Feline Friday: The Cat Who...

It's been another busy week around here getting ready for fall classes so in the evening, I've been curling up with a good book series. If you're a cat person, you should definitely check it out! The series is written by Lilian Jackson Braun and is called The Cat Who... The author started writing the books in the 1960's, but I've only recently heard of them! A customer at the store where I teach has been loaning them to me in batches as she knew I'd enjoy them...and I do!

The books are mysteries featuring reporter Jim Qwilleran and his two Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum. Qwill encounters a different mystery in each book -- and his cats are instrumental in solving them.

The books are very well-written and the feline characters are described in a way that cat lovers will appreciate, as the author was a cat guardian herself. The mysteries are intriguing but not scary and revolve around a different theme in each book. They can be read in any order, but the first two books provide the background about how the two cats came to live with Qwill. I started out reading a few books in the middle of the series but now am going back to read the early ones.

 

 Of course, the very best way to read these books is with your own cat stretched out on your lap! At this rate, I'm not sure Lily is going to be solving any mysteries of her own...other than when her next meal will happen!😸

 

 Happy Feline Friday!

jp and Lily

Feline Friday: Santa Came!

 Santa made a stop at our house and dropped off some goodies for Lily!

 

 He generously filled our stockings, too -- some of which feature red puffballs which are sewn firmly on, much to Lily's dismay! 🎅

 

 He filled Cousin Rory's stocking, which also has a lovely hanging puffball which could not be removed, despite her best efforts!

 

 We hope Santa made a stop at your house, too! Wishing you a lovely end to 2018 and the very happiest New Year!  

 🎄Janet & Lily🎄

Feline Friday: Nature Watching

Our two kitties love watching nature...ON NETFLIX!

Tinsel especially recommends Flight of the Butterflies, a documentary of the annual migration of monarch butterflies. I highly recommend this, too! What an amazing process.

Lily recommends Wild Madagascar. This documentary focuses on the many kinds of lemurs that make the island their home.

 

She was impressed with how some lemurs spend all of their time jumping from tree to tree, and when they do spend time on the ground, all they can do is hop!

 

 Now this might actually be a squirrel. :) Lily is also impressed with squirrels. She would give squirrels a THUMBS UP...if she had thumbs!

Oh, and this is a bug. Lily highly recommends bugs, too.

 Heck, Lily recommends most anything with animals on Netflix! Enjoy some "nature watching" with your kitties this weekend!

jp

Feline Friday with Rory

It's official: Rory just gets cuter every day. All of this cuteness must have been bottled up inside her when Bailey adopted her last August...and now it is seeping out in daily doses!

I mean, seriously...who can resist this face-grab?

 Rory has the ability to make her neck REALLY long, like a giraffe. This allows her to thoroughly investigate Important Things without moving her bottom. :) And those feet! They are HUGE!

 

Her legs are also REALLY long, as evidenced here! We think she's done growing, but if she ever grows into her long legs and huge feet, she'll be GINORMOUS! :)

The bathroom is HERS. This includes the bathtub, the toilet, the counter, the cabinets, the drawers, the sink, and now (credit to me!) the cabinet.

 

There's that long neck again! :)

When it's time to sleep, Bailey puts Rory in a sweater or t-shirt and she hops right on the bed. Here she is waiting for Bailey to give her a bedtime treat! BE STILL, MY HEART!

 

 

And she's the biggest little cuddle bunny while she's sleeping! She relaxes so completely that she is LIMP like a noodle. Here she is snuggled in Bailey's arm.

I'm so happy that Bailey found such a precious kitty! I love these girls!

Book Shelf Organization

I've been sorting through boxes and tubs in our basement, trying to make room for the stuff I brought home from my parents' house. I had some books stored on open shelving in the basement storage room and decided that wasn't the best place for them, so I embarked on a big SHIFTAROO -- moving books from one place to another and packing up books we don't need right now. This ended up being a bigger task than anticipated, which is the story of my life these days!

Anyway, we've got some great closed cupboard shelves on either side of our fireplace which were full of stuff which didn't really need to be housed there. (Trust me, it was so bad that I didn't even take a BEFORE picture!) I decided the shelves would be perfect for some of our books...if they weren't so darn DEEP! As you can see, the shelves are deep enough to accommodate two rows of books, but I absolutely hate arranging books that way because you can't get to the back ones easily.

(Yes, I kept my old Childcraft books! I absolutely loved them as a little girl -- and still do!)

