Cats, Cats, Cats
Every so often, my newsletter will share a cartoon that I drew in the previous week that I love, but that The New Yorker didn’t want to buy. The above drawing is one such example.
I have had cats all my life. One after the other. My first was named Sam, an orange cat I adored, then Kiki, a very fancy persian mix, got me through highschool. I won’t go through all of them, don’t worry. But now, I have three—actually, my husband and I have three cats. Two are elderly cats named after former Yankees, Melkie and Mo. One is named after my uncle and grandmother, Willie. We found Willie as a stray 4 week-old kitten, and while I was the first person to hold him, he only has eyes for my husband. He hisses and growls at me and runs away from me every time I walk into the room, as if I am going to murder him with a hatchet.
So, while I am not sure “vindictive” describes Willy, I thought of him when I drew this cartoon. I just love the sound of the word vindictive.
This cartoon was submitted twice to The New Yorker and twice they rejected it. This is the nature of the work I chose to do: a lot of rejection. But I am glad I have this outlet to share my rejects with you!
The atrocities inflicted on the Ukraine people are horrifying, and we will remember this time. Where were you when you heard about how Putin and his army randomly slaughtered innocent people? I am aware that this is not the first such war in my lifetime, but it is what we have now. I don’t know what I will draw, I have done some Ukraine drawings but am compelled to do more. Drawing political cartoons for me sometimes takes time.
Tomorrow I am headed to California to visit family and I plan take some time off. I will do my cartoons for the week, but I plan to slow down. It’s hard for me to do, I am far too addicted to work! To entice myself to stop worrying about work, I bought a new novel, hoping it will engulf me in a world outside of my own. I chose a genre I love: epic fiction set in India. It’s called The City Of Good Death, by Priyanka Champaneri.
I have high hopes it will take me away, the reviews are great.
More soon….
My new book is available everywhere! But you can get a signed and personalized (with drawing) copy at my local indie bookstore, go here.
Thank you Liza. Your cartoons bring humor which helps sustain us in these times. Your thoughts and insights on the world, big and small, are of great value.
Enjoy your well earned vacation.