Considering his initial feelings about cats, hubs has come a long way. This is in no small part due to Kat herself... she refuses to be ignored or disdained. She enjoys spending time with both of us, and likes to park herself right next to hubs, in this case... literally under his feet!

The former "Mami, if you ever get a cat, I'm moving out" husband person now makes sure Kat gets her own tiny bowl of ice cream.

Putting up a couple of new solar panels on the cottage, along with a fresh new lithium iron phosphate battery for each! Also, a whole mess of new wiring, regulators, inverters, chargers, a new hot water heater, all kinds of stuff I now need to learn the mechanics of to use and maintain... gah.

Today's pottery is from Taylor, Smith & Taylor. The shape is "Paramount" and it's a syrup jug! Very interesting shape, with a pierced handle. There is an English pot of very similar shape, also with a pierced handle, by Grindley. Lot of copying and borrowing going on back then!

Jabba the Glutt... Kat contemplating her toes. Before I got her, I swear I never saw a cat sit like this. This is a variation on the usual, normally there's a leg splayed out to each side. Not sure if the protuberance on the other side is tail or leg!

Here's some interesting wares. Brayton Laguna... some of the very first solid color California dinnerware!! I have a vague recollection of seeing it described as "ram pressed", and I do think there looks to be a lot of hand-finishing going on. They look like studio ware to me. Circa mid-Thirties.

Things you didn't know about me #2503 - I used to have a pet tarantula, a Mexican Red Leg. Did you know that males can live 5-10 years, and females can live 25-30 years!? I had Fang for nine, she was full grown when I got her. Nothing better for keeping landlords out of your apartment...

My lovely, luminous kitteh! Yeah, I really do think just about all cats are beautiful but I can't help but be just a bit partial to my gorgeous queen. Or perhaps it's just that my phone cam flatters her. She's glowing!

A lovely FaceBorg friend sent me this marvelous teapot from his company, China Specialties. In conjunction with Hall China, he produced some limited editions of their vintage wares. The color is a sort of dark teal, with platinum/silver accents.

Upside-down Kat. She was airing the third day we had her! I didn't know then just how comfortable it meant she was with us, just that her silliness enchanted me.

Gonna be MIA quite often over the next month or so... family coming in from outta town, back and forth to island cottage, and I'm fumbly and inept on my phone. It will all be good (I hope) and I'll be back on track with Daily Kat and pottery (except for most weekends over the summer) soon!

Today's vintage teapot was made by Hall China. This is an individual sized pot, apparently part of a "breakfast set".

Madame Twinkletits posing for PlayCat. Boom-chicka-meow meow!!!

Another vintage pottery teapot from the "Unknown Maker" category. I really like this one... I've never seen another and there are no marks, but it feels like US made, likely an Ohio maker. Nice lines.

Enjoy this big fat Kat butt. Pre-hork grass munching session in progress.

Ermahgerd. Off the deck just now. Snuck out back door to snap them. They looked at me. I looked at them. Got a head shake. Gave back a stamp. They bounded off whuffing, tails high!

I lit the fridge all by myself in less than five minutes without blowing anything up! Got the stove lit too.

Off to my Happy Place! Hubs can't overnight it, but I will stay, marooned on island with the bugs and boats and buoys. Gonna spend the time in the cottage cleaning away the depredations of winter by day, and listening to crickets and dodging 'skeeters by night.

When your life is such that finding Kat hork on the lino instead of the carpet is a great start to the day.

Very simple little Bauer Pottery plainware coffeepot, one of the ones I regret parting with. It's an individual size, perfect for a breakfast tray. Probably circa mid-Thirties, and not too easy to find these days. Pricy little beasties, too!

Basket o' Kat! The only thing giving away the position of her head is the tip of an ear. I do not know why she prefers the constriction of this tiny basket to being able to stretch out. She spends HOURS in this thing! Silly gurl.

Shawnee Pottery "Wave" teapot from the early 40s. Unlike many of their other teapots, this one is from a line of kitchenware which includes a sugar and creamer, utility pitcher, grease jar, and a salt and pepper range set. Also made in pale green and yellow.

HEEELLPP MEEE, I'M MELLLLLTTTINNNGG! Poor Kat. She and I are in a hot house, it's 88F in the kitchen and we're limp as dishrags. Dad's prolly gonna come home and put in the window unit, so I just cleared out the area around the window. Thank goodness *I'M* not wearing a fur coat!

Offering a rather rustic stoneware teapot tonight. This one is definitely an "everyday" type, thick and heavy, and if you look close, you can see it's loaded with little flaws like glaze pops, tiny fissures, missing spots of glaze, dripping, etc. Unknown maker, but IMHO, similar in quality to McCoy.

Pretty in pink! My sweet tortie gurl. I think the shedding is finally slowing down, and hopefully she's now ready to deal with the warmer weather. Lots of sleeps!

Something different today. Flow blue Wheeler China "La Belle" platter with squeezebag decoration. Isn't she just beautiful!? She would just have been lost in the chaos here, so I found her a marvelous home with someone who would add her to a gorgeous display of similar platters.

Unhinged kitteh! Nap and brushing today. And when Dad came home, she got her wish to go outdoors. This old girl is about 13.5 right now, and she walks around all humpy-backed and plodding like an old lady. But if she's on the floor and the treat bucket comes out... she is on springs! Faker.

Marvelously embossed little open sugar bowl by Homer Laughlin. This shape is called "Orleans". This line of dinnerware was produced starting in the very early 30s for Woolworths, with both decal treatments and solid colors. Solid colors had art glazes, and were marked "Antique" on the bottom.

