J. Kelland Perry

Cat Dreams

Published on October 16, 2014October 16, 2014 by J. Kelland Perry43 Comments

Good day, my friends and fellow felines. Vivian K. Perry here, returning as guest host on Jennifer’s Journal.

Jennifer caught me unawares one morning last week, indulging in a wonderfully delicious cat nap. These pics she took make me wonder: do humans dream the same as I do?

Jennifer says I get twitchy at times when I sleep, where my paws seem to act out the dream-movie playing in my head. In the dream-movie, I might be chasing a shrew or a mouse, or I could be trying to catch up to Paul on a walk.

I wonder, is it the cat version of REM sleep? Except it’s RPM sleep – short for “Rapid Paw Movement”?

I think the camera captured me here resting up for another night of fun and frolic. While the weather is still mild, Maisie and I enjoy napping for most of the day, so we can return to our wild, nocturnal adventures as the moon rises and darkness descends…

…then we pad back home at the break of dawn to stir the house with urgent meows and vibrating purrs.
Time to get up and fill our bowls, humans!

“How nice it is to think that feline dreams, like our own, are painted with creative brush strokes from time to time. Perhaps my cats and I even share the same dream…where every cat has a safe, warm place to sleep.” ~ Barbara L. Diamond

“I think we dream so we don’t have to be apart so long. If we’re in each other’s dreams, we can play together all night.” ~ Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes)

Before I sign off of course, Jennifer insists I include a sleeping Maisie in my post:

Wishing you all – and my dear sister – the sweetest of dreams! ♥

Further Reading:

Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Dreamy

I Dream – a poem by Jennifer

Do Cats Dream When They Sleep?

Friday Bouquet #10

Published on October 10, 2014February 12, 2020 by J. Kelland Perry

worddreams…

Jacqui Murray is an author, a journalist, a teacher, and a wealth of helpful advice for all things wordy.

I have learned a lot from her posts she fills with hints, lists, how-tos, and reviews.

As Jacqui says on her About page:

I love writing–always have–so this blog will cover writing topics, with brief forays into other things. If you know writers, we’re intrigued by everything around us. Life is full of characters, plot lines, unique settings, and we want to experience it all.

Here’s a recent post that I found valuable and you might too:

Writers Tips #78: 8 Writing Tricks You Won’t Read Anywhere Else

Go and check out WordDreams for help with your writing and blogging questions, and say hi to Jacqui for me. 🙂

*Comments are closed here but open on the blogger’s page.

Friday Bouquet #9

Published on October 3, 2014February 12, 2020 by J. Kelland Perry

Michael Lai from RetireeDiary is a travel photographer in Hong Kong, whose blog I’ve been following for years.

His skill with the camera and his captures of people and places is always a treat.

Now he shares with us The Dog Who Lives On A Fishing Raft*, a collection of engaging shots featuring Dor Dor, a gorgeous Labrador Retriever who belongs to a friend.

Click on the link below to see how photogenic Dor Dor is. If you scroll down on his page to the Related Posts under the Likes you will find more from the series of my new “favourite internet dog”. 🙂

(Yes, I’m a cat person, but who can resist that smile?)

The Dog That Lives On A Fishing Raft – Reflection

*images copyright protected by Michael Lai, retireediary

Comments are closed here in the hope you will visit Michael’s blog. If you do, please tell him Jennifer sent you.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone ❤

Photo Challenge: Inviting Nighttime

Published on October 1, 2014October 1, 2014 by J. Kelland Perry32 Comments

During our trip to Italy and France in 2011, I took hundreds of photos, the majority of which were daytime shots. Here are some favourite captures from two of France’s cities in late evening and night.

I still find them as inviting as ever.

