jeep, the dog on the cover

Eric Clapton's 1975 album There's One in Every Crowd* features on its cover a pale-eyed dog of the Weimaraner sort, with its head on what might be a coffin. I don't know if it is a coffin, but that's Eric Clapton's dog, Jeep. I found that out here.

Those of you who are George Harrison fans (I know many) may have wondered about the instrumental on All Things Must Pass entitled "I Remember Jeep." Yes, this Jeep. The dog had been stolen. In his autobiography Clapton notes that Jeep had been his first dog since childhood; I hope he was recovered.

*I love two cuts on this album: "Better Make It Through Today," and "Pretty Blue Eyes."

the art of the sugar mouse

I have never had a sugar mouse but I would like to. Even if it was only once. I just like the idea. Perhaps I should try the recipe in my candy book.

There are those who also find a sugary rodent food for much creativity. Today I discovered them at Mouse Spotters Guide, where you may as it says "Create Art-Work on the theme of Sugar Mice and submit to this Strange and Interesting site."

Also a Charming and Friendly site, as you may see at the section called Mouse Face, devoted to photos of people befriended through the medium of mouse sugar. Another page brings you a great deal of sugarmouse art.

Would you like to try this? There is a recipe for sugar mice on this page, along with a recipe for cheese on toast and how to eat it. This sort of jolly, all-inclusive activity is exactly what I love to see when I look for evidence that the arts are alive and well. Before you know it, people can move from "I don't know art but I know what I like," to "Look at the beauty of a candy mouse in the bleak urban cityscape!" or something like that.

a buddhist tale: the dog king silver

A fable of wisdom overcoming prejudice toward the less fortunate, The Dog King Silver tells the story of how street dogs in Benares are saved from false accusation when a fine chariot's leather trappings are devoured. The King of Benares, in a rage, orders all dogs to be killed; the Dog King Silver learns of this and decides to seek justice:

Before setting out, he went to a different part of the cemetery to be alone. Having practiced goodness all his life, and trained his mind, he now concentrated very hard and filled his mind with feelings of loving-kindness. He thought, "May all dogs be well and happy, and may all dogs be safe. I go to the palace for the sake of dogs and men alike. No one shall attack or harm me."

Then the Dog King Silver began walking slowly through the streets of Benares. Because his mind was focused, he had no fear. Because of his long life of goodness, he walked with a calm dignity that demanded respect. And because of the warm glow of loving-kindness that all the people sensed, no one felt the rising of anger or any intention to harm him. Instead, they marvelled as the Great Being passed, and wondered how it could be so!

A serene tale of a lesson we all must learn - read it all here.

cats in world affairs?

Your friendly, very busy Curator is very behind on her visits to friends' blogs. I sure miss seeing what is up with you all and hope to catch up sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, here on my lunch hour, I thought about "cats in politics" for some reason and went looking for some. By sheer serendipity I found the Cat Topics section of Sheppard Software's page, which includes, yes, Cats in World Affairs. There's not a lot there, though I didn't know that cats have lived at the British Prime Minister's house since maybe Henry VIII's time. But the other pages you will see off to the left - things like Cat Heroes, Cat Mythology, Petting and the Tail - are similarly jolly and colorful, and have some illustrations I've never seen before. I liked them. I think you will too.

where's m. chat?

Thanks yet again, Wikipedia.

Monsieur Cat - the grinning yellow cat I mentioned a couple posts ago - has gotten into my mind and I felt I MUST try to seek more about him.

Turns out he has his very own website, which he shares with some Space Invaders also big in graffiti for a while. It's monsieurchat.free.fr, in French - but if you can play with it a bit like you do Yahoo Maps or Google Maps, you'll find a way to see all the M. Chats in the world. Tip: You can see a list by nation and city if you choose "Ville: Toutes," "Type: Monsieur Chat," and then hit the "Afficher" button.

