Cats with Old Souls

I have a soft spot in my heart for all of God's creatures, even the squirrels who eat all of my blueberries and plums.  My heart quite melts, however, when I meet a cat who seemingly has an old soul.  Herein lies a tale of two such cats I've met recently.

A few doors away, on a porch in the afternoon sun, lies a cat on a pillow strategically placed to offer him maximum comfort, sunshine and views.  He has one of those faces that look like they've lived more than nine lives and could tell some stories if we could understand the language.  Every cat deserves to grow old with humans who provide them with a pillow on a porch in the sunshine where they can watch their neighborhood in peace and safety.

A few streets away, lives a cat whose left eye was bulging in an unhealthy way, and now has smooth fur where her unhealthy eye used to be.  A lovely dilute torty, who loves to greet neighhbors walking by, you wouldn't even notice she only has one eye.  The fur has smoothly covered the spot where her eye used to be, and her spirit is bright and undaunted by what must have been a painful interlude because she is clearly treasured by her humans.  Such a treat to be joyfully greeted by a torty living large with one eye fewer than most.

Red Velvet Cake

I do love a good slice of red velvet cake, but such a slice (even when paired with a glass of soy milk) does not a dinner make.

That's a lesson learned this week, one day when I had a filling lunch, and thought dessert as dinner would suffice.

I savored every bite (and it was a good slice of cake), yet when the sugar hit my bloodstream I found myself grazing in the pantry for a food with some sort of nutritional value.  It defeats the purpose of going straight to dessert at dinnertime, foregoing the rest of the meal, when you need to eat several items afterward before you feel satisfied.

So I will occasionally enjoy a nice slice of cake with a cold soy milk chaser, but I will surround the indulgence with plenty of good nutrition to maintain the balance.

Food Geeks and Fabulous Venues

In the spirit of staycations, and given an unexpected work-free day, I called a friend and suggested she could use some fun, given the fact that she is currently caring for an increasingly frail extended family member.  I know how caregiving can sometimes make a person weary and even sap the joy out of life.  So off we went to Woodinville wine country.  We toured Willows Lodge (can't wait to stay overnight and try the spa), and had lunch on the patio at the Barking Frog.  Just to prove we can be geeks, and don't get out enough, we actually took photos of our food.  Its presentation was just so lovely.

The peacefulness and beauty of the lodge, grounds, Barking Frog and Herbfarm restaurants filled us with the peace we needed and we returned to our real worlds refreshed.  Sometimes it just takes an afternoon away!

A Cat in Paris

If you appreciate fantastic animation, I recommend the movie, A Cat in Paris.  It's just a little over an hour in length, so it won't take a huge chunk out of your summer activities.  I have a new appreciation for animators. The story was compelling, the animals were beautifully realized, and even the music was sumptuous.

Spend an hour in a dark, air-conditioned theater and meet the characters of A Cat in Paris.