GECKO

I've always had a soft spot for gecko lizards. Probably because they are only found in warmer, tropical climates. The type of climate I usually choose for a vacation! Geckos are harmless little creatures, probably another reason I like them. This gecko came to me by way of Sarasota, Florida. My cousin and I were shopping on St. Armand's Circle and I fell in love with this metal sculpture. My cousin bought him for me. He now lives in my powder room and reminds me of points South.

THE LOOK

Slugger has become my constant companion as I recover from knee surgery. I call him my nurse and although he can't even bring me a drink of water he gives me so much more. He curls up next to me and his very presence calms me. When I drag myself into the kitchen he positions himself directly in front of the closet where his treats are kept. This is "the look" he gives me when he is looking for a handout. Treats are not part of his diet.... but sometimes I cave in.

THE BUTTERFLY BUSH

I have a big white butterfly bush at the edge of my patio. When I first moved in it was unwieldy and I almost took it out when I had the patio redone. Every year in early Spring I cut it down to nothing and wonder if I cut too much. Will it come back? Did I go to far this time around? This year it is the perfect shape, not too tall and not too wide. Today the first Monarch butterfly of the season stopped by for dinner. In a few weeks the butterfly bush will be in full bloom and lots of butterflies will be passing through.

THE CHIP

Recovering from surgery is bad enough, but to make matters worse this weekend a new neighbor (moved in three weeks ago) rang my bell before 9am to tell me that he didn't like my cats roaming in his yard and intended to trap them and "dispose" of them. I begged him to at least tell me if he trapped Pistachio or Hazel (my two outside pets) so that I could retrieve them. He said this was my notice and he would not tell me if they were trapped. Of course I was beside myself. Since Slugger and Pistachio don't get along bringing "P" inside is not an option. Today, a friend took Pistachio to the vet to have him micro chipped. This tiny device can be scanned by vets and shelters in the event a cat is dropped off or brought in to be euthanized. So now as I tend to my knee I spend a lot of time looking out the window to keep tabs on the cats. Sometimes Pistachio is there looking in as he is in this photo (okay I need to wash the window). I have been thinking of that ancient Chinese proverb, "He who dislikes the cat was in his former life a rat". I smell a rat across the street!

FRUIT BOWL

This fruit bowl which sits on the coffee table in my living room caught my eye tonight. The light was fading fast and I was talking on the phone when I noticed the way the deep cobalt blue separated from the fruit in the bowl. I also liked the depth and texture of the cut glass stars in the bowl. I reached for my point and shoot which is always ready. It is about all I can handle these days and grabbed this photo. Because of my knee injury I don't get very far from home. Because I am forced to spend so much time at home. What amazes me is how familiar objects and things look so different when you actually spend some time looking at them.

ANGUS

Slugger's cousin Angus came to visit me today. He was very well behaved and even wiped his paws. Angus and Slugger get along so well. Of course Slugger was the perfect host. They kept me company as I iced my still very swollen knee.

NEW WHEELS

After two hours at physical therapy today (which wiped me out), my cousin decided to take me for a drive. Little did I realize the drive would be to the local Toyota dealership so he could shop for a new lease. As I rested in one of the comfy chairs near the entrance to the dealership, my eye was drawn to the reflection of the Toyota emblem on the hood of a new car on the floor. I really liked the color and composition of this image.

PHYSICAL THERAPY

The next step in my recovery from surgery is physical therapy which I began today. I had several months of therapy almost two years ago at the same place and believe that postponed my surgery. I am grateful that some of my same therapists are still here. I know the drill and I am prepared to do the work. I know it is a long road ahead. Patience.

THE HEN

Lately, I have started to feel a lot like a hen sitting on a nest. Tethered to the magical ice machine and perched on the couch my days are filled with a whole lot of sitting. Hens sit on their eggs for about three weeks before the eggs hatch. I admire their patience and have begun to realize that I am in very short supply of that virtue. I'm not trying to hatch any eggs....just an improved knee! I really like the expression, almost resignation that I see in this hen's eyes. I think I recognize it in myself.

ALWAYS ALEX

My Mom always told me that when one door closes another opens. And so it is in life and in death. I have known Blake for years, but until recently we didn't know each other well. She is half my age and I remember when she was dating a handsome guy named Alex. I remember when they married. I remember when we all shoveled snow together, laughing and complaining at the same time. I remember the day I learned that Alex had died very suddenly and much too young at age 26. Blake launched Always Alex to commemorate him and to honor his life. Rich in detail and design this extensive line of handcrafted gorgeous jewelry for men and women includes many striking pieces. These designs can be found in exclusive shops on the North Shore of Long Island and The Hamptons too. Always Alex is a stunning line of jewelry designed with the same kind of creative spirit that Alex embodied. From his death, Always Alex was born and continues to grow. Anyone interested in seeing these designs is welcome to email me.

