What is it with CATS??

October 29, 2007 at 9:57 PM (notes and thoughts)

Don’t get me wrong, I love cats. I am the ultimate cat lady. When I am old and decrepit (don’t say it….) I will live surrounded by hundreds (okay, dozens, let’s not go overboard!) of cats.

But, honestly, Simon is supposed to be my cat. Cherry is supposed to be Emma’s cat. So why on earth does Cherry jump on my shoulders and wrap herself around my neck while I’m doing dishes, or cooking, or something? And why is she curled up on my lap as usual? And why does Simon sleep in Emma’s bed every night? At least little Mina doesn’t really seem to have any favorites. But I guess Emma and I will just swap cats, and then the cats would probably swap humans!!Little goobers!!!

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Let it snow!!!

October 29, 2007 at 2:11 PM (notes and thoughts, violins)

On Sunday, we actually had about 5 minutes of snow dust.  I was outside, ‘cleaning up’ the yard, and Todd was chopping some more wood.  What a pilgrim!!  Okay, okay, I was actually repotting some of my brugs, but Todd really was doing some work, so I’m going to take some of the credit.  I did help pile some in the wood shed!  It has been the weirdest October, weather wise, that I can remember.  We have had some really hot days, but I think the weather has finally figured out that it is almost winter, not summer.  Last night was cold enough that it finally knocked out the remaining tomato plants.  (Tomatoes in October??)

The kids are so excited for Hallowe’en.  Emma has been practising her ‘vampire’, and Meg has her princess costume all ready to go. (Yes, I finally got off my butt, and made her costume this year.)  I’m lucky I guess that Emma wants to be a vampire again.  Maybe she’ll be one next year too!!  We also went to Emma’s first school dance a while ago.  She is kind of young for school dances, but some of her school friends were going, and she was sooooo excited.  We all went, and it was pretty cute.  I remember grade school crushes, and chasing boys!  And I got to meet one little boy who is Emma’s crush!  I think he likes her too.  But I’m not allowed to tell Todd because he teases too much!

We trying to recuperate around here, from colds, fevers, earaches, and who knows what other bugs!  Poor Meg was sick all weekend, so she didn’t get out much.  I think she is finally feeling a bit better, although still feverish and sneezy.  And Emma’s got a cold too.  She stayed home Wednesday and Thursday, so now we’ll have to play catch up with her homework.  Did I mention how much she loves homework?? No?? Hmmn, that’s probably cause she doesn’t!  I’m trying to make it fun, but really, how much fun can you make homework?  But at least we try.

Well, I recently bought another Maggini!  Somebody keep me off Ebay!  I was listing a couple violins, and (I should know better!!!!) was browsing around!  Saw this gorgeous violin, totally underpriced, so I snapped it up.  Somebody slap me!   I know I’m not going to find a Strad on Ebay, for a couple hundred bucks, but I’ve found some really nice copies, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised a few times by just how nice a violin I’ve gotten.  And, yes, I’ve boughten some dogs too, but overall I’ve been really lucky!  Knock on wood!

Time to go pick up Emma at school.

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NakedTomatoes

October 24, 2007 at 5:14 PM (gardening)
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I’ve started a new blog, one that will try to focus mostly on gardening, some cooking and baking, and perhaps on the politics of seed saving, gmo’s, and general politics of gardening. How to save seeds, how to start seeds, fertilizing and how to handle pests without using chemicals, and pretty much anything else that pops into my head that may be useful or interesting, whether you are a beginner or a seasoned gardener. I am hoping this will also help me to keep organized and also give me a useful way to keep track of what I’ve been doing in the garden and in the kitchen. And I love comments, ideas and questions, so please feel free to leave them! You can the link in my GardenLinks, under the name, NakedTomatoes.

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Do you remember mixed tapes….and free tomato seeds

October 23, 2007 at 12:01 AM (stuff)

I recently set up my music area in the kitchen (i.e. record player/tape deck with records and tapes shelved below) and rediscovered the bliss of the mixed tape.  I have a few that my sweet baby sister made for me, and I played them all weekend.  Thank you Sarah!!!  Oasis, Blur, Pulp, mix of Brit pop, things I haven’t listened to in years.  I forgot how much I liked that music!  I also have a bunch that I made myself, and some that are from ‘boys’ that I used to date.  What can be more (what’s the word??cute??no.)  than listening to a tape that a boy/boyfriend made for you years ago??  He made it, put some thought into it (hopefully), and was trying to tell you something.  Wow.   We were that young once.  The mixed tape used to mean a hell of a lot!

