This box is the only reason I decided to give beer a chance. Really.

Happy Birthday, Kitty!

It's so fun when your pet gets mail!
PetSmart sent Spook a gift certificate for a free kitty toy (no purchase necessary) because her birthday is this weekend. She will be 3 years old... our little girl is growing up. James and I headed out this morning to pick out a fun toy for her. She seems to be VERY happy with her present (as you can see in the pics) and Julius liked it too! (Spook is black and white, Julius is grey).

There is no snooze button to silence a hungry kitty

I have the most reliable alarm clock in existence. My cat Spook. A typical morning is as follows:

5:30am: (quietly scratches on the dresser next to my head) *pick pick* *pick pick* *pick pick*
(Continues in intervals of 5 minutes, watching me closely in between sessions).
5:45am: (jumps onto the bed, head butts my boobs and, softly...) "purr purr purr purr"
(Finds a crook somewhere on my body and positions herself there, head butting, making bread, and/or rolling around as the volume increases). "PURR PURR PURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR"
6:00am: (if she is not convinced that I am fully awake) *SCRATCH SCRATCH SCRATCH* *pick pick* *scratch scrATCH SCRATCH* (On the blanket that covers me... the mattress... the dresser again... wherever she can ground herself that is close to my head).

Usually by this point I am wide awake and only pretending to be asleep, vainly hoping that she will give up and let me catch a few more winks. I am not certain if she knows that I am awake and trying to deceive her, or if she thinks that I am still asleep and so totally NEED to be awake, but she calls in reinforcements.

6:15am: (Spook) *PICK PICK PICK*
(Julius) *SCRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATCH! SCRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAATCH! SCRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAATCH!*

I accept defeat. They have won... AGAIN. You know, it has been months since I have slept past 7am. LOL!

I get up. My movement is rewarded by "chirp! PURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR" *head butt, head butt, rub rub* as I prepare their breakfast.
And it is totally worth it. :)

A big bowl of comfort

It is not my style to post about my day to day activities, or to share my deepest thoughts or poems or other creative writing. I am a rather secretive individual and I prefer to keep my thoughts and feelings between friends. However, I love to share with others the things that make me happy, and to have others share such things with me. I find a most welcome escape from the sadness and fear in the world to share a smile with another.

In that spirit, I would like to share something that brings me comfort and stirs warm memories inside of me. Oh, and it tastes great, too!

Roasted Autumn Vegetable Soup (my own adaptation of a Weight Watchers recipe)

Need:
1 large onion
6 medium carrots
3 large parsnips
5 cups squash (winter squash or yellow squash. Frozen or fresh)
3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup skim milk
salt
pepper
nutmeg

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the carrots and parsnips into 1" pieces, the onion into large segments, and the squash into 1"X 1" cubes. Combine them in a roasting pan, cover, and roast for 15 minutes. Remove the cover and roast for 5-10 minutes more. Roasting the veggies brings out their natural sweetness.

Place the roasted veggies in a large pot. Add broth and milk. Cook at medium heat until liquid is hot, than cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Blend the mixture until smooth in blender, food processor, or with an immersion blender.

Spoon into bowls (about 1 1/2 cup per serving) and dust with nutmeg. Serve hot.

Just because pretty things make me smille...

Our little friend

This little fella comes to our patio and hangs out after every heavy rain. I believe he's a box turtle, and I think he's neat.

I saved all of your pictures, all the ones you made for me, from drawings to pages torn out of your colouring book. Then we started to grow up and stopped thinking that the other was important enough to colour pictures for, but I kept them anyway because they were from you and even though I didn't think you were grown up enough to hang out with anymore or even be nice to in front of my friends I still thought you were important enough to save your pictures. Now when I look at them, the ones that are left, they make me so happy because I think of you, but then they make me sad because you stopped making them for me or I stopped thinking they were worth saving... I don't remember which. It has been so long since your last picture and I wonder why I stopped wanting to save pieces of you and why you stopped wanting to colour for me and I think that it was my fault but I'm not sure because I was just a kid too. I sift back through all those years, the ones in my head, and you are there, all the way through. I think you are worth saving even if you don't think I am worth saving and even if you don't it doesn't matter because I am always going to fight to save you.

He thinks he's a pot

The sting of Winter burrows deep, deep into my skin. It burns, as it hides there it burns, killing cells killing the soft killing the fresh and turning me to leather. Mummified at twenty-five.

Look out!

James and I visited the NC Museum of Natural Sciences yesterday. We had a blast going through the exhibits and enjoying the displays. We also did a bunch of goofing off.

I thought this was just too cute to keep to myself!
To watch the video of Spook, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eos0xBw9CrY

A happy sight on a cold Winter's morning

Ah... Spring is in the air! I have noticed robins on the lawn behind my apartment all week. In fact, there are 3 of them searching for worms right now. What a wonderful thing to see on a cold Winter's morning.

Cuteness

These are my fuzzy kids. Spook and Julius, pictured here playing in the bath tub under the drippy faucet. They are quite the characters; so much personality and spunk.

Tea in hand, cats seated next to my feet, and motivation in my soul. I can't think of a better time to begin my blog. Some of you may be wondering, why start blogging now? The obvious answer is, why not. The alternate, more valid, answer: I believe that blogging will be a most satisfying outlet for me, living in a strange country so very far away from my close friends. Plus, it is a handy way to reconnect with old friends whom I have missed over the years. Admittedly, I have never blogged before. Never. Computers, the internet... well, they scare me a little. I don't like to be afraid, not even a little bit. But, fear can be a good thing; it challenges you and can entice you to explore a little bit more of yourself and to release it. This is a step for me, exposing a little bit of Cherie.

That wasn't so bad.