March 2026 – a curious nature

National Respect Your Cat Day

March 28, 2026

**Zentangle patterns: Zipper, Mekorna, Strutz, Wood Planks, Holink, and a wild assortment of Zentangle steampunk patterns and steampunk ideas.**

On March 28th, we stop pretending we’re the bosses and lean into the reality of National Respect Your Cat Day. On this National Day, acknowledge the truth: Your cat is better than you. Well? Someone had to say it! And if you don’t believe it, just ask your feline friend!

Do you ‘own’ your cat? Or does your cat ‘own’ you?

If you answered “Yes” to the first question, you may be utterly and completely confused about the subordinate role you play in the life of your resident feline. If you said “Yes” to question #2, and have willingly resigned to to being a pushover due to unconditional love, you obviously are an experienced cat chaperone.

If you’re contemplating becoming a first time cat owner, well, good luck and have fun! Oh, and here’s some tips not only for living happily with a cat, but perhaps there’s a few ideas for all feline chaperones on how to celebrate National Respect Your Cat Day. These pointers will hopefully help you avoid catching a good swat in the process:

Keep an open door policy in your home. Once you acknowledge that a closed door (even a bathroom door) is a personal insult to a cat, you will avoid an irritable feline. Just because a cat is hanging out in a room for a long period of time doesn’t mean they want to stay there. They like to travel freely when they choose to.
Use a slow blink when looking at your cat. In their language, blinking slowly is the ultimate sign of respect, trust, and true friendship. If you encounter your cat while wondering through your house, stop and make intense eye contact, then offer him a slow-blink to maintain your friendship.
Respect the nap-zones. Cats spend up to 15 hours a day napping. Let them sleep where they want. If they fall asleep on your laptop, you obviously don’t need to check your e-mail. Are they sleeping on your lap? Moving before their nap is over will cause you to get claws poking through your jeans, causing the most hideous scratch. A cat knows their worth. Let them nap.
The petting rule. Know the difference between a “nice” pet and a “you can quit now” pet. If you want be sure your cat is up for some affection, we recommend petting the cat for about 5 seconds, then pulling your hand away. If your cat wants more, they’ll show you with a bossy nudge. If they want to be left alone, they’ll probably swat at you.
Say your sorry. Has your cat every fallen off of a counter? Did they look at you like you pushed them? Of course you did! Cats don’t just lose their balance. You’re the problem (even if you’re not). Just say you’re sorry so they can move on with their day.

Who was the creator of National Respect Your Cat Day?

No one knows for sure. The most likely possibility is this day was founded by a cat who learned how to type while its human fell asleep on the keyboard.

Afterward …..

In addition to owning our 9 year old pit/lab ‘puppy,’ Luna, Roy and I share our home with two 12 year old indoor cats, Odo and Dax, a brother and sister we adopted as kittens from a shelter in North Carolina. When we moved to New Mexico in 2017, both cats rode in the car with me. For four long days and 2000 miles across country, the three of us ‘enjoyed’ many boisterous sing-alongs and stimulating conversations! Roy’s journey was much more peaceful!

Over the last 53+ years we’ve joyfully chaperoned ten cats total. All wonderful, all different, all lovable and unforgettable! The names of those we hold in our memories were Popeye, Poopsie, Tails, Fishbait, Darwin, Grizzz, Newt (who was our sailor cat and Captain aboard the S.V. Waterdog), and T.O.O.

Now we have Odo and Dax to carry on their legacy, and with Luna (and Flambé, of course!) we love and adore them all!

Share you cat stories, and what you do to “Respect” your feline family!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Paradelle for Flo

A Poetic Medieval Adventure Birthday Card for Elaine

March 24, 2026

If you’ve followed my blog for a few years, you may recall an annual post in late February or early March featuring my handmade birthday cards with one of my poems created for my most excellent and dear friend Elaine. Because she loves goats, all of the cards I’ve sent her include a variety of my goat illustrations. No ‘kidding!’ And because she’s an extraordinary poet, I try my best to write a unique poem following the rules of a lesser known (at least to me) style, and reprint my words somewhere inside the card. My efforts at poetry are usually hilarious (I would never call myself a poet), but always prompts Elaine to write a fantastic reciprocal poem in the same style.

The major prompt I follow every year is simply …… Have Fun! But I strictly observe a few rules, or else! (Or else this annual project would take me half a year to complete!) Haha!

Rule 1: Think of a theme. This year I had castles on my mind (I don’t know why), so illustrations could focus on things Medieval. You know, towers and moats, knights and shields.

