Hi, I’m Gwyneth and I like to…

…do lots of things. But here are a few:
Chew chair legs:
Watch any Youtube with kittens in it:
Drive Kate insane by taking a year to use the litter box:
Sneak onto the bed while Kate is sleeping, because she has to nap when Kate naps. Yes, people, there was some communal napping going on yesterday. All Hail to the Cat Goddesses! If you look closely above the pillow (click photo to enlarge it) you will see the tiny grey head that is Gwyneth. They were asleep until I got the camera to document this demonstration of household Peace.
And a few other things, which have yet to be documented on film:
- Bite on electrical cords.
- Eat the tails off toy mice.
- Bite the corners of pillows.
- Eat the milky remnants of my Mom’s oatmeal in the morning.
And the joy continues every day. Ha!

I Have Not Stopped Itching Since…

…the first mention of BED BUGS appeared in the news! Can I get an OMG? Let’s just say that the first sign of one anywhere near me, my bed, my laundry, out in the damn yard even, and I’m sticking a For Sale sign on the house. For some reason I find them incredibly gross. And I just found out from Sherri that they bite you in 3s, which is referred to as breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Nooooo! That is just so gnarly. And if you really want to get freaked out, just check out this Google Image search on “bed bug” and see all manner of bites and bugs and horrible things. Ok, going to itch now. I’m happy to report that whatever this itchy thing is on my neck, it is singular in nature -- thank god!

Remembering

In various places around the house, I have pictures of my sweetest Oreo. There’s a painting over my desk (a gift from a friend),  a framed poem and picture hangs on the wall by my bed (a gift from another friend), his ashes in my night table, and a framed picture in the hall with the other family portraits. Isn’t it amazing the impact a dear pet has on our lives? How lasting? How deep? As time goes by, I make it a point to remember.

Found this snippet on a local veterinarian's site:

Our pets come to us as teachers from up above. They embody the power of unconditional love. They chose us individually with specific intention, manifesting heaven on earth with divine intervention. If given the opportunity their spirit will shine, to demonstrate the father/mother/God divine. They hold not the issues of worry or care. Those are the burdens that we choose to bear. Our pets absorb our negative thoughts and emotions. This they do with strong intent and devotion. Though their time with us seems brief when they part, it is all they needed to share their spirit and heart. Pets are guardian angels that incarnate on earth, sent to show us simply our true right of birth.  

Words by Dr. Tamara Hebbler

Slowly Making Friends

We don’t have pictures yet of kittens and cats kanoodling, but we have this display of tolerance on the part of our most darling Kate. This is Gwyneth in Kate’s bed – which sits right next to my computer as I work! I came home after breakfast out this morning, and see this. Oh hi. Yep, I’m in Kate’s bed. She was all splayed out sleeping without a care in the world.

 

Kate says: It’s okay, I’ll hang out in the hall because I’m grown up and have manners!

Got Scissors.

How many scissors do you have to have before they declare you stark raving mad? And this really isn’t even all of them. Huh? Did I work at the Singer sewing factory? No. I just started throwing them in a basket recently and realized, holy cuttin’ horse, I have a lot of scissors!

A Little Peace

We are at day 10 here at House o’ Cats ‘n Kittens and there’s been a world of change since the tiny grey devil kitten joined our household. My fear of letting Kate get to Gwyneth has been replaced with a desire for her to school the little one whenever and however she can! Now, I cheer Kate on. I don’t actually say, “git her” out loud, but ohhhh I’m thinking it. The wee gato diablo has wreaked havoc within our walls but thankfully after a full belly of breakfast kitten chow, this happens: zzzzzzzzzzzzz. And I praise the kitten goddesses on high for a little peace so I can do something besides rrrrrrrrrrrun from eet! My arms and legs look like a pin cushion.

Early Halloween Inspiration

See you when you get here! Booooooo!

A Keane, It Ain’t

So, mystery solved. After checking with Margaret Keane’s agent of sorts, I found that this lil’ painting ain’t no Keane. Oh well, it’s a cute knock off! The agent dude said lots of folks copied her work, and this is just another of those. Well, I certainly got my 5 bucks worth of intrigue. And though I had no idea who Margaret Keane was before this little adventure – now I realize my stepmother had a Keane-esque print hanging in the house when I was growing up.  Oh, the whacky 70s.       

