Benjamin Franklin's 13 Virtues

Happy Sunday, Dear Readers,

12 years ago our mamma read that Benjamin Franklin attributed most of his success to practicing 13 virtues to the best of his ability. 

Apparently, for a large portion of his life, he carried around in his pocket a card of a table with each of the seven columns representing a day of the week, and each of the 13 rows representing one virtue he wanted to work on.

Mamma completed a challenge to work on each of these virtues based on what Benjamin Franklin reportedly did. Since spring is a great time for renewal, mamma is going to do this practice once again. 

Here are Benjamin Franklin's 13 Virtues:

1.	Temperance: Eat not to dullness. Drink not to elevation.
2.	Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling conversation.
3.	Order: Let all your things have their places. Let each part of your business have its time.
4.	Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.
5.	Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself: i.e., Waste nothing.
6.	Industry: Lose no time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary actions.
7.	Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit. Think innocently and justly; and if you speak, speak accordingly.
8.	Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
9.	Moderation: Avoid extremes. Forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10.	Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanness in body, clothes, or habitation.
11.	Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12.	Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring; never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
13.	Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

Source: PBS

Throughout the day, review the card to keep the virtues fresh in mind. At the end of each day, go through the virtues, and reflect if they were actually practiced during the day, and mark the box if so. The goal is to fill in as many boxes as possible, and each week, start with a blank card.

The point is for the virtues to became more and more ingrained in our character. Naturally practicing them more, according to Benjamin Franklin, helped him become a well-rounded successful person and a better participant in society. 

What a superb practice for self-improvement. If you don't want to try this challenge using his 13 virtues, of course, try it with the virtues you hold dear. It is designed to help lasting improvement in specific areas of your life.

May your week be inspiring and transforming! 

Purr & Paw,

-Stivali. 🐾

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. - Benjamin Franklin.

The Merry Month of May

Welcome May!

May is the month we celebrate our cousin, Tyler, as he was born on the 2nd of the month - and we like celebrating birthdays all month long. 🎈

May 02 is also National Brothers & Sisters Day. 

I don't know if Pasqua got the memo, but I think this means he is supposed to be nice to me all day and not chase me. I will let you know how I make out. 😸

May also means flowers are blooming. In our Stray Cat Garden, we are happy to see this is true. 

Our little friend, Grigio, is enjoying the spring weather almost as much as the flowers. 

He still won't let mamma touch him, and greets her with hisses daily. At least he still visits multiple times a day, and we know he is well-fed. 

We sure hope that your first week of May is indeed merry. 

Purr & Paw, 

-Stivali. 🐾 

You are as welcome as the flowers in May. - Charles Macklin.
 

Spring blooms life!

Happy Easter, Dear Readers! 

Spring shows us how plants and trees which have been dormant for winter come back to life. The animal world outside welcomes births of new life. The symbolism of new life and rebirth during the season makes the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus glorious.

Today, we celebrate Easter; it is “Pascha” in Greek, and "Pasqua" in Italian. You may notice the similarity of those words as they translate to the Jewish festival of Passover. You may have also noticed that my brother's name is the Italian word. 🐱 His name was inspired by a Tori Amos song lyric. 𝅘𝅥𝅲

Here he is, our little Easter Bunny: 

And it'll never get old to share these Easter photos of my older brother, Stray Cat: 

Whether you celebrate Easter or just celebrate spring, we hope your Sunday and your entire week is wonderful. 

Purr & Paw, 

-Stivali.🐾

April is the kindest month. April gets you out of your head and out working in the garden. - Marty Rubin.

June 4th is HUG YOUR CAT DAY! :)

The last day of May gives us great pause. What a strange spring we have had so far, as we welcome the month of June, we are happy and relieved for our health and our safety during this time.  

Did you know that the month of June is National Candy Month, National Dairy Month,  and National Iced Tea Month? So many delicious things to honor in June. We hope you enjoy all of them. 😽

June is also special because it has the longest day hours in the Northern Hemisphere and the longest night hours in the Southern Hemisphere. 

We are excited to let everyone know that apparently someone else in the neighborhood has a kind heart and got Grigio the medical care he needed. He is on the mend, and we are so thrilled for the Samaritans who walk amongst us. Thank you, Readers, for all of your concern, we are grateful to each of you.

Purr & Paw,

-Stivali. 🐾

Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June. - Al Bernstein.

Cleaning with pet safety in mind.

Happy Saturday, Friends, 

I know a lot of you are expressing concerns about the most recent virus in our world. You are probably doing your spring cleaning a little early this year, and doing a more thorough approach to it to ward off germs. 

