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One year, four ways, forty eight photos
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this post is over 48,000 words. A novella. I’ve collected one photo per month of 2020 in four categories. I tried to do a collage of cats, but it was too emotionally painful to look at all the photos and I stopped. Here is the year…
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Christmas 2020
Maura presides over the decor This year, I was able to release all expectations for Christmas. I bought gifts from my family and friends’ small businesses, baked some cookies to share with neighbors, decorated my office for Zoom calls, listened to Christmas playlists on Spotify. A recognition of the season that was mostly neutral. We…
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In Memory of Isabella Bird
In memory of Isabella Bird April 2, 2019 – December 21, 2020 Isabella Bird didn’t have a name when she was born. 3rd in the litter and the only calico, we called her #3 Calico until we understood her personality. Her namesake, Isabella Bird, was an intrepid female explorer in the Victorian age. Our IB…
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Yoga for Election Uncertainty and Democracy in Action
Yoga is a big part of my life, though I don’t write about it much here. I’ve been leading a daily morning yoga class for more than a year – first in person after the big 2019 typhoon and then on Zoom after the start of the 2020 pandemic. Some days I get creative and…
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Fritter the Conehead
Poor Fritter got in a scuffle and a small wound grew abscessed in after couple of days. We took him to the vet and they had to do surgery. So for the last ten days, he has been wearing an Elizabeth collar. He was so freaked out at first that he could only walk backwards.…
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In memory of Futatsuyama
2 April 2019 – 8 Sep 2020 I am grieved to report that I found Futatsuyama on the side of the road this morning. He had been hit by a car and crossed the rainbow bridge without me knowing. We buried him next to Foreground Cat. I write this through tears. Futatsuyama was the second…
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2020 Staycation: 24 ideas to create SE Asia in your home
We all want to have a fun and happy summer but with the coronavirus running rampant, a trip to a distant tropical island in southeast Asia is not on the calendar. It’s time for a staycation to fake the experience at home. Start off by thinking about the things you want to do on tropical…
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Eye on Intruders
[This was written during a workshop on Memory, Identity and Magical Realism run by my talented sister, Jenny Hill, at ActsofJennius.com. I highly recommend exploring the offerings there. In this assignment we altered a photograph that had a specific memory associated, and then wrote about the altered version.] Eye On Intruders “Alert, Alert! Interlopers! Intruders!,”…
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In memory of Foreground Cat
Foreground Cat joined our household in January when he turned up here with his son, Gord. Despite his name, he was the least photogenic cat, often in the background and at first very skittish. After a while, we built up some trust and eventually he loved to be brushed and petted. He purred and rubbed…
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Make Music Day 2020
Last year on the summer solstice, The Hill Sisters played some shows as part of Make Music Upper Perk. This year, we are separated by travel restrictions. But I decided I needed to perform anyway – the HILL SISTER Plays Alone – and set up a one woman show for cats and passersby. Maura grabbed…
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