Cowslips and Cattails

The work continues

2010-02-22T16:00:00.000-08:00

Our neighbors are having a stone wall built and will be putting in a fence between their yard and ours - where the arborvitae were before.

Actually, the road by our driveway looks better than it ever has before. The machine guys leveled the road and brought in a load of gravel so it is no longer so muddy.

More photos as we have more changes.

Our neighbor gets into the act

2010-02-09T09:24:00.001-08:00

Our neighbor decided to remove every living thing from his front yard - all bushes, plants, trees, and the arbor vitae that was between his house and ours. We now have a wide open view of the neighborhood - and the construction of the sewer line across from the tracks continues, too. Changes, changes...

Our front yard continued

2010-01-28T13:21:00.001-08:00

Our view from our front yard becomes more scenic every day. Right now, it looks like a junkyard but there is a lot of work going on. However, it does try our patience. Because we are on a dead end, a lot of work vehicles park there and sometimes block our access to get out! They are very nice when we ask them to move and they do so, but it is still a hassle. And once they have moved, then we have to run the gauntlet to make our way out to the corner. Now that they've moved from next to our back yard over to the front yard, the noise is somewhat less. Still, we will be very happy when they have finished with this section and move on down the line.

Our front yard

2010-01-13T20:21:00.000-08:00

This is what our front yard looks like today, January 13th, 2010. What a view, eh?? They are still working on the sewer pipes on the other side of the tracks and that is amazingly noisy. The HUGE machines are just on the other side of our arbor vitae and the noise permeates the house. Thankfully, they don't start until 8 AM and they take a break for lunch. Still, we will be thrilled when they are done.

After the sewer work is completed, then they begin on the Springwater Corridor Trail which I'm hoping will be less noisy. Only another year and a half to go and they should be done...

The Great Gershwin

2009-10-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

Last night Bill and I went to our first Oregon Symphony pops concert of the season. Trying to save money, we didn't go last year but this year they kept on calling us and we finally purchased a series of four concerts for $64. That's quite a bargain and we expected our seats to be high in the balcony, behind curtains or poles or something. We were surprised to find that we had quite good seats! They were farther back than ones we had before but we could still see well and we were right on the first floor. And added bonus for me was that the woman sitting next to Bill took out her knitting during intermission and gave me some valuable tips for knitting socks on circular needles.

The concert was called "The Great Gershwin" and was all Gershwin, including "Swanee", "I Got Rhythm", "An American in Paris", "Fascinating Rhythm" and "Rhapsody in Blue". Gershwin had so many songs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Gershwin , surprising because of his short life. He died at only 38 years old!

We both enjoyed the concert but the one song that didn't meet our expectations was "Fascinating Rhythm". Both Bill and I felt that the Doraville Arts Theater did a much better job. The version we heard last night was much too rushed, possibly the way it was originally written - but not our favorite version.

Before the concert, we went to Pastini Pastaria http://www.pastini.net/ which is only a block or two from the concert hall. We had passed it many times but hadn't given it serious consideration before. This time, we checked it out on the net and found that they had gluten-free pasta available so we decided to give it a try. We will definitely be back. The food was good and the prices were reasonable. They also had quite a variety, including many vegetarian options.

Work on the Springwater Corridor Trail

2009-09-14T17:08:00.000-07:00

For the past week or two, work has been proceeding on the area across from the railroad tracks. They have removed a lot of the blackberry bushes that were there and now they are removing the dirt. I was concerned that the entire wall between us and the condos would be removed but it looks like they are leaving a portion and maybe the trees will be saved. All the sewer work has to be done first so maybe they are only worrying about that right now; maybe they'll come back and do more removal after the sewer work has been done.

This is what the area looks like from the base of our driveway. The noise hasn't been too bad unless they are right outside our deck. Last week I stopped over at Mary's house to bring her some caprese salad and she was wearing earplugs. She said the parrots were driving her crazy. They would hear the beep-beep-beep of the machinery and that would get them all worked up and they would start in something terrible. They were especially bad that day but they don't seem as bothered now - maybe because the machinery has moved down the tracks.

The Worst Columbia Gorge Hike Ever

2009-08-19T23:14:00.001-07:00

On Monday, we decided on the Starvation Ridge Waterfalls Trail after reading about it in the "Curious Gorge" book by Scott Cook. He said "This moderate 2.5 mile loop packs in plenty of sights plus a decent workout for its short length. Highway noise is bothersome at first but the effect fades as you go. The hike features a very steep .5 mile climb, a terrific cliff-edge Columbia/Dog Mountain viewpoint, a rock-hop across both Cabin Creen and Warren Creek, and to top it off, three different waterfalls in the final .75 miles of trail." Doesn't sound that bad. I was not eager for the half mile steep climb - but it was only half a mile. I figured I could handle that if it leveled out after that.

We got to Starvation Creek and started with the trail to the creek. Lovely, goes along the old Columbia River Highway. I'll be posting that portion of our hike on Facebook but I'll spare my FB readers with the gruesome tale of the waterfalls trail. After we walked along the old highway for a while, we turned back to connect with the waterfalls trail. It was difficult to find as the labeling was not all that good but we managed to locate it and begin our upward trek. It wasn't much of a trail, just a dirt path that - for the most part - went straight up. We walked and walked, stopping to rest when I just couldn't go any farther. The path was narrow and there were no good spots to sit and rest. Finally, I just sat down in the dirt path and tried to catch my breath. The only thing driving me forward was the realization that if we turned back, we'd have to go down, down, down that steep incline. I was not at all sure that I would be able to manage that!

We pressed onward. According to my pedometer, we'd gone at least a mile. Still, we kept going upward. We came across a huge fallen tree and stopped to sit a while. We heard a dog coming up the trail behind us. Soon his owner and another dog appeared. Bill asked her if she had ever hiked this trail before. She said she had but she had never completed it, she turned back once she got to Warren Lake. Bill asked her if the trail leveled out soon and she replied "No, it just keeps on going up!" That was enough for me. I was heading back, even if I had to roll down the hill to get there.

We started back down and it was treacherous. It was very hard to get a foothold at all and once you got one, the next was far away. Bill and I went down almost the entire way hand-in-hand, helping each other to balance and stay upright when one of us had a foothold and the other did not. I was sure we were going to fall but we managed to make it all the way to the bottom with only one such incident.

I can't believe the author of "Curious Gorge" ever actually took this hike. The written description certainly did not match the reality. If that was a moderate hike, I've certainly become feeble. I spent most of Monday afternoon just resting; Tuesday I still had trouble walking without feeling like I was 90 years old!

When I got home on Tuesday after Clark Center, I found a copy of "Hiking the Columbia River Gorge" by Russ Schneider that Bill had left out for me. (Too bad we hadn't read this one before our hike!!) Here's what Russ had to say about the Starvation Ridge Trail:

"The Starvation Ridge Trail is not easy. It climbs more than 3,000 feet in less than 4 miles. The trail doesn't switchback much, climbing straight up the ridge. The Starvation Ridge Trail isn't as well known as the Mount Defiance Trail but is in my opinion the toughest hike in the Columbia Gorge, especially with a pack. This is a very strenuous day hike, but makes a good overnight trip for athletes and climbers trying to get in shape. After climbing to Warren Lake, you probably won't want to leave right away anyway, so stay a night." ... "After climbing this trail, you may need someone to pick you up, take you home, and put you to bed."

I think Russ Schneider actually DID hike this trail.

And now it begins

2009-06-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, utility folks were here and placed a new pole in our yard (see it to the right of the CRV). They put it exactly where they had said they would when they were here some months ago so that was good. They managed to get it in without disruption to the water or gas lines which are only inches away.

Yesterday, they came and added a pole right next to our neighbor's pole. I expect they'll remove the old one after all the re-wiring is done.

Today, they are working along the tracks, creating holes around the poles that are already there so they'll be easy to remove (I guess). From what they told us, they'll be removing all the telephone poles across the tracks and won't be replacing them until after the Springwater Corridor work is done. That's why they needed to put a pole in our yard. No word on when the actual re-wiring will occur.

The new sewer line will be across the train tracks and is scheduled to start this fall. It is projected to take a year! Once that is complete, then the Springwater Corridor folks will come along and set up the trail over the sewer. Again, it is likely to take a year. Completion of all this work by 2011 or 2012 if they stay on schedule...

The wiring is probably the only remaining thing that will be on our property. Being on a dead end can get awkward sometimes as many of the trucks are huge and it can be difficult, if not impossible, to get out of our driveway. We are hoping they won't need to use the dead end much for the sewer or Springwater Corridor work.

Look to this site for exciting updates as the work progresses.

Dalles Mountain Ranch in the Gorge

2009-05-17T16:03:00.001-07:00

On Saturday we drove over to Dalles Mountain Ranch at Columbia Hills State Park. It's about 80 miles east of Portland and looks like a different world, more like the west you'd associate with New Mexico or Arizona. The area we went to is a former ranch of 3,300 acres which is full of lupine and arrow-leaf balsamroot flowers this time of year. They were everywhere we looked. Gorgeous!! There are no trails through the open meadows, creeks, and stands of scrub oak so people are allowed to walk where ever they please. Parking is a little tricky as there is no designated parking along the narrow dirt road but there are areas wide enough to allow for a car to be parked off road and we took advantage of that. We met a fellow from the Ukraine who was there wandering about taking pictures of all the flowers as we were. He was on his own and requested that we take his picture so we got to talk with him a bit.

We walked through the meadows, taking lots of photos. It was hot out there in the bright sunshine and we slathered on the sunscreen. After we had taken in all the beauty we could handle, we drove over to Horsethief Park which was just down the road. We found a picnic area with lots of trees that was down near the lake and we settled there with the provisions we had brought and had a restful lunch in the same general area where Lewis and Clark camped on their journey westward. http://www.stateparks.com/horsethief_lake.html As part of the park, there is an area of petroglyphs and we stopped and looked those over before heading to Hood River.