Rule 2: Find a style of poetry that would not only work with my theme, but has a high probability of generating a bunch of belly laughs while I wrote it and while Elaine read it. Next, write the poem. This year I chose to write a Paradelle (a parody on the Villanelle-style poem) that has high comedy potential. Also, the history behind the Paradelle was a hoot …. claiming to have been developed in the 11th Century (fitting my Medieval theme), but was actually introduced in the 20th Century (so I included the history behind the Paradelle in the card and below so you can read it for yourself).

Rule 3: Design and make an accordion card that would comfortably hold all the illustrations and the poem (and the history and rules of a Paradelle-style poem). Issue A ….. at this stage of the project, the illustrations and the poem were still vivid parts of my imagination. Exactly what would be an appropriately-sized accordion book? Hmmmmm? Issue Z ……. because I tend to have grandiose project ideas, the accordion book ended up being, well, grandiose! The outside cover panel was 9”x9” . and with two inside front-facing panels and a front-facing back panel, the entire length of the accordion book, unfolded, was nearly 3 feet long!

Rule 4: Complete the entire project during the first 3 weeks of February, allowing 1 week for mailing from central New Mexico to western North Carolina, arriving in time for Elaine’s birthday on February 28th (her birthday is actually on the 29th, but in years that don’t “leap” she always parties on the 28th). Not being able to complete the card until late the first week of March, I blew this rule, but did send her a ‘place-holder’ birthday puzzle of an underwater fantasy castle atop a sea turtle (alerting Elaine it contained an embedded hint of her actual “gift card” which finally arrived on 16th).

The following photos were taken of the pages from Elaine’s 2026 birthday card.

The cover panel, 9”x9”. I had to introduce a tortoise to tie together the card with the ‘place-holder’ gift she received in time for her birthday. Of course, a goat! Flambé approves!

The Medieval Castle from my imagination. This 4-panel castle took up the entire inside of the accordion card, measuring nearly 3 feet long. The two center panels are bisected to make room for more printed words and illustrations. In this illustration, can you find the goat? Elaine busily composing her Paradelle? Flambé?

This was the line work. I began by pencil sketching the top panel, but before that was finished, I buried my pencil and finished the rest in ink only. The entire structure, top to bottom, is mostly from my imagination; making it up as I went. At first it was scary, but then I just went for it without fear. It was great fun!

After the ink work was done, next came watercolor. I used a 12 half-pan set of van Gogh watercolors with a size 6 round brush for all the initial washes. Extra detail was then added with Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils and a water brush. The last step was to add extra shading with my neutral-colored set of Tombow dual brush pens which are water based and blendable. All fun!

This is -art of the center 2 panels underneath the castle. On the left is the humorous history of the Paradelle; on the right are the official rules you must follow when composing a Paradelle (should you wish to do so!)

This is the illustration under the right side flap under the castle. This is one of the Queen’s performers! This little guy works for goat-chow..

This is the illustration under the left side flap under the castle. This is the official banner bearer for the King when his Knights in Armor march off to battle. This little goat works for premium goat-chow..

The Paradelle for Flo layout, keeping with my Medieval theme.

The Final page as Flo (and Flambé) quietly says ‘good bye’

Elaine loved her birthday card! Can’t describe how much fun it was to create Paradelle for Flo for such a wonderful friend! Thinking up the idea, making the accordion book, creating the illustrations and writing the poem was a great way to spend 5 weeks! It turned into quite a satisfying challenge, as well as a learning experience when it came to mixing various medias together and bringing to life all the components into one card!

If you enjoyed Paradelle for Flo, you might enjoy this one too!

Chasing a Dream … a poet, a few goats, and a circular pantoum : March 3, 2023

I’d love your feedback! And as always, thanks for stopping by!

Davis Mountain Mock Vervain – Page 3 .. The 100 Day Project (2026)

March 23, 2026

Davis Mountain Mock Vervain (Glandularia wrightii)

This page shows samples from my specimen.. Although the flowers of my specimens are a purple-blue color, I chose to create the flower petals as reddish-pink; this color is also common.