Anyway, while I was listening to these tapes  I was making some yummy red/green tomato salsa, and I saved a whole  bunch of mixed seed.   They are all open pollinated, heirloom seeds, so a mixed bag, and you’d be taking your chances as to what you get, but for a stamp, I’d send out a pack to anyone who would like one.  They include Black Plum, Vova Yellow, Orange Jubilee, Beefsteak,  Stupice, to name a few.  These are good, free, heirloom seeds.  Leave me a comment if there is any interest.

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Shine on…

October 16, 2007 at 1:59 PM (gardening)

It’s a gorgeous fall day.  Crisp, not too cold, sunny, and I when look out my window I can see the fall colors of the trees.  There are so many birds at the feeder, fattening up for the winter, and the squirrels are even fatter.  I picked all the tomatoes, time to make some green tomato salsa.  Lots and lots of green tomatoes, but the weather forecast for last night was zero degrees, so I didn’t want them to get all mushy and go to waste.  Green tomato salsa is pretty tasty.  I basically use the same salsa recipe that I use for regular salsa, and it turned out great last year.  I really wanted to do some sundried tomatoes this year, too, but that’s not gonna happen.  Two batches of salsa, lots of spaghetti this summer, and bruschetta, and tomato salads pretty much used up all the red tomatoes.  I will plan it better next year.  But really, who wants the oven on overnight when it’s 30degrees outside?

I may actually get a zucchini out of the garden yet!  There is a small one valiantly trying to hold on, and grow.  Usually zukes are the most prolific thing in my garden, but this year, something kept nibbling all the little veggies of the vines.  Not a single one survived!   I had planted around 5 plants, and not one gave me a zuke.  One plant can almost always be counted on to give you enough, and sometimes more.  So I thought 5 was going a bit overboard, but I like to overdo things!  Obviously I was wrong.  Or rather, 5 plants were quite nicely feeding someone else.  Maybe a rabbit, or a raccoon, I don’t know.  You’d think the rabbit would go after the lettuce, but that was never touched.  But a raccoon eating Zucchini, especially when there was tons of yummy things to fish out of the compost bin, and sometimes even cat food that I’d forget to bring in for the night?  That’s even stranger!  So I don’t know who the culprit really was.

I am working on my list of tomatoes, will try to post it soon.  I’ve mentionned some of them in earlier posts, that I will grow again.  I will try to finalize a list of must grows, and want to try’s for next year soon.  Still have a lot of cleaning up inside and out, especially now that all the bruggies are living in the dining room for the winter.  I’ve cut them right back, and they still take up so much room!  And I have cuttings to get sent out to people, which I must do very soon, before I get blacklisted as a bad trader!  I’ve got a Charles Grimaldi, a Dr. Seuss, and a Xena on the way to me, which I’m pretty excited about.  That will be three more named brugs to add to my collection!  Yay!!  And my 7 little babies grown from seed this spring are very happy and healthy, so I’m hopeful I may get flowers from them next summer.  There might be something special in that lot, you never know!  They are V.Peach X Frosty Pink.

Well, time to bike up and get Emma at school.  Hope everyone enjoys a beautiful fall day.   Before long we’ll be getting snow!

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Lady and the Tramp…

October 12, 2007 at 9:58 PM (stuff)

Movie pick of the night.  It’s Friday night, Todd’s gone for the weekend for a gaming thing with his friends, so it’s a girls weekend.  We have nail polish, make up, chips and chocolate.  What more could you ask for??  We will do lunch on Sunday (Chinese buffet) and just hang out and be girls.  Sometimes it is so much fun to be a mom.  Simple, delicious, girly fun!!  Maybe we’ll even talk about boys!!!

