I am Tilin, a Welsh corgi and wine country dog, aka @winecountrydog.
I started pawin the puter and dooin social media in 2008, after I had life-saving back surgery and had to sit-stay to recover. That is when I came to create wine country dog ezine™ — an independent pet-ezine.
My ancient self does have a few health pawblems, but my ortho surgeon gave me a chance to walk again. Other good vets and Mum have helped too. Myself goin wobbly but strong toward 17th BD in November 2014.
Luv to paw-write and tweet, and travel to meet new furriends and nice humans. Some of them write about wine or craft beer or food and health. Wine country has got nommy fresh whole foods and farmers markets. And wine country means most effurrywhere in world these days eh.
You find that my furbro, Jackie Nippers Corgi, does sometimes join me on adventures and on twitter. Our beloved Ani Meezer rarely does.
All three of us were rescued from diffurrent circumstances. Furbro is a "breeder rescue." We doo encourage adoption of furriends from good animal rescue charities. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Howlo. I am Jackie Nippers Corgi (aka pawlitico™).
You may find me on walkies with furbro Tilin Corgi, and out at wine tastings and regional food adventures up and down Pacific coast. Sometimes on social media with furbro. We like to paw-write tasting notes for wine and food.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Our thanks to Mum (aka winecountrydogma™) for editing, web dev, photography, pro fact-checking, and for grrreat homemade whole food meals. Mum is trained in D.A.R.T. and helps us paw out animal rescue info during disasters.
by Ani Meezer, Kitteh Queen of the kitchen Anchovy? Oh my cat!
Do not furget to call me if you have anchovies! Seems it is time to tell you how to make a lovely AV Dressing: Mediterranean-inspired Anchovy Vinaigrette Dressing for salads. Mymewself will narrate for Mum.
Aye do see Mum has placed dressing ingredients on kitchen counter.
INGREDIENTS 1/4 cup EVOO 1/8 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 clove fresh garlic, minced 1 anchovy, chopped finely S+P to taste (Careful with salt! Anchovy is already salty.) Mum is using "what's on hand" and making only small batch of dressing to test how well ingredients go together. If Mum does not like the brands of extra-virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar, she will seek other choices. A few paw-notes about olive oil, vinegar, anchovies, and garlic. In California, cooks are accustomed to finding fresh extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). You might prefurr a mild oil, like good old Bertolli. But whatever oil you like, you want good quality and freshness. . . . You know stale or rancid oils and fats are bad for human and pet health. (Kibble eaters, take paw-note.)
It should be easy for humans to find fresh organic wine vinegar in gourmet stores. It is not difficult for wine grapes and other fruits to turn to vinegar -- that is Nature's neat recycling trick. But it is not easy to find good wine vinegars. Mum needs to find a wine vinegar that's as great as her fave cider vinegar, Solana Gold, made with Sonoma County apples. Anchovies are tiny fish of many diffurrent species that live in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans. Foodwise they are called an "oily fish." Mum finds them canned, packed in salt or in olive oil, usually including their little bones -- which we kittehs and some people eat along with the fish. (If packed in salt, brush all the salt off and store them in olive oil.) The typical brands seen in U.S. stores are marked "Product of Morocco." Are they high quality? Mum doubts it.
Mymewself finds anchovies purrfectly nommy. This is why, whenever Mum turns her back, the anchovy disappears, and so Mum has to get another one out of the can. ...
Do not let mymewself steal another anchovy before you get it in the jar. MOL
Appawrently some human cooks fear these itty bitty fish. Or purrhaps they just fear strong flavors? ... Fear not! A little bit of anchovy adds a "uniquely satisfying" flavor note to a salad vinaigrette or pasta sauce. As for garlic from most supermarkets, it is blech. Often it is elephant garlic, and it has been in cold storage for about 1,000 years. Mum likes to use fresh garlic from a farmers' markets or food co-op. Garlic can be very mild and tasty, ourselves are told, though we cats and dogs do not eat garlic (or onions). Put your dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid that seals well, so you can shake to mix. Mum is using a recycled pint-size Mason jar. If Mum wants a stronger-flavored dressing, she will play with these proportions, adding more to the jar until the mixture suits her. Then she will triple or quadruple the batch, and store any leftover dressing in the refrigerator.
