The Cats Meow

Welcome! THE CAT'S MEOW is an opt-in weekly newsletter. If you've received it, you've subscribed or been given a subscription, or had it forwarded to you. Should you desire to subscribe or unsubscribe, you can do so at our website.
Please feel free to forward any part or all of The Cat's Meow to your friends, either in e-mail or printed form!!!

Privacy Notice: We do not sell or share our subscribers email addresses!

Disclaimer: All articles in this newsletter are believed to of be public domain and, therefore,reprintable. Where a source is available, it has been stated. If you believe a mistake has been made or know the source of an unattributed article, please write to:
JC@online-thecatsmeow.com !

Our planned update of THE CAT'S MEOW's Website continues! Please let us know what else you'd like to see!

Due to all this "restructuring", we offer you, this week, a miscellany of thought-provoking reprints.... Should any of the articles cause you to want to explore further, check out our website!

Where Pets Come From

It is reported that the following part of the Book of Genesis was discovered in the Dead Sea Scrolls. If authentic, it would shed light on the question, "Where do pets come from?"

And Adam said, "Lord, when I was in the garden, you walked with me everyday. Now I do not see you anymore. I am lonesome here and it is difficult for me to remember how much you love me."

And God said, "No problem! I will create a companion for you that will be with you forever and who will be a reflection of my love for you, so that you will know I love you, even when you cannot see me. Regardless of how selfish and childish and unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are and will love you as I do, in spite of yourself."

And God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam. And it was a good animal. And God was pleased.

And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and he wagged his tail. And Adam said, "But Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and all the good names are taken and I cannot think of a name for this new animal."

And God said, "No problem! Because I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, his name will be a reflection of my own name, and you will call him DOG."

And Dog lived with Adam and was a companion to him and loved him. And Adam was comforted. And God was pleased. And Dog was content and wagged his tail.

After a while, it come to pass that Adam's guardian angel came to the Lord and said, "Lord, Adam has become filled with pride. He struts and preens like a peacock and he believes he is worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught him that he is loved, but no one has taught him humility."

And the Lord said, "No problem! I will create for him a companion who will be with him forever and who will see him as he is. The companion will remind him of his limitations, so he will know that he is not always worthy of adoration."

And God created CAT to be a companion to Adam. And Cat would not obey Adam.

And when Adam gazed into Cats eyes, he was reminded that he was not the supreme being. And Adam learned humility. And God was pleased. And Adam was greatly improved. And Dog was content. And Cat did not care one way or the other.

Found on several websites in recent days

Reprinted from Self-Healing Expressions

The Kind Horseman

It was a bitter, cold evening in northern Virginia many, many years ago. The old man's beard was glazed by winter's frost while he waited for a ride across the river. The wait seemed endless. His body became numb and stiff from the frigid north wind. He heard the faint, steady rhythm of approaching hooves galloping along the frozen path.

Anxiously, he watched as several horsemen rounded the bend. He let the first one pass by without an effort to get his attention. Then another passed by... and another. Finally, the last rider neared the spot where the old man sat like a snow statue. As this one drew near, the old man caught the rider's eye and said, "Sir, would you mind giving an old man a ride to the other side? There doesn't appear to be a passageway by foot."

Reining his horse, the rider replied, "Sure thing. Hop aboard." Seeing the old man was unable to lift his half-frozen body from the ground, the horseman dismounted and helped the old man onto the horse. The horseman took the old man not just across the river, but to his destination, which was just a few miles away.

As they neared the tiny but cozy cottage, the horseman's curiosity caused him to inquire, "Sir, I notice that you let several other riders pass by without making an effort to secure a ride. Then I came up and you immediately asked me for a ride. I'm curious why, on such a bitter winter night, you would wait and ask the last rider. What if I had refused and left you there?"

The old man lowered himself slowly down from the horse, looked the rider straight in the eyes, and replied, "I've been around these here parts for some time. I reckon I know people pretty good."

