Mollie Hunt's Blog, page 8
August 27, 2024
REMEMBERING: Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day 2024
It’s oaky to talk about death. It’s okay to grieve and cry. It’s okay if the loved one is feline (or canine or any species.) Love isn’t reserved for humankind alone.
And it’s okay to remember.
“Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day is a special day dedicated to honoring the memories of those beloved pets in our lives we have loved and lost, but never forgotten. Whether a pet with fur, fin, feathers, scales, or something else – one pet, or many – this day was created for you to honor that pet in any way that feels most comfortable to you.”
Learn more at ~The Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day 20024 Facebook Event Page
Dirty Harry went to the Bridge in March of 2014. He was the best cat, big, brave, and fierce.
Little was our ambassador. When we fostered cats, she would show them the ropes.
Big Red chose us by moving in on our side porch. He was big but very shy.
Tinkerbelle was unflappable, which made her the perfect registered Pet Partner Therapy cat.
Annie was 18, and heart trouble overcame him. We only had Annie for a week, but it was a great week!
Ginchan was our son’s soul mate. When our son died, we took Ginchan who was already quite old and quirky. Never a dull moment.
Blaze was my soul cat. After caring for him in foster, I couldn’t let him go, nor him, me.
Jaimz had a hard life. He should have lived longer but his little body wouldn’t let him.
Lux was the foster cat who changed my life. He crossed the Bridge a few days ago. I really thought he would live forever.
Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day was founded in 2015 by Deborah Barnes, award-winning author, and blogger of Zee & Zoey’s Cat Chronicles in tribute to her Ragdoll cat, Mr. Jazz, who she had to say goodbye to on August 28, 2013. She shared the journey of letting him go in her critically acclaimed book, “Purr Prints of – A Cat’s Tale of Life, Death, and Beyond” and decided to create the day in his honor as a way for others across the world to share memories of their own pets they had loved and lost.
#rainbowbridgeremembranceday
You can find out more about Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day or join the official celebration on the Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day 20024 Facebook Event Page here. https://www.facebook.com/events/500424835852670
If you want to tell your own Rainbow Bridge story of a beloved cat or pet, feel free to share it in the comments line.
August 15, 2024
CAT PICTURES
I love seeing pictures of cats: my cats, other people’s cats, celebrity cats, community cats. I never tire of their round faces, long whiskers, beautiful eyes (or eye). All the colors and textures of fur. All the awkward positions they assume just as you snap the shot.
So today’s post is totally dedicated to these thousands of photos I have of cats.
My Cats.
Otis
Lux
Monty
Cat Art.
The Cats Assembly, Quint Buchholz
The Church Cat’s Dream, Derold Page
Mortal Tom-Cats, Seiji Mamiya
August 11, 2024
LONG COVID—STILL HERE, STILL HURTING
Photo by Alexandru Acea on Unsplash
Long Covid is here to stay.It’s time for me to write once again about my continuing battle with Long COVID. Long COVID is a pain, literally and figuratively. When you have long COVID, it’s common to…
Wait… What was I going to say?
Oh, yeah: It’s common to forget words and sentences. You lose your train of thought. Living with brain fog takes a whole lot of getting used to.
Cognitive impairment, aka brain fog, is a common symptom of Long COVID. Pain is another. There are more—many more—including intense fatigue, shortness of breath, post-exercise malaise, and vision problems.
Long COVID can make preexisting conditions worse, or trigger new issues such as heart trouble, diabetes, and stroke. These problems are life-altering. Not everyone has all the problems, but most of us have many.
Some people compare Long COVID to recovery from a concussion. Others call it a combination of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Chronic Pain Syndrome. Yet others say it’s like a form of PTSD.
Explaining the unexplainable.We long COVID sufferers have another problem as well. There are still many people (including many in the medical profession) who don’t believe Long COVID is real! We are constantly having to describe our illness, what it is, how it feels. We are asked to justify our actions (or inactions) and explain that we’re not being lazy but are actually often incapacitated by the illness. We also find we must reassure some people that having Long COVID is not the same as COVID-19 itself. Long COVID is not contagious.
No way out.It’s estimated that 1 in 5 people who’ve had COVID-19 go on to suffer some sort of Long COVID symptoms. Despite its prevalence, there’s not yet a way to treat it. Some people get over it. Some people don’t. Doctors treat individual symptoms, but as far as a path to recovery, there isn’t one.
