The one who came to live at our house this week

Hubband and I have really been missing having a cat or two around for a while now. I may have been missing it longer than he has, but that is hard to say for sure, I haven't asked him to quantify for me. So last week we decided it was time to do something about it and on Saturday we went to Paws and Claws, our local Humane Society. We picked out a kitten and put in our application. Monday afternoon they called to tell us that our vet verified our information and we could come pick her up. Since we both had places to be that night, I decided to wait to pick her up until Tuesday. She spent the first hour investigating everything she could in the kitchen, family room, laundry, and her bathroom. Then we let in Sadie to meet her. That went fairly well, the kitten let Sadie know that this was her house, "Thank you very much," and Sadie was welcome to be in it, but don't get in the way. When we let Simon in, it was, "Oh my! It has claws!" Well, she does, but since she is only three months old, they aren't very serious claws yet.

She seems to have the basic two kitten speeds, "Full Tilt" and "Sleep." This is what our first several attempts to get pictures of her turned out like.

 

Then we were finally able to get this; well, several different variations on this theme.

 

We were finally able to get this while she seemed to be playing "Peek-A-Boo" with Sadie. Besides that game she also is a major string/yarn loving critter. This could prove to be dangerous I think. No lace weight knitting around her for a while. She also thinks the tie-ups for the loom treadles are there just for her. Right. Everything is hers now.

 

She actually does seem to like to be held until something catches her attention. She also thinks that sleeping by Hubband's feet during the day is a good plan. Of course, that spot had been Simon's, but apparently the two of them worked it out this morning and were able to share feet and a blanket latter.

 

Her name is Oribel Zerdali. She will be called "Bel the Cat" by someone in our house. Not to name names or anything.
She has a few toys from the store, but will turn anything into a toy. She drug a woven coaster all over the house the other day after finding it next to the fish bowl. Fortunately she doesn't seem to care if there are plants in her water dish. Her favorite toy? A pony bead. Just like Kitty used to do, she carries them back to the tile floor to knock all over the place. The problem? I could only find one for her and she dropped it down the heat vent. Where do I find a supply of pony beads?

Knitters' Coffeeswap Three

There is a new swap/exchange out there, Knitters' Coffeeswap Three. You know, coffee, yarn, and a few other goodies thrown in. Life is good.

SWAP QUESTIONS
1. Whole bean or ground?
Whole Bean
2. Fully-loaded or decaf?
Fully loaded
3. Regular or flavored?
Regular
4. How do you drink your coffee?
Black
5. Favorite coffee ever?
Hmm, the iced coffee I had on teh plaza on a hot afternoon in Rome.
6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do?
Kind of fussy. I like dark roast coffee. Usually dark enough I can see the oils. Along thr lines of French Roast or Esspresso roast.
7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee?
Having it brought to me in bed first thing in the morning. Sitting on my deck enjoying my yard while I drink it.
8. Anything else about your coffee preferences?
Not that I can think of right now.
9. Yarn/fiber you love?
Soft. Pretty. Not Scratchy.
10. Yarn/fiber you hate?
Scratchy. Stuff that feels icky.
11. What's on your needles?
Umm, a sock. A shawl. A dish cloth. A scarf. Another scarf. Maybe another sock. Probably something else that I can't think of because I am trying to.
12. Favorite colors?
I like most all of them.
13. Allergies?
Cigerette smoke, strong perfumes.
14. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest?
Not that I an think of right now.

To people out there that I thought knew me

For the record: No, I did not call the phone number even if it was an 800 one. Do I look like I have ever had any interest in a robotic camel jockey? It just seemed weird to be in my paper, but since it is an 800 number, I figure it might be running in several different papers around the country.
Have you forgotten that I have a weird sense of humor that I share with no provocation at all? If you are wondering if I am being humorous, stop and think for a moment. When in doubt, remember who my father is, and who I am married to. I come by it honestly. So do my children; poor things, they are stuck to a double dose of both nature and nurture.

I agree with Bubbles, I probably would call if they were offering a Protocol Droid. Because I obviously need assistance in communicating.

Am I missing out on an exciting local Saturday outing?

"CRZ 6100 robot camel jockey. Won 5 world titles. $1495. Call: 800-850-8585"


This add is running in our local newspaper's classified ads. Who knew there were Camel Races around here? Have you checked your paper for world title robots?

Ponds, Plants, and missing Kitty

This is a picture of our porch pond in the spring. We haul it out of the shed every spring, put it on the front porch, check for leaks, fill it with water, and bring the goldfish out for the summer. Then we buy just a couple of plants to keep the water oxygenated and to make the whole thing interesting. We used to put a pump/fountain in it each year, but I have replaced it twice in six years and just never got around to the needed third replacement this year. Which is a bit sad because I really miss the sound of the moving water. You will note that there are only three plants in this thing. The taller plant, a water hyacinth, is the one that gave us these awesome flowers.
This is what it looks like now. See all those plants? Yeah, they propagate like crazy all summer long. There are now seven of the water lettuce having started with two. I also have four of the water hyacinth, of which there had been one. Yeah, there is a reason these are classified as invasive non-native plants in a lot of places. I don't worry about them invading, since I keep them contained, plus they won't winter over here. The first fall, I brought the whole pond in to keep it gurgling away inside. Well, that didn't work very well for several reasons. DTE's cat, Kitty, tried to drink out of it, but she fell in. I was not too crazy about a wet, long-haired cat running around the house. The next thing we learned was that Kitty did not like plants in her water dish! She would grab the plants and drag them all over the house, beating them up in the process. No matter how many times we put them back, or reduced the number of plants see if that helped, we would find bedraggled water plants somewhere in the house shortly after returning it to the water. All of that, plus the dogs banging the heavy ceramic pot into the wall and splashing water all over every time they were playing tag together, led to putting the pond pot in the shed, getting a bowl for the goldfish, and donating all the plants to the girl's high school biology lab.


