More fun with Photoscape

I entertained myself for a long time last night applying various filters to pictures in my files. Flower pictures work especially well with the color and monochrome engraving filter. Sometimes also the cartoon filter. People do NOT work at all with these. I will have to do more experimenting, but I suspect that learning about color manipulation will be useful in pictures of people. The cat pictures really lent themselves to the monochrome engraving filter. The brown cats worked well with the cartoon filter. On the other hand, Raquel, being almost solid black, was not a candidate for the cartoon filter. The impressionist filter worked well with any photo that had interesting areas of color.

A Time to Say Goodbye

Today we said goodbye to Little Man. He arrived in our lives during the Spring of 1992, so was over 17 years old. 17 years is 6,205 days, and Little Man was a blessing and a joy on every single one of those days. On May 26, we said goodbye to Cammie. She was sweet and brave to the end. Now, for the first time since 1980, we do not have at least one cat in the house. It is a time to be sad and also to remember with fondness all the things that made them special to us. The pain of losing them is deep, but the joy they gave was worth it.

Cammie Pictures

Cammie

Our darling Cammie is in "hospice" care. She developed an extremely large tumor on her hindquarters a while ago which the vet has diagnosed as a very aggressive cancer. At this point in time she is still "pretty lively" (James Herriott fans will recognize that story) so we have pain medicine and antibiotic to keep her comfortable. However, we are preparing ourselves for a sad goodbye soon. She arrived in our lives in 1994, so we have enjoyed her sassy sweet ways for a long time.

Little Man's Flood

This morning we woke up to a flooded basement! The local fire department came and pumped it out and then "The Son We Never Had" came over and helped Little Man's father put in a new sump pump. Our fuel oil supplier also came and dried out the water heater, which is oil fired. The good news is that the furnace was not affected. Here are some pictures, including Little Man during (notice ears are up) and after (full pie position) the excitement. The picture of Cammie was also taken during the excitement. Notice the paw on the mousie.

Cammie's Discovery

Today, Cammie jumped on the couch to visit her Daddy and discovered his heating pad. It didn't take long for her to settle right in on this wonderful bun warmer.

Little Man's Not So Little Storm

Here is a picture of our house after the big snow, and how Little Man and Cammie coped.

Yes - I'm still here

I can't believe it's been over a month since I posted anything. I've thought about it, but then shot off in another direction. Anyhow, in case anybody is checking, things are fine at Little Man's house. He was last spotted in his little bed, trying to get some sleep after supervising his parents usual morning mad dash to get ready for work - all so we can afford his favorite cat food - Fancy Feast chopped grill. Cammie was at her post in the blue room window, keeping an eye on the birds and squirrels, and Spooky was chirping away on the back deck, making sure routine was maintained in her little world. Buttercup, aka The Thug, has been mostly MIA lately. He must have found a better source of food. It used to be 2-4 days between visits. Lately it's been 2 weeks or so.

Cammie wants equal time!

Here she is - Cammie - sweet with more than a little sass.

I Don't Remember Asking for Help!

Well, despite my good intentions, dusting and vacuuming once again got set aside for the much more entertaining task of putting my new beads in the storage case and then making a few bracelets and earrings. I also un-did a couple of magnetic bracelets I had made a while ago that I wasn't crazy about. Little Man took a nap across my shoulders for a long time as I worked, and Cammie kept a close eye on the beads and an occasional swat at them. She loves to whack things around.

Saturday Breakfast

It's a beautiful sunny mid-winter day here in Upstate NY. Earlier the "Black North" (cloud bank over Lake Ontario) was in evidence, but now it's sunny. This AM Little Man's father hosted the Men's Prayer Breakfast for our church. We had 5 intrepid visitors who braved the long drive. Hopefully they thought it was worth it. On the menu was: Breakfast Casserole (egg, sausage, cheese), Link Sausages, Fruit Cup, Muffins, Bagels, and last, but definitely the star of the show, Gorilla Bread! Gorilla Bread is Paula Deen's revved up version of Monkey Bread, and it invariably draws rave reviews.

Attached is a picture of Little Man taken before the breakfast. As you can see, the preparations have exhausted him. Also attached is Cammie, keeping her mother's office chair warm.

I should be dusting!

Greetings!

Well, let's face it - playing on the computer is always more fun than dusting. (Anything is more fun than dusting.) I've had fun looking at other people's blogs and decided it was time to try one of my own. Actually, I'm Little Man's mother, but since he doesn't have opposable thumbs, he agreed to let me do the typing. It's February - yippee! That means work is slow, the year end bookkeeping is done, and the gardens are frozen solid. Therefore, more time to read, sleep, and play!

Here are pictures of Cammie and Little Man for your viewing pleasure!