At Hood River, we stopped at a couple of wineries and sampled their wares at both places. Some we liked; some we didn't. My favorites included the Halbtrocken (a red/white blend) from Cathedral Ridge. http://cathedralridgewinery.com/store/product-info.php?pid127.html
From the Hood River Vineyards, I liked the dessert wines (which you sip like a liqueur) and we got some raspberry and marionberry to take with us. http://hoodrivervineyards.us/home/?page_id=4 At both places we got some pinot and other reds to take with. Spent our monthly wine budget in two brief stops. :)

On our return, we stopped at New Seasons and got some cheeses and salads and enjoyed them for supper with some of our new wine.

A Mixed Day - Thursday

2009-05-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

I belong to a knitting group called the TKGA http://www.tkga.com/ and I signed up for a class they were offering at their Knit & Crochet Show which started yesterday in Portland. The show continues on through Sunday with classes and a vendors' exhibit hall where you can purchase all sorts of yarns, needles, books and associated necessities for knitting and crocheting. The class I chose was called "The Mad Hatters" and it was supposed to help you design your own hats. The show is being held down at the Doubletree Hotel near the Lloyd Center so it was easy to get to and I was able to park over near the Lloyd Center. When I registered for the show, I was given a goodie bag (shown on left) because Iwas a TKGA member. That was a pleasant surprise. The bag is huge, a fine size to hold all the materials I'll be needing for the afghan I'm planning as my next project. Inside the bag was a brand new book called "Just Bags" from Lion Brand Yarn, a couple of skeins of Lion's Jiffy yarn, a ruler, a knitting needle, some patterns and a catalog - all things I can use.

Sadly, the class was NOT a pleasant surprise. The bubbly instructor showed some slides, talked a bit about creating hats and motifs and then spent a good bit of time talking about her new book which will come out next year. She was pleasant, my classmates were pleasant but the class itself was a waste of money as I really didn't learn anything useful. The main thrust of the class was to design a motif and then calculate how many stitches you would need to cast on for a multiple of that motif (i.e. if your motif is 10 stitches wide, should your hat stitches equal 110 or 112?? - a no-brainer as your total number of stitches needs to be evenly divisible by the number of stitches in the motif so anyone who made it through 3rd grade math would know to use 110). I saw some nice patterns and got a few ideas but I would have been better off purchasing a book and reading it on my own. So that was disappointing.

I'm hoping to go back today to the shopping/vendor area just to look over all the yarns and supplies. It's not likely I'll get my afghan yarn there but I might find some nice yarn for a hat or scarf, and unusual yarn that I can sample.

After the class, I rushed home as we had tickets for Leon Russell that night. We drove over to Tastebud http://www.tastebudfarm.com/ for supper - salad & pizza & beer. All tasty but not a wide menu available. We walked across the street to the theater for the concert. Tom Heinl http://cdbaby.com/cd/heinl was the opener and he was really quite funny and had a good voice. We enjoyed his portion of the show but were really looking forward to Leon. About 9:15, Leon and his group finally came on. We especially liked "Lady Blue", "Back to the Island" and some of his other rather mellow songs from The Best of Leon album that we've had for many years. You'll get a bit of a feel for the Leon we were expecting if you sample (under his picture) "Song for You" and "Hummingbird" http://www.amazon.com/Leon-Russell/dp/B000002TYM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1242458234&sr=1-4 . Sadly, the albums we really like are no longer available (according to amazon) so it's good we hung onto our albums! We found at the concert that the Leon we loved was no longer available either. After listening to 5 or 6 songs, including "Lady Blue" and "Back to the Island" which we hardly recognized as they had been so distorted, we walked out. What had been done to his fine songs was nothing less than torture. This was the worst concert I have ever attended. It was HORRIBLE. Some night we'll sit down with a drink and bring out our old albums and enjoy the real Leon, hoping we can erase from our memory the travesty his music has become.

Friday - the plumber showed up to install our new toilet and sink in the hall bathroom. Finally, we were getting rid of the ancient gray fixtures for our newly chosen white modern ones. It took him much of the day to get this done, made more difficult since the bathroom is on a slab.
While he worked at that, I headed over to the library to spend a couple of hours on the HOLDS. I checked books in, sorted them alphabetically on the rolling carts, and then (once a cart was full) shelved the books in the reserved section. I find that I really enjoy it. I spend a couple of hours just concentrating on books and alphabetizing them by name of the patron who reserved it. It's relatively mindless and yet useful and I generally come across a book or two that I'd like to reserve myself. In fact, today I came across one that I actually had reserved myself. Sort of funny to check it in and see my own name pop up.

Later in the afternoon, I headed back to the yarn show and checked out all their books, yarns, needles & supplies. I surprised myself by not finding a single thing I needed or wanted and left the show without spending a penny. I did pick up a 15% off coupon from Lion Brand Yarn that I can use on the afghan yarn I plan to purchase so the trip to the yarn show was not wasted.

Tomorrow we head to the gorge to check out the wild flowers.

Kitchen remodeling

2009-03-06T10:20:00.001-08:00

We've been having some work done in our kitchen. As you come into our house, we had a table on the left and it seemed to do nothing but accumulate clutter. So we had that area rebuilt (see above) and now it has two large cabinets for storage (cat food, soda cans, recycling, etc.) and two drawers for misc. On the side are bookshelves for my cookbooks. The top matches the rest of the kitchen countertops and is at a good working height. And - right above the drawers is a pull-out piece that can be used for extra counter top space perhaps for making cookies. It has really changed the look of the room and we really like it.

When we first moved into the house we had lights installed under the kitchen cabinets but we were unhappy with them as they stuck out - you could always see the light fixture. To correct that, we had wood attached to the cabinet to block out the fixture. Now you don't see the fixtures, just the warm glow of the lights. What a difference!!

Two weeks - and no pepper spray

2009-03-05T12:08:00.000-08:00

About a month ago, I had a disturbing encounter at the homeless shelter where I volunteer. One of the guys - very intelligent and educated - began talking about fixing the world's problems by destroying the police station. He had a number of violent options on how to change things and what he said made me wonder if he was suicidal. I was concerned - for his welfare and the rest of the city - so I brought it to the attention of those running the shelter. And then I went home and went on with my life.

The next week, he didn't show up. Maybe he had moved to other housing or had found a job?

The week after that, he again re-appeared. He began to talk of people "ratting him out" and he made it quite clear that he knew it was me who had said something. And he hinted that the next week when I came I would get pepper sprayed though he was far too careful to say anything outright. I didn't know what to do with this bit of information, haven't been threatened since grade school bullies made nasty comments. Should I report it and likely get him in trouble again or was he just angry and rambling? I decided not to do anything.

But when I got home, I did research pepper spray on the internet. Though illegal in many states, it can be legally purchased in Washington state. I also checked what to do if you were pepper sprayed. Water apparently isn't much of a help though milk can help dilute the effects.

The next week, I was on my guard. He never showed.

This past week, again he did not show.

Maybe I'm home free. Is he?

The educated cat

2009-02-13T10:12:00.000-08:00

Devin, as he grows older, has acquired some new interests. In addition to his frequent romps outdoors, he like some quieter indoor pusuits such as reading the latest magazine and learning what our president is working on. The picture on the left shows him intensely reading while in the one below, he is contemplating.

Snow arrives!

2008-12-14T12:40:00.000-08:00

The weathermen have been forecasting snow for our area and this morning it finally arrived. I awoke to large, fluffy flakes falling quietly and to Devin meowing - not so quietly - as he wanted to go out. The snow didn't seem to bother him and as I let him out, he bounced off to adventure. Meanwhile, B. had gone off to feed the cats at B&M's place. They were gone to LA for the past few days to attend a wedding and they should be returning later today, provided the roads are okay. B. returned shortly after my awakening.

We decided to head out into the snow, too. We walked the ten blocks or so to one of the area's newest breakfast places. We had been there before so we knew we'd get a great meal. This morning we settled on omelets and sat and watched folks try to drive on the street outside the window. Most of the vehicles had no problem but there was one that just kept skidding and slipping around. The driver finally ended up parking the car and he & his passenger went off.

The snow is clinging to the trees and roads, making it all look quite festive. We enjoyed our walk in the snow and then headed home to read the Sunday paper by the fire. A cozy day to stay indoors...

A trip to Peru

2008-11-18T15:45:00.000-08:00

On November 8th we flew down to Peru for a trip of a lifetime - a visit to Machu Picchu. We spent time in Lima, Cusco, Yucay and Aguas Caliente which is at the foot of Machu Picchu. We saw many amazing sights, had some great food and made some new friends. You can see me in Peru at the left, being upstaged by a llama.

Last of the Vegetables

2008-10-20T07:47:00.001-07:00

Week nineteen - parsnips, carrots, Swiss chard, potatoes, leeks, delicata squash, acorn squash, pac choi, stir fry mix, onions

This was our last week to get vegetables from the Wintergreen Farm. As always, there were way too many for us so I shared some with our neighbor. We still have some vegetables from last week!!

Tonight I plan to make roasted parsnip & carrot soup, a recipe taken from the weekly email sent by the Wintergreen Farm. I'm still not sure what I'll do with the squash but it'll last for a while so I'll just let it sit until I come up with something.

Travel tales

2008-09-22T17:16:00.000-07:00

At left is a photo of Cresent Lake up in Olympic National Park. B. and I were only there 5 days but we sure saw a lot of beautiful places - mountains, lakes, rivers, streams, rain forests, ocean beaches.

Our latest travel plans are for a week+ trip to Peru and Maccu Picchu. Since we hadn't heard anything from the tour company for a while, we weren't sure if they had canceled the trip (as they did our planned trip to Egypt) or not. Last week we found out that the Peru trip is still on. A dozen people are signed up and there will probably be some additional folks by the time of departure.

September

2008-09-05T18:19:00.001-07:00

Though it is already September, things are blooming like crazy in our neighborhood. These flowers are glorious shades of orange, light and dark, and this photo doesn't do them justice.

Our tomatoes have gone wild. They are not ripening very quickly but once they do, I'll be busy making tomato sauce or tomato soup in order to use them all. Or I could invite the neighborhood in for tomato sandwiches.

