So Near, Yet So Far

© All Photos: Riihele. All rights reserved.

“The plant is so near,
yet so far …” thought Lumi, the Westie .

The plant puzzled me as well,
as to how does it stay put in the currents et al?!

No wonder, that Lumi, the Westie, was wondering, too!

This is the plant that
Lumi, the Westie,  was trying to reach at.

Waking Up, Getting Up …

The average, healthy,
well-adjusted adult
gets up
at seven-thirty
in the morning
feeling
just plain terrible.
Jean Kerr

Garfield: To B or Not To B

HOORAY 4 WOMEN!

They used to give us a day –it was called International Women’s Day.

In 1975 they gave us a year, the Year of the Woman.
Then from 1975 to 1985 they gave us a decade, the Decade of the Woman.

I said at the time, who knows, if we behave they may let us into the whole thing. Well, we didn’t behave and here we are. Bella Abzug (1920-1998)

International Women’s Day has been observed since in the early 1900’s, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies. Great unrest and critical debate was occurring amongst women. Women’s oppression and inequality was spurring women to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change. Then in 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. (International Women’s Day online)

In an article entitled ‘International Women’s Day protests highlight violence, inequality’ there is among other things this:

”Calls to end forced marriage, domestic abuse and job discrimination marked International Women’s Day on Saturday as demonstrators took to the streets worldwide.”

And this the advice in North Korea to their ladies:

’Communist North Korea marked International Women’s Day in its own way by urging its women to reject Western fashions and to “set good examples” in their clothes and hairstyles. “Women must set good examples in all fields of culture and custom, including clothes, hairdos and language,” Rodong Sinmun, the official daily of the North’s ruling Korean Workers’ Party, said in an editorial.’

Even this was in the above article: “French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for an end to pay inequality between men and women, and pledged to institute financial sanctions to address the problem.” — That’ll be the day, I say, when the pay will be!

If you want something said,
ask a man;
if you want something done,
ask a woman. (Margaret Thatcher)

This is what is urged in one of the sites where I got articles for this entry:

”So make a difference, think globally and act locally !! Make everyday International Women’s Day. Do your bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.”

This said as even today — and every single day — thousands of Baby Girls are terminated in the womb of their mothers, just because they are Girls, when the parents wanted boys… So many females have been ‘finished’ that the imbalance ratio on males-females is in millions in certain countries and is increasing alarmingly each day.

Take good care. Rii 🙂

© The portrait of The Girl in Cameo is by Riihele. All rights reserved.

Further read in the International Museum of Women online.

LIPSTICK …

…a woman’s first job is to choose the right shade of lipstick.
Carole Lombard

Would you believe that In 1770, the British Parliament passed a law condemning lipstick, stating that “women found guilty of seducing men into matrimony by a cosmetic means could be tried for witchcraft.” (Chemical & Engineering News online)

Lipstick is known to have been used around 5000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia, when semi-precious jewels were crushed and applied to the lips and occasionally around the eyes. Women in the ancient Indus Valley Civilization applied lipstick to their lips for face decoration. Ancient Egyptians extracted purplish-red dye from fucus-algin, 0.01% iodine, and some bromine mannite, which resulted in serious illness.

Cleopatra had her lipstick made from crushed carmine beetles, which gave a deep red pigment, and ants for a base. Lipsticks with shimmering effects were initially made using a substance found in fish scales called coalescence.

Lipstick started to gain popularity in the 16th century, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, who made blood-red lips and stark white faces a fashion statement. By that time, lipstick was made from a blend of beeswax and red stains from plants. During the Second World War, lipstick gained popularity as a result of its use in the movie industry, and it became commonplace for women to apply makeup, or “put their face on”. Wikipedia
“Did you know that we can ingest up to 20kg of lipstick in a lifetime – those synthetic dyes, with lead & aluminum are absorbed into our bodies and sit in our organs and fatty tissue? They cause nausea, headaches, skin problems, fatigue, mood swings, drying and cracking lips, and a condition called cheilitis, dermatitis of the lips, states the Be Well Stay Well site online.

