I love cats, it's true, but I also love dogs, horses (especially the minis), bunnies, and smallish furry critters like hamsters. You could say I'm a Pet Person. Many try to cage me as a Cat Person and not a Dog Person, but tis not true - I love all animals. Well, except for slithering beasties or things that go thump in the night. And there's no way I'm gonna start cuddling a skunk. No thanks!

Anyhow, I digress.

What brings me to cats today is actually the weather. Yep, you heard me. It's Saturday afternoon and last night the weatherpukes all said "chance of snow" for today. I mean ALL of them said it - news online, weatherbug, news on TV. I was expecting S-N-O-W snow!! Did I get it? Heck no. I got 2"-3" snow on *Wednesday* when they said it would be sunny!! Woke up to what looked like a white-out but it wasn't. It was just the light reflecting off the ground up into the house.

My cats LOVE the sun. I think all furry animals do. I have this theory that the sun recharges their solar panels in their bellies. Every time it's sunny they bask in it like they can't quite soak up enough, and no matter how hot they get they keep following that bit o' sun across the room until it's not available anymore that day, only to stare out the night window longingly, expectant that the next day will bring them yet another solar recharge.

It must be that felines collectively have some kind of weather-control system. They communicate globally and change the weather to suit where the cats need recharging the most. After this weeks' earlier "Surprise!! It's snowing!!" my cats here sent our rain to SoCal and we have SoCal's sun today. It's Feline Weather Control! Dr. Evil would love to get his hands on it. But wait... didn't he have a cat too? Hmmm...

It's a Cat-spiracy, but for now I'll enjoy the pretty sunshine. Thanks kitties! :)

Just a Few of My Favorite Things

This morning while checking the mail, retrieving the now-empty trashcan, and herding the cats I had these rambling thoughts about some of my favorite things, things that make me smile. I just never put mine into my blog rambles, so here goes to a few of mine… the list changes all the time, too, one never knows what will bring a smile any given day:

...an unexpected card in the mail from someone very dear (not just on Christmas)

...the smell of apple pies baking (hey – that’s today!)

...good friends (every day)

...that look that one of my cats gives me that says “thank you for rescuing me, I really like it here, I really like you, and I promise I’ll try to not hock up a hairball on the carpet again” (I don’t actually believe they mean that last part, but they try)

...working out a new book and realizing that wild nutty idea I had just might work after all

...finding a new flavor of ice cream (it’s a whole food group you know, hahah), currently my two favorites are “fried ice cream” and “banana split” from Walmart’s house brand – they’re terribly nummy – even their-fat free or lowfat ones are pretty darn good for what they are

...sunflowers

...discovering that just when I need it most, that item I just ran out of and need on an emergency basis is now on sale for a bargain (that happens too much to be coincidence, I like to think my Guardian Angel of All-Things-Domestic had a hand in that)

...Yahoo Messenger's synchronized video sharing, I love watching and listening to music and video with friends far away

...discovering a new author then realizing he/she has a ton of books out there already, and then acquiring their backlist

...finding one of my cats sleeping on the pillow under my desk all day, just to keep me company cuz I seem blue that day (Munch has been doing this for a week, she can’t be cold – so I figure she just likes the pillow, my desk, or my company perhaps… it’s a big enough house she could sleep elsewhere but she lurks nearby when I’m feeling a tad off)

...realizing that I have friends who will always be my friends, no matter how 'up' and nutty I get, no matter how down I get, and no matter how much I need to vent about my personal life – because I’d return the favor in a heartbeat many times over

Enough with the sappy warm-fuzzies, I’ll stop now, hehehe.

Happy Holidays!
-Susan

Don't knock fish tacos...

Gonna indulge in another passion of mine… making up recipes. Want to make some killer homemade fish tacos? Don't knock them till ya try them; if you've never had a fish taco, it's a great treat, not fishy at all.

