cat stahl @Onward Kitty

an editorially creative person. media writer. and onward kitty

[catstahl]

Buddha of Utmost Grace, Serenity, and Calm. For @alexatyou and his aesthetics treatment space. Good juju. With the utmost love and gratitude. Acrylic, oil pastel and charcoal on 2ft x 3ft board #positivevibes #buddha #calm #serenity #acryllic #art #goodjuju #aesthetic #treatmentroom #esthetician

[catstahl]

portrait of Diego. nine years-old. Aquarian. fiercely loving and attentive amidst the confines of captivity. intensely disloyal and prick-ish when front door accidentally ajar. Houdini complex. Acid reflux sufferer. eschews all medicines. bites the hand that feeds him. #diego

[catstahl]

calm and serene look good on her. i always want my Buddha’s to bring a sense of peacefulness and contentment to a room. i absolutely love her! but she’s no longer mine. she is enroute to her new home with redhd_kk in Minneapolis. acrylic on 2 ft by 3 ft board. #buddha #serene #floral #mala #bindi #acryllic #painting #art

[catstahl]

The Answer My Friend is Blowing In The Wind. The Answer Is Blowing In The Wind: This man works for the City of Reno. As I write, he is outside my front door spraying Roundup on weeds. To me this is concerning enough. Factor in it's 2 p.m. and there are lots of people (to include children, babies, the elderly, myself and my dog) out and about walking. Ducks, geese, and birds feeding and resting mere feet from where he sprays. This man no sooner sprays a bush then an unwitting dog owne...r walks past and allows his/her animal to stop and sniff. I asked the man if he was spraying poison. He ignored me. I asked again and he replied "I'm spraying Roundup." I called the City and asked them to explain their logic of spraying poison with people and animals direcly underfoot. I was told "Roundup is not dangerous" and they have the official documents on file to support the claim (big money buys a lot of official documents and I don't, for a moment, believe Roundup is not harmful to anything other than weeds. Bullshit). I am far from a bleeding heart. Like many people...I have turned a blind eye to things like this because I didn't 'know what to do. It's easier to do nothing rather than something. As well, I dont want to be one of those people shouting about the ills of the world...but I tell you...poison is poison. Do not be fooled or lulled into complacency. Roundup DOES affect you and your family. It is killing our weeds, yes... but it is also killing our bees and sickening both animals, people, and YOU. This is not acceptable. What's a weed compared to this? #downwithmonsanto #roundup #poison #bigmoney #unpopularpost #werekillingourselves

[catstahl]

#mexicanroses for my friend @redhd_kk

[catstahl]

homage to the trees and the birds. you are my heroes #forestbathing #homage #trees #birds

[catstahl]

she’s so zen. buddha with the blue bindi. acrylic on 2 ft X 3 ft wood board. let me know if i can paint one for you #iloveher #buddha #zen #acrylicpainting #bindi

[catstahl]

tall drink of water: the moment she walked into the room, I spotted her. she’s effortlessly iconic #blonde #icon #her #labelsconsignment @blythee_mae (thank you for the intro. xo)

[catstahl]

The Unsinkable Georgia Brown Gardner They say resilience is one of the top characteristics of a successful person. Get knocked down. Get back up. Never quit. Perhaps no one personifies this more than Georgia Brown Gardner. ... No stranger to tragedy, and in-spite-of great sadness and devastation, Georgia remains optimistic, hopeful, and earnestly vibrant. She is noticeably unmarked. Without any hint of bitterness or poor me-isms. Georgia is unsinkable. Which makes her remarkable. (But she don’t know it.) In January 2009, Georgia’s husband, best friend, and partner of 30 years dropped dead of an undiagnosed enlarged heart. Georgia and her three children, Coy, Joe, and Jessie were in shock; it was so unexpected. Grief-stricken and in disbelief, Georgia picked herself up, got a job, and went to work. Four years later, in March 2013, Georgia’s 34-year-old daughter, Coy, was found dead by her 6-year-old son, Cole. Dead of an opioid overdose. Unbelievably, two months prior, Cole’s father died in the same manner. Stranded in Oregon with no family present, Cole became a ward of the state. Numerous wildly expensive and exhaustive court hearings later, Georgia Brown Gardner, then 63 years old, became both mother and father to her grandson. Today, five years later, their lives are full of baseball, baseball, basketball, basketball, and baseball. Cole is 11 years old and in the 5th grade. He is athletically inclined, determined, well-adjusted, happy, and thriving. He has many friends, is involved in lots of activities, and receives much love and support from his maternal aunts, uncles and cousins. And Georgia Brown Gardner is Cole’s biggest fan, beside him every step of the way. Either in the stands cheering him on or in the garage filming his daredevil stunts. Theirs is a huge love. Evident by his comments on a recent day. “When I am a famous MLB (Major League Baseball) player…I will take care of you Grandma.” He is unsinkable #buoyant #triumphant #unsinkable #resilience #getup #opioidepidemic #nevergiveup #shesamazing #remarkable #hero

[catstahl]