Try this dressing on any fave green salad! And experiment with using it as a dressing for steamed or raw veggies! Before you put the dressing on your salad, we hope you share some greens or veggies with your dog and cat companions. Remember not to feed garlicky foods to us cats and dogs. A few licks are not toxic to most of us, but a larger amount of garlic is toxic to a pet's system. Mum says: "Thank you, Joyce Goldstein! ... No cookbook inspires me more than your classic, The Mediterranean Kitchen."
by Ani Meezer, un grand fromage du WCD house Très triste, la vie du chat moderne. Apparaissant comme une forme flat, seulement un équivalent. La vie dans une photo de Minor White. Comme un tableu abstraite du Motherwell, sans color field.
Très triste, la vie du chat moderne. Abandonnée au cours de la season de kitten. La vie sans famille, sans pride, sans le kitteh clique. Comme un eunuque dans un pays très cruel. Très triste, la vie du chat moderne. Enfermé dans la maison. Trapped. La vie sans le cuisine français, sans les fresh noms. Comme un worker de burger king sans pommes frites. Pawscript: Vraiment que Henri, Le Chat Noir, did sell hismewself to multinational industrial ag food spawnsor? O très triste que Henri est compromisis seulement pour l'argent.
by @winecountrydog Tilin Corgi and Jackie Nippers Corgi
Wot a lovely idea for beloved dogs like ourwoofselves, both lucky rescue dogs, to leave behind best wishes for other dogs and cats who need lovin' homes.
A Dog's Last Will & Testament
Before humans die, they write their last will and testament, give their home and all they have to those they leave behind.
If, with my paws, I could do the same, this is what I'd ask.
To a poor and lonely stray, I'd give my my happy home, my bowl and cozy bed, soft pillow, and all my toys; the lap that I have loved so much; the hand that stroked my fur; and the sweet voice that spoke my name.
I'd will to a sad, scared shelter dog the place I had in my human's loving heart, of which there seemed no bounds.
So, when I die, please do not say, 'I will never have a pet again, for the loss and pain is more than I can stand.'
Instead go find an unloved dog [or cat], one whose life has held no joy or hope, and give my place to him.
This is the only thing I can give . . . The love I left behind.
"We'll shelter him with tenderness and love him while we may, and for the happiness we'll know, forever grateful stay. And when the angels call for him, we'll brave the bitter grief, but know that deep within our hearts he will only feel relief."
Doo you know the LOLcats? Methinks tis time to share our pawculiar habit of hangin with these kittehs. Ourwoofselves have been fans fur a long time.
And guess wot. Mum is big fan of the LOLcat and does often doo LOLspeak with em. ... Meezer, not so much. Meezer is pawoccupied in the kitchen and in er sculptin studio.
When we doo need laffs, we doo BOL at da LOL piccies. Like this one:
"I said 'What's your name?' ... Fine! Be that way!"
Now here are a pair of LOLhedgehogs. Look at wot they are telling teh comfy sleeping kitteh:
If you did not LOL or BOL, howl, fine, be that way. You are missin da good meme. Methinks your laffer needs tuneup.
This story is set in the period of heightened pawlitico-military tensions during the Cold War era of the early 1960s, a time when effurryone fears the likelihood of a howlish war with the USSR.
A lone Pawlish spy cat, Hans-Dieter Maow (nicknamed "Blackie"), is working under dipawlomatic cover as a dog in the Moscow countryside. Every day, Blackie barks to his furriends various plans in code. Over the winter, Blackie and his furriends risk capture daily to stockpile stolen caviar noms and hold spy meetups in a forest den.
(Here's where the story gets boring, so we'll skip the whole middle pawt.)
A bitey villain of a tom, Blackie Maow finally finds compawssion in the spring when he meets charming spy Lizzie Goldpaw. Goldpaw is an esteemed English librarian's cat who has swallowed secrets to help the West. Blackie Maow is assigned the mission of getting Lizzie Goldpaw safely back to England.
Blackie is so smitten with this kitten that he barks as he has never barked before . . . or since.
Early this spring morning, Blackie sits on his windowsill, barking coded orders to make sure Goldpaw is escorted safely out of the forest.
This is the last we see of Blackie.Does he run off and become the world's furst sustainable Pawluga caviar producer? Or does he manage to follow Goldpaw to England and write a best-selling spy novel?MOL
posted by Tilin Corgi and Ani Meezer and Jackie Nippers
"Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor, peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her. I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid.
"As she stopped at my kennel, I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn't want her to know that I hadn't been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy, and I didn't want her to think poorly of them.
