Go ahead and knock

Do you know what happens when you ring my doorbell early in the day and my household is still asleep? I have five cats... it's not pretty.

Think chaos and mayhem times five.

I had about 1.25 seconds to absorb the doorbell sound when I heard a mass of thundering kitty feet. Something crashed to the floor. Something large thudded against a wall - hard. Pictures fell. Glass broke. And someone screamed like a little girl (that'd be me).

And who was at the door? A pair of door-to-door gospel types in nice clothes with briefcases, they could have been insurance salespeople too but I'm guessing they're from the new church just around the corner. On an early Sunday morning, too.

Now I'm not anti-religious or anything like that and I realize they have a goal to bring new members in, meet the neighborhood, get to know peeps... I just won't open the door in my jammies early in the morning, not unless it's an emergency or a neighbor or a friend in need. Sorry, them's the House Rules. 

I'm finding that people generally just don't understand that "to solicit" means "to ask". They're asking me to open the door, they're asking me to listen - they ARE soliciting. Even if they don't sell a product, just the nature of going door-to-door and asking for anything is soliciting. I have a "no soliciting" sign and it's big.  No one sees it.  So I'm adding a new sign next to that one:

"We are illiterate, diabetic, unemployed, inarticulate, atheisists. Don't bother."

Is that too harsh? *grin*

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!