A Season for Bill Russell

 Hi everyone,

I know it's been a long time. Rest assured, I'm still here, but transferring my blog posts to a new platform has felt like a never-ending task. Don't worry, I will get there! I am trying to resist posting too much here in the meantime, which adds more posts for me to move later. I realize this is probably not the best overall strategy: It feels like a vicious circle.

But I had to break through today to honor Boston Celtics legend and all-around great human being, Bill Russell, who died July 31. I decided to wait until today, as the new Celtics season opens, to mention it because I think all efforts the Celtics put forth to win the championship this year will largely be in his honor.

Bill Russell not only made history breaking records as a Celtic – leading to 11 of their 17 championships during his 13-year career – but he did even more off the court for civil rights – from standing with Martin Luther King, Jr., to more recently taking a knee for social injustice. I could list all his historic accomplishments, magical moments, and well-deserved honors here, but you might be better served to read up on his life, watch video interviews, or enjoy memories shared by friends and colleagues to more fully to understand why Bill Russell is the greatest of all time. Discover why he became a mentor to every basketball player he reached, why the NBA retired his number across the league, why President Obama honored him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, and why his laugh is the best laugh in the business. 

Bill Russell inspired so many who continue to build his legacy. With him in mind, the Celtics continue it tonight with renewed energy to raise banner #18. 

Go, team!!!

Queen

 Hi everyone,

Recently, I watched Disney's Queen of Katwe, the 2016 biographical film directed by Mira Nair about the discovery and rise of Ugandan chess champion Phiona Mutesi. Aside from the inspiring story and wonderful performances by Lupita N'yongo, David Oyelowo and others, the colorful costumes really made an impression on me by somehow capturing Africa's vibrancy, even in the Ugandan slums. 

Here is Ashes playing the part of the chess prodigy. She won't tell me if she knows how to play chess, but I assume she does because she's smart like that. The background is inspired by the many colors of African flags, from Uganda, South Africa, Zimbabwe and more. With too many to represent, I couldn't include all of the colors that make up Africa's diversity, but I hope this at least captures the spirit of the whole beautiful continent. 

If you haven't already seen it, watch the movie and let me know what you think. 

It's Walter, again

Hi everyone,

It's time for a new portrait of Walter, who has grown from a tiny, fuzzy kitten into a sleek, lanky, handsome stud. (That's how Emily describes him anyway – sometimes.)

Happy (almost) summer!

Walter 2020

Welcome, Stephen!

Hello everyone,

Stephen's start in life was a dramatic one! Coming from an abusive household, he suffered a traumatic brain injury and was in a coma when he was brought to the veterinary practice where my sister works. It was touch and go for a while, but Stephen is a fighter and he woke up to a better life.

Stephen was so young when my sister brought him home that he had to be bottle fed. "Unfortunately, most bottle-fed kittens grow up to be jerks," she explained later. With hope for a better outcome, Stephen is named after Stephen Hawking and tries not to be the jerk everyone fears, but he is also overwhelmed by the genius reputation of his namesake. In fact, because of his early trauma, he can't think too hard about any of this and instead lives somewhere in the middle.

What's happening? Where? What?

Inspirational name or not, Stephen is definitely his own cat. Because of his scarring past, he is certifiably psychotic, unintentionally clumsy, and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder,  attention deficit disorder, and whatever else is swirling in his little brain. He is also endlessly adorable and sweet when he is too sleepy to be otherwise.

Most of the time, Stephen is focused on whatever is right in front of him. He is all about now, and Mini is trying to feed that interest by teaching him meditation and gratitude practices. For the most part, though, Stephen obsesses over competitive sports.

He watches all kinds of sports, including basketball, baseball, football, wrestling, boxing, and car racing, and he loves the Olympic games. He also watches crossfit games all the time with my sister's fiance and accompanies them to their gym to build his strength and stamina. He even sets the workout playlists there sometimes, but his heavy metal tastes don't always suit everyone.

