Happy Boxing Day!

I got nothin' for xmas pics. Not much to see this year. We did without a tree because of Mr. Kittenpants. Had a great holiday tho. here's what I do have - a whole lot of layin' around...


After being told 25 times to stop biting this or that he finally went to sleep on the desk.

Another fabulous Thanksgiving

I love hosting Thanksgiving and having friends over. Look at the beautiful centerpiece Daniel put together.


And here's the apple pie I made.


And a really bad shot of dinner (what can I say - food was ready!).


We had:

roasted turkey breast & thighs
roasted pork loin with huckleberry and pepper glaze
green bean casserole (all from scratch)
classic white bread stuffing
sweet potato souffle
mashed potatoes and gravy
butter flake rolls and potato rolls
pumpkin pie (2)
apple pie
pecan pie
plenty of great wine

About one third of that got eaten - yay leftovers!

Guests were:

Joey and Wes
Terry
Dixie
Kristen (a friend of Joey's from class, and nw our friend too)

We had a fabulous time hanging out and eating with everyone. Hope your turkey day was as good.

Whole lotta sleepin' goin' on..

Nothing but sleepin' going on around here.


Look how woolly Miss Gracie is! I am always amazed


Mr. Petey has been sick for aweek now. Poor baby...


Here's why everyone is so tie-tie. Yep, snow arrived. We had not even had a hard frost yet when this showed up Monday.


Dropped about 4 inches on us and then cleared off and got really cold. Should leave on Turkey Day with rain again with temps back up in the forties. Forecast say this is going to be the coldest, snowiest winter since 1955. All that La Nina's fault, hanging out in the south pacific and messing up my season.

A few fall pics...

I'm slowly getting new beds together in the courtyard. The two here are now joined by a third. Another long one to go on the far side and they're done.


A shot form last year of Miss Gracie (aka The Grumpus). We are constantly amazed at the variety of colors in her coat.




Junebug is at his sweetest when he's asleep. He is growing so fast and is nothing but trouble. Good thing he is so cute.

A few recent pics...

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Rainy days

A tryptich of cats...

Trouble

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Kittehs and Sunsets!

We had a gorgeous day yesterday and Daniel and I spent a good portion of it outdoors getting things done in the garden. This whole weekend has been a nice change of pace from the gray drizzle we had been having. Miss Gracie even posed for me. Look how perfectly camoflaged she is:


Also, catnapping:


Had another incredible sunset last night too:




Today I am making jelly.

Keep your fork...

There's huckleberry pie.


And apple crisp with an almond and oatmeal topping


There's also Chewie in a box.


But that is to be expected, as she is a cat.

Early autumn

I hate winter, but I love fall. Yesterday Daniel and I went out to the woods and collected chanterelles. Combined with what he had from his walk the day before we now have about 5 pounds. What to do? Well, we deep fried some and used some more in a delicious cream sauce that we served over sauteed chicken breasts and spaghetti squash. Dee-lish.


Cyclamen are blooming again. They like the cool wet weather.


I am slowly getting a new bed in the courtyard. Weather is not cooperating. Digging is done tho so now just hauling rocks and bringing in amending soil to finish it off. Then I can plant it.


Here's Junebug looking radiant in the late afternoon sunshine.


Saturday night Kevin & Adam brought their new kittens over for a play date with Junebug. A great time was had by all... except Mr. Pansy, who did not appreciate the attention of three kitens.


That's Boris next to Junebug and Vlad on the right. They are soo cute.

A September Cider Pressing

Yesterday Daniel and I were invited to a friends house in Union for a potluck and get-together, which also involved a visit to their neighbors house for a cider pressing party and bluegrass jamboree. We had a great time, picked some apples to bring home, and got to see alot of great art, eat some amazingly good food, and hear some fun music. Wish I'd had my camera with me. here's some kitten pics instead:

Surprise!

I was surprised to see my last remaining surprise lily blooming today. What an aptly named plant... well, the name I grew up with anyway.


And here's pics of the new baby. His eye is all better but now he has a cold.

Say hi to Junebug!

We picked up Junebug yesterday and he is getting used to the place and all the new cats and smells and sounds. He came with an injured eye, hence the weird eyes in the second pic. They said he hit it on the bars of his cage while playing with his little friends. Should heal up in a few days.




So far Mr. Petey is interested in him and not concerned, tho not overly friendly either. The girls just hiss and spit and walk away. He is very energetic and is going to be a beautigul kitty as he grows up. His tail is extra long (and check out the four rings at the end!) and he's long-legged too. Couldn't be sweeter.

News for early September

I'm finishing the last of the digging of irises for my eBay sales. Really pleased with them this year, but next year will sell earlier and be done by the end of August. Fans just aren't looking good right now. I'd prefer to send them to customers looking their best.

Remember those huckleberry flowers I posted last spring? here they are again:


And here is what the bees made of them for me:


A huge bumper crop this year. More than I can even get to or use if I could. I turned that bowl, along with some frozen blackberries from earlier in the summer into this:


We'll be sharing it with friends after dinner tonight. The recipe is from Cuisine At Home, called a Black & Blue pie. Theirs calls for blueberries but I sub huckleberries. Same family. I am considering trying my hand at jelly. never done it before, but a good time to try as there is just so much fruit available.

Here's three shots of last nights sunset. Couldn't pick one I liked best so saved all of them. We have the best sunsets in Washington.






Not alot of cat action going on recently, tho I got two good shots of Miss Gracie this week. She is as gorgeous as ever.




Andf that DVD in the background? 'A Single Man' - fantastic. The directorial debut of fashion designer Tom Ford and what a beautiful piece of work it is. Every shot is a work of art. See it.

New kitten pics soon as I am getting a new one for my birthday. He is tiger-striped and marmalade in color. Had gone to look for another tuxedo baby but liked the personality on this one so much went with him. We'll call him Junebug (Junior, JuJuBee, Bugsy, etc.). I even get to pick him up on my birthday! Yay!