It Might Be Spring

Some people have flowers blooming in their gardens, or trees bursting into color. They can go outdoors with a light coat or no coat at all. Where I live, those things haven't happened yet, but there is one sign that the warmer weather may soon be upon us:

Racing season! That's Chris on the left with the red bike and blue/brown kit. He came in 6th, not bad at all for his first race of the season. The wind was vicious, and my fingers froze trying to take pictures. At least, unlike last year around this time, there was no snow on the ground!!

On Saturday night, we went to see Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. I had read the Persephone book a few years ago, and though there are some minor changes in the film, it's pretty true to the book. The Art Deco sets and clothing were just the eye candy I've been wanting in a film. Do you think I could redecorate my house to look like Delysia's flat? Her bathroom is swoon-worthy.

Still knitting the fronts of Caroline, but nothing significant to photograph. I'll share a few quick book reviews instead.

The Whitechapel Conspiracy by Anne Perry. Chris started to read this out loud to me, and I couldn't wait anymore to solve the mystery, so I finished it last night. Our DCI Thomas Pitt is punished by his corrupt superiors for giving evidence in a murder case that convicts their associate. He is sent to work in the area of London known as Whitechapel, a poverty-ridden area and former hangout of Jack the Ripper. His wife Charlotte and maid Gracie decide that Something Must Be Done. What they do, and what they uncover, kept me glued to this book for hours, and I started the next book in the series, Southampton Row, right after I finished this one. Ms. Perry will be visiting a local book store next month to promote the latest in the series, Buckingham Palace Gardens. Must.read.faster and catch up to that book if I can.

Kitty Knits by Donna Druchunas. The subtitle of the book is "projects for cats and their people," and it does offer cat beds, felted mice, and toys for cats, along with items for Persons and their homes. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but to be honest, there is probably little in the book I would knit as is. What may be most useful to me are the charts of kitty designs, which I could adapt to other projects. If you would like more specifics, let me know.

Lastly, I promised a review of the Happy Tabby book, whose author Susan Daffron did a guest post on my blog on Friday.  The book is targeted to those who adopt a cat from an animal shelter or rescue group (as opposed to purchasing one from a pet store or breeder), but I think it also encompasses cats adopted by relatives and friends or those that show up at the back door and are slowly but surely adopted into the family. It offers basic information on feline health, including dental work, vaccinations, and senior care. Its strength is helping the new owner/guardian to understand a cat's behavior and motivations so that they can work out issues together. I get so upset when I hear about people "punishing" a cat for inappropriate behavior -- sometimes the cat is trying to tell you they are hurt or afraid or angry in the only way they know how. This book will help explain those signs, and what to do to correct the situation. It's a fast read, written in a friendly rather than impersonal medical voice, and will reassure those who have never adopted a cat before -- and even those of us who have --that some of kitty's strange quirks are in fact normal.

Comments

[lynne s of oz]

Wishing you warm weather when it is right for your area! Blue skies must be good?
I see the guys are all rugged up on their bikes.
I shall look up various of the books at the local library. I'm reading voraciously at the moment.

[Chris]

No question - Chris is FAR hardier than am I!! :) I have that Kitty Knits book, too - I liked the charts, too; seemed like there were one or two things (cat toys maybe?) that intrigued me and that I might actually knit.

[Nancy]

Ok, it may be Spring, but the person in the front of the picture in the black & yellow looks like they're wearing several layers of thermals under their cycling gear! When I see cyclist's legs I'll know Winter is over. And thanks for the review of Happy Tabby and for the guest blog from before. My Smokey is a Shelter Kitty and after a brief adjustment on both our parts he's now very content...as long as the food comes in regular intervals.

[Sydney]

I think I would prefer much warmer weather before getting out on a bike. Some of those guys look bundled up though. Hope warmer weather arrives there soon.

[robin]

The Happy Tabby book sounds good. Since we got back from vacation, we've kept our cats in the basement except for times when we can watch them closely, because they didn't use their litter box while we were gone (preferring to use a certain room of the house.) We cleaned the area thoroughly but want to give them some time away from it so that hopefully they don't return to the same spot to do their business. I don't know if that's a punishment (I think they would think so, even though they have about 1000 sq feet of space to hang out in) but it's something we felt was necessary for now. Any ideas?

[Sonya]

I bet those guys are happy to be back on their bikes! We have crocuses blooming but today they are covered with about 3 inches of gloppy snow. Yuck.

[Brigitte]

I need to find a copy of Kitty Knits! Isn't Anne Perry great?!!

Yay on a sixth place finish! That is great considering how early in the season it is.