So I thought about ways to use the space more efficiently and came up with the idea of using baskets for smaller books. (Now I'm sure I'm not the first person to think of this idea...but this is the first time I've ever thought of it!) I purchased several small baskets from Target (just $2.99 each) and filled them with paperbacks. This plan ended up working perfectly: Just lift out the baskets to get to the books in back!

I used a slightly bigger basket to accommodate my collection of childhood storybooks. I love that I can just lift out the basket and see them all! :) At the back of this shelf, I gathered up all of our yearbooks and put them in date order, as part of my attempt to put our books together by subject, too. I haven't employed my friend Mr. Dewey Decimal just yet, but I'll admit that I've considered it! Handling books brings out my inner librarian. :)

So after the big SHIFTAROO, I'm very happy with how these shelves are being utilized now! If you have deep closet shelves and lots of books, maybe this idea will work for you, too!

jp

Recipe: Lentils with White Wine, Herbs, & Tomatoes

Last fall, I read a wonderful book called Lunch in Paris and wrote about it here. I would not consider it a "recipe book" but rather a book with recipes -- and that's what I find so appealing about it. After I finished the book, I saved several recipes to try. It has only taken me five months to get around to making the first one -- Lentils with White Wine, Herbs, & Tomatoes.

This lentil dish makes a perfect dinner on a cold winter's evening. Keep in mind that it makes a LOT but the leftovers freeze well and can be made into a soup (see below). I also found out (after the fact -- should have checked first!) that Spouse is not a huge lentil fan but in spite of that, he still enjoyed the dish. Served with a green salad and a loaf of crusty bread, this is comfort food at its best.

Lentils with White Wine, Herbs, and Tomatoes
Recipe by Elizabeth Bard, from Lunch in Paris

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 carrot, roughly chopped
4-5 small shallots or 1 medium onion, roughly chopped (I used shallots)
2.5 cups dried Puy lentils (I used whatever the grocery store carried - nothing fancy)
6 cups chicken broth
1 16 ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 cup dry white wine
A handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, including some of the stems, chopped
1 bay leaf (fresh, if possible)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Condiments:
Sour cream or creme fraiche
Chopped fresh cilantro
3 limes, halved

In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and carrot and saute for 5 to 10 minutes until the onion is translucent.

Add the lentils and stir to coat with the oil.

Add the broth, tomatoes, wine, parsley, bay leaf, and a good grinding of pepper. Leave to simmer over a low heat with the cover ajar until the lentils are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 1 hour.

(Can I tell you how incredibly good this smells simmering on the stove?)

The author doesn't mention anything about a CAT in the kitchen, but I think it always helps to have a bit of supervision.

Serve in shallow bowls with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkling of chopped fresh cilantro, and (essential!) half a lime for squeezing. Serves 6.

The author suggests topping the lentils and sour cream with a pan fried or broiled salmon fillet for easy entertaining. Leftover freeze well. They also make great soup; just throw in a bit of extra broth and a dash of white wine and puree. Serve with the same condiments.

What I'm Reading Now

I'm a big fan of non-fiction. I occasionally read fiction, but there's something about the practicality of non-fiction that really appeals to me. In the past few weeks (coincidentally, the same amount of time that Daughter has been away at college!), I've finished several non-fiction books. Of them, Lunch in Paris is my favorite.


This is the true story of a woman who meets a French guy and moves to Paris. Sound a bit trite? I assure you, it's not. Elizabeth Bard tells the story of her transition to French life with the rich detail of someone who has truly lived it. She weaves in descriptions of places you may recognize if you've vacationed in Paris -- or lived there in college, as I did. Her writing voice is at once conversational and elegant.

What gives this book a unique twist is that the text is laced with recipes, all of which help advance the story line. This context makes the annotated recipes themselves interesting to read. I've marked several that I'd like to try. The author's straightforward technique descriptions make me believe that even I could be successful making some otherwise intimidating French dishes.

If you'd like to visit this beautiful city -- or return some day -- you'll enjoy losing yourself in Lunch in Paris.

Two Peas Blogging Challenge: A Good Read

A recent Two Peas Blogging Challenge was this: Recommend a book that others might enjoy.

In my personal quest for "ORDER" this year, I've been reading books on getting organized. (Note that I'd probably be a lot more organized by this time if I'd stop reading about it and start working on it, but hey...that's beside the point.) Last week, I spotted this one in the "New Arrival" section at the library: Christopher Lowell's Seven Layers of Organization. In reading the introduction, it would seem that I really should know who this dude is, but in reality, I've never heard of him. But what does that matter? I'm only interested in what he has to say about organization.

