#Felines Celebrating the Arrival of Easter--#Cats This Week by Karen Rose Smith

Since the time changed in March, it seems that our feline family began making preparations for the arrival of warmer weather and Easter. The cats, as well as all of us, welcome the arrival of green grass and flowers blooming in the garden. They like the cover.  Bonnie, one of our outside feline siblings, immediately napped in  a spot under the new wicker rocker as soon as it was moved from winter storage onto the patio.

Clyde, Bonnie's sibling, had started sitting under the bare branches of the dwarf American Redbud tree even before it burst into blossom this week.  Eventually the shrub will add foliage which will provide shade and shelter from the hot summer sun. Last year it was one of Bonnie and Clyde's favorite afternoon spots.

Bonnie can often be spotted in a corner garden off of the patio as the daffodils and hyacinths bloom. She likes a spot under the re-blooming lilacs as soon as their leaves provide shade and shelter.

Also this week, the creeping phlox and the cat mint joined in the celebration of spring's impending arrival with mounds of pink and white color and fresh herbal scents. When glancing out the window, I spotted Clyde enjoying both. He has adopted this spot as a special little "nest" for his afternoon naps.

Inside, Miss Paddington and her mom, Halo, are really enjoying the spring throw on the bed.  The butterflies in bright pastel colors add that touch of spring to their inside world. Just watching them sleeping together on the throw lifts my spirits and provides impetus to pull out my spring wardrobe.

I try to take time to enjoy the changes that spring brings, whether as simple as a beautiful blooming pansy in a cat planter by the front door or as enormous as the whole landscape turning from barren brown branches to trees and shrubbery in lush green foliage.

Happy Easter!

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FOREVER IN HER EYES

Search For Love series, Book 9

FOREVER IN HER EYES on Amazon

FOREVER IN HER EYES on Barnes and Noble

The Search for Love romance series includes:

SEARCH FOR LOVE series website 

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USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith is an only child who delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that's why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances. Her 97th novel will be released in 2017.

Karen and Paddy

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks rather than gardens.  And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.

Karen looks forward to interacting with readers. They can find her at the links below. 

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Sign Up for Karen's newsletter!

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Karen's Facebook Author Page

Karen Rose Smith's romance website 

Karen Rose Smith's mystery website 

Karen on Twitter

©2017 Karen Rose Smith

Spring, #Felines And A Special Neighbor--#Cats This Week by Karen Rose Smith

 

 

My husband mowed the grass this week--one of the first rituals of spring. The hum of the mower set off nostalgic memories of rescued felines and a very special neighbor.

Miss Agnes lived across the street from us for twenty-five years. She lived alone all of her life and her gardens were her pride and joy. She was in her gardens from morning until evening and often observed the neighborhood wildlife from groundhogs to deer passing through her yard and into ours. I spoke to Agnes on the phone every couple of days and she would always fill me in on her latest sightings. Often our conversations would turn to the cats she had seen frolicking in her yard (or just passing through).

When I told her about the stray cat who walked across our patio one day and right up to my husband who was filling an outside feeder, she knew exactly which cat I was talking about. Lancelot, as we named him, had obviously been in many a fight and wore the battle scars to prove it. Agnes related how she had had a similar encounter with Lance after one of his scuffles. She said he was badly injured but she stood and talked with him. Lance became a constant buddy with my husband and followed him around whenever he was outside. Eventually, we were able to cage him, but his visit to the emergency veterinary hospital was not a good one. He tested FIV positive and eventually developed urinary problems that he couldn't overcome. In his short time with us, he touched our lives deeply and Agnes understood how attached we were and shared our sadness when Lance crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

Agnes was also a part of our Sunnybud saga. Sunny was another stray who had been visiting the patio feeders while we were dealing with Lance. I always tried to feed him apart from Lance.  After Lance was gone, Sunnybud and I developed a special relationship. He came daily to be fed and eventually he let me pet him and massage him. But he always left again, unwilling to give up his freedom to become part of our feline household. Agnes always filled me in when she saw Sunny in her yard and in which direction he was heading. Together we were trying to solve the mystery of where he went after the daily feeding and petting sessions. Sunnybud started limping and his foot became infected. Again, another trip to the emergency veterinarian ended in an FIV diagnosis and a severe infection that because of the FIV wouldn't heal. The decision to let Sunnybud go was heart wrenching and again Agnes understood.

Even as Agnes's health began to decline and her time outside was limited, she would report what she
saw out her kitchen window. One day after a fall kept her from moving around the house, she told my husband that the aide who was helping her had seen a little brown kitten in our driveway. Little did we know that that sighting would be the beginning of of relationship with Bonnie and Clyde. Eventually Agnes couldn't spend a lot of time at her kitchen window to report her sightings, but we kept her informed by taking snapshots of the duo and sharing them with her. Our last Christmas present for Agnes was a calendar featuring our feline family which she kept on her kitchen desk and hopefully brought her a smile at times when she was dealing with her declining health.

