Why Does My Cat Do That?

February 17, 2016January 26, 2016 / Mary / Leave a comment

Why is the cat doing that?

We ask this question all the time in my house. We have two cats. One is a calm, loving lap cat. The other is a manic, race-around-the-house blur of fur who swings from the drapes, knocks over lamps, and creates general havoc. The funny thing is, these cats, both female, are litter mates, adopted together at 5 weeks old.

We were stumped, so we hit the books at the library to discover how to deal with our Tasmanian devil of a cat.

We found Cats Behaving Badly by Celia Haddon and learned some good tricks for dealing with a crazy cat. Turns out, most cats are simply responding to their environment. Indoor cats, which our two are, need to be kept busy. They are dependent on their human pets… um, owners, for all their activities. Some cats respond to a lack of stimulation by eating and sleeping and, consequently, gaining too much weight. Others misbehave in an attempt to break the boredom void. We have one of each.

The solutions? Provide vertical spaces such as tall cat condos or shelves for your cat to climb and perch on. Hide catnip mice (or just a little catnip) around the house and let your cat discover it. Cats love to hunt and their sense of smell is very keen. And the best thing? A good, old fashioned cardboard box. Cats LOVE boxes. Change the location and size occasionally and your cat will play happily for days.

Above all else, play with your cat. Cats need a toy that moves to engage their hunting instinct and that involves you. Throw that toy mouse. Dangle that string. Shoot nerf discs down the hall. (Yes, we do this.)

Need some more keep-the-cat-happy ideas? Try these titles:

The Secret Life of Your Cat: Unlock the Mysteries of Your Pet’s Behavior by Vicky Halls

Starting from Scratch : How to Correct Behavior Problems in Your Adult Cat by Pam Johnson-Bennett

Cat Sense : How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet by John Bradshaw

The Nine Emotional Lives of Cats : a Journey into the Feline Heart by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson

Cats on the Counter : Therapy and Training for Your Cat by Larry Lachman & Frank Mickadeit

How a Stuffed Bear Can Give You Tranquility

January 18, 2016December 16, 2015 / Mary / Leave a comment

Stuffed bears and other beloved toys certainly gave us tranquility when we were children, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about philosophy. I’m talking about Taoism. I’m talking, of course, about Winnie-the-Pooh.

Now what, I can hear you asking, does Winnie-the-Pooh have to do with tranquility, philosophy, and Taoism? The answers are revealed in Benjamin Hoff‘s The Tao of Pooh, a book of 158 pages that deftly explains the principles of Taoism and applies them to modern life using the seemingly-odd, but, ultimately, not-so-odd example of Winnie-the-Pooh.

Using excerpts from the Pooh books by A.A. Milne, Hoff makes Taoism approachable and easy to understand. It’s not just a deep Eastern philosophy for hermits and mystics! The tenets of Taoism can be incorporated into everyday life as Hoff illustrates via Pooh, a bear who exists very much in the now.

Using Pooh as his Taoist master, Hoff explores “the ability to enjoy the simple and the quiet, the natural and the plain” along with “the ability to do things spontaneously and have them work”. He uses the examples of Rabbit (Knowledge for the Sake of Being Clever), Owl (Knowledge for the Sake of Appearing Wise), and Eeyore (Knowledge for the Sake of Complaining About Something) to illustrate non-Taoist aspects of life, things that get in the way of happiness.

“When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike, and mysterious secret…: Life is Fun.”

And what are the lessons of Taoism?

Things Are As They Are.
Everything has its own Inner Nature.
Enjoy the Process.
Things just happen in the right way, at the right time. At least they do when you let them.

And so much more. This is a perfect read when you need some tranquility, perfect for those desiring some calmness, slowness, some quiet. And the book is fun. It reads easily, quickly, with humor, wit, and quotes from Milne’s beloved stories. It can’t miss and it doesn’t miss.