I'm about one-third of the way through the book and so far, I think Mr. Lowell has me pegged. He describes typical types of pack rats and alarmingly, I see myself in several:

The Appropriate Appropriator: A person who, fearing the wrath of an in-law or other relative, accepts offerings she doesn't want and then feels obliged to display them. Oh, yeah...I've got a LOT of this stuff and all of the guilt to go with it.

The Heartfelt Hoarder: A person who saves everything anyone ever gave to them. (OK, I'm not quite that extreme, but I'm somewhere on that continuum.)

The Keep-It-Till-I-Read-It Pack Rat: A voracious reader-type person who saves newspapers, magazines, old mail...This person would pitch this stuff in a heartbeat, but she has to read it first. Ring any bells?

The "Perfectly Good" Pack Rat: A person who prides herself on thriftiness and practicality. To this person, everything is "practically like new" so therefore could never be discarded. Remember the 20-year old wool suits I could barely part with at my garage sale? Ugly as they may have been, they were like new! Really! (I still can't figure out why no one bought them...)

The Possibility Procrastinator: This person sees creative possibilities in everything that catches her eye, but often underestimates the time, money and motivation it will take to actually get the work done. This is the demon who forces me to purchase strange items to alter in the Target $1 Spot.

Now, Mr. Lowell assures me that even if I recognize myself in all of these descriptions, all is not lost. Says he: "Have no fear. Recognizing the situation is the first step in getting to the root of why you attract and keep clutter."

So far, I'm intrigued by this "psychological" approach to creating an orderly home environment. If Mr. Lowell can help me get out from under the burden of "stuff" I've accumulated, he'll be my hero. If you're in the same (sinking) boat, you might appreciate this book, too.

Big Day for a Big Fan

Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably know that today is the day that the final Harry Potter book was released. This day has been listed as a holiday on our calendar since the release date was announced.

DD pre-ordered her copy on Amazon and waited quite impatiently for it to arrive via mail truck. Around noon, we heard the familiar sound of the truck as it rounded the corner into our neighborhood. DD met the mail carrier at the street and took the box directly into her hands. After waiting so many months, it would have been dreadful for the book to be delivered to the wrong house.

Since opening the sacred box, DD has sequestered herself with the book -- no phone, no Internet, no accidental spoilers -- and plans to read continuously until she turns the final page.

Reading: The Artist's Way

As I've perused various blogs over the past few months, I've seen several references to The Artist's Way, A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, by Julia Cameron. From what I've read, this book appears to have been helpful to many people who work in the creative arts and struggle, as we all do, with blocks along the creative pathway. The author claims to be able to "unblock" blocked writers, artists, and others seeking a spiritual pathway to creativity. The concepts she outlines are actually in line with my desire to put "order" into various parts of my life this year, including my creative self.

Little did I know that this is not a book to read lightly and set aside: The author actually requires homework, notably writing in a journal of sorts every day (she refers to this as Morning Pages) and making creativity "dates" with oneself (called Artist's Dates). In addition to these tasks, there are additional homework assignments along the way. I have to admit that so far I am intrigued by the concepts outlined in the first couple of chapters and I like the idea of freeing my mind via daily journaling. At the same time, however, I'm skeptical about my ability to stick with the rigor of the assigned tasks.

As a child, I was very creative and highly involved in art and writing, but as I got older, perfectionism took hold and I gradually stopped doing anything of a creative nature because I thought I wasn't "good enough". Only through scrapbooking have I gained back enough confidence to open up this side of my mind again. At the same time, I'm filled with doubts about it being "too late" for me to change my path.

I'm hoping that this book will help me sort through these feelings and get back to who God created me to be in the first place.

Great Summer Reading Escape

Over the weekend I picked up a copy of Roads Less Traveled by Catherine Watson at our local public library. If you would like to escape to the far ends of the earth without leaving the comforts of your air-conditioned home, this book is a must read.

The author is a seasoned travel reporter with a rich, colorful writing style. The book is actually a series of stories about the remote places she has visited all around the world. You don't need to read it in any particular order. Just pick a place you'd like to visit and jump in. Through the author's vivid descriptions, I've learned what it was like to see polar bears in the arctic, live among orangutans, and be treated with herbs by a spiritual healer in the market in Mexico City.

The book takes me to places I've never heard of and will likely never go, but it makes me want to take out the atlas and dream a little. Give it a read if you have a chance this summer.