Jo

@artsyjo

Mom, maker, educator, wannabe gardener, and fair-weather hiker at home in the Ozarks “Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.” Isaiah 58:10

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Jo@artsyjo· 23d

Agnes or potato? #caturday

A brown and black tortie cat asleep on a brown rug. She resembles a potato.

Jo@artsyjo· 24d

Well, I’m obviously stuck here for the foreseeable future.

A tortico kitten asleep in my lap with her chin resting on my arm.

Jo@artsyjo· 25d

Agnes has been caught red-handed (pawed)

Tortie cat climbing the back side of a white curtain where she thought she couldn’t be seen. Now that she realizes she’s been caught, she has a shocked expression with wide eyes and ears flattened against her head 🤣

Jo@artsyjo· 26d

Completely zonked out after a good brushing 🥹 She’s got a few fleas, but I’m afraid she’s too young/little for flea treatment (best guess, 5-6 weeks) I brushed her really well and dusted her and her bedding with a little food-grade diatomaceous earth in the meantime, and have her isolated.

Little tortico kitten asleep, belly up, while cradled in one arm. I’ve discovered that brushing her fur puts her to sleep within 30 seconds, every time 🥹

Jo@artsyjo· 26d

Husband found this little one sopping wet in the middle of the road after the storm yesterday. She’s really taken with him 💛 #catsky

A small calico kitten sleeps contentedly on a man’s shoulder. She is mostly black/tortie with an orange face and white paws.

Jo@artsyjo· 28d

We’re a two-tortie home here. Agnes and Beatrix say hi! 👋

A different tortie cat on a different chair.

Jo@artsyjo· 28d

Today’s mood: #tortietuesday

Agnes the tortie cat sits on a windowsill. She is looking over her shoulder toward the camera with a look of annoyance and lashing her very expressive tail. There is a vase of pink and orange zinnias on a corner shelf behind her.

Jo@artsyjo· 28d

Found some ancient rhubarb in the back of the freezer, so strawberry rhubarb pie it is. 😊

Jo@artsyjo· Jul 10

Lots of butterflies in the garden today 😊 #EasternTigerSwallowtail

Jo@artsyjo· Jul 6

I got a late start with planting this year, but I finally picked my first garden bouquet of the season:

A vase of pink, orange, and yellow zinnias with oregano for greenery.

Jo@artsyjo· Jun 24

Made some progress on my tumbling blocks variant quilt. I drafted the pattern myself, and I am pleased to say that it is coming together much more smoothly than I expected. It’s entirely 60° triangles cut from strip sets and sewn together in rows, so no Y-seams! #quiltsky #tumblingblocksquilt

Section of a tumbling blocks variation quilt top in light/medium/dark blue solids. The values give the impression of 3-D cubes inset in larger cubes.

Jo@artsyjo· Jun 23

Beatrix, AKA Bea Trixie Beebles Beeblebrox Beelzebub Beans Beezus Beezlenut Beezer Jinx Beep Trixter Twixie Left Twix Little One Goober Turd

A tortie cat, asleep on a red and white blanket.

Jo@artsyjo· Jun 20

Free Solo #caturday

Agnes the tortie cat is suspended from the mullions in a doorway window. She is about 4/5 of the way up and wondering how she is going to get down.

Jo@artsyjo· Jun 20

And an accidental-capture abstraction of the same scene that looks kinda neat:

An accidental phone photo capture of an abstracted window glowing yellow against a twilight-blue background. There is some sweeping motion blur across the image.

Jo@artsyjo· Jun 20

Agnes is watching… #catsky

A silhouetted cat is standing on the inside of the window looking out. She is stretched out with her front paws on the sashing and looks absurdly long. The windows are glowing yellow and it is deep twilight outside.

Jo@artsyjo· Jun 19

New quilty project: #quiltsky

Beginnings of a light/medium/dark blue quilt. Pattern is my own tumbling blocks variation: an optical illusion of a cube-inside -a-cube.

