I’m going to do something different this Friday for my blog post. Partially because Mr Ramsay Hunt is kicking my butt big time this week, and the meds I take to control the pain from trigeminal neuralgia make my brain really foggy.
Image courtesy of The Empaths’s Guide to Becoming Worth a Damn
Also, I can’t even begin to describe my feelings about current events. The shooting of another black man, Jacob Blake, by a police officer. The protesters who were shot by a vigilante. The continuing climb of the COVID 19. The devastation that hurricane Laura created as the storm swept across parts of our country.
All of this happens, yet people in high places still deny that systemic racism exists. People deny, or try to play down, the extremes of the pandemic. And those same people in high places still ignore the reality of climate change and what it is doing to our world.
When I am this weighed down with sadness, it’s very hard to put words together to express how I feel. Kinda weird that a writer can’t find words, but that’s my reality right now. So today I’m stealing, er borrowing some things.
First is some advice that’s circulated around via email an other social media for some time, but every time I read it, I can’t help but smile and nod. I wish I knew who wrote this, I’d love to give them credit.
Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away…never to return.. So… while we have it ….. it’s best we love it…. and care for it.. and fix it when it’s broken……… and heal it when it’s sick.
This is true. for marriage……. and old cars…. and children with bad report cards….. and dogs with bad hips…. and aging parents…… and grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it.
AMEN! AMEN!
Now some fun facts about cats. I found this information about tortoiseshell cats on the pretty litter blog, and the picture that showed up reminded me of a sweet little kitty that we had for a while as a barn cat when I lived out in the country.
That kitty who was named TOC showed up one day very hungry and scared, and I found her hiding high up on the stack of hay bales. I took some food out for her, and she decided that maybe she would like to continue living in my barn.
She got her name because we kept referring to her as “that other cat.” I’d tell my husband I was going out to feed her, or ask him to go out, and wanted him to know that I didn’t mean any of our other cats, who all had names. “That other cat in the barn,” I’d say, and her name was born.
We were delighted that she decided to continue living in the barn. First of all we came to love her, as we do all cats. But also because for the time that she called that place home, there were no little critters in the hay to leave presents that were not good for my horse or my goats.
Long before we had TOC, I knew that the tortoiseshell was not a specific breed but some people do think they are. My belief was validated in the blog post at Pretty Litter which pointed out that it is not a breed, just a color pattern, although people do breed them to continue some coloring. Because tortoiseshell cats are 99.9% female cats, they are bred with other colors hoping that the tortoiseshell gene will dominate, and a few female torties will be born.
Some people describe the tortoiseshell cat as sassy, fiercely independent, and strong-willed, but that could be applied to a lot of other cats. I have one black cat that fits that description to a tea.
I found this list of cultural lore that applies to the tortie fun and interesting:
- In the U.S., both calicos and torties are good luck cats that bring money into the home.
- They’re thought to have psychic abilities and see into the future—plus, they chase off ghosts!
- If you dream of a tortoiseshell cat, you’ll soon be in love.
- A bride hearing a tortie sneeze on her wedding day means good luck.
- Ancient Celts believed it was good luck if a male tortie stayed in their home.
- A legend from Southeast Asia says that tortoiseshell cats were created from the blood of a goddess born from a lotus flower.
Before I go, I want to remind you of the pre-order sale of Desperate Season. You can order your copy for only $1.99, now through October 2. That is when the price will go up to $3.99.
ORDER HERE
That’s all for me for today folks. Whatever you have on your calendar for the weekend, I hope it is something fun, but also something safe. We’re all chomping at the bit to be out and about, but it’s still not a good time for that. Take care.