Musings on a Small Life

Two weeks today and I'll be half-way to the train station in Ottawa, then headed by plane to Halifax. Home again on the 16th, I hope and pray (no more hurricanes/tropical storms to disrupt travel, please). I'm already mentally wringing my hands about leaving the boys--I know they'll be in good care with my co-worker; she's the only  person I trust and she's going out of her way to stop in and feed them twice a day. (S, have I mentioned you'll need to scoop the litter boxes too? LOL.) But this will be the first time I've left them for more than one night--and that one night was only once. I don't want to leave them again! They'll manage just fine, though probably will be a bit bored and restless inside the entire time. It's me who will be thinking of them every day I'm gone, which rather spoils travelling anywhere. I didn't used to be this way, of course, used to look forward to little adventures, but that was before I had fur kids. I...

The state funeral for Jack Layton, leader of the opposition, has just finished. He had wanted it to be a celebration of life and of hope, and so it was.  I watched in spite of my general lack of regard for politicians, but I don't think I shall see this kind of national outpouring of respect and honour and grief for a public official again in my lifetime. I will just say that the celebration included not only opening classical music, but fabulous jazz, pop, and rock. The opening was an aboriginal blessing from the First Nations' leader, Shawn Atleo, and there were readings from both the Qur'an and the Christian Bible. There were several eulogies, of course, including two from his son and daughter from his first marriage. All garnered much clapping, whistling and many standing ovations. But the best, IMO, was the clergyman's speech/sermon--which says a great deal, since I'm not a proponent of organized religion. In fact, the clergyman wasn't what I had been exp...

Gees, what a kerfuffle on the Fuzzy Tales blog, with the supposed malware alert coming up when viewing the blog via Google Chrome. Happened when I went to a couple of other blogs too. Long story, but it turns out all I had to do was remove the suspect cat blog from my blog roll widget, clear my cache and history, etc., and then I was fine. Thank you to the responder in the Google Help Forum for malware! Very quick response from him. BTW, that cat blog (Daisy the Curly Cat) was NOT infected, but a site she links to was . So maybe all she has to do is remove that link from her own blog roll and she'll be okay. I don't know. I've left a couple of comments for her humans anyway. I had hoped to take a half day today, but it's already almost 11AM. Between trying to sort out the Google "malware" issue and doing my "real" work, four hours has flown by. Maybe I still can duck out a bit early, though. Well, earlier than I normally leave on Fridays...which, t...

I remember that Peanuts cartoon, with Snoopy sitting on top of his dog house, typing that line.  :-) But it was a dark and stormy night! Holy! Catfish! We had the wildest line of storms roll through our area from about midnight till 4AM or so. Woke me up, and after I had closed all the windows (lightning just forking across the sky, endlessly), I went back to bed and wondered if I actually should be in the basement for safety. Neither cat was phased--they never are. I'm the one who freaks at these wild storms. I didn't think Toby would be around when I got up--far too wet for him to venture out. But Niko was on my step, definitely wet, poor boy, so I put food out and got a towel to dry him off. He got some scritches for a change, because he doesn't like Toby and so doesn't hang out on my step when Toby's around. However, by the time I was ready to leave for work, Toby was there--perfectly dry, I might add, so he certainly had shelter somewhere--and had eaten t...

This little "fellow" was on the blue lawn chair this evening. To spare "him" from pudgy cats (and humans), he got moved to the fence. I really have no idea which end is which, though if I had to hazard a guess, I would say its front end is the less hairy one. It would be hard to see through all that so-called "hair." :-D Still, maybe that's how caterpillars navigate? By "feeling" way? I'm sure someone knows! BTW, Toby ate a bit this morning, not much. Licked all the juice from the canned. But ate the whack of junkie treats I put down for him. Huh. He was on my step within minutes of my arrival home from work, ate 2/3 or so of a large can of stinky goodness...and all the treats I put out for him. He hung around for quite some time, meowing at me loudly (getting some catitude there), but was gone later in the evening when I stepped out, camera in hand, to take his pic. Niko was on the step instead, bawling me out for not getting rid of Tob...

