Darkness can lead to light
when you find what you love
or love what you find
Love isn’t always
at first sight
Category Poetry & Prose
Pawsitively Tuesday – Nuts to you
Here’s the good news
Eat nuts for your health
Pecans, walnuts, cashews
macadamias, if you choose
Just remember please
Peanuts are not nuts
They’re legumes, just like peas
no ifs, ands or buts
Legume by Peggy
The analysis of tree nut consumption included 826 patients. Previous studies showed positive associations between regular consumption of nuts reduction in cardiovascular disease and cancer, as well as a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and insulin resistance.*
The results showed that patients who consumed two or more 1-oz servings of nuts weekly had a 42% lower risk of cancer recurrence and a 57% lower risk of death from any cause during the follow-up period.
“The associations were limited to tree-nut intake and were not significant for consumption of peanuts or peanut butter,” said Fadelu. “The biologic mechanism is unknown but is likely related to the effect of nuts on insulin resistance.”
*Temidayo Fadelu, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
Pawsitively Tuesday-time flies
“Come, fill the Cup, and in the fire of Spring
Your Winter-garment of Repentance fling:
The Bird of Time has but a little way
To flutter–and the Bird is on the Wing”
― Omar Khayyám, The Ruba’iyat of Omar Khayyam
2017 goes out stiffly with a whimper and a snort
In the middle of the night
Peggy got a stiff neck
Couldn’t look left
couldn’t look right.
Judy caught a cold
bleary eyes
red nose
miserable sickly, all told
High on the Hog by Peggy
So thanks to Peggy for posting
Meowie and Woofer for hosting
and YOU for following CATNIPblog
May you live 2018
high on the hog
Frankly Freddie True Tails – Santa’s Plight
Dear human-beings,
Besides being soft and cuddly a mission of mine is to bring poetry to the masses, of which you are some. And I am here to bring you the truth . . . even though it might hurt.
Santa was frantic at the North Pole
Finances in the red, he was in the hole
Mrs Claus couldn’t afford sugar
For her cookies sublime
Dear old hubby didn’t have a dime
North Pole employment had exploded
and Santa’s credit was eroded
He’d spent his last cent on black Friday deals
and turkey with the trimmings for thanksgiving meals
The night before Christmas he no longer had clout
When all the elves threatened a walk-out
Elf-union held all the chips
As evidenced by the grin on all the elf lips
For every elf in all the land
had won a pay deal without tipping their hand:
Double pay all December
a free thanksgiving meal in November
Finally fringe benefits for elves was real
For Santa and the Mrs, there was no appeal
Santa had bitten his nails to the quick
Both right and left eyes developed a tic
All Santa could do was self medicate
So he stuffed his mouth from the cookie plate 
And downed all the rum from a hot toddy cup
his blood pressure sky-high, went up and up
His big fat belly shook like a bowl full of lead
While visions of bankruptcy danced in his head
So all you children and adults too
Have compassion and learn to make due
STOP asking for presents and things you don’t need
YOU must now take heed.
It’s no time for greed
If you want Santa another Christmas to live
to every red-kettle-bell-ringer
Dig in your pocket and GIVE.
Poetically yours,
Freddie Parker Westerfield
Hallowed Halloween
Hocus Pocus
Let’s all focus
No room for mean
on Halloween
Meowie Fly’n High by Peggy
Let love fly high
and fill the sky
If you want to remember – Forgeta ’bout it!
It’s a strain on my brain
to remember
whether it’s June, July or December
Multiple memories,
lots of tasks
my brain crowns the winner
which I reward with dinner
Eats I never forget
Food my permanent mind set
Trying To Remember Multiple Things May Be The Best Way To Forget Them
by CHRIS BENDEREV
“A new scientific model of forgetting is taking shape, which suggests keeping multiple memories or tasks in mind simultaneously can actually erode them.”
