"the cat asleep, well buttoned into its fur"

This is only the briefest of lines, one of a piquant handful scattered throughout Tin House's edition of The Journal of Jules Renard. Renard (1864-1910) was a French writer. He's not known well here in the States, but his personal journal is considered by many in the know as one of the greatest autobiographical works of the twentieth century. He sought absolute honesty of observation and style, and was unsparing not least of himself. He knew Sarah Bernhardt and Toulouse-Lautrec, and met Renoir. Still, he found it worthy to notice. . .

"The scorn of a cat for the calf that pursues it in a meadow."
"The vitality of the cat, who appears so lazy. His ears and his eyes are always at work. He has within him prepared leaps, and, under him, ready claws."
"The quail plays with little stones and thinks it is singing."
"Bouquin's dog barks every evening, not at the moon - there isn't any - but at mystery. He renders his homage to God."
"The ideal of calm exists in a sitting cat."

I wish I could read French so that I might enjoy more of his work. Learn more about Jules Renard via Answers.com.

woof! copyright 2008

You know, my friend Doug is about the best surprise researcher ever - I go out to get the cable bill and the catalogs, and there's an envelope from him holding something excellent for the Museum.

Which is how I know about Woof! Writers on Dogs, a new book by Lee Montgomery (an editor at hometown literary magazine Tin House), published by Viking Books earlier this month. Woof! is a collection of essays by writers on the dogs they've loved and who loved them, as best as everyone could.

Here is the original review that Doug sent me. (Hope it stays up for a while. I hate that when newspapers retire their clips too soon.)

Here's Woof! at Powells.com.

Thanks, Doug!

happy thanksgiving everyone!

(Our model: the young Miss Elizabeth, dreaming of evil deeds I'm sure)

He blinks upon the hearth-rug,
and yawns in deep content,
accepting all the comforts
that Providence has sent.

Louder he purrs, and louder,
in one glad hymn of praise
for all the night's adventures,
for quiet, restful days.

Life will go on for ever,
with all that cat can wish:
warmth and the glad procession
of fish and milk and fish.

Only-the thought disturbs him-
he's noticed once or twice,
the times are somehow breeding
a nimbler race of mice.

-- "On a Cat Ageing," by Alexander Gray.

May your cats -- and dogs, and ferrets and bunnies and iguanas -- have every tasty dream come true for Thanksgiving. We here at the Museum are thankful for every one of you!

name that puppy (after a river)

This is my friend's brother's new puppy. Puppy needs a name. The twist is that Puppy's name would ideally be a river, as previous dogs were also named after rivers - and did I recall which? No. Though I think Shenandoah was one. It's a blue heeler if I recall, so I suggested "Danube." Oh come on, you would too!

After that I got kind of puckish and started throwing things out like "Po" and "Yangtze" and "Billabong." Suggestions anybody?

While you're here, check out this website I found of animal names. Pretty all-encompassing.

hometown help for hungry pets: season of suppers

Tis the season to share, with people and with pets as well. As I break out the Museum staff's favorite canned food (Wellness, if you must know, mostly the pink labels and whatever that green label flavor is) I think of a recent invitation to share. I'll let the blurb tell you the skinny:

Banfield has teamed up with the Meals on Wheels Association of America (MOWAA)
for a national pet food drive called Season of Suppers. Banfield hospitals
across the nation are collecting pet food at their locations and donating it to
their local MOWAA program to feed pets of those senior citizens that already
receive meals. Go to your local Banfield from now until December 31 to make your
donation!

Where IS your local Banfield? Look here and see.

Hmm. . .I see there's one in Federal Way and Puyallup, and if I were back in Portland OR I'd go to one on NE 82nd Avenue. Bet there's one near you!

the artist's dog...in action

Remember the quotes yesterday about the cat as inspiration and support?

Today I bring you: the dog as muse.


Mmmm. Bread.

Studio-prop bread - but real and fresh and smelling oh so delicious.

And you may see the resulting painting - which doesn't have Cash in it, but a grateful little sparrow - here.

a cat classic is republished

Even in the dark ages the cat was the friend of the intelligent man, for the
sorcerers and alchemists were the philosophers of the period and those who
persecuted sorcerers and cats were the philistines. In our day the cat is as
essential to the literary workshop as he was formerly to the alchemystical
laboratory.

As a writer I cannot help but agree. And I'm pleased to say that this comes from a learned yet fascinating book I have quoted before: namely, Carl Van Vechten's The Tiger in the House, recently reissued by the glory that is The New York Review of Books Classics.

