breakfast table again: Dad will be home a week from today—yippee! (Thanks again to all who’ve sent greetings and “get well soon” wishes his way—either directly or through the blog—they apparently worked!)
Wishing everyone out there some good news today, too, and a wonderful weekend, to boot. See you next time!
Charlotte’s been real cranky these past few days—swiping at Max, hissing at Blackie, snapping at Daisy Mouse, and being curt with the waitstaff when we go out to eat. She’s definitely missing her #1 human—Dad up in Madison (in rehab following his surprise hip replacement last week, while he was out of town).
And I understand that: We all miss him, too. But meanwhile, kitty is making us nuts! (So Dad, if you’re reading this, do get better soon—or you may get a new roommate up there, along with her wee velvet cat bed.)
Meanwhile, cheers to everyone on a Thursday, and many thanks for all the nice comments and good wishes you’ve sent to Dad directly, or posted here for me to relay—they’re much appreciated! Hope y’all have a relaxing evening, sweet dreams tonight, and an excellent Friday, too.
With Dad up in Wisconsin, convalescing from his recent hip surgery, it was inevitable that one of these days I was going to have to bite the bullet and deal with the lawn, back here at home.
But before I got out the “big guns” (i.e., the lawnmower—which I barely remembered how to use from last summer), I thought I’d try the kinder, gentler, free salad bar approach that had worked so well up in Madison recently. (If goats and sheep can trim a lawn, then why not hungry cats and mice?)
The mood for our luncheon was festive and fun: I rounded up the tastiest assortment of gourmet salad dressings I could find. Giselle prepared her famous homemade croutons with asiago cheese. And when Charlotte heard about the breathtaking bird of paradise arrangement that her friends Bea and Dennis had sent to Dad up at rehab, she insisted we find some to decorate the “table.” —Which we did.
In the meantime, a freelance illustration assignment had come in for me on lawn care. Quite a happy coincidence: While they all munched, I slipped off my shoes and drew.
Here’s my final drawing—which will look even better when it’s printed, I think (i.e., once the headline and body copy are dropped into that empty white hole).
And just for fun, here are a couple other illustrations I’ve done for the Hartford Courant’s Home section in the past year, that also featured green, growing things. —Which I find much more fun to look at and to draw than to deal with in real life. (Ha—no surprise there!)
Best wishes on a late Tuesday night, and may there be plenty of salad days ahead for us all!
As birds go, it turns out that baby Woots mature really quickly—which is lucky indeed, considering Mama Charlotte’s lack of maternal impulses.
Saturday found our household’s newest member weaned, walking, talking and flying (well, a little). Enough, though, to float up to the catbird seat at the Birdseed Café in our back patio, under her own steam. Once there, Baby Stella seemed right at home, sitting pretty and chatting with the regulars.
While Charlotte took a snooze, Uncle Max and Aunt Flora Mouse kept a close watch on Baby Stella, just in case she needed a helping paw. And while their hovering didn’t prove necessary, they were meanwhile treated to a welcome sighting of the Bluebird of Happiness, which flew in with an update on Dad up in Madison: Apparently, James had made such good progress following his hip replacement on Thursday night, that he had just been transferred from the hospital to a nice rehab facility that very morning, to continue his therapy there. (Great news, Dad—Keep up the good work!)
Between Stella’s progress and Dad’s, Saturday was a five-star news day all around.
Speaking of stellar achievements, I’ve been meaning to share this tidbit for a while, ever since late February, when I first heard about it. And since it fits in so nicely with today’s bird and accomplishment themes, today seemed like the perfect day to do it.
Here’s a photo of my good pal (and famed artist), Wendy Wray, taken a bit earlier this year, in front of a display of some of her limited release endangered species bird stamps.
“Limited release” in this case means that you can only buy these online, and can also only use these stamps on mail sent from the United Nations’ post office at UN Headquarters in NYC. —Which is where Wendy is pictured below, on the day she stopped by there to do just that.
There is another nice little write-up on Wendy’s stamps here.
Congratulations, Wendy! To have been hired to create an illustration for a postage stamp is a very great honor, in my (or anyone’s) book. But to have contributed twelve illustrations—and for each one to be so exquisite (like all your work)—is even more fantastic!
I hope everyone’s Saturday was equally flush with good news as ours was here, and wish you all a happy and relaxing remainder of the weekend.
I have an illustration deadline to go finish up once I sign off, so I probably won’t see you on here again until late, late Monday night—or even Tuesday. So, until then, best wishes for the start of the work week, too. And special greetings and love to Dad up in Wisconsin: We miss you, big guy!
P.S. The peacock in today’s doodle is for my sister Carol, with many thanks for performing the Max-and-Flora role up in Madison. (Not that Dad requires much hovering, Sis, but it’s still awfully nice for all of us that you are there.)
Charlotte wasn’t quite sure what to do with the little woot that showed up at breakfast yesterday. Fortunately, Uncle Max is loaded with gentle, nurturing instincts, and where he lacks know-how, he isn’t above asking for help.
Here’s to all of us either giving or getting some extra TLC today—especially Dad up in Madison, as he starts Day 2 of his hip replacement rehab.
Happy Saturday, everyone!
I’ll bet some of you were wondering, after yesterday’s post, what surprise was in store for Miss Charlotte, inside that pretty candy egg. As it turned out, even though I knew the answer to that particular mystery (and couldn’t wait for Charlotte to be in on it, too), an even bigger surprise than a rare baby woot awaited all of us, a bit later in the day.
—And not such a nice surprise, either!
The long and short of it is…My sister Carol, up in Madison, called yesterday afternoon— reporting in, I figured, on the lunch that she, Dad, and our other sister, Julia, were scheduled to have had at noon. But it turned out that a hip replacement was on the menu instead, after Dad took a spill on a hard marble floor.
The good news is, the patient is resting comfortably tonight up in Wisconsin, after having had successful surgery a bit earlier this evening.
Dad, if you’re reading this in the morning, we all hope you feel much, much better today, and send best wishes your way as you embark on your first day of rehab. Looking forward to more updates and to seeing you in person real soon!
Meanwhile, happy late Thursday night, everyone, and have a good Friday. (—With no new surprises, unless they are the really good kind, OK?)
