Fireside Cats Induce Writers Block and Winter Lethargy

I'm sure I haven't been settled in by the fire, with the cats and a hot cup of tea, ever since Thanksgiving and my last post.  I've done other thing too, but it's not obvious from my recent photos.  So many pictures of cats by the fire!

I admit that I have been quite distracted by re-reading all the books on my Kindle.  Also, I had the cold that's been going around, so I indulged in fire side reading in every spare moment for weeks while I recovered.  I overheard Brandon refer to me as a "snot fountain" on several occasions!  

I would say that my fingers feel rusty because I'm out of blog writing practice, but the problem isn't in my fingers, it's my mushy brain! What is this blank nothing that has replaced the words that used to flow forth?  I must have winter-comfort induced writers block.  

I blame the lazy cats and their completely unmotivated attitude to life.  Rufus the donkey is as adorable as ever, and the goats just as crazy.  Wendigo has creaky knees, but she hasn't let it get her down.  The Turkey survived the holiday season, and keeps company with her flock of chickens, just like always.  There are home repairs, sewing projects, family gatherings, and all the usual makings for Rain to ramble.  

Hopefully these fireside cat photos and this awkward post will kick-start my brain and my rusty fingers will follow.   

Brandon and I have re-committed ourselves to healthy eating, which will help re-charge my energy, I know.  After a few months of too much food and alcohol, I'm happy to feel some of my enthusiasm for healthy eating return.  I'm re-reading my old book on the Candida cleanse, which has inspired me to cut the booze, caffeine, sugar, starchy foods, and try to make at least sixty percent of what I eat be organic vegetables.   I've only been strict for a few days, and already my face looks less puffy, and I feel like I'm waking up after a long winters nap.  Heck, I'm even boring you with silly pictures of my cats, so it must be working!  

I've been sticking with Adriene and her free yoga videos every day that I can.  I've also been doing ten minute meditation practice with the free sessions on the Headspace app.  My farm chores force me to get some fresh air and movement every day too.  When life allows, I have no trouble sleeping for eight hours or more a night.  I'm not sure who I'm trying to reassure with this update, but I am making an effort toward physical and mental health.  Let's hope this leads to an abundance of spring time energy and blogging zest!   

Thankfully winter isn't over yet, so the cats and I can enjoy the fire for weeks to come! 

I'm Into Cats

Someone came by my office and asked me if I wanted a stray kitten.  I said no.  They said it was the cutest little kitten and it needed a home.  I said no, again, and I must have been very firm with my answer, because then they asked "So, are you just not into cats?" 

Ha!  I was asked this on the same day that I nearly filled my phone with pictures of my cats. I'm definitely into cats.  Three cats is plenty of cats.  

I've been working on my official crazy cat lady status since I was a kid.  But these days, I even have cats climbing my ceilings!

Leaving the ceiling beams in our upstairs exposed changed the room from a closed-in tight space into something interesting and open, but it also added a unexpected bonus. 

The cats can leap from beam to beam, entertaining us with their acrobatics!

 

Newt, our adventuresome calico girl, is really the most agile climber.  She likes to surprise me by jumping down from above when I'm not paying attention.  Ditto, my sleek but timid boy, is more comfortable when he has all his feet on the ground.  

 
Isn't he beautiful?  I think so, but then again, I'm into cats. 

Cat Season

Cat season has begun.  It's too cold outside to hang around in the barn yard or play fetch with the puppy.  With ice and wind outside, it's time to follow the cat's lead, and hang close to the fire.  Luckily, with three house cats, there's usually at least one who wants to be a warm fuzzy lap warmer at all times.  

They pile up and preheat the couch cushions for me.

Max enjoys movie nights, but usually falls asleep before the show really gets started.  I know some other old men who do the same thing.

Newt, you aren't helping.

Ditto is so secretive he's hard to capture in a photo.  He blends into the shadows even when he's right there.  I think he's my prettiest cat, with the silkiest fur and is most svelte.  Unfortunately, he is terrified of people (and all noises), so no one gets to admire him.  The last time my nieces tried to pet him, he squeezed himself into a tiny gap behind the hot water heater trying to escape, and we had to organize a rescue mission.  

If Max is the oldest (eighteen), and Ditto is the prettiest, then Newt is the nicest.  She's also the best mouse hunter, and the only cat who has jumped on to the top of the hot wood stove and burned her toes.  She has fast reflexes though, so she barely touched down before she leaped away.  

More Movies - Follow the Rooster, Cute Newt, and Mirror Dog

I've been entertaining myself by making short videos of the animals, and using the video editor app on my phone.  The app has about 25 free "songs" that I can pick from for background music, and there are several special effects I can select too.  The chickens and pigs are pretty good sports, and don't let me and my video making interfere with their business.  