Though the graffiti artist wished to remain anonymous, Wikipedia gives his name as Thoma Vuille.

a saintly geese post

Recently I found at my excellent local library Peter Watkins and John Stockland's Winged Wonders: A Celebration of Birds in Human History (New York, NY: BlueBridge, 2007). Contained within are lots of interesting cultural, biological and historical nuggets about a dozen-plus birds: the cuckoo, dove, eagle, owl, ostrich, raven, and robin, to name a few. I wish there had been a duck chapter as we all know how partial I am to them, but there IS one on geese.
I can't say I have ever found geese swell company like ducks. Rather pushy, geese are. I vividly recall one occasion on which I showed up to a relative's condo development with a basket of fresh snickerdoodles, only to be faced by a large flock of white geese in the driveway. Would they budge? No. Could I drive over them? I thought about it. And then I looked at the snickerdoodles, and - well, some sacrifices have to be made, so I jettisoned about six of them and drove like mad.

But there actually are Christian saints who have associated themselves with geese. Here is the pilgrimage badge of St. Werburga of Chester.

She died AD 699, and was a powerful force in convent reform, as she was one of the great abbesses of the Church in Britain at that time. Her badge is based on a deal she cut with some hungry geese:

One of her most famous miracles occurred at Weedon. The lands around the monastery were infested by wild geese which devoured the crops and caused great damage. One day, when they were committing their usual depredations, Werburga drove them into a stable and left them shut up there all night. In the morning, when the door was opened, they came running to her as if asking leave to go away. She allowed them to depart in safety but charged them never again to come marauding about Weedon. They flew off, but when they had gone a short way, they returned and kept clamouring and fluttering about, until they made her understand that one of their number was nefariously detained. She found that one of her vassals had stolen and eaten the missing goose. She restored it to life and full plumage to its companions and the whole flock took their departure. No wild goose has ever dared to molest the agriculturists of Weedon since that day.

I got that from this page, which includes a stunning stained-glass portrait of the saint.

various, starring a teenaged kitten

I was at my local branch of Next to Nature's pet supply last night, stocking up on Wellness canned food in all the approved colors (oh stress, what color don't they like? Is it the green one?). The branch still has the 4 black kittens of an earlier post, now lanky teenagers. This one decided that since I was kneeling to give him a good scratchin', why then he would sit in my half-a-lap and relax. Oh isn't there anyone to give these darlings nice homes?

There's a film by the French documentarian Chris Marker called The Case of the Grinning Cat: "In November 2001, the filmmaker became intrigued, as did many other Parisians, by the sudden appearance of alluring portraits of grinning yellow cats on buildings, Metro walls and other public surfaces. Marker's cinematic efforts to document the mysterious materializations of this charming feline throughout Paris are a recurring theme of THE CASE OF THE GRINNING CAT."

Which led me to wonder about cat graffiti. And find some on Flickr.

kitty click

First things first: Ms. Winnie has a new pocket beagle brother. She needed a playmate you see . . . so meet Dexter.Is he not scrumptious?

Now: Oh boy, back to the feline arts, and today I do mean the feline stepping up to be not only the subject but the creator of delightful images. Let me introduce you to Michael Benjamin's cat Cooper, who once a week is outfitted with a Mr. Lee CatCam ("Will answer the amazing question what the lovely cat has done the whole day long.").

As Cooper's Flickr set shows, what the lovely cat does the whole day long is watch people leave, look at trees, even look at food. Many of the photos show the sense of adventure it takes to be a short little housecat in a big world. Many thanks to Robin and Finchy's mom TaraM for sending me the link, which made me squeal out loud at work. I do love a good photographer.

in chips of stone

I've just realized I seem to be on a dog kick for several days running here. But really, I can't help myself when I stumble upon things to show you.

For example, today I've found someone who has lovingly assorted many photos of ancient Roman mosaics featuring dogs - with a live dog thrown in.

Many are from Pompeii and Sicily, but you will see some from the outreaches of the Empire: Tunisia, Turkey, Alexandria. There's some from their new homes in the great Western museum collections: the British Museum, the Louvre.

