Mollie Hunt's Blog, page 63

TODAY MAKING HISTORY, a political view

 

I wrote the following musing a little while after the election. It is my opinion. If you don’t agree or don’t want to hear about it, don’t read it. I promise to have another cat blog up in a few days, and a 100-word story I’ve been working on as well. If you do, however, have thoughts on the matter, I welcome comments, though I check them first to make sure they are not offensive to me. To date, I have never refused a comment.

 

Today we are making history.

I don’t know if it’s because I’ve cherry-picked my Facebook friends to be people who all agree with my ideals, or if the ones who disagree are the timid type who don’t put their politics on social media, but I have to notice how insulated I have become. Part of it is that I live in a blue state, in a city rioting over the recent election. “Not my president” they say. Certainly not my ideal of one either – I cringe at his voice, his bearing, his ugly face, and the thought of this man with the secret codes for our nuclear weapons scares the shit out of me – but don’t we have to examine how he got where he is today?

Somewhere in the midst of the outrage and fear, I read a comment that made me stop and think. It was from a Republican, probably somewhat of a racist bigot, who said, “Now you know how we felt for the past 8 years.” In other words, there are people who feared a black democrat president in a similar way to how I fear Trump. I knew it intellectually, but never allowed myself to empathize.

If the election hadn’t been so close; if Ms. Clinton hadn’t won the popular vote; if more of the complacent WTF democrats had voted; If Bernie and the 3rd party hadn’t fractured the percentages; if there had been a man running against Trump… But the fact is, as much as I loathe to admit it, it looks as if he won fairly under our current laws. Can we just turn around and demand a do-over? I wish we could, but I don’t think so.

Before I get swept up in a self-righteous hissy fit because my side, the right side, lost, I need to know better what I really think: about the election, about the results, about the outcome; about the validity of protesting; about the far-reaching results of rioting. If we did turn this election around through protest, it would open the gate to an all-out civil war, and they have more guns than we do.

I’m leaning toward skipping the protest rallies unless they are well-organized, widespread, and represent a specific cause. I would most certainly back impeachment. I’m not going to unfriend anyone for their political views unless they become obnoxious. I know we all feel strongly about recent events, but I would plead that people think before they post and consider cleaning up their language a bit. Strong women, even nasty women, can get their point across without a string of swears.

There are sides, even within the anti-Trump faction: evolution vs. revolution. Some say, wait and see what happens. Others condemn those folks, citing apathy allowed Hitler’s rise. Trump is not Hitler; Hitler had a power agenda where Trump seeks only fame, fortune, and self-aggrandizement. Still, an ignorant snake is as dangerous as a smart one. We stand to lose more than we can fathom here, which makes it even more important to think through our next move.

I still haven’t seen anything I can do besides be kind, strong, and alert. Meanwhile I will follow some good advice given to me by a hospice nurse when my mother was dying:

Pick your battles; Save your strength. The hardest times are yet to come.

 

 

Sneaky’s Interview of Tinkerbelle from the Crazy Cat Lady Mysteries by Mollie Hunt, reblogged

Be still, my heart. What a wonderful way to start the week. My tail twitches in greeting as a new lovely kitty arrives for an interview on my blog this Monday morning. May I ask your name, and plea…

Source: Sneaky’s Interview of Tinkerbelle from the Crazy Cat Lady Mysteries by Mollie Hunt

CATS! CAN YOU BELIEVE?

If you have read any of my Crazy Cat Lady cozy mysteries, (Cats’ Eyes, Copy Cats, Cat’s Paw) you know that I begin each chapter with an interesting cat tip or fact. I’ve amassed quite a collection and thought it would be fun to share a few with you. There are several topics; this one is about the folks who cat.

CAT PEOPLE:

 Depending on what sources you reference, Ailuromania is defined as: a passion for cats; an abnormal love of cats; an addiction to cats; an unhealthy obsession with cats; a desire to have many cats, even when conditions are not suitable for health.

Notable ailurophiles include Albert Einstein, Florence Nightingale, H.G. Wells, Sir Winston Churchill, Pope Benedict XVI, George Burns, John Lennon, Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Poe, Queen Victoria, Nostradamus, and Vanna White. Freddie Mercury of the band, Queen, phoned his cats when he was on tour.

Notable ailurophobes include Napoleon Bonaparte, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Hitler.

A Georgia family adopted a sweet white cat named Mr. Meowy from a local animal rescue group; the next day, Mr. Meowy returned the favor by saving the family’s home from going up in flames.

It’s common knowledge that a cat’s purr can reduce anxiety and lower high blood pressure in their human companions, but studies show that the low frequency vibration of the purr may also induce bone growth, promote pain relief and help heal tendons and muscles.

The human-feline bond has been documented to save lives. Cat people will do for cats what they would not do for themselves. A man was dissuaded from committing suicide by jumping off a building when he saw his red tabby cat held in the policeman’s arms.

