The Boomer Muse

Cat Saturday- It's Raining Cats & Dogs!

Layla Morgan Wilde — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:43:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

A Nor'Easter is blowing through town, so I guess the winds of change are here. It's Saturday, and what's a cat to do but snuggle deeper under the covers. Merlin is going out every day but Coco is becoming more and more reclusive. Her failing vision makes her more cantankerous and fearful than ever. I feel all elderly cats, like elderly humans, need stimulation though to keep their faculties.

If I didn't carry her downstairs or outside, I doubt she'd venture from bed. Once outside, she perks up, but it's a fine balancing act of nudging her while honoring her capabilities. Here she is enjoying the sun with her little corgi legs.

Domino sunbathed in a sheltered spot this week and felt like his old self. It was even warm enough for him to go on an adventure for a few hours. For a feral, he's gotten increasingly fussy about food and cries until he gets what he wants. What he doesn't know is a spring diet is on the menu. Rotund is his middle name.

Link of the Week
I figured somebody would have it's rainingcatsanddogs.com and sure enough there is. They have an amazing selection of products and they help SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHELTER OR RESCUE GROUP. If you work with or support a special dog or cat rescue group or shelter, they donate 10% of any sale generated by a Promo Code assigned to that rescue. All you have to do is contact them for the Promo Code and get your friends and family to shop at www.rainingcatsanddogs.com! They do the rest and your rescue receives monthly checks from them.

Do you know of any cat related website that should be a Link of the week? Let me know http://www.laylamorganwilde.com/

Have a happy St. Patrick's Day!

Spring Brings The Winds of Change

Layla Morgan Wilde — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:38:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

Yesterday, I posted a blog about gallery hopping in New York. If you didn't see it or want to to look at the quiz again, please scroll down to yesterday's entry. Before I get to the answers from the quiz, I wanted to comment on today's quote de jour. When I woke up this morning, something felt different. I could hear the wind blowing with insistence, the winds of change. I don't normally look outside the window first thing, but I did and sure enough, most of the snow had disappeared over night.

For the first time since the damaging storm, I could survey the casualties of over an acre of fallen tree limbs, branches, twigs and debris. My back ached with the thought of the cleanup involved. With my nose pressed against the window, I kept looking for signs of change. It's too soon for major budding yet. The tree bark is as ashy as a death mask. But wait, the tiny branchlets, pale and rose-tinged pulsed with life. There it was, subtle but true. Blink and you might not notice, just like the blurry scene of trees and the GW bridge (above) I'd snapped on my way into the city to gallery hop. It reminded me of a charcoal sketch and I wondered how could I change it. So I did. A little manipulation and the same scene turned impressionistic and painterly. Change is in the wind this spring. It swirls all around you, right this second. What do you want to change?

Now, to the quiz answers.
1) B It's an illuminated billboard
2) B It is original art. I use the word original loosely.
3) A They are real humans.
4) B I couldn't resist adding the caption "Diamonds are..." I shot this image through the window, amused by the refracted light 'diamonds" and the Chase bank logo of art meeting commerce.
5) A I shot the charming vignette-like Chelsea Barber Shop. One of a series.

But Is It Art?

Layla Morgan Wilde — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:58:00 GMT

Quote de jour
"When life stomps on your soul, art reminds you that you have one."
~LMW

Spring preview week continues and boy do I have have spring fever! This video sums up what's stirring inside me. In 1913, Stravinsky's ballet Rite of Spring caused a scandal in Paris. The primitive sounds and movements depicting a pagan offering to the gods of spring caused pandemonium in the audience. All hell broke lose and the police shut the show down. Stravinsky, like many great artists was simply ahead of his time. The Rite of Spring went on to great acclaim in 1929, and by 1940 was Disneyfied in Walt Disney's animated film Fantasia. Click on the music and let's get this party started!