Even my pumpkin patch is thriving. For weeks I was morose about pumpkin prospects as NONE of the blossoms became actual pumpkins. Today I looked and I now have 5 growing. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, jack-o-lanterns...

Week Eleven

2008-08-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

This week's bounty plus Zoe

Devin's checkup

2008-08-20T09:22:00.000-07:00

Took Devin to the Cat Hospital today for his shots. He was NOT happy and meowed fiercely all the way there. Since it was only a 5 minute drive, that wasn't so bad. The quiet atmosphere (no dogs!) and the relaxed vet & assistant made the overall experience relatively easy. Devin behaved beautifully - but was happy to return to the cat carrier after all the poking, proding, and shots. The vet said he's fine but recommended that he lose weight. He now weights 14.25 pounds!! He is hefty - I can tell that every time I pick him up - but he is also a big cat. Apparently, he's having too many cat crunchies but he doesn't seem to eat all that much at home. So where is he getting extra food?

So we'll have to try to get him to eat more wet food rather than crunchies. That may be a challenge.

The picture at left is from a few months ago but he still looks much the same, only larger - and without the collar which he removed in the bushes somewhere.

More vegetables

2008-08-03T20:28:00.001-07:00

Vegetables, vegetables, vegetables!! We can't keep up! This week we got two lettuces, two zucchini, carrots, two onions, three cucumbers, green beans, basil, cauliflower, a tomato and blueberries. We've made some pesto and I made a chocolate zucchini bundt cake to bring down to the homeless shelter on Tuesday. But that still leaves us a LOT.

We gave the cauliflower, onions, one lettuce, half the basil, and the carrots to our next door neighbor - the one with the parrots. They eat a lot of veggies (the neighbors - not the parrots, though maybe they do, too). So it is salads this week - along with green beans and a carrot dish. We've had some great stuff. Last week we had spicy cauliflower which we both liked. And we liked the pesto - had that for supper tonight over pasta. Still, we can eat only so many vegetables. I'm glad that I joined the Community Farm as it has forced me to try new recipes and vegetables that I was unfamiliar with such as fennel - but probably next year we won't join as we just can't eat all this. :)

Mixed Media

2008-08-01T05:19:00.000-07:00

Last night's art class concentrated in Mixed Media. We tore out scraps from newspapers or magazines and pasted them onto paper and then painted over them. Here's my result.

Painting class - week three

2008-07-26T17:54:00.001-07:00

Out for a walk

A quiet day

Purple flower

Unsettled Mind

Landscape

Painting Class - week two

2008-07-17T23:18:00.001-07:00

Last week was the first painting class - scary. New teacher, new students, new location. And besides all that - we had to draw so that meant things were expected to look like something. This week was much more fun. Just knowing where to go and who you'd be working with made things easier but our actual work was easier too. We took the work we had done last week and this time we added paint to our drawings, enhancing them or changing them completely!! There are 10 or 11 signed up for class but only about 8 show each week. Most of the people who came last week were there again - but not all - and we had a new person.
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It was really a lot of fun!! And I never thought I would say that about painting!! I really liked spreading all those colors all over the page and mixing up any combination I felt like. The instructor gave comments and suggestions but mostly just stood back and watched us all (after he had explained everything). He also mentioned that he was a bit disorganized tonight because he had been to the vet today to put their cat down (sick, about 15 years old with an incurable disease). That made him seem more human, rather than an "I know everything about art" kind of person.

The other folks in the class are an interesting mix, mostly a lot younger folks but one or two who are a bit older. All of them were very nice. One of the other students, Mary, helped me out on the picture below - which we both decided ended up being a pirate.

Who knows what we will come up with next week?? :)

Another week on the farm

2008-07-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

Broccoli, salad greens, beets, zucchini, carrots, spinach, green onions, lettuce, cauliflower, swiss chard
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The box from the farm was chock full of vegetables this week but we added some potatoes, an onion, and tomatos to our stockpile. And then we stopped at some of the berry stands at the Farmers' Market and got strawberries, blueberries, red raspberries and black raspberries. We are ready for another week!!
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The days have been warmer here, sometimes warmer than we'd like. We've used the air conditioning a couple of times.
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It's been a fine week - hiking, biking, attending a movie, just taking it easy. Looking forward to another of the same.

Week three from the farm

2008-06-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

This week's harvest - turnips, carrots, kale, fennel, lettuce, radishes, Napa cabbage, broccoli, beets, green onions, strawberries!! The flowers are not from the Winter Green Farm but from another stall. They were so pretty that I couldn't resist.

We've already started eating our bounty. Had C. over for lunch and we had a salad which included some lettuce, beet greens, turnip greens, kale, radishes, broccoli and carrots. Still have plenty more.

Last week we also had kale and we tried one of the recipes that was included from the farm. And both B. and I found that we liked kale just fine. Very tasty! This week we'll try Napa Cabbage Slaw and also Braised Fennel with Parmesan.

This week I ordered a salad spinner, something I never have thought necessary. However, now that B. & have have salad so often, I find it invaluable and am sorry I waited so long to get it! I've also ordered an electric vegetable chopper but that hasn't arrived yet. It's amazing how much chopping there is with all these vegetables and I think it'll turn out to be quite handy.

As far as our own little garden in our yard, the peas are ready to eat. There are not a lot of them but they add a nice touch to salads. We've got some tomatoes growing, too, but so far they are still green.

Community Farm

2008-06-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

This is our 2nd week of produce from our share of the Winter Green Community Farm. This week we got Swiss Chard, Kale, parsley, carrots, radishes, lettuce and two boxes of strawberries. We still have some lettuce left from last week's box so we'll be busy with salads this week! We also have some interesting recipes planned for the week - Swiss Chard Egg Loaf, Carrot & Parsley Salad, Sauteed Beet and Potato Hash and (if we have some Swiss Chard left over) Chard with Sweet & Sour Ginger sauce. Last week we tried Creamy Choi Soup using the pac choi that was in the first week's box. Both B. & I really liked it though neither of us had ever had pac choi before.

Each week we get an email (mid-week) from the farm which tells us what to expect from this week's harvest, how to store it, tells about the people doing the harvest, and gives recipes. You can also find the information from previous weeks at their site http://www.wintergreenfarm.com/ (just click on the ONLINE BOX NOTES). I'm finding this helpful to get more recipes for some of the vegetables that I'm unfamiliar with.

A perfect afternoon

2008-06-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the weather was fine. After all that rain we'd been having, we were thrilled to have sunshine - and warmth! I sat outside on the deck, reading my book and watching Bill stain the fence as I enjoyed my croissant and fresh strawberries from the Farmers' Market. Idyllic!

Yard in May

2008-05-21T09:18:00.001-07:00

With the warm weather we had last week, the yard and garden are growing like crazy. Our iris are at their peak. Roses are blooming all over the place. And my little salad garden is doing just fine, too.

Last week we bought an Earth Machine compost bin. It was easy to install and we've been using it a lot. I hated to throw those leftover salad/fruit scraps or peanut shells down the disposal or in the trash when they could be used for making compost. So now we don't have to throw them away and I should have compost handy for next year's garden.

We've already been eating salad from our garden - microgreens & spinach.

And I've finished my first pair of socks!! As you can see from the picture on this site, they match pretty well - and they fit. I was concerned on whether I'd be able to get the 2nd sock the same length and size as the first but I was pleased with the results. I've already got my yarn for the next pair and I plan to start on them tonight.

Devin & Zoe are both enjoying the warmer weather. Usually Zoe spends most of her day just sleeping on our bed but now she goes out and sleeps on the cushions on the deck chairs. She's even taken to exploring a little. She is now 10 years old and has slowed down considerably, especially compared to Devin - at 1, he is full of pep and energy and finds a few hours of sleep each night is plenty for him. He's made friends with some of the neighboring cats, too, and they'll sometimes play together.

Mother's Day 2008

2008-05-13T15:01:00.000-07:00

Am I the only mother in America that got some "Windup Hopping Lederhosen (Bavarian folkpants with a mind of their own)" for a Mother's Day gift? I bet I am. I'm probably the only mother in the entire world who got this gift. If you are a mother who got the identical gift this past Sunday, let me know!!

Had a fine Mother's Day. Spent the morning with C & friends having brunch. I decided to be adventurous and ordered Crab Benedict. However - the joke was on me. I never had Eggs Benedict and I didn't realize that it came with a poached egg - something I am NOT fond of. That's what I get for adventuring. The rest of the brunch - fruit with mint sauce, scones, and the crab portion of my special were all very tasty. So, by no means, did I starve.

Later in the afternoon I went out with B&M to a cafe near their place and had pie. We had lots of choices. B & M both had berry pies but I chose chocolate cream. It was fun to have so many different selection possibilities and I'm already wondering what I'll order next time I'm there.

My day in court

2008-05-06T09:32:00.001-07:00

Here you can see my garden - as of a few days ago. On the left are a couple of rows of lettuces, then two rows of spinach, and all the remaining rows are peas. They've all been thriving in the cool weather we've been having lately. Where will I put all the other things I want to plant?? Well, some of them may go in pots and others may replace the peas when they are done for the season. I could use another bed...

A few weeks back, B. & I went to the local community college for talks on trips to Egypt and Machu Picchu. On our way back, we went down a street that was partially blocked off but provided access for local traffic. Since we were just going to the next main street, we figured it was local. No! Got pulled over for a ticket (along with many other folks). This morning I went down to the court house for my scheduled 8:30 AM court date. I left home in plenty of time and made it to the court house about 15 minutes early. Still, there were lots of people ahead of me. I listened to them talking and found that a lot of people ahead of me were there for the exact same reason - they had gotten ticketed at the exact same place. I had expected that we would be in a courtroom in front of a judge but that's not how it worked now - though apparently that was the case in the past. Now, everyone with tickets just lines up, waiting for a turn to approach one of the five cashier windows. It is at the window that you make your choice - request a trial, enter a plea of GUILTY or NO CONTEST, or enter a plea of NOT GUILTY. And then pay your fine.