Don't forget your pets during this cleaning process, and check your cleaning supplies for any warning about using them with pets. 

Natural cleaning alternatives like vinegar and lemon are the safest bet when cleaning areas that pets touch.  Here are some articles that may be of interest to you: 

How-to-clean-your-home-without-making-your-pet-sick

Cleaning-tips: pets-and-a-clean-home

May peace and good health be with you and those you love. 

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali. 🐾

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace. - Jimi Hendrix.

May days

Hello Readers, how was your weekend? 😼

We had a nice weekend here - mamma worked on Stray Cat's memorial garden.  Pasqua and I watched her work outside through the screen window.

I just adore sun puddles.

She has yet to capture Chip's Chirp very well, but she is trying. Be sure to check out all of her videos of us on her YouTube channel.

The voting for the New Jersey Monthly Cutest Cat contest has officially ended, and we are hopeful we will hear good news next month about it. If you decided to vote for our little boy, we thank you!

Voting is still open for the Catster Contest and every vote counts - we appreciate your support! ❤

I do think he is the cutest cat in NJ. Hope y'all agree.

Cannot believe May is coming quickly to a close. How quick the time passes.

We hope you all are enjoying beautiful weather and are able to get out in it. ☀

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali. 🐾

May, more than any other month of the year, wants us to feel most alive. - Fennel Hudson.

Hello May!

Since Pasqua Scheggiare has never been outside, Mamma bought him a leash. I don't like mine so I never go for walks with her in the springtime. She hoped to teach the kitten at an early enough age that he would appreciate it. However, Pasqua did not care for the idea either, and he never left the porch:

While Mamma worked at the dining room table, Pasqua kept her company on top of her back pack. This is something both Stray Cat and I have done before. She should really consider buying us a soft leather cat-bed: 

For good measure, although, an uneven measure, I offer you one photo of me from this week. I fell asleep under a blanket on the recliner. The blankets are placed on top of human furniture to catch all of the cat hair we shed. Mamma has not yet learned that her attempts are totally futile, and that we appreciate blankets to use for hiding. That is why they must really be there: 

Here's hoping May does for our hearts what it does for the flowers outside. ❤

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali.

Easter Blessings

This Easter week is gonna be unlike any other I have ever experienced.
Why?
Because this is Pasqua's FIRST EASTER EVER.
And for those readers unaware, his name means "Easter" in Italian.  You may notice Easter gifts with the saying "Buona Pasqua" in your local Italian shops:

This is a very special week for us here. We are excited to be able to celebrate together. 

We are doing well. I recently had my annual doctor visit, and I am happy to report that I am in tip top shape. Doctor gave me a clean bill of health. Another reason we are happy to celebrate together this year. This is my best profile shot, ever. Don't I look stunning? A picture of health right here:  

 

As always, Pasqua is happy napping - certainly dreaming of cat nip flavored treats: 

Little Pasqua Scheggiare is our special Easter gift this year. Easter is our mamma's favorite holiday.  And, her favorite singer, back in 1992, sang a lyric about a cat named Easter, so she always had in in her mind to name a cat "Easter" one day.

In honor of his significance in our hearts, we share with you some of the many Easter symbols of our faith. Easter is the most significant holy day to us.

The Easter egg has a lot of symbolism - the Easter Egg Roll represents the rolling away of the boulder in front of Jesus' tomb. While the egg itself, represents new life, or Jesus' empty tomb. Interesting note: original Lenten observations included eggs and other dairy products as forbidden, so believers marked eggs to signify the end of the Lenten observation.

The white Easter lily symbolizes purity and honesty. Some believe, these were the flowers in in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus cried.

Since Jesus is often referred to in the Bible as the “Lamb of God” , lamb is another symbol of the season. Lamb was a sacrifice made during the Jewish Passover, and it in turn became a symbol for Jesus’ sacrifice.

We all know that a butterfly emerging from her cocoon is a symbol of  transformation, change, and hope. Did you know it is also an Easter symbol? The caterpillar stands for Jesus’ earthly life, the cocoon portrays His crucifixion/burial, and the butterfly represents His resurrection.

Isn't that interesting?

Lastly, how about the Easter bunny? 

Remember a couple of years ago, mamma made Stray Cat and I wear Easter bunny ears? ma-says-she-loves-us-but-then-she-does-this post

Haha! She better not take those out this year - they are much too big for Pasqua!

Bunnies are an ancient symbol of fertility, new life, and the coming of spring. Even more interesting to note, the use of the Easter bunny goes all the way back to the 1700s, when German immigrants brought the Easter Rabbit with them to America. Back then, children made nests for the bunnies out of bonnets and hats, which eventually became the colorful baskets we now use today.