We are at the forefront.Unfortunately we are the experimental subjects at the forefront of a new illness. There is no current cure. But there is hope. People, including celebrities, athletes, and politicians, are trying to get government funding for research, so someday there will be an answer. Bernie Sanders is one. Read about his recent bill for Long COVID funding here.
Working:If you ask a person with Long COVID what they do to get by, they’ll give many answers. Here are a few things I’ve been told about. These don’t come from a doctor, but if you know someone with Long COVID, you might consider passing on the list. Even if they don’t work, they won’t hurt.
Learn to pace your limited energy.
Establish boundaries for what you can and cannot do.
Make notes to help remember things.
Plan and prioritize.
Get some rest.
Ask for help.
Hug your cat or dog.
Remember, this is all new to us. We are learning. And it’s a lot!
Read my previous blogpost on Long COVID here: THE LONG, DARK SPECTER OF COVID-19
#longcovid #livingwithlongcovid
Photo by Alexandru Boicu on Unsplash
August 3, 2024
SUPER EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT! A New Cat!
Introducing Melinko!Our little family of two cats increased to three last week. Let me introduce you to Melinko, a 4-year-old gray tabby boy who has come to share our home. He came from my granddaughter who had him since he was a kitten but has recently moved into a remote area with many predators. She was afraid that if he snuck out, which he likes to do and is very good at, he would be in danger, so she and her partner made the difficult decision to rehome him with me. They’ll still be able to visit and know how he’s getting along.
“Where am I?”
Step 1: A New HomeMelinko wasn’t too sure about things when he stepped out of the cat transporter into our kennel. Though it had all the necessary amenities, including a big window view of birds and squirrels, it wasn’t home. But he didn’t object and settled right down to a nap after a snack.
I start all my new cats in the kennel where they can relax in safety and get used to the new sights and smells around them. It didn’t take long for Melinko to adjust, though. Now the kennel door is open and he can come and go as he pleases. Like many cats before him, he enjoys the comfy kennel on his own terms.
Little Melinko in 2022
This isn’t the first time Melinko has spent time with me. In 2022, he had some health issues that required he go to my vet here in Portland. Turns out the poor little one is allergic to fleas. Once that was taken care of, he was fine and went back home to his family. But it’s hard to deal with a flea allergy, especially with kids running in and out of the house. Another reason why he’s back with me now. Nobody except the cats run in my house.
Step 2: AdjustingMelinko has the run of two rooms and his kennel now. I sit with him and read or work on my book. He is affectionate but is also assured enough to go off on his own and discover different places to be. He’s a polite little kitty-well, not so little weighing in at 13+ pounds!
Melinko helping me make cat toys out of tee-shirt strips.
Step 3: IntegrationIt’s only been a few days, but my cats Tyler (20) and Clarence (1) knew something was up from the very start. Tyler is chill about it, but Clarence is unsure. I’ve let them see each other, many treats involved. Clarence growls and hisses, but then today he just lay down and watched as Melinko sat on my lap. Melinko is wary of Clarence, but hasn’t committed to being either scared or defensive. It’s early days.
July 29, 2024
Mollie Hunt Cat Writer: THIS IS ME
I began my first serious writing venture with a stand-alone mystery about an antique dealer who discovers a note in the back of an old picture frame and follows its lead to a small coastal town where she finds both love and murder. I received many rejections for that 450-page tome, but instead of letting it get me down, I went on to write another book.
2013Fast forward nearly twenty years to when I finally got something published. That was the first Crazy Cat Lady cozy mystery, Cats’ Eyes. This year I’ll be launching the eleventh in the series!
2024Today I’m going to sit down and contemplate thirty years of writing, three series, 18 published books, and more to come. As with a long journey made by putting one foot in front of the other, I have progressed on my own journey, one word at a time.
For those of you not familiar, I’m going to indulge myself in a little recap, one series at a time.
THE CRAZY CAT LADY COZY MYSTERY SERIES, featuring Lynley Cannon, a sixty-something cat shelter volunteer who finds more trouble than a cat in catnip.
Books need not be read in order.