The level of craft and detail can approach a brush's subtlety, and the spirit of a dog in action or at rest is easy to see and feel. Try this post at the Mosaic Art Source blog and see if you don't agree.

pictures of ms winnie

maybe if more people had a duck in their life. . .

You can catch the second half of that sentence in the video below. Seems Joe Mansheim of Minnesota took an unexpected shine to a wild duckling that grew up to be his friend Frank. And once again I'm handed a textbook example of the positive life aspects of pet ownership.

puppy name update

Mr. Winston xox

Oh yes by the way -

My brother named his baby pocket beagle "Ms. Winnie," after Mr. Winston (see above), a dearly loved dog who passed on recently.

stereo dogs!

Oh boy! I am very pleased at what I have found to bring you today.

How about some vintage 3-D photos of people with dogs? I stumbled upon a site called "doubledogs," and found a page on "Doubledogs in history" - that is, a selection of stereoscope pix, along with some thoughtful text on most of them, apparently used as a teaching tool way back when.

There is a Belgian dog cart hauling milk canisters. There is Major, the Red Cross dog. There's a pet "helping" shovel snow. And a charming young sailor on a chaise longue with his dog (on the chaise!) and cat. There's more, too - click on the link and have a look!

"a novel must be exceptionally good to live as long as the average cat"

That's a quote from Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield (British, 1694-1773). Generally known as "Lord Stanhope," he was a politician and man of letters, a mover, shaker and manipulator. He was married to the illegitimate daughter of George I, whom I must say I didn't know HAD any "byblows." He was renowned for his manners and ability to turn a phrase, but his calculation and snobbery won him little warmth. He wasn't much for novels, it seems - he also remarked upon "The mere brute pleasure of reading - the sort of pleasure a cow must have in grazing."

At his death he left a lifetime annuity to his favorite cat and its descendants, probably the only creatures that never judged or used him.

(**Curator's note: I do regret my typing errors (now fixed). And Parlance, see comments, is actually right come to think of it. Grin!)

a vintage toy rabbit

Found on You Tube. The description read only "Vintage Battery Toy: Picnic Rabbit."

miw

I'm finishing up Michelle Moran's Nefertiti, a fine historical novel (and I am picky).

The story is told from her sister Mutnodjmet's point of view, as she observes her beautiful and strong-willed sister's fight for prominence and power as the Chief Wife of Pharoah Akenaten. Meanwhile "Mutny" tends her herb garden and heals people, her green eyes and intelligence leading her to be called "the Powerful Cat." Guess if I find her irresistable.

The Egyptian word for cat is "miw"; see it in hieroglyphics here.

And in the novel's course she is given the gift of a palace miw; it probably looked a lot like the present day Egyptian Mau.

In the i-cannot-resist department: Did you know a miw can tell your Egyptian tarot? Got $2.99? Holy cats, go here then.

a lovely turtle

(Thanks again Wikipedia Commons)

This peaceful scene is called "A Quiet Pet," and I'm pretty sure a turtle is as quiet as it gets. Well, maybe it makes more noise than a goldfish. Does this look a bit Pre-Raphaelite to you? It is by John William Godward (British, 1861-1922), whose work is often confused for late Pre-Raphaelite due to his vibrant use of color. He's actually considered a Neo-classicist, or as the movement is often wryly called, "Victorians in Togas."

After the crazy morning we've had here at the Museum - a bad litter mishap, medication into a very insulted Sally - I could stand an hour with a turtle.

pocket beagle redux!

A new face (and apprehensive, poor baby) arrives at the airport in Utah . . .

a representative of that elusive bunch, the Pocket Beagles.

Introducing a girl puppy who arrived from Queen Elizabeth Pocket Beagles to the warm loving haven of my brother's house (clarification: brother 1 of 3).

What's her name? Doesn't have one yet - it WAS Creme Brulee.

She will hang out, get some chub on her frame, get some lovin'...

She has evaded the wiles of Basement Cat.