Jack Layton, leader of the NDP party and leader of the opposition, lost his battle with cancer early this morning, after taking a leave of absence from politics a mere few weeks ago, on July 25th. He was 61. I can't say I have much use for politicians in general, but I think that insofar as is possible for any elected official, he had integrity, always fighting for the underdog, never losing hope and optimism. On Saturday he wrote a two-page letter to Canadians, which can be found in its entirely here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/08/22/pol-layton-last-letter.html It's of no interest to anyone non-Canadian, of course, but there are a few brief paragraphs I'd like to share, because they speak to the struggle with cancer, to living life with hope, to never giving up. ****** August 20, 2011 Toronto, Ontario Dear Friends, Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish me well. I want to thank each and every one of you for your...

Toby came running to my door as usual this AM, but though he sniffed at the canned food, he didn't eat. I put out three plates of food and 2+ hours later, as I was leaving for work, they were all untouched and he still was on my step. That's not like Toby. He wasn't coughing, didn't have an nasal discharge, was all squirmy for his pats and cuddles...He just wasn't eating. There've been times he hasn't shown up, but there's never been a time he's come to my step and not eaten. Abscessed tooth? Other illness? Of course I'm all worried about him now. Or maybe someone else in the neighbourhood is putting food out and he ate breakfast there. I have no idea. Pic from July and previously posted. He really wants in to my house (of course, so does Niko, the neighbour's cat), but I have no way to let him in and keep him separate from the boys, no entry way, nothing. It's all open concept. And I'm not going to do that to Mr. Alpha-I'...

I bought this brownie mix yesterday because, duh , sweet tooth. So I made it up yesterday afternoon, sans nuts of course, then actually looked at the calorie count per serving. 400 calories. Per serving. That's a meal! So I guess the oh, row and a half I ate once they were cooled means I had about 2 days worth of calories. The rest are in the freezer, in reasonable serving portions. I'd buy the mix again--it's actually quite tasty, though somewhat crumbly in spite of all the fat it takes--but I'd substitute unsweetened applesauce for half the fat. Because gluten and corn-free apparently doesn't mean low calorie and healthy. :-P Universal Blessings, Light and Mercy to All Beings.

Yeah, that's me. One of the very few "luddites" in North America without a cell phone. Until now.   I picked this up in Wal-Mar this morning, because I really don't want to be out of touch when I'm away, in case something happens to the boys. And if it weren't for this upcoming trip, I wouldn't bother with one at all. Oh, I can understand the usefulness when you have family and a wide social circle in your town/city, but I live a quiet and secluded life, for the most part. I don't need a cell phone. That's another $100 to pay off at some point. So I'm feeling rather resentful at the moment. The only thing I'd resent more than the exorbitant cost of pay-as-you-go is locking in for a 3-year plan and paying for all the bells and whistles I'd never use. I'm not going to bother activating this until September, since I think there's a 30-day expiry on the credit. There's no activation fee if you do that on-line, but I'm ...

I've passed by this building on campus several times in the past couple of weeks, always with the itch to snap a picture. The mirrored windows are irresistible to me. Yesterday I was able to get a couple of quick pics with no one (and no vehicles) in the background. Wishing everyone a "reflective" day. Universal Blessings, Light and Mercy to All Beings.

Nope, this Oscar's not at all like the endearing Sesame Street muppet. I met this Oscar for the first time yesterday, on my usual neighbourhood route. It's handy to have the little Canon Elph with me at all times, but with only a 5x zoom, I don't get decent close-ups unless the object or animal is, well, close. LOL. But after I had been crouched down for a moment, trying to get a non-fuzzy snapshot, Oscar trotted over for some lovin' and belly scratches. Then it became impossible to get a half-decent pic because he was too close! He has beautiful, soft fur, by the way, and certainly looks to be well cared for. And how do I know his name is Oscar? Well, his tag, of course. :-) He was quite insistent about having scritches until a car passed by and scared him back to his driveway, whereupon he seemed to give me a dirty look, as if to say the disturbance in his petting was all my fault. Yes, Oscar, we humans know that anything that disturbs a Cat is our fault. Unive...