Lynley Cannon is the crazy cat lady, but she’s not quite crazy yet, though a bizarre connection to a bumbled heist and a double homicide has got her wondering When Lynley’s old kitty Fluffo discovers a stolen uncut diamond, Lynley finds herself accused of murdering the thieves.
When Lynley exposes a breed cat counterfeiting ring, she becomes the target of a serial killer who murders with a grisly cat-like claw.
Two suspicious deaths at an elite art retreat send Lynley running back to Portland, but murder follows in her wake.
Lynley takes over as cat handler for a TV pilot only to find the show is hexed and murder is waiting in the wings.
A body is discovered on the floor of the cat café, and all the black cats are missing!
****Winner of the World’s Best Cat Litter-ary Award
When a superhero cosplayer falls to his death at a comic con, Lynley is left holding the bag— and a cat!
****Winner of the CWA Muse Medallion for Mystery
A locked room. A dead man. The cat is the only witness, and he isn’t talking.
Five years ago, cat shelter volunteer Lynley Cannon discovered a gym bag in a warehouse. Inside the bag were a kitten, a cat toy, and ten thousand dollars. Then shots began to fly. Now, half a decade later, Lynley is thrown back with the very people from whom she’d been running.
An eccentric recluse bequeaths his vast estate to little Friends of Felines cat shelter, but the gift comes with a catch. Lynley faces ghosts when she moves into the mansion to care for his clairvoyant cat.
This Halloween, the cats are hiding, and the monsters don’t wear costumes.
Crafty Cat, coming this fall! Romance, death, and cat quilts.
What does quilting have to do with murder? Lynley Cannon is about to find out when she joins a guild to make donations for a cat rescue.
Next series: My Masterwork, the Tetralogy
July 23, 2024
…SOMETIMES YOU LOSE
Photo by Lucas Beck on Unsplash
Losing doesn’t make you a loser.I recently received notice that neither of the books I entered in an important contest made it through the first round of judging. The sad results got me questioning myself as a writer and as a person. Why didn’t they like it? Not enough cat content? Did they find a typo? A missed oxford comma? Was my wonderful story actually awful or stupid or boring? Maybe I’m a terrible writer. I find myself fearing that is the case; after all, neither of my books made it out of the starting gate.
Yes, I understand that not everyone wins a prize, but it’s still disappointing after so much work—about a year to produce a novel from beginning to end, and I had published two. Writing is the thing I am most proud of. It’s the only thing I do that no one else can do the same as me. In a world filled with confusion, disparagement, and hatred, and in my own life as an old woman living with anxiety and chronic illness, writing justifies my existence. Doesn’t having three judges deem my results unworthy say something, not just about the books, but about me?
Not that I haven’t won my share of awards—I have. Last year, my memoir won not only a Certificate of Excellence but the Muse Medallion, the ultimate prize for non-fiction books. It also won a special award for citing the feline-human bond. Shouldn’t that be enough to encourage me to think well of myself?
Photo by Vitolda Klein on Unsplash
Sometimes we win, sometimes we don’t win, but not winning doesn’t mean we lose.I won’t quit writing. I doubt I’ll even quit entering contests. To my fellows who didn’t win this round, I say this:
Your loss does not diminish you as a person. It doesn’t negate your uniqueness. You can’t let it be a gage of your worth or allow it to diminish your wellbeing.
There is no need to be resentful of others who did win, no need to be angry at the judges. Such feelings will only harm and discourage you. I know how hard it is to put something of yourself out for others to critique. You don’t have to take that chance, but if you do, remember that those judges are only people, and a tiny contingency at that.
One never knows when one’s works will touch someone in a good way. Let them who find goodness in your work be your judges. Let those triumphs be your awards.
July 18, 2024
Reblogging: Are Your Pets Really Happy in TikTok Videos? Expert Study Reveals Distressing Truth
Sad numbers and something to think about.I rarely watch cat videos, because so many of them, though not actually cruel, seem like they must have been a stressful experience for the cat. I don’t find it amusing to see a cat startled or fearful. Though some cats enjoy being dressed up in outfits, others look unhappy when their person puts them in strange costumes. This article is an eye-opener, and I’m glad someone else is thinking about the cats’ parts in these amateur videos.
