Saturday 28 February 2015

Plus Minus Cats

In Physics there is a symbol called "plus minus" (not anything greek or nothing) that looks like this:
plus minus symbol
When I was doing my degree I would use it daily - or maybe even hourly. In later life maybe not so much but probably still a few times a month. It is very handy to indicate a margin of error or, in other words, how wild an estimate you are making. In some ways it isn't suitable for this post because my Mum did definitely lose her cat this week.
Artemis cat bedtime
Poor little Artemis (Arty for short) developed a flea allergy about two years ago and had to go onto steroids. The weight gain they caused may have robbed her of her svelt figure but she was still a champion hunter and was leaving impressively large entrails on my Mum's doorstep right up until a few days before she died. She used to love sleeping with her paw over her nose.
Artemis the Cat 1
And she had terrible balance and could only get down out of trees if someone stood underneath and caught her.
Cat in a tree
On my farewell visit before coming to America I spent a lot of time with her on my lap with her doing this kind of inward snore, outward purr breathing while I stroked her soft fur. I'm really glad I did that.

The morning I got my Mum's email was the same morning I had booked my first visit to the Cat Town Cafe in Oakland. Oakland is where you end up if you follow the the Bay Bridge (not the Golden Gate one) out of San Francisco. Traditionally it has had a fairly rough reputation with lots of race violence and shootings but parts of it are now Shoreditch-esque in there inclusion of vegan coffee and bicycle shops. It is not like the previous cat cafes I had visited as all the cats there are up for adoption so some are only at the cafe a matter of days before they go to a new home. The cafe has rehoused more than 135 cats since October last year which is pretty phenomenal and one was being fostered while I was there.
Tribune Tower
The whole place is very clean and light with lots of places for the cats to sit or play. All the cat furniture represents aspects of Oakland or San Francisco.
SF skyline
This *beautiful* one was sleeping at the top of the Tribune Building.
Cat at the Top of the Tribune Building
While in another "Quiet Area" (max two people at a time and no toys) there was a little house.
Quiet Area
Underneath this was a very quiet area where the cats could go if they were nervous. The ginger boy below had just got back from a patrol of the main room but the long-haired back one, called Mason (should have been 'Mow-son') was quite jumpy.
Mason
He loved being stroked though and completely stole my heart. Having just lost Arty and knowing that Mason didn't have a home with people who loved him made me pretty emotional. It was hard to say goodbye. I have mentioned him to Pooch but until we have sorted out some proper housing it's not really viable. Not really. Certainly not ideal. Probably not for the best. Not for the best. For the best. The best. The best thing that could ever happen.

Poor little Arty. She was a rescue cat herself. She was such a quirky little thing but so adorable.


Tuesday 24 February 2015

Craft Blockage

I've finally got the space to create in...and I can't decide what to do.
Stonehenge
I've still only got basic supplies BUT there are shops so I could go and get something. But...what to get? I was thinking of maybe some embroidery but I already embroidered this before I left England...
Embroidered crinoline lady
...and I don;t know what to do with it. I am therefore a bit wary of embroidering something else I don't know what to do with. I don't have a sewing machine yet and only have about 8 FQs of fabric (which, actually, sounds like a lot now I write that) but the designs aren't talking to me. Much like my Mum's cat wouldn't talk to Triple H even when he was being eaten by a dinosaur at her feet.
Cat, Dinosaur and Triple H
I could knit something. That's probably a better idea. But what to knit?! I have just signed up for the UK Knitting and Crochet Guild's monthly knitting challenge to knit something for a child. Naturally, my ickle niece came to mind. Her Mum is doing a great job with the face-training.
Sian and Jasmine
I've seen a cute Peppa Pig cardigan I want to convert to a zip up hoody but that requires many colours and charting and so can't be started any time soon. What I need is something more immediate. Much Ravelry trawling and I am thinking of this Drops cardigan which I have the needles for and can get the yarn for pretty easily.

Blockage shifted. I feel so much better now.