Mz Paws Wishes Everyone Happy New Year!

Oh, my dear tail....

Another year has come and gone.

Yours truly, your faithful Mz Paws, must admit to feeling rather startled to find herself on the verge of a New Year.

You see, dear reader, your Mz Paws has been silent for quite some time now. Some have suggested that yours truly has had what humans call "writer's block."

Oh, my dear readers, no, no, no. Your Mz Paws has simply been exploring different avenues of expression. Yours truly has been taking singing lessons, as well as quilting, drumming and -- oh, my favorite of all -- birding! Oh, all those beautiful birds. Oh, but dear reader, let me assure you, your Mz Paws would NEVER, EVER, EVER, evereverevereverever even THINK of chasing after one of those gorgeous feathery creatures. Yours truly is simply enjoying learning their names. This is the truth from my heart, dear readers. After all, why would I, Mz Paws, need to (oh dear, yours truly just cannot bring herself to say it)...but you, dear reader know what some of my kind do with birds. I assure you, dearest friends, that I have PLENTY to eat where I live. As I matter of fact, my human just offered me a tasty treat, which I refused -- politely, bien sur -- because I must watch my weight. Oh, did I tell you, dear reader, that I am also studying le francais? Mais oui!

But now as the New Year approaches, it is time for yours truly to wish all of you, my dear friends, a Happy, Healthy and Purrful New Year!

Always your,

Mz Paws

Purr Script: As always, yours truly would adore hearing from you!

A Must-Go-To Concert!!!!

YOU

WILL

NEVER

CATCH

ME

NAPPING.....

NEVER, EVER....

...at the maaavalous concert my human is giving on APRIL 30, 2011. Dear reader, you must know, by now, that your Mz Paws does not EVER stoop to that scourge of the world known as -- oh, do I dare say it? -- "advertising" or "marketing," as some humans like to call it.

Having divested myself of a connection to that scurrilous activity, I am willing to say this:

You must all RUN to this concert, did I say it will be on April 30th? A Saturday. Yes.

Yes, well, there are four reasons you MUST get yourself there by any means possible (short of stealing your transportation, of course):

1) The concert features my human's collection of compositions entitled -- so she tells me -- "Animal Tails." (As if all animals have tails! Well, we won't address this little problem right now.) The important feature is that she has engaged the services of an ANIMAL WRANGLER to assist the performers, of which she is one.

2) I have heard through my contacts that this concert is featuring a rare piece by a Frenchman who lived long, long ago in a place far, far away, named Claude Debussy. It is rare because it combines flute, piano and a French narrator.

3) My human has been playing the same -- I never use "fowl" language, as you know -- catdarn music for months now, and if you don't attend her concert, I'm afraid she'll keep playing it. I have VERY delicate ears, and those high notes on the flute....oh my dear Soul....

4) You just might find yours truly in attendance. Yes, your very own Mz Paws!! Yours truly would not miss the first concert that my human has given in hundreds of years because of a nerve injury to her face. She has a Master's in Flute Performance (I saw her diploma once -- she does not know this) and has been very sad until lately. Now she is happy she can play -- and your very own Mz Paws would NEVER miss this opportunity to hear her.

NOR SHOULD YOU!!! If yours truly can get there on her own four paws, surely YOU can find your way there, too!!! I will take great delight in meeting all MY fans at the reception following the concert.

Now, you may be asking, "Where is 'there'?" Quite rightly. "There" is:

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Saratoga Springs, 624 North Broadway. The concert starts at 7:30 pm, but get there EARLY because seating is limited. This is a benefit concert; tickets are $10 for all you General Public humans; $5 for those of you who call yourselves "students."

I LOOK FOWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE!

Always your,

Mz Paws

Promoting Peacefulness: A Meditation for Felines and Humans

Friends

A-bound

A-round

the Internet

Let's Make This a Day of Peace

Even though as you can clearly see, yours truly is not "abounding" at the moment -- in fact, I am doing the lazy version of a downward dog, named, bien sur, after yours truly, Mz Paws -- I wish to draw your attention, dear reader, to something you already know: one can find almost anything on the highway we know as The Internet. Including new friends.

I am delighted to report I have found a new friend in Catanna. She can be found at www.catanna.com and she has a wonderful meditation for all felines (and humans, as well) that I thought I would pass on here. It was so peaceful for a lovely Sunday morning. I hope you all have a wonderful day full of delicious crunchies and other surprises! Click here for the link to the meditation.