I think I can link to this Google Books result on the Pocket Beagle from All about Dogs: A Book for Doggy People, by Charles Henry Lane and R. H. Moore (John Lane: London and New York, 1900). The woodcut illustrations in this book are strong, simple and harmonious - you will like them.

dogtown

You've probably figured out what a fan I am of William Wegman's work with dogs. I remember vividly when I discovered it: the Whitney, New York City, Spring of 1992. As much as I appreciate the craft and wit of that body of work, I also was pretty sure no one else could do anything like that at all well.

But I think there's somebody out there who's not too shabby. Cindy and Kirby Pringle live in rural Illinois now after years of award-winning photography and journalism. Their dogs Buster and Barney live there too, where they serve as inspiration for a bright, cheerful world full of "dog people." Human bodies, dog heads, in a pictorial universe filled with the everyday.

Well, if your "everyday" involves singing karaoke to chickens. Or living in a sky blue house.

So get some canine cheer from Dogtown Artworks - maybe your dog would like to be a part of that world too!

do you dance, minnaloushe?

Ah, one of the sweetest lines from one of my all time favorite cat poems, I'm sure you know it well: William Butler Yeats' The Cat and the Moon, from 1919. There's a full moon out tonight in a lightly wreathed sky after days of flooding storms up here in Washington State. What a relief to stand on dry ground and look up to that bright face.

A snippet of the poem:

Black Minnaloushe stared at the moon,
For, wander and wail as he would,
The pure cold light in the sky
Troubled his animal blood.
Minnaloushe runs in the grass
Lifting his delicate feet.
Do you dance, Minnaloushe, do you dance?
When two close kindred meet,
What better than call a dance?

Yeats was making a case for the cat and moon being kin, both subject to changes and mystery:

. . .Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
Alone, important and wise,
And lifts to the changing moon
His changing eyes.

I always mutter that last part to myself when events are moving faster than I can quite comprehend them.

This excellent page has the poem in entirety, along with a small verse Yeats wrote to entreat a squirrel. According to the commentator, that cat of the changing eyes belonged to Yeats' muse Maud Gonne, whom I really must look into more.

a dodgson dog

Thanks, Wikipedia Commons.

Lewis Carroll -- he of Alice in Wonderland fame, real name Charles Lutwidge Dodgson -- had a brother named Wilfred (1838-1914). And Wilfred had a dog named Dido. That's a feminine name, but I haven't discovered yet if Dido was a boy or girl. What I have discovered is a photo held by Princeton University that shows Wilfred and Dido together in 1857. Copyright politeness means I can't post it, but you can see it here.

I post so briefly partially out of worry for Sally cat - she has a terrible cold and ear infection, and is on antibiotics for the 3rd time. I would like to see her have something to eat tomorrow.

cat ladies throw your hands up!

Because the Italians have a name for us! Gattare. Singular, "gattara."
Yes, "gattare" are cat ladies, the kind souls who go about making sure the feral cats of Italia have food to eat. The name might not always be quite respectful, but that's their problem. Are you a cat gent? You're a gattaro.

I've posted before, a long time ago, on Torre Argentina, the great Roman cat sanctuary. But they've beefed up their site and you should visit again. Here's a story from the-colosseum.net about these half-wild royalty of the stones. And here, still in Italian, a page from Milan. (Go to BabelFish.com to translate.)

Here's a little tidbit from the Torre Argentina diary:

Wednesday, December 17 -- Pierluigi came with a gift for Vladimiro, 5 little cans
to be precise. We had the unfortunate idea to open these cans of exquisite cat
food in the office: we immediately realized how many cats were actually hiding
in the office, There was an out and out assault on the small portion that
Vladimiro knew was rightfully his; he deftly slapped Iron and Moulin Rouge and
then the other cats did not even dare to come close! Of course we felt sorry for
them and opened all the cans.

Sounds like my house!

roman cat names

I noticed recently when looking over my stats that someone had searched for "roman cat names." Usually they are looking for Roman DOG names - must be a bunch of Rottweilers out there? But it led me to realize I never did give our friend the domestic kitty equal Latin name time. So was there anything to find?

Why yes.

