Basket case

Basket case
Originally uploaded by mellowkitty.

I have three furry barometers to tell me when the seasons are definitively changing. While they prefer to sleep outside in the garden at night during the summer, I know that cooler weather is prevailing when they start finding and claiming cosier indoor spaces to sleep. In this case, Punkin has decided that the basket beside the TV where I store the remotes and DVDs is the perfect spot to sleep, groom himself and perhaps find some veneration should I decide to light the candles.

Answer to Thursday's Blog Entry It occurred to me last week, while talking about favourite films, that two of mine have a tenuous, but for me visceral, connection: cats. In "Breakfast at Tiffany's", at the end of a film, a cat is abadoned and then found, a hirsute symbol of love lost and regained. In "Alien", the cat is the only other survivor and serves to underline Ripley's humanity as she races to destroy the alien predator. No matter how many times I watch "Alien", my fear is for the cat, temporarily abadoned in its carry-case as Ripley vainly attempts to stop the auto-destruct sequence. In these final scenes, my heart beats "Get the cat! Get the cat!" even though I know the ending will never vary.

Name something that the films "Breakfast at Tiffanys" and "Alien" have in common. Winner gets something from my old office at Softimage. You *must* however try to think like me and give me the answer I am thinking of. Of course, if you come up with something original and surprising, I'll likely reward you with a consolation prize. (Sitting in my living room are two boxes containing the contents of my old office. I gave a lot of stuff away, notably the full-size cutout of Boba Fet and the blow-up pink Princess chair (no one wanted the can of spray cheese). Remaining are lots of mugs, hello kitty things, and a stuffed lemur. I may decide to keep the lemur.)

Lake after rainfall

Lake after rainfall
Originally uploaded by mellowkitty.

At around six in the evening, the sun came out briefly after a heavy rainfall. The lake was covered in a fine mist and the water was calm. Landscapes like this make me almost believe that beauty is an absolute....

(not for the squeamish) A gentle reminder to wear your seatbelt whilst riding in the back seat of a cab.

Smells like ... burnt toast.... Anyone else notice that the whole city smelled liked dog poo today? I noticed it when exiting the Bureau en Gros in Old Montreal. The smell persisted in my neighbourhood. At first, I thought it was the Bug--I once ran over a dead skunk, and *that* smell definitely persisted, but was localized to the left front wheel rim. But, I gave the Bug a good sniff, and didn't inhale anything other than old exhaust. Funnily, I could smell green apples in the car while driving home, yet there were no green apples in the car...though, I did buy some green apple soda (diet) at Loblaw's this weekend. It's like Spring in Summer....Or, I have a brain tumour...

The Mighty Brugmansia

The Mighty Brugmansia
Originally uploaded by mellowkitty.

It's finally in flower in my garden. Worth the wait...

Can You Bake an Apple Pie?

Can You Bake an Apple Pie?
Originally uploaded by mellowkitty.

There's an apple tree beside the cottage that bears small, mealy, but sweet (not tart) fruit. Feeling adventurous, I picked as many as I could and then set out to make a pie.

I've never made a pie before. Quiche, yes. Pie, no. Never. Turning to my dog-eared copy of the Joy of Cooking, I used their recipe to make the filling. The crust was purchased at the Provigo; my mother tried to teach me how to make the perfect pie crust, but I never managed to get the dough to stick together.

The pie was incredibly delicious...I sprinkled raw sugar on the crust before popping it in the oven for that professional bakery touch (as the Joy of Cooking suggested).

I recently took a quiz (What Castaway Personality Are You?) where one of the questions asked what one thing you'd bring with you on a deserted island. I immediately chose "toiletry bag", but after this culinary experience, I think I'll answer "my copy of the Joy of Cooking" -- after all, they have recipes for cooking all kinds of varmints in there as well...Rosie the cat almost caught a chipmunk yesterday...Mmmm, chipmunk.

A New Career? Found this while randomly visiting Blogger blogs: http://job.yslive.com/main.html $45.00 US an hour and I only have to keep men chatting with me. I am nothing if not articulate and well read. And I have boobies....Sounds like easy money.

What a Tomata!

What a Tomata!

After over two weeks in the country, I came home to discover tomato plants that are taller than me. I've been enjoying one every day, and today it looks like two are ripe enough to eat. Salt, pepper, a little olive oil...my kind of cooking ;)