Kate + 1

Oh, the things we do on impulse. Last weekend we went to a barn sale out in Valley Center. At the door, hanging in a gold birdcage was a tiny grey kitten. I went into overdrive. Had to have it. Giving in to these types of impulses is rarely wise. And boy am I paying the price. So, Kate basically hisses at Gwyneth (yes, Gwyneth) whenever the little varmint comes near. It’s day 4 and we still have all our limbs. If anyone has any positive stories to share on how they will soon be sharing the same bed, etc., I’d love to hear! Meanwhile, the new little one is awful cute.

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Eye Candy

Consistently beautiful images can be found here.

And how awesome, this quote…

What, No Smoothies?

So, for weeks or perhaps months I’ve driven by this sign on 5th Ave. that says All Green. I think after my green getaway, my mind continues to teem with thoughts of raw food, smoothies, wheatgrass juice, etc…so I’ve been drawn to investigate it. Today, while wheeling the Eldo (my Dad’s Eldorado which I still have and drive some days) on my way home from dropping off my new (old) Smith Corona Skywriter to be restored, I pull in to All Green. I parked and noticed a little table outside with an umbrella, but no one was sitting there. They almost didn’t look open. I almost didn’t park, but I ended up parking and walking up to the little window, which had bars on it. It started clicking about here.

“Hi. Um, what is this place?” I ask, with eyebrows knit.

White dude with a ‘fro hair-do answers, “This is a medicinal dispensary.”

“Ohhhhhhhhhh. I thought it was a smoothie place,” I say, sort of cracking up.

Glassy-eyed dude responds, “Well, yeahhh, mental smoothies.”

I say, “Okay! No thanks! Bye!”

Guess I know now what All Green means.

Weekday Dinner

What could be sweeter than a weekday dinner invitation? Well, I’ll tell you. A weekday dinner invite to my belle mere’s, pictured here below at the head of her Thursday night table.

She is a wonderful cook; everything is always infused with comfort and flavor. This night was no exception. A table set with brown bear plates, bright green napkins, a beautiful salad…

 

…and French pot roast.  Let’s dig in!

I ♥ Farm Sanctuary

I recently signed up to do a monthly donation to Farm Sanctuary. They help farm animals which fall outside the animal abuse laws and therefore are sort of hanging in the balance when they need help. How cute is this goat?

Saylor, the Ayurvedic Labrador

Weekend before last I took an Ayurvedic cooking class from the lovely Laura Plumb. She and her husband, Bhava, are the founders of Deep Yoga. I take yoga from Laura every week and she's so inspirational. As she teaches the class, she talks us through waves of breathing and movements, but that's just half of it. The "talk" she gives as she teaches is as beneficial to me as the class itself. And the music she plays is heavenly. By the time I am finished I am so blissed out that I just float home.  I can't say enough about her and her husband. Bhava also plays the guitar and sings during Laura's class sometimes. And he teaches his own awesome yoga class. One day I'd love to do their tour to India. India is not a country I'd try even with just one other person; I'd need the security of a tour guide that knows the country. Of course, I'd go with my friend Moni any day. Even though English is really the main language, I'd still like someone with a little Hindi under their belt.

So, here's the funny part of this Ayurvedic cooking business. A couple days after the class I tried one of the recipes: Kichari. I made it before I went to the Indian grocery to get all the right spices, so I kind of faked it. It was good, but we only ate it a couple times (I made a veritable ton). Since there was quite a bit left, I thought, gee, Saylor may like a cup mixed into her food. OMG! She loves it! Lately she's been airsy-fairsy about her food. So here I am tonight, at 10:23 p.m. making another monstrous batch because tomorrow's doggie breakfast would be really boring if it were just kibble, and not mixed with kichari! Ha! Here’s the girl, posted in the kitchen the entire time I was cooking, just staring at me with her darling face. Oh I love this little doggie...she's pure love. ♥

Cook that kichari, Mom.