I’m not sorry to see this year end, characterized as it was by violence, financial disasters, physical injuries, and general bitterness. It wasn’t all bad, though: I did get out of Oakland, and somewhere along the way I started blogging nearly every day, instead of at my usual languid pace.
As Adrian Monk would say, [...]
On the days Megan works, I try to take Schatzi for a walk. I figure it’s good for all parties concerned: Schatzi gets some exercise (Cesar says exercise is more important than even love is for a dog), so do I, and Meg feels a little less guilty about her dog being bored.
I got [...]
It’s that feral cat again*.
Here’s Henrietta, relaxing on the duvet in the sunlight. The only thing better than the heater is sunlight in her world. Even when it’s cold outside, the California sun has its warmth.
This evening, she was cuddled up to me, and I petted her as I watched the final, heart-wrenching [...]
A day of naughtiness really takes it out of you.
Audrey has expanded her repertoire of victims to include birds now. By the time I saw her with it, it was too late, and all I could do was shudder and pity the poor creature. Nature, as my stepmother used to point out in [...]
My sister’s tree
Christmas Day dawned bright and sunny. I know, because Audrey woke me up so I could see for myself.
The first order of business was taking Schatzi for a walk. We went over to our brother’s place, checked on the bees, and let Schatzi run and roam to her heart’s content. It [...]
I lost another post, thanks to the terrible internet service. Gah!!!
So you’ll have to wait until I finish throwing a temper tantrum to read my reconstituted post about Christmas.
Sigh.
Improved tree
I’ve always been terrible at wrapping presents. You’d think I’d be good at it, given my expertise in applying make-up, love of all things sparkly, and generally trivial mindset, but no. The ends bunch up, the paper is unevenly cut and/or is too big or too small for the package, there’s tape [...]
Winter skies
Ring, ring!
I open my eyes. It’s still dark. Even the cats aren’t asking to go out.
Ring, ring!
Rob! Something must have happened*. Looking at the clock, it’s around 6:00 am, so maybe Meg came home and found Rob in low sugar hell. Grab phone and answer anxiously.
It’s not Megan. It’s [...]
Luna
Wherever I am, there’s always Pooh,
There’s always Pooh and Me.
Whatever I do, he wants to do,
“Where are you going today?” says Pooh:
“Well, that’s very odd ‘cos I was too.
Let’s go together,” says Pooh, says he.
“Let’s go together,” says Pooh.
– “Us Two”, by A.A. Milne
The poem could have been written for Lucky the deer and Luna [...]
Nanny for three naughty cats. One older, but not mellower, the other two young and willful.
Duties include feeding and watering; letting cats in and out of house on demand several times a day; cleaning litter box; breaking up fights; discouraging cats from jumping on counters and/or in the sink; stopping furniture clawing; and occasional [...]
I was awakened this morning by Miss Audrey, the dawn alarm clock. I think she’s figured out that I won’t let her out until there’s some light in the sky, so the minute blackness turns to grey, it’s time to wake up the doorgirl and start her day.
She does this by clawing at the [...]
Yesterday Megan had a long day, so I volunteered to make dinner. I decided to make a couple of recipes I picked up in Florence: chicken breasts with fresh sage* and lemon-herb risotto, because we had most of the ingredients on hand. I commissioned Meg to pick up the others: mint and Parmesan.
Around [...]
The other day, I spent hours polishing my grandmother’s silver.
It belonged to my father’s mother, and I imagine it was one of her most treasured possessions, as it is one of mine. Above you can see it, along with a couple of other treasures from Dad’s family: a Wedgwood salad bowl and servers and [...]
When Henrietta was still living in the backyard in Oakland (I wonder if she still remembers that?), I used to always call out “Goodnight, Henry!” when I closed and locked* the back door for the night. Now I put an old duvet on the couch and make it into a little nest for her [...]
Rain on pampas grass
Pampas grass can cut you like you wouldn’t believe – until it does. And it will, if you aren’t careful. I learned that one the hard way. Pampas grass fools you into thinking it’s nice and pretty, with its plumy tops and fountainy looking grass, and then – wham! [...]
Part of my current frugality is that I don’t have caller ID anymore, or call waiting, which is not only retro of me, but it makes the identity of every phone caller a little mystery.
Usually when the phone* rings first thing in the morning, it’s either my brother or my boss, neither of whom tend [...]
When I came downstairs this morning, Lucky the deer was attempting to eat the Chico bag I had hung outside to dry yesterday. It probably tastes better than ancient futon filler, but I took it away before she could make a meal of it. Mark and his family are visiting family in Mexico [...]
Christmas cookies
Wow. It’s pouring out there. It’s raining so hard I can hardly hear myself try to think. Between the glass roof on the back porch and the skylight in the bedroom, I feel like I’m under a waterfall.
It’s dark enough to have a light on, and I’ve lit the Christmas lights [...]
I thought that when we moved to the country, the kittens’ naughtiness would be confined to the great outdoors. After all, they have trees to climb and claw, birds and bugs to chase, and plenty of room to chase each other and the neighbor cats who come by for a visit.
So I bought a [...]
I found a not completely dead mouse on the living room rug this morning.
This kind of discovery nearly precludes the need for coffee.
Henrietta was sitting a few inches away from the intruder, totally ignoring it. June was at the door, so I grabbed her and sat her right in front of it. She [...]
