Oh to Be a Cat

I love this photo of Pilchard.

It was Wednesday morning, the first 70+ degree day this year. I was ready for work and the sunshine was streaming in the east picture window. She's just basking in the glow. The south and north windows have been open all week, except I close the window in the bedroom because it's not quite warm enough outside at night to leave it open. I don't think the furnace has kicked in at all the time that I've been home but I'll bet it does a couple times during the night.

Oh to be a cat where the most important thing all day is catching the rays of spring sunshine.

Beverage:  The end of several tea bags dunked in hot water.

Deb

Chateau de Mom

Going to Iowa on business gives me the chance to be with family. My niece and her family came to mom's Sunday evening so we could see each other and share a meal. What a meal it was.

Pork burgers, cole slaw, homemade applesauce, pasta salad, corn, garden raised strawberries and soup. Milk, water, tea or soda to go along and leftover birthday cake for dessert.

Families can drive you nuts. Because you grow up with them, you know just how to get under each other's skin. We've got another generation now around the table. They are being raised very well and I was impressed that the kids will eat just about anything. I won't touch some foods that they find very palatable.

Food brings us together. We're all so scattered with the potential to be scattered farther still. It was wonderful to sit around the table and share at a time when it wasn't a holiday.

Beverage:  Earl Gray tea

Deb

What a Blessing

In the struggle to open jars, I've not spent a lot of time looking for items which could assist in that endeavor. I think about it but usually when I'm supremely frustrated with whatever it is I can't get open. Wash cloths and dish towels just don't seem to provide the right grip. So, I bring the item into the office and endure the mild ribbing that comes from a guy who pops open jars all the time.

My friend, Meredith, decided this just would not do. She took it upon herself to wander about and search the aisles of a variety of stores looking for something that would help me get lids off. She wound up at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I wouldn't have thought of this place as it's a bit of a drive to get to the nearest one and it's located not in a spot I frequent.

Sometimes I feel like a Luddite. Modern technology can be overwhelming. "The good old days" can seem a simpler time when our senses weren't assaulted with information, most of which we don't need. But, thanks to the very technology that is everywhere, she sent me a photo from her iPhone of the jar openers Bed, Bath and Beyond had available. There were some bandy things that didn't look real promising for me. Then she sent a photo of these. When I think of grips, this is what I think of.

There are three sizes in the package. This looks promising, but will it work.

Here is the juice. These bottle have stymied me. This is the third one I haven't been able to open. I thought the first two were a fluke but no, something about the seal V8 puts on these bottles makes it impossible for me to open right now. This will be an adequate test of the ability of these pieces of rubber to assist in opening jars and bottles. I used the cone-shaped one for this.

Viola. Opened with very little effort, too, I might add.

Meredith, you have no idea, well, scratch that, you probably do have an idea how happy this has made me. Eventually, I would have stumbled upon these on my own but not before feeling my independence slowly eroding at the edges. I am hugely, hugely grateful for smart friends who know where to look and what to look for. I poured myself a big tall glass of juice last night and savored every sip.

Next up is a jar of applesauce.

Beverage:  Earl Gray tea

Deb

You Don't See This Around Here

It's spring. One of the many things done in spring is the clean up of winter debris.

Farmers, taking a cue from lightning strikes, burn sections of land which renews the growth and allows wanted grasses and plants to thrive while killing off unwanted plants. I must have seen at least 3 fires burning. The one above was close to the road.

I love the smell of the smoke. It brings back a lot of memories of the burns we used to do on the farm. This kind of burning is not allowed in my area anymore. I would love to burn off the peony patch, but I can see that not everyone knows how to do this and the end result could be disastrous. Plus, the smoke contains particulates which are not good for people with lung problems.

The Sunday night news made me giggle when they reported on fire departments having to respond to burns gone awry. I remember, when I was probably 6 or 7, dad did a burn of the corn field. It started out clear and calm but, as the day wore on, the wind kicked up and the burn got out of control. We called the fire department to keep the flames away from the farm buildings. Mom kept my brother and I in the house although we were allowed once to go out to see what was going on. I remember one of the fire trucks sunk, up the axles, in the mud of a newly thawed corn field. The fire eventually burned the entire field, which is what dad wanted but also went into the woods north of the house. For the next few days, we could see, at night, little patches of glowing embers and small knots of flame. It burned itself out after going into the woods about 10 feet.

It's a different smell than the one from burning leaves. I think this has more of an earthy smell in it than burning leaves does. Doing this is renewal. I'll bet this patch thrives this year.

Beverage: Africa Rooibos tea

Deb