In our factory, we make lipstick.
In our advertising, we sell hope.
Peter Nivio Zarlenga

Choosing lipstick colours — some helpful hints on the Beauty i love india site and here are some handy tips and and how to make lipstick last long on the same site:

• Store lipstick in the fridge, it will last longer.
• While buying lipstick never use the tester on your lips. It is very unhygienic.
• Apply the tester on fingertips. This is a better option than the back of your hand as it closer than your lips.
• Lipstick can be used as blush, but do not use blush as lipstick.
• When you are to the last bit of your favorite lipstick scrape out the last bits with an orange stick and mix it with lip-gloss or vaseline and use it.
• To prevent lipstick from sticking to the glass you are drinking from, discreetly lick the edge of the glass before touching your lips to it.
• If your lipstick has broken, the just light a match under the broken part of a while, when the lipstick melts a little then put it back on the base. Then swivel down the lipstick and put it in the fridge, uncovered for about 5 minutes.

Beauty is being in harmony with what you are.
Peter Nivio Zarlenga

Tis for now and a grand week for ye. Rii

The photo — taken by Rii — is me lipstick, by the way.

This site has a very comprehensive database on cosmetics where one can do a search to see what-is-what on any particular product and make: Skin Deep: Cosmetics Safety Database.

Here is Connie Francis with the ‘Lipstick On Your Collar’

CARTOON: Garfield & Simon

Garfield reminds us of our cat called Simon:

and here is what I wrote about Simon some while back:

“Simon is absolutely so not simple, no matter what the rhyme tries to convey to the contrary!! He would make a first class security personnel where the concerns for the high safety and security would be of utmost importance!

He is a heady mixture of these well-known characters:

1. Garfield -the same gingery good looks and the equal sassiness of character
2. Kramer in the Seinfield – the skidding as he barges in like Kramer
3. Cato – the Korean (?!) servant of the Inspector Clouseau – the total unpredictability in attacking.

There is never a dull moment with Simon around! He really is an one cat-show that runs non-stop with hardly any commercials for a break in-between! Aaahhh…”

How does the cat get its own way? With friendly purr-suasion.

Tis for now. Rii

James Bond of the Cat World: Simon D Pud

“The smallest feline is a masterpiece.“
(Leonardo da Vinci)

This ‘James Bond of Cats’ with an attitude that is cattitude
and who does impersonate ‘Kramer’ to the T by his sudden barges and skidding;
also does ‘Cato’ with his sudden surprise attacks making me scream
– every time – but making him is so pleased that he chuckles to himself, let me tell you!!

“Meow is like aloha – it can mean anything.” (Hank Ketchum)

His likeness to Garfield comes for the looks & his love for the nosh and Italian in particular – yes, including Lasagna; unfortunately he is not allowed to eat that anymore by the vet!

BUT I think that all this comes from his first foster mama, Heli, and then from his owner, Becki and I am just forced – HEHE – to mop up the bits & pieces of his cattitude. That is me theory and I am sticking with it, anyway.

Me alter ego with cattitude and moi say:

Rii xx –– and Simon lifts his paw in gratitude.

TRIVIA ON CATS:

What is a cat’s favourite song? Three Blind Mice

What is a cat’s way of keeping law & order? Claw Enforcement

What is a cat’s favourite colour? Purrrrrrr-ple! (mine too)

What do you get when you cross an elephant with a cat? A big furry creature that purrs while it sits on your lap and squashes you.

How does the cat get its own way? With friendly purr-suasion.

Cats purr to communicate.

A cat cannot see directly under its nose. This is why the cat cannot seem to find tidbits on the floor.

Cats have AB blood groups just like people.

If your cat hides and then runs out and pounces on you, she is acting out her instinctive hunting ritual (Simon does that!)

In relation to body size, a cat’s eyes are bigger than most mammals.

ALL CREATURES: SUZIE Q~ The DIVA

I am of the opinion that

‘A House without an Animal is Not a Home’.

(My own guote.)

This Beautiful Madame in the photo above is Becki’s cat, the 20-year-old, Suzie Q, who is posing and sitting pretty as a pro model. Even the known cat-haters have admitted that Suzie is the prettiest pussy they ever saw!! She takes all this admiration with an admirable coolness of a renowned and recognized beauty.

Suzie is a mighty mixture of the cat personalities that The Purina, in their online site, describes as The Boss and The Diva. She holds the command in many ways: the goings and comings of hers are totally in her own control, she will NOT be bunged out. Nope – no way Jose!!

When Suzie gets a bit peckish at any hour day or night – one just has to oblige her Ladyship. Otherwise, she will bang the doors off their hinges. At least, she will try, and nobody but no body will get any sleep or peace until she is attended to. At least, she will try, and nobody but no body will get any sleep or peace until she is attended to. Suzie was adopted by Becki seventeen years ago, when the Pud would have been about two years of age. The neighbours, whose cat Suzie was originally, totally neglected her, and she was in a terrible state when we took her on. The vets bills were enormous at the time just to get her sorted so that she could be an indoor cat.

