Animal

A happy cat can brighten any day.

(Illustration Friday: November 13, 2015)

Stuffed!

This is a true story.

(Illustration Friday: October 16, 2015)

Prize

Lily is on the mend after a recent illness. To celebrate, I bought her a few gifts, including a large scratching post, a cozy bed, and a little plush catnip-filled turtle toy. She likes her new stuff – except for the turtle, which she continues to completely ignore.

But the real prize among all of these cat treats, of course, is the packaging. Who knew Lily could be so predictable?

(Illustration Friday: September 25, 2015)

People

Lily is afraid of this week's Illustration Friday topic. I'm still trying to calm her down.

(Illustration Friday: August 22, 2015)

Pointy

Lily is an easily stressed kitty. In the worst instances, everything about her gets pointy.

(Illustration Friday: August 7, 2015)

Danger!

Lily gets a bad wrap because she's inhospitable to visitors. I warn her against acquiring a bad reputation. When thinking about this blog post last night, I planned to explain how, when alone with me, Lily is very affectionate. She follows me around and always investigates what I'm doing, misses me when I'm out, greets me at the door with purrs when I return, watches TV by my side, and cuddles with her head against my cheek at night. She does these things in the same way that Michigan J. Frog sings –  when no one else is watching.

Then, this morning while I cleaned her litter box, she decided to attack, swipe, and hiss at me for several minutes without any real cause or reason other than to make the task treacherous and spill litter everywhere. So, I'm going back to my shorter explanation of Lily's attitude: Tiger is in her name for a reason, and I probably should have gone with calling her Sybil instead.

(Illustration Friday: June 26, 2015)

Monster

I just finished reading The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro, a new, great novel with an old dragon in it. Don't get any ideas that I read to my cat, but somehow Lily started dreaming about mythical creatures. I don't know if a dragon qualifies as a monster, but maybe a Dragon Kitty would, especially if her name was Lily.

(Illustration Friday: May 29, 2015)

Pet[s]

Check out this Connolly Family Portrait 2015: Mini, Ashes, Lily, and Tyrone with honorary Golden Retriever Kitty, Polly.

(Illustration Friday: May 15, 2015)

Polly is a rescue that my sister took in this year. She tried to find another home for her, but it turns out she was already home. She fits right in with Ashes and Mini. In fact, I think she may secretly be a  big cat in disguise, but I'm sure my sister would disagree.  

Tense

This is Lily's reaction to knocks on the door and visitors and neighbors and rain and storms and unusual noises and the light fixture in the hallway and...

Tense (Illustration Friday: April 24, 2015)

Home

When I get home, Lily always greets me at the door for a friendly conversation. For everyone else, though, she sharpens her claws. Don't take it personally: after years of training with the secret service, she's a bonafide watchcat, and it's hard for her to change her ways. 

(Illustration Friday: January 9, 2015)

Reflect

Reflecting on last year's primary activities, Lily contemplates future strategies, objectives, and goals. Any tips on defeating the Dancing Cat Toy are welcome.

Happy new year, everyone!

(Illustration Friday: January 3, 2014)

Together

Apparently on vacation in California a few days too long, I began dreaming about my kitty at home. But here we are now, back to our routine of morning hugs.

(Illustration Friday: September 20, 2013)

Fresh

Lily greets me at the door nearly every single day whenever I get home from anything. She's done this since her arrival in November 2009. When I opened the door a few weeks ago, though, my apartment building's recent renovations gave her quite a shock! While Lily is definitely a creature of habit, the building managers can rest assured that she has adapted to the hallway's fresh new look. To mark her approval, she gave the new carpet a good kneading. Phew!

(Illustration Friday: August 9, 2013)

In other news, I need a vacation and am off to California to start one tomorrow! I'll be back September 16, and Johnny Kitties will resume as soon as I get over my jet lag. Until then, keep lonely Lily in your thoughts and have a happy first half of September!

Travel

Whenever I try packing for a trip, I always find something unexpected in my luggage. 

As much as I want to bring her with me, I'm afraid she'd never make it through security.

(Illustration Friday: July 12, 2013)

True Celtics Forever!

Hi everyone,

Bad things happened this weekend that I can't wrap my head around. (I'm talking to you, Florida.) Among them, the "blockbuster" Celtics trade with the Brooklyn Nets became official: So long to Jason Terry (The Jet!), Kevin Garnett (The Big Ticket!), and Paul Pierce (The Truth!). It's clear to me Head Coach Doc Rivers left for the West Coast to coach the L.A. Clippers last month as protest!

I've been sad about trades before, but this summer's transactions are going to leave a scar! Do they know they've lost one of the best coaches ever? Did they realize they traded their team captain who has been with the them for his entire 15-year career? Who will be taking over for KG in the enthusiasm/intensity department? Who will master Jason Terry's suave 'n' smooth public relations skills?

At the last minute, they threw in  D.J. White into this group shipment to cover some sort of technicality. Note, he doesn't have a nickname that I know of, and I've run out of male cats to pay tribute. Simon offered to step in, but it's best not to confuse the rest of the team because we all know who Simon really is. Instead, Mini is thrilled to volunteer because she wishes she was as big and tall as the 6' 9" Power Forward.

Farewell to these Celtic stars, who I will miss seeing in green!  You may have moved homes, but you'll always be Celtics to me!

This drawing was inspired by photos and many, many memories of some of my favorite people.

Paul and KG loved watching the jumbo screen at the Garden.

D.J. White, Paul Pierce, and Jeff Green have some laughs.

Before each game, Kevin always talks to the post.

During the games, he screams a lot.

Jason Terry always flies around the court after a big basket.

After 10 years, MVP Paul Pierce takes in a championship moment in 2008!!!

It was awesome after such a long wait!!!!!

And, we were all thrilled!!!!!!!!

Okay, now I'm going to cry.

Going into the 2013-14 season, let's welcome Coach Stevens, some Brooklynites, and some newbies to Team Rondoooooo!!!!!!!!! (And, keep an eye on those Nets and Clippers games, because they have some of the coolest people over there now....)

Best,

Sweet

Lily has a bad reputation when it comes to hospitality, but she is always sweet to me. Here's a true scene, spotted within 20 minutes of her arrival to her new home in D.C.

(Illustration Friday: May 31, 2013)

Talent

As you know, The Kitties are brimming with various talents--dancing, singing, circling, staring.... But they all share a universal one for uplifting spirits instantaneously. This always occurs to me when I'm greeted at the door by my friend Lily. This is a true story of our typical routine.

(Illustration Friday: March 1, 2013)

Stretch

When Lily really wants me to get out of bed, she starts to do this in front of our bedroom storage closet. When I open the door, she walks away. 

(Illustration Friday: November 30, 2012)

Zoom

When chasing her toys, Lily often runs right past them. (This blue one is her current favorite.)

(Illustration Friday: November 16, 2012)

Whiskers

Watch out! She's on the prowl...

(Illustration Friday: November 23, 2012)