Life's Little Surprises

A surprise dinner is served at Karen's house of horrors

Pet's surprise visitor has taken up residence in her cherry tree.

Pet

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men…so the saying starts and we all know where it goes. We’re strolling along, enjoying our, albeit boring, but comfy routines when BAAAM, a surprise hits and life will never be the same. Some events are devastating…accidents, illness, even death, but there are happy ones. What could be more joyful than my almost fifty-year-old nephew about to become the first time father of twins? We did have a life changing occurrence in our farm community recently. One of the neighbors about a mile up the road got robbed. Happened during milking time so no one got hurt but we all made a few adjustments. No more open doors and casual running out for a few minutes. Everything gets locked now, even the car, truck and tractor. What a switch this turned out to be. We country bumpkins now act like city slickers.

Karen

Having had my fair share of bad surprises over the last several years, I’m thrilled that 2010 is bringing some pleasant ones. One of the things my husband made me promise when we bought out big Victorian was that he wanted it to help pay for itself. Part of the advantage to living in tinsel town is location scouts are always looking for places to shoot commercials and TV shows. So I thought no problem. I’ll post the house on a location site and we’ll be millionaires. Not. Although we had at least six or seven location scouts come to the house every year the house never got picked for anything. My lovely Victorian wasn’t even a bridesmaid. Until last month. : )

Pet

The only movie my house could be made into right now is “THE MESSY MUDDLE RETURNS” thank you Newt, the newest life changing addition to our household. Eight pounds, jet black with touches of white, the little devil likes to decorate by placing all his stuffed toys, chewies, bones, favorite shoes, shredded Kleenex tossed throughout the house. Sometimes he gets arty and adds his special touch, like unrolled toilet paper trailed through and then chewed up. At least as much as possible before the household heads catch him. Yup, probably the only occurrence more dramatic would be the arrival of a baby, and we have the impending influx of four new little ones in our family this summer. None live nearby so a happy home invasion could be right up there with major happenings. Tell us, Karen Anne.

Karen

I know what you mean about little additions causing havoc. My house has never been the same since I rescued Slick and GT. Only one thing got them to take a break from house destruction….a film crew. My hubby is a huge horror fan so he was so excited when finally after years of being odd house out, our Victorian was picked as the location for a horror film. When a horror film sets up in your house and the main plot of the movie involves a serial killer and cannibalism, my kitties ran under the bed and didn’t come out for three days! Although I was excited to finally have a movie shot at my house, the hair on my arms stood up when the crew walked in the front door carrying bottles of fake blood. I had visions of all my precious antiques splattered with blood. And when they came in carrying body parts and a enormous syringe I couldn’t help but wonder if I had nothing but nightmares in my future. : )

Pet

Can’t wait to find out if Karen’s antiques are now covered in blood. How do you know they carried the fake stuff or…Sounds like the making of a horror story. You know…film crew comes to make a movie and they’re really killing people. Turning from the gory phony yucky things we have a small surprise on our front lawn. Two of them, in fact. Ma and Pa Bluebird decided to nest in one of our cherry trees. A perfectly acceptable blue bird house sits in a large maple out back waiting for residents since everyone knows the pretty little creatures like shelter and hate noise. Go figure. The house is empty and there they are, setting up housekeeping close to the road, sharing turf with a yippy dog and listening to a noisy lawn tractor. And flitting around in front of an audience of porch sitters. Mother Nature is full of surprises.

Karen

Seems the birds like to be in the center of the action. : ) My house was the center of action during the three days of shooting. We had actors dressed as homeless people lined up in our driveway waiting to get nice bowl of body part chili! Inside the house we had a son murder his mother and in my lovely dinning room the hero of the film was served a nice plate of breast of hooker! In my parlor they shot a nice long scene where the topic of conversation was which body parts from which murdered girl would be served. It was a lot of fun to stand on the sidelines and watch the filming but I was also on the look out for stray blood and had a watchful eye on my antiques. In one parlor scene, a poor helpless damsel in distress was attacked by a 7 foot tall butler and almost knocked over my grandmother’s tea set. Thankfully one of the crew jumped in and rescued the teapot before it hit the floor. Never a dull moment in a horror movie shoot!

Pet

I truly don’t like horror movies, but this one I have to see. Keep us informed on when the flick will hit the big screen or if we have to put up with a home version on a DVD. Some of life’s little surprises suck. Example: Finding lily bed, just about to pop open with beautiful blooms of various colors and sizes, eaten! Totally devoured. Only stumps remain. Thorough investigation reveals no foot prints so I better not get my gun out and go after the deer. (Truth…Pet can’t hit the side of a barn with a shot gun. Better hide in the bushes and go after the critter with a trusty broom.) More likely the culprit is one of those adorable little cotton tail bunnies who have tons of clover to munch on so why are they eating my lilies? Inspired by your house’s horror flick, I am conjuring up a delicious rabbit stew. Hannibal the Cannibal, stand back.

Karen

Lol Pet! The side of my house looked liked someone blew the head off something as the grass was covered in blood splatters. The crew had set it up as a blood splattering staging area. The actors would get artfully splattered right before a scene. The director wanted the blood to look nice and fresh. : ) It’s funny how much of the conversation on set revolved around the blood. One brand of fake blood tasted awful but the looked the best on camera. The actors hated it. They were always trying to convince the make up person to switch to the better tasting variety. Cracked me up! I really hated to see the shooting end. My house was never so gruesome or exciting.