And I see I have another follower! Karen and Raven, WELCOME!! You know I do adore my fans!!

Always your,

Mz Paws

To Lighten and Brighten Your Day

Life Brings

Such

Unexpected

Things!

While on vacation, yours truly practiced Laws #2 and #3 in a snow-white bed in a lovely location by the sea. Naturally, it was a Master size bed -- yours truly expects the best, after all. As should you, dear reader. We are all worth having the best that life offers.

Yours truly did a bit of exploring while on the Master Bed, and to my delight, found a poem tucked in the pillow (it always pays to inspect one's surroundings!). I would like to share this lovely poem with you. It is about yours truly -- in one of my previous lives, of course. May it lighten and brighten your day, as it did mine!

The Cat and the Wind

by Thom Gunn (from The New Yorker, 11/27/1978)

A small wind

blows across the hedge

into the yard.

The cat cocks her ears

--multitudinous rustling

and crackling all around--

her pupils dwindle

to specks

in her yellow eyes

that stare first upward

and then on every side

unable to single out

any one thing

to pounce on,

for all together,

as if orchestrated,

twigs, leaves,

small pebbles pause

and start and pause

in their shifting,

their rubbing

against each other.

She is still listening

when the wind is already

three gardens off.

I do hope you have enjoyed this poem about your Mz Paws as much as I did! Please do let me know by clicking in one of the boxes below! You can find more of Thom Gunn's poetry by clicking here.

Always your,

Mz Paws

Twenty-five Statements of Advice

Your Mz Paws Has Returned From Vacation

Renewed, restored, rejuvenated, and resplendent -- sometimes a bit of self-aggrandizement is good for the tail -- yours truly has returned from the seaside, where salt air gives fur a special shine.

In honor of my return, I would like to share with you something that a kind friend shared with yours truly (I may like a bit of self-promotion, but your Mz Paws would never plagiarize!). Here it is, some words of wisdom or folly, depending upon how one takes them. I'm taking them as wisdom, myself, although regarding #5, yours truly doesn't have one, and regarding #11, my one and only litter has long since left the nest.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

10. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

11. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

12. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

14. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

15. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

16. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

17. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

19. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

20. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

21. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

22. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

23. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

24. Forgive everyone everything.

25. What other people think of you is none of your business.

Always your

Mz Paws

Mz Paws Goes On Vacation

Your Mz Paws

is Going Away for

a Few Days!

Everyone, including all my dear readers and adoring fans, need a break from day-to-day routine. Even if it's just to play with a piece of string. But I am very lucky to be going somewhere very nice by the sea. You can see here that I am finishing up my post and will be ready to go any moment now.

Now YOU, dear reader and adoring fan, must also go and DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT TODAY. Just one little thing. You'll feel a lot better.

I'll be back next week. Until then, I am

Always your

Mz Paws

Major Depression: Silent Suffering

Major depression: When your reflection doesn't jive with your insides....

Your Mz Paws has found an article from the NY Times that everyone should read, especially anyone who has suffered major depression, anyone who knows someone who has suffered major depression, anyone who knows someone who knows someone....well, dear readers, you get the idea. And for all those who work with those who are suffering from depression, too.

Daphne Merkin, a writer for the NY Times, has bravely written of her experience of the exquisite torture, internal and external, that major depression inflicts on its sufferer. The article is called "A Journey Through Darkness." Mz Paws requests, no BEGS, you all to read this article. Click here. At some point, a creature you know and love might be afflicted with this terrible disease, and Mz Paws has never read anything that approaches her own experience with the illness (yes, the cat's out of the bag -- so to speak -- your very own Mz Paws suffers from depression from time to time!). Yes, cats, rabbits, deer and even d-o-g-s, suffer depression. Especially when they are abandoned or abused. It is a serious illness for all creatures! The signs are sometimes visible, sometimes hidden.

For all those out there who want to know what it is like, and those who have depression and cannot describe what it is like, this article is one of the best on depression that yours truly has ever come across -- it is akin to William Styron's book about his depression called "A Darkness Visible."

Please read this article. For all those you know who might be suffering silently with this illness. Thank you from my heart. And Mz Paws knows that all those who are suffering thank you, too.

Always your

Mz Paws

(Just click here for the article)

P.S. Ms. Merkin just published an article in last Sunday's NY Times Magazine Section on therapy, called My Shrunk Life. Click here for that article.