There was a lot of talk about how ridiculous it was that we got ticketed for going down that street. Some of the others came armed with file folders which held many photos of the site. None of them felt it was fair and all wanted to protest. But for all their bluster, I noticed that as each one went up to the cashier's window, they all paid their fine and went on their way - except for one gentleman who requested a court day. For the most part, people did not want to be bothered having to come back again - and just considered the fine as a donation to the police.

I didn't want to be bothered with a return either and I didn't know how I'd make out in court. I thought we were driving locally, the officer thought not. Was it worth the gamble of a court appearance? I spoke with the cashier who said my fine would be lowered by $60 because of my good driving record and that if I went to court and the judge found me guilty, I'd pay the same amount, no further discount. Only if I were found not guilty would I escape payment. I weighed my options, then pulled out my checkbook and pleaded NO CONTEST. I still feel it was a ridiculous ticket but I don't feel contesting it was a battle worth my time. Now back to the serious stuff of life - like tending my garden. :)

As to the Egypt/Machu Picchu trip, B. & I decided on Egypt as we have wanted to go there for many years. We sent in our deposit and began to plan - only to receive a phone call a few days ago that the trip had been cancelled for lack of participation. So now we are thinking we'll go to Machu Picchu.

Spring Days

2008-04-14T06:21:00.000-07:00

As I walk around the neighborhood this spring, I see lots of flowering trees & tulips & daffodils. I also came across this unusually decorated truck just sitting in someone's driveway.

This has been a strange spring. Sometimes - in the space of an hour - you could have sunshine, rain, and hail. Lots of hail this spring.

Latest Treasures

2008-03-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

"Specially Hand Made by Mother". That's the label I found on this quilted piece that I purchased yesterday. My favorite thrift store has an outlet store near our house and I stopped in there yesterday when I was out for a walk. At the outlet store, all the rejects from the other stores are thrown into bins and everyone just picks through them to find what they want. You might think there is a lot of useless junk - and some of it is - but there are some very nice things too. They are sold by weight starting at $1.59 a pound.

In addition to the quilted piece, I got two placemats, a toy dinosaur, a toy car, and some owl "goofy goggles". Total price for all my riches: $1.27. How can you beat that?

Continuing miscellaneous

2008-03-12T23:03:00.000-07:00

It's starting to look like spring around here! This morning B. & I headed out for breakfast, taking advantage of the fine weather. It was still cool, but pleasant. We walked over to one of our favorite breakfast places - about 10 blocks from here. We were surprised to find no one there yet other than the cook and waitress. Of course, it was only a bit after 7:00 AM. We were up early thanks to our frisky young cat Devin.

After breakfast we headed home, checked email, and then headed out to run errands. We had quite a list of them lined up - dry cleaners, drug store, liquor store, Costco, the mall, Petsmart, Wal-mart. It would have been nice to narrow it down to two or three places but each one had something unique that the other didn't offer so we'd run in, get what we needed and run out again.

Monday night I went to my woodworking class fully intending that it would be my last class. I've been working on my building blocks and have a nice assortment. All I need to do to them is sand them and then coat them with mineral oil and I hardly needed to attend class to do that. However, by the time I got to class I realized I didn't have any triangles or arches as part of my blocks. With advice from my instructor, I used the band saw, cutting out some of the more unusual blocks to add to my collection. And then I used a couple of sanders, including the circular sander which I hadn't used before. It was really a lot of fun and the two hours passed by quickly. I enjoyed it so much that I think I will attend next week's final class and maybe make a few more unusually shaped blocks. I've chamfered them all, giving them nice beveled edges with no splinters for anyone using them. And I've done some sanding using the machines at class but I still want to do some fine hand sanding on each, probably while I'm sitting out on the deck enjoying the nice spring weather.

I had decided that I'd give up on woodworking but after last week's class, I'm not sure. Maybe I'll sign up again for another class next winter. Next week I start a new class I signed up for - knitting socks using double-pointed needles. Though I've been knitting for many years, I've never had much success with double-pointed needles and I'm hoping this sock class will help me overcome that.

On Tuesday I went down to the homeless shelter as usual. Most of the guys needed no help but got right to work on their resumes or job hunts. One guy came in and said he really had difficulty with computers and would need my help. It didn't take long to see why he needed help - he couldn't read!! I've worked with a lot of guys over the past year or so since I've been at the shelter and a lot of them needed some computer help or help with spelling but this was the first one I worked with that couldn't read - at all. We struggled along and managed to get emails sent to a couple of employers. When/if he gets any response from any of them, he won't be able to read them!! Sometimes working with the homeless is quite overwhelming.

Home again

2008-03-04T19:11:00.000-08:00

B. & I had an uneventful plane ride back from Maui. And both of us were glad to be back home though we did have a fine time on our travels. We drove the road to Hana, hiked down the crater at Haleakala, went to a magic show over in Lahaina, had dinner at Mama's Fish House and lunch at Kula Lodge - plenty of excitement for a one-week vacation. The cottage we rented was fully equiped with all the kitchen tools needed. It had space enough for the two of us and best of all, we had use of the front yard (of our landlord's place) which was right on the ocean. We would go down at night to sit on the bench in the front yard and listen to the waves while looking out to sea or staring at the night sky. Very nice.

Our cats seemed happy to have back to normal with our return. Zoe settled right in and was a pleasure to have around. Devin, however, must have been quite stressed out as this was the first time we were away from him. The first night we were back - both of us very exhausted from the flight - he sang to us for much of the night. He rattled the shades, knocked things off the shelves near our bed, leaped on each of us a number of times, meowed and meowed. Did he think we should get up and play with him?? Well, we didn't but it sure was hard to sleep with all that fierce meowing going on. By the second night, he seemed to accept that we were actually home again and he calmed down.

So now we are back to our usual endeavours - deciding what courses to take at the local community college, attending the courses from this semester, taking walks, getting groceries, etc. Another couple of days and we may feel normal again.

More Maui

2008-02-28T09:03:00.000-08:00

What can I say? The island is beautiful!

Maui - day 1

2008-02-24T21:40:00.000-08:00

Here's the view from our deck. More tales and adventures after a good night's rest. B. & I are still tried from all that traveling.

Woodworking, Greens, Taxes

2008-02-19T19:02:00.000-08:00

Hey, I finally finished my cutting board!!! Last night I did some more sanding and then covered it with mineral oil. What a change the mineral oil made, bringing out the richness of the wood! It's amazing that it took me so long to make but also amazing that I made it. :)

This past weekend I attended a class titled "Cooking with Greens". I expected that I'd learn how to use swiss chard, spinach, bok choy, etc. in recipes and that maybe by seeing them used (and tasting them), I'd learn how to prepare them myself - and maybe even like them. Imagine my surprise to learn that half of the recipes we'd be tasting were for broccoli, my most-hated vegetable!! Here were the four recipes for the day: Chocolate Broccoli Cake, Broccoli 'Guacamole', Beans & Greens Soup, and Scrambled 'Eggs' with Greens. The idea of a cake made from broccoli seems repulsive but I have to admit that it tasted pretty good, not at all like raw broccoli. The broccoli guacamole wasn't bad either. It made for a tasty dip or spread - as long as you were not really expecting avocado guacamole. I was pleased with both the soup and the scrambled 'eggs' (tofu) as it showed me I could incorporate greens into types of recipes that I currently make, that I wouldn' t have to sit down to just a big plate of greens. So for me, the class was worthwhile. I made the soup the other night and both B. & I liked it. Next I may try to make that cake!

I was back at the homeless shelter today and one of the guys who showed up was the one who was having problems last week entering his taxes. His first comment was "I finished my taxes!" and that was good to hear. He actually made so little last year that he wasn't required to file but by filing, he should get back all that was deducted from his paychecks. And, I hope, make him eligible for the rebates.

Taxes revisited

2008-02-13T15:30:00.000-08:00

B. & I sat down and went over our taxes this morning and we did indeed find an error. In one spot, I had entered some taxes as income and - of course - that was throwing everything off. So we ended up with a refund from both federal and state and that was more to our liking. :)

Woodworking progress & tax preparation fiasco

2008-02-13T05:43:00.001-08:00

Here at last is my woodworking project, a cutting board. It's almost finished. It needs a little more sanding and then I have to stain it but I'll do that next class night. This week's class was spent planing, sanding, sawing, and routing and I'm beginning to feel more comfortable on all the corresponding machines. Still, I am also beginning to feel that my future is not one of woodworking. What a lot of work it took me to get to this simple little cutting board! I'm not sure I want to invest that much time in something when I could be knitting or crocheting instead. Once I get this cutting board completely finished, I'll work on building blocks for the remainder of the classes. I have a study wooden tool box that I made in my very first woodworking class and it will be perfect for storing wooden blocks, should I ever have some young guests who would like to play with them.

Yesterday morning at the homeless shelter was a busy one. A lot of guys showed up, mostly to work on resumes or check email. One guy wanted to work on his taxes but he was easily frustrated just entering his W2. I helped him get going and then he spent the rest of the two-hour session that I'm there completing his taxes. He was just in the process of e-filing it at noon when I leave so I stayed a few minutes to let him send it off. And as he hit the key to complete the e-filing process, the computer shut down, complaining that it had an Internet error! All his hard work vanished. I assured him that it would still be out there, that if he just came back and signed on again, he could finish it off and be done with it. I don't think he believed me. He sure was frustrated - and even if I could have stayed longer, he was in no shape to continue work on it right then.

B. and I are having tax issues of our own. We spent a good part of the weekend working on them only to find that we still owe MORE money, after all the money we've already paid this year. Something about the figures just doesn't feel right so we plan to go over everything again today and see if possibly we didn't enter something we should have. We're hoping for some slight error that when corrected will either net us a refund - or a greatly reduced tax owed.

I went back to the library craft circle last Sunday to give it another try. This week was a lot more interesting than the last time. There were only four of us there, one woman that I had met last time. Everyone was working on interesting projects and had lots of ideas, suggestions and patterns for future projects. And, in addition to meeting some interesting, like-minded people, I made some more progress on the baby blanket I'm knitting. Definitely a good session.