Pet

Here’s hoping this is just the start of a brilliant career for your house! Next time make them clean up, even plant new grass. Here in rural Tennessee the cows and the corn and the old houses would look good in many a movie, but so far Hollywood hasn’t showed up. Downtown Knoxville with many classic buildings, even Victorians, has been immortalized by film makers and recently a country B&B served as the set for a big screen movie. In the beautiful month of June, the flowers burst into bloom, winter, spring, summer, fall birds all meet and sing their heads off, the bull frogs are emoting only to be drowned out by tree frogs. So I’m sitting on my front porch, watching the humming birds and blue birds fight over territory and waiting for a director with a megaphone to appear and make us immortal. Life’s little surprises do sneak up on us you know!

Karen

Just might happen Pet! You never know when Hollywood decides your little piece of the country is the perfect spot for a major film. I had another nice surprise that was house related. Looks like my house might wind up back in a national magazine sometime in the next year. The editor came out and took a look at all my hard decorating work since the last time the house was in the magazine five years ago. I’ve been busy but still have parts of my office and the stair landing left to do. The stair landing is 18 ft so will have some major ladder work ahead of me so I’m saving the worst job for last. But now that the magazine is interested in a revisit article I see some scary ladder work in my future. : ) I love it when the planets align and happy surprises come our way. Makes plowing through all the negative surprises worthwhile. Here’s to many happy surprises coming to all our faithful readers way!

Spring Cleaning Ain't What It Used To Be

Karen's Ready to Spring Clean!

Pet's Spring Cleaning Elixir

Pet

After the rough winter we’ve had everyone heralds the imminent approach of spring with “Yippees” and “About times”. Spring is my favorite time of year. All of a sudden the great outdoors really looks great. Greener, clearer, lighter. I know from living in places where there’s supposed to be only one season, spring still shows up every March. Many years ago, when I was very young, spring didn’t hold the same magic. As a matter of fact it terrified me. Why? My mother was a spring cleaning fiend.

Karen

I also dread spring but for a totally different reason. Hay fever! I also had a cleaning fiend in my family, my grandmother. As soon as the first flower sprung from her garden she wrote out her schedule for a top to bottom house cleaning. She did things the old fashion way, we’re talking the Victorian era! : ) Room by room she literally would take everything out clean the walls and the floor till there was not one speck of dust left. Each piece of furniture was waxed till it gleamed. The rugs would be taken outside, aired a then beaten till they couldn’t chook out any more dirt. When she was done she had the cleanest house in town. She dared anyone to give her the white glove test. She never had any takers. My grandmother was only four foot eleven but she could kick anyone’s butt when it came to spring cleaning.

Pet

Too bad hay fever hits in places where there’s no hay. My theory is when you don’t get a good hard freeze, all kinds of bugs, and weeds and dried up plants, they linger spreading histamines and making you sneeze. Hope you’re stocked up on Kleenex. We sniffled a little bit in Queens, NYC where I grew up but at my house we had no time. Every spring we got busy changing the whole house to its summer time mode. The heavy oriental rugs lifted and stored, replace by light woven ones. Slip covers slipped over chairs and sofas. Light, airy curtains replaced heavy drapes. Phew. Looked like a different house. Every last room got switched from winter to summer. Me? I think changing my closet from winter clothes to summer clothes is a large enough pain.

Karen

I hear you, Pet. People don’t believe I actually have a winter wardrobe living in sunny Southern California. When I first moved here I didn’t need one. My blood was still thick and when everyone was complaining about the 50-degree weather I was running around with short sleeves. Now I’m a total wimp. This year it was actually cold enough to wear my grandmothers fur coat! But back to cleaning, sounds like your mom was in Victorian mode when back in Queens. I just don’t have the energy of a Victorian woman. I’m lucky if when I spring clean I get my office desk cleared off and the curtains washed. And don’t get me started on my closet from hell!

Pet

The Victorian women had huge houses and twelve kids to put in all those rooms, but they also have something we don’t have. Help, lots and lots of help: upstairs maids and downstairs maids, cooks and gardeners. Think of what we could do with that kind of help. Spring cleaning time came around and we could point and say, “Clean this, scrub that, paint here and there too.” The weather’s turning warmer and outside calls for me to do my spring cleaning. That is get out in the garden and pull the flowers from last year, get those little weeds popping up, spread the mulch and prunes the roses. The best part of early spring cleaning in the garden is NO BUGS! They’ll be here soon, the tree Frogs are chirping so can cut worms and beetles be far behind?

Karen

I have my hands full with the inside. Lucky for me when spring springs my hubby likes to do the outside cleaning. As soon as the weather stays nice and there’s no threat of rain, he’s in the yard prepping the barbeque for the next big cook off. He cleans the gazebo, puts out the wicker furniture cushions and the hammock takes its place beneath the Chinese elm tree. Of course once he’s done all that then I catch the gardening bug and want to spruce up the yard. But this year I’m holding myself back won’t let myself go outside until I’ve tackled one of the big things on my giant house cleaning to-do list. But somehow by the time I get to the closet from hell the garden is calling my name. : )

Pet

Isn’t it nice though how once the closets are transferred and straighten, once the rugs are beaten (in my house where a new puppy lives they’re more like eaten), curtains washed, garden planted, mulch down, etc. etc. etc. how great everything looks! And smells. Clean house, spring flowers, fresh air, maybe pollen free for a change, is a delight to the olfactory senses. The greening hills are as easy on the eyes as a clean house. Spring is my favorite time of year. With nature so new, now’s the time to try out new recipes, get a new hair style, buy new clothes. Yeah! Welcome sweet spring time even though she’s calling us to clean the house and garden. We’ll suffer through that just to reap the rewards of the season.

