Raccoon Babies Melt My Heart

I love baby animals and there are plenty to see this time of year throughout the Willamette Valley and Coastal Hills: calves, lambs, goat kids, foals, an occasional little stinker, and spotted fawns. But the one baby that absolutely melts my heart into a puddle of mush is a baby raccoon.

One neighborhood mama often checks the cat food bowls in my carport for leftovers and I was surprised one night when I returned home and almost "bumped" into her. She stood up on her haunches and raised her paws, like a crossing guard stopping traffic, and then a little youngin' appeared from the carport and scurried by. And then another. And then another. Once the trio of cuteness were safely past me, she lowered her paws and scampered off after them. Instant mushpot. I couldn't stop cooing.

So I was very pleased to have the opportunity to paint this portrait of wildlife lovers Grape Lady and Cracker Man and some of their rascally friends:

Grape Lady is a talented photographer and chronicles her interaction with her "backyard bandits" in her blog The Raccoon Chronicles. If those little rascals don't melt your heart, I don't know what will. Those little faces! I just want to pinch their cheeks!

Now I'm well aware that some folks don't take kindly to urban wildlife. I do take kindly to them. I'm of the opinion that WE are actually the urban wildlife. In general, the other critters were here first and we have encroached on them by creating urbanization. So when it comes to wildlife visiting my backyard, I cut them a lot of slack. And share. And enjoy!

A Parade of Paternal Pet Papas

In honor of today's festivities, here is a little gallery of Dog Dudes, Feline Fellas, and Pet Papas who prove without a doubt that men are nurturers too, whether it's doting on their own offspring or their beloved furbabies...

Retired Police Chief Rick and Bo


Colin and the Girrrrrrls

Olivia's Dad

Alex's Friend of Felines

Linnea's Sweetie Pies

Gregg and His Loved Ones

Tracy and Asa

Jeremy and His Honey Bunches

Tommy and His Music Makers

Dan and Samantha and the Furkids

Callie and Zeke's Dads

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!

Another Happy Christmas Surprise

Thank you to Cat Lady Mia for sending in this photo of a Happy Christmas surprise that I had the privilege of collaborating on. The surprise was for Feline Fella Les who is 6'4" and sometimes called "Big Daddy", and involved a portrait of Les and a pretty black cat named Birdie.

On Christmas morning, there was a special letter that accompanied the gift:

Dear Big Daddy,
This year for Christmas I wanted to get you a present that would be everlasting; a little something for you to remember me by. But most of all, a way to thank you for saving me that day 11 years ago and making me part of your family. You give me love like no other, you make a nice warm bed buddy, feed me peanut butter when I give you bug eyes, and let me climb on the tippity top of your shoulders. I hope you like it, we sure look good!

Love,
your girl,
Birdie Lou

It seems that 11 years earlier Les was responsible for rescuing a little lost black cat from the golf course where he worked. "Birdie" became her new name and she soon had the special honor of being an engagement present when Les proposed to his sweetheart Mia. ("I did get a ring to go along with her," Mia adds). Birdie now shares her home with two other cats: Bogey and Tux.

Says Mia, "I am so grateful to have found a loving husband who happens to also love cats, and I enjoy our life with all three cats in it. Birdie is our first one so I think she will always hold that special place. ... I can only hope she stays around for many more years."

Thanks for visiting!

Gifts and Blessings...What Would YOUR Pendant Say?

It's so much fun to collaborate on a special Christmas surprise for someone. When Carol wrote and asked me to paint a portrait of her daughter Tiffiny and canine cutie Ralph, she asked if I could include a small hand-crafted metal pendant in the painting.

Last week Tiffiny wrote a lovely note telling me how much she enjoyed her special Christmas surprise. And--it turns out that the pendant in the portrait was a special Christmas surprise from two years ago!