Unsettling News

2008-02-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

Late last week, 500 people were laid off from Home Depot headquarters (SSC) where I used to work. Most of the cuts were in Information Technology so that means a good number of my friends and former co-workers were among those to lose their jobs. I don't have a complete list yet of those let go but of the names I have heard, the folks were all good hard workers, people I was able to count on when I was trying to get a job done. Sad times...

Button cake

2008-01-28T11:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went down to our local library for their twice-monthly craft circle. Most of the folks there were knitting or crocheting but one woman was making cakes - for Barbie dolls or for doll houses. As we all sat there talking, I mentioned the doll house I had made (and am still working on) in a previous woodworking class. So the cake lady made me a caramel cake for my doll house. What a great gift!!

A Pile of Sticks

2008-01-23T09:14:00.000-08:00

Monday night was woodworking class again. I got there just before class starting time and only a couple of other folks were there - sitting in their vehicles. The door to the woodworking shop was closed and locked, everything dark. Even though it was a holiday, our instructor had told us we would have class but he hadn't yet appeared. It was cold, very cold and I started hoping that the instructor wouldn't show up and I could head home to some nice hot soup and watch the basketball game. More students arrived. Finally, about 15 minutes late our instructor arrived, let us into the building and we all got working on our projects. Many other students must have assumed that it really was a holiday from class because they did not appear - making it much nicer for those of us who were there as it was easier to get help from the instructor and to get time on the machines.

My planned task for the night was sawing my wood into equal depths. The width size won't matter and the length will be modified after I've glued the pieces together. I chose 1-inch for the depth of my pieces so when it was my turn, I adjusted the saw and got going. It went smoothly, no problems, but the woman after me had the saw break down on her. Besides the table saw, I also used the miter saw for one of my longer pieces of wood. So - now I've worked on 4 power tools: jointer, planer, table saw, and miter saw. The picture on the upper left shows my result - a pile of sticks!!

Yesterday I went down to the homeless shelter as I do on Tuesday mornings. It was pretty quiet for the most part. However, I did have to help one of the guys as his resume was showing up in Japanese, really confusing him. This was resolved when he accessed his email through the icon on the screen rather than going through a Tokyo site. Magically, his resume now appeared in English. (Because the guys are not allowed to save anything to the pcs, many of them save them out on their email site so they can get to them easily.)

We have finally gotten some sunny weather though it is very cold. Our bushes, especially the roses, look quite sad but I expect they'll revive as the days warm up. I am enjoying our longer days - in December it got dark outside by 4:00 PM but now it stays light until 5:00.

A winter day

2008-01-20T16:23:00.000-08:00

I've had two woodworking classes so far. Last week we choose wood for our project and then began to get it ready. I spent some time on the jointer so I feel relatively comfortable with that. There was only a little time for the planer and one of the saws so I definitely need more experience with them! It'll probably take me the entire class - 10 sessions - before I really feel comfortable with all the various basic tools. I'm sure I won't get to some of the fancier tools this time around. This picture shows the wood I selected - after it has been through the jointer and the planer. Next class I plan to saw it into usable pieces.

I'm reading Sacred Games, a novel of a policeman in India - 900 pages!! The sheer size of the book is rather overwhelming and the pages have small print but I am really enjoying it. Of course I'm only at about page 100 so I'm hoping it holds up throughout. I haven't read anything of Vikram Chandra before but I am happy to see that he does have other books.

The cold weather lately has inspired me to make soups - lots of soups. We've had lentil, vegetable bean, black bean, and today it's potato corn chowder. Nothing like a nice hot homemade soup on a winter's day!

New projects

2008-01-07T13:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I attended a craft class at the local library. This one was about the uses for recycled sweaters (easy to find at nearby thrift stores). The instructor gave us plans for three possible projects - a scarf, a business card case, and a toy animal. Most of the class chose the animal but I was the only one making a cat. My classmates made bears though by modifying the ears, you could easily make a dog or a rabbit, too.

I learned how to do the blanket stitch. Since I'm not much of a sewer, that's something I've never done before - something readily apparent if you look closely at the stitches on this little cat.

It was certainly easy enough to do but probably not something I'll be doing again. I already have too many knitting, crocheting, and embroidery projects to take on sewing projects too but I did like that things were being recycled. And old sweaters work fine for this.

My main reason for taking the class was to get to know some more people in the neighborhood, people who enjoy crafts. Most of my classmates were from the neighborhood and there were a number of them that I'd like to know better. A few of us plan to get together at the next craft circle at the library and I'm looking forward to that.

In spite of not wanting to take on another craft, I have signed up for a woodworking class through our local community college. It starts tonight. Will we get to make our own projects? Or will there be something already planned? All the other woodworking classes I've taken (not all that many) were based around a specific item that we were making. If we make our own projects, I have a lot planned - kids' building blocks, a bench for the yard, bird feeders, bird houses, some further work on the doll house I built a couple of years ago, some bases for B.'s mosaic work. My main goal is to become more skilled with tools, especially the saws, so whatever I build will probably help with that. If this class works out as I hope, I may sign up every year just to have use of all the tools and expertise of the instructor.

And on to 2008

2008-01-02T08:26:00.000-08:00

Devin at the computer

2007 was a good year for us and we are hoping 2008 will be, too. I've signed up for a couple of classes at the local community college - one on cooking greens and one on woodworking. A few years ago I made a doll house in one of my woodworking classes but it needs some more work. The windows and doors don't fit quite right as the spaces for them need to be slightly enlarged. I'm hoping I can get to this in my class. And maybe make some bird houses, too.

I've never cooked greens and have never eaten cooked greens either unless I ran into them at a restaurant. So, even if I were to cook some, I won't know if I've done it correctly. Last year's classes on tofu & tempeh were both helpful and I'm hoping the greens class will be too.

This year I'm planning to continue my volunteer work down at the shelter but I may also volunteer to do some office work at the Red Cross. Haven't decided yet. I don't want to over-schedule and not have the time I need to work on family history. I'm currently working on a book about our family in the 1940's using letters that had been saved from then.

Took down the Christmas tree yesterday and have that all put away for another year. Seems a little empty without it brightly lit in its spot above the fireplace.

I did make it to some of the after-the-holidays sales and got myself some cards and wrapping paper for next year, much of it at 75% off. Yesterday I stopped at Michael's where they were having a 30% off sale on yarn so I stocked up on yarn for hats and cat blankets. I picked a brand of soft knitting worsted and bought one skein of each color. I'm eager to get started using them but I have a few other projects to finish first. I LOVE starting projects but sometimes its a struggle to finish them off.

December miscellaneous

2007-12-27T12:09:00.000-08:00

B. and I have been getting a lot of walking in as we are dog-sitting Max this week. (at left) He has been the perfect gentleman - except for jumping on our bed whenever we are not looking - but his presence has been driving the cats crazy. Today, the third day of his stay, Zoe & Devin seem more calm about it all. They still stay up on counters and bookshelves and out of reach for the most part but Devin has taken to walking right up to Max. They are not pals yet but we have hopes that Devin will tolerate him; Zoe just avoids him.

With the writers' strike, we have taken to watching less current tv and more old movies. We watched "The Apartment" which I had never seen before and I really liked it. It was still very enjoyable. Last night we saw "Portrait of Jennie" and that I can't recommend. Maybe it wasn't good in its day either but it sure wasn't very good now. And that was a shame because the star, Joseph Cotton is one of my favorite actors.

We've also been watching some old Perry Mason shows. Have seen all of season one and we are now watching season two (thanks to NetFlix). I especially like seeing the old cars & buildings and the scenery from those days. And, of course, I always like Perry, Della & Paul.

The one current show that we have been enjoying is "Life on Mars", second season. It's a British show but it only goes as far as season two as they've decided to Americanize it. Wish they'd just continue the British version.

I've been busy knitting and crocheting baby blankets lately - one for a friend, one for a nephew and his wife. Both couples' babies are expected this spring and I should easily have the blankets done by then. One blanket will be knitted and that one is a pale pink; the other is crocheted and is being done in a cream color. Watch for their pictures on my blog in the coming months.

Books, books, books

2007-12-20T16:58:00.000-08:00

Last week I reserved a bunch of books at the library, making sure that they'd be spaced out. On some of the books, I was the only one reserving it; on others, I was 80th of 80 people waiting. So - how did so many of my reserved books arrive at once?? B. & I stopped at the library today and there were eight books waiting for me - so many that they had set them aside in a separate section!! I'd better get busy reading!

Winter weather

2007-12-18T16:32:00.000-08:00

Rain. Sunshine & blue sky. Rain. More sunshine. Rain. Rain. Wind and rain. All in one day.

Shelter Stories

2007-12-14T18:18:00.000-08:00

Last week I had to kick a guy out of the computer room because he came in to play games on the computer (Freecell - one of my favorites). The pcs are reserved for job & house hunting, emails, stuff like that. He wasn't happy about that at all but yesterday he again appeared. His first comment was "So, I can't play games?" I assured him that was the case but that I'd be happy to help him with his resume or email. He decided he'd check his email. But first, he had to find his email address. His jacket had lots of pockets and he emptied all of them trying to find it but had no luck. So, we set up a new email address for him and I wrote it down for him on a piece of paper. As he left, he said "I'll put this in my wallet in my locker so I'll have it for next time. Oh - that's probably where my other email address is!"

He was a bit unusual but as we worked on the computer, I learned much of his story and found that he had a brain tumor (untreatable at this stage) - and had been kicked out of his house by the woman he lived with.

I have run into quite a number of folks who are in the shelter because they had health issues and no way to handle the financial aspect. So even if they have gotten through the health problem and are now working or looking for work, they are homeless.

Some of the guys are so overwhelmed with life and their problems that they show no appreciation for the shelter or anyone who tries to help them. But there are others, who are quite appreciative and will say to me "Thanks for coming in today!" - sometimes even if they won't be using the computers that day.

Being the controlling fixer that I am, I wish I could fix their lives. But at least they got some time on the computers and some homemade Christmas cookies...that won't change their lives but maybe it'll help a little.