Here’s a delicious soup I made today using new potatoes from California, thank you. Yummy!

Ham and potato soup

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes 1/3 cup diced celery 1/3 cup finely chopped onion 3/4 cup diced cooked ham 3 1/4 cups water 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste 1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste 5 tablespoons butter 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 cups milk

Directions:

1.	Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
2.	In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3.	Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

Karen

The recipe looks yummy. Maybe once I’m done with my spring cleaning I’ll whip up a batch. But one of my big problems is the tons of distractions you have in the city. Today I went to see a fashion exhibit of all the costumes designs that were nominated for the Oscars this year. I was amazed to see all the detail up close and personal. The costume for Young Victoria won this year and they were truly stunning. The pleating and tucking are so meticulously done, not to mention the amazing fabrics that were used. I’d much rather look at them then my dirty drapes! I have no trouble finding an excuse not to clean in tinsel town. But this year I promised myself I’d give the house a good cleaning top to bottom. Now I don’t promise to get it all done in the spring. At this rate I might finish my spring cleaning right before Thanksgiving. : )

Happy Spring cleaning everyone!

Furry & Lovable

Newt travels at 100 miles an hour and then crashes.

Here he is snoozing with his piggy.

GT takes over Karen's guest bedroom

Slick takes over Karen's spot in bed

Pet

We have a new family member at our house. He’s a true country fellow since he was born nine weeks ago to a Dachshund mom with a Pomeranian dad looking on way out in the country in a house that had gone to the dogs. These canine lovers had shoved all their furniture into what used to be the living room and dedicated the rest of the house, plus an outdoor run to the dogs, 22 in all. We lost our wonderful Herman, companion of almost seventeen years last Tuesday and on Wednesday we answered an ad for AKC Pomeranians. While the little fur balls in the fenced off area with like newborns, were too adorable we fell in love with the black eyed, black haired with white paws and vest, half breed, and since he’s new we call him Newt. Dancing with a puppy (Pomeranians are great dancers) sure goes a long way toward mending a broken heart.

Karen

Talk about dog crazy! Boy do those people love their four legged friends. When you told me that Herman had passed on to doggie Heaven I hoped you would run out and get another dog pronto. Nothing heals the heart faster than a new addition to the family. I think I might have advised against getting a puppy as they go beyond high maintenance. But once you sent me a picture of little Newt I can see why you became smitten. He sure is a cutie! I have to say I was a bit confused about his pedigree, as I’d never heard of a Daschsundranian before. Somehow I just couldn’t envision that kind of a doggie attraction. But guess Newt’s parents had other ideas. : )

Pet

Herman had a big fan club and some of his admirers have sent me the story of the rainbow bridge where dogs cross into doggie heaven. There they romp in a beautiful meadow happy and healthy, waiting for the arrival of their people. So when the dog people pass away they cross the rainbow bridge and are with their companions for eternity. Lovely story, but in my mind I see a number of dogs who’ve lived with me in that meadow. Herman didn’t like big dogs. Would he really get along with my two St. Bernards? I’m told in doggie heaven all the animals get along. So my fifteen or so since my first dog, Smokey, crossed the bridge, romp together. How about your kitties, Karen? Do they cross the bridge into the same meadow or is Kitty heaven in a different place?

Karen

Hum….never thought about Kitty Heaven. I think all my cats would love the road to Heaven to be paved with a luxurious thick shag carpet so they could dig their claws in all the way to the pearly gates. Once inside, they’d love everything to be covered in catnip and they’d run straight for the all you can eat fish buffet. Think that would truly be kitty Heaven. : ) Hopefully my new feral adoptee’s, Slick and GT, have a long way to go before they have to make a visit. And my old timer Amelia keeps hanging in there. She’s going to be 19 this year. I hope she makes it to 20!

Pet

Our feline and canine family members are such a part of the household we do miss them when they’re gone but the newcomers immediately take a place in our hearts. Right now Newt, the new, is so adorable. He took over an old throw rug as his own and we let him. So right now he’s carrying it all over the sun room, having a ball. Puppies seem to have a ball with everything they do and okay some of it is destructive. But they are such fun we can overlook a few destroyed rugs and chewed furniture. Life is nothing but a fun time from one wonderful item, like the blind cords to another like pappy’s shoes. Outside that dried up winter foliage seems only there for pup’s amusement. One sees the world in an entirely different light through the little ones eyes.

Karen

I too have my house turned upside down by my new furry additions Slick and GT. As they were feral and we first had to tame them down before we could even get near them. We had no plans for them to become house cats until a vicious coyote first attacked GT and almost killed her. Slick is a big guy weighs in at almost 20 pounds so we thought he could hold his own but man that coyote even took on Slick. So our home turned into a kitty hospital as we nursed brother and sister back to health. Of course then we were hooked. GT has the cutest little chortle instead of a meow. And Slick has turned into a huge lover boy. The downside is they both have turned our nice chenille sofa and matching big chair into giant scratching posts. Sigh…..

