Mr. P I was Honoured...

My lovely friend Hanna who is very involved in all sorts of amazing art as well as all sorts of amazing animal rescue efforts has curated an amazing show for her gallery in Tokyo. I happily participated! The show is of artist designed T-shirts, the theme is cats and dogs, the proceeds of the show will be donated to an animal shelter that Hanna has teamed up with in Tokyo. All around a very great and fun project!



My t-shirt is dedicated to a very important cat in my life. I will say that I have learned many amazing lessons from animals that, for me, hold far more significance and poignance than lessons I have learned from non-furry beings.




Mr. P was an amazing cat. A big boy with beautiful markings and an air of intelligence and concern that was quite unlike any other cat I have ever met. He was not won over easily. It was very important for me to be his friend and he insisted it would be on his terms.

I love cats! On the street, at people’s homes, on TV anywhere – KITTIES! I want to squish them, squeeze them and smell their fur. Yes, I turn into a three year old when I see a cat. Most cats do not like this… Mr. P did not tolerate it at all…

“The Little Prince” has been a guidebook to life for me since I was very young. Much too young to understand most of the analogies, it holds a lot of weight and significance for me. Mr. P taught me one of the most important lessons in that book. The lesson the Fox teaches the Little Prince.

The Fox encourages the Little Prince to “tame” him. This takes patience, the building of trust and time. The reward is that once you have invested the patience, building of trust and precious time, you now have something that alters how you view life all because you now you have “tamed” this other being. I knew my reward had come when, after several months, Mr. P jumped into my lap and, looking at me directly in the eye, sat down.

The Fox and Little Prince's story goes a little further and so does Mr. P's and mine... In the book, the time comes for the Little Prince to leave. The Fox is sad because he now has a great love for the Prince. The Prince gets upset and asks, “Why did I bother, if it causes such pain?” The Fox sums it up by saying, “Wheat fields will never be just wheat fields to me anymore, they will remind me of the colour of your hair - then I will be happy.”

Mr. P had to leave. He’s been gone for over a year now, but I’ve taken so much from the lesson he taught me. Things have never looked the same again because I have seen through his eyes and I spent time and patience and built trust with him – that created a whole new entity of love and experiences that was ours. I value those new little entities that I create with others everyday that alter my ways of thinking and the paths I take. Little things always hold the most significance…




All that in a t-shirt!? Seriously – I put all that into the crocheted stitches in my t-shirt for Mr. P! Mr. P - I was truly, deeply honoured!


A message to Cal at Hodge Podge Farm – my next post will be about my visit to Hodge Podge headquarters! My Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival project is coming along wonderfully. Thanks to my “…into the whirled” roving. Here is a picture of my first skein: