Geeky Cat Miusings

Last night we wanted to order Chinese food from a local restaurant that has been operating for many years now. We weren’t positive about the name but knew what street it was on and the closest intersection. I tried to find the name and telephone number by Googling it but it did not show up. I tried a variety of restaurant finder sites but it did not show up. We picked up the telephone book and found it in under one minute. And that is without knowing the name of the restaurant! Go figure. If anyone knows a great site that is helpful in finding local restaurants, please let me know.

Today, we’ve experienced the first snow storm of this winter. It started off as icy rain this morning but it turned to snow as the day progressed. There wasn’t a lot of accumulation within the city of Toronto but some how geeky cat got stuck in traffic, which was especially bad in the north end of the city, and so it took 2.5 hours to get home from work by bus. The experience was almost reminiscent of the truly
nasty storm in February. Tama said I may be interviewed once again for my misadventures, as I was the last time by The Excalibur. But it was not as bad this time…and I really didn’t freeze over because 1) I did not wait so long for the bus and 2) I wore my naughty monkey boots which keep my feet warm. This kitty is learning how to brave the winter.

It’s been a rainy day today, rather cold and gloomy. A perfect day for staying in and reading… and not catching up on things. I particularly enjoyed reading one comic strip where the cat was saying to the dog “I wouldn’t go out there today it’s raining mice and dogs.”

Naturally, in my world it is always reigning cats.

This is also true:

And then there is this picture of Sara in Florida. I was wondering about the t-shirt that says “DRY IS NOT AN OPTION” on the back. Very brave!

To call something The cat’s whiskers means that something as superlatively good, first rate, or attractive. A cat always looks first rate, so to call your cat The Cat’s Whiskers is redundant. But when she is sitting there on the porch with her whiskers bristling ….well that always makes me wonder just what is on the cat’s mind.

Cat whiskers are a wonderful example of nature’s exquisite design. Cats usually have 24 whiskers, twelve (2 rows of 6) on each side of her face. They are 2 or three times thicker than ordinary hairs and are rooted very deep in the cat’s face and are attached to a very dense cluster of nerve endings. The whiskers are extremely sensitive to air movement and can easily pick up a slight breeze or an object’s presence from a distance. This is especially useful for cats in a low light situation because they can detect the presence of a mouse who’s movements cause the the air to move ever so slightly, and thus be able to catch their dinner. They say that a cat is so sensitive to air currents that he will know how to navigate a dark room by detecting the air currents flowing around furniture. Neat! I would grow whiskers if I could because I don’t like to turn on the lights at night.

A cat’s whiskers indicate a cat’s mood. A happy or relaxed cat has his whiskers pushed forward. When a cat is feeling defensive the whiskers are pulled back. The bottom two rows of whiskers on a cat can move independently of the top two rows so they can be very expressive.

The most important use of a cat’s whiskers is to help the cat evaulate the size of an opening and judge if he will be able to fit through the opening before attempting to squeeze through and getting stuck if the opening is too small. Since a cat’s whiskers are about as wide as his body and because they are so sensitive to pressure they can be used as a ruler. Cats put their heads in the opening first and if his whiskers brush too closely to the walls around it he will decide whether to proceed or not. Kitties are able to squeeze through very tight holes…we always used to marvel how the late Leone used to be able to get into the house through a very small mailbox …he would lift the door with his paw, stick his head in and slide down the opening.

Whiskers are more than a pretty accessory to a cat’s furry face, they are an important and useful feature for cats. They are used for navigation, measuring openings, and indicating mood. So please, do not cut or trim whiskers it will interfere with their sensing. But do rub your kitties cheeks — they love it!

My book club got together to discuss The Alchemist a best selling book written by the Brazilian Paulo Coelho and I would love to share some of my thoughts with you.

I want to acknowledge that The Alchemist is a simple book speaking of wisdom that can be found in many other books that describe this philosophy in much greater depth. But reading about this philosophy in a work of fiction opens the mind to the concept in a different way. The mind draws the pictures while reading the novel, creating its own unique video that can be played back as needed. A work of fiction has a way of touching us in a way that a philosophy book cannot.

The story itself is very simple: Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy, has a strong desire to travel the world. One night he dreams of a distant treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. And so he’s off follow his dream. Along the way he meets many spiritual messengers, who come in many forms such as a camel driver and a well-read Englishman and he also faces many obstacles all of which lead to his learning more about the world and, most importantly, about himself.

The book says that we all have a personal journey that we need to travel through in this world in order to grow as humans and to satisfy our innate hunger for meaning. If we listen to our hearts we will know what journey we need to take. We must not ever fear listening to our hearts because it is only interested in what is best for us. Our hearts speak to us and we need to make the time and effort to listen to its gentle whisper. If you neglect your heart for too long it will become a stranger to you…thus you may start to fear it and may even start to fight against it.

We will all need to make sacrifices to pursue our dream but the sacrifices will be worth it and by making those sacrifices we will appreciate our treasure that much more. Anything that comes too easily to us is not appreciated. If we struggle against powerful forces to reach our goal we are very proud of our accomplishments and treasure our gain.