Pet

Most difficult to keep a neat house when you have pets around, especially the babies. Newt is so good about going potty outside I’d been bragging about having a ten week old house broken pup. Until this morning that is. Early on we lost electric power. We weren’t too worried since the weather had warmed up some and we decided to go out for breakfast. We use any excuse to dive into the great country special they serve at the local supermarket. Stumbling around getting dressed in the dark I never noticed that Newt had lost his manners and pooped on a walkway rug. Ugggh…I stepped in it and now there are stains all over the carpet. Will have to get another throw rug and we’re glad we didn’t go ahead and get that new carpet we’d been eyeing for the bedroom…now Newts room. Other than that one little slip, he’s a lover. But the pup pales in comparison to the now in kitty heaven, Sam, the Tom Cat, who could probably out love Slick.

Karen

I think Slick is like a lot of big cats I’ve meet, total sweethearts. But just this morning I had to scold him about jumping up on my antique furniture. Both he and his sister love to chase each other and GT always jumps up on a empire table I have in the bay window of the parlor to escape. She’s not that heavy so even though it’s 160 years old it can handle her weight. But Slick and his 20 pounds is another story. The poor table creaks and moans. Then I have to be big tough Mom and scream at him. : ) People think I’m crazy to have brought two feral cats into my house filled with valuable antiques but I’ve faith in my ability to discipline my kitties. Amelia was a feral adoptee too. And you couldn’t ask for a better behaved cat. She is like a dog. She knows No and Come Here. She will even play fetch too. : )

Pet

The only time Sam thought himself a dog, was when we took the St. Bernard and poodle for a walk. Like many cats who owned us after him, he trotted along often in front of the giant dog. When I first met Sam he was going for a ride. A small neighbor girl confronted me with a lunch box. Inside she toted a kitty. The little striped bundle with the pink nose seemed to beg me to save him from his prison. I did and lectured his owner about not smothering kitties. She took him home, but not for long. Sam decided he’d live at my house and they tried to keep him, he repeatedly returned to our house. Finally the neighbors gave up with grumbles about cat stealing. We had Sam for many years even moving to a new house in a new town. He grew to be a big boy and a fighter. Not very pretty all scratched and bitten, Sam jumped on any available lap and nuzzled the owners petting hand. Visitors protested, family didn’t. We loved him whatever especially during Christmas time. Forgoing laps, Sam would settle under the tree and this scarred and sometimes bloody Tom would become an integral part of the decorations. And like all our pets, and integral part of our household.

Karen

Sam sounds like he was the ultimate Christmas decoration. I have to admit I had nightmares about GT and Slick scaling my Christmas tree when I put it up last year. I had no idea how they would react seeing the hundreds of sparkling ornaments and twinkling lights. GT is a sucker for anything shinny just like a bird. I had myself mentally prepared to run out and get a baby fence to protect my precious ornament collection. Nothing made me happier when I let Slick and GT lose to check out the tree. They walked around and sniffed everything. GT was the first to venture really close but instead of wanting to play with the spinning ornaments she was actually scared. And big boy Slick just yawned, bored by all the fuss. He was much more interested in playing with his favorite purple furry toy. Our first Christmas together turned out to be a really fun time. Slick and GT sat together on one of their favorite antique parlor chairs and watched the lights twinkle. I can’t imagine a house without a few pets running around. They help give the house a soul. Three cheers for our furry four legged family members!

The Ultimate Resolution

Introducing Karen's nemesis, Wiseass.

Pet will go back to boiled chicken as soon as she finishes this!

Karen

Last year I swore I wasn’t going to make any New Years resolutions and I didn’t. But this year I have a few. Number one on the list, lose those pesky muffin top pounds for good! Last year I lost twelve pounds and was quite proud of myself. This year I need to step it up a notch to get rid of my lingering poundage. But what can I do when I’m allergic to crunches and love to bake? I’m thinking of duct taping my mouth shut but that seems a bit too drastic not to mention sticky. Any ideas Pet?

Pet

You’re asking the wrong person about dieting. I just don’t believe in it and the route I take is to buy clothes to hide the bulges. Of course if those extra pounds affected my health I’d be singing a different tune. I happen to be lucky enough to have a doctor who insists his patients with extra pounds are healthier. He is a nut on exercise though, another thing I hate besides dieting. Those machines turn me off. My only advice to you is you look great without those 12 pounds. Now relax and enjoy. I have a feeling you are going to try to reform me. Dieters and exercisers always do while really fat people think I’m perfect.

Karen

Well of course you’re perfect. : ) I hate exercise as much as the next person ( exercise addicts are the exception and should go into therapy!) but faced the fact a few years ago that I have to do something on a regular basis or my love of baking will be obvious to everyone. : ) I think finding something you don’t hate is the key. For me it’s walking. I have the perfect place right down the road, The Rose Bowl. It has a very nice park-like golf course right next door and I walk around it and clock in three miles. This time of year I get to enjoy the visiting Canadian geese that hang out in the nice sized pound on one side of the course. When I hear them squawking I think they are cheering me on.

