Category: Paradoxes

Moving Ahead and Moving On

The past week, and especially the past weekend, has been a physical and mental challenge for me. As I stated I would in a previous post, I moved from a house in Canton, OH to a house in Alliance, OH. There are only 13.5 miles between the two places, but moving is never easy, regardless of the distance.

The physical challenge is obvious – moving is tough on the the body, especially when you have as much stuff as I do but can’t afford to pay someone to move it for you! The mental challenge is in organizing and determining what to keep. After organizing the packing and the moving process, you must organize where things go once you are in the new place. I am now in the latter part of the process, which is not quite as physically challenging as the first part, but it is difficult living in the chaos you see above. The good thing is that my new home has many places to put things – ample closet and storage space – and it is such an inspiring space!

The cats were a bit disoriented and out of their element in making the move at first, but they are exploring and making themselves at home.

Mia Meow has been enjoying the numerous windows (Curtain pulls have now all been put out of her reach).

Even Okey, my typically shy and fearful one, has been exploring and expanding her boundaries.

I will be getting the studio space set up in short order so that I can get to the pet portrait orders I have have waiting. I can’t wait to get started painting in the new place!

I also will be tending to the yard and mini-forest that is my back yard. That will take some time, but it is in the plans.

Whenever you move, you typically are leaving some things behind as you venture onward to new opportunities. I will write more on this in the future as to how this particular move represented a move away from undesired circumstances, and a move toward new opportunities. For now, I am glad that I am now in the adventure phase of moving!

Have you moved your home or studio recently? What was the experience like for you?

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT

Mia Meow’s Great Adventure

Digital Pet Portrait of Mia Meow
Digital Pet Portrait of Mia Meow, sitting on the bed where she’s supposed to be.

I had a big scare last night. My cat Mia Meow slipped out my front door as I was going outside, and she took a jaunt around the neighborhood. She must have been plotting this, as I am always extra careful going in and out just to prevent this sort of thing. I had my hands full, though, and the light was low. She must have seen what she thought was a great opportunity.

When I saw her slither out between my ankles, I quickly shut the door so that none of the other cats would escape. She hesitated, as cats do when entering unfamiliar scenarios, but she then disappeared off the porch into the great unknown.

There are big leafed weeds around my porch right now. Since I am moving in a couple of weeks, I hadn’t bothered to clear them from the flower beds. I instantly regretted that decision. They proved to be excellent cover for my little Houdini cat.

And tortoise shell markings are nature’s most perfect camouflage. I could not find her ANYWHERE.

I spent the next 3 hours creeping around my yard and checking up and down the block. I easily found my two neighbors’ cats and the possum that slinks around my yard at night, but no Mia Meow.

I tried my best to think positive and not catastrophize the situation. It was hard, though. Mia is skittish around people, so calling others to help with the search was not really a good idea. Plus, it was well after midnight at this point.

Dejected and bereft, I finally decided to go back inside and sleep a few hours. I presumed that she probably would stay hidden from my view if I stayed outside, anyway. She’ll be more visible in daylight, I thought.

I did not sleep well. I was haunted by the thoughts of bad things happening to my kitty in the dark. She must have been terrified by this scary world that looked intriguing at first, but was actually full of dangers for which she was ill-prepared.

After a couple of hours of fitful sleep, I was suddenly awakened. “What was that?” Brewskie, my ginger and white cat who was lounging next to me, had the same query on his sleepy face. I heard it again coming from the open bedroom window. Was that a meow?

Indeed it was, and not only was it a meow, it was Mia Meow’s Meow!

I rushed outside in my PJ’s and found her meowing by the back door. Rather than reach for her and risk scaring her off, I sat down on the ground and let her come to me. She must have grown tired of her adventure, because she came right up to me and started rubbing her face on my hand. I grasped the ruff of her neck and quickly pulled her to me. She did not resist at all.

After eating a late dinner of kibble, Mia joined the other cats in a restful nap on the bed, and I was able to sleep much more soundly for the rest of the night, myself. I was so happy to see her cute face when I awoke this morning!

I cannot imagine what I would have done if I hadn’t found her. Mia’s entry into my family was not planned or even sought, but now that she is with us, I cannot imagine life without her.

I hope that this is Mia’s last adventure into the great outdoors!

Life is an Adventure!

BZTAT

We are moving, again!

Boulevards Neighborhood Public Art Identity Marker
Design by BZTAT

I really do not enjoy moving. It is quite a chore at any age, but at this point in my life, it really takes a toll on my knees and back. Nonetheless, it is necessary, so I am looking at it as a new adventure.

Last year in March, I moved to my present home amid much fanfare. I had been awarded an Artist Residency to do public art as a means of redeveloping one of Canton’s older neighborhoods. The goal was to have me reside in a designated neighborhood and engage other residents in creative public art. There was great anticipation and support for the project, and there was hope that it would become an ongoing activity.

Things started to go astray, however, early on. I have not shared much about it publicly, as I did not want to air struggles, but it turned into quite a trying year.

First of all, the house that I rented had multiple issues that prevented me from using it as was intended as a place to invite neighbors to engage in creative activities. I won’t share the details. Just suffice to say, I was unable to resolve the issues, yet had few choices but to remain in the place.

Second, the hopes for ongoing funding of the residency did not come to fruition, and the project was given a definite time limit – 1 year. (There was no guarantee that it would go past a year in the first place, but there were hopeful expectations offered.)

All of this was personally challenging. We were successful, however, in engaging a few residents in an art project where we created artsy little houses as neighborhood identity markers. The project was marred somewhat by vandalism, yet, repairs are in process to make the houses more sturdy in the future.

I made some wonderful friendships in the process, and despite the challenges, that made the whole thing worthwhile. But the residency is finished now, and it is time for me and the cats to move to a more accommodating home.

I have found a house near Alliance, OH that I believe will be a better fit for us. It truly is an artist’s dream house with lots of creative space in a rustic setting. It is in a neighborhood outside of the city, although it is close to a shopping area, so it sort of has the best of two worlds. There are many windows and lots of places to climb, so I believe the cats will absolutely love it!

We will be moving in the next few weeks so there’s lots of work to do. Stay tuned as we endeavor into this new adventure!