Ever since then Suzie Q has been an one woman cat – Becki’s. She will hardly take any notice of me once the food is served on her dish and she will give me a polite nod for ‘Thank you’ if she feels like giving me some attention! At present, I do not take care of her as she still lives in Ireland and I am not. Becki has even taught her to sit down at command to get her dinner, and Suzie is only too happy to obey her favourite person on earth.

A snippet of of what Becki wrote about Suzie Q – The Diva:

I have loved all the cats that we have had. Each one has their own personality but there is one special lady that I am the closest with: Suzie. In the words of Tigger “we’re closer than teeth and gums.”

She came into my life when I was about eight years old and I knew straight away she was going to be my girl but my parents didn’t agree. They thought that we don’t have room, money or time to take on another cat. I used to sneak Suzie in, feed her and if I couldn’t bring her in I would go out and stand in the rain as a protest that if Suzie couldn’t come in then I’ll stay out with her. My stubbornness eventually worked and I got my way. My dad and I went to the owners and asked if we could have her. They agreed and 16 years later she’s still my girl.

My mum always says that Suzie knows I fought for her and that she remains loyal to me. In the early days she would scare my little sister and her friends and be very demanding (i.e. food, food, food) to my mum and dad. Now it’s funny to see the change in her from a feisty young lady to a big softy. Her newest demand now is cuddles ALL the time. I had a friend visit lately and she was puzzled to see that I and Suzie have the same “looks”. She asked, “Who taught who”, meaning some of our expressions that I and Suzie have are alike. I don’t actually know. I guess I learnt them from her. Funny that.”

”Yep, you and Suzie are ‘like 2 peas-in- a pod’ – you always were, hey.”

This was my comment on the above writing.

This for now. Riihele xx

ARISTOCATS – The NOBLE CATS

This is one of the very favourite children’s videos that I love since
I first met these noble Aristocats through my children when they were small.
I particularly like this part of the film where all three kittens:
Marie, Berlioz and Toulouse barge in through the cat-flap,
and what Marie says about ‘Ladies’!!

“The Aristocats is a 1970 animated feature produced and released by Walt Disney Productions. The twentieth animated feature in the Disney animated features canon, the story revolves around a family of aristocratic cats, and how an alley cat acquaintance helps prevent a butler from kidnapping them to gain his mistress’ fortune. This film is noted for being the last film to be approved by Walt Disney himself; he died in 1966, while the film was still in early production. It was originally released to theaters by Buena Vista Distribution on December 11, 1970.

Set in Paris, France in the year 1910, this is the story about a mother cat named Duchess and her three kittens: her cute daughter Marie, and her two sons Berlioz and Toulouse. The mother cat faces many obstacles raising her children. They live in the mansion of retired opera singer Adelaide Bonfamille, along with her evil butler Edgar who has a big nose, Frou Frou the horse, and Roquefort the mouse, who is a good friend of the cats. ” (Wikipedia)

The title is a pun on the word aristocrats.

Tis for now. Rii xx

ALL CREATURES: BUSTER The Goldfish

The picture is Finding Nemo off the site of the film.

All creatures in this story is the goldfish – whom I named: Buster – and his pals, of course, which  Becki – my older daughter – received as a present one year in Ireland. I used to say and still say to the girls: ”Do not take another animal as a pet if you have not the time to look after them.” That was when we were all travelling hither and tither in particular. Anyhow, she took these fish and the gear that came with ’em.

I had never realized just how smart such a small creature like a goldfish can be: Buster got his name from the fact that he, too, took to liking his nosh and it showed on him; let us put it that way, instead of saying that he was obese. (Tips on feeding the fish in this link.) Every morning when I went downstairs to the kitchen to have me coffee, Buster would be doing his special pirouettes, whirling dances, twirling this way, hurling that way, giving the merry faces to greet me, and at the same time, for sure, making certain that the breakfast was served to him and his mates in the tank.

He got to know us in the house so much so that he would do the above mentioned spiel every time he saw one of us, but if anybody he did not know went near his tank, he would go hiding in a jiffy inside one of the toys there. Now that I think of it: Finding Nemo reminded me of Buster and that is why I like that movie so much. Buster went into a foster care because we all left Ireland and he had a very happy life there for a long while until his death.

And death is the hardest part in having pets as they do become such valuable members of the family that when they are gone – it gets so ’empty.’

Tis for now. Rii xx