It is perfectly possible (a fact which I have proved scores of times
myself) to work not only with a cat in the room, but with a cat on one’s
shoulder or in one’s lap. In a draughty room, indeed, the cat makes a superior
kind of paper-weight! Cats, to be sure, love to play on tables with loose papers
and pens, but a little care will keep them from doing damage, and how welcome is
the soft paw tap on the pen with the look of surprise that invariably follows,
to the tired writer.

You may find this and more thoughtful jewels of philosophy and history on Bartleby.com, or you may really wish to purchase this fine book for your own. Which I plan to do.

flittens?

Or, winged kittens - winged cats are a particularly rich kitty myth. (Look up "winged cats" in Wikipedia for a boatload of misapprehensions. Check out this page of "Mewingham Manor" for flittens.) But me, I think I'll do just fine with the bitty "wings" marking one of the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee: Miss Enid.

And that being said, I need to do some much-needed adding and improving to my Favorites list: so Fin and Whicky, you're both on there at last!

an estonian cat

(Image courtesy of the artist via Wikimedia Commons.)

How's it hangin'? I like to think of this as the new fine-art version of those "Hang in there" kitten posters, remember those? But Estonian artist Nerva has way more in his repertoire than that. You could be waving at the moon, jostling for next place, or you can be that dog denying everything. Nerva's art website is one of the most interesting I have ever encountered - he's thought of everything: what color is your room? what size do you need? square or landscape? And you can find art to fit.

These are jolly, warm little prints that make me feel affectionate. What do you think?

Nerva's website here.

pets on coins

I wish the US would put pets on coins.

Isn't this a beautiful chicken coin? It's from Latvia. And I have found a place on the web called The Coin Zoo, where you may look up coins by animal - "cat" will get you such gorgeous moneys as the Isle of Man's 1-crown Maine Coon Cat and Turkish Cat coins. Mm, I would never spend them. (Click on the little camera to see pictures from your search results.)

A Singapore 10-dollar rabbit, anybody? Polish 2-zlote knight on horseback? Wait till you see the results for "lion". Although for the life of me I don't know why the Coin Zoo's main page includes a listing for the Congo's John Paul II 1-France Set. Pope? Zoo? Zoo? Pope? Am I missing something?

possibly everything you needed to know about the guard dog

Today on a leisurely Sunday I have for you a scholarly, but readable discussion of the dog's role as spirit guardian in old cultural ways. In Bob Trushaw's article, "Black Dogs: Guardians of the corpse ways," he examines the ways in which dogs' long and first closeness with humans has given them responsibilities past the earthly.

It's intriguing. Read here.

artist feature: crispypaintings

Time we had that talk

All I wanted was a cupcake. So we went to Verite/Cupcake Royale in Ballard a couple of weeks ago and got half a dozen - along with my newest art crush, Chris Pavlik.

The magic and mystery made manifest in a meditative mirage

I wrote him to say his colors were romantic, and that his work was Romantic with a capital R. Those clear, clean pigments and intermixing of nature with the heart and soul's puzzlements struck me as close to Caspar David Friedrich. (If he'd had a sense of humor. Which the Romantics rarely did.)

It's only polite to pretend not to notice

Explicit exceptions to implicit rules

I love those rabbits. I love this work.

Check out a wide variety of it at Crispypaintings.com.
All images copyright the artist with kindest permission.

gin the dog: "it walks! . . . backwards!!"

My friend Doug turned me on to this phenom taking place earlier this year on Britain's Got Talent: a dog who lives to dance canine freestyle, named Gin. Here's a joyous bit of the show introducing Kate Nicholas and her gifted dog:



It's worth it just to see that look on Simon Cowell's face.
As it happens, Gin almost never got to dance for Simon, as this article will explain: she got into some poison by mistake a while back, but all is very well indeed now. In fact, Gin was so kind as to "interview" with Britain's The Mirror. Read it here.

"a warlike mouse came down"

. . . to the water to take a drink, and upon being accosted by a regal frog, let him know this:

The mouse, speaking haughtily, said: “I am Crumb Snatcher, and my race is a
famous one. My father is the heroic Bread Nibbler, and he married Quern Licker,
the lovely daughter of a king. Like all my race I am a warrior who has never
been wont to flinch in battle. Moreover, I have been brought up as a mouse of
high degree, and figs and nuts, cheese and honeycakes is the provender that I
have been fed on.”

And pride goeth before a fall, with a short wet trip on a royal frog in between. For the full story of The Battle of the Frogs and the Mice (from The Golden Fleece's chapter on The Life and Labors of Heracles - it's a crazy story Heracles hears from some robbers. Courtesy of Bartleby.com.)