"As she read my kennel card, I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past. I have only the future to look forward to, and want to make a difference in someone's life.
"She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and the side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship.
"A tear fell down her cheek, and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well. Soon my kennel door opened. Her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms.
"I would promise to keep her safe. I would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes.
"I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.
"I rescued a human today."
~ Author unknown
--- Paw-notes: The human we rescued feels fortunate to have us, and we are so grateful for her. ... Woofin bout gratitude, this day marks the third anniversary of Tilin Corgi's "disc blowout" and successful surgery. Tilin does continue to luv walkies arfully much.
Tis November, a time of thanks giving and nomming. Tis therefur appawropriate to introduce you to animals who are pawticularly vocal in expressing gratitude fur their food.
Oh but wait a furry second. Allow me to introduce mycatself: I am Ani Siamese, aka Meezer. I do nom out loud occasionally.
Purrhaps you know me as best furriend of the WCD boyz, Tilin Corgi and Jackie Nippers Corgi.
This furst Nom Nom Nom Cat video came to us by tweet of Judy Dunn, aka twitter friend @CatsEyeWriter. We are grateful. We luv looking at videos of cats who nom out loud.
Grateful Nom Cat Number One (below): This cat does enjoy her sour cream and cannot quit raving about it. Nom nom nom!
Grateful Nom Cat Number Two (below): This cat is furry good at using her paw as a ladle. She does lovely nom-maowing while she drinks.
Grateful Nom Cat Number Three: This cat does not need to nom out loud. He just needs to roll around on the floor to show how furry grateful he is fur the watermelon. MOL!
Now tis time fur us to nom gratefully. The boyz and I are having steamed organic butternut squash, fresh green peas, and raw free-range chicken necks!
Paw-note: Sometimes grateful nom cats begin to growl. In catspeak this is a warning. It means "Back off my noms!" ... A word to the nomwise should be sufficient.
In 2002, Japanese toy company Takara sold their first Bowlingual Voice™ device fur computer-based dog-to-human language translation.
We doggiggled. Cute idea, but what human would buy it?
Fast forward to last week, when twitter pal @hollygomadly sent us the link to the Youtube below, which shows Japanese dogs sendin' Bowlingual messages to their humans.
"Onaka ga sukimashita!"
Nothin' new 'bout that. Ha howl!
That demo of Bowlingual Voice is one of the funniest things we dogs have ever seen. I'm sure that Meowlingual is just as funny.
The Bowlingual device is called a "translator," but it's really an emotion analyzer. It categorizes dog barks into one of six standardized emotional categories and then provides a phrase to represent that emotion.
Bowlingual and Meowlingual are "for entertainment purposes only." Of course our dog and cat communications cannot be translated easily into words, if at all. Howlever, barks and meows can be intuitively translated by discerning humans.
Now, what's needed in the dog world is a device fur humans to wear that analyzes their thoughts and emotions, and then translates them into something that makes some doggone sense consistently.
Suki desu ka?
Paw-note to dog-ma: Jack, Meezer, and I wish you a happy B.D.
It's a delicate subject, this, especially if you're a cat.
I knew that my buddy Ani Siamese had been avoiding doing her duty in the appointed large rectangle with walls that cats call a litter box. I knew it when I saw Ani veer off her usual course and disappear around the corner.
I confronted Ani in my corgi way. "Pawdon me, dear one," said I. "Is there something the matter? Aren't you supposed to be headed toward the rectangle?"
Ani darted off without answering.
Later, I caught up with her in the kitchen. I looked up and, as pawlitely as pawsible, woofed the question: "Are you waging a rather strong rebellion, my dear?"
Ani continued to look at me with barely open eyes.
She finally summoned her cat wits and replied, "Never, ever, quoth the Siamese!"
Then she yawned.
I decided to look elsewhere fur answers. Fortunately fur all of us, a mewsletter arrived from one of our favorite veterinarians, Dr. Jona Jordan. It contained an article on kitty litter issues!
The solutions were actually easy. We figured out that dog-ma had to change the kind of litter stuff she poured into Ani's special box. We also reassured Ani that Jack Corgi and I wouldn't mess with her box.
We came to see that her rebellion made purrfect sense. She's a Siamese, if you paw-leeze.
Paw-note: Remember to talk to your veterinarian about a pawsible health problem if your dear pussin doesn't return to the litter box after changing litter brands and other things, like the placement of box.
