Happy Birthday Bart!

Yesterday was Bart's 17th birthday. My little talking angel. After we lost his sister he  decided he had a lot to say and still yells at me most of his waking hours. He particularly does not like me talking on the phone and has a lot to say about that. A phone call will wake him up faster than treats. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of hearing him, it sounds like a baby being tortured. Amazing the sounds that come out of such a small, loving creature.
As annoying as it is there is also a familiar comfort to hearing him. My cat encyclopedia says he is 78 in human years. A youngster!
According to one source I read that the oldest living cat was 37 or 38 years old (I forget exactly) and a also Burmese. I am planning on another 20 years with him.
He is slowly adjusting to my spending time in the den. He thinks we should both be on the bed 24/7. Obviously not a healthy place for me. Sadly between Gary's illness and grief I have spent the majority of my time at home there. I rarely post my knitting as I can isolate my life away knitting, watching TV. It is a lot healthier for me to be in here doing something creative. Painting, school work, music, card making, etc., etc., etc. Lots to do at home if I leave the bedroom cave.
Now that he has agreed to a little time in here he has hogged the only comfy chair. Fine when I am engaged in a creative project but a drag when I want a break. In a funny way he is helping me. I am sitting on my exercise ball right now. Good for the abs. After my back injury I need all the help I can get.
Yesterday my trainer told me that it takes twice as long to get back into shape as the down time. That gets me back to where I was in 22 weeks-November 16th. Great.

June Ramblings

I quit blogging as no one was reading my posts. This exercise should be for me. About 10 weeks ago I injured myself quite badly while exercising. I was in a neck brace for 8 weeks, regular PT, it threw me off my path. Between the pain and the inability to exercise I reverted to my knit/TV life. I have been cleared to exercise at 10% intensity but what do I know about 10%? I understand 110%. We'll see how this goes.
This photo is from another play station in my creative room.  It is separate from the desk with my card making stuff. Separate from my easel with a painting in progress and Gary's comfy chair where I sit and write. There is a wall filled with books from both of our journeys. At one time the content with divided, now there is a lot of overlap.
Recently I have been working with a spiritual advisor. She told  me that I needed to write a book. It rang true, felt like a perfect fit yet I could not get myself to start. Last week she told me that the book I need to start with is the one with Gary's writings, laced with my experience. So much synchronicity. I had already started it two years ago. My cousin Mimi thought it was what I needed to do and sent me the Patty Smith/Mapelthrope story. Other stuff too. Without doing much the book is well on it's way. Thursday was our wedding anniversary. The only problem is me.
I have been in school all year for Holistic Nutrition. I have always defined myself as a Christian Louboutin girl and been afraid of that hippie within. I relate more to the inner business woman than the artist yet those that volunteer their observations see me as an artist. I am a vegan. While painting yesterday I listened to an 80 minute lecture from Howard Lyman, the rancher turned vegan that informed the world about  Mad Cow Disease  then turned on FOX news. I suppose I have always been a  strange combination of my varied experiences and that is a good thing.
Last note.. while others see my knitting as creative, I won't deny the creative aspect of it but when I obsessively knit, hide and watch TV it is not a good thing. It is comparable to drug abuse or an eating disorder. As pretty as my bedroom is I need to be in other rooms of my condo.