Marie at 1 Write Way

Flowers, Potholders, and Cats

Orange kitty stretched out on his back, on top of a couch.

Flowers, potholders, and cats are three of my favorite things. Well, cats will always be at the top of my favorites, but flowers and potholders are running close.

The past couple of weeks have been like the previous weeks, so-so with an occasional meltdown. Sure, I’m still grieving, but I do get tired of it. I have so much to do and not as much time left (and less every day, of course), so I get impatient with myself. I enjoy being creative, but I often hold back because I can’t share my creativity with my sisters, especially Shirley. 

Every time I think I’ve rounded a corner, find myself practically skipping with glee over the flowers blooming in our garden, some time later I’ll again find myself in a deep gloom. The heat hasn’t helped. Today (this morning) is the first time in weeks that I didn’t feel like I was being scalded when I stepped outside. And yet, I am so lucky to be here and not Maui or Phoenix (sorry, Luanne). I could be luckier and be in upstate NY or (preferably) the West Coast, but best to count my blessings and not push my luck. 

Reading and book reviews are high on my list of things I must do. The reading is ongoing, the book reviews are in my head. Right now I’m reading an advanced copy of Love in the Archives by Eileen Vorbach Collins, a compilation of essays about the loss of Collins’s teenage daughter Lydia to suicide. I’ve read some of these essays before, but Collins’s writing is such that I always find something new in her words, her insight, her humor, and her heart. Collins’s words stitch together a delicate balance between horror and humor–not laugh-out-loud humor, knee-slapping humor–but that wry, dry, honest humor that comes with living with grief. Her words make me cry and yet they are a balm. Love in the Archives will be published in October but you can preorder a copy at Amazon or (my preference) Bookshop.org. 

In the meantime … 

I have been enjoying the amazing blooms in our garden. These are flowers I’ve often admired elsewhere, never thinking I would ever enjoy them in my own backyard. 

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I also managed to make a number of potholders and “mug rugs” or coasters in the past two weeks. The lavender and silver potholders came out of a kit I bought from Acorns & Twigs, a small family business that offers a huge assortment of crafty things. I used rectangular rings for the end loops because I could not find circular ones (seriously, I checked both Joann’s and Michael’s and only found ugly plastic rings). I like how these look, though. 

Two potholders, lavender and silver, with rectangular rings.
Lavender and silver potholders.

This next collection was made with wool loops from Carol Leigh’s Hillcreek Fiber Studio. Carol uses natural dyes with the wool loops so the colors have slight variations, making the designs look that much more interesting and attractive. Hillcreek is another family-run business, and the only one I know of that offers wool loops for weaving. Cotton loops are easy to care for: I machine-wash mine and then air-dry them, but I could probably machine-dry on a low setting. The wool requires handwashing, but I love the feel and weight of these potholders and mug rugs. Usually, I weave in the last loop, but I wasn’t able to do that effectively with the mug rugs so I used buttons to finish them.

Four mug rugs in color combination of reds, pinks, blues, and purples.
Close-up of mug rug in colors of reds, pinks, blues, and purples.
Two potholders in a color combination of light blue, reds, pinks, and purples.

Finally … cats. 

Here’s Raji in his favorite sleeping position.

Orange kitty stretched out on his back, on top of a couch.
Raji in full sleeping mode.

Junior has been causing us a bit of a concern lately. His left nostril has something blocking the opening. You can barely see it in this picture.

Adult gray cat with wide white marking at neck.
Junior wondering why I’m taking his photo when he would rather eat.

The bad news is we don’t know what it is, and it’s response to steroid nose drops has been so-so. Sometimes it seems to shrink, sometimes not. A few weeks ago, the mucus was tinged with blood, so we made an urgent visit to the clinic, and, for the time being, we’re now stuck with a newbie vet. He’s a very nice, young man, but he didn’t waste time in suggesting that Junior might have a tumor pushing through his nasal cavity aka cancer. Of course, tests would need to be done, but we’re holding off for now. 

Junior is at least 15 years old, more likely 16, and we really don’t want to put him through a lot of poking and prodding, anesthesia and complications. At his last recheck, he did show signs of improvement so we’ll have another recheck in a couple of weeks. The good news is, other than the nose-thingy, he’s well. He’s always early for his meals, eats everything, and is generally alert and affilitative. Yes, he sleeps alot but who wouldn’t in this heat, and he is 16, fairly close to my mom’s age. So, we’re putting off the big conversation for now. Fingers crossed the steroids work their magic. 

And now truly finally, I have a 100-word story up at Friday Flash Fiction, titled Invisible. Interesting thing about this story. I worked a much longer version for a SmokeLong Quarterly Community Workshop, then pared it down to about 150 words for a workshop with Meg Pokrass, and then further edited for Friday Flash Fiction to fit their 100-word limit. To be honest, I think I should have stuck with the 150-word version. Que sera sera.

Thank you for reading!