HERE COMES THE SUN

The past few days I have flirted with the idea of abandoning my blog for awhile. It is really a challenge to try to find photos worth posting when all I can see is the view from my couch. Feeling very frustrated and discouraged today, I did look out the kitchen window to see the first sunflower in bloom. Sunflowers are my favorite flower and I always forget to plant them. This year I have a huge clump of them coming up though... right near my bird feeder. I guess the birds managed to drop enough seeds and I have at least two dozen sunflowers stretching their heads toward the sky. A true sun worshipper, its head follows the sun as it crosses the sky. The common sunflower is often referred to as big smile and that is exactly what I did when I saw this one blooming in my yard. I hope I am moving a little better tomorrow.

REESE

My cousin Elaine came by to visit me today and to see how I was recovering. She brought Reese along for a visit too. Reese was spayed last week and has to wear this plastic cone to keep her from picking at her stitches. Reese and I compared stitches. Her's come out tomorrow. I have to wait for Wednesday but at least I don't have to wear a cone!

ILLITERACY

It is my observation that cats contribute to illiteracy. Slugger loves to sit on top of the newspapers. In the mornning I like to have breakfast and page through the papers. Usually by the time I get my coffee and breakfast together, he has positioned himself on top of the papers making it impossible to read them without first dislodging him. Other cat owners that I have spoken with have similar experiences. Maybe that is the fallacy in my thinking. Do we ever own our pets? I believe they own us!

THE ICE MACHINE COMETH

The good news is I came home without Red Socks and so far I am not in terrible pain. My knee is wrapped up from mid thigh to my ankle and I can't see what it looks like, but I do remember my surgeon signing my leg before going into the operating room (I guess his way of identifying which leg was to be operated on). The best device for keeping the pain and swelling down is not the percoset, but the magical ice machine that my friends Nancy and Sammy rushed over to my house ten minutes after I got home from the hospital. Sammy had a similar procedure and had me hooked up to the machine in no time. This miracle machine has a cuff that velcros around my knee, the interior of the cuff has plastic channels connected to hoses that attach to a small playmate style cooler (blue cooler that my foot rests on in the photo). The cooler is filled with water and ice and has a pump that circulates the cool water around my knee. I guess the real pain test will be in the morning! Now I just have to figure out how to get up the stairs to bed!

BEFORE

This sure isn't art, it isn't even close to pretty, but to me it is the only left knee I have known for 52 years. It wasn't easy taking a photo of my own knee. My mother was horrified that I would even think of posting my knee to my blog, but hey it is what is on my mind tonight. I keep thinking that red scab on the side of my knee that I got from scratching a mosquito bite is exactly where the surgeon will cut tomorrow. He is going to try to repair a significant tear to my meniscus, a partial tear to my ACL as well as bone spurs. He says he hopes to "clean up the joint" because I have a lot of arthritis in it. I guess this just reinforces that I am middle aged. My biggest concern? He is a Red Sox fan. Is it too late to reconsider this?

SWEET ONIONS

I walked through a local farmer's market today filled with fresh produce. The colors of all the produce made me think of a crayon box. I was drawn to the color and shape of these onions. I liked the gentle curve of their stalks and the sense of texture created by their wiry roots. There were plenty of vegetables that would have made a really pretty picture, but I thought this was an interesting composition.

FIRST OF THE SEASON

I was crazy busy this morning getting ready for work tonight but as I passed my tomato plants I spied a red cherry tomato! I was so excited I picked it although it probably could have stood another day or two on the vine. I haven't eaten it yet, and will probably let it sit on the window sill and ripen a day or so. I thought it was kind of neat that the first tomato of the season was picked exactly half way through the baseball season on the day of the All Star Game at Yankee Stadium which is in its final season. There are all kinds of seasons in life.

GOOD YEAR

For the past several evenings the Good Year blimp has flown over my house. I have seen it over Yankee Stadium, probably for the All Star festivities, but nevertheless I feel as though it is following me. Okay... paranoia, no doubt, but it is still weird to see it flying overhead as I work and then to see it over my home. I just hope it is spreading Good Year karma everywhere!

TO SLEEP

It was drilled into me to make my bed before leaving the house in the morning. Okay... in college I always had an unmade bed, but for the rest of my adult life it was made before breakfast. I usually change the sheets on the weekend, so I left the bed unmade because I figured I would do it when I got home from work. I never figured I would get home this late and have to face my self-imposed rules of very tight sheets with hospital corners! Note to self...big mistake, if you can't change the sheets in the morning....make the bed! This was a tough lesson.

CATKINS DIET

Just a few days ago Slugger was weighed in by his vet. As you may recall she felt he should go on a diet, one of high protein and low carbs. This evening Slugger was propping himself up against the dining room wall. So far it doesn't look like much progress has been made.

