Wine & Cheese and Ongoing Cat & Rat Story

Here is my latest work in progress. It is made of marble and is supposed to be a scene with wine and cheese on a table (I should use the tablecloth on my work table - very Italian) looking out the window. As usual, I'm great at the border, not too bad on the wine bottles, but confused about the rest of the mosaic. Does that really look like a block of cheese? Where does the sky stop and the table begin? Should there be greenery outside? A sun? This one is made on Hardibacker, and I'm using Lexel, so it will be fine to hang outdoors.

In making my wine mosaic, I find it's not easy to cut marble. A while back I made a stool top with marble and a kitty coaster. I use the stool in the studio. No cutting or keystoning was required. Just used large and small marble pieces. But this wine mosaic requires a lot of cutting, and it's a dangerous proposition! I have compound nippers that add power to the cut but they are also a bit scary to use! And if you don't hold them just right, the cut pieces go flying or you squeeze your hand with the handles.

In case you'd like a pair, you can buy them at amazon.com for $15.38. I believe I paid quite a bit more when I bought them at SAMA earlier this year. M-D Building Products #49943. I could probably do a better job with a hammer and hardie but...

And on the ongoing Cat and Rat story,  here we have Biscotti trying to find the rat. I believe the cats have found a nest because every day they bring in at least one small rat. Here the rat has gotten away from Biscotti and he's looking for it. I was able to save both rats yesterday, though I have mixed feelings. I really don't want rats in the yard or house, but the babies are very cute.

Last night there were four baby raccoons in the yard. First I hear them come over the fence and then usually pots crashing to the ground. But talk about cute!

Below is a picture I took a while back when this guy was extremely interested in everything going on in the house. Here he is just outside the kitchen door looking in at the cats on the other side of the glass door.