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Rainy days rock…

October 12, 2007 at 12:43 AM (stuff)

I love a rainy day.  I should live in B.C. but then I’m sure I’d get tired of them pretty fast.  The weather has changed so quickly, I haven’t had a chance to wear much of my ‘fall’ wardrobe.   I need to spend tomorrow cutting down my gorgeous blooming brugs, and hauling everything green inside the house.  My jades are looking beautiful, and my Yucca tree is huge.  I don’t know if it’ll fit.  I may have to cut it down too.  We are expecting some pretty cold weather soon, and I don’t want to take too many risks.  So I’ve got to get on it.

I feel like baking lately.  And playing the violin.  And writing.  I haven’t sold any violins yet, I haven’t had a chance to really play my new Maggini and get to know it.  Soon, soon.  That’s one thing about this weather.  I feel untethered.  I always feel weird when the seasons change, as if there is no ground underneath my feet or something.   Hopefully the weather will settle soon, and I can  go back to my semi-normal what-is-me state.  Get some direction.

No sign of Anya.  I guess she is gone.  That makes me very sad.  She found me when I was living in Sudbury.  She was a little kitten who had been painted.  Slept outside my bedroom window for a couple days, until I finally brought her in.  Misha and Ashley (my old baby kitties who have since died) took her fine, and they were with me for so long.  It’s like the end of a small feline era.  I miss them.

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Notting Hill…Bin 404

October 10, 2007 at 11:00 PM (stuff)

The title of this post is actually a delicious Australian wine that I discovered over Labour Day weekend.  I am by no means a wine connesseur (see?  I can’t even spell it!)  but it is by far the nicest wine I’ve ever tasted.  So I’m on a quest to find really good wine, maybe once or twice a month, and to take the time and the money to splurge on myself and enjoy.  I stopped buying wine for a long time, because I wasn’t drinking it to enjoy it, I was just drinking it!  And this wine was bought at my local IGA, of all places!  With a little piece of dark chocolate to nibble on (it’s good for you!), a funny book, and kids in  bed asleep, that’s my plan for Saturday night.  Todd is off for a gaming weekend with his friends, so I have some time to do what I want to do.  And hey, I won’t have to share my stinky blue cheese, or anything else.  If there are any suggestions for good wines out there, please leave me a comment.

On a sad note, my sweet kitty, Anya, has vanished.  I haven’t seen her since last Sunday, which for her is very odd.   She was an outdoor summer cat, but she had a little bed that I had made up for her in the shed lean to that she slept in all the time.   She never went very far, and not a morning went by without her being first kitty at the back door for food.  I don’t have a good feeling about this.  And I’ve called all the shelters, nothing.  So I am starting to dispare that she is gone for good.  She wasn’t a young cat, she didn’t roam much.  I don’t know what could have happened to her.

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Happy Turkey Weekend!!

October 4, 2007 at 5:00 PM (notes and thoughts)

It’s early this year, and the weather so far has been incredible. The forecast for this weekend is still tanks and tee’s. I remember one Thanksgiving weekend, when Todd and I were walking home from Sarah’s, and having a snowball fight! I’m not complaining, I’m just a bit worried about the state of the planet. Obviously something weird is going on!

As for the situation with Meg’s swimming lesson, that still has not been resolved. I spoke to three different people on the phone, and finally just went to the pool, where I spoke to the manager. Can anyone say pass the buck?? Anyway, apparently the pool ’supervisor’ only works on the weekends, and she is in charge of the swim courses. Everyone has my phone number, and if I don’t hear from them by next week, then I’ll escalate it. (Just not sure how!?)

Well, I’ve been puttering in the garden, enjoying the sun, and the kittens keep coming up to me as if to say ‘ Hey, watcha doin’?’.  They are  being allowed outside, with supervision, and it is hilarious to watch them.  Simon kept himself occupied for about an hour with a poor little grasshoper.  I think he finally ate it!  Yuck!  And Mina and Cherry are climbing trees, fences, sheds, and hedges.  Pretty much anything climbable.  They chase flies and leaves like little lions practicing.  A few squirrels come down to check the bird feeders, and the kittens are just fascinated by them.   And of course the birds.  They are so cute.

Well, Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  We are heading out tomorrow, but ‘we’ll be baaaaack’.

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