Our cat has her own bowl of toys (yes, I am one of those geeks who talks about their cat as if it was their child). Most of the toys belonged to her predecessors, Otis & Stewart. They each had their favorite toys. Otis' favorite was a purple plush seal (at least that's what the Man says it is) that came to him in one of those cheapie net Christmas stockings you can buy at the pet shop or the drug store. Otis immediately latched onto that toy, dispatched it's ears and tail, leaving only the tiny pom-pom nose and fought and kicked and played with it at length.
Stewart liked a little cloth toy that was sewed into a square shape and had printing on it which declared it irresistible to cats. He preferred this toy above all others. He would clutch it and lick it and rub his neck against it until his fur was slick and slimy. It was quite disgusting, yet fun to watch.
Elsie (current cat) ignored those toys but has selected her own favorites. We did not realize she even liked toys until we decided to clean up. We placed all the toys in a beautiful hand thrown pottery bowl my sister-in-law had made for us (one for me, one for him) one Christmas. The bowl was placed on a table in the living room, out of the way. One day, soon after, the bowl was placed on the floor by the table for some reason and was forgotten there.
A few days later we were amused to see Elsie trot over to the bowl and begin pawing through it, looking not unlike a lady sorting through the items on the clearance table in Goldblatt's basement.
She pulled out a few toys and gave each a preliminary toss and lick. Finally she found her favorite - a nasty little square of green cloth on one side and green fur on the other, stuffed fat and presumably loaded with catnip. This is her toy. She treats it much as Stewart treated his little cloth sack but thankfully does not rub against it until she resembles a drowned rat. She is much too demure and lady like for such behavior. But each time we put the toy back in her bowl, it is the one she always retrieves when she decides it's time to play on her own.
Of necessity, the bowl remains on the floor, in easy reach.
Quotable quotes; in the category Yes I Have Preferences But I'm Still Open Minded.
"Anything on the ground is a cat toy. Anything not there yet, will be." Anonymous
So I decided to make one of my own, using the measurements from the existing bag. I decided to make it a little more generous in size. Unfortunately I am not a good judge of how much is enough and my tote came out too big for what I had in mind. It came out beautifully and I was very happy with it - but it was too big and the handles too wide. I decided to make another.
It's a pattern for a wash cloth. For some reason people love to knit and crochet wash cloths. Or dish cloths. I prefer to call them wash cloths (and use them as wash cloths). Somehow dish cloths get grungy and grody in ways that wash cloths never do. Better yet, call it a face cloth. There, now it's genteel and refined.
Stewart liked a little cloth toy that was sewed into a square shape and had printing on it which declared it irresistible to cats. He preferred this toy above all others. He would clutch it and lick it and rub his neck against it until his fur was slick and slimy. It was quite disgusting, yet fun to watch.
She pulled out a few toys and gave each a preliminary toss and lick. Finally she found her favorite - a nasty little square of green cloth on one side and green fur on the other, stuffed fat and presumably loaded with catnip. This is her toy. She treats it much as Stewart treated his little cloth sack but thankfully does not rub against it until she resembles a drowned rat. She is much too demure and lady like for such behavior. But each time we put the toy back in her bowl, it is the one she always retrieves when she decides it's time to play on her own.
I found this tutorial for a wonderfully darling and authentic bento bag and decided I had to make one of my own. 
I am going to post one of my favorite things here because it is a real favorite! There is a shop around the corner (sounds like a movie title, doesn't it) that sells produce, salads, and a few groceries. In the past few weeks they have had potted mums on the sidewalk in front of the shop. I wanted potted mums for my front porch so I checked them out. Uh-uh. Too expensive. Their 8 inch pot went for $11 and the larger pot was $22. I can get the 8 inch pot for 3 bucks at the local "bag yer own" grocery store. Which is exactly what I did. I put them in the urns on my front porch and they look great, in my humble opinion.
But yesterday that shop had a couple of additions, namely a deep purple mum (the large size) in a neon lime green metal tub. I tell you, it knocked me out! I went by again today to take a picture. I wanted to wait until the mums were in full bloom but this thing is so gorgeous I was afraid somebody would buy it first. Here it is! Isn't it awesome? Wow, dude, I can hear the colors!
