Travel Catblogging - Fuzz

Fuzz is a lover. LOVER. He’ll come up to you and immediately start nuzzling your neck. He wants to lay ON TOP of you, and be as close to your face as possible. He is fearless. And I think part dog. He likes to start shit with the other cats, too - and usually gets in trouble for it. “Fuzzer! Play nice!” is a frequent refrain echoed in the home. He promptly looks innocent upon this exclamation and you can almost hear him complaining, “I was just trying to play!”

He used to be like a zillion pounds heavier. And bulimic. Poor thing. And he had other problems that made his owners make multiple trips to the Animal Research University to help figure it out. I am happy to report that The Fuzzer is now doing wonderful and chases fake mice with zeal across the hardwood kitchen floor.

The Fuzz is Dan’s favorite. So much so, he’s been calling Samwise “Sammer” a lot lately, and I think it’s because of THE FUZZER. How did he get his name? I think it has to do with his coat, but also his little nub of a tail. It’s only like six inches long and just a poof (cat walking towards the camera). I think he’s a long-haired American Bobtail?

Travel Catblogging - Elvis

Elvis, looking a little hung-over after a night of partying.

Here is another cat from our travels last month. He recently moved from a two bedroom basement apartment where he spent his entire life to a fantastic three bedroom, two story house. He reportedly wouldn’t come downstairs for a week after the move, not comprehending that living space can be larger than a postage stamp.

And I should mention that he is one of three kitties to have shared that little apartment! I believe he is the favorite of the lady that runs the house, but I have to admit that although I love him, he is not my favorite. You’ll find my favorite of the bunch later in the week.

Elvis is a strong and loyal cat, but can be skittish around strangers. I’ve always questioned the length of cat memories, but he didn’t run away when we walked in the door even though we haven’t seen him in over a year. In fact, GASP, we were able to pet him immediately. He remembered us AND found us acceptable!

And we are ever grateful that his owners felt the same way

Shy as ever.

Beautiful Weekend

We had a great weekend, and as soon as I load the photos, I’ll share some with you (but I am over a month behind on photos…)

Friday night we walked to a local pizzeria and then went for a walk around the neighborhood.

Saturday we went to prairie and hiked for awhile. You’d never believe the THOUSANDS of grasshoppers that roam the tall grasses. We finished the afternoon with some wine tasting at a nearby winery and a nice little ice cream cone, too. On Sunday we went outside again and enjoyed a nice little picnic in a park after a trip to the farmer’s market.

The weather was gorgeous, we had the windows open, and the cat was happy. I felt so happy and content the whole weekend!

Friday Catblogging

Not his most attractive photo.  Caught in mid-whine.  Whine Whine Whine.  He talks WAY too much  - and he always seems to be complaining.  He does his usual happy chirps when you get home, when you get up in the morning.  Some purrs at random times, too.  But lately, a whole lot of whining.  He still hasn’t gotten over the end to outdoor time.

Commute

I re-injured my bursitis hip while bowling this weekend (high score, 124).

Which means I ice a lot and have rode the bus this week instead of biking.  Since they changed the routes earlier in the summer, I’ve been a bit annoyed.  The ride in is a little longer, and some days I’m on time or five minutes early for work, and other days I’m five minutes late.  That’s way to variable for a four mile ride!

But, I stopped getting so worked up about it and just started reading a book.  And by golly, I finished one!  With so much else to do in the summer, I haven’t read quite as much in the evenings.

I actually now look forward to the ride because it’s my own little bubble of imagination and escape.  Don’t get me wrong - I still love the contemplative bike ride, but reading?  It ranks second to napping as my favorite hobby.

Travel Catblogging - Mia

This is Mia.  We visited her owners on our trip the other week and had such a good time.  They live in the country, have an amazing garden, and had a full fridge of beer (and another full of food).

Everything was fantastic  - the fresh garden produce, the chicken skewers on the grill, sitting out on the patio through dusk.  Wildlife galore walked by (including a deer) and we witnessed a possum and raccoon battle it out over bird seed.

It is things like this that I miss most about living away from friends.  Sharing of food, relaxing, and just being.  Thanks C and R!  We had a great time and miss you.

And in case the first photo tricked you into thinking Mia is friendly towards strangers, the bottom is closer to her personality.  Paw being raised about to strike!  At first we thought she was playing since we didn’t feel any claws as she was batting at our hands, but the accompanying hiss and revelation that she’s declawed put that notion out quick!  In the morning, she jumped up into my lap and we all thought she was going to settle down for a pet, but she quickly got in my face and screamed.  Yes, yes, Mia!  We’ll leave!

Weekend Brother-In-Law Blogging

My sister and her husband are visiting this weekend.  He’s not a native Badger, but has been living in Milwaukee for the past eight years. 

I put on my Milwaukee Brewers (80’s style) baseball hat before we went for an after dinner walk.

BIL: “Oh, you have one of those hats too!  They are so popular!”

Me: “Yes, I love wearing the old school Brewer’s.  It reminds me of childhood tailgating at County Stadium.”

BIL: “That’s a Brewer’s hat?  No wonder I see them all around town!”

Me: “What did you think it was?”

BIL: “Just a generic baseball hat.  It’s just a glove. I thought people wore that when they liked baseball but didn’t have a favorite team.”

Me: “Um, no.  It’s an M and  B cleverly folded into a catcher’s mit.”

BIL: “I had no idea!”

 

And then the next day:

BIL: “What’s the Lambeau Leap?”

 

His Wisconsin membership is hereby revoked.

Margarita Lime Pie

About to be put in the freezer.  Made with fresh Tequila and Triple Sec!

I will have to do this one again, as I didn’t get a taste of the finished project (it was for my friend, M).  But it smelled divine and was reported to be tasty.  Upon hearing of this creation, another co-worker remarked,
“She can make pies out of anything!  What’s next?  Bikes?!?”

A cross-section photo by M, Sam’s wonderful sitter and my friend. The pie is a custard that I folded in with whipped cream and lime zest.  The alcohol is what the gelatin soaked in prior to combining with the custard, and I think the pocket of color is evidence of my inexperience at folding custard, gelatin and whipped cream together.  It’s a far more delicate process that I’ve done before. This is where I went wrong on my watermelon pie last summer, so I tried really hard on this one.  It just means I need to make more cream pies to practice my skills, right?!?

Travels

Last week we traveled east to help our good friends move, and also were able to see a few other friends along the way.  Samwise was in friendly hands with my friend, and managed to not destroy our home while we were away.  AND he seemed fine when we got home.  No pouty whines at us for leaving him, no Velcro kitty either.  Does this mean he’s growing up and being more independent?  An adult cat?  When did that happen?

Our little Mazda managed to put on quite a few miles.  Here it is at rest out at “the farm”.  It was so beautiful there and I can’t wait to tell you all about our visits!

(Although, to be fair, we visited half the blog readership, so you already know)

State Fair Prep

I’m getting ready to enter the State Fair Pie competition this year. I can make up to two pies for entry.

What have been your favorites over the past year? I know I didn’t post them all (most recent was a Margarita Lime Pie, but frankly, I’m not sure a frozen pie would be a good choice since judging could last a few hours).

They have different categories.  If I go with one of the mixed fruit pies, I’ll be in the mixed category and I have no idea what else I’ll be up against.

My current thoughts:

Cherry

Apple-Pear Wine

Apple-Apricot

Thanks for your help!