We were given an impawtant vlog link by our furriend Daisy, a beautiful black and white fur person who lives in Sacramento.
This is a vlog about The Cat House on the Kings, a no-cage, no-kill lifetime sanctuary and adoption center in Parlier, California. This unusual 12-acre cat house, founded by an exceptional cat lover named Lynea Lattanzio, is located in the central part of the state, on the Kings River.
All the happy cats are roaming free and hangin' out at one of the 10 or so feeding and bedding facilities on the property.
If this isn't one of the most amazing things you've ever seen, I'll refund your money in full. . . . Just kiddin'. You know I paw-write for the kicks, not the pawket change.
I heard Ms. Lattanzio tell youtube viewers, "I've always felt that, if they don't have a home, at least they have a life." I thought to myself that I don't know many cats who have a better home or a better life than those at The Cat House!
The Cat House rescues cats from local animal shelters where they would otherwise be euthanized, and from individuals and rescue groups who surrender unadoptable or otherwise unwanted cats.
An average of 700 adult cats reside at the sanctuary at any given time. Dogs live there in harmony with the cats. The number of kittens varies according to the season. Of course, all of the cats are welcome in the 4,200 square-foot house.
And where do 700 cats sleep? . . . Anywhere they want!
If you're drivin' up Highway 99 out of Los Angeles, go ahead, call The Cat House on the Kings (559-638-8696) and make an appointment to swing by and say hi.
Paw-note: You can see other Jack Perez youtubes if you look up the whospuss channel.
I always tell Ani Siamese, my young shelter rescue, how much I appreciate her company. Here you see Ani sitting with me last week when my back wasn't feelin' great 'cuz of my surgery adhesions.
Ani Siamese just loves me. She loves Jack Corgi, too, but she seems happiest when she's sleeping next to me — especially at night.
Whoever said that dogs and cats don't get along never knew Welsh Corgis or Siamese cats well. Humans who believe in the animosity myth must like to keep it goin' to have somethin' to talk about.
My Siamese so enjoys being with us dogs that she often follows us and mimics our behavior. Ani does everything but bark.
Ani will learn to bark soon, we think. She's still purrfectin' her vocalizations. As the ASPCA explains, "By changing volume, intensity and number of repetitions of the vocalizations, and backing them up with expressive body language and olfactory signaling, cats ensure their messages are received and that their needs are met."
In our next photo, you see Ani scratching her head with her left hind foot. Believe it or not, Ani lifted her foot up to scratch as soon as she saw me lift mine!
After dog-ma turned off the light, Ani and I went back to sleep together. Snug as two furry bugs in rug. A furever love. Woof!
Paw-note: I hope every dog who loves meezers will consider rescuing a Siamese like mine.
"What's that you're chewing on, Ani?" demanded my dog-ma. Our Ani Siamese continued chomping away.
"Hey, those are my new Sonyearbuds you just destroyed!" exclaimed dog-ma. "Good thing they were really cheap ones."
Ani Siamese pretended to ignore dog-ma. "Oh, what a fun Halloween treat!" said Ani. "Let me bat the thing again!"
Ferocious Siamese kitty that Ani is, she decided to have another go at it.
"I can bite it too!" Ani purred.
Do kitties get bored easily? Ani finished chewing the earbuds awfully fast. Then she got distracted.
Later, Ani told me that dog-ma was awfully nice about her Halloween mischief.
I reminded Ani that we're lucky to have a furever home with someone who loves us unconditionally.
Paw-note: I'm pawing in fur Tilin Corgi, who's down and out with awful back muscle spasms again. We hope he gets well soon! We sure don't want him to miss trick-or-treatin' at Occidental Harvest Market Festival on Halloween.
I've got cat stuff on the dogbrain 'cuz I've been dreamin' about cats.
My recent nights are restless. I keep wakin' up scratchin' an itch I can't reach. I itch 'cuz I roll in the dust every day. I'm addicted to summer rolling. Dog-ma's so annoyed she's gonna send me to doggy 12 steps.
Anyway, I dreamed I invented a cat toy. I howl a laugh at the thought. Why would I invent a cat toy? . . . My dogbrain works in funny ways.
Too bad I can't remember the dream clearly enough to make the toy. My young Ani Siamese would love to tear it apart and use the stuffing in one of her sculptures. Ani's a Neo-Synthesist artist working in sculpture and watercolor.