This is a photo of the two flowers I sketched for my final painting.
The specimen on the left shows the upper part of the flower, the “limb” where 5 petals flair out from the throat ringed by fine hairs. The throat leads to the lower part of the flower – the floral tube (5 fused pale green petals). . Both upper and lower petals make up the flower’s corolla. Below the floral tube are 5 red tipped green sepals (collectively called a calyx) all fused into a cup shape. The specimen on the right is a dissected flower; 2 upper petals are removed, and the floral tube has been opened to reveal the reproductive parts. On the left side are 2 of the female parts of the pistil (pale green style supporting the 2-lobed stigma of the pistil; the ovary was not exposed). Two of the four stamens (male) lie in the mid- to upper right side of the opened floral tube; look for the bright yellow anthers, each sitting atop their own filament

Here’s Another Curiosity to Ponder: I wondered why this plant has 5 petals and 5 sepals but doesn’t also have 5 stamens, which is usually the norm in so many other 5-merous plant species??? Here’s what I learned:

Davis Mountain Mock Vervain (Glandularia wrightii) exhibits a common evolutionary trait in the Vervain (Verbenaceae) family where the flower displays a 5-lobed calyx of fused sepals, and 5 5-lobed petals which fuse into a tube (the corolla). This trait, commonly described as 5-merous, curiously has a reduced the number of functional stamens to four.

This reduction is due to an evolutionary transition from a 5-stamen ancestor. According to literature, the four fertile stamens I observed in my specimens are properly arranged in two pairs (didynamous), both neatly hidden in the floral tube beneath a ring of fine hairs. Also properly so, the filaments (the stalks that support the anthers) of the stamens are fused to the inside of the tube, and not easily teased free.

So apparently, many, many, many, many, Many hundreds of years ago, plants in the Vervain family “decided” having a 5th stamen was unnecessary. “We can do just fine without it, thank you.” Thru the process of evolution, that expendable #5 was ever so slowly reduced to a tiny non-functional structure (referred to as a staminode in modern botanical lingo), or was completely and totally lost, becoming only a memory.

Believe me, this species is an energetic producer of leaves, flowers and seeds. In my experience, Davis Mountain Mock Vervain seems to explode in masses of pink and purple flowers throughout spring, summer and fall, and can last thru winters that don’t freeze. It’s easy to understand why the species has no need of a 5th fertile stamen. Once the plant becomes established, it keeps growing and flowering and spreading, often to the detriment of other desirable plants. If it wasn’t so gorgeous at the height of bloom, it might be considered a weed!

But I’m reminded of the definition of a “Weed ….. a plant out of place.” So yes, you’ll find me actively weeding actively growing Davis Mountain Mock Vervain so my other native plants have a chance at life too!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Redstem Stork’s-Bill – Page 2 .. The 100 Day Project (2026)

March 20, 2o26

Redstem Stork’s-Bill (Erodium cicutarium)

An early draft of the page with actual plant parts

Constance’s Spring Parsley – Page 1 .. The 100 Day Project (2026)

March 18, 2026

Project Introduction

For the last few years my “someday” goal has been to create a nature field guide, of sorts, highlighting my many years of observations in the East Mountains of central New Mexico. Well, my “Someday” is officially here! Coinciding with the February 22, 2026 kick-off of the 100 Day Project¹ (Project), I began by committing an hour/day to developing that field guide as my project and immediately penciled out an outline and a few thumbnail sketches of a sample page. But, after retrieving my iNaturalist lists of East Mountains sightings I’ve made from home and during countless hikes, eliminating redundancies, and totaling up the individual species, my reported observations still numbered in the many hundreds. I would be working on this Project for the next five to six years!

Interlude

When we moved to the East Mountains in the summer of 2017, we quickly fell in love with the beauty of the wide open landscapes, the grasslands and woodlands habitats, the diverse populations of wildflowers and mammals, resident and migratory birds, and the insects and reptiles. So yes, nature is plentiful; species are many.

Now Back to the Project

Not to be overwhelmed (or defeated) by the potential magnitude of my Project, I decided to:

“Divide and Conquer” by focusing on a single location …. our current subdivision and surrounding area and trails; and
Prioritize quality over quantity by creating one page over two days, keeping each work session to one hour; and
Keep the Project motivating and interesting, by adding fun facts or other research tidbit about each species.

“These guidelines seemed more realistic,” I thought, with a cautiously optimistic chance of achieving my goal of creating a nature field guide.

So with that as an introduction to my Project, here’s Page 1 to “An Illustrated Guide to the Nature of Las Leyendas Subdivision & Environs, Tijeras, East Mountains, New Mexico” — with many more pages to follow. 🤞

Constance’s Spring Parsley (Vesper constancei)

An early draft of the page with live samples of this pretty wild parsley

¹ “The 100 Day Project is a free global art project that takes place online (https://www.the100dayproject.org/). Every year, thousands of people all around the world commit to 100 days of creating, and anyone can participate. The idea is simple: choose a creative project, do it every single day for 100 days, and document and share your process online. The most recent round of the Project began February 22, 2026, but any day is a great day to begin.”