One of my passions is painting.
I’ve wanted to be an artist since I was a little girl.
Bless her, my dear Mother had a wicked sense of humor and told me that I wouldn’t be famous until I was dead when I told her that I wanted to be an artist.
Well, as a young girl of seven years old, I had no idea what she meant.
Without further ado, here are some acrylic paintings that I have done of my very own pets!
I will begin with my late Golden Retriever named Keeper. He left us in February 2022 from Cancer. He was so lovable and sweet, though as rough with his love as he was big! I will tell you that male dogs love ardently, and Keeper’s love was fierce! Haha! He adored the long walks that we took daily, and he was quite indiscriminate with his food choices — he ate everything that was placed before him, and was never picky! He was the best body pillow, too! Goldens are our favorite breed. Keeper is our third. The other two, Sandy and Honey, were from a backyard breeder, and the only dog that we, shamefully, have paid money for. We adopt in this family, but, rarely, if at all, are Goldens ever up for adoption, abandoned, etc. Keeper was a divorce present from my former husband — one of THE best gifts that I ever could receive aside from my priceless children.
This little guy was sent from heaven! I got Eddie from a little boy at school where I was a Yard Duty, and after we began divorce proceedings. David’s Mother adopted Eddie for all the wrong reasons. Let’s just say that my family made out. Eddie is the sweetest little dog and the best companion. He and I take beautiful long walks every single morning. Eddie had a way of dominating the bed while Keeper was alive which wasn’t very nice — You would think he was Keeper’s size because of his attitude in the middle of the night. Eddie is the perfect-sized dog if you rent your home. Keeper cost us an extra $1,000.00 deposit when we moved in here four years ago. It’s getting tougher these days.
We have had Samantha since my daughter was in the first grade and Abby is now 24 years old. My former husband brought her home, telling me that he found her in a dumpster behind the school when in reality, he’d gotten her from one of my Mommy friends at school — one of Abby’s little friends in her class had some kittens that had been born in their barn. She’s soft and squishy and does not like being touched, but her round little body makes her so sweet! She’s perfect for a one-cat household.
We got Sirius and Harry from Albertson’s grocery store back in 2007. They are brothers that a young gal had in a box just inside the store. I took both of them because they were tightly huddled together and I simply could not and would not separate them. She said that her boyfriend told her to just dump them on the side of the road. I told her after I took them to go home and dump him on the side of the road. Ha!
Sirius passed from Cancer in 2021. What a beautiful, sweet cat, and very demonstrative with his affection. He was such a wonderful presence to have around, and a ‘kitten’ until the end. A year after we got him, he slid across the table, knocking my glass of iced tea over and onto my new laptop that I got for Christmas.
Now, Harry is the total opposite of Sirius. Harry is very territorial, patrols the house during the night, and howls at various times. There are lots of neighborhood cats who roam around outside, causing him to be very dominant over Samantha. My cats are and have always been inside cats. His love and affection are very different. He ‘owns’ me.
Ruby was another cat that we adopted from one of Abby’s little friends at school when she was in the first grade and Samantha’s half-sister. She just left us in July from Cancer. Ruby liked her independence; she loved freely on her terms, enjoyed food, and was always an old lady. She abhorred being groomed. Pearls were her favorite jewelry. Ruby got her name from the Kenny Rogers song, “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town.”
Milo was found in the creek bed by some little friends at school. One day they were playing and their dog came upon three little kittens who’d been abandoned — their Mama probably got killed leaving them behind. My Yard Duty friend, Kim, took them in and nursed them. Milo was the only one of the three who lived. She brought him to school to show him off and to find him a home. Of course, I couldn’t resist. My son gave him the name Milo after a Disney movie — Kim was calling him Rescue. He loved water with lots of ice which we called ‘Glacier’ water in his voice. Milo crossed the rainbow bridge one evening at the vet’s office. My son and I said our goodbyes privately. Milo and our other cats had been staying with one of Abby’s friends from school because once my divorce got underway, our house was sold to pay the attorneys. My kids, pets, and I had no place to go. We wanted to make sure our animals were safe, so we sent them to stay with our friends while we had to figure out our living situation — this part of the story is for another time.
Milo had become severely dehydrated while we were apart. Most likely, he didn’t drink or eat while we were not together because he was frightened and not knowing what was going on.
We let him go. When our Sirius was dying, Milo visited me during a dream; he showed up outside my kitchen window. He had angel wings and his eyes were those large cartoon eyes filled with tears. I knew who he had come for. Sirius passed not long after that.
Last, but not least, we have our little Chihuahua, Finn. Abby saved him while working for the local veterinary office. He was found running along the street, and animal control brought him in. Abby felt a strong draw to him and put in for his adoption. It took about a year for him to adjust to his home with us and now, he and Eddie are friends. And cats, well, they are pretty well known for being independent. As long as Samantha and Harry stay apart from each other, which isn’t easy, all is well. This leaves just two cats and two dogs along with me and my kids.
We are a very happy little family.