Artistic Ani sometimes dances with our dog-ma — who's obviously also cat-ma.
Ani discovered dancing serendipitously. She was cradled in dog-ma's right arm one evening, her paws in the palm of dog-ma's outstretched left hand. Dog-ma stood up and gently rocked Ani to the beat of a bluesy rockabilly tune. I was so surprised Ani didn't tell dog-ma she's crazy and make an escape. Nope. Ani liked it.
Who woulda thunk it? Music to a cat's ears.
Ani and dog-ma danced today to Carolyn Wonderland's "Miss Understood." Adolescent Ani identifies with the song title.
Another sound that's music to this Ani's ears is the whir of a blender. Ani does a solo dance on the counter when she hears it.
Dog-ma makes cat-a-licious smoothies. The combos vary. But they're always nutritious — based on a "prey model" diet, which include meat, bone, and offal in varying proportions.
Apawlogies to vegan humans, but we dogs and cats are still carnivorous.
If it were up to Ani, she'd eat raw liver by the pound, but dog-ma insists on "prey model" nutritional balance. It's great for dog-ma when she can use Primal Pet Foods raw frozen Chicken Grind 'cuz it's got bone, meat, and offal already ground up extra-fine — 3/16-inch grind — just purrfect for cat smoothies!
Sometimes dog-ma adds Ani's favorite veggies and herbs, too. I recall that Ani likes parsley.
Of course, the best cat herb is also the all-time best cat toy: The mint family herb Nepeta cataria: catnip!
Catnip is a most exciting cat toy. You don't need to put it in a smoothie. Just sprinkle some nice, organic, locally-grown catnip on an old cat toy or on the floor. The whole floor will turn into a toy!
Why spend a lot of money on a cat toy that's fancier than a cat can appreciate? You humans can't beat the return on investment in catnip. Save your money for highest-quality pet foods. . . . Now, that's music to dog-ma's ears.
"Teresa Tudury channels Ethel Merman," said Ani Siamese as we listened to Ms. Tudury's song "Goodbye Philadelphia." What a singer, say I! "Who could ask for anything more?" quipped my Ani, an erudite young rescue kitty (photo below).
What Ani wants is to meet the tomcat whom Teresa Tudury sings about. Tom and Teresa live in Occidental — in west Sonoma County, northern California. Charming Tom never comes inside. He just hangs out, appearing as if he'd like some loving. But, nope, Tom has his feral ways.
Tom isn't totally feral, though. Feral cats run when they see us, and have to be trapped to take them to the vet or relocate them. Nice organizations exist to humanely trap and then release feral cats after spay/neuter. Adult feral cats are often returned to their old habitat; many would have a hard time living with humans. But a lot of feral kittens get placed in permanent homes.
People who do trap-neuter work are needed to help reduce the feral cat population and give cats a better quality of life. There are more than 60 million feral cats in the U.S. — a staggering number. The homeless U.S. cat population is close to being as large as the population of U.S. dogs with homes, which is 70-some million!
West Sonoma County has a special non-profit group called Kitty Committee. "Head cat" is Laura Comyns. Dog-ma first talked to Ms. Comyns when the group was getting ready for an annual rescue of feral beach kittens on the Sonoma coast.
Kitty Committee volunteers not only find homes for feral kitties, but they also network and act as liaisons with rescue and foster groups, people who find feral cats, local veterinarians, the Humane Society, and organizations like Forgotten Felines that do spay/neuter. Paw-leeze visit Kitty Committee's website to learn more and to support this small group of people with big hearts.
Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County helps feral cats in the county and beyond. This nonprofit org has about 200 volunteers, and the endorsement of animal control agencies. They spay/neuter feral cats; manage feral colonies; remove colony cats who are adoptable; provide food assistance to people caring for colonies; and educate the public about feral issues.
Forgotten Felines practices what's called TTVAR-M feral cat control: "Trap, Test, Vaccinate, Alter, Return and Maintain." At the Forgotten Felines website, you will find feral cats you can adopt and a lot of info!
This is the ahhh and awe animal rescue story of the year. An Amsterdam zookeeper's tabby cat has adopted a Red Panda cub. Tabby is letting the baby panda nurse alongside her own four kittens. The cub and her sibling, who didn't make it, were rejected by their mother. The surviving cub is still smaller than the kittens, who were born three days before her.