The old-timer continued, "I looked into the eyes of the other riders and immediately saw there was no concern for my situation. It would have been useless even to ask them for a ride. But when I looked into your eyes, kindness and compassion were evident. I knew, then and there, that your gentle spirit would welcome the opportunity to give me assistance in my time of need."

Those heartwarming comments touched the horseman deeply.

"I'm most grateful for what you have said," he told the old man. "May I never get too busy in my own affairs that I fail to respond to the needs of others with kindness and compassion."

With that, Thomas Jefferson turned his horse around and made his way back to the White House.

Reprinted from Life's Adventures

The paradox of our time in history is that
we have taller buildings but shorter tempers,
wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.
We spend more, but have less.
We buy more, but enjoy less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families,
more conveniences, but less time.
We have more degrees but less sense,
more knowledge, but less judgment,
more experts, yet more problems,
more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much,
smoke too much,
spend too recklessly,
laugh too little,
drive too fast,
get too angry,
stay up too late,
get up too tired,
read too little,
watch TV too much,
and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions,
but reduced our values.
We talk too much, love too seldom,
and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living,
but not a life.
We've added years to life not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back,
but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.
We conquered outer space but not inner space.
We've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.
We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.
We write more, but learn less.
We plan more, but accomplish less.
We've learned to rush, but not to wait.

We build more computers to hold more information,
to produce more copies than ever,
but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion,
big men and small character,
steep profits and shallow relationships.
These are the days of two incomes but more divorce,
fancier houses, but broken homes.
These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers,
throw-away morality, one night stands, overweight bodies,
and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet, to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the showroom
window and nothing in the stockroom.
A time when technology can bring this letter to you,
and a time when you can choose
either to share this insight,
or to just hit delete.

Remember, spend some time with your loved ones,
because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone
who looks up to you in awe,
because that little person soon will grow up
and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug
to the one next to you,
because that is the only treasure
you can give with your heart
and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember to say, "I love you"
to your partner and your loved ones,
but most of all mean it.
A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it
comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands
and cherish the moment for
someday that person will not be there again.
Give time to love, give time to speak
and give time to share
the precious thoughts in your mind.

~By George Carlin~

BIRD & SQUIRREL TREAT

1/2 jar peanut butter
1-2 cups ready-made bird food with cracked corn & sunflower seed
cornmeal
2-3 T raisins or dried fruit bits (optional)

Heat peanut butter in glass bowl in microwave until melted. Add seeds and fruit until no more mixes in well. If still too sticky, add cornmeal until mixture firms up and holds together. Put into pan lined with wax paper; refrigerate until firm. Cut into sizes that fit your suet feeder, or bar shapes, and put outside for birds.
[Those who desire to get fancy can dip/roll pinecones in this mixture (omit the cornmeal).]

From the editor's files

Simplify

"Beware! For a ship too heavily laden more handily runs- aground!" (A common warning to Mariners)

Behold our mighty ship! Onward, ever onward! Through calm and placid waters; through strong currents; through high swells… Through storm swept seas and furious gale… Yes, through all happenstance we would yet make our journey! For stay the course we will; set true and straight; with keen earnest we grasp tightly the helm! Oh, feel the sway and creak of oaken decks! The salty sting of wind-swept seas! Onward we surge! Onward into a new year's dawning hope; its promise, its mystique! Oh, such wondrous adventure will be ours!

"For it is not journey's end that I revel in, but its very discourse!"

Gracey sat across a small cocktail table from her best friend Janice in the crowded nightclub. Janice was having a great time. Janice always seemed to have a great time…

Yes, another New Years party, complete with balloons, champagne, streamers… Quite an elaborately festive gala. Champagne glasses held high, they joined the many other revelers this night in a countdown to the New Year… 5…4…3…2…1…

And then, "Happy New Year!" They all shouted with singular glee!

