There was an old woman who rode on a broom,With a heigh, gee-ho, gee-humble;And she took her old cat behind for a groom,With a bumble, bumble, bumble. — From Gems from Mother Goose When Gems from Mother Goose came out in 1899, the standard witch description depicted an older woman (often with green tinted skin)
Articles Categorized Cats
How to Adopt a Cat & Communicate With It
June is Adopt-A-Cat-Month, which is a purrr-fect reason for me to blog about felines. Cat Adoption has multiple applications. Sometimes the cat adopts us, as our cat Hoku did when, as a kitten, he came to our patio door every night. Some cats are thrust upon us, as was the case when my daughter brought
TWO CAT TALES
Thursday, June 4 is Hug-A-Cat Day — which, according to Koa Kat, makes it the perfect time to tell two charming stories about cats. The Owl & the Pussy-Cat The Owl and the Pussy-Cat is a nonsense poem written by Edward Lear (1812-1888) and first published in 1871. The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to
It’s Adopt a Cat Month
Like many writers, I have a feline writing buddy. And what better time to talk about feline attributes than in Adopt a Cat Month. The American Humane Association adopted the slogan in 1975 as a response to the many kittens dropped off in animal shelters in the spring and summer months. Cats didn’t always have
WRITERLY CATS
Cats, readers, and writers just seem to go together. Before Big Box Bookstores and long before Amazon, cats used to be frequent residents in independent bookstores. Alas, the opportunity to scratch kitty ears at the cash register is gone, but readers still cuddle up with cats, as do writers. MARK TWAIN, American humorist, was particularly
Toilet Paper — Over, Under, or Just Right
As faithful readers know, I like to look up anniversaries of events that changed modern life. So imagine my delight when I discovered December 22, 1891 is the date Seth Wheeler received the patent for his toilet paper roll. I’m informing you now because life gets hectic that close to Christmas and you might want
Meet Hoku, My Diabetic Cat
I’m not sure if we adopted Hoku or he adopted us. He showed up on our back lanai (patio) one evening as a small kitten. He looked like a minature version of one of our cats. (At the time we had two cats, two dogs, and two daughters at home.) The girls dubbed him Son
Koa Cat’s Illustrious Ancestors
This is Koa Cat in her younger days and she’s about to get her 10 minutes of fame, because Koa provided today’s inspiration. Tuesday morning I was sitting in my garden while talking to my daughter via cell phone. Koa Cat was trotting around doing cat-like activities. Suddenly there was a distinct thump and Koa
HOW TO ORGANIZE THANKSGIVING DINNER
To aid in your Thanksgiving preparations, I have modified a schedule I first heard in home economics class shortly after the pilgrims invented this annual feast. Are you ready? T-DAY MINUS 5 and 4. The weekend before the Thanksgiving holiday, is behind us now. But this is what you should have done. Clean your kitchen.
BLACK CATS & NUTCRACKERS
Spoiler Alert – Don’t read this blog if you dislike Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving. Today’s image shows what happens when holiday decorations crash into each other. This phenomenon often occurs at craft and card stores, where we’re sure to find Valentine’s decorations and cards on January 2. But such confusion is seldom on public display at
