RIP Jimmy

Today we said farewell to Jimmy, my longtime painting buddy. I’m really going to miss him...he was such a special little cat. If you've read this blog for any length of time, you're probably already familiar with how much Jimmy meant to me. 

For years, he would come into my hobby space and either a) demand to be picked up and held or b) jump up into my lap himself. Once he lost the use of his back legs 2 years ago, he'd still come downstairs to squawk at me (he didn't meow like most cats) and tell me it was time to finish up. He definitely had a large personality!

Saying goodbye to Jimmy was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. It, however, was time and he let us know that he was ready. At least and Bogey are reunited at the Rainbow Bridge now. 🌈

Meanwhile, it seems that Gizmo has now assumed Jimmy's hobby-related duties. 😸

Of Cats & Miniatures

Just wanted to take a quick moment to show my recent barrier to a successful hobby session.

It’s only been recently that Gizmo has been jumping up into my lap while I’m in the basement. And when he’s adamant, one has no choice but to stop and give him the attention he needs. 

I’ve been inspired to work on some 28mm American Civil War figures; my first since the medical diorama I did back in 2013. I found a box of plastic infantry from Perry Miniatures while cleaning up.

I have a total of 18 infantrymen to paint, plus an officer, two sergeants, and two standard bearers. I’ve hit a bit of a snag but hope to be finishing these guys up by the end of the week.

Black Cat Appreciation Day

Happy Black Cat Appreciation Day!

I've mentioned this before in a few previous posts, but our black cat Jimmy loves going down into the basement while I'm working on miniatures. He'll either demand to be picked up and held, or squawk at me late in the evening and tell me that it's time for bed. It's been like this for two and a half years now.

Jimmy!

Jimmy's little routine has become a bit of a ritual and is now an expected part of hobby time. He did it again this evening without fail. I wouldn't trade this quirky little cat for anything!  

Bogey!

Gizmo! He's got quite a story & you can see it on Instagram at @GizmoOneLung.

We have two other cats, Bogey (who we adopted with Jimmy almost three years ago) and Gizmo (who we got just over a year ago). They'll both venture down into the basement but they don't really try to get my attention the way that Jimmy does.

Just another interesting part of working on miniatures in this house!