Agnes is no longer with us, and I sadly miss our phone conversations and her concern for the felines that she knew were special to us. The hum of the mower reminded me of a conversation my husband had with Agnes shortly after we moved into the neighborhood. He was feeling guilty about the number of dandelions that were popping up on our lawn and was worried that they would spread to the neighbors' yard.  Agnes looked across the street to our yard and answered, "Yes, but aren't they beautiful?" He has never looked at dandelions the same way again. Sometimes a simple little bit of wisdom can make a huge impact. Agnes didn't see the scarred face of Lance, but instead appreciated the kind heart that was beating inside of him. She never chased Sunnybud from her yard, but always allowed him the freedom to roam that he so cherished. She told us about Bonnie in our driveway because she knew that we would watch over her. She saw the beauty in the world around her--in her flowers (and weeds) and in the wildlife that complemented her gardens. She taught us in her simple conversations how to do the same.  We miss you Agnes.  

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NOW AVAILABLE

Wendy Newcomb, director of the Kismet women's shelter Sunrise Tomorrow, is thrilled when the shelter receives a legacy.  She hires Caprice to decorate the mansion to serve women who need more than an overnight port in a storm. But in her drive against domestic violence, Wendy has made enemies and is murdered. Caprice finds herself in danger once more as she asks questions and even calls on St. Anthony for inspiration to solve this murder mystery.
(Sunnybud is the resident cat in the mystery.)

SHADES OF WRATH on Amazon

SHADES OF WRATH on Barnes and Noble


****************

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith is an only child who delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that's why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances. Her 97th novel will be released in 2017.

Karen and Paddy

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks rather than gardens.  And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.

Karen looks forward to interacting with readers. They can find her at the links below. 

*****************

Sign Up for Karen's newsletter!

******************

Karen's Facebook Author Page

Karen Rose Smith's romance website 

Karen Rose Smith's mystery website 

Karen on Twitter

©2017 Karen Rose Smith

   

A Special #Feline Mother/Daughter Bond--#Cats This Week by Karen Rose Smith

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words...and a slide show of pictures can leave you speechless. This week as I was working on my next mystery release, Halo and Paddy climbed the floor to ceiling condo and settled together on the middle shelf. As Paddy has grown older, her mother has been less accepting of her kitten behaviors and desires to play or cuddle together. Her attempts often end in a skirmish and one of them moves to another chair to nap. But when the two of them settled together on the condo shelf, it brought back memories of Halo caring for her kittens and bathing them...as well as nap times with her babies snuggling against her warm belly. I have always been inspired by the special bond that these two felines share.

Enjoy these photos which depict a mother/daughter bond that will always be special.    

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NOW AVAILABLE

Wendy Newcomb, director of the Kismet women's shelter Sunrise Tomorrow, is thrilled when the shelter receives a legacy.  She hires Caprice to decorate the mansion to serve women who need more than an overnight port in a storm. But in her drive against domestic violence, Wendy has made enemies and is murdered. Caprice finds herself in danger once more as she asks questions and even calls on St. Anthony for inspiration to solve this murder mystery.

SHADES OF WRATH on Amazon

SHADES OF WRATH on Barnes and Noble


****************

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith is an only child who delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that's why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances. Her 97th novel will be released in 2017.

Karen and Paddy

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks rather than gardens.  And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.

Karen looks forward to interacting with readers. They can find her at the links below. 

*****************

Sign Up for Karen's newsletter!

******************

Karen's Facebook Author Page

Karen Rose Smith's romance website 

Karen Rose Smith's mystery website 

Karen on Twitter

©2017 Karen Rose Smith

A #Feline's Tail Tells the Tale--#Cats This Week by Karen Rose Smith

This week as I sat on my easy chair sipping my morning coffee, Halo jumped on my lap for a few moments of cuddling and petting.  After a bit, I felt a furry nudge at my feet followed by an annoyed Halo squirming in my lap. Paddy had found Halo's dangling tail and was playing with it as she does with one of her wand toys. Needless to say, my quiet time with my coffee and Halo was short-lived as the session turned into a feline squirmish and a mad dash throughout the house. The "event" got me to thinking about the stimulus for the disruption...Halo's tail. The feline tail reveals a lot of information about what is going on in the feline head. I gathered some photos this week which depict how the tail tells the tale.    

When one of the cats is sleeping on their condo, a tail often dangles over the side of the shelf. Sometimes this is simply because of their position on the shelf as they sleep, and other times it seems that the tail balances them and secures them from falling off. In a peaceful sleep, the tail is usually still, but in an awake pose, the tail is more active, perhaps revealing what the next move will be. A fluffed tail indicates agitation and I know in a few minutes there will be a cat chase through the house or the pursuit of a fly or ladybug. When Bonnie comes in from outside, her tail is often fluffed, indicating she has just been in pursuit of a mouse or a bird.