Pet

I too am a walker, though more like a one miler than three miles. Maybe that’s because I take my 125 year old dog with me. But I have to confess sometimes the old guy wears me out. Another confession: one time I went on a real diet the deal was I would diet and talk about my experience on the radio. Those pounds came off all right, but since allowed food consisted of only boiled chicken breasts or fish with a salad and an apple, a gourmand like me became very disenchanted. If I hadn’t signed a contract I’d probably have dropped out. I lost twenty-five pounds okay, but to this day I can’t endure eating boiled chicken breasts and/or fish and apples are far from my favorite fruit.

Karen

How anyone could think that boiled anything would make ones mouth water is beyond me. I hear boiled chicken and run straight for the M&M’s! Unfortunately despite the limited success you get from crazy wacko diets like eating cabbage soup for two weeks, it’s really the boring old limit portion size and eating sensibly that works over the long haul. For my snacker friends, throwing the don’t-eat-after-7:00 rule keeps them from throwing in another 300 to 400 calories at night.

Still I have friends call me all excited how they are trying the latest greatest fad diet. My favorite was the Caveman Diet. This became a rage when all those Geico insurance adds were running. My friend was all excited and told me it made so much sense. Eat only natural nuts, fruit, and lean beef (closest she could get to a saber tooth tiger) all organic gathered by hand. I couldn’t be a smart ass. I said, “Sounds great! So you are going too hunt and gather your meals at Wholefoods. Oh and did you know the average age of a Caveman man was 15 years?”

Pet

True, true. We always hear how healthy our ancestors ate but they didn’t live near as long as we do. Maybe all those preservatives in processed food preserves us too! But oh how fattening fast food and ready food is. And the stuff seems addictive. When fast food outlets sprang up in and around Native American reservations, the inhabitants took to obesity, very unlike those svelte handsome second bananas in 50’s and 60’s cowboy movies. Personally, I am too much of a gourmand to relish fast food. We also have about 300 pounds of super lean, organically grown beef in my freezer so why buy half pounders even with coupons? Your cave person friend would have fun on our front porch supervising the no hormones upbringing of the steers and while they grow she could shoot a wild turkey, catch a few catfish and return to the antediluvian life.

Karen

Ah the country and it’s back to basics living. City living encourages bad behavior. Everything is so convenient you can walk to the nearest fast food or Starbucks and get your fix. In LA despite the crazy pace, people get fat because they drive everywhere. Just like the old punk song, Nobody Walks in LA. People park as close as they can to avoid walking even a few feet. Poaching a parking space has become a fine art in LA. I don’t bother. I have a pedometer so I park as far way as I can to clock in a few more steps. I’m a competitive person by nature so it’s amazing the lengths I’ll go to get to my 10,000-step goal. Of course like most things I have a love hate relationship with my pedometer who I’ve named Wiseass. Some days I wiz through my steps and pat Wiseass’s counter and think, see who’s the wiseass now. Then there are the days when I think I’m doing great but Wiseass keeps showing me I have 1,000’s of steps left to go. Then I throw him against a wall. But he always gets the last laugh when I pick him up and he’s still working. Now you know how he got his name. Wiseass!

Pet

I have to laugh about your statement that people in LA are fat. Ha Ha! I’ve never seen a really fat person out west! Your alls definition of fat is going from dress size 2 to size 4. I challenge you to sit in the parking lot of the local Wal-Mart and see some really fat folks. Tennessee didn’t get the handle of third fattest state in the country without really trying. Fortunately that same Wal-Mart is the third largest in the country so shopping there gives you a goodly portion of those 10,000 steps. The dog food happens to be about a mile from the groceries. That’s the kind of exercise I like. Especially when you can get to the restaurant and order our state dish…biscuits with sausage gravy. Gotta go make some. Hubby likes hamburger gravy on top of home fries. Can’t win. Happy dieting and exercising every one.

Childhood Christmas Memories City & Country

The week before Christmas in the city (Baltimore) helps Pet recall her childhood memories.

Karen's disco ball ornament. Makes her want to get up and dance!

Pet

For sure ‘tis the season going full swing. This time of year, when looking out at the cows nibbling that winter brown grass, I can’t help thinking of Christmas past, way back into my childhood when I spent the big day in the city. I didn’t live in Manhattan, but my grandparents did and their big brownstone was my home away from home. The year Santa Claus sat on the window sill while he and I held a long conversation I was sleeping on the third floor. Undeterred, the jolly elf had a ladder and stopped by to tell me all my presents were at home in Queens. To this day that image remains so real, I almost think our late night chat wasn’t a dream. Actually Santa and I first talked when I boarded a space ship and met the real Santa. So, Karen Anne, should I stop there or do you want me to tell all about my city adventures from those long ago holiday seasons?