Even if you don't celebrate Easter, we hope you liked learning more about what we believe, and where the symbols of this significant holy day stemmed from. 

So share with us, what is your favorite part of spring? We appreciate your comments and like reading them. 

Purr & Paw,

-Stivali. 

"I know a cat named Easter he says, Will you ever learn? You're just an empty cage girl, if you kill the bird."- Tori Amos.

April Springs Love!

Life is good, Readers, can you feel spring in the air where you are?

Yes, Ma is still trying to capture me carrying Verdi (which I do twice a day) on video, I am quite the enigma eluding her. 😼

Pasqua enjoying Ma's lap.

We are doing very well. Pasqua and I are getting along, we like basking in sunshine seeping through windows and glass doors, napping, snuggling, and we are enjoying learning tricks together to earn treats. Ma is impressed with our dedication to training and we can officially:

• Fetch
• Give Paw
• Jump

We are still failing at "Speak".  We meow on our own terms. For instance, we would like to give a big meow out to our Uncle PJ, whose birthday is tomorrow. Happy Birthday! 🎂 We love him very much and hope to see him soon. ❤

We hope this April springs love into your lives this year. 

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali.

April is here!

Happy April, Readers,

April is the month we celebrate Stray Cat!
But we also have a lot of friends who celebrate their birthday in April. Maybe you are one of them!
Happy Birthday Month to you!

A lot has been happening here - highlights in photos!

We now share a sink! 

Pasqua Scheggiare is getting HUGE! 

He also likes to sleep. A lot.

Mamma bought us a new HUGE toy!

And I am still adorable AS EVER!

April is a month of transition - what are you transitioning to?
Are you cleaning your home, transitioning from clutter to organized by getting rid old things you no longer need? Transitioning to a new beginning? Transitioning your employment?

We are transitioning from "Dealing with each other" to "Loving one another" - and I am not yet willing to admit I am happy and grateful. 😉

Here is a cute video of Pasqua https://youtu.be/tv8kqsynGNQ kneading his blanket. ❤ I think I love him (shhhhhhh... don't tell mamma!).

Happy April, Readers, remember those around you may be transforming and adjusting this spring, too, so be gentle - be patient - and be nice to the other humans you see from day-to-day.

Purr & Paw,
Stivali.

Happy Spring!

Spring is officially here!

We are so happy... birds are singing, the sun is out, soon we will be able to have windows open all of the time and be able to smell all sorts of wonderful spring scents.

We are happy.

One day, my ma was looking for me upstairs, downstairs, in each room, under each bed, under each chair... she just couldn't find me ... she was calling my name all-the-while, "Stivali! Stivali! Where are you, Stivali?"... and I could hear her, but I was comfortable. 

You see, she has these blankets on top of the sofa for us to sit on top of to prevent our shedding hair to be left all over the sofa material. I find that it is very cozy to go under these blankets. Mamma did not realize as I can go unnoticed under-cover:

There I am! 

Mamma was so surprised she did not realize where I was hiding. Aren't I cute?

Pasqua enjoying spring - and all the views it brings.

Speaking of cute, my little brother is pretty cute, too. With spring, comes lots of views to check out outside. Here is little Pasqua squirrel watching. So funny!

Mamma received this photo this week from the sanctuary she adopted Pasqua from. The owner took it of them.

“I glanced out the window at the signs of spring. The sky was almost blue, the trees were almost budding, the sun was almost bright.” — Millard Kaufman.

Enjoy every moment and hug your loved ones!

Purr & Paw,

-Stivali.

Our ma says she loves us but then she does this...

My ma tells us all of the time how much she loves me and my sister.

She gives us kisses and hugs, treats and our favorite foods, she provides lotsa toys and lotsa places for us to cozy up and sleep - she is really good to us.

Ma's favorite holiday is Easter. She says it is the most important holiday.  She also likes that for some reason it is traditional to decorate with bunnies. She said that bunnies represent fertility and that the goddess of spring used bunnies as her mascot, so, the bunny mascot evolved into the mascot for the spring holiday of Easter. Or something like that.

Anyhow, I am rambling. What was my point?

Easter is my ma's favorite holiday.
She adores bunnies and cats.

Alas!  The cat bunnies are here: 

I am the Easter Kitty! 

I am not amused, but I love my ma,
so what else can I do? 

I think I look pretty cute.

Happy Easter, Everyone!  Happy Passover!  Happy Spring! 

Ma, I am so not amused by this.

Has anyone else noticed how ugly the faces on bunny costumes used for the children's photo opportunities (at the mall and the like) are?  Why is that when real bunnies are adorable?