The Great Pumpkin

September 27, 2021

We are well past the time that all of the pumpkin spice foods and drinks showing up everywhere. I’ve never been known to be on time for anything! So count me late on the pumpkin recipes.

From Winc (www.winc.com)

T: Tasting Notes

Leather, sweet plum, sage, tobacco – these are all nouns used to describe the flavors of wines. If you’ve ever sat down with a serious sommelier, or watched the documentary Somm, you’ll have witnessed some of the often hilarious descriptions wine experts use to explain the taste of fermented grape juice … like forest floor, barnyard, and blousy.

T: Tannin

Tannins are naturally present in the grape’s skins and seeds, and are an element of a wine’s structure. They are more prominent in red wines than white and are usually more desirable in red. If you want to know what tannin feels like in the mouth, think of over-steeped tea, that dryness, chalkiness you experience is similar to the textural sensation of tannin in wine.

U: Unfiltered

Some wines are filtered, others are not. Filtering a wine removes spent yeast cells, bacteria, tannins and other matter from a wine to give it a clear appearance and make the juice more stable. However, some winemakers who practice a more hands-off approach to winemaking choose not to filter their wines. One such example of an unfiltered wine is pét-nat.

By Gabrielle Feldman, edited by Nicole Abrego

https://www.thedrakecenter.com/services/cats/blog/15-strange-cat-behaviors-explained

#7 Cat Eyes

One minute your cat’s eyes are glued on you, the next he seemingly wants nothing to do with you. So what gives?

When your cat is staring you down he is probably just trying to get your attention. If the stare is intense, this “staring contest” could mean that he is on high alert about someone or a situation. It is advised to not look at your cat directly in the eyes. As with any animal, cats see this is an act of aggression in preparation for a fight.

Have you ever noticed your kitty slowly blinking at you? Behaviorist call this act “kitty kisses.” These slow blinks are your feline’s way of showing affection and telling you that they like and trust you. If you blink slowly back at them, they most likely will continue to blow “kitty kisses” your way.

Other times you couldn’t get him to look at you if your life depended on it. Just like humans, cats appreciate alone time. When he needs some quiet solitude, give him his space. This will strengthen his respect for you and don’t worry- he will seek you out when it’s cuddle time!

#8 Kitty Litter Fail

Urinating or defecating outside the litter box, known as inappropriate elimination, is the most common behavioral complaint of cat owners. Understanding the underlying causes of this condition—and how to treat them appropriately—can help ease the frustration and rebuild the bond between cat lovers and their feline friends.

Inappropriate elimination can be caused by medical or behavioral issues.

Medical causes commonly include:
Bladder and urinary tract conditions, such as cystitis, infection, bladder stones or urethral obstruction (inappropriate urination)
Colitis, constipation or anal sac disease (inappropriate defecation)
Pain or discomfort, including arthritis or other conditions affecting the nerves, muscles or joints

Behavioral causes commonly include:
Stress or anxiety due to other pets or changes in the household (moving, the birth of a child, visitors, etc.)
Box, litter, location and maintenance preferences
The first step in finding a cause for inappropriate elimination is to see a veterinarian.
While many cat owners believe their feline friends are “misbehaving” when they urinate or defecate outside the litter box, more often than not, the cat is simply trying to avoid a painful trip to the litter box.

#9 2 AM Zoomies & Cat Calls

Don’t you just love when you’re fast asleep and you’re jolted awake by the sound of your cat barreling down the hallway? Or fluffy is yowling away while you’re trying to get a good night’s sleep? Most house cats have an enormous amount of energy that is pent up during the day and needs to be released. This combined with their nocturnal instincts to hunt during the night may wreak havoc on your sleep.

We recommend regularly exercising your cat during the day in order to avoid random sprints throughout the house in the middle of the night. You can also try feeding him right before you go to bed, and to curb the desire to hunt at night you may want to try providing her with food puzzles to keep her engaged while you snooze.

If your excessively vocal cat is a senior, this could signify a serious, yet treatable condition. We recommend that you book an appointment with your vet if this is the case.

This cozy series has everything you want and more: an eclectic cast of characters, a mystery or two, and diligent detectives on duty. The detectives, feline and canine, figure it all out, but they have a dickens of a time getting the humans to understand them.

The series, Tiger Lily’s Café, is set in a Midwestern town nestled into the sunset coast of a Great Lake. The setting itself acts as a character, bringing the reader into the sights, sounds and smells of the small resort community of Chelsea.

Read the series in order, or read any book alone. Each volume stands alone with a clear beginning and a clear end.

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Friend or family member reading the series, and you aren't sure which volumes they have?

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