Holiday planning

     They're calling for snow tonight.  Apparently 2 -5 cm, they're calling it the first "significant snowfall" of the season.  Please, I was born and raised in the Maritimes, I'd hardly call 2 -5 cm significant, in fact, don't talk to me about significant until we're well into the double digits.  In any case, I think it's the impending snow that's got me thinking about the Holidays.  And as usual, the conversation around the house has turned to what we each want for Christmas.  It seems as we get older, we have a harder time answering that question.  I usually want something useful, like some extra art supplies or maybe some clothing I might need.  And Misty, well, she's the same way.  We're pretty much minimalists, so we really don't like to have a lot of "stuff" around the house (Misty abhors clutter of any kind).

​     One thing we do both love though is Baby, our kitty.  He's a furry little ball of cat-itude.  He's fiercely independent and the most stubborn beast I've ever encountered.  He acts more like a cross between a human and a dog than an actual cat.  And he's certainty not cuddly.  I'm used to cats that climb in your lap, content to sit there and be stroked for hours on end.  Not this guy!  He might let you cuddle him, for a second, if he's in the mood, but that's it.  On the other hand, he insists on being no more than 10 feet from us at any given time during his waking hours and he's into everything, especially things  he has no business being into. 

​     With all that said, he's more Misty's cat than mine.  I love him, but he's chosen her as his human.  I usually get up in the morning before her and the minute I'm out of bed, he jumps in, walks over her to get nose to nose with her.  I think he's checking to see if she's still breathing.  Then, he makes himself comfy and sleeps beside her until she gets up.  And when she gets up, he follows her around the house for about 30 minutes.  After that, he seems content to keep his 10 foot distance, unless of course, there's food or something he wants to get his nose into.  So being her cat, I thought a really nice Christmas gift for her would be a painting of Baby, painted by, of course, yours truly.  I normally don't plan my pieces, as you know, but for a special occasion, I can.  And it's not like I'm running out to paint it today, I'll let it simmer in the back of my mind until the inspiration hits me.  I want to do something that captures his essence and might base it off of one of the zillions of pictures we've taken of him.  I've narrowed it down to 3 thus far, the one above, which is sweet baby kitten Baby at about 8 or 9 weeks.  He looked so innocent.  Or there are these two:
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  I'll call these options 2 and 3, respectively.  These capture his current looks and personality along with his love of boxes (don't worry, I don't pack paintings with these boxes, I have my packing boxes hidden is a closet).  At the moment, I'm leaning toward a piece based on option 3.  I think it's the eyes, they're so expressive in the picture, it's like he's saying, "I dare you to even think about taking this box from me."  Oh, and shhhhhhh, this is meant to be a surprise, so don't tell.