Arrivederci Novembre!

This wonderful week was filled with blessings. Our little Grigio visited daily, and even used the shelter mamma built for him. 

Grigio still won't come inside the house, but we remain hopeful that soon he will trust us enough to. 

Also this week, mamma had a couple days off from work, which made us so happy. We got to nap in peace and play more than usual. 

November is ending and we are about to greet December. I like December because I get to follow mamma into the basement to retrieve all our Christmas decorations. One item in particular is my absolute favourite - an actual tree for the house. 🌲

Coolest thing ever for housecats. 

Each December we celebrate a Christian holiday - but we also celebrate me! More about that next week. I know you will look forward to reading all about it. 

The title of this week's blog bids "farewell" to the month. As our names suggest, you might have guessed we are bilingual kitties. One thing that is awesome to us, no matter which languages you speak, everyone smiles in the same language. 

Hope this week brings lots of smiles.

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali. 🐾

A simple smile. That’s the start of opening your heart and being compassionate to others. -Dalai Lama.

Finding our Mecca for Thanksgiving

I was thinking of ways to help my mamma deal with the upcoming holiday season, other than being my adorable self and allowing her to cuddle me.

In my research I learned about M.E.C.C.A.:

Meditate

Exercise

Create

Connect

Accomplish

This seems pretty intuitive, but thought it was helpful enough to share with all of you. This has been a tough year for most of us, and anything we can do to stay grounded yet hopeful may help us through the holiday season.

Read more about M.E.C.C.A. here: Tips from LiveHappy

We hope you take some time this week to meditate, exercise, create something beautiful, connect with your loved ones, and accomplish something (maybe a task you have been putting off for a long while, this may be the perfect week to tackle it). 

This week we prepare for an annual holiday in the United States celebrating autumn harvest and all our blessings of the past year. The Thanksgiving tradition began a very long time ago, and wide it was proclaimed nation-wide in 1789 by George Washington.

This is a deep-rooted religious tradition; however, now it’s celebrated as a secular holiday. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November here in the States; in Canada it is celebrated on the second Monday of October. Federal legislation set our contemporary date of the fourth Thursday of November in 1941.

Us cats know that Thanksgiving is not going to be the same for most of us in 2020. Please be mindful and respect family members and loved ones who have various comfort levels in joining in-person celebrations. This is a perfect opportunity to have a no-judgement zone and show respect for those who choose not to join in-person gatherings.

We give thanks despite this challenging year. We are grateful to you, our readers, who continue to support our little blog. Even if you aren’t able to physically be with your loved ones this year, we sincerely hope your Thanksgiving is filled with love. 

Merriam Webster defines the word mecca as a place regarded as a center for a group. May you find a special mecca in your world to carry you through this holiday season. Maybe meditating, exercising, creating, connecting, and accomplishing will help us all get there. 😺 

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali. 🐾

Vegetables are a must on any diet. I recommend carrot cake, zucchini muffins, and pumpkin bread. - Pasqua Scheggiare Marino.

No Complaints November

November is the month of being thankful. Many of our readers are declaring each day something they are thankful for. In my opinion, November should not be the only month dedicated to gratitude, every month should be. 😽

Our Ma has been calling this November, "No Complaints November" and each day is replacing complaints with blessings. She says if she does it for the entire month, she will have created a new habit, and broken an unhealthy one - complaining. 😸

Truth be told - one thing she never could complain about is us! 😺

November is Native American Heritage Month and the National Park Service has a terrific website to share the history and culture of America's indigenous people. Learn more here: Native American Heritage Month 

We are sincerely grateful for all the original inhabitants of America. There are so many cultures in this country, and we have a rich history and heritage, truly making this land beautiful. 

Have a wonderful week, Readers. 

Purr & Paw,

-Stivali. 🐾

Greek Mythology

When mamma was attending university, she really enjoyed learning mythology. One of the myths which keeps coming to her mind this week is the story of Cassandra.

Us cats enjoy hearing her ramble on, and on occasion her rambles turn in to great fodder for my blog here.

The King of Troy's daughter, Cassandra was cursed by the god Apollo when she refused his romantic advances. The curse was a gift with a cruel twist - prophecy with the guarantee that no one would ever believe her predictions (despite her always being right). 

One of the consequences of no one listening to her was the fall of Troy.

If you ever read a story or heard someone call another person claiming impending doom a "Cassandra" now you know why.

We all have our own thoughts, our own beliefs. They are influenced by our individual experience, our upbringing, and the conditions of which we live. We each read different news articles and watch different news broadcasts. It is crucial during this tumultuous time to educate ourselves in order to distinguish between what is opinion versus fact. 

Equally important - being kind to people who have different beliefs than us. 

Happy Sunday, Everyone, stay well.

Purr & Paw,

-Stivali. 🐾 

 
We are both disturbed and fascinated by visions of bleak futures, predictions of what might come if we as a society aren't careful. - Marie Lu.

It's November!

Today is the day to purchase books written by your favourite author to support them (maybe as gifts for the upcoming holiday season). Today is also a day people share favourite novels on social media, and encourage fellow authors to keep writing.

As you may have guessed, today is November 1st and we celebrate Author's Day. I am not sure where this unofficial holiday originated. Some records suggest its creation started in 1928 by Nellie Verne Burt McPherson, the President of an Illinois Women’s Club. 

In 1949, the United States Department of Commerce recognized National Author's Day as a holiday to commemorate American authors. 

Now most people think about Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday) when they turn their calendar to November. However, there are a lot of other observances to consider, Author's Day is one of many:

November 2: Cookie Monster Day

November 3: National Sandwich Day 

November 4: National Military Families Recognition Day

November 6: National Nacho Day

November 7: International Merlot Day

November 8: National Parents as Teachers Day

November 9: World Adoption Day

November 10: U.S. Marine Corps Birthday

November 11: Remembrance Day, Veterans Day

November 12: Chicken Soup for the Soul Day

November 13: Caregiver Appreciation Day, Sadie Hawkins Day, World Kindness Day

November 14: World Diabetes Day 

November 15: National Philanthropy Day

November 16: International Day of Tolerance

November 17: World Peace Day

November 18: National Apple Cider Day

November 19: Gettysburg Address Day, Equal Opportunity Day, Great American Smokeout

November 20: Universal Children's Day

November 23: National Espresso Day

November 25: National Parfait Day

November 29: National Square Dance Day

That is a lot of observances, and I bet that is just a partial list of them. If you are in the United States, and have watched television at all this fall, you must know that Presidential Election Day is this week (the first Tuesday after the first Monday). 

Voting on a Tuesday in November isn't as random as you may feel it is. Since November marks the end of harvest and typically has mild weather, Congress passed a law in 1845 mandating that the Presidential Election Day would be held every four years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in the month (with traveling voters in mind). Interesting!

Pasqua always willing to help.

                                                           I like to relax.

                                                         Grigio visits daily.

We say to October, "Peace Out Sauerkraut!". 🤣

Purr & Paw,

-Stivali. 🐾

November reminds us to be thankful for the many positive things we have in our lives.