I didn't know that cats were kept as mascots by the Roman army, nor that Romans considered cats as household gods watching over the warmth and security of the home. And how's about these names!?:

BELLONA (Bell-Oh'-Nah; Female. ): Here's a name for an aggressive cat. Bellona, the goddess of war, seems to be a Roman invention. When a gladiator managed to outlive his many opponents, he was often asked to serve as one of Bellona's priests within her temple. . .

FERONIA (Fair-Oh'-Nee-Ah; Female): Not a very active goddess, but a goddess with a very beautiful name. She was simply the goddess of spring flowers. Pretty name for just about any cat.

SILVANUS (Sill-Vay'-Nuhs; Male): Some sources identify this Roman god of the wildness with the Greek god PAN, but most accounts are in conflict. There are several similarities however. Silvanus loved the outdoors. In fact, he'd rather be in the forests than just about anywhere else. One reason for this attraction to dark overgrown wilderness was his love of scaring unsuspecting travelers. . .

--- There's lots more. You'll enjoy this page, researched and writen by D. Marks and very well too.

lapland dogs

Image: thanks, Wikipedia Commons.

Every winter I find myself thinking what it would be like to live in the cold all the time. These folks are Saami, or Laplanders, in a photo taken around 1900-1920; the Wiki info listed the location as "Norway Sweden" - ? Normally they are concentrated in Finland. They herd reindeer, and use sleds pulled by dogs of a breed called the Finnish Lapphund. I'm very pleased to have found some featured so prominaently in this photo! A very old breed, these dogs have been domesticated for a long part of human time.

Speaking of domesticated, a nickel if you can spot the nice cup and saucer being held by a person in this photo. This reminds us all that civilization doesn't always have to stay put to be valid. People who rely heavily upon each other in their constant transit must require some very fine points of ethics and behavior.

a traveling dog of lore

From The Panchatantra, a Sanskrit collection of improving tales dating from circa 4th- 6th centuries AD, a tale of a dog who decides that home is best. I don't think that's always the case, but he's got a point. . .
***
In a certain place there once lived a dog by the name of Tschitranga, which means "having a spotted body." A lengthy famine set in. Because they had no food, the dogs and other animals began to leave their families. Tschitranga, whose throat was emaciated with hunger, was driven by fear to another country. There in a certain city he went to a certain house day after day where, due to the carelessness of the housekeeper, many good things to eat were left lying about, and he ate his fill. However, upon leaving the house, other vicious dogs surrounded him on all sides and tore into him on all parts of his body with their teeth. Then he reconsidered his situation, and said, "It is better at home. Even during a famine you can live there in peace, and no one bites you to pieces. I will return to my own city."

Having thus thought it through, set forth to his own city. When he arrived there, all of his relatives asked him, "Tschitranga, tell us about where you have been. What is the country like? How do the people behave? What do they eat? What do they do?"

He answered, "How can I explain to you the essence of a foreign place? There are good things to eat in great variety, and housekeepers who do not keep watch! There is only one evil in a foreign country: You will be hated there because of who you are!"
***
Oh dear. Does that mean I should never go back to Italy again?

happy 2009! some posts i loved most

Yay! I certainly hope things get better for us all this year!

You know how the New Year usually brings out the whole "Best Of" thing? Well I'm not going to do THAT, but I did want to take a look back at a handful of posts close to my heart and sometimes funnybone.

There was The Amazing Skidboot, one of the most gifted dogs ever. I can't forget the gorgeous, scary mechanical tiger Shiva. And I still love those rabbits in Crispypaintings. Speaking of which, I can never forget that "that's rabbit's dynamite."

Do you remember the Italian skunks? Or the Aussie horse Bazzy Boy, who made me laugh out loud? I recall the good lessons learned from Dahni, the blind kitten. I wanted to include Sebastian the handicapped duck, but the link is gone - she (yes) left this life, and here's her YouTube memorial.

You know, when I think about "my favorite post," the one I always go back to is the cat in a knit squid hat. The concept was sheer surrealism.

That's enough now. . . More champagne (nip? bones?) for us all!