This beautiful stained glass window in our kitchen is the perfect filter when the sun is just right for what I call the “hairlight affect.”

Snowflakes softly twinkling, falling in a graceful dance, dusting all they touch with an exquisite blanket of untouched snow. I carry the memory of those moments from my days in Upstate New York where the quiet beauty of a freshly fallen snow could take your breath away. Living in Florida, we don’t have anything to quite compare, unless you consider what I term ‘hairlight” – those glorious moments in a household with cats in which the sun is either rising, or setting in a perfect wash of sunlight that exposes every delightful bit of dust and cat hair that abounds on the floor, on furniture, on computer screens, on appliances, on televisions and more. This, I am very familar with. Read more

In honor of Sunday-Selfie, a picture of my angel, Mr. Jazz – the inspiration for Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day.

Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day is on August 28 and for those of you who might want to participate in some manner, I wanted to share a few details in advance. First off, the brief history of the day – I founded Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day (RBRD) in 2015 as a special day for pet guardians to honor the memory of those beloved pets in their life they have loved and lost, but never forgotten – whether fur, fin, feathers, scales or something else. It’s held every year on August 28, in honor of the day I had to say goodbye to my precious Ragdoll cat, Mr. Jazz, the meow author of Purr Prints of the Heart – A Cat’s Tale of Life, Death, and Beyond.  

Secondly, as with every year, there is no pressure to participate. I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable, as I know it’s a sad day. But it’s also a beautiful day. The outpouring of love I see every year is so touching, as people share in the love they have for their pet(s) and it’s a time when we can all take a moment to collectively come together and comfort one another.

Every year I host a blog hop – the post will go live at 12:00 a.m., EST, on August 28 with the code and linking information available at that time. I have also created a Facebook event page for those who want to post a picture, write a poem, share a favorite memory, upload a video, or share a blog post link. This is the event link: https://bit.ly/2n5c0T1. Please feel free to invite others you think might want to be a part of the day.

I created a new logo for the event last year and this will be the official logo moving forward. If anyone does not have it and would like to use it, please email me at info@zeezoey.com and I’ll forward it to you. There is no requirement to use the logo – this day comes from the heart, so please do whatever is most comfortable for you. If you’ll be sharing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other social venues, you can use the hashtag #rainbowbridgeremembranceday and if you’re crediting me for founding the day in any of your posts, please reference me as Deb Barnes of Zee and Zoey’s Cat Chronicles, author of Purr Prints of the Heart and founder of Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day.

Thank you, everyone – my heart goes out to all of you who have loved and lost a pet. Wishes for a peaceful Sunday to all.

While the worst of it is over and I’m grateful for the success of my recent vitrectomy eye surgery, the recovery period was intensely difficult and one that gave me an unexpected virtual perspective of the life of my cats. For nearly two weeks, I was confined to a 3’ x 4’ cushion on the couch. I had to remain in a seated position, with my head upright, including when I was sleeping. After day 10, I was in tears, exhausted from the monotony, and it hit me like a lightning bolt – this is what it must be like to be a cat, captive to the 24/7 same old, same old of whatever world we provide for them. Read more

Believe it or not, there is a cat in this photo!

And just like that, the cat becomes one with her world. All is calm all is good. I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday – may your day be as peaceful and comforting as the one Zoey is having (if you can find her!).

The past several weeks have been quite difficult, but I’m grateful to say life is good. My eyesight is less blurry than it has been and it’s just nice to be up and about, even if up and about means doing things like laundry and cooking dinner.

Nothing new to report here – I’m happy to share a wonderfully normal picture of Mia and Zoey sharing a lazy and peaceful day for this Sunday.

Happy Sunday – I hope everyone has a great day!