When little panda grows up, she will be slightly larger than a domestic cat, but will have a mostly herbivorous diet, consisting mainly of bamboo. Her species, also known as the Firefox, is native to Southeast Asia and is endangered. Unlike the Giant Panda, she is not a bear.
She will have a long, striped tail like a raccoon and a beautiful reddish coat. She will not be a very vocal animal, aside from some whistling and twittering sounds. If she were not an Amsterdam Artis Zoo panda, she would live in a wild territory, probably alone, and become a skillful acrobat dwelling in trees.
I hope little panda will not find herself having an identity crisis because she's being brought up as a Felis catus. To make matters more confusing, people might identify her with a popular Web browser (Firefox), or with a social networking service (twitter).
Food, wine, cats, and M.F.K. Fisher: That's what dog-ma delighted in talking about the night of the summer-solstice full moon in the Valley of the Moon. I can still taste the bites of domestic, washed-rind cow's milk Muenster cheese. It paired nicely with an intense, fruity, young Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Or so I heard. (As a dog, I drink beer.) Apparently the bottle was a nice guerrilla vino from a local wine writer.
I'm still thinking about all the palate-educated humans and four-footeds who've pawsed in and around this northern California valley. Jack London's dogs pawsed here with their author/guardian, who wrote the 1913 novel The Valley of the Moon.
M.F.K. Fisher pawsed long enough to become a cherished Valley human. She was also an esteemed author and pioneer of the culinary memoir. She lived in Glen Ellen and liked cats, you know. I can see Ms. Fisher's Siamese in a photo of the back cover of A Cordiall Water: A Garland of Odd & Old Receipts to Assuage the Ills of Man & Beast 'cuz the book's setting on dog-ma's dresser.
M.F.K. Fisher wrote about a lot of receipts. That's old school for recipes. For me, dog food recipes are woofable heaven.
The paw-point I'm getting to is that, to recognize good recipes, you've got to have an educated palate. And you get one by trying new things all the time.
One of my favorite veterinarians, Dr. Jona Sun Jordan, says a young cat is in need of having her palate educated by eating a variety of foods. This applies to all of us, pets and people, but it's crucial for cats. Eating a wholesome variety of fresh food gives us good mental and physical health for today, and nice memories and nostalgia for tomorrow.
Dog-ma says that Marcel Proust, early 20th century author of A la recherche du temps perdu, left us with the best quote about gastronomic nostalgia:
"The smell and taste of things . . . bear unfaltering, in the tiny drop and almost impalpable drop of their essence, the vast structure of recollection."
Pawse here. Read that quote again. Think about how smell conjures up memories. The more I sniff, the more I want to sniff. . . .
Author Joan Reardon, expert biographer of Fisher, said of Proust's writings on nostalgia: "In pursuit of vanished time, [Proust] found a transfiguring moment in the taste of a madeleine dipped in a cup of lime flower tea." . . . Goosebumps.
Ms. Reardon reviewed The Future of Nostalgia, written by S. Boym. Reardon said, "Harvard professor Svetlana Boym says that the word [nostalgia] was coined in 1688 by the Swiss doctor Johannes Hofer to identify the homesickness of Swiss soldiers who reacted physically to the hearing of certain folk melodies and the eating of rustic soups while on missions away from home."
Ah, food and music! But back to feline palates. There are ways to prevent pussins from being overly fussy eaters. We understand now, thanks to Dr. Jordan, that we have to make sure the pussin palate is educated. We also have to make sure the food is FRESH and species-appropriate. Cats respond to instincts that help nurture and protect them; when they reject food, they're expressing their need for SAFE, FRESH sources of protein and other nutrients.
I'm sure cats would rather eat the way they did back in the day: whole-prey dining. . . . Now that's nostalgic. By the way, a cat's digestive system and instincts render her unable to tolerate stuff that we dogs inhale without a first or second thought. I think Ms. Fisher would say, "A pussin always displays good taste."
A snippet from M. F. K., the 1992 documentary by filmmaker Barbara Wornum:
Cats must really like Fisher's recipes. As a recipezaar blogger reported: "MFK Fisher's The Art of Eating contains her most famous 5 novels in one! Anyone who loves food should try and get a copy. . . . My cat scratched the index pages to shreds."
Our pawpetual question: Why do dogs and cats get canned and kibbled foodstuffs 'stead of fresh foods? If you live 'ere in wine country or other place where fresh whole foods are plentiful, why not support local markets and make your own pet foods?
.jpg)
