Musical Cats

We've had cold weather for the past couple of days here, which is so hard to take-- considering that the temperature was 86 on Saturday when we went to Galveston. I don't think today's temperature is going to go over 55 degrees, plus it's windy outside which makes it feel even colder. The temperature up in Chicago must be below freezing today and I guess their northern winds are finding their way down to us. Just a guess on my part, since this has happened so many times in the past.

Being that it's so cold out on the porch, and being that the stupid electric blanket I bought at Target didn't work, I cannot, in all good conscience, keep our cats out on the porch. As I type, Rusty is sleeping in the laundry room. I have a baby-gate up in the doorway, rather than keeping the door closed, so he can at least see out into the kitchen. Poor Rusty is too old and too big to jump over that gate, as the other cats can easily do.

AngelBoy is sound asleep behind me, on the pink velvet sofa in the sitting room. Pretty as a picture, this cat is. He's been there for hours now, after a short venture into the backyard where he quickly determined that it was much too cold to watch the squirrel stealing birdseed from the feeders.

ShadowBaby is in the TV room, all curled up on my recliner. I swiveled the chair around a little bit so he can see out of the window, should he choose to open his eyes. From that chair, he can see out the window and down to the end of our cul de sac. He likes to watch two other black cats on this street, both of whom belong to a neighbor who doesn't care if her cats get icicles on their whiskers on cold days and/or nights.

Little Mickey Kitty is in the master bedroom, so I guess he thinks he's Master of the House these days. He's got his own private bathroom and dressing room in there, complete with litter-box, two walk-in closets, double-wide shower, king-size bed, two comfortable chairs, and a fainting sofa by the windows which let him look out to the screen porch and beyond that to the backyard. His favorite napping spots in there are the fainting sofa and the chair next to my vanity dresser. I go in from time to time, just to let him know he hasn't been abandoned, but I don't think he cares as long as I bring food and water in to him.

Cats. If there is another life beyond this, I hope to be reborn as a cat in a household with a crazy woman such as myself taking care of me.


I spent about four hours today baking desserts for Saturday night's party. I've got two batches of the best brownies I've ever made, one Christmas-y looking cherry/cranberry cobbler, and two dozen miniature Key Lime tarts. I sprinkled the tops of those with red and green sparkle-sugar, to make them look like they belong on a holiday table. Needless to say, I decided on the Key Lime tarts last weekend when the temperature was in the 80s here. I could've changed my mind this morning and baked something else instead, but I'm hoping that the cute little Key Limes will soothe the soul of the Weather God and he/she will send some warm tropical air to Clear Lake. (From my lips to the Weather God's ears....)

It's supposed to warm up some over the next couple of days and into the weekend, which is a good thing because I had planned to keep Gracie and the cats out on the screen-porch. I would hate to put them all into the laundry room for the party.

As for today, I'm finished baking. I could keep on going, but then I'll have way too many desserts, and I know that a lot of our friends are bringing either desserts or some sort of party food. When they told me they wanted to bring something for the table, I told them that I would be using paper plates and plastic utensils this year. At last year's Christmas Open House, we used all the "real" plates and flatware, and glassess and cups. I usually do that for our Charades group, but that's only abour 24 people. With the Christmas party, the number is double that and then some. I think I ran the dishwasher four times last year after our Christmas party.

I vowed then to use the paper/plastic stuff this year, and I'm sticking to that promise. I shall just have to erase the thought in my mind that all of those plastic forks, knives, and spoons will be sitting in a landfill for the next hundred years.