COSMO - An Amazing Cat

2 Things Challenge - Black and White ::
A black and white cat is a remarkably beautiful creation.

Funny how cats seem so little when they're all wet. Cosmo didn't mind a bath at all.


After reading "The Cat Inside" he decided to curl up in my tote bag.

Cosmo in the garden.
Our little cat friend passed away almost 4 years ago and he is still close to our hearts. The thing that was so incredibly sad was that he was fine one minute and paralyzed the next. That pain of confusion in his eyes as he struggled to move around until we could contact our vet will never leave my memory. I've never felt so helpless. And add to that, we had to make the decision to let him go.

:: On another note ::
If any of you cat lovers out there have not read "My Cat Spit McGee" by Mississippi author Willie Morris, I suggest you do so. It is a most incredible story of how a "dog person" fell in love with a cat.

Tribute to Spit McGee

2 Things Challenge - Noise and Peace

Visual Noise – "The Shed Barbeque" in Ocean Springs, MS. You haven't had barbeque till you've eaten at The Shed ya'll!



Jackson Lounging in Chocolate Mint


:: :: My beloved Jackson went missing Sat. June 7th. We found her just yards from the house lying in a low place under some hedges. She had mysteriously passed away. She was a awesome little friend who was extremely smart and responded to every word with a special look or an action. She is greatly missed. :: ::

Jackson - May 2008. She was outside in her favorite spot, but when I went outside to chat with her, she came to meet me and laid down on my foot.

Katrina Memorial

Part of the Katrina Memorial which is dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. It is located on the Town Green along Hwy. 90 in Biloxi, MS. ABC's "Extreme Makeover" crew, which helped create it, held an opening ceremony Feb. 15, 2006. The memorial consists of a glass case (part of which can be seen here) which is made up of a collage of various items from destroyed buildings. The other part of the memorial is a tiled wave wall standing 12' high which represents the water which surged in at the Green during the storm. Many places had much higher surge levels... some of Waveland's witnesses to the surge reported 40 to 50 foot surges as some rode out the storm high up in pine trees.

Links:
Katrina Memorial Pictures
Biloxi - Photo Galleries

Self Portrait with Love of My Life

Front Beach in Ocean Springs, MS

IN KATRINA'S WAKE

For this week's 2 Things Challenge, I couldn't help but think of how important numbers and letters became in the wake of Katrina's massive destruction. Letters were used as code and spray painted on structures that had been searched. Part of the code signified whether or not there was loss of life.

Letters and numbers were also used to send a message to express profound feelings and emotions about a person's property and loss. Still ever present are the heartbreaking reminders of what we have lost.


This little house was located just off of the beach in the downtown area of Bay St. Louis, MS.
Please Respect Our Loss


Message to State Farm - Beach Blvd., Bay St. Louis


Located on the beach in Bay St. Louis, The Fire Dog Saloon was once a thriving place to enjoy excellent food, fun, and friends. This sign, however, speaks to the fact that people get to the point of having to give up hope of rebuilding. Pieces of culture die off bit by bit as recovery drags out.
Fire Dog Saloon - Bay St. Louis, Feb. 2008

Life Among Ruin in 2008 - Waveland, MS Sunset

Sunset on Oak Blvd.

Two years and 7 months after Katrina, the ruined environment remains an all-too-real part of Katrina's legacy of destruction – a reminder that permeates one's view of the landscape.

However, varied plant life continues its struggle to live and grow amid the starkness and the tangles of thousands of dead and dying trees. Residents, such as my brave friends on Oak Blvd. (whose yard and sunset view are pictured here) have vowed to rebuild. Life is indeed present.


February Sky.


Life Among Ruin.

Sun and Shadow - Snow Daze in Oxford

Two Cans

Paint cans (used to hold down a blue tarp which covers up some maintenance supplies for the apartments) provided me with a different kind of snowy subject matter. We received our 1" of snow overnight on March 7th. The morning of the 8th. was a veritable little wonderland for me as it has not snowed here this much in about 3 years. The last "big" snow we had, which was about 6", was in 1998.

Semi-Gloss


Early Morning


You can see more snow images from around my yard at my garagillentine blog.