Cookie Day

2007-12-10T20:20:00.000-08:00

Sunday afternoon was dedicated to cookie decorating. There were plenty of cookies to decorate, both sugar cookies & gingerbread men. As always when rolling dough and cutting cookies, by the 3rd time rolling there is generally a good bit of flour worked into the dough. Rather than keep on cutting/rolling the dough and taking a chance on it getting tough, the third or fourth roll is just cut into shapes with a knife - squares, rectangles, whatever. Those cookies usually just get frosted and some sprinkles thrown on top. However, this time, someone got quite creative as you can see on the left - C's postcard cookie.

We all got plenty of cookies and are looking forward to next years "Cookie Day" but for now, I'm pretty much cookied out.

Candy Cane Cookies

2007-12-03T19:16:00.000-08:00

Today's baking challenge was candy cane cookies. The recipe makes about twice the amount shown on the pan to the left. It's one of my favorites because it adds a cute touch to cookie gift packages. I also like it because it is almond flavored though you could use peppermint flavoring instead.

It rained all day today. Neither Zoe nor Devin wanted to go out. They just sat at the door looking out pitifully at the rain. Usually they have some time during the day when the rain stops and they can run around outside - but not today. It is forecast that we'll get more rain tomorrow.

Decorations

2007-12-01T15:36:00.000-08:00

B. and I put up our little tree today. It's on top of the fireplace, a nice out-of-the-way place that Devin won't be able to reach. He's tempted but he just can't jump that high

Now to move on to the Christmas cards and letters and Christmas baking...

Today's find

2007-11-27T14:54:00.001-08:00

As is usual on Tuesday, I stopped at the 2nd hand store on my way home, after helping the guys on the computers. At left is my latest find, a pig salt shaker. You don't see a fine one like this every day - and only 39 cents! :)

Not all is lost

2007-11-26T14:34:00.000-08:00

This morning I sat down at the piano with some Christmas song books. And, amazingly enough, I was still able to play them!! Guess I ought to get busy practicing and maybe I'll be able to play them smoothly by Christmas.

B. and I stopped at the women's shelter today (the central donation point) and dropped off some coats, blankets and a bag of hats I knitted & crocheted over this past year. There was a whole line of folks around the block, waiting for their lunch. Hopefully the stuff we dropped off will keep some of them warm this winter.

A Morning at the Shelter

2007-11-21T07:11:00.000-08:00

Baked some cookies to take down to the homeless shelter when I went down there yesterday morning. I made chocolate chip - with nuts and without, pumpkin pecan cookies, pumpkin bread, and some diabetic chocolate chip bars. That should have been enough variety so everyone could have something they might like.

It was a quiet day at the shelter, everyone in the computer room was hard at work looking for jobs, housing or just checking their email.

As usual, on my way home I stopped at my favorite 2nd hand store. I found a nice warm winter vest to wear under my coat - perfect for what I wanted and at a great price, $4.99. I wore it last night when B. and I went for a walk to the library and to the store to buy Thanksgiving wine.

We've had a bit of sunshine lately which is much appreciated. Looks like today will be sunny too.

Mosaics, Cooking Tempeh & Driving Discount

2007-11-11T18:31:00.000-08:00

Here is the latest mosaic created by B., a flowered mirror. We'll probably hang it in our entrance hallway. It looks even better when you see it in person!

Saturday I went to the "Cooking with Tempeh" class I had signed up for. I was leary of it, expecting to hate the taste of tempeh. Instead, I found I rather liked it and it seems like it will be easy to cook with. The instructor made tempeh chili which we ate with quinoa - very tasty and probably the first tempeh recipe I will attempt. He also made tempeh patties which were rather bland by themselves but would be good on a bun with pickles, mustard, ketchup and other condiments. The recipe for patties could also be used to make tempeh "meatballs". The other two recipes were for "croutons" and stroganoff. I liked the croutons okay and could see adding them to salads but I wasn't too crazy about the stroganoff. Overall, it was definitely a worthwhile class as I now have some new high-protein vegetarian recipes to try.

We met with our insurance agent earlier this week and he said that our AARP driving class should give us a $60 discount per year. Since our certificates are good for three years, that's a pretty good deal. We paid out $20 and took the class but we should save $180.

All quiet on the cat-front. Both Zoe & Devin have been behaving themselves.

Driving class & pumpkin bread

2007-11-07T08:33:00.000-08:00

On Monday & Tuesday this week, B. and I went to the AARP driving class It ran from 9:30 to 1:30 each day, with a couple of breaks. The class reviewed the usual driving rules but concentrated on explaining physical changes to our bodies as we age and how that affects our driving. For example, most people's night vision is affected by the time they are 40 years old. As time goes on, some people avoid night driving altogether. B. and I still both drive at night when necessary but use extra caution. http://www.aarp.org/families/driver_safety/driver_ed/a2004-06-21-whatisds.html.

A lot of the course material was familiar to us but we each learned a few things. And there were a few items that we knew were unrealistic in some cities. Don't exceed the speed limit makes sense in most places but I know from experience that if you try to do that on the Atlanta freeways, you are in danger. You may need to drive at 70 or 80 mph just to avoid being hit by the other drivers!!! Also, stopping when the light turns red seems reasonable but in Atlanta it is generally expected that two or three cars will go through the red light and you just wait for them to do so. Maybe it's that way in all big cities. Life - and driving - proceeds at a far more frantic pace in major cities.

The class also went over determining when to give up your keys & stop driving and how to plan ahead for that day. We even were given free all-day bus tickets so we could check out the local bus system.

We both got our certificates for taking the class and we'll be giving them to our insurance agent so that we can get a discount on our insurance. It cost $10 each to take the class but the certificate is good for three years so we should get our investment back.

The first day of class found all of us hungry by break time. There was a snack machine down the hall with some feeble snacks and we all pounced on it to help us through the morning. That night, I went home and baked some pumpkin bread to bring to class. I took the lazy way, just throwing some eggs and water into a mix and popping it in the oven. No big deal. However, all the students & the teacher were quite appreciative: "This is the best pumpkin bread ever!" or "I couldn't have baked anything this good." I didn't have the heart to tell them it was just a mix. Guess no one bakes anymore...

Halloween and a not-too-bright kitten

2007-10-31T05:44:00.001-07:00

After a week of wearing a collar (which kept him from licking his tail wound), and being grounded, Devin finally got to go outside again. He was crazy frisky as you might imagine - scampering across the yard. One wonders though, if he has learned his lesson. His tail still shows signs of serious cat bite wounds where the fur has not yet grown. However, yesterday, I looked out the window and saw him stalking one of the big orange neighborhood feral cats. He was just a few feet away before I grabbed him and put him in the house again. The feral cat was nonchalant about it all and just sat licking himself but I hate to think what would have happened to Devin had he attempted to pounce on that huge orange cat. Maybe Devin had forgotten his week indoors but I sure hadn't and I wasn't eager for any vet visits either.

Our neighborhood has quite a few feral cats. Though they are hardy cats, they are not the vicious beasts you might think of when you read "feral cats". One of the women in the neighborhood has captured all of them and taken them to be spayed or neutered and has even set up a small, protected cat shelter for them to hide in when bad weather hits. And a number of neighbors put out food for them each night. So even though the cats don't have owners, they are not wild - though not really tame either. They walk through our yard and stay their distance and Zoe tolerates them as long as they don't get too close. I'm hoping Devin will learn from Zoe and avoid any other close encounters.

I went down to the homeless shelter yesterday as I do each Tuesday. I helped one of the guys look up a bus schedule and then sign up for an email address. The other guys were all pretty computer-experienced and got right to work checking their email or searching housing & job sites. One of the guys was in a mean mood and expounded his views (all bad it seemed!) on government workers, immigrants, even the shelter itself. He then proceed to talk to me about arson and about how he burned down his house. No wonder this guy is having trouble finding housing! I was glad it was only my task to help with computer problems, not all his personal problems.

Last night B. and I walked to the neighborhood theater to see the movie "Once". We had been wanting to see it after reading numerous reviews about how great it was. Though both of us thought it a nice little movie, we didn't understand why everyone has been raving about it. Maybe just because it was an enjoyable film without sex, violence, car crashes, etc. - just a story. That was okay with me. After the show, we walked over to the pub for supper and had our favorite burgers with hot sauce - meat for B. and a garden burger for me - and then walked home.

Spiderwebs for autumn

2007-10-24T17:18:00.001-07:00

Our yard is filled with spiderwebs - the porch, the deck, the trees, the cars - spiders everywhere. At least they are staying outside for the most part and I appreciate that. We had a light rain this afternoon and the webs were all much more noticeable than usual with their dainty droplets clinging to them. Here's one from our backyard.

I finished the flamingo puzzle today. It was one that I had gotten at the 2nd hand store and sadly, there were four pieces missing. Still, it was fun to do and it looks pretty good.

The verdict: cat bite

2007-10-22T18:01:00.001-07:00

Took Devin to the vet to have his tail examined. The vet said she saw teeth marks on the wound, that he must have been bitten by another cat. Since he'd been licking the wound a lot, she gave him a collar to prevent this in the future and give the wound a chance to heal.

He has medicine, needs hot compresses three times a day and has to wear his collar for the next week or so. And while he wears the collar, he has to stay indoors. What a fun week this will be!!

And a sunny day

2007-10-22T11:51:00.001-07:00

Today was such a beautiful sunny day, it begged me to go for a walk. I wandered about taking pictures and enjoying the sunshine. B. was off on a two-hour group walk but I preferred ambling about on my own. Though many leaves had fallen, there were still some gorgeous trees. And there were many houses decorated for Halloween.

While I was gone, Zoe & Devin worked on their mosaic skills. Since we had thrown a towel over B.'s work desk, they had a hard time of it and were left to contemplate the work that B. had already done.

Devin is itching to go outside but he injured his tail and it's not healing as quickly as I'd hoped. I'm keeping him in for now and he has a vet appointment for this afternoon.

A gray day

2007-10-18T16:56:00.000-07:00

The day was overcast and it looked like a storm was imminent. So we headed off to the movies. Went downtown and saw "Michael Clayton" which both B. and I liked a lot. It was well-acted and kept our interest.

