Stray Cat Strut...

... incidentally, he does walk right by with his tail in the air, which of course made me think of the song and, in turn, sing it to him while he lolled in catnip.

I know I'm about two mammals, a marsupial, and three reptiles away from being a regular zoo, but this little guy needed some help. Found in the industrial part of town, on a trail behind freight terminals back where you could film an opening scene for an episode of Law and Order, on the hottest day of the year, this little, nameless dude had nowhere to go. So for two days in a row, I've been a foster mommy, and we'll see how it goes. Poor baby is terrified of loud noises, and being left in a room alone, but his scraped up nose is on the mend, and he no longer smells like garbage, and finally eats at a pace where it appears he may believe the food is not actually going anywhere.

Big Sister, on the other hand, is adjusting better than i imagined, though she's not taking any lip, and when new guy hisses at her she's quick to put him in his place. I'm hoping this is just a small kink to be straightened out, if not for long-term, at least until this little guy calms down enough to place with a new mommy. Until then he'll be recouping here ... Passages of the animal kingdom, apparently.

Too Hot to Blog

Brunch, on the other hand, is always a good idea!

She's my favorite raccoon this year, well her and her boyfriend Arne (full name: Arne Gonnafeedme). Arne digs in all of my flower pots, and stands up against the glass door looking for me, or I should say, until I look at him, and this little mama is known for falling asleep on my patio after a little midnight snack. But as I understand it, pregnancy is exhausting no matter who you are. Her babies are here now though, and she's been one busy girl. Some days are advanced foraging lessons, while others are reserved for tree climbing 101.

It's been such an unexpected pleasure to meet this little gang of bandits this week!

Re-Introducing...

The Etsy banner (er, since the last one had a glaring typo ... nothing screams pro like a spelling error! Haha):

Soon to be up and fully operational!

(It's a little small, but you get the idea)

The Stonecutter

There was once a stonecutter, who was dissatisfied with himself and with his position in life.

One day, he passed a wealthy merchant's house, and through the open gateway, saw many fine possessions and important visitors. "How powerful that merchant must be!" thought the stonecutter. He became very envious, and wished that he could be like the merchant. Then he would no longer have to live the life of a mere stonecutter.

To his great surprise, he suddenly became the merchant, enjoying more luxuries and power than he had ever dreamed of, envied and detested by those less wealthy than himself. But soon a high official passed by, carried in a sedan chair, accompanied by attendants, and escorted by soldiers beating gongs. Everyone, no matter how wealthy, had to bow low before the procession. "How powerful that official is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a high official!"

Then he became the high official, carried everywhere in his embroidered sedan chair, feared and hated by the people all around, who had to bow down before him as he passed. It was a hot summer day, and the official felt very uncomfortable in the sticky sedan chair. He looked up at the sun. It shone proudly in the sky, unaffected by his presence. "How powerful the sun is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be the sun!"

Then he became the sun, shining fiercely down on everyone, scorching the fields, cursed by the farmers and laborers. But a huge black cloud moved between him and the earth, so that his light could no longer shine on everything below. "How powerful that storm cloud is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a cloud!"

Then he became the cloud, flooding the fields and villages; shouted at by everyone. But soon he found that he was being pushed away by some great force, and realized that it was the wind. "How powerful it is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be the wind!"

Then he became the wind, blowing tiles off the roofs of houses, uprooting trees, hated and feared by all below him. But after a while, he ran up against something that would not move, no matter how forcefully he blew against it - a huge, towering stone. "How powerful that stone is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a stone!"

Then he became the stone, more powerful than anything else on earth. But as he stood there, he heard the sound of a hammer pounding a chisel into the solid rock, and felt himself being changed. "What could be more powerful than I, the stone? he thought. He looked down and saw far below him the figure of a stonecutter.

Chinese / Japanese Fable

Author Unknown

Come Sea. Comme Ça.

That's exactly how I felt last Thursday after a scorching hot day that kept dragging out like the Kate & Leo version of Titanic (did it really need to be so long?), and then something changed. A breeze came through my window carrying with it that certain bite only sea air can bring to revive you on days like that. It also brought that familiar smell of the beach ... you know the one that smells like sea plants, and the inside of a clam shell, and as I followed the breeze backward to its origin I was met with the moody, clouds that looked like they'd been colored with octopus ink from Oregon that we were promised earlier in the day. Even though I don't think we actually got the lightning we were warned about, there's that undeniable energy in the air that always comes with clouds that puffy, and that dark, and that's when I thought to myself: Come sea. Just like that.

The Verdict is in:

GUILTY on 12 counts of being delicious!

After much anticipation, they're finally here, but not without mishaps ... though it really wouldn't be baking with me if there weren't any (like the time I mixed up baking soda, and powder for the lemon squares, but that doesn't really count because my way turned out better anyway). You might be wondering why the tops look particularly shiny, well that's what happens when you can't get the frosting right, and have to scrape it off 3 times (and that's before I started drinking). So the tops are not only frosted, but "glazed" as well. I realized something went very wrong when the frosting I loaded into the super shooter came running out when I turned it business side down. Back to the mixer with it! Way too many portions of confectioner's sugar later, and my frosting was none the thicker ... more of it, just not thicker. Realizing it was much too late to call my mother and desperately whimper "Help," I grabbed for the flour...

It Triggers a Whole New Era

Of Ease, Convenience, and Versatility in the Kitchen: What is this miracle gadget you ask? Why, none other than the Wear-Ever Super Shooter, of course!

Let's hope it holds up to the boasts on its "box" (and I use that term as loosely as possible), because anything that will revolutionize my kitchen experience (whether it's from the 1970s or not) is definitely welcome in my world. But the boasting doesn't stop on the front of the box, according to the sides I can make "picture perfect cookies, eye-catching appetizers, garnished entrees, and filled pasta". While the other side advertises "beautiful candy mints, easy filled desserts, delicious deviled eggs, and interesting salads (if that's what you wanna call the last one, but I'd call it a picture of Romaine lettuce with tomato wedges standing in cliques around the plate with orange goo in the middle of each tomato huddle, perhaps that's why I'm not in the advertising business).

Now, I know you're asking yourself, "Where on Earth did she find this radical Appliancesaurus Rex?" I'll tell you. This delicious relic came courtesy of my mother on her winter trip to see her grandbaby, and this is the first time I've pulled it out of the box since ... ok, that's a lie. I looked at it once to verify that the trigger was, indeed, 1970s green. And to my delight, it is, although it's much more lime rather than scary Brady Bunch green in person. But don't think that you can't actually get these anymore! As I was googling (I love the digital age!) for the missing user's manual (I know it all seems pretty straight forward, but there are some parts here that I can't for the life of me remember how to put where) I found this VERY model on sale for nearly $60. Who knew my mom was so cutting edge with kitchen gadgetry in a previous lifetime?

Anyway, I'm feeling like pretty hot stuff with my new muffin tin and this guy who I hope will help me in frosting my cupcakes I've been whining about making for ages now. Even if I don't get the hang of this thing, they can't turn out worse than if I smear it on with a knife (frosting things is definitely the gene I'm missing from my mother).

Wish me luck!

April Showers Bring May Flowers (or so they say)

I've given May a fair shake at this "May flowers" racket (being the last weekend of the month and all), and just who brought the May flowers this year, hmmm? We can thank our local store with in house garden center, or rather the stuffy green house the store got them from.

I started things from seed packets this year, I over-wintered my geraniums from last summer, I even took cuttings, and in the end I had to cheat anyway. Good thing I'm not trying to champion a great moral lesson here. Does the end justify the means? I dare say in this case, YES!