Karen

That’s funny you should bring up the ghost of Christmas past as I was just thinking about the year when I was ten. The snow must have been 12 feet high as it was past my second story bedroom window. One of the worst blizzards in New York history. The electricity was out so my grandparent’s farmhouse was only illuminated by kerosene lanterns. Needless to say the Christmas tree looked like a large blob with only a hint of glimmer when the faint light from a lantern would catch the edge of the foil icicles. I complained to my mother that I wouldn’t be able to open my presents when I couldn’t see them amd my Christmas was ruined. I was quite the grinch. : ) I’d love to say that in the end it turned out to be the best Christmas ever but I’d be lying. : )

Pet

Oh my! Your ten year old Christmas could be fodder for a Scrooge story. No wonder you have a phobia about the dark days. My grandparents dragged me all over the city for every holiday event available. We started with the Thanksgiving Day Parade. That kicked off Macy’s favorite season when Santa set up shop there. Getting to see him wasn’t easy in those days. First we kids had to wait on a long line leading to what looked like an elevator decorated like a space ship. Once on board an attendant confirmed this was indeed a terrestrial vehicle and we would fly to the North Pole and see Santa in his shop. Actually we took the elevator up to the very top floor. Santa was there all right, surrounded by elves and ho ho ho-ing his head off. I don’t remember what I asked Santa for that year, but I do remember a little book they gave us with the starting verse, “Once RH Macy’s was so small, Pygmies could hardly fit in there at all…”

Karen

Wow times have changed! I love the big city store window Christmas displays but the country has its attractions too. Nothing like seeing a long chain of real snowmen lining a country road waving their stick arms as you pass by. And the sight of huge real fur trees decked in lights 20 feet high. The Christmas lights look even more beautiful as they twinkle in the total darkness of the night. Or the way the lights reflect in the fresh powder after a good dusting of snow. One of my favorite things is going for a horse drawn sleigh ride the night before Christmas. The sound of the horse’s hooves crunching through the snow with their large bell ringing as they prance along is total Christmas heaven!

Pet

I see a Norman Rockwell scene with the sleigh and horse riding out of the Christmas card. Too bad the scene is not repeated in the country except for the tourist places. You’re more likely to find hay wagons attached to those ever present green John Deere tractors. Christmas magic can come to city kids too. Walking through Rockefeller Center with what seemed like millions of trees adorned with lights and baubles was, and probably still is, a holiday treat. I wasn’t so happy the year we went to tour the trees with my girl scout troop. We were using the buddy system to keep track of everyone. I flunked a survival badge because I lost my buddy. One minute she was there and the next poof. No buddy. Panic set in but a few minutes later she returned. She’d seen a friend of hers ice skating on the sunken rink below the sidewalk where we stood, and scooted away to say hello. Nowadays she’d have simply used her cell phone to alert her ice skating pal. Yes, things do change.

Karen

Well in small town upstate NY a cell phone still doesn’t do much good. You either have to drive 30 miles out of town for 10 miles or up a large hill till you’re practically next to the tower before you can get a signal! During Christmas time the tower becomes a landmark as the company puts a large lighted star on top. It really looks beautiful perched way up on top of the hill the only light for miles. My other favorite light display is the on the one and only bank. It’s a cute brick building built at the turn of the last century. For the holidays they trim all the windows in white lights and hang big wreaths in the center of the glass. The contrast with the red of the brick makes for a very festive display. My runner up has to be the Methodist church. It’s your classic white gothic style with a pointed steeple. All the congregations chip in their labor and literally blanket the church in white lights. With lights blazing the church looks like it belongs on Main Street in Disneyland. Spectacular!

Pet

I’ll admit. Those small town lights, Norman Rockwell style win out over the trees in Rockefeller Center, or on the mall in D.C. Or maybe they get equal billing. Now I have a story to tell when I lived in the Greater Washington/Baltimore metroplex. At that time I was a resident in a neighborhood advertised as being “on the doorstep of the pentagon”. The highlight of the season was a neighborhood contest with awards going to the house with the prettiest lights. This was fun until new neighbors moved in…country folks…who loved to share. That is they thought the lights on all the trees were community property, so in the wee hours the teenage boys would tour blocks and blocks for miles picking one or two (never missed right?) lights from each and every tree. They ended up stringing lights all over their small house. Totally dazzling. And when they won the prize the rest of us took a virtual bow. After all, their decorations turned out to be a neighborhood endeavor. Shouldn’t we all be proud?

Karen

I call that grand theft! Well Pet, all this talk of childhood memories makes me want to hop on a plane for smallville New York! But I’m a city girl now so I’ll have to be content with the nicely lit historic homes in my neighborhood, the huge Christmas tree on the steps of Pasadena City Hall guarded by statuesque stone lions, and last but not least my Christmas tree loaded down with over 300 ornaments that this year sports a disco ball with multi colored lights!

Pet and I wish our faithful blog readers, whether country or city, a wonderful holiday season and a happy and healthy 2010!

The Darkness

Pet's proof that the approaching darkness can be beautiful.

Karen's vain attempt to make the darkness a little less gloomy

Pet

The days are short, the nights are long, all happening so soon. Seems like only minutes ago we were going outside after dinner, working the soil, throwing Frisbees for the dog and breathing in the scent of blossoms. Now as the end of the year approaches, there’s music and laughter and lights all over the great outdoors, but that’s all fake. Mother Nature is not kind causing us depressed humans to improvise and keep our spirits up with lights outside and in. Any kind of festival this time of year, including 3 million lights at the Winter Fest in nearby Smoky Mountains, sparkles up the dark. I bet you do plenty glittering these short days in not so sunny California.

Karen

For some reason this year falling back in time has really hit me hard. It’s like I’ve never experienced a time change before. One minute it stays light till 8:00pm the next I have start turning the lights on in the house at 4:30!!! Like I’m in some crazy horror film. Or better yet an episode of The Twilight Zone. As the darkness descends, I just can’t seem to get used to the disappearing light. I look at the clock and it’s 6:00pm but my body thinks it’s 10:00pm. What the heck happened?

