Energies sapped...

The christmas paper whites are all finally in bloom.

All visiting relatives are gone but Ollie who remains suspicious runs around checking just to make sure that none is hiding behind a bush.

Augustus carries out the search from a high vista!

'Los parientes have departed', they meowed to each other. They can now rest.

I knew their energies were sapped but I had to take advantage of the moment and read to them so they would stay in form. So they assumed the standard kitty reading position, meaning that they turned their backs to me and to each other,

and we read this short paragraph:

"...In the spiritual world, the divine bestowals are infinite, for in that realm there is neither separation nor disintegration which characterize the world of material existence. Spiritual existence is absolute immortality, completeness and unchangeable being. Therefore we must thank God that He has created for us both material blessings and spiritual bestowals......

Thereafter the boys were really exhausted and went to their respective rooms to nap. Augustus put himself to sleep by sinking into his sheepskin
and Ollie decided to watch the Patriots/Ravens game to relax.
Wishing all a wonderful week but don't work too hard or your energies will be sapped!

Muchas cat kisses and ciao!

Los gatos y yo discuten sobre un tema muy importante

however, being cerca de la fin de semana we thought to save it for later. Well, that's about all the Espanol that I know, and as I told the boys about this talk that I went to last Wednesday night, and that other one that I had to attend another night Augustus ran to the book case and pulled out this selection for me to read!!!
Hmmm, I thought, the little cat boy is telling me something or is he just trying to distract me so he can run off?

Either way I did read...

"...there is a sign (from God) in every phenomenon: the sign of the intellect is contemplation and the sign of contemplation is silence, because it is impossible for a man to do two things at one time—he cannot both speak and meditate.
It is an axiomatic fact that while you meditate you are speaking with your own spirit. In that state of mind you put certain questions to your spirit and the spirit answers: the light breaks forth and the reality is revealed...
The spirit of man is itself informed and strengthened during meditation; through it affairs of which man knew nothing are unfolded before his view...
Nevertheless some thoughts are useless to man; they are like waves moving in the sea without result. But if the faculty of meditation is bathed in the inner light and characterized with divine attributes, the results will be confirmed."(Paris Talks)

Early this morning Ollie and I did our routine walk, mommie cat actually overslept and did not get out until 6:15 a.m., ayeee!

We passed by these freshly planted flowers and Ollie asked me to take a picture for YOU!


Muchos kitty kisses to all and warming rays of sun...

Ciao!

L'Art Divin de Vivre

Ollie is off to work, no hesitation in his gait,

and Augustus is already seated at his desk! He does customer service on certain days.

While those two were ready, set, go, their mommie cat had only dipped her toes into 2010. I was a warrior last night, in my dreams; holding a baton I was fighting off coyotes fearlessly. During daytime I had to use squirrel mail because my Mac was refusing to get into 2010. I found myself undevoted to giving my days to work and nights to extra-curricular activities, and that feeling suddenly parted...

The cat boys and I got into a huddle and read this:

Voyons maintenant vos questions : "Pourquoi prier ?" "Qu'y a-t-il de sage à cela, puisque Dieu a tout arrangé dans le meilleur ordre possible ? Puisqu'Il a tout ordonné d'une façon judicieuse, et, avec la plus grande perfection, a mis chaque chose à la place qui lui convient le mieux ? A quoi bon, dès lors, prier, implorer, exposer ses besoins et demander assistance? ".

Sache, en vérité, qu'il convient au faible, de demander l'aide du Fort, et qu'à celui qui cherche l'infinie bonté, il appartient de supplier le Glorieux, le Généreux.

Lorsque l'on implore son Seigneur, que l'on se tourne vers Lui, que l'on recherche les grâces de Son Océan, cette supplication est déjà, par elle-même, une lumière pour le coeur, une illumination pour les yeux, une source vivifiante pour l'âme et une exaltation pour l'être tout entier.

L'art divin de vivre-==> Verset: 13.2-==> Verset: 13.3

or in English:

Another correspondent asked: “Why pray? What is the wisdom thereof, for God has established everything and executes all affairs after the best order—therefore, what is the wisdom in beseeching and supplicating and in stating one’s wants and seeking help?”

"Know thou, verily it is becoming in a weak one to supplicate to the Strong One, and it behooveth a seeker of bounty to beseech the Glorious Bountiful One. When one supplicates to his Lord, turns to Him and seeks bounty from His Ocean, this supplication brings light to his heart, illumination to his sight, life to his soul and exaltation to his being.

So here it is, 2010, may it be blessed with remembrances of the divine kind. The cat boys meow adieu and blow little kisses with their paws!

Ciao!

We were abducted by Extra Terrestrials...

I checked the last blog entry, December 20th 2009, and thought, today is January 3rd, 2010. Were we abducted by some extraterrestrials and are now returned to earth? It sure felt that way to us. This morning I walked the walk that had not been tread for a long while it seems and liked the view.

