Twisted

Solid Potato Salad – Ross Sisters (1944)

The real show starts about a minute in…enjoy!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Wait What?!

It serves me right for mentioning the wonderful weather yesterday!

Cat Proofing

The days are pretty. I will not be complaining about snow and cold weather…for at least today! With these nice days, I love to keep the windows open. Fresh air, comfortable temperatures, gentle breezes, sunshine or even rain and my favorite, thunderstorms. These things make me happy.

Sammy loves the open windows too and will sit there for hours watching. Except once in a while he gets the urge to get higher. For the last few weeks he has been climbing the screen door to the porch. It’s ruined. Finally, the other day he reached a new goal…from the screen to the top of the door.

I watched him for quite a while. He reached to touch the ceiling, he tried and failed to do the monorail, he actually tried to step onto the door frame. It was comical. He didn’t know how to get down, so I helped. He has returned to the door several times since and has gotten brave enough to jump down on his own.

Yesterday afternoon, I was cleaning in the kitchen when I glanced out the window and saw Sammy on the back porch. He had opened the sliding screen door and let himself out!! Ugh.

Sammy is an inside cat. I want to be able to leave the door open and not worry that the cat is going to escape again!!

The door doesn’t have a latch.

I tried several things, broom handles–they were too short, I considered duct tape, because—well—it’s duct tape and aren’t you supposed to be able to fix anything with duct tape? However, duct tape just isn’t the right solution for this problem. I came up with a temporary solution, extending the reach of the broom handle with cardboard!

The door can’t be opened by kitten power…Sammy is trapped! Well, trapped until he fully destroys the screen with his climbing and is able to walk right out!! Stinker.

A Monday Mix

mp3: “What’s it in For?” – Avi Buffalo
One of the many songs in my playlist that I just like. It feels right.
Avi Buffalo Will be released April 27, 2010
Avi Buffalo-MySpace

mp3: “Crutch & Cane” – Peter Wolf Crier
I think I may have a “theme” going for the day. Toe tapping, male lead…
Inter-Be Will be released May 25, 2010
Peter Wolf Crier-MySpace

mp3: “Us vs. Them” – Common Prayer
…a bit homey and familiar…
I can’t find a place to buy their album…check out their Official Website for track listings and another song to listen to!
Common Prayer-MySpace

mp3: “Every Little Bit Hurts” – Title Tracks
…echoing things that I’ve been feeling lately…
It Was Easy
Title Tracks-MySpace

mp3: “You’re Already Gone” – The Dig
…or maybe I’m just imagining things…
Electric Toys Will be released June 8, 2010
The Dig-MySpace

Do Not Eat Me!!!

As seen on a pizza box in my kitchen. Starr brought it home to reheat for breakfast the other morning. When I laughed at the notes, she just shrugged and said, if she didn’t write something threatening her sorority sisters would eat the pizza without a second thought. “They are like animals!”

The sparkles are rain drops…it has been raining for days!

Though the threats were softened by…

Cute hearts…

and the signature..”love” your favorite human!!! Mayan!!!

I don’t know Krazy Karl’s, Starr says it is cheap, but I have to say that the logo creeps me out a bit!!

This and That Thursday

• As I hopped (stumbled? sauntered? slipped?) out of the shower this morning, I found Sammy the cat snuggled up to and hugging the bathroom scale. Sorry, I just don’t feel the same way.
• I picked up some Water Kefir Grains this week and am looking forward to making my own probiotic drinks.
• Starr won an award at the annual Greek Night Out award ceremony last weekend for Outstanding Community Service! She was really hoping that she would win and was very nervous about it! Now she is very happy and I am happy for her!
• We are having a bra emergency in this house! Ugh. Details will not follow!

Prayers and Support Needed

I have been a follower of Hallie at Wonderful World of Wieners for a long time now. Her’s was one of the very first blogs that I actually followed and commented on. After all this time, I feel like I know her, I know her family.

It is with a broken heart that I have to say that Hallie and her family need a great deal of emotional support right now and will for quite some time as her 20 year old son, CJ, passed away unexpectedly late last week.

The post that I’ve linked to says it better than I ever could:

Wonderful World of Wieners -C.J., You Will Forever Be Missed

If you could, please send them some prayers and healing thoughts.

Thank you.

Finally Spring-ish

It is finally feeling more like Spring around here. The trees are greening up and I have high hopes for my beautiful blooming pink ornamental cherry tree this year. Last year was disappointing, I think there was one lonely bloom. I heard that the lack of blooms was weather related and since it wasn’t just my tree that was affected, I will trust that and hope that this year’s weather was favorable for blooming! I need them.

Over the past few weeks I have seen Kale Chips, everywhere. On Facebook, on my mail list, on several of the food blogs that I frequent…even on Avitable. I had to try them. So I bought a bunch of kale and made a batch. I was actually looking forward to them. They were crispy, they weren’t bad, but they weren’t awesome. The worst part? I couldn’t get rid of the kale taste in my system….sorta like fish oil pills. I don’t know about you, but when I eat something, I want the taste to leave me quickly. I don’t want to be tasting it hours later.

Maybe I’m just picky.

Here is a quote posted the other day on Wayne Dyer’s Facebook fan page, that has been on mind ever since:

“Set aside some time today to focus on the biggest challenge in your life. Break down whatever it is to one thing that can be done today, right in this moment. Erase the big picture–simply do what you can now and let everything else fade…Be in the now. See how doing the Tao at this moment brings big results by paradoxically staying small and simple.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer

Small and simple…do what you can.

Hello Sunday!

Staticy Cat vs. Balloon

Poor sweetie! He looks so embarrassed by this situation! But I laughed anyway.

A Saturday Mix

mp3: “Blood” – The Middle East
I can’t really hear the lyrics well enough to understand them, but I am drawn to the mood of this song. The melancholy and then bells and light. It caught me in the first few seconds and then I was pleasantly surprised with the end.
Album: Recordings of The Middle East
The Middle East-MySpace

mp3: “Heart to Tell” – The Love Language
I love the turn this takes at about 33 seconds in (I can often tell where a song is headed, but I didn’t see this coming), I appreciate the retro sound…and the smiles it left me with. Is it a break up/troubled relationship song?
Album: I can’t find one…possibly Libraries?…maybe it’s not released yet.
Here is a link to their label: Merge Records: The Love Language
The Love Language-MySpace

mp3: “Brother” – Color of Clouds
I fell in love with this one right away. It’s soft and slightly swingy, though sad.
Album (or EP in this case): The Look
Color of Clouds-MySpace

mp3: “I Was Denied” – Thee Oh Sees
Another song with a retro sound (so many lately!). A banger. It’s loud and bit rough, but like it? I do!
Thee Oh Sees-MySpace

Also:

I can’t link to these songs, but check out this Daytrotter session with Josh Ritter (check it out when you have some time to listen, it’s good):

Josh Ritter: Daytrotter Session recorded April 12, 2010

Bonus mp3: “Kathleen” – Josh Ritter
Album: Hello Starling