On the other hand, when I see more of a cat's tail than of her face, I can be pretty certain that she is up to some sort of mischief. In the pictures below, Paddy is about to jump up on the shelf in my closet and Zoie has found a long lost toy under the corner hutch in the kitchen. In both cases, the photo did not capture the rapid swish of the tail that accompanied the next move.     

When the cats play together, their tails are usually relaxed, but at the slightest irritation (which Paddy is good at providing) her playmate's tail will quickly rise. At times the playmates tail becomes a plaything.  Below, as Paddy rescues a wayward toy that has rolled under brown packaging paper that I often put down for the cats to play on, Halo eyes her tail, perhaps waiting for a signal that Paddy has successfully retrieved the object of her search...or perhaps contemplating a tail attack. Kittens love to chase their own tail and adult cats are still curious about an inviting swish of fluff.      

And, of course, the tail often aides in finding a missing feline who has fallen asleep at some unexpected spot that is not usually a part of their daily routine.

Of course, a cat's tail has a biological function to provide balance and stability as they walk, play, hunt and run.  But when we learn to interpret our pets' mood through their tail movements, we can also predict their next behavioral move. When London's tail is thumping and swishing, I know she is agitated and needs space free from human intervention. When one of my furry family's tail is fluffed and raised, I know she was startled and is on the defensive. When Clyde sits outside in the breadloaf position with his tail wrapped around him, I know he feels safe. When Halo comes to me with her tail raised after eating, I know she wants her back scratched near the base of the tail. When one of my cats is sleeping on the bed and they let me play with their tail, I know they totally trust me. The tail really does tell the tale!    

Happy "TAILS" to you!!

****************

NOW AVAILABLE

Wendy Newcomb, director of the Kismet women's shelter Sunrise Tomorrow, is thrilled when the shelter receives a legacy.  She hires Caprice to decorate the mansion to serve women who need more than an overnight port in a storm. But in her drive against domestic violence, Wendy has made enemies and is murdered. Caprice finds herself in danger once more as she asks questions and even calls on St. Anthony for inspiration to solve this murder mystery.

SHADES OF WRATH on Amazon

SHADES OF WRATH on Barnes and Noble


****************

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith is an only child who delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that's why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances. Her 97th novel will be released in 2017.

Karen and Paddy

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks rather than gardens.  And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.

Karen looks forward to interacting with readers. They can find her at the links below. 

*****************

Sign Up for Karen's newsletter!

******************

Karen's Facebook Author Page

Karen Rose Smith's romance website 

Karen Rose Smith's mystery website 

Karen on Twitter

©2017 Karen Rose Smith

#Felines Exploring the Bathtub--#Cats This Week by Karen Rose Smith

One day this week we had a scheduled home maintenance appointment which involved a repairman who would be in and out of the house during his visit. Since I always try to account for the whereabouts of all of my furry family, I knew the safest thing to do was to gather them all up and take them to a safe room away from the temptation offered by doors opening and closing. 

Paddy exploring behind
the curtains in the
guest bedroom.

So we went to the guest bedroom which is usually off-limits for them and settled in for a morning of exploring and adapting to new spaces. 

Interestingly enough, after an initial circumference scan of the room, Paddy, Halo and Zoie all migrated to the guest bathroom and seemed intrigued by the tub. So I snapped some photos of their frolics to share this week.  Enjoy!      
 

Halo asks Paddy if it is safe to go in there.

Halo declares it safe and Paddy
awaits Zoie's arrival--to share the
new space or to claim it as her own?

Zoie arrives and she and Halo confer about
whose space it is.

Obviously Zoie got the message and Paddy
and Halo plan their next move.

But as soon as Halo and Paddy vacate the
space, Zoie decides to make it hers!

As soon as the repairman left, everyone was quick to return to familiar territory and sniff out any unfamiliar scents that were left in his wake. Gradually everyone returned to their favorite afternoon napping spots and were soon dreaming of their adventures in the guest bathtub. I settled in my easy chair and pondered how cute all of the cats still are even out of kittenhood.  They made we want to explore new places too! 

 *****************

NOW AVAILABLE

Wendy Newcomb, director of the Kismet women's shelter Sunrise Tomorrow, is thrilled when the shelter receives a legacy.  She hires Caprice to decorate the mansion to serve women who need more than an overnight port in a storm. But in her drive against domestic violence, Wendy has made enemies and is murdered. Caprice finds herself in danger once more as she asks questions and even calls on St. Anthony for inspiration to solve this murder mystery.

SHADES OF WRATH on Amazon

SHADES OF WRATH on Barnes and Noble


****************

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith is an only child who delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that's why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances. Her 97th novel will be released in 2017.

Karen and Paddy

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks rather than gardens.  And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.

Karen looks forward to interacting with readers. They can find her at the links below. 

*****************

Sign Up for Karen's newsletter!

******************

Karen's Facebook Author Page

Karen Rose Smith's romance website 

Karen Rose Smith's mystery website 

Karen on Twitter

©2017 Karen Rose Smith