Marie A Bailey

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37 responses to “Flowers, Potholders, and Cats”

  1. Your potholders are beautiful. The colors are soothing. I know it’s very hot where you live. I couldn’t take it, but I admire your positive spin on it. The flowers are lovely as is Raji’s tummy. He landed into the good life with you.

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  3. I hope Junior is OK. It sounds like you’re doing all the right things. Ricky will let me rub his belly. Of course, because he’s the best cat ever. Mickey used to roll over like he wanted you to, but attack if you tried. 🙂

    The flowers and potholders are beautiful. The grief is still young. I think this is why there used to be mourning rituals and time to grieve that we really don’t have now.

    The story is intriguing–the metaphorical made real. Congratulations on the publication. There’s nothing to stop you from making this into a longer piece–or even a part of a longer work.

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  4. I think those rectangular hangers look more artistic! I’ll be looking for them for use in other hanging-up items (potholders like yours, mini wall hangings, and ???)
    Would you be willing to share the 150 word essay you ‘liked better’ than the 100 pubbed on the Flash Fiction site? I did like the premise and allusions to so many conclusions of what that invisibility ‘meant’.
    Take care –

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  7. My heart sinks at your not being able to share your creativity with your sisters. I really can’t imagine…I do love the potholders, and the flowers. I fell in love with those papery hibiscus when we built this house on the Gulf Coast. And the passionflowers. They seem so sophisticated to me, but they volunteer everywhere as maypops. I hope the steroids work. And I enjoyed the story–so much news in the post!

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    • Thank you, Ellen! I didn’t realize I had so much to say until I started writing 😉 I’m over the moon with the hibiscus and passionflower. I’m not a gardener by nature so having such glorious flowers in my backyard is such a gift 🙂

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  8. What an all-round lovely post. There is no one size fits all way to deal with grief. The fact that you don’t want to remain stuck in it, is a good sign, as far as I am concerned. Life is meant to be lived and I don’t doubt for a second your sister would want you to live the rest of your life miserable.
    Your potholders/mug rugs are delightful! Those flowers… especially that passion flower… swoon! Junior has had a wonderful life with you. If he’s eating and sleeping lots (which, frankly, all cats do only a bit more as they get older) and seems to be overall happy, that is a good thing. Sending lotsa love his and your way.

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      • I remember, I don’t know how long after my husband died, an acquaintance and I were talking about me dating. She said Mick would want me to continue living and I shocked the hell out of her when I said: It doesn’t matter what he would have thought, he’s not here now! She was surprised, then laughed and said, you do have a point…
        And my pleasure for the rest :)

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        • That must have been a real turning point for you. We (my brother-in-law and nephews and I) still talk in terms of what Shirley would have thought about this or that. For instance, she would not like my brother-in-law’s dog Bailey because Bailey is a very rambunctious puppy, and it’s become kind of a joke, “Oh, Mom would be beside herself with a dog like Bailey.” So far, I’m glad we can “tease” her even though she’s not here, but you do have an excellent point. My BIL can’t live his life according to what my sister would or would not approve of. Bailey just might be a step in that direction ;-)

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  9. Your weavings are lovely. They would feel right at home in my closet because most of my clothes are in that color-range. I hope you are able to figure out what’s going on with poor Junior’s nose, but it sounds like he’s happy and comfortable. I think I would make a similar decision regarding heroic measures, if it comes to that. Sometimes I think people make those decisions to make themselves feel better and forget what it puts the pet through. (P.S. I’d like to read the 150-word piece too.)

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    • Thank you, Janis, for your kind words. My fingers are crossed that whatever is going on with Junior’s nose can be treated simply. He was actually frisky this morning so I feel hopeful. We’ve had to euthanize several cats over the past 30 years, but you never get used to it. Denial is always there, even when our vets try to gently let us know “it’s time.” The last cat we put down–Maxine in December 2021–we hung on to for two weeks too long. I’m confident we won’t make the same mistake with Junior.

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  10. Marie! Love your potholders!
    I hope you can figure out what’s blocking Junior’s nostril!
    Also, I emailed you to ask a question. If you don’t see it, it might be in your spam folder.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hi, there! I got your email :-) Thank you for the compliments. I hope we can figure out Junior’s nose problem too but, in the meantime, he seems otherwise well and happy :-)

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  11. Marie, I love those potholders and mug rugs! Especially the colors won my heart. Sorry to hear about Junior’s problem. We were at the vet today to the tune of almost too many dollars. But the fee was for both cats. Both are in good health, but our Maggie is getting older (14 going on 15) and she has hypothyroidism and she’s losing weight. Not a good sign. She also has asthma and our recent smoke-filled air hasn’t treated her well. But you couldn’t tell if she might feel poorly on any day. Love and comfort sent your way.

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    • Thank you, Sherrey! Oh, yes, the vet bills … ugh. But our furry companions are worth every penny :-) I hope your Maggie continues to keep a good spirit. I’m relieved that Junior is doing better even if his condition is (likely) chronic.

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