Rene, 48, is a Lesbian from Mercer County who wants to belong #AMPLIFY

  Name: Rene Age: 48 County of Residence: Mercer County, formerly Washington County Pronouns: Her How do you describe your identity? Lesbian Please describe your coming out experience. Where did you find support? What challenges did you face? I was in college and fell in love with a woman while I was engaged to a man. I (we) didn’t know […]

Review: KitNipBox Subscription Service is Fine, But Not Amazing

KitnipBox

A friend of ours who has some rescue kittens mentioned to us that she was using a monthly subscription service for cat toys and accoutrements. It is called the KitNipBox and it is basically a bunch of cat stuff in a box that you can order on a monthly or bimonthly schedule. She gave me […]

A Green Christmas (Inflatable) Tree for Ledcat

Neon Christmas Tree Pittsburgh

So up high on the hill in Elliott is a 22 foot high neon green Christmas tree. It goes up on Light Up Night and down after New Years. Best view is from the West End Bridge, but we can see it from our house, too. Read a blurb about it from 1999 and another from 2002. 

It was originally owned by Fred Niepp, a second generation neon maker. When he closed his Downtown shop and bought the house in Elliot, he took it up with him. He sold the house  and the new occupants continues the tradition of erecting the tree each year.

Ledcat looks forward to this each year – on Light Up Night, she peeks out the second floor window as soon as it is dark and says “There’s my tree!” She looks every night and is genuinely sad when the tree goes dark for the year – that the end of Christmastime for her.

Product Review: Ladybug Delightz Custom Pet Portraits & Animal Art

Review Custom Pet Art

Ladybug Delightz is a Pittsburgh based creator that offers custom pet portraits and animal inspired art. They specialize in prints, canvases, and slates with options for a realistic pet image or a pop art pet image. They have a range of ornaments with both pet themes and a terrific Pittsburgh print that pays homage to […]

Quick Q&A Maker Edition with 1Fly Chicken Creations #imi4holidays2018

1 Fly Chicken Creations

One of our favorite holiday traditions is the I Made It! for the Holidays market events between Thanksgiving and New Years Day. We love this nomadic indie craft marketplace! This year, they have two holiday events set up and the possibility of more. We always find something magnificent at these markets. I’m really glad that they […]

When The Ceiling Comes Tumbling Down

Last week started out tough. I was recovering from an asthma attack, trying to schedule carpal tunnel surgery, gearing up for the chaos of our roof being replaced and it was 89 bazillion degrees. That was Tuesday. Thursday night at 8:30 pm, I got a wake-up call about the challenges of the slow-moving state of […]

Further Adventures in Being Cat Ladies: Part Deux

When we last visited with our dynamic feline duo, Maylee and Mamma Mia, they had recently been reunited in our second bedroom after a seven week separation. Reunification went a little more quickly than we planned when Mamma Mia escaped our crate, dashed about the room, and landed under the red chair where Maylee had […]

Mamma Mia, Here We Go Again: Further Adventures in Being in Cat Ladies

Feral cats Pittsburgh

We did it. After seven weeks, we finally (re)trapped our feral/homeless female cat, Mamma Mia, and reunited her with her female bonded companion, Maylee. They are both in our second bedroom with access to food & water, comfortable temperatures, and no fears of being hit by a car, attacked by another animal, etc. They are […]

Is The Fourth of July the Perfect Holiday?

Perfect 4th of July

I have a half-dozen blog posts started, but lack the energy and attention to detail necessary to complete and publish that content. But I feel like lack of posting, this lag, each time I glance at the blog. So here goes something. I remember quite vividly as a child that the 4th of July would […]

Today, a Kitten Died.

This is a week of unrelenting intensity. Then a kitten died, practically in my arms. We’ve been feeding outside kitties during this brutal winter. We have a dog house filled with straw, we put out fresh water and dry food every day. Right now, our little visitors are Mamma Mia and her four kittens, Little […]