Our little Mia is as content as can be… just what do cats dream of when they are napping?

Much as I love my life, I sometimes yearn for the elusive and I start to think of “the good old days” when life seemed simpler and less stressful, which got me thinking about my cats and their perception of life. Do cats only live in the present moment, or do they wistfully dream of days gone by while they are napping, or do they think of future events outside the boundaries of when they will be fed next? Read more

The Times-Picayune hit its pinnacle in 2005 reporting about Hurricane Katrina. The paper was so devoted to printing the daily news that it was only shut down for 3 days during the devastating ordeal.

When I was watching 60 Minutes last week, it was with sadness that I learned another newspaper icon, the New Orleans Times-Picayune that was founded in 1837 would be reducing its daily print publication to 3 times a week as a result of economic cutbacks and its decision to publish the news online.

Unfortunately, decisions like this are no longer a unique storyline, but a reality that has been going on for several years for anything print related that now can be substituted with technological marvels such as email, websites, blogs, Twitter, facebook, Kindles, and so on.

Being an author and avid fan of the written word, especially in a format that can be touched, borrowed,  made into a piñata, passed on from generations, displayed on a book shelf, given as a gift, autographed, and so much more, I felt a deep pang of regret, but realized that despite my love for the physical being of print work, that I was part of the problem and an unwitting reason for its decline… Read more

To see full beauty of image, click to enlarge.

As we begin a New Year, if there is anything the old one taught me, it is that life is fleeting, nothing is impossible, and that I am never too old to learn. The horrific events in Newtown, Connecticut still haunt me and I find myself with an even more resilient reserve to be a good person and to make the most I have of each and every day. That is why this quote from Albert Einstein struck such a strong chord with me as my calling card for 2013 and who better to be the poster cat, than my beautiful, wise, and regal, Zee. Read more

From the whole Zee/Zoey Gang – we are sending extra special purrs your way today and hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

In our house, the stockings are not hung with care and the feline creatures are stirring with both terror and curiosity as the “kids” embark upon our usually organized and peaceful household. There will be a total of three of these big and overwhelming human creatures, ranging from 23 to 30, that will grace our home with their typical charming whirlwind of delightful chaos, leaving a trail of shoes, purses, keys, phone chargers, half full water bottles, an errant sock, iPhones, half eaten Christmas cookies, lights left on, unmade beds, toilet seats left up and on and on.

And guess what… that’s the best gift in the world – I love every bit of the upheaval and can’t wait to spend some time with the family. I miss them all so much throughout the year and when they come for the holidays, we gather round to do what everyone else in the country does –  we laugh, we joke, we eat, we drink, we play board games, we watch movies that we have seen a hundred times over, and we rejoice that we have one another in our lives.  Read more