I have been hemming & hawing over how to tell this story. Maybe it is a bit of cabin fever or just that the story is a rather long and drawn out tale. We are still very much in the grips of winter. There are signs of spring, though. The sun is a little higher on the horizon, my onions have sprouted on the window sill, and our cat, Vern, is going a bit nuts! (...notice the cat chew marks in the wood...those shims are there to prevent Vern from using my onions as a cat bed!)
I have made strides to alleviate his cabin fever. I found this nice big piece of wool fabric at the thrift shop. I took time away from Etsy sewing to hem it and create a cat tunnel behind the couch for Vernie.
I also sewed up a batch of catnip mice toys I call EcoNips for my Etsy shop. Not sure that helped with Vern's craziness?!? The tale continues to wind...I thought my EcoNip photos needed a something to jazz them up a bit. With cats on my mind I decide to revisit an old puppet pattern. This puppet was inspired by our wonderful old cat, Zippy, and my son's love for the nursery rhyme The Owl & the Pussycat.
Zippy lived to the ripe old age of 16. He was still with us when Vern came to us 3 years ago. He was a wonderful mellow cat. My DH & he had a very special bond the Vern has not quite fulfilled. We still miss him!
This a photo of my son's fun with our mellow boys!
Here are the original Owl and PussyCat (Zippy) Puppets as they look today! They have held up pretty well considering they are around 16 years old. They were my son's toys but, I, also, used them for 5 years of elementary school substitute teaching! They got some real use then!
My son's 4th birthday party with me doing The Owl & the Pussycat Puppet show!
Red-Wing Blackbird & my Boyo!
Ok...I am * NOW * a mom of a college man ...but once upon a time....
I
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!"
II
Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?"
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-Tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.
III
"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.
