jessara40k

Monday. Warm and rainy. Today is Tali's 4th birthday. She insisted that we all get dressed up for the occasion and as you see we have done that for her.

Also included in today's pictures are the long backyard and my new embroidery project -- the very first one I have designed myself.

The plan today, as it has been for a number of days, is to write. I am really almost done. I really wish that my brain did not helpfully remember everything I've written as garbage that needs to be rewritten 14,000 times.

So far, Cook Unity has been . . . okay. I only had the one unsatisfactory meal. The butternut squash and lentil soup was marvelous, as was the salmon, yesterday. I have Great Hopes for today's mushroom pot pie.

It occurs to me that my cleverness knows no bounds, as I had booked a Rest Week at Old orchard Beach the week before Memorial Day, which seemed like a good idea at the time. However, I did NOT have a Middle East war on my bingo card, and now I'm wondering if I should cancel because it's very probable that I'm not going to have enough gas to get there.

Honestly, this timeline.

So! How's everybody doing?

Tali's Birthday Photo Album

Where are my Maine Coon experts? I have a New Behavior between Tali and Firefly.

In general, I have a very laid back clowder presently looking out for my interests. They're even more mellow than the previous Trooper-Sprite-Belle Nexus of Purr-er.

Tali and Rook get into wrasslin, and Tali indulges in screaming Death Threats at the top of her lungs, but it's clearly just hi-jinks.

Tali and Firefly, though, have been, up until last week, maybe?, civilized and casually affectionate. They snuffle each others ears, Tali licks Firefly's head if it is presented -- which is correct, Firefly being not only the eldest, but has Time in Grade.

But lately, as I say, we have this new behavior. Firefly will be next to me on the couch, or cuddling on the bed, and Tali will arrive. Previously, a check-in (nose touching or ear snuffling) would happen, Tali would settle in an unused section of the human, and all would be well.

However! Yes, we're finally arriving at the point. Firefly has now three times gone over to Tali after I think we're all settled in, and grabs her by the back of the neck, like she's a kitten. Tali, understandably, is offended by this, and vacates the premises, whereupon Firefly either takes her place, or comes back to her previous position, and goes to sleep.

So, I obviously don't want them to be at odds. Can anybody give me insight into this New Behavior?

Spanish Aunts.
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Helpful cat is helping

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So, today's meal from CookUnity was Mushroom Rice in Butternut Squash. I have no leftovers. Not because it was Amazingly Tasty, though it was OK, but because about half the squash was stringy (Which could be an artifact of its adventure on the road. Or, yanno, not.), and because I hadn't been expecting, in my "mushroom rice" chunks of walnut bigger than my head.

This is possibly a Just Me problem -- I eat walnuts, but I'm not a fan, and IMHO, big hard chunks of anything have no business being present in my lovely, moist mushroom-and-cranberry rice (yes, there were sliced cranberries. Good idea; I'm going to have to try that in my own rice.) The garlicked green beans were perfectly fine.

So, I won't be ordering this one again. I picked out about half the walnuts, and, as above, quit on the squash about half-way done.

Tomorrow's meal is defrosting -- Dragon Bowl with Grilled Chicken.

All that said -- I almost forgot that I have a Zoom class this evening, so I'd best pick my feet up and get some chores done.

I have been editing from the comfy chair in my office today, and all the cats have joined me. Firefly, remains as she was, under the table next to the chair. Tali made several really creative attempts to sit with me in the chair, but just couldn't make it work, whereupon she retired to Trooper's box on the edge of my desk. Rook came in so quietly, I didn't know he was with me, until I got up and found him curled in Sprite's big fluffy cat ring, where he can keep an eye on me, and still enjoy the warmth coming off of the baseboard heater.

Firefly and Rook did their best to get me to go back to bed this morning, but I was adamant.

Well. My weather-delayed CookUnity order arrived five minutes ago, and all the meals, of course, are "use by 3/11." So, I'm guessing I'll find out how well a couple of these freeze.

The ice packs were still solid and the meals are cold, so I'm guessing they'll be OK to eat.

Today was not the most productive day ever. I should actually have gone back to bed this morning, but I fixed that by taking a two hour nap. Still not feeling top o'the world, but at least I'm less weepy.

Tomorrow, is Errands, finishing up with needlework.

