Rhu Bear Comes to the Forest

One morning (actually, Wednesday, August 13) a neighbor rang the windbell on 

the porch and said "I have this little guy and I want you to see him." I thought 

while walking outside - there is a perfectly respectable marmelade cat in her car 

and I will have a nice little kitty visit and say the kitty isn't mine. I told the universe - 

and everyone else that was suggesting I go in search of a cat - that I was NOT looking 

for a cat, but that if a little Maine Coon showed up on my doorstep, I would take 

it as a sign that this was my next kitty. So when I looked into the cat carrier 

in the car, just steps away from my doorstep, and saw this little mini Pasha cat 

looking sweetly out at me... well, that was that. 

Five days later, after I returned from a mini Maine getaway, Rhu Bear came to 

live with me. He is very sweet and affectionate and at first I thought rather mellow. 

Once he was a little more comfortable, the full-on kitten energy was revealed! He's 

been here ten days and has eased into life very gently. Except when crazed kitty 

comes out, he is very well behaved. I am well stocked with little balls, string, 

felted mice, balled up pieces of paper, and a ridiculous plastic thingie (a material 

I seldom buy) with a ball trapped inside that he bats around and around the 

interior track. All fine, except that I didn't know the ball makes chirping sounds 

when it moves, so this toy goes to bed when I do. Rhu does, too, and sleeps all 

night curled into me, until I make the mistake of rolling over at 6 am... and the 

little guy begins his morning yoga and I know sleeping time is over. 

Because I took everything off the walls downstairs when the floor was going in, I 
decided it was the perfect opportunity to frame a few of my newer pieces and live 
with them. I'm enjoying the fern lamp with my fern drawing behind it, and in the 
photo below, one of my most recent forest paintings and an older spiral drawing 
above the chest. 

It seems important to live with new work, to get a deeper sense of the story being 
told and to look, daily, at where things might go. 

The month of August was a self-imposed resting time after so many house projects 

along with the renovations. What a gift to sit in the garden and read a book long 

after my morning coffee was gone, and to stretch on the mosses in the warm sunshine

while the dragonflies feasted on mosquitoes. I also had a lovely time getting used to 

cooking on my new, fancy stove. Wheeee, what have I been missing!

Outside, the gardens are overflowing with bees and flowers and the front door 
hosts a wonderful collection of moths. Much to Rhu Bears delight, the moths 
flit around the windows at night providing much entertainment. 

I am back teaching now, which means little Rhu is alone quite a lot at the start 

of the work week, but this ensures that when I return home in the evenings, 

I definitely do not have a cold neck.