not quite

Thanksgiving- a typical American holiday. During the holidays I often reflect on how much we've 'Americanized' or not, on the cultural riches we have acquired during our moves around.

We've got the day off work and school, so we may as well celebrate all that we should be thankful for. In typical thanksgiving fashion, I have been in the kitchen most of the day (and last night) however we will not have turkey or eat the dinner in the early afternoon. I enjoy putting this feast together, but am thankful that I do not have to do this every day.

The Christmas lights are already up but not on, and the girls are planning to attend 'black Friday' shopping. I did once, years ago, and learned quickly that I had once again underestimated this 'event'- it was a crazy and aggressive chaos from which I emerged triumphant but determined never to do it again.

I can't wait until my favorite kittens have properly met their big feline sibs and can frolic through the whole house instead of being in quarantine in the bedroom. The older three get along so well, I have hopes they will not mind the little ones joining them too much.

I thought I would have some time on my hands to work on Christmas gifts, socializing the kittens, reorganizing the house (this is an ongoing process...), but as it turns out, I will be working full time for a while.    Less time to take pictures and blog too, until I have adjusted to the new exciting challenges.

cozy

As promised, today was cold and wet. We even had our first snow of the season! Not much to look at on the ground, but beautiful in the air.

Of course that immediately put me in the mood for all kinds of foods such as chunky vegetable stew and speculaas. So I made focaccia to go with the barley soup that was still in the refrigerator and even though it is not December yet, I did make speculaas. The girls could hardly wait for it to cool down enough to eat.

Gus thought that the weather was perfect for some major cuddling, and I had a good time hanging with the kittens and my girls. Some time between jobs is not all that bad!

old fashioned

While working on our dinner pizza tonight, I realized that I like different times of day for different reasons just like the changing seasons. I love working in front of the open window with the late afternoon light slanting in at a certain angle in the spring, I love the breeze in the fall and now the darkness closing in, giving the kitchen a cozy feeling.

This morning I wasn't worth much because I had my stomach all in a knot until Mila finally came home after her nightly romp - who knows where she hangs out and/or has adventures- she tries to tell me a whole lot when she runs inside and stops to hug my legs on her way to the dry food, but I don't speak much 'cat'.

Things picked up after her reappearance and I harvested, washed, and oven-dried rosemary and sage. The weather report says it will be wintry tomorrow, and I spoke to my friend in Minnesota who confirmed that she was chilled to the bone after walking her dog. Our weather usually arrives from up thereabouts, so...

I do take pleasure in harvesting some of my own herbs, but I have not tried my hand at other preservation methods such as canning. Once upon a time I used to make a lot more things from scratch on a regular basis: yogurt, ice cream, hearty pie crusts, hummus, to name a few.

Old-fashioned or not? I knit, I quilt, bake bread, and cook a meal from scratch most nights. But I am a very unmotivated house keeper. Creating, not cleaning. And, I sometimes channel my great-grandmother when I encourage my family to eat 'just a little bit' more to fatten them up some. On top of that, I have noticed a recent tendency to bring up memories. My eyes have complied with their age and don't cooperate with me without glasses to read, even the not-so-fine print. I find this amusing until I can't find those darn glasses.

Well. Back to my ironing then! Thankfully, with a modern cordless steam iron.

the eye

Although I like to create, I will readily admit that I do not possess 'the eye' for design that my daughters and some of my friends were born with. I know what I like, what moves me in art, which views in nature capture my heart, but real design/decorating- no. Of course, I am not interested enough to spend much time or effort with it, and that suits me fine.

V designed and created this last year , I love it's creepiness and it reminds me a bit of the Eye in LOTR 

If you would like to check out the blogs of two of my artist friends who definitely possess talented 'eyes' and a very creative mind: http://cowroad.blogspot.com/ and http://julierowanzoch.wordpress.com/.

We have brought our children to art museums from the time they were born- of course they do not remember those early visits but perhaps something has seeped into their unconsciousness anyway. When they became conscious, they were not always what you would call thrilled with our insistence to expose them to culture, and they were harsh in their critiques : anything abstract could not be called art.

not a great picture...name this piece and artist?

However, I think they have come around. Both my girls are busy applying to art schools and art programs around the country (and even abroad). T has voluntarily visited art museums and bought prints with his own money.

Maybe it is because I washed the windows today, or maybe E's comments, inspired by her interior decorating class, have giving me a new perspective- in any case, I am ready to get some input from my girls about design, decorating, and new wall colors.

I'm very much into grey at the moment...grey,and white.

light

I'm one of those people who never has a camera at hand in case of tremendous photo-op. I just don't ever think of bringing the camera before I start out going anywhere, although I think about my forgetting it most of the time while on my way here and there.

 So unless I set out to take pictures (photographing is a different level), I can only use words to describe what I enjoyed along the way- today the light was spectacular, not in the Kodachrome way but more in pastel and contrast. Yeah, words fail me too. : )
Greetings!

a little bit of this and a little bit of that

I am not sure if I have anything entertaining or thoughtful to share - our weekend was great, there is good news all around...

Having T home for longer than a little bit, getting to have dinner with our expanding 'family', and breakfast with some others, it all made me very happy. Discussions and teasing and laughter. My love with me after a week without. Baking (and eating!) an extravagant apple/almond cake.

Worries too, about our little boy-kittens. They turned out to be very sick, and our vet told me that little kittens can fade very fast and that she was not sure if they would make it. But make it they did! After an overnight at the vet, medicine, and syringing cat-sure into a very weak Charlie, both of them greeted me on Sunday morning with energy and were eating on their own.

Charlie (white and grey) and Gus

They are sweet, and very different-  skinny Charlie more daring, more outgoing, more social than his solid brother Gus. Charlie walks around with his  long tail straight in the air and is quick to purr like a big guy. Gus takes a minute or so to warm up. They play together (attacking the curtains) and cuddle together.

Before long I hope to introduce all the felines to each other. It is quite the menagerie we've got going here.

I have been thinking a lot about all the 'things' in my life to be thankful for (which are not really things of course) - after all, it is the month of thanksgiving here in the USA. When I attempt to list them, I simply get overwhelmed with all the love and good that surrounds me. Of course there are negative points, not everything is always going the easy way, but over all- if not wealthy, we are in any case very very rich.

not yet

We have two sweet little kittens, but I do not have good pictures of them yet. They arrived three nights ago, traumatized after their surgery and move to a new home, and are currently quite sick. They will get better, but not yet.

a steel sculpture by E

T will arrive tonight and I am going to make a family favorite dish, for which I have to do some grocery shopping. My love will arrive later yet, and miss his son by several hours (he is due sometime after midnight), because T will leave soon after dinner, to return again briefly on Sunday, perhaps we will all be home at that point, but today not yet.

Ceramic creepy hand, by E

I interviewed for a new job yesterday, but I have not officially been hired yet, so I can't tell you more about it until then.

I have started knitting several projects, but I can't show you yet because some of them are Christmas gifts.

mobile in our kitchen, not finished yet I believe, also by E

The naming of the kittens is always a days long affair for our family, and I think we have pretty much decided- however until the human males arrive and give their final blessings, I will not share their names yet. For now, they are hiding under our bed, one solid grey, one white-and-grey, cute, skinny, and scared.