Cannes

France 139 — **Lights wink on as dusk descends.**

France 143 — **Window-shopping in Cannes; almost as fun as the real thing!**

France 144 — **Boulevard de la Croisette invites us to explore. Ritz Carlton on the right.**

France 145 — **The Croisette stretches 2 km long beside the Mediterranean Sea.**

France 146 — **The entrance to our hotel beckons.**

France 154 — **Home Sweet Home for three nights.**

On to Paris:

France 231 — **The view from our hotel for four nights**

France 105 — **On the Seine River Dinner Cruise…**

one — **…which ended at the Eiffel Tower.**

Weekly Photo Challenge: Nighttime

Weekly Travel Theme: Inviting

Friday Bouquet #8

Published on September 19, 2014February 12, 2020 by J. Kelland Perry

I have been a loyal follower of The Mad Hooligan Chronicles for nearly as long as I’ve been blogging. It went through a metamorphosis last year, and changed its name from the original, The Howling Mad Cat.

HMC

When HMC (Howling Mad Cat) departed for Kitty Cat Heaven at the ripe old age of 21, shortly after Ellie adopted two new cats by the names of Kobi and Bobo, and the Mad Hooligans blog was born.

Along with the adorably candid photos, Ellie treats us with three quotes to ponder, which relate to the topic of each of her posts.

From their profile:

“Verily I say unto you: Ye shall have two cats, and they will cause havoc amongst the household.”
At http://howlingmadcat.wordpress.com/.

A light-hearted read to brighten your day, I suggest you take a look at yesterday’s entry. You just may hit the follow button too:

The Life of Riley

Comments are closed here in hopes you will comment on their site.

Have a good weekend, everyone. ❤

My “Backyard” – Pt. 2: The Beach

Published on September 15, 2014September 15, 2014 by J. Kelland Perry37 Comments

As the last tranquil days of summer disappear, I am drawn to the warmth of the sandy beaches that encircle Perry’s Point.

For a few moments, I can almost forget colder days are approaching…

071 — **This stretch of sand is begging for bare feet.**

“To see a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wild flower,
hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour.”
~ William Blake

It’s good to see that the beach birds are still around.
The sandpipers and plovers seem to be in no hurry to wing their way south for the winter.

086 — **Among the strands and clumps of kelp, there must be lots of yummy tidbits for them to eat.**

087 — **Notice how some like to stand on one leg.**

092 — **The different species get along fairly well, sharing nature’s bounty.**

098 — **Due to global warming, many species of birds in North America are dwindling in numbers, and the numbers on protected and endangered lists are increasing.**

099 — **I hope you never face extinction, my precious feathered friends.**

101 — **This one appears to have something to say about it all.**

105 — **I love their plump little bodies…**

114 — **Vivian doesn’t go down to the beach unless she has company…**

115 — **…Good thing for the beach birds!**

“The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.” ~ Charles Darwin

Thank you for stopping by to enjoy the beach with me, and Summer’s last hurrah. 🙂

Has Fall arrived where you live?

Friday Bouquet #7

Published on September 12, 2014February 12, 2020 by J. Kelland Perry

I follow quite a few blogs by writers, and Moon In Gemini: Debbie’s Blog about Writing and Pop Culture is one of my favourites.

On her About Page:

I have very eclectic tastes in fiction, movies and TV. I love genre fiction of all kinds, and am just as likely to have fantasy, horror, YA, historical fiction, sci-fi or romance residing on my Kindle.”

“… Gemini is a sign associated with writing and communication. It’s also a sign associated with people who can’t make up their minds about anything, so don’t be surprised by the variety of subjects that may appear in this blog.”

I am highlighting the following post because I agree with her opinion on strong female characters. For that matter, we think all strong characters are intriguing because of their flaws as well as their strengths. Their faults are what make them human and real.

The Strong Female Character: I Do Not Think That Means What Some People Think It Means

If you love fiction of any kind, I think you’ll like Moon in Gemini as much as I do.

Comments are closed here. I invite you to comment on Debbie’s blog.

Have a great weekend, everyone. 🙂

My “Backyard” – Part 1

Published on September 8, 2014September 14, 2014 by J. Kelland Perry31 Comments

“If one really loves nature, one can find beauty everywhere.”
~ Vincent van Gogh

There is something about this time of year, before the advent of autumn, that I love about life on Perry’s Point.

Unconventional to say the least, my backyard here in Newfoundland has no fences, save for one side shared with our neighbour.

One day last week I got out early with my camera, hoping to capture the soft morning light.