Carol had commissioned the pendant from a fellow Etsy artist and had it personalized to say:

"Family,
friends,
work,
frequent flier miles,
road trips...
I'm so blessed"

and Tiffiny says "that's a good sum up of how I feel." And special friend Ralph? "I got him out in front of a Ralphs grocery store, where a kid was giving away puppies...he was about 3 months old. Ralph is now 12-13 years old. He's really such a smart, friendly, well behaved dog. He really enjoys being a cooperative part of the 'pack'. One of his very long-time best friends is a calico cat named Catty Colors. The one thing about Ralph that is very unique is the way he wags his tail in a big circle..not back and forth. I really need to get it on video."

Question: if YOU had to fit 5 blessings onto a tiny pendant, what would they be? Let us know in the Comments section of this post and I will share some of them in future posts.

Thanks for visiting!

Carol and Tiffiny are both Power Sellers on ebay and sell trims, appliques and embellishments for sewing/crafting and some antiques too. Be sure to check out their treasures at these links: Junklady1 and SugarSpunSis

What's Cookin' At World Headquarters this week...

Here's what's cookin' this week: Buttonwillow's tail feathers. She has set up camp in front of the heater, after waiting all summer for it to magically come back on. There's definitely a new chill in the air this week.

The sun room is not so sunny now, but I snapped this picture of my pretty glass baubles in the front window when a few rays were shining through. The blue orb (behind the blue-plate-wind-chimes) was a birthday treat several years ago. Over on the Oregon coast is a glass studio where you can actually make your own blown-glass ornament (with the total guidance and support of an expert!). What an amazing process...I LOVE glass.

As for me, I am a tad bleary-eyed and elbow deep in some really fun custom portrait orders. I can't wait to share them with you, but because most of them are Christmas secrets, I'll have to keep them under wraps for now...


GENTLE REMINDER:
The holiday deadline for placing orders for custom portraits is drawing near. November 15 is the last day I will be accepting custom orders for items that must arrive in time for Christmas. Due to my backlog, orders are currently taking 3-4 weeks to complete, plus they can take up to 7 days to arrive once they are mailed (longer, if you are outside of the U.S.) Click here to see what's available; if you don't see the combination/size/option that you'd like, please contact me: CUSTOM PORTRAITS


A big thank you to everyone who has visited my Birthday Fund for the Nature Conservancy! I am in the midst of posting 55 reasons to take care of Mother Earth through my photos and artwork. I'm up to Reason No. 20. Click here to see all 20 images posted so far: 55 Reasons

A big hearty thank you to everyone who has donated to the fund! It means so much to me. I'm almost halfway to my goal of raising $550.00 for conservation projects. Your gift of any size is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for visiting!

Wendy's 3-D cats

Meet Domino, Dylan, and gentle giant Dante. According to Cat Lady Wendy, her three darling D’s "are larger than life – 3-D to the max! "

watercolor painting copyright 2010 Susan Faye

Wendy shares their story:

"The first 'D' to cross our doorstep was Domino, a little tuxedo ladycat with the feistiest personality I’d ever encountered. Domino had been abandoned by my son’s roommate, so rather than taking her to the shelter, I told my son to bring her to me. She was ridden with fleas and malnourished and at one year of age had already had a litter of her own. I took her to the vet as soon as possible, and she was ‘fixed’ from head to toe.

"Next came Dante, who is a male red classic tabby Maine Coon. My beloved Tommy had just passed away and I wanted another red kitty, so this time I ordered one up from the Lacocoon Cattery in Lacolle, Quebec. Maine Coons are a very gentle breed, and Dante is no different. They are also very large, and Dante lived up to his genetics, reaching a maximum of 21 lbs. of solid muscle and flowing long fur.

"Dylan came our way when my brother’s cat unexpectedly had five kittens. After four months, he hadn’t managed to find homes for any of them, so I took Dylan, who is a male cream tabby, and found a home for one of his sisters right next door. Dylan is very much the pesky little brother.

"And the hierarchy in our home remains in the same order as their arrivals. Domino’s the boss!"

You'll find some adorable photos of Her Highness Princess Domino today on the 3-D Cats Blog: Wendy's 3-D Cats

Enjoy!

