Friday, February 27, 2026

Celebration of a March Birthday with Yvonne's Mischievous Menagerie of Naughty Cats




Happy Birthday To You...







Happy Birthday To You...







Happy Birthdaaaaay, Dear Human...







Blah, Blah,
              Blaaah,
                     Blah,
                            Blaaah Blah.


May You Live Long And Prosper, 
Human Yvonne.
I've grown Quite accustomed to Being
Your Spoiled Little Tabby. 



Oh my, how uncouth.



I've got your number, little snot!



How sad... what a cheap present.




Man... I thought I was bad!
Now I'm # 2.



This went to Stinkville pretty fast.
SEND IN THE UNDERSTUDY!!!








Cats!  
They're so overrated...
~
just a snack before dinner.



Yvonne


Between 12 and 18 months old,
with Dad and Mom's old Desoto car.



All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked another flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, ‘Oh, why can’t you remain like this for ever!’ This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up. You always know after you are two. Two is the beginning of the end.

― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan




The Shoe Shuffling Blues


The wisp of a breeze this cold morning

Stirs the scent of a forest of moss

Barefoot I’d walk if my feet weren’t flat

Down I'd sit and run fingers over

Stuck I'd be until a miracle 

No one has time for a friend once true

When your life is the honky tonk blues.

 


My hips lean precariously right

My boobs shift dramatically left

As I sway to that two-feet shuffle

'cause my beat-up shoes are a D width

While my dainty feet are a C width

And my proportions are double width

Do you care, even a little bit?

 


It’s that hallelujah time this year

When one sprouts another day older


So push that walker on with a heave 

To the right drag as you’re pantry bound

To the left drag for a jar of jam

Round-a-bout to start over again

for a dagnabbit clean dinner knife.

 

They call me the doddering old folk

Nursing home bound, if I'm out of line

I’m a bonified two fish jobber


A Pisces here, and a Pisces there


Coming, going, and going, coming

I’m so confused, who am I again

Oh, that's right; another day older.


A C in a D width shoe oldster

Shuffling along begging for white cake 

Engulfed in gobs of rich white frosting,

And vanilla bean ice cream there too

Though the yummiest is chocolate

Or so you keep saying, keep saying…

But it's my way, or no way, capeech!





I’m in a blue mood, I guess.  It will be short term, since I love myself and hate headaches.  I react to words that push my buttons.  I learned to walk away, well… I thought I had learned to walk away when I was in therapy, but I always find myself apologizing for becoming upset to the person, who in a perfect world, owes me that apology.

Life is so hard and messy.  It seems like one big mistake, and I’m right in the thick of it.  Since there is no way for me to go except up or down, I’m re-inventing myself.  I’m still at zero percent change.

I’ll get back with you on the plan when I come up with one.


My gratitude Journal was dumped, with a soggy tea bag plopped onto it to prevent retrieval from the trash can.  Not my style, I finally gave up on it.  After another search, I settled on one of just blank lines for writing whatever.  A prompt is written inside the front cover to remind me that which is precious to write, but it is up to me to create the contents.


Pencils are decided instead of pens, as I am a perfectionist who would rather erase, than cross out.  Let’s not get too hung up on that word perfectionist.  For a time, my embroidery patterns and finished pieces were published in a variety of magazines, and that didn’t happen by being imperfect.

Let’s just say, I do my best to be viewed as a professional.  I never apologize for that.


Who would have ever thought, looking at me now, that I was once young, wearing miniskirts and drawing those spiky eye lashes around my eyes with sculptured curls around my face.   Oh, how I’ve changed.  Like water running freely from a facet for a lifetime, then suddenly turned off.  My downhill slide to Oldsterville seemed overnight in my noggin.

I try not to think about my age and stay free spirited in my mind.  I’ve perfected this well when not called upon to do anything other than vegetate; otherwise, it’s pain, baby, pain in everything I do.  I redirect my brain to think pain is not pain.  Basically fooling myself to believe in a fantasy.