Read on…

You’ll need…

4-6 decent-sized pickled green jalapenos, seeded, de-veined, etc., chopped fine

3-4 Roma tomatoes, remove the guts and chopped fine

1 small-medium sweet onion, peeled, chopped fine

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped fine, remove as many of the stems as you can, but you can leave a lot of stems in there

Juice from 1 lemon or a couple limes, or combo of both

Salt and pepper to taste

Sour cream

Olive oil

At least a couple white fish filets (like tilapia (what I used), mahi mahi, cod, roughy, etc.)

1 egg, beaten (start with just one at a time, it doesn’t take much)

Bread crumbs (if you don’t have pre-made kind, make your own)

Corn tortillas (probably 4-6 for 2 fish fillets, depends on size of fillets)

Cabbage or lettuce, shredded fine

Shredded cheese (I used the pre-shredded taco cheese blend, but just cheddar or just Monterey Jack or a combo of those would be fine too)

Here’s what you do… it takes a few minutes but worth all those messy dishes too:

For the salsa, mix the jalapenos, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and lemon/lime juice. Add whatever salt and pepper you wish here. Set aside for a while, you need the flavors to bloom a bit. You won’t need the sour cream till later, leave it in the fridge for now.

In a big pan with a lid, put a little olive oil (maybe 1/8” to 1/4” deep in a pan), soften the corn tortillas so you can fold them in half – either continue to fry them till they’re crispy, or remove to paper-towel-lined plate and let them cool a tad. Yes, I said tad, hehehe, isn’t that a cooking term? I like them crispy, then after they’re cooled a tad (there’s that word again, it’s just up from a smidge and down from a lot) I split them open and lay them flat on a plate but some people like them just softened – your preference there.

Cut the fish fillets in half if they’re really wide and thick, they’ll cook more evenly. Besides, it doesn’t take but a small piece (about four inches long) for a corn tortilla, and you don’t want them too wide so cut them down to what you want first. Muck them around in the beaten egg then roll them through the bread crumbs – I like to do that step twice so they’re double-coated, woohoo! Fry them gently for a few minutes each side in the olive oil. Watch it, don’t overcook them, there’s nothing worse than overcooked fish. Ewwww. Helps to have the oil not so hot, either. Otherwise you’ll have a splattery mess on the stovetop. A lid helps steam and evenly cook the fish - you can flip them after a minute, they should be done very quickly, test with a fork in the thickest spots..

If you have a cat herd like I do, this is the point where you’ll have to sacrifice a small piece of the fish to each cat. Fortunately only 2 of mine are actual kitchen beggars, but they all smelled the fish and just had to join in the melee when they heard the 2 sobbing pitifully.

After you do the required sacrifice of the small fish tidbits and shoo the cats out of the kitchen for the eleventh time, and while the fish for YOU is gently cooking (keep an eye on it), take out the sour cream from the fridge and get another bowl. Put a couple big spoonfuls of sour cream in it, then a couple big spoonfuls of that salsa mess that’s been sitting and blooming. Only mix as much sour cream and salsa mess as you want to eat just then – the rest of the salsa mess can be refrigerated for days but you don’t wanna have it mixed with sour cream while it sits like that, it’ll get ooky. Yes, ooky’s a cooking term too. Just up a smidge up from grodie and down a tad from icky.

The fish should be done about now, take them out of the oil if they are. Fish frying requires lots of monitoring, don’t let that part get away from you so keep an eye on the fish tidbits in the oil.

Get the cheese out and brace yourself… assembly time coming up.

On a clean plate (You don’t think I’d actually say “on a dirty plate” did you? HA!), layer a tortilla with a spoonful of the salsa/sour cream mix, then plop a piece or two of the fish on top of that, add a little cabbage/lettuce shreds, and then sprinkle on some cheese.

Make a second one if you think you have room for it. Go eat before the fish cools off, it’s tasty. Works really well with grilled mahi mahi too, but I didn't have the impetus to grill the tilapia today so they were olive-oil lightly breaded and pan-fried. Mmm... mmmm... mmmmm...

Guess what I had for lunch? LOL!

Enjoy!

Warm fuzzies...