With spring fever comes comes the stirring of creative juices. The best way I know to get the creative sap flowing, is to go gallery hopping in the city. Every Thursday, the hottest destination for art lovers and lovers of freebies, is the art gallery receptions in Chelsea from 6 pm-8 pm, located in dozens of galleries west of 10th Ave between 20th and 27th St.
They usually have complimentary wine and hors d'oeuvres which is a double-edged sword. There are those who want to see art, and those who want to be seen, and those who just want free food and booze. I have to admit people-watching is half the fun. Gallery hopping brings out bohos and urban hobos, artists and art lovers, weirdos and wannabees, psychic vampires and lost souls, insiders and outsiders. Care to join me?

I was an art student in the late '70s and am still asking the question...

That question might best be answered by painter and art critic John Goodrich who has a show on at the Bowery gallery until March 27th. Some friends and I especially loved his figurative work. For me, art needs to engage, to transcend the intellect to core emotions. I may not always like a piece, but I know when my soul sings.

Good or bad art is largely subjective. An artist, in a stroke of boldness or madness, parked this sculpture on the street in front of a gallery in hopes of selling it in his "auction". I wasn't impressed with the sculpture, but would I have given it more credibility had it been plunked down in the middle of...

This gallery?

Things are often not as they appear. Let's have some fun by adding a quiz.
1) At this gallery, is the blue display:
A- Part of a video installation of this exhibit
B- An advertising billboard reflected from outside
C- Conceptual art seen from a gallery next door.

2) Is the object displayed on a wall
A- A fabric sample in a decorator showroom
B- Original art in a gallery
C- A photograph depicting art within art displayed in gallery.

I'll give you a hint. It's found in this space.

3) Are the figures viewing this painting are
A- Real gallery visitors
B- Sculptures
C- Holographic images

4) Is this image
A- Fine art photograph an art gallery
B- Photoshopped collage by Layla
C- A display from a jewelry store.

Had enough? Feel like you need a glass of champagne, or at least sit down? Okay one more...
5) Is this image
A- A snapshot taken outside a real barbershop
B- A photograph displayed with the original portraits of customers in a gallery
C- None of the above

To find out the answers, stop by here tomorrow for the finale. In the meantime, make art not war.

Will Spring Bring Frogs or Princes?

Layla Morgan Wilde — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:55:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

This is the tiny stream in my garden. It flows into a tiny pond with an island large enough to hold one pine tree. In the spring, frogs emerge from their muddy slumber to sing of love and life. It takes only one day for these frozen guys to defrost and spring into life. We're not there yet, but my ears are pricked for their clarion call. In the meantime, I'm alert for opportunities for transformation. How about you? What do you want to transform this spring?

Take A Hike... With Me

Layla Morgan Wilde — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:40:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour
scroll down for it...

I went hiking to clear my head from all the reading and writing of late. Don't say I never take you anywhere. Come along...

The trail head was blocked but that didn't stop me. The deep, granular snow made for slow trekking and I wish I'd brought my snow shoes. I found a branch for an impromptu walking stick and soldiered on fueled by fresh air and chocolate. The sight of a warm-warmed log proved to good to pass up. Sitting was good but lying down was better. Way better...

If you could see the endless possibilities that await you today, you might feel more inclined to try a new approach. Instead of seeing things as obstacles or impossible, take a moment to breathe, turn inward and ask inside yourself, “What do you really want?” Wait for the answer. If it comes too quickly, it’s from your head and not your heart. Obstacles are often tainted with fear and limiting thinking. When your heart and your goals are aligned, you might find that the obstacles you face dissolve into joy, and nothing is holding you back. Go on...

Mandala Mondays - Spring Preview

Layla Morgan Wilde — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:50:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

To change skins, evolve into new cycles, I feel one has to learn to discard. If one changes internally, one should not continue to live with the same objects. They reflect one's mind and psyche of yesterday. I throw away what has no dynamic, living use.

~Anais Nin

As we creep towards spring, I'm aware of longer, light-filled days. There's more light to see how dirty the house is. It begs for a spring cleaning, but also for decluttering. I want to let go of things that no longer serve me. Do I really need 87 teapots? Do I need to remain tight in the bud? I want to discard more than gloves, boots and scarves. I want to feel the clean, spring air through my hair and wash away foggy brain cells. The first snow drops from last month disappeared below a snow bank. Yesterday, their delicate Q-tip heads emerged pure and intact through winter debris.