It is somewhat effective with the help of ice packs, heat pads and a very creative mind.


One large Blackhaw viburnum limb broken, several medium Winterthur viburnum limbs broken, several northern oak branches broken and hanging precariously in the tree,  and a littering of small limbs everywhere on the ground due to the last ice storm, have created more work than usual this February in the garden.  Weather seesaws from icy cold to barely warm then icy cold again as it always does this time of year, indecisive of which season it wishes to be in.

I’m ending this after I’ve taken a full walk around my garden with the rollator and also left and come back from a ride in the car to give myself a real reason to get dressed.  Maybe a stop for a small sized frosty at Wendy’s and a stop at Chick-fil-a for a small batch of waffle fries.

Sounds like a plan.


It was so miserably cold on my walk around the garden, I had to take two days to finish it, as icy cold reigns and barely warm will show up again at week's end.  Vic planted Camassia scilloides, Wild Hyacinth bulbs very late last summer, and waiting for the green shoots to appear this late winter is excruciating.  I hope they do appear, otherwise he’ll be so disappointed.

The gardens still lay brown with the outline of the dried Monarda fistulosa, Wild Bergamot standing tall in the winterscape.  The Christmas ferns are still green, but lying flat with the ground and the northern red oak has lost most leaves, while the Pachysandra procumbens weathered the ice storm, now looking a bit ragged.

Hope warms this gardener’s heart with the anticipation of life that spring will bring.  At this moment, I can only dream, but that’s enough.




Dandelion - Blooming all winter long.


Shrub stem growing up through hollow stump 
laying on the ground.


Old fashion Narcissus 
growing up through a Christmas Fern. 


Native Crossvine - extremely aggressive


Itea virginica 'Saturnalia' shrub
New stems among the old


Daffodil buds almost ready to open.





Milkweed Vine seedheads





Austin


One cat annoyed and one cat apprehensive.





Charlotte Deciding...








Always with love,
Yvonne






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26 comments:

  1. Hello Yvonne and Happy Birthday to you! I wish you many more happy years.
    I enjoy your birthday images, the poems and your garden. Your kitties are so sweet. I am taking care of my hubby with his kidney disease, so I know how it feels getting old and not feeling well. There are days you may not feel so chipper and happy, as long as it does not last. Hang in there! Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, enjoy your day and happy weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Happy Birthday to you! Lovely pictures of the cats. Take care, and have a great day!

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  3. Dear Yvonne :)
    You may be surprised to see my post, as other bloggers may be who don't know why I'm back blogging, but it's all good. Happy Birthday Yvonne, And Many Happy Returns, many many more. It is a struggle sometimes when we suffer from old age syndrome, but I hope the feeling doesn't last, as now we are just a bit closer to Spring and the warmer weather. may ease your pain and
    give you more pleasure to be out in your garden. I enjoyed the cat sketches, they made me smile, and the photos of Charlotte and Austin are delightful. I have posted a cat today-
    All the best, and feel better.
    Sonjia.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ...Yvonne, thanks for the preview of things to here once our snow melts. I wish you a Marvelous March.

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  5. Happy March Birthday, dear Yvonne! Austin and Charlotte put together a marvelous cat-filled birthday post for you! Their computer skills are impressive. I especially love the drawing of the cat lounging in bed with a cup of tea.

    I laughed at your description of dumping the gratitude journal in the trash with a soggy teabag on top of it. And I enjoyed reading all the other writings you shared with us from your new journal. And as for your line -- "Basically fooling myself to believe in a fantasy" -- well, aren't we all, yes, aren't we all. I know fantasy is what gets me though MY day, LOL!

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  6. Yvonne, your words move like winter wind,
    sharp at times, but honest and alive.
    You may feel blue, yet even in that hue
    there’s strength in how you strive.

    A journal soaked, a pencil poised,
    a perfectionist who still creates …
    that’s not zero percent change at all,
    that’s courage at the gates!

    Miniskirts fade, but spirit stays;
    no ice storm steals that flame.
    You walk the garden, slow but sure,
    and hope still signs your name.
    John

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    Replies
    1. You cause me almost to cry with a smile. Thank you, with love.