By the way, Pooh Day is January 18th (also the birthday of A.A. Milne). What better way to celebrate than by reading the Tao of Pooh and it’s companion book, The Te Of Piglet.

Memories of Norman Rockwell’s Christmas Book

December 25, 2015November 20, 2015 / Mary / Leave a comment

I was sixteen years old when Norman Rockwell’s Christmas Book was published. I was (and still am) a huge Rockwell fan and was delighted to discover this book under the tree on Christmas morning all those years ago.

I could write a book myself about how much I love this book, how I know every story in it by heart, how each of the 120 Rockwell illustrations are etched onto my brain. I still own it, and it’s a cherished part of my holiday.

I could never do justice to this book in a short blog post. Instead, I’ll let the world-famous authors whose works fill the pages speak for themselves.

The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike,
No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm,
So hallowed and so gracious is the time.
(Hamlet by William Shakespeare)

I am not alone at all, I thought. I was never alone at all. And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone.
(My Christmas Miracle by Taylor Caldwell)

No Santa Claus? Thank God he lives and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
(Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus by Francis P. Church)

My woods—the young fir balsams like a place
Where houses all are churches and have spires.
(Christmas Trees by Robert Frost)

“And so you see,” said Ursula, “I try to do a kindness in your name. And this is my Christmas present to you.”
(A Gift of the Heart by Norman Vincent Peale)

She felt uplifted by a great surge of wonder and gratitude and compassion and love. And she knew what it was. It was the spirit of Christmas. And it was upon them all.
(The Miraculous Staircase by Arthur Gordon)

And a final message for peace on Earth and goodwill toward all:

God rest you merry, Innocents,
While innocence endures.
A sweeter Christmas than we to ours
May you bequeath to yours.
(A Carol for Children by Ogden Nash)

Seriously Simple Holiday Dinners

December 16, 2015November 23, 2015 / Mary / Leave a comment

I don’t know about anyone else, but I normally have no time to cook dinner during a regular work week never mind a holiday week. The thought of preparing an elaborate holiday meal, in addition to all the shopping, gift wrapping, entertaining, cleaning –(Oh, my God, every obscure relative will be descending on me to critique my housekeeping!)–makes my brain shrivel and my knees buckle.

Fortunately, others have traveled this path before me and left a road map for breezing through the holidays:

Seriously Simple Holidays : Recipes and Ideas to Celebrate the Season by Diane Rossen Worthington.
Gift ideas, wine and cheese pairings, menus, Diane Worthington has it all covered from Rosh Hashanah to Thanksgiving to New Year’s.

The Ultimate Appetizers Book : More than 450 No-fuss Nibbles and Drinks, Plus Simple Party Planning Tips by Better Homes and Gardens. From super quick dips and snack mixes to elegant pastries and bite-size sweets, these no-fuss recipes will please any crowd.

Cocktails for the Holidays : Festive Drinks to Celebrate the Season by the Editors of Imbibe Magazine. Mix holiday drinks like a pro with the help of this book. It includes favorite seasonal recipes from bartenders around the world for every festive occasion.

Fix-it and Forget-it Christmas Cookbook : 600 Slow Cooker Holiday Recipes by Phyllis Pellman Good. If cooking holiday dinners wears you out, this book is the answer. Let your slow cooker do all the work. Prep it, forget it, and go join the party instead of slaving away in the kitchen.

Easy Entertaining : Over 250 Stress-free Recipes and Sensational Styling Ideas by Darina Allen. Short-cuts, tips, hints and general good advice for making your holiday easier. “Keep it Simple” is the motto of this book that will help you pull off a holiday party simply but in style.

Desserts 1-2-3 : Deliciously Simple Three-ingredient Recipes by Rozanne Gold. Three ingredients that yield fabulous desserts? Yes, indeed! The results are delicious and look like they took a lot more labor than they did. It’s a holiday miracle.