I can’t say enough about the Pet Partners Program (formerly the Delta Society). Through their unflagging efforts, cats, dogs, bunnies, alpacas, miniature horses and other animals bring joy, comfort and compassion to hospitals, nursing homes, hospice patients, schools, libraries and more.

           

Humane Societies, unlike government funded animal control services, are generally private, non-profit organizations that depend on donations and volunteers. They are not related to each other or the HSUS.

“The Portland (Oregon) metropolitan area has reduced euthanasia in local shelters by 65% from 2006 to 2012, thanks to the efforts of the Animal Shelter Alliance of Portland (ASAP) and their Spay & Save program which alters cats for owners in need of financial assistance. No healthy, social cat or dog has been euthanized since 2010.” —The Oregon Humane Society.

Why buy a pet from a breeder when so many “accidental” animals need loving homes? And if you must have that special breed, try a Breeder Rescue. Shelters also offer breed animals as well as mutts. Adopt your next pet from a shelter.

A cat is considered feral if it has grown up in the wild without human contact. These cats are terribly afraid of humans and rarely adapt to being pets. To cut down on rampant feral populations, many communities have adopted a Trap-Neuter-Return program. With TNR, the cats can live out their normal lives without adding to the homeless cat population.

The definition of an animal hoarder is someone who keeps higher than usual numbers of pets without being able to properly care for them, while at the same time denying the problem.

Abuse of an animal is a serious offence. Every state in the US has laws prohibiting cruelty to animals, and 41 states plus the District of Columbia have felony provisions for animal cruelty which include heavy fines and even jail time. Yay!

If, like most of us, you’re not a cat psychic, you may still be able to understand what your cat is thinking. Body language – eyes, ears, whiskers and tail – convey many messages of their own.

You don’t often hear about cats who save the day, but there are plenty of feline heroes. In documented incidents, cats have rescued humans from fires, snakes, sexual assault, carbon monoxide poisoning, heart failure, seizures and dangerously low blood sugar levels. There is even a case of a cat dialing 911 when their owner fell from his wheelchair.

Think your cat is the cutest? There are more than 40 animal talent agencies in the U.S.A.. Agents audition animals for films, theater, photo shoots, and television, but it’s not all glitz and glamour. Animal talent work tends to be low-paying and long hours. Only a few cats will tolerate the rigorous schedule of being a kitty star.

 

SANCTUARY, a poem

You are safe with me.

 

If I don’t know you, I will reach out without malice.

If I don’t understand you, I will strive to learn.

If I don’t agree with you, I will put differences aside.

If I don’t like you, I will love you anyway.

 

There will be no discrimination, intolerance, prejudice on my watch.

I will stand by you, protect you, fight for you.

 

You are not alone

And neither am I.

 

and a counter to “despair”: Hatred Cannot Be Our Answer… (reblogged)

If you read my poem, “despair”, written this terrible morning, you can guess at my tears, but James Radcliffe is correct when he says “despair is a luxury we cannot afford.” Read on; do good. Positive thoughts and acts are more important than ever.

“In the early hours of November 9th 2016 Donald Trump won the 2016 Election and become President Elect of the United States of America. If you are looking for details of that story, you have come to…

Source: Hatred Cannot Be Our Answer…

despair, a poem

 

i feel like i’ve been raped.

i am ashamed

appalled

afraid of the country where i live

afraid of my neighbors who could choose such blight

upon our nation.

i rush to protect my family,

to fight the monster unleashed,

but i have no weapon but my decency

my love.

optimism eludes me

all the lessons,

the “let go, let God”

the serenity to accept what I cannot change

gag in my throat.

i am naked

with an armload of cats

crouching against a giant

who would squash me

without even knowing i was there.

 

 

 

WHAT I’M WATCHING: MIDSOMER MURDERS

MIDSOMER MURDERS

Crime, Drama, Mystery | TV Series (1997– )

The stories are set in modern-day England and revolve around Tom Barnaby’s (later, John Barnaby’s) efforts to solve numerous murders that take place in the idyllic, picturesque but deadly villages of the fictional county of Midsomer. The Barnabys have worked with several different sergeants throughout the run of the show: Sgt Gavin Troy (Daniel Casey), Sgt Dan Scott (John Hopkins), Sgt Ben Jones (Jason Hughes), Sgt Charlie Nelson (Gwilym Lee) and currently Sgt Jamie Winter (Nick Hendrix). —Wikipedia

When I want to watch something light, engaging, and beautiful to the eye, I put on Midsomer Murders. As a British cozy mystery buff, Murders never fails to fulfill.

Midsomer Murders began its long run in 1996 and is still going. That’s 19 seasons and 116 episodes, according to IMDb. It has endured several sergeants and even a switch-out of the main character when DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) was followed by his cousin, DCI John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) in the 14th season. Why such a long run for this cozy British mystery show? Probably just that.

From the beginning, Murders has remained true to the cozy, with no autopsy close-ups or gaping flesh wounds. The quintessential rural setting is gorgeous: haystack-dotted hillsides rife with corn flowers and blue bells; thatch-roofed cottages, climbing roses winding up the garden gate. Antique cars trundle down cobblestone roads to the country fair. Every scene, even the ones  depicting murder so foul, has the quaintness of the olde English countryside, at least as imagined by us TV-watching  city dwellers.