They inspired today's mandala "Spring Preview". Look around you. What is your spring preview?

What I'm Reading This Week-- March 7, 2010 - Muses and Monsters Oh My!

Layla Morgan Wilde — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:22:00 GMT

Quote de jour
"Reading like writing is a creative act. If readers only bring a narrow range of themselves to a book, then they'll only see their narrow range reflected in it."
~Ben Okri

What a difference a week makes. Last Sunday we were digging out of knee deep snow. Today, it's sunny with balmy mid 50's temps. I may be a reading addict but I'm not crazy. A quick spin on the keyboard and I'm so out of here.
Here's Johnny... again. Hmm, I forgot to return GQ with Johnny Depp on the cover to the library. Accident? I think not.

Nice to see women with meat on their bones like Mad Men's Christina Hendricks, but Oprah looks suspiciously slimmer. PhotoShop strikes again?

My writer brain will never be the same after reading last week's choice (scroll to to last Sunday to see pic). There aren't enough adjectives to describe the joy and wonder of Best European Fiction 2010. And, I still raving about the collection of essays by 30 brilliant writers about their muses and mentors in Mentors, Muses & Monsters. It's like a mini writer's workshop you can tuck in your bag.

In an informal survey of more than 50 editors and agents, author Cheryl Wyatt reports that 99% of them admit to only reading the first page of a submitted manuscript. If the story does not intrigue them in that first page, they won’t read on. That is true, but what happens to best selling writers who churn out a book a year? The same rules don't seem to apply.
I felt the need for some light reading and turned to chick lit writer Jane Green's latest but not greatest Dune Road. It starts strong but the multiple plot twists half way through made my head spin, which leads to skimming. Fast. For someone who reads as much as I do, it takes a lot to make me want to slow down and savor. That said, if I'd been lolling in a hammock with a mojito I may have fared better. The Asian influenced book jacket design made no stylistic sense for the theme or the setting. The title refers to a Gatsbyesque grand estate on Dune Road which is the home of one of the main characters, a reclusive writer.

Look at the beautiful book jacket of Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. Doesn't it draw you in? It captures the essence of this remarkable book. The jacket photo has a vintage feel but any lover of Paris knows the Luxembourg Garden replete with pea gravel and metal chairs looks the same today. In the novel, the narrative switches back and forth seamlessly between Nazi occupied Paris in 1942 and sixty years later. I've only made a dent, but I'm already entranced. The film rights are sold. I can't wait for the film and her next book. http://www.tatianaderosnay.com

Listen to the writer speak about her important book.

Kitty Wisdom 101 - Zen and Now

Layla Morgan Wilde — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:42:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

Cats are the original Zen masters. They aren't slaves to their egos, or anything else, except maybe catnip. They know how to focus, be grounded, serene and 110% alive. Meditation comes naturally. Perhaps they also practice positive affirmations? Domino, the outdoor feral shares on the porch with a sign of the popular affirmation "All is well in my world". And so it is, for now.

News & Mews
There have been no sightings of Rambo since the storm last week. Domino is happy and far more relaxed with the warmer weather and his wounds have healed (see right eye). I always know when he's feeling better when he grooms his dirty coat to snowy white. He is so mellow, he allowed Petey the Possum to eat his dinner last night, again. It's not his destiny to be a lap cat but he is looking less feral and do I dare say it, sweet?

Merlin had a bad case of cabin fever which needed to be cooled with a toss into a snow bank. He and Coco gets regular doses of cat nip and their favorite treat Greenies http://www.greenies.com

Coco's joint stiffness has improved to almost kittenish agility thanks to a product from Petco. I don't normally endorse products but this is worth a shout-out. This blog will always be ad-free and I am not paid to promote any product or service.

Excel Senior Vitamin Treats for cats are a soft-moist, mouth-watering, easy to feed vitamin and mineral daily supplement formulated specifically for senior cats’ nutritional needs. Contains the right amounts of essential vitamins and minerals, Glucosamine and Taurine for increased energy and overall good health. Irresistible tuna flavor. Sure to become a favorite in your senior cat’s daily routine!

Link of the Week and Cat Art of the Week is Zen http://www.zencatgallery.com

May you and your kitties enjoy and peaceful week!

Say Bye-Bye to Winter...

Layla Morgan Wilde — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:37:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

Last Friday, much of New York state was snowed in under a billowy duvet of the white stuff. Last night, I was in the city and couldn't find a snowball's worth. Nature is the ultimate quick change artist. That said, we have plenty of snow remaining in the 'burbs, but I can smell spring and I say, bring it on. I'm ready to welcome the first unfurlings of tulips, of tender shoots and brave new buds. But before we do, here's a final blast of winter. It's official. I won't be posting anymore snow pics this winter. It's time to make new tracks. Say bye bye...

2000 year-old Secret to Happiness

Layla Morgan Wilde — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:39:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

Enough with the books on happiness already! The Happiness Project, The Happiness Makeover, The Pursuit of Happiness,The How of Happiness...They're everywhere, and it's not making me happy. There is nothing new under the sun, nothing that hasn't been said for thousands of years. Take it from Epictetus who was born a slave in AD 55, obtained his freedom (that'll make you happy) and founded a school of Stoic philosophy in Rome. He believed that the essence of philosophy is that happiness depends as little as possible on external things, and to stop worrying about things that are beyond our control. Happy now?

Success Secrets, Oh Deer..

Layla Morgan Wilde — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:34:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

A double duty blog today. 1) photo quote de jour metaphor life lesson 2) Westchester Wednesdays news.

The other day, I spotted these two deer in between a question mark of snow on a tree stump. It begged an answer but what was the question? Their camouflage gave a small measure of safety but their eyes and ears stayed focused on me. As a life coach, I'm interested in what motivates people, and why some enjoy more success than others. Deer embody gentle sensitivity. They know when to hide, when to be still, and when be in the open. They have an acute awareness that successful people share. There is a time to speak up, to take center stage, and a time to take a back seat. Successful people comfortably know how to dance in and out of the shadows. It begins with awareness. For a deer, its awareness is nothing less than survival.

We have a lot of deer where I live in Westchester County, N.Y. Some might say too many. They chomp on our plants and flowers, spread Lyme disease and get hit by cars. Hunting with firearms is forbidden in the county, but there is talk of culling with crossbows.

If you live in the area, you might want learn more about the new measures taken by public and private land managers to deal with the ever growing population of white-tailed deer, during the next Conservation Café event, titled “What’s New? Managing Deer in Westchester County,” on Friday, March 12, from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, N.Y.

Following the program, attendees are invited to participate in an open discussion, dialogue regarding and exchange of ideas on deer management. Staff from Westchester County Parks will be on hand to discuss the parks department’s 2009 pilot deer bow hunting program as well.

Advance registration is requested by calling (914) 864-7047 (914) 864-7047 by March 10. Beverages will be served; participants should bring their own coffee mug. Carpooling is encouraged.

The Conservation Café and Conversations on Conservation (CoC) provide a forum for dialogue about current environmental issues. Private citizens, members of concerned organizations, municipal planners and others hear the latest information and have an opportunity to network.

Sponsors are Westchester County’s Parks and Planning departments, Friends of Westchester County Parks, Pace University, Teatown Lake Reservation, the Greenburgh Nature Center, Westchester Land Trust and Federated Conservationists of Westchester County.

The Westchester County Center is located at 198 Central Avenue in White Plains, adjacent to Route 119 (Tarrytown Road) and the Bronx River Parkway. Parking in the County Center lot is $5 per car before 9 a.m. Information about the County Center can be found at www.countycenter.biz.

Full Moon Madness - Me and Jack Nicholson

Layla Morgan Wilde — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:14:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

The current full moon is making its presence felt even through thick cloud cover. My brain feels fried extra crisp (creepy dreams like being in bed with Jack Nicholson!) No, we didn't have sex, but still. It was like being with his character in The Shining. I'm counting the minutes to yoga class this afternoon. Well, at least the full moon provided a jolt of creativity to make this image with my guru Amma, the hugging saint. How does the full moon affect you? Are you feeling extra loony today?

To understand its influence I'm quoting astrologer Molly Hall, "This Full Moon is in Virgo, the earth sign that's flexible (mutable), always striving for wholeness. Virgo is process oriented, focused on the broken bits and pieces. In this time when many of us feel shattered and dis-illusion ed, Virgo energy guides us to the healing balm for what ails us. And the overall cosmic players this Full Moon hint at a spiritual remedy.

Virgo is the hermit that lives by its own inner light, and sense of morality. In an irreverent world, Virgo can seem downright old-fashioned. We can reclaim what's wholesome and pure this Full Moon, and resolve to protect ourselves from any kind of polluting influences.

Out of this drive for purity comes the drive to strip away everything fake and unnatural. Virgo reveals workable daily practices, that can give us some sense of order and stability. It's about establishing a rhythm that you're devoted to, but that's flexible enough to adapt to the rapid changes in society.

Some Virgo (Moon)-Pisces(Sun) themes:

Searching for soul food through art, literature, music.
Committing to daily practice, to bring shape to what's in the imagination.
Establishing habits that integrate spirituality into your daily life.
Devoting your time or talents to a higher cause.
Marrying technique with the transcendent.
Analyze your dreams.

Pisces Mandala-- Dream On!

Layla Morgan Wilde — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:19:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

In honor of all my fishy friends and Mandala Monday, today's quote de jour is from Einstein, the ultimate in dreamy Pisceans.

A talented astrologer and artist Jude Cowell who draws fish better than I do is at http://www.dreamyfishart.blogspot.com

What I'm Reading This Week -- February 28, 2010.

Layla Morgan Wilde — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 16:05:00 GMT

Quote de jour
“Nobody ever committed suicide while reading a good book, but many have while trying to write one.”
~Robert Byrne

The best thing about being snowbound and unplugged this week was the luxury to read. A lot. I caught up with last week's selections and an avalanche of magazines. With a view like this, what else is there to do? Swinging will have to wait.

This week's media Gestalt of the world. I'm not the only one who is a magazine junkie. Flipping through scads of magazines is the secret creative fuel for writers, designers and artists who need a quick hit of inspiration. For me, it's has to be a broad mix. I may read about the Sphinx in one magazine and snake bracelets in another which triggers memories of a film, which in turn sparks dialogue for a story I writing. It's a never ending interactive circle. See what sparks your imagination from these covers.

Short fiction is enjoying a wee renaissance. I'm loving this wonderfully diverse compilation of thirty stories in Best European Fiction 2010. The stark, minimalist cover is quintessential European. It's edited by Bosnian American fiction writer Aleksandar Hemon who happens to have a cool website http://www.aleksandarhemon.com

Stomy Weather...

Layla Morgan Wilde — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 20:32:00 GMT

Quote de jour
"When you're used to hearing purring and suddenly it's gone, it's hard to silence the blaring sound of sadness.
~Missy Altijd

So much water under the bridge, or should I say, snow? Mystery week ended with my disappearance. Funny how no internet service can do that, and no heat, or hot water. The song "Stormy Weather" feels appropriate and not just because of surviving the strangest snow storm I can recall. There's been mega cat loss in my family. My brother's cat died recently and this week, my mother's beloved Missu was put to sleep. Missu was a pretty but anti-social tortoiseshell who hid anytime someone visited. My mother thankfully has one cat left but she's bereft. What unnerves me is that Missu and my cats are the same age. The savage storm of the past few days made me painfully aware of how tenuous life is.

For readers expecting Cat Saturday and Kitty Wisdom 101, sorry, all I have is this shot of Domino baffled by the storm from hell.

The past 48 hours felt like going...

This was the view early yesterday morning. The silent white landscape looked moonscape meets post nuclear apocalypse. My creative muse did cartwheels until saw the damage. Heartbreaking holocaust of my favorite trees. Nature has no favorites. I won't go into the gory details. More photos to come. Despite major damage, the startling beauty trumped all.

For now, I sink into gratitude for... the guys who fixed the furnace today, for hot water in anticipation of a hot shower (my first in three days), for kind neighbors, for Ron from Jamaica who carried a ladder in knee-deep snow to repair a torn cable wire, for cats who double as hot water bottles and you for reading.

The Most Beautiful Thing is...

Layla Morgan Wilde — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:43:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour
Mystery week continues... and with a slight of hand the winter storm raging outside my window has transformed into summer. I needed a shock of color to jump start my anemic inner and outer landscapes today. This is the time of year, I literally crave fresh flowers, but the ones in my vase don't smell as good the honey sweet memory of this flower I'd photographed last summer. Did you know your brain cannot discern the difference between a real flower and one from your imagination? That's why I feel it's important to take of what visual images are in your home or office. Are they beautiful or inspiring? Sad, weird or plain ugly? Take a good look around you. The images, photos or art work have more impact than you may realize. Enjoy these words from Einstein as you ponder what you think is beautiful.

The Final Mystery

Layla Morgan Wilde — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:04:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

Mystery theme week continues with a question for you. Are men or women more mysterious?

Birds Of Sorrow

Layla Morgan Wilde — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:39:00 GMT

Photo quote de jour

I spotting these birds flying over the cemetery last week. They comfortably swooped down and played amongst the grave stones. They weren't graves to them, but quiet spaces where they wouldn't be disturbed. I thought of the old Chinese proverb about birds of sorrow as they relate to depression. The black mood can swoop down and roost, building nest of despair, or not.
Black moods may seem mysterious. They sometime come out of nowhere, but there is no mystery if you play detective. As someone with a long history of black moods, I've learned to be on the alert for dark birds circling above my head. The best way to avoid them roosting is to simply move. They can't build nest if you take action. Identify the source (usually unexpressed anger), express what you're feeling and move on.

Mandala Mondays -- Angel Dove & Mystery Week

Layla Morgan Wilde — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:18:00 GMT

Quote de jour
"We shall find peace. We shall hear angels. We shall see the sky sparkling with diamonds."
~Anton Chekov

I won't tell you what you'll find here this week because it's Mystery Week. I'm on deadline and won't have as much time to blog, but I have some some goodies up my sleeve for you this week.
For Mandala Monday, we have a angel dove mandala. When I was drawing the central symbol I wanted something amorphous. I left it open to the viewer to decide. What did you first notice:a bird like a dove or an angel? Or something else?

What I'm Reading This Week-- February 21, 2010

Layla Morgan Wilde — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:37:00 GMT

Quote de jour
"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body."
~Richard Steele, Tatler, 1710
In that case, my reading is like training for the Olympics.

True confession #1: I don't post pics of everything I read. You mean there's more? Yes. I skim tons more for research for myself and others. True confession #2 I sometimes enjoy arranging the covers to create a narrative more than actually reading the magazine. How can you not love the round shapes from a happy face, to a bomb, to a cupcake?

Okay, enough fun and games. Books: I've barely cracked open any of these and unless I invent a 25th hour, they will not get more than a cursory skim. If any grab me, I'll let you know next week.

The bright slim memoir The Bag Lady Papers by Alexandra Penney is getting oodles of press. Its success should replenish the writer's coffers from losing her fortune to Bernie Madoff. I don't feel too sorry for her. Going from owning three homes to one is not poor. Perhaps she should read Priceless by William Poundstone about the hidden psychology of value and what money and prices really mean. Who knew there were jobs like "price consultants" who convince consumers to pay more for less? I feel I have my money's worth already. Cute cover too.

The bland cover design of Mentor's Muses & Monsters by Elizabeth Benedict http://www.elizabethbenedict.com

hides an exciting buffet of essays by thirty writers of all stripes and flavors. Writers from Joyce Carol Oates to Jonathan Safran Foer dish about who influenced their writing. A quick skim gleaned juicy insights, and I can't wait to dig in and devour the whole book.

While I have a penchant for fresh off the press books. Many are bestsellers or flavors de jour. That said, I like going back and visiting old friends, or books from long, dead writers I haven't read. There's a dearth of books about cats and dogs lately, so I was delighted find a book from 1933 about a dog. Not just any dog, but a cocker spaniel given by Vita Sackville-West to poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. It's written with sly humor and charm writer by Virgina Woolf. The dog's name and the title of the book is Flush. I bet if a modern new edition was published with a zippy cover and cute photo of a cocker spaniel, it would be a bestseller.