Cool, Calm Green - Week's End

GG thinks that if she ever dons a fancy frock, this is the one she'd choose. A roll of the eyes, but actually green is her color, for sure. She wears a green cotton (organic, of course) collar, seen here.

For last year's post about the dress on GG's editor's blog, click here. For a wonderful dessert, Crème de Menthe Trifle, click The Clever Pup's blog. (The dessert title inspired our name for the dress.) For Nick Bartoletti's wonderful Clise Mansion photo shoot, please see here. If you want to do a little green shopping, check out these Darfur Baskets (ooh, sneaky), here.

Have a calm, cool, green weekend. We're trying--but it is the umpteenth day (month?) of 90+ degrees. Oof.

ciao-meow/GG's personal shopper

[photographs by Olga & Nick Bartoletti]

Hemingway's Cats

Today is Ernest Hemingway's birthday & we're celebrating with a little tour down Key West way. GG is jealous of the cool lives these cats lead in the laid-back tropics (& of their lineage, of course). GG would dearly love extra "toes". (Her Nibs has been informed that it is an unattractive thing, envy. Didn't make an impression.)

Here's a terrific link to the Hemingway Home & Museum. There are photographs of the cats (there's even one named Audrey Hepburn), a live cat-cam, & explanations about the cats in the writer's life, how they are cared for now (they're quite well-off, thank you very much), & the history of cats on Key West.

The largest available archive of Hemingway material is at the JFK Presidential Library & Museum, here. You can read Hemingway's short story Cat in the Rain, here (a pdf download).

ciao-meow/GG's literary editor

[photographs of Hairy Truman via LA Times blog, Hemingway with kitten via JFK Library & Museum & Hemingway Home & Museum]

Happy Valentine's - Week's End

If you're in the Washington, DC area, Catapalooza II at the Washington Animal Rescue League is ON for Sunday. Stop by even if you're not adopting because the shelter is a great place to meet people, too. GG needs a lot of consoling today because she's had a very difficult week. Even her ears are drooping. Her editor will try to take her home very soon. (We promise, GG!) Meanwhile, she's lying on a sofa watching The AristoCats (at her friend Hermione's house) & pretending to be French.

ciao-meow & bon week-end/GG Central In Exile

[film still of Duchesse & Marie from Walt Disney's The AristoCats via we heart it]

Look into My Eyes, Darling

GG & her editor love this cool customer. He can pull off a vest, for sure. Makes us want a gin & tonic--if we drank G&Ts. GG continues to long for a playmate. This is as close as she'll get anytime soon.

[By generous Nick Bartoletti in Seattle]

Everybody Wants to be a Cat - Week's End

Everybody wants to be a cat,
because a cat's the only cat
who knows where it's at...--The Aristocats

Some Thursday afternoon fun via stlyrics. Update: The video disappeared from stlyrics but we found the person who made the YouTube video (bea142 --thanks!), here.

ciao-meow/GG Central Cinema

Cat & Parasols Tapestry Kit

Here's something fun...you can give as a gift-to-make or make-it-as-a-gift. So cute & such a deal! More information & instructions at Made4Aid. Some detail on the kit below:

"On sale we have a brand new Ehrman tapestry kit - in its original packaging, I just took it out to check the dimensions and take photos.Ehrman make really good quality tapestry kits with lovely wools and great designs - this is a bargain! Its a design called "Cat and parasols" - design by Susanna Lisle - and as well as the pink and yellow cat and parasols, there are red tulips in the backgound and a stripey/patterned border motif.

The kit comes with 100% cotton canvas, 10 stitches to the inch - and comes with needle, yarns and instructions - complete with everything you need. The sewing can be done either in half-cross stitch or continental stitch. The stitched area when finished is 14 inches / 35cm square.

The auction begins at 9am on Thursday 29th October, and will end at 9am Monday 9th November , New York time. The highest bidder before that time will win.

Can we start bids start at $18 please?"

***************
Please visit the good folks at Made4Aid & have a little fun at the same time. Thanks!

ciao-meow/GG's crafty editor

[photograph property of Made4Aid/used by kind permission]

A Parisian Café Cat

We're busy & photographer Patrice Panfili saves the day with laugh-out-loud pix. Most of his shots are people, streetscape. GG is in love. What a puss on this puss. Patrice calls him (in French) "king of the town." [Notice how proud the cat's guardian is ..he ees so chic, non? Oui. [from the archives as brief relief. The photographs are larger & better quality than original downloads.]

bisou
GG Central

A Cat in Paris

We're busy & photographer Patrice Panfili saves the day with laugh-out-loud pix. Most of his shots are people, streetscape. This is the only cat, but what a cat. GG is in love. What a puss on this puss. Patrice calls him (in French) "king of the town."

bisou
GG Central

Maria Caterina di Perugia's breaking news photos of Obama party

GG Central's Maria Caterina di Perugia took these cellphone pix at a speechwatching party in Northern Virginia. They're fuzzy but hey, it was breaking news. We're all so excited!

We'll try not to be catty about McCain's Veep Choice (I know!) but it does lend itself to cheap satire...not that GG Central is above such. We're waiting for professionals (Jon Stewart, et al) to handle this, for now. Tina Fey & her take on the bizarre choice should be priceless; watch SNL's first show of the season on 13 September. We can hardly wait.

Please keep the good folks in New Orleans & the Gulf Coast in your thoughts as Hurricane Gustav heads towards land. GG & her editor are so worried about everyone, including one of our very best friends, Pansy W. of Lake Charles, Louisiana. More as we know more.

Ciao-meow, bisou, baci!
xoxo, GG

I am a cat, my name is Li-Po

Walasse Ting, 1982/I am a cat, my name is Li-Po/acrylic on rice paper/collection of Jesse Ting, New York, USA
Art Unlimited Amsterdam

Menton, France & soup Menton

GG & her editor confess that they've not been to Menton on the French Riviera (yet!). However we are taking a break from all the death & sadness of the Olympics, Darfur, untimely death of that funny guy Bernie Mac, poet Mahmoud Darwish's death last night, the outbreak of war between Russia & Georgia...among so many awful things--yikes! So why the photo of Menton? We have often made a soup called soup menton by Perla Meyers. GG's editor bought her first cookbook, The Seasonal Kitchen in the late 1970s upon her return from studying in Strasbourg. This is one of her favorite summer soups & it's simmering away as we type. We include the recipe above (adjust according to what is in the kitchen & in season). Oh dear, the lazy way out (scanning dog-eared, smudgy book) isn't going so well. But our soup awaits & we doubt anyone will be making this ce soir. So we'll re-do a lovely copy tomorrow.

Ciao, bisou, xoxo, darlings!

A little midsummer laugh

From The Funny Cats blog. Look at that adorable pink nose! We love a pinkish-hued nose (apologies to George Costanza...)

Hermione's Visit

We have a visitor for a few days named Hermione. She is a gorgeous brindled feline with connections, we think, to an ancient Nubian kingdom. (More on that later.) She is very quiet but curious. It's difficult to tell from the photo but she has bright green eyes & is an Obama supporter.