Philosophical cat ~ on Caturday

Beginning ~ with the blue book

"If he is the boy in the blue book, where to start?  He can't expect to recognize her after four decades, and he certainly doesn't expect her to recognize him.  The last time they saw each other he would have been no more than six."

Varina ~ by Charles Frazier, 2018, fiction

I shared an overview of this book last week, and it ended with these words:  "Ultimately, the book is a portrait of a woman who comes to realize that complicity carries consequences."

I'm reading the book now, as it jumps from 1906 to 1865 in the South to 1874 in London and 1842 in Natchez.  Varina Howell married Jefferson Davis, expecting a secure life.  She had no idea he would get into politics and become president of the Confederacy.  Imagine her on the run at the end of the Civil War and all that could happen between then and 1906.  That's the story I'm reading now.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays. Click here for today's Mister Linky.

Don't declaw cats

"Declawing is an inhumane amputation procedure that is being done to around 10 million cats a year in America.  Though declawing has been banned in many countries around the world, 95% of these feline paw mutilation procedures are performed to protect the cat owner’s furniture.  Declawing always harms the long-term health and well-being of a cat and subjects cats to a lifetime of some sort of pain and suffering from walking on the amputations.   It increases negative behaviors such as biting and eliminating outside the litter box.  It produces more complications for the cats’ guardians, and sadly it increases the rates of abandonment for these now mutilated and defenseless cats.  Declawing has no place in an ethical or humane veterinary practice." ― Do No Harm Day Rallies

Do No Harm Day is today, May 4, 2018.  It's a time for rallies against the procedure.  Instead of marching, I've written this blog post.  Let me tell you about the little furry person who lives with me.

Clawdia on July 24, 2015

On learning that my residence required cats to be declawed, I declined to adopt the older cat I'd chosen.  Too painful.  My friend Donna called shelters until she found an already-declawed older cat for me.  So I rescued a declawed kitty and named her Clawdia, with a W ― CLAWdia.  She moved in on July 23, 2015.

Idiom ~ "follow your nose"

I'm helping another resident of the Crown Center understand idioms in our English language, and his latest question was about the meaning of the phrase "follow your nose."  What a strange thing to say!  What does it mean to "follow your nose"?

1.  trust your instincts.

"You are on the right track, so follow your nose."

2.  move along guided by one's sense of smell, following a scent in an attempt to find its source.

"I thought I smelled something baking, so I followed my nose to the kitchen and found my mother icing a cake."

3.  walk straight ahead (thus walking in the direction that your nose is facing).

"Should I turn here?"
"No, follow your nose and keep walking straight ahead."

I combined several online explanations and used the definitions that come closest to my understanding of the phrase.

World Labyrinth Day ~ this Saturday

Saturday in St. Louis is supposed to be sunny with a temperature in the low 80s.  I know where there's an outdoor labyrinth, if anyone wants to go walk it with me that afternoon.  Call, text, email, or send me a private message on Facebook.  I've written about labyrinths several times on this blog and others.

Overview of labyrinths for Book Buddies
Labyrinth at Thankful Memorial Episcopal Church
Labyrinth at St. Paul Episcopal Church
Labyrinth at Burks United Methodist Church
Labyrinth at St. Francis of Assissi

World Labyrinth Day is the first Saturday in May, and people all over the world will be involved in activities at labyrinths.  To walk the one I know a couple of miles from me, you'll need to be able to walk on grass.  I'm willing to explore a different one, if you can direct me to it.

This fellow found the same labyrinth I did, the one at First Presbyterian Church on Delmar Boulevard, though he started walking it years before I moved to St. Louis.

Meaningful May

Click on the calendar to enlarge it.

We've had Happy January, Friendly February, Mindful March, and Active April.  Now it's time for Meaningful May, found by searching for "calendar" on the Action for Happiness web site.  Here are the first seven days of this new month.  (AfH in today's suggestion means "Action for Happiness.")

May 1
~ Take the AfH pledge: to create more happiness in the world.
May 2
~ Do something meaningful for someone you really care about.
May 3
~ Share photos of three things you find meaningful or memorable today.
May 4
~ Take interest in people who are older, younger, or different from you.
May 5
~ Get outside.  Look at the sky and feel connected to the natural world.
May 6
~ Choose one of your life goals, and take a step towards it.
May 7
~ What are your most important values?  Use them today.

"Act as if what you do makes a

difference.  It does." ~ William James

It's Caturday!