Cats, cats, cats. Great pets, cats. Although if you're allergic - no. Otherwise - yes. I had some rambling thoughts about cats... since I have five (CATS, not thoughts, reallllly what're YOU thinkin'?), that's not too hard to do.

One day I read that some smarty research person somewhere said cats have the average IQ of a three-year-old human. Forgot where I read that, I have a memory like a steel sieve: some days, not a lot stays behind. LOL!

I don't really agree with that whole IQ-of-a-three-year-old thing, because for one thing I've seen some terribly smart three-year-olds, plus with my five furballs, it's more like five- or six-year-olds. Maybe even seven-year-olds on a good day. They just like to hide their smarts to get us to do their evil furry bidding, LOL! I'm not bragging on how their brains might be more developed than the average feline - don't get me wrong, one of them still has the nickname 'Numbskull' and the other 'Idiot', but that's a whole other story. Good cats, but dumber than a box of socks some days.

Then my mom told me something funny recently - cats used to be worshipped as gods, and they've never quite forgotten that. Now ain't (yes I said "ain't") THAT the truth?

The way I see it is that they only LET ME live here out of the graciousness of their feline hearts. I maintain the living quarters and lifestyle just for them, supporting their need for constant supply of food, water, catnip, edible cat grass, litterbox maintenance, toys toys and more toys, and not to mention the endless need for attention when they're not sleeping off that latest food-, sun- or catnip-induced-coma.

Plus, whoever said cats are independent hasn't seen my herd. Since I'm home so much, I think they've somehow mentally bonded to me in a weird way. They tag-team me so I'm never alone. And I do mean... NEVER. Not in the yard, the garage, the bed, the kitchen... even the shower is not off-limits to them. Yes... I said the shower. I have one cat that likes to climb in!! She likes to watch from between the two curtains usually - a clear plastic liner on the inside and a fabric one on the outside means she has a neat little area on the rim of the tub where she can experience the shower without getting completely wet every time. However, she will climb in while the shower's going, she's done it before but lately she's gone for the Rim With A View.

Anyhow, they're not independent, no way. They're far too needy to be independent. If I get something to eat, at least two of them need to also. If I have a drink, another one needs one too (not from what I'm drinking or eating, they just make sure that I notice they're getting a drink at the cat fountain at the same time as I drink my coffee or tea, that's what I meant). Then if I nap, they nap with me... usually in pairs and usually on my lap or by my feet. If I walk to the door, two or three have to perform Feline Escort Duty so I can't escape. If I go down the hall to the bathroom, at least one has to follow... perhaps to make sure I don't fall in. Although what they're going to do if THAT happens I don't know, but there you are. Maybe if I did fall in, they'd have some sort of Feline SOS thing going, or they've learned how to hit 9-1-1. Anyhow, I'm constantly monitored by some furry beast.

Whoever thought aliens from another planet were set to invade and take over planet Earth never probably thought that we already HAVE BEEN invaded... by CATS!!! They're everywhere. Have been for thousands of years too.

They're great company, don't get me wrong, I'd never change a thing. They can sense when I'm happy or sad, they're a big comfort when I'm ill, even if they can't fix me some chicken soup or run to the store for more ginger ale. They keep me company 24/7 whether I want them to or not, something I've grown quite accustomed to now and enjoy it. They like to watch TV with me, and sometimes I think they even know what I'm thinking. It's fun to make them toys from a piece of wadded up paper, or an old tube sock tied with a pinch of catnip inside. They do miss me when I'm gone and they greet me enthusiastically when I come back, not to mention they royally freak out when the luggage appears, signaling the imminent event of "Mom's Leaving". If I'm gone for a week, they are terribly funny when I get back... and somehow that's where I know the saying of getting a "warm fuzzy" must have come from. I get a lot of warm fuzzies some days, whether I want them or not they're there and that's that.

Still don't think they're three-year-olds though. Give them the benefit of a doubt and at least say they're First Graders, LOL! Very not-independent god-complex First Graders. hehehe!!

Have a warm fuzzy day!

The joy of pets

Eeeeeeks, I shrieked!

