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Posted on 4/27/2026 1:17:13 PM
By [email protected]
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RED DOT CAT GETS SOME DOTS Some cats -- unknown to me -- may be calm and placid. Red Dot is anything but calm. She demanded dots -- rudely, I might add.
So, she's got dots. I she happy? Absolutely not. "What are those? Eyeballs? Certainly not dots."
RED DOT CAT REJECTS DOTS "Send me back to Hair & Make-up. Right now."
Tune in again tomorrow (or perhaps the day after.)
Posted on 4/25/2026 1:51:46 PM
By Susan Gainen
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Truth: I dropped out of tap and ballet in about the 4th grade -- the class interfered with watching the Original Mickey Mouse Club -- the one with Annette Funicello. It wasn't until decades later that I finally connected (in my mind, not my body) with a style of dance that I would have loved: high kicking with taps like the Rockettes. Or just plain high kicks like the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. Fortunately for this road not taken, I was and continue to be too short for kick lines.
Posted on 4/25/2026 1:06:43 PM
By Susan Gainen
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April 25. When working with cats, the creative process sometimes gets wonky and often gets LOUD. This cat claims to be a "Red Dot" cat and has been caterwauling for 10 hours, demanding her dots. "Where are my dots? I demand my dots! By depriving me of my dots, you are discriminating against me. I'm calling my lawyer!"
While I applaud her request/demand for dots, she is being a bit pushy. Red Dots are whimsical, but who knows? She may get Red Stripes.
Tune in again tomorrow.
Posted on 4/20/2026 12:18:50 PM
By Susan Gainen
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I met Old Blue Eyes yesterday. He rolled into #liquitexmoldingpaste and three colors of acrylic inks. He is surrounded by reclaimed autoglass salvaged from my beloved Honda which was brutally murdered in a hit-and-run. I was not in the car. And, of course, he has glittery eyes.
He joins the owl "Grazin' in the Glass" in support of recycling and reclaiming autoglass. "Grazin" appears in my book, The Parliament of Owls, available at #theartshoppeatmidtownglobalmarket.
Quintessental #artfun.
Posted on 4/5/2026 11:58:49 AM
By Susan Gainen
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Not Striped Bass and a new life for applesauce tops
NOT STRIPED BASS & A NEW LIFE FOR APPLESAUCE TOPS
I am a proud and happy food demonstrator at Costco, which is an excellent job. Nobody yells at the Little Old Lady With Purple Hair who gives them food. People tell me how they use the products I'm demo-ing. I get to tell them that there is no law preventing them from using any of these products in any way they want (except felonies).
EXAMPLE: When working with several products in the "Meat Stick Family," I remind them that a meat stick is a sausage, and that, after snacking, they can use these in way that makes sense: crumble and crisp, then pour eggs on top; make tiny slices (cooked or not) and add to salads, mac and cheese, soups, stews, or wherever they'd put sausage. My favorite is for people responsible for entertaining small children: cut tiny dot shapes and make polka dot pizzas.
THE FIRST RULE OF ARTISTS AND STUFF: I'm also a proud and happy artist who cheerfully takes possession of things that would otherwise be discarded. Understand that artists are magpies. Should you have something of value to you, do not put it down in front of an artist at work, go away for an hour, and expect it to be in the same form as you left it.
ARTISTS RECYCLE STUFF INCLUDING APPLESAUCE & YOGURT TOPS: When I first saw applesauce and yogurt in plastic packages with colorful plastic tops, I knew that I could make a home for some of those tops.
SOME THINGS JUST DON'T BELONG IN LANDFILL.