This was not the photograph I originally earmarked for this piece. But this 100 percent captures the subject as she earnestly is. Adorable, seemingly happy and playful. World meet Tuoy (pronounced Twee). My Vietnamese nail salon technician. Her American name...a name she personally chose...is Tina. On one of her first US outings, Tuoy’s husband took her to a casino where she noted a slot machine called Texas Tina. “Tina” she said “is my new name in my new country.” And thus she set about learning English here and there, and from her clients. I asked what brought her to the US. Her husband, she said, moved from Vietnam to the US at age 12. Born to an American soldier and a Vietnamese mother during the Vietnam War. Her husband’s father was deployed elsewhere and to this day...no one knows his name. As a result, her husband, branded a half-breed, was ridiculed and punished by the North. So much so that the American government gave Tuoy’s husband and his mother asylum in the United States. Years later...on his first trip back to his homeland, Tuoy’s husband visited family and went swimming at a local community pool. Where he serendipitously met Tuoy. Together they have two children. Twon (who lamented his Vietnamese name as a curse until his mother assured him it was a beautifully strong and gifted name). And Victoria. “Victoria” said Tuoy. “An American name. Because I didn’t want another child to go through the ridicule my first child did.” #Tuoy #American #Vietnamese #Vietnam #nails #nailsalon #texastina #northvietnam #unitedstates

[catstahl]

Can you imagine...there was a time she hated her hair and curvaceous body. Yet she is perfectly perfect. I Iove this girl because she questions the rules...the norms. And absolutely refuses to succumb to society’s rules and regulations #bravo #curlyhair #curlyhair #sexy #onward #kitty #shesamazing

[catstahl]

Beauty and The Least: Janet Dewitt, R.N., B.S.N., MEP-C, is an Aesthetic Nurse Specialist for Louis Bonaldi, M.D. at the Center for Plastic Surgery in Reno, NV. She is an award-winning Allergan Injectables Trainer and ranks #1 in Allergan (makers of Botox and Juvederm) sales for Northern Nevada. She places an amazing 253 out of 18,000 nationwide. If you live in this area and use injectables, chances are Janet has worked on you (or taught the person who does.) She’s that good. That in demand. And, she’s booked out for weeks. Down-to-earth, unaffected, and with an exceptionally realistic and healthy attitude on aging… her choice of profession could be considered a bit ironic. Whereas Barry Manilow writes the songs that make the whole world sing…this woman rights the wrongs the whole world sees. I asked Janet to imagine she has everyone’s attention. What is her message? She didn’t hesitate. “YOU are beautiful.” (She means it!) “Know you are beautiful. Quit being so hard on yourself. Don’t compare yourself to others. Realize that genetics play a huge part in your appearance and in the aging process. Everyone is different. Genetics is a deck of cards and we are ALL dealt a certain hand.” “Aesthetically speaking, some of the most beautiful people are never happy. No matter the procedure or outcome. They are in search of an elusive perfection. People who are less genetically blessed, according to current beauty standards, are often very pleased with even the slightest improvement.” I wondered if the current obsession with youthfulness and appearance has to do with the meteoric rise of self-promotion and social media? “No” said Janet, matter-of-factly. “This has been going on since the first man divorced his wife and married a much younger woman.” #allergan #botox #juvederm #bonaldibeauty #centerforplasticsurgery #janetdewitt #injectibles #plasticsurgery #plasticsurgeon #plastics #beauty #aging

[catstahl]

Life is challenging and tricky enough WITH the support of a stable environment and a loving mother. I can’t imagine where I would be sans the guidance of my mom. I owe everything I am...to her. To this day, she affects everything I do and the decisions I make. There was a time, Gloria Steinem, exhorted my generation to leave behind the notion of motherhood and sacrifice in order to embrace sexual freedom, expression, career, and independence. As a result, today, we are paying the price. Fragmented families equal fragmented society. Nothing is more sacred nor important than bringing forth life and responsibly and selflessly rising to the occasion #love # mother #my generation #everythingiamiowetomymother #gloriasteinamiswrong

[catstahl]

Big Mike. One of the hardest working people I’ve ever met. Like a machine. Goes from one full time job to the next. Back to back. Takes immense pride in what he does and makes sure to do it right. He also makes sure you do it right. No slacking. Intensely private, I asked where he was born and he said “everywhere.” I asked about the most amazing thing to ever happen to him and he told me to come back. He wanted to think on the question. I inquired a second time...and he was ready for me. It was more personal and sacred then I imagined. “I was 8 years-old and lived in Vegas. My father lived in California and came to get me for a visit. California has the ocean. I had never seen the ocean. My father took me to a place where we climbed big rocks. My father jumped from the rocks into the water and I jumped into the water right after him.”

[catstahl]

as the storm approached, the trees bid the crows take sanctuary. they landed by the dozens and turned face to the wind. in spite of the apparent adversity #nevada #storm #crows #adversity

[catstahl]

He works hard for the money: Josepho. One of the least celebrated, least paid, least status, least appreciated jobs in the restaurant industry...has to be the dishwasher. He or she is but a cog in the wheel. Hard working, tireless, and often ignored. It can be a thank less job. Bravo the people with the dish pan hands. Hustling for a better life #dishwasher #restaurant

[catstahl]

adrift in waves of tumultuous tufted clouds, the sky beckons to the earth. see me