Oscar's portrait!

We commissioned Darlene Pucillo (a.k.a. puci) to paint a portrait of our youngest kitty, Oscar. She had painted the portraits of Max, Kitter, and Ebony that decorate the wall of our stairwell. Now we have four portraits of our kitties to greet us as we go up and down the stairs. Below is the progression of the portrait from original photo, through the various mock ups, to the finished piece, details of the finished piece, and its new home in the stairwell.

the original photo

mock up #1, with fish toy

mock up #2

mock up #3

mock up #4

mock up #5

the finished portrait!

detail of eyes

detail of nose

all four kitty portraits

Want your own pet portrait? Visit puci's website: http://www.darlenepucilloart.com/pet-portraits.html

penguin collection

My penguin collection finally has a home!

The display cabinet.

Glass penguins.

Wood, stone, ceramic, ivory, and leather penguins.

Metal and antique penguins. 

Ceramic penguins, ornaments, and stuffed animals.
Waddles, the bigger of the two stuffed penguins, is the collection's mother. She started it all!

getting cozier

Whereas Kitter will have nothing to do with Oscar, Ebony has come to tolerate him fairly well, although not without the occasional cat-spat. Here they both are, resting on my legs last Saturday night -- this arrangement lasted the better part of 45 minutes.

Oscar

Oscar in the Inbox.

This adorable little guy is the newest addition to the Harris household! His name is Oscar and he is happy to have been rescued from a feral life. He had taken residence on our back porch for about a month, when we suddenly noticed that he was hurt somehow. So, I put a cat carrier on the porch, with little hope that he would crawl in, but within a half hour he had nestled inside. I quickly closed the door, and off we went to the vet, where it was determined he was a boy, had a fever and required antibiotics, and was old enough to be neutered. He came home Tuesday after his surgery, and has since been isolated in my office. The vet says he needs to remain separate from Ebony & Kitter for a month! We are currently trying to determine what the little bumps all over his skin are. He is a sweetie, and loves to be petted and held, and purrs like crazy. Never bites or scratches. Here are some photos:

I love that the photo of Gurumayi holding a parrot is in the background!

outdoor kitties

Lily & Thor

Mama (Gypsy)

Mama (Gypsy), Smudge, Lily, & Thor

Thanksgiving

Mom enjoying the feast.

Alex's first turkey in 30 years! Yum.

the feeders



family time

Highlights from Chris' visit this weekend:

Chris sees our land for the first time.

Late summer wildflowers.

That beautiful view of the Sangre de Christo Mountains.

Hangin' with Mom at The Bridge.

Mom, Nancy, and Chris at Sunday brunch.

Alex and Chris at The Great Sand Dunes.

Brother and sister.

moved in

We've mostly finished unpacking and are settled into our new home. A few projects remain -- install shelves in the bathroom, organize the garage, build a gardening shed -- but essentially we've successfully made the transition from Durango to Monte Vista. The move itself was a royal pain, physically and emotionally, and we still feel like we're recovering. But now that we've set up house, we feel good about our new location. It may be small, but the house is cozy and comfortable and suits us well. The yard is quite substantial and offers much privacy, so we're happy about it, too. Now that the house feels presentable, I've begun to take some photographs to share here. Below are some shots of the interior.