The book says that we know what our life journey is when we are children but we lose touch with it when we become adults and become caught up in the routine of living …so much so that many do not listen to their hearts speaking to them about their quest. No one in my book club could recall any such calling as a child but I believe that we are simply called on to take the journey that is life, to take each step being fully conscious of ourselves and our surroundings so that we live in the moment and learn what can be learned. I do not think their is just one quest per person but each life has many quests …as many as we are willing to embrace within our lifespan.

Most of the club members thought it was disheartening that the boy’s personal quest was to find gold and money…that the whole quest wasn’t for a higher good such as finding a philospher’s stone. I also thought that because the treasure was left there by the conquistadors, that it was tainted treasure having blood on it. But I realize that the journey was more important than finding the treasure…the experiences the boy had and what he learned about the world and about himself. He found more power within himself than he ever thought possible, and that is the greatest treasure of all. The book is a fable about a boy looking for hidden treasure but the story is symbolic. The story says that we have what we need — it is inside of us all of the time. There is no need to search outside ourselves.

Here are a few of my favourite cat sayings. There are many more but let’s start with a few:

In Ireland, if something is funny they say: “It would make a cat laugh.”

Bell the Cat: To undertake to do something dangerous.

Cat Around: To seek aimlessly for amusement.

Let the Cat out of the Bag: To tell a secret.

Play Cat and Mouse with: To play with, tease, or keep in suspense in an unkind way.

Put the Cat among the Pigeons: To pit enemies against each other. Set the stage for an inevitable fight.

The Cat’s Pyjamas (or Whiskers): Something considered outstanding.

Which way (or how) the Cat jumps: What direction events are taking.

A Cat in gloves catches no Mice: Not getting what you want by being careful and polite.

Cat’s Miaow: Top of the range.

Like herding Cats: Futile.

She’s a cool Cat: She is unflappable.

Sitting in a Cat bird seat: A person is in a favoured position or being in an advantageous position.

Fat Cat: A person high up in the business world with a lot of money.

Do it in a Cat’s Paw: Do something in a way that no one knows it is you doing it.

Look what the Cat dragged in: A humorously derogatory comment on someone’s arrival.

Curiosity killed the Cat: Warning about being curious.

A Cat has nine lives: Cats can survive things that are severe enough to kill them.

Nervous as a Cat in a room full of rocking chairs: Nervous.

Like a Cat on a hot tin roof: Agitated.

Cat cut your tongue: Speechless.

When the Cat’s away, the Mice will play: Without supervision, people misbehave.

Look like the Cat who swallowed the Canary: To look proud of oneself.

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Some of my readers may have encountered comments on my blog written by Miriam and wondered who she is. Miriam is my sister and she creates heritage lighting fixtures. She loves her work — she finds it very satisfying, challenging, and a great opportunity to express her creativity.

Today, Miriam sent me a photograph of a wonderful light fixture that she has just created with Walter. I thought it was just grande and I wanted to share their creations with you.

Miriam and Walter create historically-inspired lanterns for exterior or interior settings. Many of their creations shine on in churches, museums, heritage building and pubs around the world. Their lanterns can be found in many homes and cottages, including mine (house that is).

Have a look at this six foot light fixture that looks like it could come from a castle:

You can see more of these delightful creations on the Lightcrafters website.

Keep up the good work Miriam!

November is National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month. Since I enjoy the stuff, I think I will find more ways to eat peanut butter this month. Why not? It is good for you after all. Here are a few good things about peanut butter:

• It’s a great source of protein
• It has no cholesterol
• It’s very low in transfat and the natural types have no transfat at all
• It’s also packed with magnesium, folate and niacin.
• One half of one percent of the American Population has a peanut allergy
• John Harvey and W.K. Kellogg owned the first patent for making peanut butter
• A peanut is a legume
• Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth
• North Americans eat about 3 pounds of peanut butter per person each year
• When making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, 96 per cent of people spread the peanut butter on before the jelly. Personally, I prefer to spread the peanut butter on one slice and jelly on the other. It just spreads more clean and evenly that way.

If you would like to find some peanut recipes, try looking at peanutbutterlovers.com for ideas.

Whether you eat peanut butter when you are together with family, friends, squirrels, or you prefer to just eat it alone — I just want to wish you a very happy peanut butter lover’s month!
♥

Yesterday evening I attended a vegetarian cooking demonstration at a Superstore. The chef prepared Mediterranean roasted vegetable and spinach phyllo pie, tangy Asian noodle dinner soup, teriyaki tofu with whole grain rice stir fry, and Indian beans in a flatbread bowl (a tortilla pressed into a round bowl, sprinkled with chili powder and baked until hard). The chef had many tips for easy cooking, how to modify the recipes to accommodate people with different kinds of tastes and preferences, how to add something to make the carnivore at the table happy, and reducing the amount of time spent in the kitchen.

While the class was not hands-on….which I think is the best way to learn how to cook…it was a good value since the students had a four course meal at the end…without ruining nails or getting dishpan hands.

But the nail polish will have to come off at some point since I have promised to make all four of these recipes. I know you are all waiting for sampling