Cat Ladies In The News--Pumpkin Madness

There is no denying that Cat Lady Jennifer has a passion for pumpkins. You may remember Pumpkin Pie, her spunky pumpkin-colored kitty who is fascinated with bees:


Jennifer, an extremely talented artist who specializes in horses and Halloween, describes her pumpkin passion: "I love to carve them, photograph them, take wagon rides to pick them and eat yummy pumpkiny treats (yes, I even bought pumpkin pie Pop Tarts). I have tried to grow them but the squirrels nibbled at the squash all summer long. I love pumpkins so much my local newspaper came out to write a story about me:"
A Passion For Pumpkins

Need a little inspiration for your own pumpkin carving this week? Take a look at Jennifer's extraordinary pumpkin carvings at her beautiful blogs:

The Art Of the Pumpkin
Gypsy Mare Studios

Thanks for visiting!

The Only Way to Fly

Illustration Friday

(theme:"transportation")

With all of the hoopla about Crazy Cat Ladies, mancats Beep and Roscoe want equal time for Fearsome Feline Fellas like their own who know that the only truly respectable form of transportation is a Harley.

Unless, of course, it's a bi-plane...

Thanks for visiting!

I'm pleased to announce that I now have options for Custom Pet Portraits in my Etsy shop. In addition to cats, I love to paint dogs, bunnies, hamsters, horses, birds, or reptiles. There is a "basic" option in both aceo mini size and in a 4.5 x 6.5" size (that comes in an 11 x 14" matting). These feature a simple background with your choice of one flower, leaves, and/or a collar.

I'm also offering a DELUXE portrait where you may let your imagination run wild with the background, accessories, and the theme. No idea is too crazy, so send me your ideas and I'll let you know if I think I can handle it. Like the pet people portraits, the turnaround time is usually 3-4 weeks and the cut-off date for holiday orders will be November 15, in order for items to arrive in time for Christmas...

Cat Lady Goes To The Dogs...Part 2

Yesterday we met Cat Lady Monetta and learned how Boomer came into her life. In Part 2, we meet another canine who stole her heart (hankie alert--be prepared):

"Then there was my Piggy.

"I found him sitting on the side of the road in a bad part of town where it's rumored that people fight dogs, if you can even imagine such a thing. I don't think I'll ever forget how stoic he was, looking down the road, as if he knew someone was coming for him. It was one of the coldest February days and Piggy had only a few tufts of hair along his spine. He was bright red, like he was sunburned, but that turned out to be a bacterial skin infection. On top of the mange. On top of heart worms. On top of he was starving to death. His little belly was bloated, yet you could see his ribs. I've rarely seen fewer things in person that are more pitiful than my Piggy was that day. He looked like a little pig. I was actually afraid that he would not survive the car trip to the vet.

"Once at the vet, it was recommended that he be put down. But he had survived so much I wasn't about to do that! It took a long, long, long time, but Piggy finally overcame all of those initial maladies and was the absolute sweetest, most loving dog I have ever known.

"He loved to do anything that Boomer did. The first time she ran full throttle into a lake to chase some ducks, he was two paces behind her. Only he'd never been swimming before and he sank like a rock! I was running and screaming and he finally popped up, and that's how he 'learned' to swim. After that, he loved to go swimming, he especially loved our trips to the beach and would swim longshore like an old pro.

"Piggy was the greatest dog I'll ever have. And when he died in my arms last November--he was only 9--- it completely broke my heart. I buried him in my backyard in his 'power spot' with all of his favorite toys and I said a prayer for him and I asked him to come back and be with me when it's my time. He was such a good boy...I thought for the longest time that I was the one that was doing such a good thing by saving him, but in actual fact, Piggy was teaching me all sorts of wonderful lessons about life and living. He was so sweet, he was unbelievably sweet...He was a real special boy and everyone who
met him fell in love with him."

Monetta has since fostered two more dogs for ARF in Mobile, but says she was a failure at fostering--instead of providing temporary shelter then sending them off to their forever homes, you guessed it-- she adopted them: Rocket, a little pit mix and Turner (aka Buddy Boy) a "big ol' magnificent pit bull".

"And of course I still have Boomer. But Officially, I remain....a cat person!"