Pet

I know all about the time darkness falls in December. We once ran a small radio station which had a fairly good coverage during daylight hours. Then, during the month of the best advertising in the year we had to cut our power at sun down which happened at 4:45 p.m. Our overnight power was exactly the same as a 100 watt light bulb. That hurt. Minutes are added to the clock a few days before the solstice. That’s why in ancient times our primitive ancestors celebrated the return of the sun. So hang in there, Karen Anne. The sun will come back.

Karen

Maybe I need to get one of those light boxes like the people in Alaska use. That way I can have daylight for 20 hours if I want. : ) I’m not the only one who thinks this year the darkness seems to be more intense. The neighbors have been complaining more than usual and my hubby goes into a funk as soon as the sun goes down too. Maybe there’s something going on in our little slice of the world. Could be residual fallout from the fires. We lost two weeks of light when the Station fire was raging. The air was so filled with smoke it looked like twilight 24-7. And no we didn’t see any vampires. Lol

Pet

Another device to chase the dark away is what they do in Scandinavian countries: paint and decorate houses in bright or pastel colors. But wait, they do that with your Victorian gems so I guess it doesn’t work. How about spotlights on the house? Lights all over the garden? That way you can alleviate the doom and gloom from October to April. You might have a killer electric bill, though. We have a full moon tonight, so bright as to mimic daylight. Looking out the window on a full moon night, an optical illusion of snow on the trees and lawns occurs. Since you guys in Southern Cal most likely don’t remember snow, you probably don’t know what I’m talking about.

Karen

That’s it! We need snow in Southern Cal! Nothing reflects the light better. Actually went to a holiday party last night and the host had trucked in a ton of snow (here better know as ice) and the kids were having a blast sledding down the make believe snow covered slope. Even though it was quite cold last night the “snow” was melting fast and they had to keep making more. Think I’ll have to stick to lights. But don’t think my neighbors would appreciate my putting huge floodlights in the backyard. Especially since one of them has the habit of strolling around their house au natural for the whole world to see. Think about what kind of shadows they’d cast!

Pet

For sure snow brightens up the landscape. Even junk yards look better with a few inches of snow. Falling down houses, ill kept yards, all become pure and pristine covered with that white stuff. Too bad here in Tennessee snow only lasts a few hours. A few very pretty hours though. And with our snow storms we usually have “black ice”. The snow covers frozen spots and on my curvy, narrow road, I stay home until the temps climb back over 40. A little further north, no one stays home when the snow starts. Why? Usually sane, citizens of all ages become obsessed with rushing to the store to buy bread and milk. Will the bread and milk trucks get stuck in the storm even though it’s never happened? Ahhh...Wintertime up north is here.

Karen

As a former snowbunny I know what you’re talking about. But snow in Southern California only happens every 80 to 100 years and lasts ten minutes. Guess I’ll just have to run out and get one of those lights like my friend in Oregon has. She’s actually a native California that moved up to north. The first couple years she lived up in Oregon she was in the worst mood. But then she went to the doctor and was diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder, appropriately named SAD. After her doctor recommended she use light therapy, she made a complete recovery. Just in time as she was getting ready to move back to California. Maybe light therapy will get rid of my darkness blues. Or maybe I should start a campaign to have Daylight Savings time year round!

Pet

I think a campaign for universal daylight savings time is already around. Too bad, with the not so hot shape of the world, we have more important items to worry about. But maybe some of them would go away with the simple solution of more light. So try to cheer up through the doom and gloom while enjoying your hundreds of indoor lights. Sooner than you think, you’ll see the days lengthen. Hooray… The sun returns from its long winter journey.

Country Bumpkin vs City Slicker Pets

Karen's new kitty GT, looking very Spooky for her close-up!

Karen's new addition Slick, dressed to the nines in his tuxedo and spats.

Amelia looking absolutely terrific for almost 300!

Pet's 121 year old Herman lounging in his favorite chair.

Pet

Hi Karen Anne, I get joshed a lot about my nickname whenever the sign “No Pets Allowed” appears, but let’s ignore all that joviality because I want to talk about pets, those little creatures we have around the house and yard, real pain in the butts, but a definite source of unqualified love so we keep them around and they become a major part of our lives. I have to start out by saying, “My pets can beat up your pets.” Household animals living in the country are a rugged breed. My spaniel, Herman is 121 in dog years, but still finds his way down to the woods in back of the house to drink from his favorite stream. He can’t see a foot in front of his face with his one remaining eye, can’t hear unless super loud and is showing some effects of old age. But he loves to run across the lawn, jump up the steps and into the house where he can easily find his way around. We call him the zombie dog. That’s because real dogs don’t live as long as he has, so we figure somewhere along the line he transformed into the pet of the living dead. Would you believe he’s still cute? Hope I’m that cute when I reach 121!

Karen

Well, I think my tortoise shell calico Amelia has Herman beat, she’s 288 in cat years. She doesn’t run around much any more and her favorite pastime is very long catnaps, still I think she’s doing great for almost 300! She’s a city cat all the way. Her second favorite thing to do is give herself long luxurious baths so she’s always ready for her close-up. : ) She was even offered a commercial spot but my dreams of having a famous pet were not to be. Amelia never made it past the test shots. One look at the bright lights and people darting around everywhere and she took off. I had to search the set for over an hour to find her. My dreams of seeing my beautiful cat on the TV were dashed. But you’ll still find Amelia grooming herself with zeal. And people still tell me she should be in commercials. I just grin and say, “I know. Doesn’t she look fantastic for 300.”

