Heavy

(Illustration Friday: March 14, 2008)

Watch out when Norman's eyes get heavy. There's no telling where he might land.

Garden

(Illustration Friday: March 7, 2008)

Mom taught The Mother Kitty everything she knows about gardening. The Mother Kitty has since taken some liberties on how she cares for her flowers.

Leap!

(Illustration Friday: February 29, 2008)

When it's nice outside, one of Simon's favorite activities is to go bounding through our yard. Sometimes, he has company.

Multiple

(Illustration Friday: February 22, 2008)

The Kitties have been chatting about the fantastic array of moving boxes from the last few weeks--some small, big, and medium-sized, some full, some empty, and some flat. in any case, all have been perfect for kitty exploration. Boxes, boxes everywhere! They were sad to see the last one go to the recycle bin, but I wasn't!

The Mother Kitty (198? - February 26, 2008)

The Mother Kitty passed away last Tuesday after a long, fruitful, fascinating life. Kitty came to us from Akron, Ohio, after deciding that college life at the University of Akron was not for her.


At our house, she instead spent her days outside becoming an expert gardener with Mom, lounging in the sun, climbing her favorite tree, or wandering throughout her boundless territory. Sometimes, she stayed indoors, playing with string, watching movies with me or napping on my lap, collecting business cards, paperclips, hair barretts, or anything else she might find on her hunting expeditions throughout the house, and kneading her claws and shedding on anything that required her special touch.


Some of her favorite passtimes were bossing Simon or anyone else around (cat or human), challenging anyone to staring contests (She remains the World Champion.), and rearranging things on my dresser. She was a bonafide food critic, partial to tuna, corn, and Doritos. (Everyone remembers those evenings when she laughed in our faces and walked off whenever we tried to fool her with a meal that wasn't quite worthy of her.) During her 20 years with the Connolly Family, she bore six kittens, including her world-famous son, Gordon.


Our beloved, irreplaceable Kitty will be sorely missed. She and Gordon sparked the start of my drawings years ago, and she'll continue to be in them here because (1) there is no kitty like The Mother Kitty, and, (2) if I stop, she'll find a way to yell at me for it.

Theory

(Illustration Friday: February 15, 2008)

Dad and I are convinced that Simon is playing for the Boston Celtics under the alias of Rajon Rondo. He disappears during each game and then reappears in our garage sweaty, panting, and ready for a nap. Seeing him "play" in the driveway only whets our suspicions. I mean, who can't see through this disguise?

Choose

(Illustration Friday: February 8, 2008)

Some kitties are very particular about laps.

Blanket

(Illustration Friday: February 1, 2008)

Everyone has a comforter, but Julie gets a special blanket of kitties every night at her house. They all have their own spot.

Tales and Legends

(Illustration Friday: January 25, 2008)

Years ago, Gordon left home, determined to see the world over. Some nights, he drags out his chest of souvenirs, and The Kitties gather around for his endless stories of adventure.

Plain?!

(Illustration Friday: January 18, 2008)

The Kitties protested this week's topic. After all, no kitty is plain. Some were mad, some were snobby, some were sad, some left, and one didn't know what all the fuss was about.

Stitch

(Illustration Friday: January 11, 2008)

Gordon was immediately inspired by this week's topic. While I can't blame him since I have been just as delirious over Johnny's fantastic new movie and his well-deserved Golden-Globe-winning performance (It's about time!), I told him it would be too gruesome and un-kittylike. But he's proven me wrong again. I don't know where he got the outfit, but he's put the rest of The Kitties in stitches!

100%

(Illustration Friday: January 4, 2008)

Over the holidays, we circulated a lovely stomach bug. To be safe, The Kitties went for their annual check-ups. Don't worry: Everyone's back to 100%.

Soar!

(Illustration Friday: December 28, 2007)

Simon's flying!

Horizon

(Illustration Friday: December 21, 2007)

Some nights, Comet scans the horizon for anyone in need of a Super Kitty.

Backwards

(Illustration Friday: December 14, 2007)

The Kitties were just about ready for their holiday photo, but Simon was still a little confused.

Little Things

(Illustration Friday: December 7, 2007)

For Simon, there's nothing better like a big whiff of fresh air and some good rolls in the driveway first thing in the morning.

Excess

(Illustration Friday: November 30, 2007)

Can you ever have an excess of kitties?

Zoo

(Illustration Friday: November 23, 2007)

The Kitties love visiting their favorite animals at the zoo! The Mother Kitty is partial to polar bears, and Gordon has always had a kinship with the lemurs. Comet, BJ, and Ashes like to have philisophical discussions with the big kitties. Norman, as always, is hungry. And Simon, who has made some new friends, isn't sure when he'll be leaving .

Superstition

(Illustration Friday: November 16, 2007)

Ashes is not an unlucky cat, but she gets into her own kind of trouble. And she's a star!

Scale

"Ohhhh fishy fishy fishy fish...that went wherever I did go...."

(Illustration Friday: November 9, 2007)

Hats

(Illustration Friday: November 2, 2007)

Everyone but Norman picked out his/her own hat for this week's topic. Ashes took the liberty to create one specifically for him. We'll see what he thinks of it when he wakes up from his nap (or if he'll even notice). Comet just finished watching Buster Keaton's ultimate collection on DVD and is a little obsessed. Gordon chose one of Johnny Depp's old knit caps (and is doing his best impression!) And Simon spent all afternoon knitting his own special concoction. They are about ready now to hit the town!

