More Smiles and More Tears: Caturday Art and Sunday Selfies

Greetings, Effurrybody

It seems there is no end  to the Sorrows besetting Us. Scarcely had We written last week's blog post in which We bade a sad farewell to Winston, when the furry next day, We learned that yet another beloved kitty, sweet, gentle Dolly from the Brian's Home Blog had been called, most unexpectedly, to the Rainbow Bridge. It was a Terrible Shock to Us, and even more so for her grieving pawrents and her fursibs. We are sure most of you have already been to leave your Condolences, but if not, be sure to do so - and to wish Dolly's Cat Daddy, Terry, a full and swift recovery from the emergency surgery he had the furry next day.

It feels somehow out of place to switch so suddenly to one of the most joyous holidays in the Mewish calendar, but this Thursday (or Friday, for those of us who live in Jerusalem) We celebrate Purr-im, when We are commanded to rejoice and be merry. We usually have a Big Pawty in the Enchanted Forest, as you know, but this year,  We are too sad for that, with all the Bad Things that have been happening this month (which isn't even half way through) so We shall celebrate quietly, en famille.

We are, of course, taking part in the weekend blog hops - the Caturday Art blog hop, hosted by the Wise and Beautiful Athena and her HuMum, Marie. and the Sunday Selfies blog hop, hosted by the Effur Unpredictable Kitties Blue and their HuMom, Janet.

Since Thursday, as We mentioned, is Purr-im (as well as being St. Patrick's Day, for those of you with the Luck of the Irish), instead of picking just one of Us to repurresent the J-Cats in the bloggie hops, each of Us has contributed a selfie, and We have even consented to appear in Fancy Dress, as is the custom at Purr-im, in the artified versions.

So let's start with Queen Trixie (ladycats furrst, naturally).

Trixie is dressing up this year as Queen Esther. A Queen is always a Queen, after all! She does it with real style, don't you agree - although she flatly refused to let Mummy put a dress on her!

We used LunaPic's Floating art filter, at 45%, for the artification process.

Next up is Caspurr.

Caspurr, who keeps forgetting Miaow Like A Pirate Day until it's too late, decided that this year, he would be sure to make up for it at Purr-im.

So here is a pawtrait of the Pirate King - with a little help from Lunapic's Devilish filter at 70%, overlaid with the Dark filter at 45%.

Last - but by no means least - is Shimshi, Our Little Purrince.

In his capacity as Master of the Queen's Mischiefs, it is Shimshi's job to keep Us all entertained even when We are feeling distinctly Down in the Dumps, rather like the Court Jester in mediaeval European courts. Shimshi took his job description as ins-purr-ation and this (using LunaPic's Brave filter at 65%) is the result:

Next, We must add the bloggie hop badges:

                    

Last, but by no means least, a word or two about the Evil Mutant Ninja Coronavirus. Mummy still thinks the daily number of new cases is too high to get back to normal, but She hopes to resume attendance at the rehearsals of her Caterwauling Club after Purr-im. However, now there is another worry. Last week, a case of polio was discovered in Jerusalem, for the furrst time in about a zillion years. About 98% of the population is vaccinated (including Mummy, of course) but this was a four-year-old whose parents, apparently, refused to have their child vaccinated. 

If it's not one thing, it's another, Mummy says!

Be well. Be safe. We love you all.