After the movie we stopped at a deli down the street and had some soup. They gave samples so I tried the butternut squash and pear soup which was good but not something you'd want an entire bowl of. So I got the tomato orange soup and B. had some chicken soup. We shared some chocolate mousse for dessert.

Then it was on to the library. I usually just request books and have them delivered to the branch library so it was fun to be at the big downtown library and look at all the books. I decided on 5 of them and I'm hoping at least one or two will be good ones - the last couple books I got weren't even worth finishing!

And we still got home before the storm...maybe it'll hit tonight.

Tuesday, October 16th

2007-10-16T16:22:00.000-07:00

I drove down to the homeless shelter to provide computer assistance as I generally do on Tuesday morning. It was a quiet morning though busy. The guys knew what they were doing and the only question I was asked (other than general chatting) was how to spell 'failure'. One of the guys was filling out a form and needed that word. Whether he was identifying himself as a failure, the system, the government, a product - I don't know and I didn't pursue it. He seemed pretty positive about himself so I'm guessing he didn't feel like a failure, just went on to finish his form. Though he needed a bit of help on how to sign off, he was soon done with the computer for the day and off to the rest of his activities, whatever they may have been.

As often happens when I go down to volunteer, I learned something myself. This time it was a website, http://www.refdesk.com/. I think I've seen it before but never really explored it. However, it has a lot of amazing stuff. One of the best things right off is that there are very few ads, no dancing monkeys, just a few little cars at the top. And - it has all the info in one place! What do you want to know? Time zones? Newspapers across the country and around the world? Encyclopedias? Statistics? Airport wait times? etc. etc. etc. If you are not familiar with this site, check it out!

Parking near the shelter is difficult to find. Sometimes, it would take me longer to find parking than it would to drive down to the shelter itself. So I gave up looking and now I just park at a nearby city parking lot. It's 85 cents per hour so every week costs me $2.85 but it is worth it, saving me the time and effort of a parking search. The parking lot attendant is the same person each week but since the lot holds many cars, I didn't know if she knew me or not. Apparently, she does. Today as I was leaving she said "The best customer I have is you - always perfect!" Always nice to get a compliment, even though I think she just meant that I give her the exact change.

This afternoon B. and I decided to walk to the library. We had a couple of books to return and I have one waiting for me. Looking out the front door, the day appeared sunny but there were some dark clouds behind us. We'd only gone a couple of blocks when it began to rain. Another couple of blocks and the hail came pelting down. Our jackets kept us warm and dry but our jeans began to get wet, then - somehow - water got into our shoes and worked its way down our socks. As it continued to pour, we decided to head for home rather than the library. We didn't want to revive our now dormant colds. The rain slowed as we approached our house and we were tempted to head back towards the library but we were so sopping wet that we didn't follow up on that. Inside the house again, we found the rain had practically stopped. And shortly thereafter, the sun was out again. Crazy weather!

Saturday, October 13th

2007-10-13T13:20:00.000-07:00

This morning was a bit misty, but not raining - just made everything look a bit hazy. By ten o'clock or so, the mist had been driven off by some bright sunshine. This photo on the left was taken around 8:00 AM when I went for an early morning walk.

B. and I went for our flu shots last Saturday. Ironically, the day after the flu shot, I woke up with the worst cold - and spent the next 3 days in bed! Today, I went out to get groceries and it was a treat, so nice to be outside again and feeling well. :)

B. has been taking some classes this fall - mosaics, fall walks, Spanish. The mosaic class is over and B. has a fine piece completed, a picture of our cat Zoe. The walks and the Spanish class continue. I signed up for very few classes this fall - the tofu one I wrote of in an earlier blog, and a tempeh cooking class sometime in November. I purposely didn't want to schedule much so that I could spend whatever extra time I have working on family history. My current project is about my family in the WWII years. I have letters from a couple of my uncles (both of whom were in the service in the 1940's) and also letters from one of my aunts. So I have views of what it was like in the army and also on the home front. It's been very interesting so far and I still have another 30 - 40 letters to type up. Then I'll have to go through the family photos and see what I can find that corresponds to the war years. This particular project was triggered by the tv show: Ken Burns' "The War" which I and a number of my siblings have been watching.

It's a lovely fall day and I'm cooking applesauce. Maybe next week it'll be time for some apple pies and Indian pudding.

October 1st

2007-10-01T20:13:00.000-07:00

These pictures are from earlier today when Devin decided to work on his computing. He takes sort of a laid back approach to it all.

B. is at Spanish class tonight and I have been spending the evening typing up some family history - letters from the WWII era. My father saved his siblings' letters and some from his mother and they are interesting reading.

It's been rainy much of the day but it cleared up beautifully tonight so I could go for a long walk.

My Tofu Adventure

2007-09-29T14:01:00.000-07:00

Today was the 3 hour tofu cooking class that I'd signed up for. I have limited experience with tofu, either eating it or cooking with it so I felt it might be time for me to become more comfortable with it. A few years back, I stopped eating meat and though I still do eat fish, the majority of my diet is vegetarian and it seems tofu might be a good addition.

Our instructor has been cooking with tofu for many years. He seemed a bit of a fanatic to me as he wouldn't use the microwave since it hasn't been proven over thousands of years (how can it be proven if not used??) and he wouldn't use honey because it was an 'animal food'. I can understand his concern about the microwave but what's the harm in eating honey? It doesn't hurt the bees as long as you leave them enough honey to get by over the winter. Personally, I'm not crazy about the taste of honey but I would certainly not avoid it as an 'animal food'. Well, these differences aside, he did a fine job of teaching - preparing the meals in front of us while he explained everything and then giving us samples of everything. Here's what we had:

Tofu mayonnaise

Tofu "egg salad"

Tofu French Toast with a maple glaze

Tofu cutlets

Tofu 'Egg Fried' Rice

Of course there was no egg in any of the 'egg' dishes, just tofu. I found everything to be quite tasty. The mayonnaise did not taste like regular mayonnaise but it did taste good and it had the extra advantage of having about 1/10th the calories of regular mayonnaise. The 'egg salad' did not taste like regular egg salad either but on a piece of bread, it makes a fine sandwitch.

The French toast was really good, something to look forward to in the morning or as a light evening meal.

I liked both the cutlets and the fried rice and plan to test both of them for supper one of these nights. Overall, the tofu things I tried at this morning's class were much better than any previous tofu I've tried (except perhaps for Boca burgers which I like). So, for me, I think tofu requires further examination & testing and I'll probably start having some every week or so.

Another advantage of tofu, besides the low calories, is that it lowers cholesterol.

Last Thursday night, B. and I went out for dinner to a nearby restaurant. We have been picking one special, elegant restaurant to try each month. This month it was my turn to choose so I picked a steak/seafood place a few miles from here. Neither of us knew anything about the place except what we read on the Internet. The most amazing thing about the restaurant was its location as the elevation was high enough that it overlooked the entire city! A beautiful setting to look out and watch the city lights come alive, see the moon rise in the distance - and the food wasn't bad either. :) No, they didn't have any tofu. Actually, they didn't really have any vegetarian options unless you just had a salad and a baked potato. The salads were really good and so were our entrees (beef for B., halibut for me). And for dessert, a slice of cheesecake with caramel topping to share. Though we paid a good bit more for that meal than I did for today's class, I can't actually say that the food was tastier than today's tofu - just different.

Continuing miscellaneous

2007-09-25T14:26:00.000-07:00

Look closely and you can see Devin to the right of the gate in the backyard. He's still living dangerously, even after probably using up one of his nine lives when he was AWOL.

I don't know how he got up but he was having some difficulty determining how to get down. Finally, I went out and got him and he ran off to explore other things.

Today is Tuesday so I spent the morning down at the homeless center where I do volunteer work - assisting the guys on the computers. The center I work at is for male-only clients and they must be drug-free and alcohol-free. In one section of the shelter, there is a small computer room where a few pcs are set up. When a volunteer is available to staff the room, the guys can come in and read their email, search for housing and jobs, practice typing, etc. Sometimes all I have to do is be there to unlock the room and start up the pcs and the men have no questions, need no instruction. Other times, I need to give basic instructions, show them how to use a computer, how to create an email account, how to create a resume or perform a search. Today was mixed - some of the men knew what they were doing and got right to work, others needed to know how to navigate, how to use the back arrow, etc. Even some of the men who knew what they were doing still needed attention. They wanted to show me the site they were working on, tell me of a housing opportunity they'd found. For some of the guys, it seems that what they most appreciate is someone to listen.

After my shift was over, I stopped at my favorite 2nd hand store to see what "must buy" items they had. Last week when I was there, I ended up walking out without ANYTHING - not a book, a puzzle, nothing whatsoever. That is quite unusual as I almost always find something that will be useful. Today I found four dessert plates, and 5 puzzles. I also found some books on WWII which B. and I will find interesting as we are currently watching Ken Burn's show on WWII, "The War". One of the books I got is all WWII photos from Life magazine, the other is a collection of war memories that Studs Terkel put together. Both should prove interesting and then when we are done with them, we'll donate them back.

Five puzzles is a lot to find in one week. Of course you are taking a chance with used puzzles as sometimes pieces might be missing. I've had good luck so far though and have had few puzzles that weren't complete. When there are pieces missing, I document that, pack up the puzzle again and recycle - maybe someone won't mind a missing piece or two. The complete puzzles are also packed up after I finish them and they are passed on to one of my aunts or one of my sisters - and they pass them on, too. We can get a lot of use from a 99 cent puzzle! Today's assortment of puzzles included Bryce Canyon National Park, Crater Lake National Park, Madame Alexander Dolls, At the Wee Folks' Fair (a gathering of dwaves and fairies - very lighthearted), and Autumn at Stony Creek by Charles Wysocki. I plan to start the Autumn one as soon as I finish my current puzzle. The Wysocki one has jack-o-lanterns, pumpkins, apple butter, autumn leaves - a nice fall scene that will be fun to do as our days turn to fall.