Leave a drawer open just. one. time... yup. Of course I left it open all the time after this, and put a nice towel there to catch all the shed. Don't be fooled, though... she's not really sleeping. Nope. Look at the satellite ear.

Havin' to beg boat rides to get to our Happy Place, we take what we can get! Five hours was enough time to learn our new water connection, check pipes for leaks, take off door and window covers, get the golf cart running, cut enough grass to reduce tick exposure, clean up some mouse shit, etc.

Princess is playing games. She used to like a certain flavor of Aldi cat food. Then she got tired of it, but ate the SAME flavor in Fancy Feast. She got tired of that, too. Yet another brand, same damned flavor, she eats that. I don't think she's picky after all, just susceptible to food boredom.

Vintage Vernon Kilns "Chatelaine" sugar and creamer, designed by Sharon Merrill. This line of dinnerware was made in a pale green and ivory with hand-colored leaves, and some solid colors. Solid colors seem harder to find. Plates were square, with leaves in the corners.

Miz Fuzzymuzzle, looking stunning, as usual! Well. Until you check out all the slobber from her licking her neck ruff. She heard there's a party going on tomorrow, though, so she'll primp a little before barging in. The tortie-tude is strong.

These mid-century mod lovelies were made by Laurel Potteries. Shape is Cerama-Stone, one of their last lines of dinnerware. Reports of lead poisoning from the glaze apparently dealt the company a blow from which they weren't able to recover. This blue is extremely hard to find.

Today's vintage pottery teapot is about 100 years old. Edwin Knowles, Maryland shape, "Old Rose" glaze Likely done in a yellow and a green too, maybe decals... but very, VERY hard to find regardless of treatment. This one was absolutely disgusting with nicotine stains and needed a peroxide bath.

Catshrimp. Keeping me from making the bed again. My gurl is looking rather svelte these days! In the 6+ years I've had her, she's trimmed down slowly but surely from nearly 16 lbs! I'm sure the vet will say she's still got a ways to go on her next visit, but to me... she's perfect.

Offering an interesting comparison. On the left, a "Swirl" Cameron Clay coffeepot from a group of wares collectively called "Sevilla". On the right is GMB/Franciscan "Coronado" coffeepot. I believe these both came out about the same time... but who may have copied who? No clue! Which do you prefer?

Great. Just great. The cat hork-hiding rug I got at the thrift a while back does SUCH a great job of hiding hork that I just stepped in some. This is Kat, trying very hard to keep from yowling with amusement at my annoyance. UGH.

So FINALLY finishing up dealing with insurance company on the Honda... a month and a half later. I don't think we were offered nearly enough for a vehicle in comparable condition and quality, but since it was a 2003 and OLD, we're SOL, despite how well we maintained it. It looked new. ::sigh::

Offering up a sugar & creamer set made by Hollydale Pottery in CA. They made a lot of great stuff, but didn't leave a lot of documentation. I have a "guru" who I hope will write a book some day with the results of all the research he's been doing! There is a glass version of these by Duncan Miller.

Ermahgurd, my darling tortie Kat was snoring so loud today. Such sweet little kitty-cat noises, and her eyes were twitching. She must be dreaming... I wonder what she dreams about. My snoozy old lady. So cute I can't stand it.

Haha... running out of saved teapot pics & am now having to descend into the Dish Dungeon for new subjects! Today's choice is a Vernon Kilns/Metlox Monterey teapot. Unmarked, but other pieces from the line have a Monterey backstamp. Some feel Laurel made these. Nifty Fifties, regardless of mfgr.

Kat, having a duuuurrrp moment. I love it when she does this. Like, she just had a deep, profound thought in the midst of her bathing, and it's holding her in thrall. I remember my grandfather giving the rear limb of any dog or cat he saw doing this a little tug, he was a closet ballbuster.

Red Wing "Streamlined" teapot, from a grouping within the Hostessware or "Plain" line of Gypsy Trail wares. Confused? Gypsy Trail was four lines of solid color dishes. Reed, Fondoso and Chevron wares were distinctive shapes. Most of Hostessware consisted of pieces without distinct commonality.

Another snoozy photo of Kat, on a different background. Looks like she's got whiskers coming out her neck! They don't feel like whiskers, guess they're some sort of long guard hairs. Or else she's getting old lady beard like momma. Whaddya think my chances are of sneakin' up on her with tweezers?

Today's teapot is one of my tangents. I love my US made teapots, but every so often I find a solid color vintage pot from elsewhere I have to have. I don't have many figurals, but here's one, a Cinderella Fairytale teapot by Ellgreave in the UK. A bit fussy, but kinda nifty. Different on each side.

Happy Caturday! Kat, doing what cats do best... taking a break from being all about her stomach to have yet another snooze. Seems cats are kinda opposite hoomins... while we're generally awake for about 16 hours and sleep for 8, they do it the other way 'round!

PotShot! Today's vintage teapot is another "one-off" by Shawnee Pottery somewhere in the 1940s. This one doesn't show up too often, and I have never seen it in any other color, either. A good sized pot, it may have come with a metal percolator to make coffee! Nice heavy stoneware.

Little Miss WTF Do YOU Want!? Her Floofiness was appeased with a bit of evil processed meat after I disturbed her slumber today. We turned heat off end of April; realized today we usually don't do so until end of MAY. We've had some cool weather. Snurgling in blankies keeps her nice and warm.

A couple of vintage pottery teapots for which I have never been able to determine a maker. Not sure quite how old they are, probably not as old as I'd like, but kinda neat. I suspect there may even be a size in the middle of these two. Also see them in pink, and maybe a green.