Bread Nibbler struck the first blow. He fell upon Loud Crier the frog, and overthrew him. At this Loud Crier’s friend, Reedy, threw down spear and shield and dived into the water. This seemed to presage victory for the mice. But then Water Larker, the most warlike of the frogs, took up a great pebble and flung it at Ham Nibbler who was then pursuing Reedy. Down fell Ham Nibbler, and there was dismay in the ranks of the mice. Then Cabbage Climber, a great-hearted frog, took up a clod of mud and flung it full at a mouse that was coming furiously upon him. That mouse’s helmet was knocked off and his forehead was plastered with the clod of mud, so that he was well-nigh blinded. . .

el gato. el humongous gato.

Well, it's by Botero, so what did I expect.

The sculpture was bought by the City of Barcelona in 1987, and is called "The Cat of Raval" for its current location in the historical El Raval neighborhood. Here's someone's tourist movie of approaching the Big Cat:

Why such an exaggerated style? Every artist synthesizes the world they see in their own way. In Botero's case it started with a childhood in Colombia and the many Baroque churches in the area. Here's a website on Botero to help you learn more.

That's a fine cat, any way you look at it.

from a year ago: cats in iraq

All the veterinarians were gone, so nobody could spay and neuter them. They only needed to hear a bomb blast once before they weren't surprised by the sound any more. Yet their vulnerability and need for care and love helped humanize the experience of reporting the War in Iraq.

Read "What Cats Know About War," by John F. Burns, from The New York Times of October 14 2007.

the surprisingly big world of the dog stamp

Yesterday I happened to see some images of dog breeds that have been on stamps and thought, "Why, those are quite attractive. I remember liking my bookmarks made of cat stamps. There must be many such." (cough) You think? Wait till you see the dog-stamp-collecting link I'm going to give you in a second here.

But first, did you know that the first dog on stamps was the Newfoundland, in Britain in 1887? And that subcategories (such as Dogs) of stamp collection each have their own hobbyist study unit? They're listed at the American Topical Association. (A subject, in a stamp, is called a "topic".)

But wait! You want to see beautiful dog stamps? You want to see if your dog is listed? (Ours is.) Well go here and seek alphabetically by dog.

a dogs in lit post

Every so often I stumble upon something utterly out of the blue....

as when a search for "puppies in literature" brings me to the blog Vulpes Libris, "A collective of bibliophiles writing about books," and more specifically this post on dogs in literature. There are books written of here of which I'd never even heard -- Timoleon Vieta, Come Home?

I do so appreciate finds like this. I'm sure you will too. Plus you have to love their header logo.

election day!

What, you think pets have nothing to do with all this excitement? (Anybody remember Nixon and the "Checkers" thing?) Au contrere, mon furry frere, so go over to Pet The Vote.

Vote!

images

Sometimes it's fun to stop and see the art in common media too. Check out this coffee cup from the corner stand and the cover of the latest Stranger issue. The kitty on the cup is a rubber stamp, and The Stranger listed the cover artwork as by Chris Crites, www.bagpainter.com.

"home for the holidays"

Did you know as many as 4 million orphaned dogs and cats will be euthanized this year due to shelter overcrowding and lack of awareness about these homeless pets? And that more than a quarter of all dogs in animal shelters are purebreds?

Wouldn't it be a great holiday gift that keeps on giving if as many as possible of these lovely beings got forever homes? Yeah, I think so too.

But I was still surprised when the Museum was asked to help spread the word for Iams Home for the Holidays 2008. Here, I'll let the official fact sheet take over for a bit:

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Iams Home 4 The Holidays – among the world’s most successful pet adoption programs – includes nearly 3,000 worldwide partner animal organizations that are dedicated to helping place orphaned dogs and cats into happy, loving homes.
Iams Home 4 The Holidays has set a goal to place 1 million orphaned animals into happy and loving homes this holiday season from October 1, 2008 to January 5, 2009.
Award-winning actress and pet parent Felicity Huffman has teamed up with Iams Home 4 The Holidays to help raise awareness for the millions of homeless dogs and cats in North America.

Last year half a million pets were placed. Half a mill! This year over 3000 shelters are participating, and you can find one near you on this page of shelters by state and country.

Hm I think I will go there now for Washington State. I live near Seattle, so . . . Wow, here's one called Kitty Haven in Tacoma. And here's the Seattle Animal Shelter. Lots of places to choose from! Why don't you look for one? Maybe you can help. . . or maybe a new friend is waiting there to help YOU share your love.

Home for the Holidays main page here.