Gracey went through the motions with as glib a smile as she could muster. With warmth and enthusiasm, she did not feel, she wished those around her a Happy New Year, hugged her best friend Janice, and even joined in the usual rendition of "Auld Lang Syne".

But alas…

"What a nauseating song..." Gracey let out an evincing sigh. For the truth was, this New Year's celebration had found her quite depressed and melancholy. Indeed, for she was expecting nothing new of the coming year. Yes, it would be the same as the last; and the year before, and the year before that… Et nausea. Somehow she felt… Well, stuck in a rut; going no-where she wanted to go; painfully discontent and seemingly powerless to change anything.

"Ho-Hum."

Finally, the night's celebrations were finally over. Gracey returned home, threw her coat over a kitchen chair, slipped off her pumps, and lay upon her bed. She stared forlornly at the blank white ceiling and mourned the certain future the coming year was sure to bring.

Ho Hum…

But then a dream!

Lo; off in the eerie mists to Starboard! A ship! Ship ahoy! Its keel lodged firmly in rocky shoal. A slack sea laps softly, indeed insultingly, upon its mighty hull; masts, strong and tall; and the once billowing sails; now limp like sack clothes; a seemingly dead ship; yes there it stuck, where once it had proudly sallied forth, now it stood fast!

But then a hope! An ultimatum.

Hark! a lone voice; carries upon mist and sea from the motionless ship!

"Trise up ye mates, for we have much to do this day! Trise up!" Bellows the Captain to his crew!

"For it is time; time to lighten ship! Cast forth all but the bare essentials! Over the side with it mates! All of it! Ahhh my valiant crew, lighten ship! Lighten ship! Lest we die here in this cursed place!" He booms!

Gracey, in this rare moment, was filled with a new understanding. Yes, as difficult as it was to admit, her life had become so heavily laden in distraction, steeped in useless burden and duty, that little of her spirit and zest for life remained! And so a decision was upon her; and as hard as it would be to say goodbye to the familiar, even the painfully familiar; she must! Yes, the ominous voice in her awakening dream…

"Lighten ship! Lest we die here in this cursed place!"

Meanwhile, the crew with understandable reluctance, scrambles up to the main deck, arms heavily laden with this and that; soon the sea about the ship is littered with the flotsam and jetsam of their earnest work. And slowly, ever slowly, the ship begins to rise above its snare! Slowly, ever slowly it drifts freely, lightly upon the sea!

Yes, free at last! With elation and earnest we grasp tightly the helm! Yes onward! Ever onward with singular joy and hope!

Ahhh, of Gracey's dream… A hope, an ultimatum, a challenge…

Perhaps this New Year would be such a time for each of us to reflect upon the essentials of our lives as well; a time to cast forth what has failed us; a time to remove such distractions that restrain our hearts and souls from what they truly yearn for. Perhaps its time to become unstuck in such a rocky shoal that has indeed grounded us so tightly!

Behold Gracey… Her ship now surges forward; a stout keel dancing upon the winds and seas! Tall masts, resplendent in taut and billowing sails! With keen earnest she grasps tightly the helm! Yes onward! Ever onward with singular joy and hope!

Happy New Year.

Q: I just got a new computer and I'm having a problem with my Favorites. Seems like if I don't visit a site often enough, they disappear from the menu! Why is this?.

A: Newer versions of Internet Explorer use a Favorites menu that "remembers" the sites you visit the most. So, when you click your Favorites menu, you may only see 5 or 6 of your favorite sites and need to click the little double-"V" looking thing at the bottom of the menu in order to see the rest.

Personally, I kind of like the feature, but I know that some people don't. So, if you want to make your favorites menu show you all your favorites all the time, here's how:

1. Open Internet Explorer and hit the Tools menu, Internet Options.
2. Click the Advanced tab and look for an entry called "Enable Personalized Favorites Menu". Just uncheck it and your Favorites menu should go back to showing you everything.

-- Steve

Reprinted from Computer Tips