No one in our house does “Easy Like Sunday Morning” better than Jazmine. Actually, she does it best Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning as well. When that girl is out, she’s out! Anyhow, taking a cue from her, I’m looking forward to an easy-going kind of day myself. Maybe visiting a wetlands nature park with Dan so he can practice with his new camera taking pictures of Florida wildlife. I’ll also be making a big batch of homemade macaroni and cheese so I’ll have several meals prepared in advance for the week ahead and I’ll be using up some over-ripe bananas to make bread as well. How about you all, what kind of easy-going plans do you have for today?

It’s a Blog Hop!

Jazmine is the perfect model to share what Sunday’s should be all about…

How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then to rest afterward. I found this quote to be especially perfect to share this Sunday, for it is one of those lessons from my cats I aspire toward because they are masters at doing nothing. Relaxing does not come easy to me and I find the older I get, the more forgiving I have to be with myself. It’s a hard truth, but the fact is, I can’t possibly achieve everything I want to in one day. At least I can’t if I want to keep my health, sanity, and peace-of-mind.

So, I’m getting better at it. Walking away from the computer. Walking away from household chores and endless “to-do” lists. Walking away from self-induced stress. I went in our pool last weekend for no reason other than to bask in the beauty of the day. I read more books. I worry less about keeping up with blogging and social media and concentrating more on spending time with Dan, the cats, and my family. I’m far from perfect, but I’m getting there. I hope you all find inspiration in your cats and find some time for yourself as well today. Be kind to one another and enjoy the day!

Happy Birthday to our 4th of July baby!

Today is a very special day. Not only is it America’s birthday, it’s also our Kizmet’s 5^th birthday! I came upon Kizmet when he was about 5 months old in 2012. I saw him in an adoption cage at Pet Supermarket and it was love at first sight – I knew he belonged in our family, Dan wholeheartedly agreed, and the rest is history. From nearly the moment he came into our lives, he had the wise and kind temperament of an old soul. He’s also an odd duck and absolutely beats to the march of his own drum. Read more

We have a lot of people in our neighborhood who let off noisy fireworks – Zoey feels safest under a blanket during all the commotion.

4th of July is a time of celebration – America’s birthday, our freedoms acknowledged and appreciated, cookouts with friends and family, time off from work, great shopping deals and more. But for our cats who are reactive to the slightest of change in their environment, a day and night like the 4th of July – something out of their typical norm can be especially stressful, traumatic and dangerous to them. We can’t stop fireworks and celebrating from happening, but with some planning and basic understanding of cat behavior, we can make the holiday more manageable for them. Read more

Yeah…it’s hot out! Remember to keep yourself and your pets hydrated!

Rainy season in South Florida typically begins sometime in the month of May. True to form, I think it rained nearly every single day since then, up until June 21st, the official first day of summer. Mother Nature, taking it as a literal cue, flipped a switch and it was officially hot. Unlike other regions in the country, we don’t gradually ramp up to summer, you just wake up one morning and it’s 90 degree hot. Read more