Later I noticed that a slanky cat boy named Augustus was draped over the chair, exhausted from the holidays, ....

and this little dude who appears perky and full of trouble

became suddenly very sleepy.

What differed this year compared with others was that we did not have time to make resolutions. It seems as if I would need a week just to organize time already spent. We already find ourselved ready to leap ahead while feeling immensely grateful for moments spent together with family and friends.
Cat boys asked me to meow their best wishes to their friends, blog readers, other kitties and lions here and everywhere. May little angels sit on every drop of rain, snowflake, or ray of sun, and guard and guide all, all year long.

Smooches from kitties and Ciao!

The Saturday before Christmas...

As I took a quick walk through the Huntington Gardens last Saturday afternoon I suddenly noticed that most of the beautiful statues that embellish the many mini-gardens and paths and doorways are interestingly clad. They tend to be in the nude, but accessorized. I started thinking of the times when I put on my socks first before other items and how I'd quickly rush to dress as if someone was going to see me that way. Au contraire, these statues don't mind this look at all.

They strut about, pose, stand around in the nude, but they do carry accessories. So I stopped at the gift shop and picked up a couple of accessories!

Earlier that same day, I was busy cleaning and organizing, a lot has to be done before the arrival of kitties' grandparents. The cat boys found my doing housework interesting, and so they watched while resting.

I kept thinking to myself how handy it would be if I could watch and nap at the same time!

And yet earlier in the morning, I went to the early morning farmer's market where I found this citron.
This citron has no juice, it is all zest. I had never seen one before.

And yet even earlier, 5:30 a.m. or thereabouts, I went out with these doodles.
Doodle #1= Ollie

Doodle #2 = Augustus

The day came to an end with the going-away party for the friend who was moving to Pointe Noire, Congo:
She is dressed in the traditional Congo attire! Bon Voyage et Adieu! And two nights before she left we talked about this:

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)

Wishing all a beautiful week, many accessories, a clean heart and cat kisses as needed...

Ciao!

My lovely early morning companions...

Es muy temprano, it is very early...5:30 a.m., and little Ollie straddling the sofa is wondering when his keeper is going to take him out for a walk!



Es 7:30 a.m., and little Gustopher Jones is wondering if we are going to go out again?!!!



My lovely early morning companions have a lot of ideas in their little heads. They so wish they could go to work so mommie cat told them about her last night's excursions (especially since there was no Sylvester at home).

She first walked over to her good friend who is going to Congo in 2 days, together they walked to a talk on 'Making the World Beautiful" delivered by another friend from Ethiopia who is studying International Policy, Planning and Development at USC. The speaker expressed her feelings of despair at the immensity of world problems. She then listed the case studies she had examined and mentioned that in all those cases adversity was turned around into a situation far better than expected through efforts of a handful of people who did not give up. In all instances women played a very significant role in the betterment of the world. She quoted the following passage, which gave her hope that one cannot give up in face of adversities.

In this world we are influenced by two sentiments, Joy and Pain. Joy gives us wings! In times of joy our strength is more vital, our intellect keener, and our understanding less clouded. We seem better able to cope with the world and to find our sphere of usefulness. But when sadness visits us we become weak, our strength leaves us, our comprehension is dim and our intelligence veiled. The actualities of life seem to elude our grasp,the eyes of our spirits fail to discover the sacred mysteries, and we become even as dead beings.(AbdulBaha)

She saw in those adversities "sacred mysteries".

Thereafter, the precious boy cats volunteered to help wherever they could and I assured them that some day they would. : )

The gatos send everyone little kisses with their little pink lips!

Ciao!

Untitled...

This is how somedays are, untitled! Last evening as I came home I caught a glimpse of this red sky. I dropped everything to grab my handy dandy iphone and took this photo. I love skies!

This early morning I was on cat duty, walking up and down the street with the cats for one moment, and alone, the other when I suddenly caught glimpse of our street. No people, quiet, nice I thought.


As I was going back in to come up with a new set of plans for capturing the rascal kitties I saw this jet slice the blue sky above my head...Aahhh I thought!

Well, dos rascales gatos were eventually caught but they refused to pose for photos. I told them that last nights photos would have to do then, and so I present:

Augustus the Magnificent sitting on two catnip mousies and a catnip sachet...

...he gives me the 'uninterpretable look', ??!!??

Ollie, or Mr PuffyPants thinks he should have the catnip mousies but it is a 'no-go' situaton,

which does not bother him for too long

because he can straddle the sofa cushion and close his eyes!

Cat mommie watched "La Moustache" while Sylvester (aka cat dad) worked on building a civilization (a computer game)! And the boys and I read this before going to bed...

O son of man! If thine eyes be turned towards mercy, forsake the things that profit thee and cleave unto that which will profit mankind. And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for thyself. Humility exalteth man to the heaven of glory and power, whilst pride abaseth him to the depths of wretchedness and degradation.
(Verset: 6.47 Les Tablettes de Bahá'u'lláh)

Wishing all a Wednesday embellished with a beautiful title and of course the usual serving of cat kisses...

Ciao!