Missing Mercy

 Little Miss Mercy scared me yesterday. After doing chores, I returned phone calls and after making a cup of tea, the place suddenly seemed too quiet. Mercy, it seemed, had disappeared. Calling her, I heard nary a peep. All closets checked, all rooms investigated, all familiar hiding places gone through...

Then, a faint crinkling noise from of all places, the bathroom. and the plastic curtain liner...She rappelled from the floor almost to the top of the curtain rod and, hanging by one leg, made a last ditch effort to climb over the rod at the top and come again to the floor on the inside of the curtain, This proved beyond her and all eight pounds of the girl dangled there until she gave up and slid to the ground, frustrated, 

I have no clue about her need to climb like this.  She tried it once as a tiny kitten, ensnaring herself  in curtain fabric before crying out for rescue. Funny little character...

The curtain needs replacing at some point.

Are your animal companions behaving?

Bombing Iran?

 Overnight, the US bombed Iran and the planes are returning...

Did Congress authorize this in secret?

Hang on to your hats, this could get uglier than is being forecast...

I'm sorry she's gone...

 In all of my years of blogging, I don't think I've mentioned a penchant for cooking programs. This began innocently enough on PBS Saturdays during family trips to the States.  I appreciated Americas Test Kitchen, Lidia and the incomparable Julia.  Anthony Bourdain and his simple method for making an egg contributed to my love of small meals that taste good.

As an adult, my life revolved around employment, side gigs, school, animal care and volunteering in my community. My three-times per month trips to the local library became forays into a range of subjects, from personal finance to cooking. The odd novelist or poet made an appearance but in those days, my reading consisted of all things practical and building at least rudimentary skills to sustain me. Cooking topped the list as everyone needs to eat and I needed skills beyond those provided in  the middle school Home Economics classes of my youth.

By the time the Food Channel appeared, I flirted with fandom. My first episode of a program featuring Chef  Anne Burrell not only held my attention because of the food, but the humor and her facility as an instructor for everyday people, kids and celebrities alike. Like them, I laughed and learned, tasted and beamed as the results of my modest efforts paid off. Though I'll never be a chef, I thank her for the confidence I gained. Shocked to hear of her sudden death at 55, my heart goes out to her family, friends and colleagues.

May you all enjoy the food you eat today and spare a thought for those behind the scenes who've enabled you to prepare it or who have done so for you.

Saturday

 

Florida tense

 

A Visitor...

 

 Mercy has decreed 3 AM as breakfast time and pokes me ceaselessly unless I arise. Thus, in the last hours, she has eaten, had her litter box cleared and changed, her dishes cleaned and dried, the trash has gone out, the laundry put up, my chair seat cover laundered, the mail checked, the bathroom and kitchen tidied and a small frog or toad chased around the front room until I could trap it and put back outdoors. It must have come in as I left carrying the trash to the dumpster. Can anyone tell me anything to distinguish a small toad from a small frog?

The resident huntress enjoyed the chase but is happily asleep in my bed...

If only I could sleep in her stroller...

Cheers!

Images courtesy of Freepik

Thanks...

 Thanks to those of you leaving kind regards for my cousin. She is home and back to her job. She cannot pick up anything yet but is not in pain. The pathology report is due in about eight days and her courses of treatment are to be decided based on the results. Continued good thoughts on her behalf are appreciated.

As for me, the girl and I are avoiding the lovely 90 plus degree outdoor temperatures for as long as possible. A trip to recycling or the dumpster means a cool cloth or bathing upon return and my tolerance for heat has markedly declined over time. It is hard to believe my childhood spent near the equator, though there, one has breeze and today, the possibility of air conditioning.

As a young child, I recall the large AC unit stuck in the biggest opening near an electrical socket that existed in our apartment and standing in front of it as perspiration evaporated from my face. Formerly Naval quarters, our first apartment, built in the 30's, had great cross ventilation, very unlike the modern marvel I inhabit today.

Summer reading continues a pace as I enjoy a previously read series on audio. Are any of you Donna Leon fans? I can recommend Commisario Brunetti and his sidekicks Vienello and Signorina Elettra most heartily.

As for my kitchen, it is staying cool as I prefer salads, yogurt, fruit and cheeses this time of year.

Any interesting adventures planned?

Enjoy!

A Blooming Surprise...

 The card reads: Hoping these bring you a smile and remind you of the love Lukas Nathan left on your heart...Your Chevvy family.

Rainy Day...

 The rainy season is upon us and as nineteen hurricanes are forecast to develop over the coming months, it promises to keep us all on our toes. Today, it simply rained. I got some groceries in and devoted the afternoon to the tenth of a thirty-three book series by Donna Leon. Mercy had her monthly visit for pedicure and prevention meds yesterday and behaved fabulously, not a sound to be heard. Her pet sitter is, aside from me, Mercy's greatest fan and treats her like a princess.

The family tree is also keeping me busy and chores never seem to end, so amid the political and social craziness, I get lost in tasks, music, books, pets and DNA matches. The DNA is often surprising and can send me into a myriad of rabbit holes. My eyes are tired and my hands ache. so a break is in order.

I'm thinking about a dear cousin facing lumpectomy in the afternoon. Cancer treatment to commence post surgery. If any of you can spare some good thoughts for her, please do.

Until Next Time...