Stephen plays, too, and he plays hard. He excels at running, wrestling, soccer, and rugby, though Mew and Mini are not game for any of those activities. Still, he plays fetch every day with whoever will throw him a ball, though he's not sure what to do with that skill yet.

Sweet dreams?

Although Stephen hasn't figured out exactly who Stephen Hawking was or what he talked about all the time, his current idols are Kevin Garnett, Marcus Smart, Tony Hawk, Shawn White, Pele, Mohammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Lou Albano (because he loves classic WWE), and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (both as an wrestler and an actor). He says he's going to be an Olympian, a boxing champion, and a veterinarian, but he will probably change his mind tomorrow.

Stephen does have a softer side. He sits still for action movies, especially the Marvel, Die Hard, and Terminator franchises. On the flip side, I caught him the other day browsing through Real Simple while listening to Bach. (I think he's honing some hidden talents that he'll reveal when we least expect it.)

His lovable side is most apparent when he's ready to sleep. Being ready isn't really accurate because Stephen goes and goes until he can go no more; then, as he gets wobbly, he completes several meditative rounds of purring and stretching until he just flops over and falls asleep quickly – maybe for a few minutes or maybe for a few hours. He's unpredictable like that.

Once he is recharged, though, it's a brand new day, full of everything, everywhere, right now. Ladies and gentlemen, Stephen is ready to rumble!!!

Welcome to the family, Stephen!

Welcome, Walter!

Hi everyone,

Walter exploring the yard

Our neighbor always feeds the outdoor cats that wander around his backyard. Every year, we see new black-and-white kittens bouncing in the grass.

Walter is one of them. One morning, he turned to his brothers and sisters, and said, "See ya later." And, without explanation, he set off on an adventure to travel the world. He was thinking of Egypt, Africa, and maybe Asia too.

But he only got as far as across the road, where he came to our big yard. He put down his suitcase on the step into our garage and exclaimed, "This is the life!"

Dad found him in the tree outside our backdoor. "I came from all the way over there," he told him, pointing to the next yard over. "It's too noisy and crowded," he said, as he waved to his relatives. "You only have one cat here, and I like the option of this indoor living space."

Dad checked with Tyrone, who rolled his eyes at the idea of a housemate. But he said that it was okay for Walter to stay as long as we didn't refer to them as The Odd Couple. Within days, Walter won him over completely because that's what Walter does with anyone. Now, they are practically brothers.

Walter does a lot of yoga and meditation throughout the day. He says that we need both in these troubled times. When he's not wrestling with Tyrone, he likes to leisurely explore this sunnier side of the street. In his new digs, he advisees mom on her iPad games, and he supervises Dad's stained glass art creations.

He and Tyrone are really into history. I hear them listening to inspirational speeches in the basement at night on all sorts of topics, from civil rights and politics to climate change and new solar technologies. They have intellectual conversations about them but stop talking when they hear us coming, as if it's a secret. I think they might be writing a book.

Walter in the basement with a friend

Walter loves all kinds of music, but especially jazz, reggae, and hip-hop. His musical heroes include all the old-school greats, like Bob Marley, Bill Withers, Stevie Wonder, L.L. Cool J, and Abbey Lincoln. But he keeps up with new music too, like Camila Cabello and Chance the Rapper. He's always plugged into his earphones, making playlists. He doesn't watch much TV, but he knows all about movies. His favorite actors are Sidney Poitier and Robert Downey, Jr. He is sure that he's going to join the Black Panther franchise someday.

Walter is also a great dancer! He keeps trying to get Tyrone to join him in a daily routine, inspired by West Side Story – to keep their joints flexible – but Tyrone just watches and yawns. "Someday, he's going to surprise me with a Irish jig," Walter says of his big brother. (Walter is a very optimistic kitty.) I see Tyrone crack a smile sometimes, so maybe he is actually considering it.

Walter was tiny when we met him. He's bigger now, as you will see in future posts.

Welcome to the family, Walter!

Pink

Did you know that these are two of the original Pink Ladies?

Illustration Friday: Pink (April 20, 2018)

The Letter A

This one was obvious, especially to Ashes.

(Illustration Friday: January 5, 2018)