1. RD Berry
RD Berry remains a big topic of discussion for us. Remember? She is that once lovely Coon-like cat who went backwards in life and turned into an ugly duckling. Her hair is densely matted and even Ed's patient comb has not undone what living in the wild had produced. But, she is darn friendly and easy to handle. So much so that we are convinced she isn't a true feral. She is gentle and kind and you could put her next to a baby and not worry that the kid will be scratched.
So what do we do with her??
For a couple of days, Ed tried out a new idea: he'd put her in the cage (she is so easy to handle!) and carry her to the sheep shed, so that the other cats to sniff and (cross your fingers) accept her. We don't want a seventh cat, but we prefer that than letting her cope with homelessness.
She hated being trapped in the cage while the cats sniffed. She threw up from the experience. So today, he brought her into the sheep shed and set her free. She looked around. One of the cats -- we call him Friendly, who knows why, he isn't that -- snarled and jumped at her from behind. She retreated and started marking space. Okay, time to call her what she is: She is a male cat! So, he didn't fight back, he just tried to carve out space for himself, away from Mr. Obnoxious.
Well that wont do! A marked up battle ground? The smell alone would be too much. Ed picked him up and took him back to the writer's shed.
Is there a Plan B? Nope.
2. Chocolate
Breakfast? Yesterday's pain au chocolat. I tell you, habit forming.
I'm baking again today. Back to my Snacking Cakes book. I pick the "Chocolate Almond Olive Oil Cake with Raspberries." I know, that's a mouthful of descriptors, but each one is important. Without the dark cocoa, it wouldn't be chocolate. Without the almond flour, it wouldn't have that extra bite to it and without the Olive Oil, you'd be in milder territory. Oh, I should add yogurt to the title: without it, you wouldn't have the tang. The raspberries speak for themselves.
And it's delicious, though I'm wondering if the kids will agree. If ever there was an adult cake rather than a sweet and gooey concoction, this would be it. We will see tonight.
3. The End of Skiing?
While my friend in Michigan has been Nordic skiing for many hours each day, Ed and I have been slacking off. While the Olympics skiing event has showcased the beauty of this beloved sport of ours, we've been uninspired. Why? Well, there was maybe a day when the skiing conditions here have been perfect. On the other days, we made do. Either too icy or too thin.
Still, looking ahead, I don't see any snow in the forecast and today's temps are going to creep over the freezing point. And so we decide it's worth giving it another try.
And it isn't great. Bare spots. Arresting twigs poking through. Ice on the trails. Basically, everything that could be wrong out there in our county park was wrong. Ah, but the air! Beautiful winter sunshine, just a dab of a cool breeze. We were glad to be outside.
But, unless we get a significant snow dump, we are done with skiing. A sad statement, coming as it is at the beginning of February!
4. Some Kind of Normal?
There is no question but that we are all putting back into our schedules activities that even a month ago seemed so out of reach that honestly I thought we would never return to things we did two years ago. Yesterday's trip to the bookstore was a great example of that. And this morning, I got a photo of Primrose, running with excitement to her ballet class in Chicago. They returned to in-person instruction last week. (I don't typically post pics taken by others, so enjoy this rare exception.)
Some of my firm pandemic holdouts (eating out and traveling) are going to be put to rest at the end of the month. What will remain is grocery shopping: I dont miss it, I dont want it, I'm going to stick with delivery, even if it does mean that I dont always get the veggie or fruit I want. Time. I am forever short on time. Ed keeps asking -- when will I return to my novel writing? And I laugh at him and don't bother fabricating an answer. But if and when I again pick up my Second Book Project, it will be because I will have abandoned my weekly trudge to the grocery store. Three hours out of the day, right there, in my pocket!
4. Dinner
All three kids and both parents, here again, cheerful and exuberant.
As to the cake? One child was okay with it, another loved it to pieces. You can never predict how kids will react to a cake that's a little out of the ordinary. This one won them over. We'll see what next week's baking efforts will do for them.