I came home from work yesterday to find that Niko, the neigbhour's declawed cat, had caught a robin and had eaten its head. Yum. The body was in "his" space at the base of the evergreen shrub that's by my front step. I did take a pic, but no, I'm not going to post it. Poor thing, covered in flies. Ugh. Yours truly had to dispose of it, of course. It's currently in the garage, wrapped in three plastic grocery bags and awaiting Friday's garbage. I'm sure Niko wonders why I'm stealing his food, when he went to so much effort to catch it in the first place. I'd leave his prey if he didn't like to eat and store them around my townhouse, of course. Why can't he store his "food" at his own home? Just to clarify re: still being hypo-thyroid: I'm not sure this is the reason for all of my current issues. Some perhaps. I think it's exacerbated certain things, definitely. But I don't think it can explain a couple of other t...

My TSH, that is. Meaning I'm still hypo-thyroid. Which would explain a lot of things. And here I had a long post scheduled about how summer has almost come to an end and I haven't once gone anywhere with my camera to take pics, for the first time since I've had a digital camera. How I've spent the time feeling mostly bleh, and bah, humbug and assumed it was mainly due to Annie's loss. Yadda yadda. But gee, I guess it's mainly due to screwy hormones.  :-P Oh, not being a cook, I might have committed an act of asparagus desecration yesterday evening. Had cooked up some turkey sausage, and then sauteed some garlic and mushrooms in a bit of oil, tossed in some asparagus and "stir-fried" it up. Might not be what you're "supposed" to do with asparagus (I wouldn't know, other than steaming it), but it certainly was tasty! No wine on hand to "help" with the little bit of cooking I did, but I did have this: It was only a lite bee...

I thought I'd post this easy recipe for anyone who likes pumpkin but wants to try making it up as a "pie" without using eggs. From Cooks.com 2 cups pure pumpkin (canned or fresh) 2 cups milk (I used lactose-free skim and didn't put a full 2 cups in, it seemed like too much) 3/4 cup brown sugar (or less if you prefer, as I do) 1/2 tsp cinnamon 3 TBSP cornstarch 2 tsp lemon extract (??? -- the directions didn't mention it, so I skipped it--I've never seen a pumpkin pie recipe that takes lemon extract, so thought it had been an error when being posted on-line) pinch of salt Add salt, cinnamon and cornstarch to pumpkin, stir well. Add sugar, then milk. Bake in an unbaked pie shell (I never make or use a crust--it's only the pumpkin I want), 450F for 10 minutes, then 350F for an hour. Optional: Omit 1 cup of milk and the brown sugar and replace with 1 can of sweetened condensed milk. I wasn't sure how this would come out, as the ...

So going low-carb (plus gluten and corn-free) means cooking protein. A lot of protein. I'm already sick of cooking, especially in this heat. My small open-concept living/dining area on the main level feels like an oven right now. Ha. Since Friday afternoon, I've cooked trout, pork (twice--stir fry and then pork chops in my crock pot), chicken, and a crustless pumpkin "pie." Yeah, I know pumpkin's not 0 carbs, but gees, I love pumpkin and I'm not giving it up. (It's lower than sweet potatoes, though.) I've got turkey sausages out to parboil for a quick after-work supper tomorrow or Tuesday. BTW, our Wal-Mart carries Maple Leaf's new nitrite-free bacon. Yum. Actually, our Wal-Mart carries a lot of great groceries at prices that are 25-30% less than other stores in the area. I know I call them the evil empire, but you really can't beat them, sad to say. And I really can't think about how all these poor animals are raised for our food. It...

Yeah, okay, I had to look at the on-line Thesaurus for a synonym for "miscellany" that began with the letter "f."  But I'll remember what "farrago" means now! So, I haven't really started any diet changes per se, and already I can see that trying to eliminate starch altogether is too restrictive. I think I'll see how I do on limiting my starch intake and going gluten-free as much as possible. I've had protein at all three meals today and I feel like I've over-dosed on it (eggs, pork, fish). Then again, I normally tend to graze all day, not make "real" meals for the most part. I also think I need some sort of menu plan. You know: chicken on such and such a day, fish on another day, etc. I'm not good at menu planning because I despise cooking. How wonderful it must be to enjoy it, to find it relaxing, not an agonizing chore. Hmm, maybe a glass or two of wine while I'm cooking would help with that. LOL. Oh, I found t...