Jo@artsyjo· Jun 16

Me too!

Jo@artsyjo· Jun 15

We started a thing 😳 Oldest teen is getting a surprise room makeover while he is away for the summer! We knew this wall would involve knob and tube and plaster and lath, but the wallpaper was a surprise. So far, no structural issues uncovered (always a possibility in an older house)🤞💸

Wide angle shot of a room, mid-demo. The Sheetrock is being removed, exposing plaster and lath, very 80s wallpaper, and some sketchy electrical work.

Jo@artsyjo· Jun 13

Agnes wants to be an outside kitty SO badly! Think I’ll take her out on her harness for a little walk this afternoon. (we live in town along a busy highway, so no unsupervised outside time for her!) #caturday

Jo@artsyjo· Jun 10

Enjoy this fantastic photograph of my very prim and proper mother with a chicken of her head, 1964 🤣

In this black and white photograph, a young girl with short blond hair stands, arms crossed, gazing off into the distance. There are farm outbuildings in the background and a chicken perched atop her head.

Jo@artsyjo· Jun 10

My Papa’s memorial service was this weekend at his hometown in SD. My niece and I stayed up late looking through Grandma’s extensive and very organized photo collection after the ceremony and found some real gems. Here are a few snapshots of the two of them— they were married for 73 years! 💛

A worn black and white photograph of Wayne as a young man in a military uniform circa the early 1950s. This is the photo that Joan carried with her while he was serving in the Korean War.

Joan’s high school graduation photo, 1952.

A black and white photo of young Wayne and Joan embracing.

A black and white photo of Wayne and Joan together in a car (1950s) and a color photo recreation of the same pose decades later (probably 1990s)

Jo@artsyjo· Jun 10

It’s Beatrix’s first birthday! #catsky #tortietuesday

Jo@artsyjo· Jun 9

South Dakota light show.

A dramatic sky looms over flat farmland. Dark clouds, sheets of rain, and a cloud-to-cloud lighting strike are visible.

Jo@artsyjo· May 31

My youngest had an asthma flare up this weekend that resulted in a trip to Urgent Care. (He’s okay now) He hasn’t had an attack in about four years, so I was hopeful he had outgrown it, but here we are. It seems to have been triggered by a cold (which I now have). Here are some happier things:

A very contented tortie cat (Agnes) sits in a perfectly-sized box with her toy mouse by her feet. Her eyes are half closed and she is softly purring.

A newly opened southern magnolia blossom against a backdrop of vibrant green leaves. The yard smells heavenly.

Baby green tomatoes and tomato blossoms in the garden, backlit with a lens flare.

My new friend, a grey and white tuxedo-tabby cat who has been hanging around the neighborhood lately.

Jo@artsyjo· May 31

I made a new friend! She’s one of the neighborhood strays who has previously been a bit skittish, but today she sat with me in the yard and and let me pick all of the burrs out of her fur. Isn’t she sweet? #caturday

Jo@artsyjo· May 29

The boys are on a cooking/baking kick now that school’s out for the summer, and I’m not complaining.

A plate of dinner, made by my teens: Trofie pasta with garlic scape pesto, zucchini, and tomatoes, with an arugula salad.

A basket, lined with a green and white floral napkin and filled with Pão de Queijo (Brazilian cheese buns)

Jo@artsyjo· May 29

🥹

A tortie kitten and a hound dog are friends

Jo@artsyjo· May 28

So sorry for your loss. Our Lillian made it to 20 as well (just shy of 21). The most recent cat we lost, Lou, was just 2, and had health problems from the moment we rescued her as a very sick stray kitten. No matter how much (or how little) time we have with them, it is a precious gift. 💛🫂

Jo@artsyjo· May 22

Little cutie 🥰 #catsky

Beatrix the tortie cat peers over the side of her cat tower. Her little paws are folded under her chin, and the white patch under her chin makes it look like she’s smiling.

Jo@artsyjo· May 21

The teen made this delightful little house in his high school ceramics class 🥰