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  7. Happy March Birthday, Yvonne! Wishing you gentle days, good health, and many peaceful moments in your garden as spring slowly arrives. I really enjoyed the lovely cat sketches and photos.

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  8. Happy Birthday! Wow ... such a waterfall of words with imagery, and all of it interesting. No matter how much those bones ache, Yvonne, your creativity relentlessly still flows. :)

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  9. Happy Birthday! The kitties are adorable.

    Love,
    Janie

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  10. Hi Yvonne- What a fun post celebrating March Birthdays and especially yours! Happy Birthday to you!!!

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  11. so much fun included with your entry here. i have not ventured around the gardens yet, i fear it will be depressing. i hope your blue mood passes quickly, loving yourself helps bring joy!! pretty cats and happy birthday!!

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  12. Happy birthday in March!
    My husband's birthday is on March 4th, so tomorrow.
    I love the photos of the cats and the daffodils.
    All the best, Irma

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  13. Hello, Yvonne, I loved this post - so sweetly honest and true. Happy Birthday to you. Remember, it's not the years in your life that matter, it's the life in your years.
    I don't know how I have missed out on you all these years. I've been blogging since 2011.
    I'm with you on the gratitude journal stuff. I think you have to experience the opposite to understand why it matters. I write down all my thoughts, good and bad and that helps me 'let it go' or at least saves my husband and kids from having to listen to me vent :) Hoping this is the start of a good year for you. Keep walking around the garden. x K

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  14. Happy belated Birthday! The cat art is really quite special, I enjoyed them all!

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  15. First of all, Happy Birthday, Dear Human (I loved that one!) -- or belated, as the case may be. I loved every single image. I so loved and appreciated that you tell it like it is. Winter is tough on a good day for me and this one has been so very long and so cold. Like you, I deal with persistent, daily headaches and they get old after awhile. I've learned how to manage and walk through them (except the really bad ones where I just hide), not wanting to waste a minute. (Or if I do waste it, waste it doing something I choose, not that chooses me!). I hope every day finds you a little better. I do share a lot with my Secret Keeper (Lizzie) -- that's the good thing about cats, they never tell! I hope every day is a little better. (And I'm with you on the gratitude journal. I kept one for many years, now I just try to think about them and live them and not worry about writing them down!)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Yvonne, I wish you some beautiful Spring Weather to warm your bones and to celebrate your March birthday if a bit late. May your garden soon bring you birds and color and warmth and may you and your favorite gardener (or perhaps he is he your assistant gardener?) enjoy the beauty of those lovingly planted bulbs and starts. Hugs to you and pats to your naughty but adorable kitties. Who couldn't love them all in all their moods. ... we can't have cats or bird feeders or plant flowers -- those are the three things I miss sometimes from what we refer to as our former life! (Oh of course goes without saying I too sometimes miss my younger days, but that would be true no matter where I was living my life!)

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  17. such a fun collection of cat images. Have you seen the stage show Cats? I recommend it! Have a wonderful weekend ahead, and thankyou for visiting my blog this week.

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  18. time goes way too fast, and yes we must adapt to bodies that won't do quite what they used to, and the person in the mirror has changed. But, we are never too old to change, learn something new, start a new hobby, meet someone new, attack life with whatever energy we have. I am blogging, and doing little doodle sketches. Take care of you. Have a great weekend ahead.

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  19. Your cats made me laugh — they’ve got so much personality.
    I liked how you mixed the funny bits with your poems and garden notes, it felt very real and easy to connect with.
    Even with the cold and aches, you still notice the little signs of spring coming, and that’s inspiring.
    Wishing you good cake, happy days, and warmer walks ahead.

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  20. Oh goodness cats galore so fun! They are all adorable.

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  21. Happy, happy Birthday dear Blogfriend Yvonne. Best wishes. I love this funny post with so much good stories and wonderful pictures.
    Greetings by Heidrun ❤️

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