“Neuroscientists already knew that memories can interfere with and weaken each other while they are locked away in the recesses of long-term memory. But this new model speaks to what happens when multiple memories are coexisting front and center in our minds, in a place called “working memory.”‘
“It argues that when we let multiple memories come to mind simultaneously, those memories immediately lock into a fierce competition with each other.” When these memories are tightly competing for our attention the brain steps in and actually modifies those memories,” says Jarrod Lewis-Peacock, a neuroscientist at UT Austin.”
“The brain crowns winners and losers. If you ended up remembering the milk and forgetting the phone call, your brain strengthens your memory for getting milk and weakens the one for phoning your friend back, so it will be easier to choose next time you’re faced with that dilemma.”
I’m so smart. I’ve been employing this strategy for years! The only problem is when I remember what I forgot, I forget why I needed to remember what I forgot to remember.
(jw)
P.S. I forgot to tell you that you can read the entire article
by clicking on the title above.
Pawsitively Tuesday – Twirl, whirl & swirl
Dance when everyone’s watching
Twirl, whirl and swirl
whether you’re a boy or a girl
Sing when everyone’s listening
Warble, howl and trill
Whoever you are where ever you go
Let everyone know
being alive is a thrill
Save
Pawsitively Tuesday – Your loves or likes
Do what you love
or at least what you like
fishing is good
as is riding a bike
If you never have fun
All the should, could, woulds
your life they will run
Pawsitively Tuesday – All God’s Creatures
If cats and pups can cozy up
Why oh why can’t we
lie down with our “enemy”?
“Do not exalt yourselves above others, but consider all as your equals, recognizing them as the servants of one God.” Bahai World Faith, Abdu’l-Baha
“If we go to the fundamental level, we are the same human being. … Seven billion human beings are the same human being.” Dalai Lama
1 Corinthians 1:10
“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.”
Thanks Dr. Carolyn M.!
Pawsitively Tuesday – Frankly Freddie: Meowie, Meowy, & Me
Dear Human-beings and other creatures,
Alas and alack
MORE cats are back
and I’m last in the pack
If it weren’t for their claws
I’d give them a wack*
Peggy & judy are undoubtedly trying to appease me (since they didn’t name this blog FREDDIE or EVEN dedicate it to me) by giving me guest posting privileges and as such I’ve been granted the dubious task of introducing Meowie and her body-double.
Meowie
Meowie gets around (not in a salacious sense). She’s allowed to travel. However, in an effort to thwart the cataparazzi she often sends a body-double out in public.
Body Double Meowy: She’s had plastic surgery to enhance her looks. Judy Clemmer, sewing-surgeon-to-the-stars gave her a nose job and coiffed her coat to make her look fluffy. I suspect Judy C. used both Rogaine and hair extensions.
Body Double Meowy
If you spot Meowie’s body double on the prowl or sight-seeing let me know.
*I wouldn’t give anyone a wack, I’m a pacifist, but it was the only thing that rhymed with pack
Frankly,
Freddie Parker Westerfield, SE, SC
Senior Editor and Special Contributor
Pawsitively Tuesday – The Catnip Song
This cool cat
she plays one
she plays nip nap
with her thumb
Meowie in Concert by Peggy
Here a nip
there a nip
everywhere a nip nap
Nip nap puddy wack
bring the cat a rat
This ole cat likes to roam
before she comes
strolling home
Read: click here Singing Makes You HAPPY
Pawsitively Tuesday – turning to exercise
Twist and shout
work it all out
Pound the pillows
you’ll lose the kilos
Toss and turn
Calories will burn
Wake up thinner
in time for dinner
Thanks Linda B.!
Pawsitively Tuesday – Buried Alive
When under ground
and no one’s around
it’s very dark before the dawn
or perhaps it’s dawn before the dark?
It’s sometimes hard to tell
So make sure you’re planted
at just the right depth
and not in some deep well
My Will Power vs My Won’t Power
I admit it – My will power is puny. The more I try to eat healthy foods the more I scarf down sugar laden carbs. About 3-4 days is my limit for exerting will power. Finally! Research has confirmed I’m normal (sort of).
