Bliss

OK, I was officially grumpy. Five days in bed, taking meds that make everything taste metallic, not that a liquid diet is all that appetizing to begin with, and I was a beast. Today was my first solid food day and we decided to have salmon and fried rice. Don't even ask. Frank headed out to get the salmon while I crashed again with my brood. Home he comes, tromping up the stairs with that crooked grin of his, announcing the fish was in the fridge. Two hours later, I head down to marinate it and sitting on the counter top is this dreamy piece of chocolate cake from the bakery. I was in heaven. I intended it for later as a bed time snack. Who was I kidding, it is GONE. He is such a good guy.

By the way, I am by no means Susie homemaker but this is the BEST recipe for salmon I have ever eaten. I wish I knew to whom to give credit:

Marinated Mediterranean Salmon

6 oz frozen limeade, thawed
¾ cup olive oil
¾ cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. minced fresh garlic
2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
6 Salmon steaks or fillets (4 to 6 oz. each) fresh, thawed or frozen.

Combine limeade, olive oil, soy sauce, garlic and rosemary in a flat dish or gallon-sized zip-top bag.

Rinse Salmon under cold water; pat dry with paper towel. Place salmon in marinade turning several times to coat. Cover, if needed, and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat grill/coals to medium high heat.

Remove salmon from marinade and place on a well-oiled grill, 4 to 5 inches from heat. Cook, turning once, 12 – 15 minutes for frozen salmon or 8 – 9 minutes for fresh/thawed fish. Cook just until fish is opaque throughout.

Yummy, yummy, yummy.

A little Daisy D, a little ink, a little album.

Feeling a little pressure to get scrapping again to get caught up, this little chipboard album sort of created itself. I pulled out the Daisy D Attic Heirloom paper collection, cut down some chipboard, grabbed a black ink pad, a square punch and my Thanksgiving photos. I cheated and used the journaling from the first entry of this blog and it fell together. Simple and easy.
But of course I have to rat myself out. The journaling was originally done on vellum and adhered with permanent Xyron. Big mistake, I hated it. It didn't flow with the rest of the album. When I tried to pull it up, the background paper started to come with it. ACK!! I dug in my stash and found an old bottle of Undo. I happily removed one side and realized I was out of Undo and the other side was still stuck. And, speaking of stuck, I am stuck at home in bed with bronchitis and diverticulitis, (when I fall apart, I fall apart!), so I pleaded with Frank who must love me dearly because he agreed to make an ACMoore run for more Undo right after his dental appointment. Sweet man. I think I'll keep him . . . forever.

Answer: 23 minutes, 12 seconds

Question: How long does it take three cats to find new bedding and make themselves comfortable?

Rainy Day Goodness

Happy, happy day. It is cold and rainy! I know it sounds odd but when you live in monochromatic weather, blue gets boring. A little gray now and then is the perfect thing. As I stand at my window listening to the tattoo of the lingering rain and watching the wetness soak hungrily into the earth, the window starts to blur from the warmth of my breath. Perfect. A great day to stay inside and putter. The options are endless. I am curled up in bed with an extra fleece blanket with plenty of company to keep me occupied until Frank wakes. Maok is snuggled at my feet trapping in the warmth, Snoop has lodged himself along my side and Bru has wiggled his old body under the covers to nest under the bend in my knees. Visions of Swiss Mocha waft through my brain but I don't want to disturb the peace. It can wait.

And Katie is coming home. Just for the night but she is stressed and looking for the solace of her own room. How wonderful to live where someone comes to feel safe.

It's a good day to look at the small things and be thankful.

Under the category of trash to treasure. . .

Destined for the trash bin, I found an old stained, damp, wrought iron bench. Man, did I snatch that in a NY minute. Spent Saturday afternoon tearing it apart, cleaning it up and reupholstering it with some left over fabric from the living room cornice boards, and now I have a new bench. Do I love it? EEK. No. I will give it a few weeks to see if it grows on me. If not, the bench part is coming off and a glass top is going on and I will have a new table. I really did do the majority of work myself and have the sore fingers to prove it but when it came to screwing the seat back onto the frame I had to call in the troops. I love the help squad around here. Thank you Frank and Bru!

Say it with flowers. .

I love flowers. . . . not roses and the elegant end of the spectrum . . . the down to earth variety. . . . growing in cracks in sidewalks, along the side of the road, in window boxes. You know the kind. The ones that make your heart smile. When Stacie came to pick up Chauncey, she brought me a thank you present. Flowers and a hug and it doesn't get any better.

The Newest Cat Adventure

Frank’s oldest was getting ready to move to a new apartment on the river. Everything was a go until her cat Chauncey developed an oozing lump under his jaw and was miserable and not eating. Not good. So before we left to load all of her worldly possessions onto the truck, she brought Chauncey to me to take to the vet. My vet would not see him until the following week since he had never seen this particular cat before. Huh??? Haven’t I been coming there for the last eight years??? So I called the Animal Cat Clinic, about which I had heard good things and they agree to see Chauncey, if I would leave him there for the day. So here I am in ratty moving clothes, half drenched from the rain with a terribly sick cat that I am trying to explain I know little about because he isn’t really mine and his mom is in the process of moving. Can you see the eyebrows rising?? Yes, they wanted a deposit. So I leave my cell number and head off to help with the move. Now would be the time to interject the fact that my cell is partially on the fritz and has developed a new penchant for turning itself off at the most inopportune times – like when the new vet calls to consult. Yikes. Now I'm sure they think I dumped poor Chauncey and took off never to be seen again. I finally call since I had not heard from them and Chauncey needs to spend the night. It is either an abscessed tooth or a cat bite. They will do the surgery the next day. Mean while, his hair was so matted, he is now sporting a lion cut. Frank and I leave to pick him up at 4:30. Poor beastie is doing as well as can be expected for a cat that is still groggy from pain meds and anesthesia. At least this time, I am dressed like a human being and am dry. I hand them my credit card laughing about how I must have appeared to be one of those people who just dump cats. Of course as I am saying this, I am tucking away my receipt for the charges, that turns out to be their receipt. . . . Thankfully, they have a sense of humor and I now finally have a new vet!!!

p.s. He is now in our bathroom waiting to be picked up later this evening and purring so loudly I can hear him from the next room. My beasties are wearing a trench in the floor running back and forth between the two bathroom doors trying to sneak a peak at the visitor. Have I mentioned that Chauncey is Moaky's granddaddy?? I wonder if somehow, they know??