SWEET GUM

As my Mom left me today she handed me this woody looking sphere and said, "Do you know what this is?" Puzzled I shook my head. "Sweet gum", she replied and continued, "Remember that post you did about sycamore trees (March 27), well you were wrong they were sweet gum trees". Mom told me she did some checking and actually found this sweet gum pod or seed ball to show me. She had been driving around with it for several months. I couldn't believe that she pursued this, but then if you know my Mom you know she is tenacious when it comes to education and learning (especially the New York Times Sunday crossword). I turned the pod over in my hands, touched the sharp prickly edges and marveled at how intricate it was. All dried it looked interesting and I liked the way the light hit it. I mused about how such a thorny, prickly thing could be from a sweet gum tree! Just another conundrum to think about.

WEIGHT WATCHERS

Slugger had to go to the vet for a check-up today. He cried, grumbled and growled most of the way perhaps because he knew he would be weighed. Like his Mom, he is not fond of the scale. The moment of truth came when Dr. George put him on the scale and he weighed in at a hefty 17.3 pounds. YIKES! What's a fat cat to do? I told Dr. George it runs in the family and that the whole family is going on Weight Watchers. Dr. George thought a "Catkin's diet" would be more appropriate for Slugger---dry food high in protein, low in carbs. I just hope his bloodwork comes back okay tomorrow.

SONIA SALAD

Mom always said, "Eat your veggies" and to ensure that we did, there was always a salad on the table before our entree. Since my Mom is essentially a vegetarian, I learned to like salads and vegetables at a very early age. I guess that's why every night my dinner entree is preceded by a very big salad. Tonight's salad was comprised of all the organic greens I picked up at my CSA share. The spicy arugula was especially yummy. Salads are kind of like life, a little bit of this and a little bit of that...just enough of everything to keep them interesting.

LONE LILY

On the very edge of my property near my white picket fence is a clump of daylilies. I have never paid them a whole lot of attention, but today when I got home from work I was struck by the way the light was hitting them. They seemed to be almost an electric orange and their contour and graceful form was so pronounced that I had to grab the camera. It's funny how you can walk past something for years taking it forgranted and never give it a second look. Then all of a sudden your attention is drawn to it and you see it in a whole new light.

A GORGEOUS GIFT

About seven years ago I was admiring an enormous hydrangea at a friend's home. Several weeks later the friend stopped by and gave me a cutting from her shrub. That little cutting is now a big beautiful plant that brings me joy every year when it blooms. Of course there is great satisfaction in seeing plants you have placed in your garden grow and bloom, but there is something even more special about a cutting from your friend's garden that takes root in your own garden! It's like having a part of them right there in your garden!

SLUGGER

For a six year old cat Slugger has had a lot of health issues (he takes three pill a day!) and lately he has been under the weather. Of course I worry and watch his every move. I was happy to see him sitting on the window sill when I came home from work. He was fascinated by a rabbit eating a clover dinner on my front lawn. Funny the coloring of the rabbit was very similar to Slugger's tabby color which reminded me of how friends and I speculate that Slugger must be part rabbit because he hops up and down the stairs like a bunny. He looks like a real predator in this picture, but he is just a big chicken. Such a chicken that he doesn't like to go outside...even if I carry him outdoors. He has an appointment at the vet on Thursday, so stay tuned.

DETAILS

The handles on this Brooklyn brownstone intrigued me. At first I was attracted to the detail and design of this handsome vintage hardware. As I looked more closely I saw the scratches on tumbler face and the rust on the plates and handles. I got to thinking about how long they had graced the warm wood doors, and to how many people these front doors had been home. These door handles are small details, but they remind me to pay attention to the little things in life. Sometimes the small things can make the big picture look so much grander.

INDEPENDENCE DAY

I usually work on July 4th, but today was really an Independence Day for me! It wasn't the typical sunny July 4th you think about, but it was a day free from work. Rain threatened and eventually the skies did open, but the view from my kitchen window was a patriotic red, white and blue! As I write this I can hear fireworks going off in the distance.

CANDY CAT

When I walked into a local shop and was greeted by this charming cat offering candy I couldn't help but wonder how I could train Slugger to do the same.

THE EYES HAVE IT

What did I see while shopping for eyeglasses? Out of the corner of my eye my own reflection in this perfectly round mirror. I liked the geometry of it and I really liked the image of the man in the screen (far left) behind me. It gives the image more interest and depth. The pipes, superstructure and lights in the ceiling (also reflected in the mirror) create an otherworldly feeling.

CYCLONE

Today was one of those days. There seem to be more and more of them. You know, the kind of day where you go non-stop from one thing to another, there are more things on your to do list then can be done in a week much less 24 hours. Your cell phone and home phone are ringing at the same time and your call waiting is going too. Yep, the kind of day where you feel like you are on a never ending roller coaster ride. Somehow this image of the Cyclone in Coney Island seems to sum up my day. One of the few memories I have of my Dad was a trip to Coney Island about forty five years ago. We didn't go on the cyclone because I was way too little, but we did go on the Wonder Wheel together. I remember from the top of the Wonder Wheel everything looked so small. It was a simpler time, a kinder time. Now even small things become big. Today life was an endurance test and I lost.