Merry Christmas from the Stupa Cats

From the Stupa Cats to You,

Meow Meow to you dear Sangha friends. And purr purr too! We want to thank all of you who have brought food or sponsored food for us, the Stupa cats.

It makes us so happy that everyday we get a nice hearty breakfast in the morning, and then a yummy dinner at night. And of course, when our friends the feral cats are around, they join us too.

We know because of you this delicious food is there for us. We send you many meows, and purrs, and our thanks too.

We wish you a wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year.

Thanks again,
love and meows meow meow to you!

By way of explanation, the temple has ended up with feral cats who hang out by the stupa (and the warm cars). Some of them are hardly feral anymore, petable, though they object to other handling. The nuns capture and have them spayed/neutered whenever possible, and mom bought them a little house so they can stay warm. And, as their thank you note states, they're fed twice a day.

Cute. I remember looking at the little kitty house last year and thinking, "I like these people."

Kaplah! Paint has been achieved.

Kaplah! The room is painted.

Well. Half painted.

One half is white, one half is ... the brown remainder of the wallpaper looks like a cardboard box. But the painted half looks great.

Have been at S.'s house this last week while his Chinese grandmother's been out of town. I've mentioned his horrible wallpaper.

S.'s grandmother is coming home DAYS early, so we scrambled to at least finish the half of the room that had been stripped.

The wallpaper's more than just ugly. It's a little boy's wallpaper. And S. is a grown man stuffed in this box of a little boy's room. It doesn't help [insert complicated explanation of family, inheritance, the fact he owns the townhouse but his grandmother lived there years before he moved in last year fresh from college] that he's living with his elderly grandmother who sees him as a little boy -- and drives him batty.

Little boy room + grandma = talk about sending the wrooooooong signal.

So this is about more than just removing ugly wallpaper.

The pink underneath was even worse. Great. Not only is it a little boy's room, deep down underneath, it's an emasculating little girl's room. Which describes his relationship with his grandma to a T.

Now it's at least halfway to being a man's room.

It looks pretty damned good if I don't say so myself.

Can't wait till we can finish the rest. He's left out all the painting supplies to send the signal that she's interrupting the project, in hopes that she'll change her mind and decide she wants to go to the resort this weekend after all.