Thursday, December 27, 2012

Jupiter

This is Jupiter, one of my kitties.  We got him and his brother Neptune from Operation Kindness, a rescue shelter.  When we first saw them, they were at the the back of their cage, eyes wide, hissing at us.  When we adopted them we put them in a room separate from the other kitties, and they immediately ran under the bed.  They hid under the bed for weeks. Neptune was the first one to venture out when we were in the room and after a few weeks, he would let us pet him. He is so loving and happy to see us. Jupiter took several more weeks before he would even show himself; he still had his collar on so we could hear the jingle, jingle under the bed. He will now let us pet him most days, but we still can't pick him up - it's been 4 years. But he is happy, so all is good!

Friday, February 4, 2011

Snow

It snowed in Dallas! We have about 5" on the ground, and it has made everything beautiful. The cardinals stopped by to eat and I snapped a picture of the male.



Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Tuesday's Teaser - Capitol Game by Brian Haig

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!! You wouldn't want to give too much away!
Include the book title and author so that other Tuesday's Teaser participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like the teaser.

The Capitol Game
by Brian Haig


Chapter 3

Cauldron never involves itself in unfriendly takeovers, for one thing.

(This company has created) a polymer coating. Paint if onto a combat vehicle, any vehicle really, and it pretends it's thirty inches of armor.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

RIP BB

Today we had to put our oldest cat to sleep. On Wednesday, the vet discovered a baseball sized tumor on his liver. By last night, he'd stopped eating and drinking and couldn't find a comfortable position due to the buildup of fluid in his abdomen.

He adopted us in the fall of 1998 as a young cat of about 9 months old. We've enjoyed him and he's loved being with us. We will miss him.




Sunday, November 28, 2010

The Mourners at the DMA


Today I got my medieval fix by visiting the Dallas Museum of Art to see the special exhibit of The Mourners, a collection of 40 sculptures carved for the tomb of the Dukes of Burgundy in the 15th century.

Carved by Jean de la Huerta and Antoine le Moiturier between 1443 and 1456/57, the unique devotional figures, known as “mourners,” were commissioned for the elaborate tomb of the second duke of Burgundy. Crafted with astonishing detail, the alabaster sculptures exemplify some of the most important artistic innovations of the late Middle Ages.

The "phenomenal" works "capture the entire spectrum of emotions connected with human loss," he said. "When the sculptures are grouped together, the viewer is transfixed."


During the 14th and 15th centuries, the Valois dukes of Burgundy were among

the most powerful rulers in the Western world, presiding over vast territories in present-day Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands from their capital in Dijon. The significant artistic patronage of the dukes drew artists, musicians and writers to Dijon, which became a major center of creativity and artistic patronage.

In their normal setting in Dijon they are only partially seen as they blend in between miniature Gothic arches lacing the base of the wealthy and powerful couple's black marble tomb. This prolific creativity and innovation extended to the ducal court’s sculpture workshop, which produced some of the most significant art of the period. The tombs of the first two Burgundian dukes, John the Fearless and

his father, Philip the Bold, are among the best examples. Both tombs were originally commissioned for the family’s monastic complex outside of Dijon, the Charterhouse of Champmol, and were moved following the French Revolution to the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dijon.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Tuesday's Teaser

Tuesday's Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!! You wouldn't want to give too much away!
Include the book title and author so that other Tuesday's Teaser participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like the teaser.

Impact
by Douglas Preston


Impact

"The mine in Cambodia wasn't an impact crater. No? Then what was it. It was an exit hole."

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Tuesday Teaser on Thursday

Tuesday's Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!! You wouldn't want to give too much away!
Include the book title and author so that other Tuesday's Teaser participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like the teaser.

Last Man Standing
by David Baldacci



Web attended six funerals over three days. By the fourth one, he couldn't muster a single tear. He walked into the church or the funeral home and listened to people he mostly didn't know talk about fallen men he knew better than he understood himself in some ways.