Life, the Universe, and Spokane

Sable found a pair!! Woohoo! My not-so-little black fraidy kitteh took on the Scampster today. Not only did she chase him, she wrestled him, and she ambushed him. And he's the one who ended up disengaging, not once, but three times!!! Yeah!!! They enjoyed themselves immensely.

The steroids are working on the poor Sable-kitty. She's growing back the fur she lost over the summer and is seeming to actually be in a more pleasant mood. Of course I get the oddball who mellows on steriods instead of getting 'roid rage.

Other than that, today's been a mostly kick-back-and-try-to-kick-the-yucky-feeling day. I've still had a headache most of the day (day 8 for those who are counting).

S

Last night, we went to a party thrown by one of the professor's in Julia's department. The excuse was that one of the adjunct professors had gotten married over the holidays and we wanted to celebrate. Actually, it was just a bunch of anthropologists and geographers wanted an excuse to get together and gab (and eat and drink).

Our contribution to the party was was roasted vegetables in a Gouda cheese sauce. Nummy, especially given that the sauce was quite an experiment. I took about two cups of milk and half a cup of heavy cream and added several shakes of thyme, three bay leaves, and some cracked black pepper. I simmered this mixture for about five minutes or so, then strained it. I added 1 cup of Reisling and nearly half a pound of shredded 12-year-old Dutch Gouda (with 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch). Of course, I added the cheese in batches so it would melt more than clump. Once the cheese was all in, I simmered for another 4-5 minutes. I then spread this over the veggies and put the whole thing in the oven for about 10 minutes. It turned out better than I had hoped.

Sable got a little overwhelmed by the kitten today. He was being rather psycho and managed to earn a time-out in the bathroom. Once he was let out, he was much, much calmer.

S

After today's vet visit (where both cats got stabbed and he raised an unholy ruckus), Sable and the kitten-currently-known-as-Scamp have been found to chase one another. Not just him chasing her, but her chasing him and inviting him to chase her with some tentative overtures toward wrestling. And almost no hissing!!!

S

While I was cleaning today, Julia changed the litter box downstairs. She didn't refill it immediately because I would have an easier time moving it around if it were empty. At some point just after I finished cleaning the bathroom but before Julia refilled the litter box, Sable (the 4-year old kitty) decided she needed to go. Instead of running upstairs, she used the empty box.

I'm just glad she decided the box was the place to go, not the area of the bathroom the box usually sat in-- and that I had just mopped.

S