There I was typing furiously on my story and hubby walks in. I was hip-deep in some really good scene and I got interrupted. It happens a lot! I put a mirror on the corner of the monitor that shows the doorway behind me but I was on a roll and frankly... he walks like a cat. He likes to sneak up behind me and read over my shoulder (ooo that's a pet peeve of mine, you'd think he'd stop but noooOOOoooooOOOoooo... eh, story for another day, LOL!!)

Apparently he thought I needed more blog material or something. So… herewego.

He delivered this announcement with just a bit of dread and morbid disgust:

"Tigger just barfed by the bed."

Then he stood there… just looking at me.
He. Just. Stood. There.

Well hold me back, stop the presses... does that mean... oh say it isn't so!! Does that mean I get to clean it up? Good golly, Miss Molly... and here I thought I was going to be able to eat din-din without feeling queasy from cleaning up a catmess.

There went that notion. Guess din-din's gonna have to wait till I get disinfected, too, hehehe.

And since when did he forget how to use a paper towels and Oxy-Clean (Ooooo if you have cats or dogs, this stuff is marvy on carpeting!)? We've had five cats for a while - it's not like catmess is a new idea around here.

I sooooo wish it was! We clean the carpets and feed them Furball-B-Gone regularly… if you have a cat, let alone more than just "*A* cat", you're going to get to play rug-spot-fixer at least once a week, if not more. Catmess happens.

So... feeling much like the big bad wolf out to lynch me a cat and a hubby all at once, I huffed and I puffed, and I got out the cleaning stuff (hey that rhymed! cool!), and I marched down the hall to see...

...the tiniest little spot of catmess that I've ever seen. I squinted, looked around, yep – hubby-dearling was pointing at that miniscule spot.

I'm not going to get graphic, but usually a catmess is quite... umm... artistic.

Me, looking around for more spots: "This is IT?"
Him, hedging his bets: "Well, there was that too."
He pointed to a spot some five feet away - far too distant to be from the same umm... errr... projectilation. (That's a word, isn't it? My spellchecker thinks not, but I think it is.)

Me: "That's not recent, that was Tigger couple days ago, darnitall. I'll go over it again."
Apparently the older spot came back up, so I hit it again with the Oxy-Clean right after hitting the new spot.

Out, darn spot, out!

Of course, hubby had to watch me closely, thankyouverylittleforhelpingsheesh!
Tigger had long since vanished. Probably hiding... again. The cat's a woos. Or is that wuss? Yeah... wuss.

Poor Tigger, she gets so stressed sometimes. It'd be nice if she didn't make a catmess right where we either A) need to walk in the dark barefooted, or B) next to someone trying to sleep. Perhaps one of these days she'll aim at the linoleum or wood floor so it's ta-da (drum-roll-please) far easier to clean! Like that'll ever happen.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my kitties though… and I know if we didn’t have cats, we’d have dogs. Or a combo of the two, maybe a house rabbit again - I used to raise those years ago. We just love our pets.

Men and shopping... and oh yes, cats

Well. The cats decimated another scratching post, the big one with carpet on the base and a big section of sisal rope around the middle of the 4' high 4x4 wood post. I figured, we spent plenty $$$ to buy it new and they love that post, AND I'm handy with hot glue and a staple gun, so I'll just replace the carpeting and sisal, rather than buy a new post. Sisal's cheap, so are carpet remnants.

And apparently I needed something to do.

The problem is... what I ask for wasn't what I got (hmm... rarely is, come to think of it! hahaha). I sent hubby to Lowe's (cuz I had work to do… victims to stalk! emails to write! blogs to update!) for "at least 60' sisal and a 2'x3' carpet remnant". Actually, he had appointment, and he was already out-n-about, that's why he went. Really.

Sound simple, right? I wrote it on paper too.

Not so simple. What I got was 50' sisal and a 1-1/2'x20' remnant.

The man has no spatial relations. And I'm not talking derogatorily about the space between his ears, cuz ya know I think he has that, but he has no idea when I say at least 60' I mean get more than 60' even if you have to get two 50' bundles cuz I'll use it on the other posts too. D'oh! So I showed him why the carpeting wasn't quite right...