The next fall when I brought the fish back in they had outgrown their inside bowl. Since I wouldn't want to live in a fish bowl myself, I kind of figured they might not either. (Like a goldfish really cares?) Well, I also didn't want to have a boring bowl to look at all winter, so I gussied up the new one a bit.

 

One of my tasks for today was to finally move the fish inside for the winter. I guess I could leave a plant or two in the bowl this year since Kitty isn't here to go crazy. I would really rather have her and no plants in the fishbowl. I would even be happy with water plants being drug all over the house. Besides, who is going to pet the goldfish this winter without her here?

 

Maybe there is something about Fall I don't like

I am sure you all were beginning to think I must live in a dream land for all the gushing I have been doing about the wonders and beauty of fall. Yeah, so I forgot there is at least one thing I really don't like, I might even use the word "hate," about fall. The invasion of the bugs.

Every fall the Box Elder Bugs cover the front of our house. They get inside the house too.

 

And they cover the dog house.

 

They also cover the side of the house and the door we go out to put the dogs in the yard by their house. That means they dive bomb whoever comes through the garage and opens this door to put the dogs out. They dive bomb your hair, your ears, your nose.

 

Just in case you need a close up of one. It is just going to get worse. We will soon be covered with these plus Asian Beetles. Not only do they dive bomb everything, get tangled in your hair, and get into your house; they bite, hard! They also release some nasty smell every time they get upset or disturbed. Yeah, they come into the house too.

 

So, I am going to leave you with this picture of what I worked on today. I just need to stuff it and close off the bottom. Then I'll see if it looks more like what it is supposed to represent. Any guesses?

Today's mail is full of presents!

Today I found several packages in my mailbox.
Unfortunately, Hubband is gone for the afternoon and has the camera with him. So, I will have to give you photos later of the beautiful COFFEE BEAN (!!!!!) stitch markers from Angela, as well as the Portland post card.




Due to the camera being out for an excursion, I will give you pictures from the Internet of the other two packages content. I will post pictures of my own as soon as possible. The second package was this book from Jane, over at WhoDuKnit. It was my "Mystery Prize" for solving a riddle.

 

The last package I got was from my Secret Pall 11, known to me as Secret Ann. She sent me this book, that had fallen into the "I have checked it out three times" category. Now I can update it on my Powell's wish list.

 

I will leave you with a picture of the missing dishcloth that I mentioned the other day. I think it turned out pretty cool as it looks good from either side.

Umm, something I forgot...

I realized that with my frustrations with Blogspot earlier I forgot to mention that DTY is a very prime daughter. She is a little more prime than she was a couple of years ago, and as prime as she will be until 2011.

Happy Birthday DTY!

OK, this post and I are both going into a "Time Out". The pictures and their captions are connected properly in the draft and in the "post-publish view window" but not in the actual post that the rest of you are looking at. For now you will have to figure out which ones go where before I hurt something. I am going to go drink a cup of tea and knit a little. I don't know what Blogspot is going to do during its time out.
Oh yeah!!! Thanks to my favorite Uncle, "Time Out" is all done! (And no, he isn't my favorite just because he helped with this problem.)



This is DTY's "Official Hospital Portrait."











As you can see, DTY has always had an awesome smile.

 

A couple of her Senior Pictures, Fall of 2006.

 

Senior Prom, Spring of 2007.

 

Graduation, June 2007.

 

On her annual backpacking trip, 2007.

 

Standing next to one of the awesome trees on the Reed campus.

 

Looking out her dorm room window, late August 2007.

 

I hope DY has an awesome birthday at school!

Weekly FIADS Topic

This week's FIADS topic is about fall cooking and favorite recipes. I love fall cooking; different kinds of chilies, soups, and squash in many forms. I also love baking breads; French Onion Soup Bread, Boston Brown Bread, and corn bread. Today I will share a couple of my favorite fall foods and maybe I'll share bread recipes in the future. Is my corn bread recipe a family secret?


Baked Pumpkin and Onions
Pumpkin Slices, peeled, 1/2 inch thick
yellow onions, peeled and sliced
salt and pepper
olive oil or melted butter
Brown sugar

Arrange layers of pumpkin and onions in a buttered baking/casserole dish. Add a bit of salt and pepper and repeat layers to desired amount. Tip with a few spoonfuls of brown sugar and a drizzle of olive oil or melted butter.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° F for 30 to 45 minutes, or until fork tender.
Butternut (or other hard) squash can be substituted for the pumpkin.

Cranberry Nut Pie
Oven 325° F Buttered non-metal pie plate
1 1/4 cups cranberries, washed
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans (lightly toasted if desired)

1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup butter, melted

Put cranberries and nuts in prepared pie plate, sprinkle with brown sugar.
Mix egg and white sugar, blend in flour and melted butter. Mix well and pour over cranberry mixture. Bake for 45 minutes.

BTW, somebody is having a birthday tomorrow, and it isn't me. Check in and I'll tell you all about it tomorrow! (Well, Blogspot is in a different time zone than me I guess. I am still on Oct. 3, but this looks like it will come up on the 4th as its posting date. The birthday is the 4th, so I will tell you about it after I get up.)