With the cooler weather, I've pulled out my crock pot and have been using that more frequently. Tonight we'll have Moussaka with Tofu Topping. Once you have the chopping all done and everything put into the crock pot, then you can forget it for the rest of the day while you get on with your life. If you happen to be home, fantastic scents throughout the day will entice you with the evening's meal. I haven't cooked with tofu before so this is a first for me. I have made a number of other recipes from this cookbook, some of them really great, so I expect this will be good, too. If you are looking for any good crockpot recipes, give this book a try: 125 best Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes by Judith Finlayson. Some of the soups are amazing!

An unusual meeting

2007-09-20T18:44:00.000-07:00

After I had B. safely settled in front of the tv with some supper, I decided to go for a walk. I went to the mailbox about 5 blocks away and then decided to go to the grocery store for some ice cream so we could have some dessert later of fresh peaches and ice cream. On my return from the store, I was coming down our street about 4 blocks from our house when I saw a young man fly fishing - in the street. I'd guess his age to be about 12 but he could have been slightly older. He kept casting and casting. As he was right on my way, I decided to continue walking but I hadn't even made it across the street before he started talking to me. He told me all about fly fishing, casting, types of flies, where he would go fishing, what he would catch - all the while he was still practicing his cast. He told me how to reel the bass in after catching it and then, not satisfied with just telling me about it - and showing me how to do it - he made me take the reel in my hands and let out the line, pretending that I had a fish on the line!

Luckily the weather was not hot or our vanilla bean ice cream would have melted before I made it home.

And some excitement - not that I needed any

2007-09-20T15:26:00.000-07:00

B. got up with Devin this morning so I was able to sleep late, almost 8:30. B. went off to the hardware store while I had breakfast, did laundry, worked on my jigsaw puzzle. Nothing exciting there.

After B. returned from the hardware store, we decided to clean out the shed which had become a catch-all. It's really not that big of a shed so it didn't take more than an hour or so. However, somehow while exiting the shed, B. slipped, turning an ankle. We finished up and headed indoors. And then we took a look at that ankle! Quite swollen - as if a small lemon were attached to it. We read our health care books and they all told us to follow the RICE method - rest, ice, compression, elevation - and that B. should stay off the ankle for at least two days.

The rest and ice part was easy enough for me to prepare but I had to run to the drug store to get a bandage for compression. While I was there, I bought some crutches, too - in case B. needs to hobble about in the next two days. Looks like we'll be skipping the bike ride we'd planned for tomorrow - and possibly B's kayaking class on Saturday, too.

That's enough excitement for a while!

A Perfectly Ordinary Day

2007-09-19T23:15:00.000-07:00

5:00 AM Devin is awake. He starts to wake me gently, crawling over me, purring in my face. When I don't leap up to feed him, he becomes more agressive and starts to play with my feet and to leap about on the bed. I get up, grab my blanket and leave the bedroom - followed by Devin - and close the door so B. can continue to sleep.

5:20 AM Devin is fed. He was pretty hungry, ate almost an entire can of kitten food. Zoe considered getting up but just readjusted herself on her sleeping area on the couch. She's not ready for the day to begin. Neither am I. Rather than curl up on the couch like I usually do, I decide to go into the guest room and pull down the wall bed unit. This is something new to Devin so he eagerly follows me in there and leaps on the bed. I leave the hall light on in case he wants to run around out there and play. Then I turn off guest room light and curl up to sleep. Devin makes a great effort to get me up and playing with him but to no avail. Soon I am again sound asleep.

8:30 AM B. gets up, shuts off the hall light. It is now daylight and it looks like a sunny day. B. walks towards the guest room and finds me sleeping there with Zoe sleeping next to me and Devin sleeping at my feet. Devin did NOT go rattle the bedroom door as he sometimes does after his breakfast, but just settled down in the guest room.

9:00 AM Breakfast. Have a bath. Get dressed. Check my email and the latest news online. Check the blogs. Wrap a few packages for the post office (jigsaw puzzles for my aunt, a book for a niece, some toy snakes - one crocheted, one knitted- for a nephew).

11:30 AM It has turned into a beautiful day so B. and I head off to the library to return some books and to the post office to mail packages. We haven't gone far before we encounter our next door neighbors - and their next door neighboors. There is some discussion on what to do with our gravel road. Do we agree to have the city pave it? If so, we all will have to pay many, many thousands of dollars. Do we hire someone to come and just put gravel down? We review all the options. It is agreed that more information is needed and one of the neighbors agrees to make some further calls. B. and I head off to the library and drop off our books, to the post office to mail the packages, back to the library to pick up a couple of books, and then to the grocery store to get some milk.

2:00 PM Have lunch on the deck and read the day's paper. It's windy so I have to hold the paper down by putting my plate and glass on top of it. Both cats are out, frolicking in the sunshine. We linger for a while, enjoying the beautiful day. The yard men arrive and mow the lawn and do some trimming & edging. The yard looks great!! The new-mown grass smell is intoxicating. Time to head inside to read a little and then to have a nap.

5:30 PM B. and I head out for another walk. A couple of months ago, I purchased a stepmeter (similar to a pedometer but it counts steps rather than mileage). Though we've been working towards 10,000 steps per day, we usually are closer to 5,000 or 6,000 by day's end. Today, because of our walk to the post office, we find we are already around 8,400 steps so we decide to finish off the remaining 1600. We walk a little over 800 steps and then turn around and head back. Have made our 10,000! Time for supper. Today I haven't prepared anything but we have some leftover two-bean chili from the night before so we have that.

8:00 PM Settle down to watch a little tv - a travel show about walking in Ireland, Psych and then a mystery, Cold Case. Zoe climbs up on my lap, the favored position because I have a blanket over my lap and it makes for a comfortable snuggling place. Devin tries to climb up there too but Zoe gives him a slap and he decides B's lap is a better spot for him.

10:30 PM Time to head for bed, read a little, but first, I have a blog to write.

Sounds like a boring day, eh? Maybe so, but boring can be very comfortable. You can have a very nice day, even if not exciting, and that's fine with me!

Devin is back...after 32.5 hours AWOL

2007-09-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

At 4:30 AM, I was awaked to Zoe rattling our screen in the bedroom and B's happy cry of "He's back!". There was Devin! Where he had been, we'll probably never know. I had put food and water and a blanket out for him on the deck but he didn't settle there, just came round to the bedroom door where he knew he'd find us. He seems none the worse for wear but he sure was hungry, devouring almost an entire can of cat food. Devin just kept purring and purring - and that's how I felt, too. Such a relief to have him home again!

Now today I have the happy task of retracing yesterday's route and taking down posters and telling folks that Devin is no longer missing.

Last night I was working on the latest jigsaw puzzle when I saw a big raccoon come to eat some of the food I'd set out for Devin. I moved that away, putting it under the glider where the raccoons might not fit but I did set out another bowl of food for the raccoons - some kitten crunchies that neither Devin nor Zoe were fond of. At this same time, Zoe went out on the deck and sat on one of the chairs. The raccoon food was down at the end of the deck. A little while later, I looked up and there were 3 raccoons after that food - a mama and two young ones (pretty hefty young ones!). They didn't bother Zoe nor she them though she did hiss and snarl some. Those raccoons are so big - compared to cats - but looked so pretty that I wished I could go out and hug them. I think I'll continue to put out food for them, at least until they finish off the cat-ignored crunchies.

Devin is missing

2007-09-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

Last night I let Devin out around 8:00 PM, figuring he could run around a little while and tire himself out before bedtime. He's usually back in 10 - 20 minutes. But he never came back! I was up all night waiting for him, with Zoe by my side. I kept hearing his little motor noise, rrrrrr, that he does to let you know he's around - but he was never there. I just kept wishing he was.

I can only imagine that he slid into someone's shed or something and got closed in. I've walked the yard and tracks 3 or 4 times, seen two other gray kitties but no Devin. I've been to the neighbors, left cards for those who aren't home. Next I'll contact the vet in case anyone finds him and brings him there. And I'll leave some posters throughout the neighborhood. But first I have to get a little sleep...I'm a wreck.

Meeting the trash man

2007-09-10T22:51:00.000-07:00

Sunday night we put out the trash and recycling as usual - trash can, tub for papers & cardboard, tub for cans & plastic, and separate tub for bottles and glass. I was busy working on my latest jigsaw puzzle, B. watching tv, when I heard a knock at the door. We don't get a lot of unknown visitors so I was surprised to see a stranger, a man who was neat & clean - yet sort of scruffy looking. He reminded me of the homeless guys I work with on Tuesdays when I provide computer assistance, helping them search for jobs and housing. Our most frequent unknown visitors are folks wanting us to sign petitions or someone wanting us to join some environmental organization - and they generally have clipboards with them. This guy had no clipboard, only a question: could he please have a bag? Apparently, the bag he had brought was not big enough to hold this week's empty bottles and cans which he'll take in for refunds. The empties included those from our Labor Day gathering so there were a lot of them.

We gave him a bag and he went back to sorting through the bottles and cans. B. said he had talked with the fellow last Sunday night so it looks like this is our regular recycling guy (as opposed to the trucks that come and collect everything on Monday morning).

So, now I've gotten to meet the trashman. But I have some questions for him: his name, are there regular routes that each person handles, how did he get this area, where does he live, does every area in the city have someone who goes around and works through the discarded trash, etc., etc. Maybe I'll learn some of the answers in upcoming weeks.

Devin and Zoe

2007-09-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

Devin is now about six months old, very much the kitten yet. He's taking to sleeping for longer periods of time but he sure is rambunctious! He likes to start his day early, usually 4 or 5 AM, and he wants us to start it with him! One of his favorite play items is the little toy mice that T gave him. They are a good size for him - easy to throw about and chase after wildly, small enough for him to pick up in his mouth. His latest trick is to drop them in the cat's water bowl. The first mouse I saw there was a mistake, I thought, one that fell in there as he was batting them about. A while later, I saw him go over to the water dish with a mouse in his mouth and just drop it in! He gave it a few swats, scattering water about, and then bobbed for it - proudly capturing the mouse and then running off with it, dripping wet.

Zoe is a mature 10 year old. She quickly tires of Devin's antics but sometimes she'll put up with him and even play with him a little. Sleeping is her favorite pastime and she especially enjoys resting on the latest puzzle.