Cat Lady Goes To The Dogs...Part 1

Animal lover Monetta claims that she is a true blue Cat Lady through and through. So why are there two dogs in her portrait? The Cat Lady explains:

When I was married in my 20s, I insisted on having a cat. "Must have cat!" I proclaimed one day. The groom wasn't crazy about the idea but set out to get me a cat. How he managed to find a three-quarter feral, woman-hating kitten, I still don't know! But that's what he brought home.

JukeTaylor [the cat, not the groom] routinely attacked me, and only me, even though I lavished love and kindness upon him. The groom was stern and unforgiving, and the less loving he was towards Juke Taylor, the more Juke Taylor worshipped and adored him!

There was a particularly traumatic episode when Juke Taylor had escaped and had been cornered under the house by the groom. There was yelling and cussing and cat-howling and man-screaming when Juke Taylor sank a fang or two into the groom's hand. They both came out alive, and were bonded closer than ever henceforth.

I still don't understand, but after that afternoon, Juke Taylor, by then a 15-pounder if an ounce, began riding on the groom's shoulder, like a parrot. It goes without saying that when the wedded bliss ended and the split came, we didn't even need to discuss who'd get custody of the cat.

Years later, I was at a 5K bridge race in Luling, LA and had won a bit of money in the women's racewalk event. The local animal shelter had a tent set up there with baby animals and I definitely recall saying, "Aw, let's go look at the baby kittens!" Next thing I knew, I was walking out with Boomer, an adorable little pup. I have no idea what happened in between!

She was speckled like a butterbean and they said she was a Catahoula Leopard Hound Cur, the state dog of Louisiana. Cool name, cool look. It wasn't 'til I got her back to Mobile and looked up Catahoula that I saw this: "WARNING: This dog MUST run one hour every day!" And boy, they were not kidding!

During her puppy years she was more like a dingo---all energy all the time, and heaven help me when we got around a crowd, 'cause she went into hyperdrive. Loves people, or I should say, LOVES people, and fully expects that the entire world loves her in return.

And she's so smart, I give her full credit for being as smart as me. She understands things a dog ought not understand---but I know she does. She's eleven now, losing her eyesight in one eye, and takes meds for her lumbar spine. Still if we don't get a "good" daily walk in, she'll lay her chin flat on the floor and assume a look like life isn't worth living...

Tomorrow: All about Piggy in Part 2!

MORE Pet Portraits

Due to popular demand, I am now offering Custom Pet Portraits like these in my Etsy shop. Here's another little stroll down memory lane highlighting some portraits from the past year:

The Parlor Panther Pair

Samantha Jo

Montana and Friends

There is a "basic" portrait in both aceo mini size and in a 4.5 x 6.5" size (this one comes in an 11 x 14" matting). These feature a simple background with your choice of one flower, leaves, and/or a collar.

I'm also offering a DELUXE portrait where you may let your imagination run wild with the background, accessories, and the theme. No idea is too crazy, so send me your ideas and I'll let you know if I think I can handle it.

Thanks for visiting!

By Popular Demand...

Over the past two years I've had the pleasure of painting hundreds of pet owners and their delightful pets. But once in a great while, there have been requests and opportunities to paint portraits of PETS ONLY. Here are a few examples that have been featured on this blog:

Maddie's Garden

High-Flying Miles

Pumpkin The Bee Keeper

Chester, Greyhound Tester

"T" With the Queen

I'm pleased to announce that I now have options for Custom Pet Portraits like these in my Etsy shop. In addition to cats, I love to paint dogs, bunnies, hamsters, horses, birds, or reptiles. There is a "basic" option in both aceo mini size and in a 4.5 x 6.5" size (that comes in an 11 x 14" matting). These feature a simple background with your choice of one flower, leaves, and/or a collar.

I'm also offering a DELUXE portrait where you may let your imagination run wild with the background, accessories, and the theme. No idea is too crazy, so send me your ideas and I'll let you know if I think I can handle it. Like the pet people portraits, the turnaround time is usually 3-4 weeks and the cut-off date for holiday orders will be November 15, in order for items to arrive in time for Christmas...

Thanks for visiting!!