Aby-a-Day – 4 June: “Snazzy” (Saturday Photo Hunt)

This week’s Photo Hunt subject is “Snazzy.”

I have this very snazzy, super deluxe, floor-to-ceiling cat tree from Drs. Foster and Smith. I had it in the kitchen of my old apartment in Somerville, and Harri, Patrick, Tessie, Kylie and Gun-Hee all loved it.

Patrick especially loved it.

I mean, he really loved it.

I got it in 2005 as a replacement for the older, blue one I’d brought with me from Atlanta, which was getting a little ragged. Patrick couldn’t wait for us to unpack it.

He even helped to assemble it.

He could not even wait for it to be put together before he was climbing on it!

Sadly, it wasn’t tall enough for the very high ceilings in the old condo, so when I moved out of my apartment in March 2009, the awesome tree went into storage.

When I got Angel in 2008, I wasn’t spending much time at my old apartment although I still kept it for a few months after I married. I’m not sure if she has ever seen this cat tree (but she really loved the floor-to-ceiling cat tree my mom has at her house, and wasted no time climbing it). I know Jacoby never has, since it was put into storage before he was even born!

But on Monday, it was packed up to go to Sweden.

It was pretty amazing to watch the mover pack it up in paper.

We decided not to take it apart, except for the very top, spring-loaded part.

He was so fast! I couldn’t imagine wrapping up a cat tree in moving paper…but then, he’s a professional.

So, here’s my snazzy cat tree, all packed up and ready to go. Next stop, Sweden!

Aby-a-Day – 2 June: Meat-Seeking Missile

Yesterday was my birthday, so I went to Davis Square to get a pedicure. Afterwards, I was hungry, so I stopped by Redbones to have what will most likely be my last barbecue from them in a while.

When I called to place my order, I mentioned that I was moving to Sweden, and the girl I spoke with wrote this on my bag! I know…awwwww…

I will miss this place.

When I got home, I set the bag with my takeaway in it down and made the fatal mistake of leaving it unattended. And just look what happened!

Jacoby chewed through the plastic bag, the paper bag, AND the cardboard takeout box…and stole a rib and ATE it!

You can see how guilty and remorseful he felt about it, too.

He had already had his evening meal, too!

But seriously, I want you all to take another look at the hole he made. I mean, this was not a random accidental opening. He focused on one corner and attacked with surgical precision. Jake knew exactly what he was doing and how to do it.

He seems a bit sad that there is no meat left on the bone. He really stripped off every last bit…and then, while I was eating my share of the meal, he actually had the nerve to ask me to give him more! I hope Björn is ready for this rivningskula.

Aby-a-Day – August 2: Occupy ArtBeat

At our last ArtBeat, Jacoby did a really funny thing.

At one point, he decided to hop out of his stroller, and join the girls behind the T-Shirt and Dogtag sales table.

They tried to play with him, using one of the dogtags as a cat toy, but Jake was having none of it.

It seemed like he was seriously trying to help out behind the Somerville Arts Council’s volunteer sales table.

All he wanted to do was sit on a chair behind the table.

One girl very helpfully tried to get Jake to look at the camera for me.

He was pretty intent on his work, but eventually I managed to get a good shot of him.

Aby-a-Day – July 31: Jake’s first ArtBeat (Friday Flashback)

Jacoby went to his first ArtBeat in 2010.

He was amazing. He was just over a year old, but he hadn’t been with me a year yet.

We didn’t have a stroller yet. We used his Snoozer Rollaround carrier. But it was partially because of ArtBeat that I decided to investigate getting a stroller for Jake.

Jake took to ArtBeat like a natural.

The best interaction was with a boy named Jason.

Jason was developmentally challenged, and he was a sweetheart. He loved Jake and even gave me a big hug. It was the moment that I knew that Jake would be a good therapy cat, and that we’d be a good therapy team. I’ll really miss going to ArtBeat…it’s really a very special event.

Aby-a-Day – July 30: Art Beat Loops

As we do every July, Jacoby and I went to Somerville’s ArtBeat festival. This year’s theme was “Loops.”

As always, we stopped to visit our friend Kim at Stella Marie Soap.

She’s always so happy to see me and Jake.

We also stopped to look at the M.U.S.C.R.A.T. bus.

With its ears, it reminds me of the Cat Tank in the webcomic Stand Still Stay Silent.

This year, there was a lot of sidewalk chalk art. Some that you were allowed to touch…

…And some that you weren’t.

All in all, we had a really gerat time, the two of us.

It was a little bittersweet, though, since we probably won’t be able to go next year.

And our unbroken string of ArtBeat dogcat tags (16 for me, 6 for Jake), will have to come to an end.

Aby-a-Day – July 24: Portraiture (Fashion Friday)

At ArtBeat this year there was a young woman, Angela DeCarlis, doing pencil portraits.

Of course, I wanted to get one done of Jacoby and me.

She sketched me first, and while we waited Jake had a lot of attention from passersby.

Once she had me down, she had me pose with Jake.

While we were posing together, Rachel from the Somerville Arts Council passed by – she was one of the people in charge of the Copy Cat Festival we were part of a couple of years ago!

She took these photos of me and Jake while we were sitting. I’m showing off our ArtBeat tags.

If Jake looks a little grumpy on my lap, it’s because he just really wanted to back in his stroller. That’s his safe zone, his territory – and also the secret to how I’m able to go to places like ArtBeat with him. As long as he’s got his stroller, he’s happy.

And here’s how our portrait turned out! I kind of wish I was smiling…but other than that, it’s pretty dead-on. What do you think?

Aby-a-Day – July 28: Masquarade (Hipstamatic Monday)

One of the biggest attractions at ArtBeat is the vast collection of arts and crafts booths selling all kinds of alluring items.

I saw this wooden masquarade mask with distinctly Abyssinian-like markings in a woman’s hand at the Magpie booth and I dashed up and blurted out: “Do you have any more of those cat masks? I need one!”

The shopkeeper looked at me like I was a bit nutty and, bemusedly, pulled out a second cat mask.

Then she saw Jacoby in his stroller and it all made sense. This clever wooden mask on a stick is a “Silly Stick” made by Maple Landmark in Middlebury, VT. But as great as it is that the mask looks like an Abyssinian…

…the backside is a scuba mask with a small clownfish!

How perfect is this for the NEMO show next month?!