Trick or Treat!

(Illustration Friday: October 26, 2007)

Comet and Ashes get into the spirit!

Grow

(Illustration Friday: October 19, 2007)

My nephew's birthday was October 6th, but I'm celebrating this weekend at his fourth celebration. (He's very popular!) The kitties are ready.

Extremes

(Illustration Friday: October 14, 2007)

Once upon a time, The Mother Kitty was extremely large, and Gordon was extremely small.

Open

(Illustration Friday: October 5, 2007)

Two open minds...

The Blues

(Illustration Friday: September 28, 2007)

This drawing took me a long time to finish. I told Gordon to stop singing so much because coloring around lyrics is a pain in the butt. He's now writing a Blues song about that.

Juggle

(Illustration Friday: September 19, 2007)

There are some things on which The Mother Kitty and Simon work very well together.

Wedding

(Illustration Friday: September 12, 2007)

Everyone knows Norman's favorite part of any wedding.

Momentum

(Illustration Friday: September 7, 2007)

Some days, Simon gets his nerve up to attempt to "play" with The Mother Kitty. She typically puts this notion to rest pretty quickly.

Alphabets

(Illustration Friday: August 31, 2007)

Kitty letters.

Visitors

(Illustration Friday: August 24, 2007)

Marvin The Martian and K9 are nearby, but Simon sees no difference in his new friend.

Captain!

(Illustration Friday: August 17, 2007)

Gordon needs no excuse to don his Captain Jack Sparrow outfit! Mother Kitty was not as eager to participate in this week's drawing.

Emergency!

 
(Illustration Friday: August 10, 2007)

The Mother Kitty's day is often interrupted by Emergency Cleanings.

Missing

Illustration Friday - August 3, 2007 - Missing

B.J. lives alone, and sometimes he misses his friends. Luckily, they seem to know just when he needs a visit!

Thank you!

Thanks so much to Tammy, The Heartful Blogger, for bestowing me The Rockin' Girl Blogger Award! I'm surprised, touched, honored, and happy! So are The Kitties, See?

All the best to you and the other Rockin' Girl Bloggers out there!

Moon

(Illustration Friday: July 27, 2007)

This week, I planned to send The Kitties to space. Norman was most excited about that, but the rest of them changed their minds once Gordon showed up with his boom box. He broke out his Police tunes, and they decided to work on their special dance moves for tomorrow night's concert. I couldn't argue with that one. Turn it up - Woohoo!!!

Poem

(Illustration Friday: July 20, 2007)

Norman has tried his hand at writing, but the other kitties do not typically support this effort.

Discovery

(Illustration Friday: July 20, 2007)

Some nights, Dad works on his own arts and crafts projects in the garage to the tunes of Thelonious Monk and others. Simon likes to help, but mostly, he prefers to observe from atop the noisy heated massage box-like thing that he discovered on Dad's desk.

Geeky?!

(Illustration Friday: July 6, 2007)

The Kitties protested this week's topic, stipulating that none of them is "geeky." I tried to convince them that everyone is geeky about something, but they weren't buying it. Simon was a good sport, though. He borrowed a pair of Mother Kitty's glasses and picked a book on World Peace for this picture.

Twist

(Illustration Friday: June 29, 2007)

There are times when Comet relaxes. On those rare occasions, he treats us with yogic poses.

Camoflage

(Illustration Friday: June 22, 2007)

Some days, Simon thinks he's invisible.

Rejection!

(Illustration Friday: June 16, 2007)


No matter how hungry The Mother Kitty may be, she sticks by her standards!

Suit

 
(Illustration Friday - June 10, 2007)

I was stumped on this topic until B.J. offered to model his latest bathing suit. Comet finds it amusing, since he wouldn't be caught anywhere near a bath. (He does his best, anyway....) Umbrellas for a light sprinkle are as much as he can handle.

Your paradise?

(Illustration Friday: June 1, 2007)

I could think of some more extravagant things, but most of the time, paradise is as simple as having a nap at home with The Kitties.

Cars

(Illustration Friday: May 25, 2007)

The Mother Kitty is ready to head to Julie's for the weekend, but she can't leave yet. As usual, Gordon forgets that cars have a purpose other than being a warm place for catnaps. And Simon has yet to realize that his spot is not quite as safe as those with seatbelts.

Signs

(Illustration Friday: May 19, 2007)

After visiting my favorite theater last week, I came home and told the kitties all about its marquee. Here, they re-enact my joyous/frantic anticipation of the coming attraction. I think they all get it just about right....

Although The Mother Kitty doesn't quite understand all the hubbub, she does come prepared to watch this adventure's final installment. (After all, she's been waiting to see how Captain Jack Sparrow will escape his latest predicament, and she can't wait to meet his dad!) At the moment, however, she is smiling at the thought of me bringing home the DVD, which guarantees her at least three hours of lap time.

See you at the movies!!!

Citrus

(Illustration Friday: May 11, 2007)

Comet is an expert at finding new hiding places. Here, he's testing out his chameleonic skills...and enjoying a nap.

Neighbor

(Illustration Friday: May 4, 2007)

Sometimes, when The Kitties are lazing about, they catch some neighboring kitties in the yard. Simon likes to hone his territorial skills on them, but Mother Kitty is rarely bothered.

Remember?

(Illustration Friday: April 27, 2007)

Some days, The Mother Kitty and Gordon have the same catnap dreams: years ago, she was the larger-than-life kitty/toy, and he had plenty of playmates in his brothers and sisters.