Source: Are Your Pets Really Happy in TikTok Videos? Expert Study Reveals Distressing Truth
July 6, 2024
Christmas in July Sale!
Beat the heat with Cat Noel, a Crazy Cat Lady Cozy Christmas Novella.
Cat Noel autographed paperback for only $6.00.Includes media mail shipping. (US addresses only) Purchase direct from me, the author, by emailing molliehuntcatwriter@gmail.com with Cat Noel Sale in the subject line. Sale ends July 31, 2024
Lynley finds a new meaning of Christmas when a Wiccan’s familiar is catnapped, and Lynley is her only hope.
“A delightfully cozy all-cats-all-the-time mystery!”—Haunted Reader 5 Star Review
“…as cozy as having one my cats on my lap and a hot cup of tea close by.” —Marci Jarvis, editor, Cat Mews
And here is the first page of Cat Noel:
Christmas. The happiest time of the year.
The time when we come together with friends and family in one big giving, loving celebration.
The time we put our differences aside to enjoy the season.
The time we are extra specially good to one another. Peace on Earth and all that.
So why, this Christmas, was I feeling like a cat in a thunder storm?
In spite of all outward appearances, I couldn’t help but sense something was amiss. The holiday lights flickered like horror show fluorescents just before the monster comes; the Christmas trees were crooked; the scent of gingerbread carried a trace of decay. It’s a Wonderful Life was full of commercials. Someone stabbed the snowman with a candy cane. The world was running amok.
Was it just me?
Turns out it wasn’t.
If you’re looking for a happy, feel-good Christmas story, this isn’t it. Not to say it doesn’t have its merry moments—it does. And at least no one gets murdered. That’s a relief, right?
It was a learning experience, and in the end… well, you’ll just have to read it for yourself.
It began one week before Christmas…
July 1, 2024
POEM: Does God Watch Us
Photo by Andrea Greenway on Unsplash
Does God watch us
like we watch the summer rose?
That first promising bud.
The unfurling and the blush.
The profusion of petals.
But then the wilting…
The petals drop,
the life of the bloom flows away,
now gone.
A new bud
rises from the stem
to take its place.
The process begins again.
June 24, 2024
THE GARDEN!
I love our garden!I love picking fresh tomatoes that taste nothing like those watery red things you buy in the stores. I love snipping sprigs of dill weed to sprinkle onto my breakfast eggs or a baked salted potato. I love watching the zuchetta* squash produce their foot-long fruits up the trellis or curl into a circle on the ground. Sometimes one gets lost in the abundant foliage and grows nearly as tall as I am.
What I don’t love so much anymore is the work a garden requires. Thankfully my husband is still up to it, and this year’s garden looks to outshine even the last.
My grandmother was an avid gardener, though the floral kind. She knew the names of all the flowers, both wild and cultivated, and insisted I learned them by heart. She showed me the difference between a weed and a sprout with nearly identical leaf patterns.
When I was in my twenties and living on a communal farm in British Columbia, I got my first taste of vegetable gardening. The group of us was intent to “live off the land” and might have done so had we been able to make beer and grow tobacco. Still, I learned a lot with those early attempts at food cultivation, things I could build on in the years to come.
For a time in the early seventies, I had a small mining claim in the California Desert, Imperial County. I lived there from November to May when it began to get hot. While there, I planted tomatoes, peppers, and sunflowers. When I moved back north, I brought one plant each with me. Those poor water-starved plants went crazy in the lush Pacific Northwest. The sunflower grew 15 feet tall!
Fast forward to the nineties when I bought an old house in southeast Portland. In a quiet inner-city neighborhood, it came with both a front and a back yard. The first year I did nothing but mow the grass and try to corral the jungle the previous owner had allowed to grow. The second year, we plowed up the front yard and planted vegies.
Now, as I sit by the window working on my laptop, I gaze out the window and enjoy seeing the passersby stop and stare over the garden fence. Yes, I’m proud of our work, and of that one little nudge toward self-sufficiency. Not only will there be fresh salads and sautés, we will be putting things away for the winter as well. Frozen tubs of tomatoes, dried herbs and plums, home-canned pickles and sauces will be put away for use through the seasons until next year’s garden brings its summer bounty once again.
BTW, we have bees, too!