Watching the flock eat is one of my favorite things.  It's fun to try to focus on an individual bird and see how long I can keep up with it before I get distracted by silly guineas, cute dogs, or when a pig runs and falls in a hole - ha!  Enjoy!

Newt is hard to capture in action because as soon as she realizes she's the star of the show, she can't resist playing up for the camera.  

What a flirt!

Puck gets a little camera shy when he's the focus of my attention.  Luckily, he's a natural star!

Things got a little weird with this one.  

Girls and Boys

The chicks that were delivered in the mail at the end of the December, are old enough now that I can tell who is a boy and who is a girl.  The boys are behaving more like boys - they play fight and lunge at each other.  I heard the first attempt at a crow yesterday, but it sounded a little more like someone sat on a whoopee cushion than the call of a proud rooster. 

These are some of the barred rock chicks.  The one of the left, which is darker and has a smaller comb is a female (looks just like Mrs. Hall!).  The one on the right is bigger, lighter color, and his comb is more red and more impressive.  

This is a buff orpington and Easter egger sandwich.  The yellow buff orpington on the far right is a girl (she hardly has a comb at all), and the yellow bird with a dark red comb on the far left is a boy.  The Easter eggers are the hardest to tell apart since they all have small combs and big beards.  I've spent more time than I should admit to watching them though, so I'm pretty confident that all but one of these is a girl, despite their beards.  

Since all but one of the boys is destined for the freezer, and initially I was sure these pretty black and white Easter eggers were boys, I was excited to finally determine that she is a she, after all.  I have two with this white head to black tail pattern.  Directly behind her is a girl barred rock, and the one in the back is a boy.

Two girls.  

Boy, girl, girl, boy.  

This one looks like a girl, but behaves like a boy.  He's the only one with a name, so far, so I'm pretty sure he will be the rooster I keep.  Welcome, Cogburn!  

Newt gets a little jealous when I pay too much attention to the chickens.  

Sorry, Newt, you have to figure out how to get down all by yourself!  

My Cats Like RNA Smoothies

Look, kitties, this smoothie matches our walls!  Cool, right?  No..? 

It's that time of year.  The candy jar at work is filled with irresistible chocolates, Brandon is already planning to make his holiday peanut butter fudge, and my shopping list this week includes all the ingredients for Brandon's mom's famous magic cookie bars.  Yum.  With all this in mind, I've been trying to get back in the habit of making a daily smoothie.    

I've added a new ingredient to our smoothies too.  Mom and I recently watched an online presentation where this chiropractor claimed he was having success treating patients with sleep apnea using RNA supplements.  What?!  I never knew there was such a thing as an RNA supplement, or that RNA was something that when consumed had an effect on the body.  I've had a few genetics courses, and learned about DNA, RNA, and all those little bits that make us who we are, but never remember hearing anyone say that consuming RNA could have an effect on health.  Turns out, our bodies incorporate microRNA fragments into our cells from our food, just like vitamins and minerals - RNA molecules are taken from the food we eat, and then used to build our bodies.  Maybe even change our bodies, depending on who's RNA we are eating (hmm... maybe there's something to the genetically modified food argument, after all?).  So, since I take all my medical advise from random chiropractors on the inter web, I decided to see if there's a natural way to increase our RNA consumption.      

My research landed me on this green powder, called Rejuvenate (with an !).  And we all know how much I like a green powder calling itself a superfood.   I've already talked myself into drinking grass juice, algae, and even strange African plants sold at jewelry stores, so I was immediately on board.  

Just look at all the weird things in this - kelp, dulse, spirulina, chia seeds, nutritional yeast, and the list goes on.  It smells like something that's good for you, for sure.   

Baby spinach is still our favorite green to use in a smoothie because it tastes so mild.  With some frozen berries, a banana or two, and scoop of magic green powder, I should be able to eat peanut better fudge without getting scurvy, right?  

Whoa, that's green.  Whoa baby, that tastes green!  Maybe I should add a few pears to sweeten it up.  

Help me! I'm drowning in green sludge!  I rarely have as much empathy for a fruit as I did these pears.

The best way to serve a green slurry is in a fancy glass.  Anything in a fancy glass tastes good.  Notice that Brandon gets his served in a old peanut butter jar.  Should I feel guilty? 

I'm not sure which of the long list of strange ingredients captured the cats interest, but they stalked me while I was making this smoothie, and Newt even had the audacity to jump on the kitchen counter while I was standing there!  Normally, they have enough manners sneak and do this when I'm not within swatting distance.  