Pet

Amelia sounds like a great pet. I hope to get to meet her some day. Hey, I wouldn’t mind flying across the country to meet a great almost famous cat like Amelia. I’m finding here in the country folks have a different view of pets. They are all self-sufficient and cat naps are usually taken out of doors. I’ve never heard of a cat having nails removed so they don’t scratch the furniture. They just get tossed outside, like Sally the mostly white cat across the road from us. Always outside, she visits frequently, very carefully avoiding the speeding pickups, to check out the birds in our woods. When the sunflowers were in bloom, she and another neighbor cat set up headquarters underneath the giant flowers hoping to catch a lazy cardinal or goldfinch as they munched on the seeds. Sally has figured out that Herman can’t see too well and his cat chasing days are over, so has no qualms about cuddling with him when she wishes to do him a big favor. You know how these prima donna cats are.

Karen

Cats in the city don’t have beautiful woods to hunt in or meadows to while away the hours but they do have grass on demand. What the heck am I talking about? If my apartment bound cat starts chewing on my houseplants in frustration I can run out to the local pet store or nursery and buy her a nice container of cat grass. Yes, I can bring home a little piece of nature for my cat to devour. And if I think my cat is aggravated because she has no place to roam, I can take her to the kitty day spa. There she can frolic with other cats in a beautiful sun filled atrium with waterfalls and large grassy areas to lounge in. I can even book her a message! Nothings too good for the excessively pampered city cat. Just so you don’t think I’ve gone off the deep end, Amelia has a nice suburban yard perfect for hunting squirrels. And the only massage she gets is when I’m hunting for fleas. : )

Pet

I can’t imagine Sally Cat across the street spending the day at a spa. Here’s a bulletin just in. The black tom cat, her constant companion has gone missing. I wonder if she’s like a dog who lived with us also named Sally. Our dog was cute and friendly and loved the outdoors. We had to keep her away from the chicken coop next door, not too difficult since she had no problem hunting in the woods for her gourmet meal of feathered friends. Sally Dog also enjoyed walking off into the woods with her companions. She got her sister, Polly, her daughter, Sugar and two neighbor dogs to trot along with her. Slight problem. Sally always returned alone. Since she missed out on transforming into a zombie dog, she’s now in doggy heaven while those of us here on earth have never figured out what in the world she did to get rid of the other dogs.

Karen

Talk about a dastardly dog! Here in the city there are only three reasons pets disappear. One: they get lost and are hit by a car just blocks from their home. Two: they are some fabulous purebred that a criminal snags to get the reward money. Three: The coyotes got them. I’ve mentioned before how Pasadena is over run with coyotes, like much of LA. I’ll never get over the first time I saw a pack of coyotes running down my nice residential street, one with a cat in its mouth! Talk about welcome to the Wild West! That’s why our household recently went from one cat, good old Amelia, to three. We rescued two feral black and white cats, a brother and sister, after they both were mauled by coyotes. Several hundred dollars later, both of them are doing well. Amelia has finally gotten used to her new companions. Slick, the tuxedo clad brother, earned his name by managing to survive his very bad tangle with the dreaded coyotes. His sister, GT, a cute black long hair, earned her name from the little white goatee she has on her chin. Needless to say they both have become house cats, and I don't think they mind one bit. : )

Pet

Your new cats sound darling. Amelia must be quite the lady not to get jealous and take them for a walk like Sally Cat and Sally Dog did. Oh those coyotes! Something we have in common. They abound here. Don’t think they are an endangered species. Do they howl at night like they do out in the country? Creepy Halloween noises. Sounds like a chorus of ghosts. The country coyotes find little calves quite tasty. So of course the whole herd goes bonkers and loud mooing ensues. The dogs for miles around bark their heads off. I used to get alarmed at shot gun blasts going off in the middle of the night. Now I know, just a farmer protecting his herd from the hungry beasts. I’ve heard, but not seen a coyote here. Once in the mid winter when we lived on a bay of Lake Ontario in upstate New York we watched a lone gray coyote cross the frozen waters. They go after our domestic animals when the forest critters run out. I like them much better in the deep woods than in backyards and farmyards.

Karen

It’s amazing how coyotes seem to be all across the US. Was visiting a cousin in Atlanta and she said they roam the streets there too. Maybe the last animal standing won’t be the lowly cockroach but the formidable coyote! As for my old girl Amelia and how she’s gracefully adjusted to the two feral interlopers, let’s just say they’ve had their ups and downs. I’ve caught Amelia several times letting Slick and GT know exactly who’s boss. She definitely queen of her Victorian. : ) If one of the young upstarts even thinks about stealing one of her favorite nap locations they are in for a big swat in the face. And if they don’t move out of the way fast enough Amelia will make sure they have a scar to remind them not to try it again. My parting thought about pets is I agree with you. As much as pets are a lot of work, (just like husbands : ), they give us such pleasure and can turn a down day into a laugh feast by their crazy behavior. And the best part is, they love us no mater what!