Fiction for Thanksgiving – A Delicious List of Novels

November 25, 2015October 21, 2015 / Mary / Leave a comment

Thanksgiving may not be as popular as Christmas for book settings, but there are stories out there that take place during this lets-get-the-family-together holiday. All the joy, drama, tension, and hilarity that can ensue is captured for your reading pleasure. (Though I’ll have to admit, I was somewhat taken aback at the amount of murder mysteries that are set during Thanksgiving. It makes me wonder what authors think about as they are sitting around the family dinner table eating turkey!)

Thanksgiving by Janet Evanovich
When Megan Murphy discovered a floppy-eared rabbit gnawing on the hem of her skirt, she meant to give its careless owner a piece of her mind, but Dr. Patrick Hunter was too attractive to stay mad at for long. Soon the two are making Thanksgiving dinner for their families.

Bittersweet by Susan Wittig Albert
It’s Thanksgiving in Pecan Springs, and China Bayles is planning to visit her mother, Leatha, and her mother’s husband, Sam, who are enthusiastically embarking on a new enterprise—turning their former game ranch into a vacation retreat for birders. She’s also looking forward to catching up with her friend, game warden Mackenzie “Mack” Chambers, who was recently transferred to the area. Of course, murder interferes.

The Cat Who Said Cheese by Lilian Jackson Braun
It’s Fall in Moose County and the Great Food Explo is underway! As veteran journalist Jim Qwilleran, aka Qwill, takes a class on how to make a turkey, hosts a cheese tasting, and participates in a bachelor auction, he also must trace a killer who has stuck twice and doesn’t plan to stop! Funny, cozy, and endearing, this is the 18th book in the popular Cat Who series.

The Diva Runs Out of Thyme by Krista Davis
Few can compete with Natasha Smith when it comes to entertaining, but her childhood rival, Sophie Winston, certainly tries. Natasha may have stolen the spotlight and Sophie’s husband but Sophie is determined to rob her of the prize for the Stupendous Stuffing Shakedown. She just needs the right ingredient. But Sophie’s search for the perfect turkey takes a basting when she stumbles across a corpse.

A Fatal Feast by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain (A Murder, She Wrote novel)
Jessica Fletcher would like to relax as Thanksgiving comes to Cabot Cove, but she’s hosting a bountiful dinner for an ever-growing guest list. She couldn’t be happier with the results-until she stumbles upon a body with a carving knife stuck in its chest…

The Ghost at the Table by Suzanne Berne
When Frances arranges to host Thanksgiving at her idyllic New England farmhouse, she envisions a happy family reunion, one that will include her long-estranged father. Cynthia, her sister, however, doesn’t understand how Frances can ignore the past their father’s presence revives, a past that includes suspicions about their mother’s death twenty-five years earlier.

A Quilter’s Holiday by Jennifer Chiaverini
For the Elm Creek Quilters, the day after Thanksgiving marks the start of the quilting season. This year, in keeping with the season’s spirit of gratitude, Master Quilter Sylvia Cooper is eager to revive a cherished family tradition. A recent remodeling unearthed a cornucopia that once served as the centerpiece of the family’s holiday table. Into it, each person would place an object that symbolized something he or she was especially thankful for that year. On this quilter’s holiday, Sylvia has invited her friends to continue the tradition by sewing quilt blocks that represent their thankfulness and gratitude.

Strangers at the Feast by Jennifer Vanderbes
On Thanksgiving Day 2007, three generations of the Olson family gather. Eleanor and Gavin worry about their daughter, a single academic, and her newly adopted Indian child, and about their son, who has been caught in the imploding real-estate bubble.

Thanksgiving in Connecticut by May McGoldrick (eBook)
After a four year absence, Paige Coleman decides the time has come to face up to her past when her quirky grandmother throws the mother of all Thanksgivings to celebrate her recent marriage to ‘younger man’ Ed Fenwick. But with former flame Stanley Fenwick, grandson of the groom, sure to be a part of every event, Paige must now protect her heart as well as retain her sanity, even as her matchmaker grandmother uses every resource at her disposal to rekindle old fires of passion.