Misfits, India news, houseguests, human and vegetables

Misfits arrived yesterday, missing the eggs, but I had plenty, having shopped locally, forgetting I'd ordered them. Sometimes a poor memory works okay. Right, AC?

This little array illustrates the rising cost of food, excellent products, covering less counterspace than ever. 

The butternut squash will be in soup today with cashews and sweet potatoes from earlier weeks. Soup in the freezer is my go to when I run out of ideas and motivation for cooking.

Exchanges of holiday greetings today, very nice to help with the slough of loneliness that sweeps over now and then. 

Mike is free Tuesday, so we'll celebrate then with ham, roasted cheese potatoes and carrots. He's bringing cheese and bread sticks for before, drinks for during, and dessert for after. I have to find my collection of Easter eggs and things to put out.

One Indian friend texted early today, reported the death of her father in India very recently, peacefully, he was okay with it. And the family donated his skin, a new one to me. Evidently other organs weren't accepted, perhaps his age played a role, but skin is vital to people like, I suppose, burn patients, or maybe research.  Brilliant idea.

So Jackie didn't get away yesterday, after all, her car not being back from the shop in time. Today's the new target.  Having been a houseguest, she being in Gary's extended family,  for way longer than her original plans, she's ready. 

Gary is about to drive to Florida with her and the cats, help her move in, collect her furniture in store in Miami since she left Puerto Rico, drive it to the new place in Tampa, stop off to install a new floor for another relative somewhere in Florida, snd take in a specialty breed dog show somewhere there, too, maybe to bring home a new dog.  Just a normal couple of weeks in his life.

It means that he has to be away right when the fence on our block is being replaced. I'm hoping for no complications there, since I'm charged with keeping him informed! This wasn't his original plan, after all the disputes with the fencers who wanted him to fell a beautiful butterfly bush. I might have to run interference there. We'll see.

I'm also charged with taking care of this. One orchid, two views. I kept the view of the shelves because I like sneak peeks into other people's kitchens so I thought you might, too. There's the calendar right where I see it daily. And my chef's apron hanging on the wall, and the trusty freezer. And the shelves, every single item on which is used.

Another neighbor is watering the rest of his collection, but he's entrusting this to me for the two weeks he's away. 

It's not a very good set-up, just a gift item, artificially dyed, not expected to last. No drainage, no inner pot to lift out for watering. I'll see if I can get it out to water and drain, but it's jammed in. I might have to run a knife around. Anyway I'll do my best.

The other vital last minute task was to check with me, again, how to apply for the senior freeze program! I showed him, again,  my packet of forms and he'll follow up. 

It's the program where seniors can freeze  real estate taxes to the year you get in the program, then claim a refund of subsequent years'  increases.  

Naturally the State Treasury is not in a mad rush to enroll new applicants and pay out money,  and it can take years to get in. They've failed twice to send him the vital forms. They lose them, insist you missed the deadline etc.  

But it amused me hugely to see this illustration of his quicksilver mind, in the middle of retrieving the car from the shop, shoving items on the patio back from the fence, arranging plant care, planning on a new dog, that he'd be taking care of the tax situation, too. He'd lost his phone again, took pictures of the vital info on another. Portrait of Gary.

This is the current state of the dried flowers, including roses from my December birthday bouquet. They've dried to look like silk flowers. I sent a pic along with pictures of current live flowers, to my sister, who sent the bouquet, with an Easter email.

Happy day everyone, this weekend of the confluence of Ramadan, Passover and Easter. Sikhs just celebrated, too, and Jain. 

Inclusive weekend to us all.

Adventures with ferrets, Sebastian and the orchids

The last week has been punctuated with visits to a friend's animals and flowers while she and her husband have been on a cruise. Their idea of heaven, mine of hell, but moving right along...

So I've been stopping in to be bossed around by Sebastian the cat, usually totally timid, but has now got the hang of me and thinks nothing of ordering me to get his breakfast, stat, and his three wingmen, or partners in crime, Rocky, Skunky and Loki, the ferrets.

It's an endless talent show, what with one ferret trying to scale my leg, while another checks my shoelaces and the third yanks the kitchen rug about, it's his hobby.  They're as funny as rats, another pet favorite of mine.  I know small mammals are not everyone's cup of tea, but they have great personality if you let them chat with you.

Sebastian keeping an eye on Rocky, in case he makes inroads on S's breakfast

But Rocky was busy wondering if he could climb up me without my noticing

 

And Sebastian seized the chance at his breakfast while Rocky was otherwise engaged. For the photoshoot, only Rocky was present and posing, the others being MIA, probably up to no good in another room.

And there were the two prized orchids, one in bloom, the other bursting out just in time for the friends' arrival home tomorrow. 

I spritzed and generally fiddled a little bit with them, not too much, they're doing fine. Beautiful Metaphor readers will recognize the yellow one..friend's very happy with these, they first two she ever got to come back for a second year, so I was careful to give them five star treatment.  Actually orchids are as tough as old boots once they get under way.

All in all, just like old times with the petcare service.  And only a short walk, no commute.  Duncan was a bit suspicious when I got home having evidently been around other animals, but he was content to hold me down with a paw while he slept.