The ice in the driveway is gone, just in time for the temps to plunge into the high 30sF on Wednesday. Now, I need to figure out what parts of this enormous, but extremely well-insulated, box are recyclable.

On that note -- everybody have a good evening. I'll check in tomorrow.

Where were we?

Ah. Sunday. Time Change Day. I Ignored All The Advice, and went to bed late last night, because magic show, and slept past the new-normal waking time of 6 am by the Old Clock to 7 am OC, putting me well behind Everything.

For Calibration Purposes, it is as I write this sentence 9:21 am New Clock.

May I just say that it's a good thing I don't have to leave the house tomorrow. Or today.

Weather is currently cloudy, drizzly, and warm. I'm hoping today will be the coup for the ice field at the bottom of my front steps. I need to do something about that, though Exactly What escapes my imagination at the moment -- it forms every year and it's a death trap, getting deathier and trappier the older I get.

Last night's magic show was enjoyable. I did meet the magician very briefly as he toured the house before-show, in his melant'i as "stage manager". I had somehow failed to understand that I had a seat in the Very First Row, odd-side. I was in sort-of the middle, with a family of three sitting to my left and filling out the row.

The "stage manager" stopped by, hunkered down in front of our "group" of four, and asked us for our help. It seemed that a big part of Michael's show was telepathy-based, including calling cards that people were thinking of. The Ace of Spades, according to the "stage manager" had been coming up in people's thoughts just way too often, and our help was solicited in thinking about other cards.

He then pulled out a deck of cards, fanned them and offered them to me. "Pull a card, look at it, but don't show it to anybody -- put it inside the folds of your brain and just really think about it hard. Then give the card back to me. OK? OK!"

I chose a card (the ten of spades; I believe my prohibition against sharing that information expired at the end of the show), assured the "stage manager" that I had it firm in my mind, and he repeated the exercise with the people to my left. Then he left, telling us most earnestly to think hard about our card.

I mention here, because I noticed it, that those were very thin, slick cards.

When the magician came on-stage, and after a brief smoke, he called the daughter of the family to my left to think about her card. He then drew it on a pad of paper. The three of diamonds! Ta-Da!

And we were off.

A good time was, I believe, had by all, and I eventually wandered my way home to resuscitate my cats, who had all expired of hunger in my absence.

Today, I write, and do laundry. In fact, the first load is drying, and the second is washing.  I wish I could say the same about the WIP.

I'm drinking my first of what I believe will be many cups of tea on the day, and I really ought to find something to eat.

How's everybody doing today?

Saturday. Cloudy and mizzling. It is said by the weatherbeans that the temps will rise unto the mid-40sF by this afternoon. Right now, they are warning of frozen surfaces.

I have a ticket to see Michael Carbonaro this evening, and I suspect I will need to work out a Strategy in re not breaking a leg. Right now, I'm leaning toward going downtown early, finding a parking space Right Near the Arts Center, rather than just parking in the Concourse, and, I dunno, read or find something to eat until showtime.

Meanwhile! At just barely half-eight, I have risen, showered, dressed, treated my printer with olive oil, compiled and printed out a section that needs to be reworked-and-expanded, taken a picture of the Writing Disaster Zone which it afterward occurred to me that I cannot share, because the thing I really wanted to showcase -- aka the 28 x 15 inches pieced together printout which is the Entire Time Map for this novel -- could actually be read by someone with Determination.

Regarding the time map -- Yes, I am breaking out every trick I've ever learned. This is what it is to write with only one brain on the case. I mean, I do tell the cats what's going on and solicit their input, but, yanno, they have their own dreaming to tend.

All that said -- I should go find something that looks like breakfast.

Oh, wait. I heard back from CookUnity, which is very apologetic and free with the discounts and whatnot. They have not, however, answered my Core Question regarding the probable state of my food when it arrives on Monday, having sat in a warehouse, or an off-the-road delivery truck, or whatever for three days.

OTOH, I also gather from CookUnity that am Not Alone in this situation. I'm interested to hear that, down in Civilization, CookUnity maintains its own delivery fleet. That is not so for we who are off-Grid.

I have heard tell of another sort of co-op meal service, which utilizes chefs who are local to the customer, but I haven't actually tracked that down, yet.

Now, I'm going to go find breakfast.

How's everybody doing today?