The grass is still glistening with dew. — **The grass still glistens with dew.**

It's shaping up to be a splendid September day. — **It’s shaping up to be another splendid September day.**

View from the back door. — **View of the islands from the back door**

Vivian is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. — **Vivian joins me, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.**

Maisie is looking for a belly rub. — **Maisie begs shamelessly for a belly rub.**

The outermost point of land on Perry's Point — **View from our deck of the outermost point of land on Perry’s Point**

**Walking toward the brink. Around here they call it a “beel”, which I believe to be a slang version of “bill”, or small peninsula.**

036 — **This morning the bay is calm and serene.**

The inukshuk my husband made this summer — **The Inukshuk my husband made this summer**

The "Rock Cove", where rainwater collects — **The “Rock Cove”, where rainwater collects**

An ideal source of drinking water for our feathered friends. We've seen a few indulge in birdbaths here too. — **It’s an ideal source of fresh drinking water for our feathered friends. We’ve seen a few indulge in bird baths here too.**

The patridgeberries are ripening, on schedule for picking next month. — **The partridgeberries are ripening, on schedule for picking next month.**

I don't know what kind these are. Do you? — **I don’t know what kind these are. Do you?**

Neighbour Ben's buoys and bobbers — **Neighbour Ben’s fishing buoys and bobbers**

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
~ Albert Einstein

Join me next Monday for: My “Backyard”- Part 2: The Beach

Remembering Rhonda

Published on September 4, 2014July 19, 2016 by J. Kelland Perry50 Comments

I started following Rhonda Elkins’ blog around this time last year, and was profoundly moved by her tragic story. It had only been months since she, a registered nurse, lost her 23-year-old daughter Kaitlyn to suicide, and writing about it in her blog, My Bright Shining Star, was her way of dealing with the devastation she was experiencing.

As tough as it must have been for her, Rhonda’s heart-wrenching posts turned into a new project: a book about her daughter to help raise awareness of the rampant depression and high number of medical students who take their own lives. Like her blog, it also proved to be a source of comfort for others who were going through the pain and anguish of losing a child to suicide.

With her permission, I reblogged this post back in February to help get her message out there, that even those closest to us often keep their depression hidden.

Earlier this week, I was shocked and saddened to learn Rhonda had followed Kaitlyn last Friday, leaving her husband and older daughter to pick up the shattered pieces of what remained of their family.

Rhonda had blogged recently about the good reviews her book was getting, as well as her decision to return to her nursing profession part-time (she hadn’t worked since Kaitlyn died in April of 2013).

I, like many others, had believed she had gotten through the worst of it, and was ready to go on with her life.

We were so wrong.

Your life had a purpose, Rhonda. You shared your heart and soul with your readers, painfully, yet with great eloquence. I’m so sorry you were suffering and unable to get past your grief and depression. I’m sorry we couldn’t help you more. And I pray you have finally found peace, and are reunited with your beautiful daughter Kaitlyn.

I will never forget either of you.

Links for Rhonda:

http://hosting-9605.tributes.com/obituary/show/Rhonda-Elkins-101642909

https://www.facebook.com/inmemoryofrhondasellerselkins

https://www.facebook.com/events/771748509514127/

Stop the Bullying

Published on September 1, 2014September 1, 2014 by J. Kelland Perry14 Comments

With a new school year beginning this week, I urge those of you who are parents of young students to broach the topic of anti-bullying.

Perhaps you have had the talk before, but it bears repeating and reinforcing. Start a dialogue on all aspects of bullying, including cyber-bullying. A child’s future well-being may be at stake.

Consider having your child take the following pledge:

3eb569609f00acae5f402d34bb095a88 (1) — educationworld.com

As the pledge states, it is also important not to turn a blind eye when you witness bullying. Yes, it takes courage to speak up, but as parents and teachers, we have to teach our kids to be compassionate.

Bullying is deliberately hurting another person with your words or actions. Would you want someone to treat you that way?

Share This:

worddreams…

Share This:

Share This:

Share This:

Share This:

Share This:

Share This:

Share This:

Share This:

Share This: