Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Good News from Lorenzo the Cat!

Hi Folks!

Welcome to the middle of winter! Jeez, I'll be glad when spring is here - I can feel a nasty case of cabin fever coming on!

I've been trying to combat the winter blahs by taking walks at a nearby nature preserve. It's a small place, but if you walk the loop trail enough times, you can log a few miles. I like the park no matter what the season - it seems to be an undiscovered gem that the locals don't know or care about - but the last few times I've been there, I've noticed the same thing: the woods are skeletal, the trails empty, and the sky leaden. Even the squirrels stay tucked away in their nests most of the time. Seems like winter's getting everybody down.

So it was with a measure of relief that my friend Lorenzo the Cat saw his shadow yesterday. This is not to be confused with Punxatawney Phil's weather prediction. I mean, do you really want to trust the judgement of some poor critter who's just been rudely awakened from semi-hibernation? Of course not. No one wants a cranky woodchuck predicting the future! A wise cat, on the other hand, might be a tad more accurate.

Lorenzo is a myspace friend of mine. Ordinarily, I don't friend many strangers on myspace - there are just too many fruit loops out there! But I liked Lorenzo's page, and his intellect (courtesy of writer/owner Joann Biondi) so I reached out, and Lorenzo reached back. I've been enjoying his company for some time, now.

Lorenzo mentioned Phil in a myspace status comment yesterday. He called his mood "Punxatawney," and it got me thinking. So I messaged the cat, asking whether he'd been outside lately in his hometown of Miami, and if so, had he seen his own shadow. Lorenzo had this to say in response, "I saw my shadow. It was short and fat and had a big fuzzy head. So forget what that dork Phil says, summer will be here soon. Break out the t-shirts." I would be remiss in my journalistic duties if I failed to mention that Lorenzo the cat likes wearing shirts.

You don't have to take my word for it. Head to www.lorenzothecat.com and see for yourself. He has them custom-made in Italy by a fellow named Mr. Luigi. One wonders what Luigi thinks about a shirt-wearing Maine Coon, but perhaps it's nothing more than a paycheck to the tailor. You can also watch a great slideshow of Lorenzo modeling different garments (jackets, polo shirts, and something that is clearly yachting garb) on his myspace page, www.myspace.com/comeseelorenzo. I guarantee you won't be sorry you did!

So the good news, according to Lorenzo, is that spring is on its' way. The bad news is that it's not here yet! Even so, with characters like my shirt-wearing feline friend to keep things interesting, I'm sure the time will pass quickly. May all of you be fortunate enough to know a day-brightener like Lorenzo!

That's all for now, folks! Until next time, please be kind to all the critters!