It turns out that everyone has will power, but only a limited amount to use each day.
Research shows that just the act of resisting temptation wears out will power and we are more likely to lose the ability to discipline ourselves later. This includes not only stopping oneself from dong something unhealthy or unhelpful, but also depletes the ability to concentrate on doing something you want to do.
Rather than depend on will power, it is easier to put ourselves in situations where little or no will power is needed: Easier not to buy ice cream, than to have it at home and not eat it; Easier to put a loud alarm clock far from bed so you have to get up than to have the snooze button next to the bed that you can tap (over and over) with your eyes shut and your head on the pillow.
Reference: Switch, How to change Things When Change is Hard Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Maui’s “Mini-Tail” of Will Power
by Peggy
There it sat, in the middle of Maui’s path, taunting him with texture. Maui knew his human would be upset if he scratched this BIG, TEMPTING scratching post called couch.
” Don’t scratch the couch. Don’t scratch the couch. Don’t scratch the couch”
He had lost count of how many times he heard this. But every time he passed by that couch, his brain remembered how great the rough fabric felt and directed his claws to come out, longing for a manicure.
Did Maui scratch? Yup. Just like humans, the stress of resisting continual temptation wore out his will power. I can’t blame him. Maui can’t remove the couch, he can’t go outside where he would be free to scratch whatever and where ever he wanted . . .
. . . unlike me who could throw out all the junk food and not buy anymore . . . if I had the will power . . .
Pawsitively Tuesday – Love Blooms
For this I pray
you’ll give love away
Like a beautiful rose
love blooms and grows
Inhale the fragrance airborne
But first . . . strip off the thorn
Pawsitivley Tuesday – Opportunity Missed
The Fate of young ladies who “demurred”
with Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos or Mark Zuckerberg
There once was a Miss
who declined a kiss
fearing the poor lad
would make her look bad
if the news leaked
about her and this geek.
There’s no mystery
The rest is history
This fearful honey
is out of the money
Your Microbiome is Invisibly Spewing YOU onto Others!
They call us “home”
our microbiome.
Our body spews
a cloud no one can see
Bacteria, viruses, fungi
intermingling you and me
Releasing microbes in the air
from head to toe where ever we go
Because they’re here to stay
Don’t waste your money
on bug spray
If you don’t believe me read: wherever-you-go-your-personal-cloud-of-microbes-follows
An excerpt to perk your interest:
“Each of us carries around millions of microorganisms – including bacteria, fungi and viruses — on the inner and outer surfaces of our bodies. Most of them aren’t dangerous. In fact, growing evidence indicates that they help us in lots of ways. Scientists call this collection of organisms our microbiome.”
‘”A lot of the recent work on the human microbiome has revealed that we’re kind of spilling our microbial companions all over our houses and our offices and the people around us,” Meadow says.”
“Meadow says the findings raise a number of possibilities, including, maybe, one day being able to identify a criminal by analyzing the microbial cloud he or she leaves behind at the scene.”
“We know that if you live with people, and even if you just work with people, your microbial communities come to resemble theirs over time,“ Knight says. “And in the past we used to think that was due to touch. It may be just that you’re releasing microbes into the air and some of those microbes are colonizing the people you’re with.”
The Pit In Your Stomach is Actually Your Second Brain
Pawsitively Tuesday – Throw it Around
Throw kindness around like confetti
Sprinkle it slow, sprinkle it steady
Let it fall from the air
stick in the hair
get caught on the lips
sit on by hips
Throw kindness around without care
Show there’s more than enough to spare
Author Unknown
HeART of Spirituality – Healing
Once a month I facilitate a free, non-denominational HeART of Spirituality workshop. Tapestry Unitarian Congregation hosts it. There’s a different theme each month.