The characters are equally as colorful and quaint. The murders are clever and complex. The murderer may be the outlander or the girl next door. For 116 episodes, Murders has never let me down.

 

 

CAT’S PAW: IT’S ALMOST TIME!

Cat’s Paw, from the back cover:

“When cat shelter volunteer Lynley Cannon attends an elite creative retreat at the world-famous Cloverleaf Animal Sanctuary in the San Juan Islands, she gets more than a lesson in art. Accused by vigilantes of a shocking double homicide, she persuades them of her innocence and runs home to Portland, but murder follows in her wake.

Suspicion falls on a dear friend, and Lynley must fight through fear, assault,  and her own anxiety disorder to keep from becoming another victim. It all comes down to cats in this 3rd Crazy Cat Lady mystery.”

 

Right now, it’s all about Cat’s Paw.

My 3rd Crazy Cat Lady mystery will be live on November 10th and I have lots to do before then. There is going to be an official launch at our wonderful Portland independent bookstore, Another Read Through, on Thursday night with champagne and cake. Then on Saturday, November 12th, I’m taking over Portland’s only cat café, Purringtons, for a Meet & Greet with friends, family, and fans. The books are here and I’m already sending out advance reader copies.

I need to get my hair trimmed and finish sewing the cat-print dress I hope to wear for the launch (if I don’t screw it up). I need to decide on a passage from the book for my reading. I need to do publicity: Facebook, newsletters, and right here in this blog. And yes, I need to keep writing new stuff, or none of this means anything at all. (Cat Call is the next in the series, something to look forward to in 2017)

I’m excited about the endorsements Cat’s Paw received from Ann Littlewood, serious animal person and author of the Zoo Mystery Series, and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, award-winning author, cat lady, and fellow member of the Cat Writer’s Association.

Ann’s 3 complex mysteries, “Did Not Survive”, “Night Kill”, and “Endangered”, are based on her own experience as a keeper at the Portland Zoo and “a lifetime of enjoying mysteries”, according to Ann.

Elizabeth has written too many books for me to list, including two exceptional cat sci-fi works with Ann McCaffrey, “Catalyst” and “Catacombs”. Her new “Spam the Cat Purranormal Mystery Series” features a tech-savvy kitty and his cohorts, most of who are not human.

Cat’s Paw is available for pre-order. If you want it to magically appear on your kindle the morning on November 10th, you can pre-order your copy from Amazon today. Click here to pre-order.

I have the honor featuring the 2009 work by Leslie Cobb, “Small, Dark, and Handsome” on the cover of Cat’s Paw. See more of her enchanting cat paintings at Cat Art by Leslie Cobb.

Spoiler alert: Lynley may be getting a new cat! Here are pictures of all her cats, including Emilio, the character behind my choice for the cover art.

~Violet~

~Fraulein Fluffs~

~Solo~

~Big Red~

~Tinkerbelle~

~Mab~

~Little~

~Dirty Harry~

~Emilio~

 

 

I’M A TOP 50 CAT BLOGGER!

 

I’m so happy to be chosen as a Top 50 Cat Blogger by Thoroughly Reviewed!

Thoroughly Reviewed describes themselves as “a free online resource that allows consumers to view our editorial rankings and product comparisons. Like our name states we thoroughly review products and rank them based on our set of criteria that we feel is important to consumers.”

Thoroughly Reviewed also recognizes bloggers who are passionate about something, and in this case, felines. It’s exciting to be listed among excellent cat bloggers such as my friends and fellow Cat Writer’s Association members Marci Koski’s Feline Behavior Solutions and Dusty Rainbolt’s Universe. Many on the list I’ve never heard of and am certainly looking forward to checking them out. If you enjoy cat blogs, Thoroughly Reviewed has comprised a comprehensive list of some of the best.

I blog about many things: writing, memoir, opinion, Star Trek, health & welfare, photography, TV show reviews, and even a little bit of poetry, but my all-time favorite topic is cats. Whether it’s shelter cats, funny kitty anecdotes, cat health and life stages, or the ever-elusive mysteries of litter box issues, I could go on for hours (but try to limit myself to a page or 2).

I’m so glad others enjoy my journeys into the feline mind as much as I do.

 

IS IT ENOUGH? a poem

 

In this frenzied, challenged world

Is it enough to watch a sparrow flit through the black gnarled branches of a plum tree?

To delight in the scent of rain?

To feel the autumn sun on my aging face?

Is the act of breath enough? or the warmth of someone close?

Is it enough to sit quiet and be?

 

The world is at odds,

its creatures needy and crowded;

multitasking, distracted, driven by the wild wind of whim,

chasing tails,

going nowhere fast.

 

It is enough

to watch the bird, to smell the rain, to feel the sun,

to breathe and be close

if we resolve it to be so.