I had two cats perched on me while I tried to enjoy my tasty treat.  And really, it was pretty tasty.  Those sweet ripe pears were the the key.  The poor cats wanted it so bad I let them lick the glass.  Who knew cats liked smoothies?  

Newt, is your tongue numb?  

Ditto looked so silly licking his chops after his taste of smoothie that I wanted to take his picture with his tongue out.  Lick.  Click.  Missed!  Lick, click.  Click.  Click.  Lick.  Click.  Doh!  Is he intentionally being uncooperative?!  Click. Click. Lick.  Ah!  I give up.  Twenty pictures later.  

Solar Powered Cat Warmers on the South Side

We've got solar powered cat warmers!  The windows on the south side of the house are really appreciated by the cats for their warm winter sun beams.  Unlike the windows on the north side, which only let in drafts.  The cats spend the day while I'm at work in the front room, snoozing on blankets in the windows or watching the birds in the pear tree.  

If I can't find the cats there, then there's a good chance they are upstairs in the bedroom soaking in the sun on the bed or on the carpet.  So far, the upstairs room of our house is always warm, even without any heat.  When we were tearing out walls during our house renovations, we knew that removing the walls and doorway from the stair well, and raising the upstairs ceiling, was going to make it hard to keep all the warm air from just rising to the top of second floor.  We did it anyway, so I'm curious to see how the winter plays out.  If we spend all our time upstairs this winter because it's too cold downstairs, we may have to consider some options for changing the air flow.  

I really love the way the upstairs ceiling looks with the sloped wood ceiling and the exposed beams - but what do I do to block the view?  I hang wet laundry up there to dry.  Doh!  Oh well, only when the weather forecast says it isn't a good idea to use the clothes line outside (so practically all winter, right?).  I just can't resist those beams which are perfect for supporting a rod to hold the wet clothes, and all that dry heat and solar exposure dries the clothes well.  

The only downside to this system, other than marring my view of the pretty ceiling, is lugging baskets of laundry up the stairs.  I made a point of storing all our clothes downstairs when we were planning the use of this house, because I wanted, for once, to have a bedroom that didn't include a laundry pile laundry baskets and didn't want to carry laundry upstairs to put it away, and now I find myself taking laundry upstairs and then back down again.   I don't mind it though.  And the cats think hanging laundry in the house is a great game.  

Capturing the Excitement of Newt's Hunt

Shhh, Newt is crouched under the elephant fountain, and is about to pounce on something.  Maybe if I'm quiet, I can catch her in action.  Click.  Click.  Click.... come on, already.  Click.  Click...

After taking at least ten photos of her in a patient crouch, she's off!  What is she after? A mouse? a bird? superman?  

I can hear David Attinborough's voice poised in my mind ready to narrate the exciting conclusion of this hunt for...the dog sniffing the compost.  Sigh..  Hunting with Newt isn't as exciting as I thought it would be.   

I spied her licking her chops in the fire pit, but when I went to investigate, I could see that she was licking charcoal.  Psst!  Don't eat that! 

I wouldn't be very sad if she managed to catch the mole that's tearing up our front yard, but she only seemed interested in sniffing the dirt piles.  She stopped to stare at the wall of the house, near the back corner of the bathroom.  My patience isn't as strong as hers, but when I finally got really close to her, I could hear the little scrabbling sounds of something alive in the wall, up about four feet from the ground, and near a small gap in the siding that looks dirty. Like something with dirty little feet or nasty droppings lives in our wall.  At least Newt let me know.  Not that I know what to do about it.  

Look at all that dirt!  I should be impressed that Brandon excavated a trench for the electricity to the hot tub, by hand even, and I am, but since his electrical trench work has created a muddy pathway that crosses two of our main entrances, my admiration is tinged with despair.  Will our floors always be this dirty now that we live in the country?  The other day, at the office, I noticed a muddy trail that led to my office, and I had not been in the field working.  Someone pointed out that I had burrs stuck to my pants, and I wasn't returning from work in the field, I picked them up getting in my car, at home.  I never appreciated my sidewalk at our old house as much as I do now that I don't have one.  

It's not funny when an old dog with stubby legs tries to cross a six-inch wide ditch and gets his back end stuck in the mud.  Nope.  Not funny at all.  I am not laughing, Puck.  I am not laughing so hard I have to wipe away tears, either.  And when I look at this picture, I do not laugh every time, because it's not funny.  

Giggle.    

Newt, are you bragging that you captured a shrew, or are you complaining that your new toy stopped working?  I'm glad I missed the action, really.  

You better watch out, Newt, that hen has her eye on your snack.