Greetings Once Again!

Because of the health crisis experienced by my loved one last December and all that it has entailed, I've found it impossible to tend to my blog. It's been a long, rocky road for him, and there's a lot more ahead. However, I'm hoping to pick up the pieces of my blog bit by bit whenever I can. And I've managed to keep up my ArtFire shop, which, after the needs of my loved one, is a priority for me. 

My sweet cat, Gonzo, has been a little shining light in the murk and difficulties of the past five months, always ready to remind me that, despite all, life can still hold some kitty treats, a petting, and a little toy mousie to proudly cart around. He has kept my spirits from plunging with his simple affirmations of life and purring assertion that a loving touch can mean all and everything.

Animals were never expelled from Paradise, Milan Kundera writes in The Unbearable Lightness of Being, and maybe that's why our pets can so ground us in a storm, and why we love them so. What we give to them is the best of us in a fallen world, and what they give to us in return is a glimpse of rightness and bliss and, in tough times, the courage to hope.

This is a photograph of Gonzo that I took on a cold, snowy night last winter.

It's not the best picture, but I love it because he has such a simple imploring look. Outside, conditions may be freezing and the wet white stuff may be piling up with utter abandon; but what matters is inside—a treat, a little love, and some warmth.

We feed our pets and try to keep them healthy and safe; in return, they bless us with happiness and strength, even in the worst times. Lucky humans, we certainly are ... despite all. :)

Very best wishes from PrettyGonzo!