Me, holding the way-too-narrow carpet remnant to the now-too-wide flat base: "See? I needed at least 2' wide."

Him, shrugging: "They didn't have carpet remnants at Lowe's. That's all they had where I went."

Me, surprised: "Not Lowe's? So where'd you go?"

He named some carpet store nearby, not where I woulda went but that's okay, I didn't go. There's some other shop I'm thinking of nearer the center of town... but... since I didn't go, I wouldn't complain. Much.

Me, confused: "They didn't have anything more... square?"

Him, repeating cuz I apparently didn't hear him the first time: "No, that's all they had."

Me: "There's more than one carpeting store in this town, you know."

Him, still repeating himself cuz I'm too dense to hear him today: "Yeah... welllll... Lowe's didn't carry carpet remnants."

Me: "I wasn't talking about Lowe's, I was talking about where you went."

Him, repeating like I didn't get it first or the second time: "That's all they had."

Me, resigned: "Fine, I'll put a cheap-n-dirty seam in it, Tigger will rip it out in a week. She has a nervous twitch, you know."

Him, ever the broken record to drive home the point: "That's all they had."

Last night I had counted the loops of sisal, and by size of the post I used my handy-dandy calculator and it came up to 54'. I figured 60' I could wrap it tighter. But no! The stuff only comes in 50' bundles and instead of buying 2 of the 50' bundles (so I could have redone the sisal on a smaller post TOO while I was all hot-n-sweaty - and not in a good way, either, thankyouverymuch!!), he brought back only *one* bundle.

So I wrapped it a little looser, it turned out okay, the post is covered. Cats are happy. I'm tired. That stuff is rough to work with, ugh. And hey - I saved major bucks doing it myself!

But the carpeting... wellll... I had to seam it and I don't think that's gonna last. You should see Tigger and Precious and Sweet Pea dig into the flat carpet part, they're aggressive.

Ya know what's really funny? The cat herd watched the entire time. They were fascinated by the sisal rope all over the kitchen floor.

Hubby watched too. He was fascinated that he matched the carpet remnant so close to what was already on the post. I had to shoo them all outta the room no fewer than five times - with the water sprayer. Gotta love it when I get growled and hissed at - and not by the cats, either, that was hubby!

At least now they have a post that works again, I'd hot-glued it so many times it took me a while to undo all the stuff I'd done to it first, hehehe. That's a big enough craft project for me for this week. And now Tigger won't try and eat the sisal, she was gnawing on the loose ends that had ripped off. That cat will eat ANYTHING, but that's a different blog for another day, she's our little omnivore.

And those flowers up top? That's the blooms from a sisal plant. Pretty, huh?

Cats DO own the house!!

Well...

Late last night I flopped on the bed sideways to stretch my back out after sitting at the computer for too many hours and too many nights in a row working on a story. I love to write but the long hours of typing and editing takes its toll in my back muscles. Even WITH a nifty cushion and lumbar chair - kinda hard to avoid, it just is.

Anyhow...

I'm alone, hubby's at work. Well... not exactly ALONE-alone... the five furballs are here somewhere. As far as I knew, I was alone on the bed.

So imagine this... I THINK I'm alone. No one but ME is on the bed. I flop back, stretch my arms up, lean my head back to look up and ceiling... and WHAM! Sweet Pea leans over into my face and upside down, an inch from my forehead goes, "MEW!!!" very loudly.

Scared the living daylights outta me!! I couldn't go to sleep for an hour! Dang cat yelled at me cuz I was in HER space for all of two seconds? Puh-leaze!! Who feeds her? Me. Who gives her running tap water thirty-five (well maybe it's only ten) times a day cuz she won't drink standing water? Me. Who pets her during the night when she needs reassuring that she's really not alone? Me. Who brings her cat treats from Wallyworld? Me. Who plays with her when she demands attention on a daily basis? Me. Who cleans her box? Me. I'm her maid... that's what it's come down to.

If I had nine lives, Sweet Pea just scared one of them right outta me, LOL! Maybe even two.