For those of you who want to think about your own spirituality I’ll post the information and the exercises for you to do. For those who just want a peek at the heART the participants create take a look!
judy
* * *
Healing was the focus at this HeART of Spirituality workshop.
The medium used was journaling.
Synopsis of the Introduction:
Physically, biologically anger and fear create a neurochemical cascade from the brain to the body triggering powerful stress responses. These two emotions interfere with physical healing and are incompatible with spiritual healing.
When everything is going well we try to maintain the status quo (for good reason!). To change, learn and grow we all need an impetus. The most powerful stimuli for change and growth are when we face pain or fear.
In Buddhism there’s a distinction between pain and suffering: Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. Suffering is based on our perception and emotional response.
Basic to Baha’i beliefs:
- We learn how to develop God’s virtues through pain and earthly trials & tribulation.
- God does not want us to suffer, He wants us to learn.
- Suffering comes from our distorted perspective of spirituality and our ego needs.
- Praying for “healing” is first and foremost for spiritual growth, not physical remedy.
My personal experience with fibromyalgia and my belief is that ultimately all healing – physical, emotional, situational, is spiritual.
Indeed, scientific research shows that what we think and believe impacts our emotional and physical well-being. The power of the placebo is a small example.
First exercise – “Stacked Writing”
Stacked writing is a great way to keep things confidential and not have to hide your journal under the mattress. You can spill your thoughts & feelings out on paper and no one (including you) will be able to read what you wrote.
Workshop Materials: I pasted colored tissue paper on large sheets of paper for the participants to write on. These sheets were later turned into mini 8-page journals.
Your Materials: A journal or just a piece of paper will do. A black marker or pen. A timer
Instructions:
- Write, print, scribble your thoughts and feelings all over the paper, continue writing, turning the paper in many directions (sideways, upside down) and writing on top of what you’ve written. If your mind goes blank, keep scribbling until another thought pops in.
- Write for a minimum of 20 minutes, non-stop (make sure you have an easy flowing marker or pen). Setting a timer is best so you don’t distract yourself or interrupt your writing.
- Focus on releasing the emotions of anger and fear. Fill the page with sentences, phrases, words on top of each other so that what was written becomes indecipherable.
Second exercise – “Found Poetry”
Materials: Newspapers, sheet of blank paper, (we used black construction paper but a journal or any paper will do) glue sticks, scissors.
Instructions:
- Focusing on the theme of “healing” cut out approximately 20 words & phrases from the newspaper. Use your intuition, what catches your eye to choose what you cut out.
- Arrange your words & phrases on a piece of paper, creating a free verse poem*.
- Paste your poem down when it “feels finished”.
*“Free verse is an open form of poetry. It does not use consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern. Many poems composed in free verse thus tend to follow the rhythm of natural speech.” Wikipedia
Here are the participants Healing Poems. Take a look!
Poetry, ideally, is meant to be recited out loud. Get your moneys-worth and orate!
Pawsitively Tuesday – Succeed OR Fail
In my opinion, one of the most “damaging” things we can tell our children, or ourselves for that matter, is that if we set our mind to it and have the perseverance we can do anything, accomplish anything, be anything. WRONG.
No matter how much I may want to be a nuclear physicist my brain simply will not grasp the finer, much less coarser, points of physics or math. No matter how much I might want to be a sumo wrestler, my body, dexterity and athletic ability forbids it.
So if I were going to talk to The Cat in the Hat I would tell him to change what he preaches to:
You have brains in your head
You have feet in your shoes
Try things, succeed OR fail,
You’ve got nothing to lose.
(jw)
Pawsitively Tuesday – Freddie’s Forewarning
You can’t be vain
dancing in the rain
for it’s a sure bet
your paws’ll get wet
your fur will matt
and you’ll looked like
a drowned cat
Pawsitively Tuesday — Olde Ode
Sometimes I think,
she says with a wink,
I’m stupid and old
if the truth be told.
Cuz it’s hard to remember
the last time I was young,
she says cheek in tongue