I'm thinking that this might the way to go, for my own optimal health and well-being, based on how I feel after eating certain foods. Namely all grain-based food like cereals (don't eat those now anyway), breads (even white), pastas, plus potatoes, sugar and dairy products. Huh. Doesn't leave much, does it? Maybe a bit of white rice, protein, veggies and limited fruit. The thought alone has me craving a home-made biscuit, still warm, slathered in butter. Bread pudding. Cookies, cakes. Maybe a limited starch diet? If anyone is on a starch-free diet (I  know one of you is on a gluten-free diet), what do you do for sweet cravings? Seriously. Anyway, on an entirely different note, please send up positive vibes for the safety of those you know, even via cyber-space, in the London, UK area and other areas where rioting still is rampant. Old Kitty comes to mind right away--I had checked in with her last evening and she was okay, though they had been sent home early. I'm sen...

WARNING: Serious "eeewwwww" gross factor to follow, so don't read further if your stomach easily is turned. ******    Yes, folks, and then there are days like this --which is more the "this" that comes to mind, rather than the positive "this" in Van Morrison's song. Days when you take your leak- and odour-proof compost bag to the compost bin in the garage, only to discover it's totally covered inside and partly outside with maggot eggs and maggots. And where cleaning it all out after work is in the top three most disgusting things you've ever had to do. Days when your favourite corner store (Mola Mola, the little shop that carries the neat Fair Trade and  Global Mamas goods) is closed due to construction right outside the door and you can't get any dark chocolate. Aggghhh! Days when the neighbour's cat barfs up the bit of canned food you put out for him, so you have to wash off your front step. (Thanks, Niko.) Days when the rem...

When it's not always raining there'll be days like this When there's no one complaining there'll be days like this When everything falls into place like the flick of a switch Well my mama told me there'll be days like this.... (Van Morrison) There'll be days like this... Days when your boss says it's fine to leave at 2:15 [on Friday] and the public transit connections are good--so good, in fact, that you're home in half an hour instead of the usual 55 minutes. Days when your book order arrives in the mail after just being shipped the day before. Days when you find decor fabric for $5 per meter and you splurge on a couple of meters, just because you like the colours and even though you have no idea what, if anything, you'll do with it. Days when you get a much-needed hair cut and feel you look at least semi-human again. Days when the forecast rain holds off while you're running errands on foot and by bus. Days when some of the cat...

I walk by this student apartment balcony almost every day, love the jungle they have going on there. I've been meaning to snap a pic, finally did so today. ****** I've got all sort of (probably unnecessary) medical tests lined up for September and October now. Wish I never had bothered going to my doctor in the first place. Truly . Came home and had to deal with scheduling appointments, following up on something, etc. Stressed me out so much I ate three brownies. BTW, the upper GI to check for a hiatus hernia? (Why am I being sent for that? I have groin and pelvic pain.) Oh, yes, but because I'm not on any birth control, I have to either have a pregnancy test the day before, at my doctor's office, or be tested during the first 10 days of my cycle. For crying out loud....Wish I had told her I was a lesbian instead of celibate, but hey, she probably would still have said I needed a pregnancy test. Can you see me rolling my eyes? Too bad I'm not a lesbian; there are ...

I was bed-shopping yesterday. I need a new one in the worst way -- my 6 or 7 year old Serta "Perfect Sleeper" isn't so perfect at all, and I have been spending every night for the past 2 or so years waking up all night and in the morning, stiff and sore from lying in the gulleys of my too-soft mattress (I'm a back sleeper). So off I went to Sleep Country and Mattress Mart to see what's available in a firm mattress, one that won't sag after a mere three years, which is when my Serta started to sag. I learned a fair bit about pocket coil mattresses, depth of coil versus depth of foam padding (my current mattress has about 3.5 or so inches of padding, so it's no wonder it's sagged). There are two Kingsdown mattress sets I have my eye on (double--I want to downsize from the queen-sized I currently have), one at Sleep Country and one at Mattress Mart. They're both on sale, both comparably priced (both comparable beds), and both were so comfy...so com...