Off my deck one morning I captured these tree tops standing in the cold. A small stone to keep in my pocket was their apparent happy greeting of the sun and persevering, waiting it out. I'm reminded of this same truth whenever I see  four legs, paws or feathers visiting our yard during the day.

Bean the cat seems perturbed as she watches me pack up the last of the Christmas decorations. No more sneaking around, chewing on the tree or sitting in the empty boxes. Life can be like that. Since she won't allow anyone to pick her up or hold her, there'll be no explaining the facts to this serious little feline.

decking those halls

'Tis the season of lights and almost Tuesday, which means linking a photo to Ruby Tuesday where red is the color of the day. On our Christmas tree blue decorations far exceed red. The red star on the left is from David's childhood tree which makes it really, really old. On the bottom is a blown glass 'candy apple' on a stick with us since the girls were little.

Not really red, except maybe if cats were inclined to blush. . .this is Bean making a hasty exit after being discovered under the tree for the millionth time today. Note 'the look.' Bad cat.

More fun @ Ruby Tuesday!

Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles. anon

ice, its not just in cubes anymore

You will never know how hard it was for me to download this collage showing winter's many sides. I can't even say the word winter without shuddering. But, art elevates and I'm willing to sacrifice!
Noteworthy are the Olympic ice skating trials at the Oval in Roseville, Minnesota a few years back, Pashka's frozen pawprint, an auger used for ice fishing, Bean dreaming of summer and a child's book illustration of Dutch ice skater.

Mrs Nesbitt has challenged us to post I's today for ABC Wednesday. Her wish is my command.

all things stripey and fine

When I came up the stairs this afternoon, I smelled the faint odor of sun-roasted cat only to find Bean soaking up the Easter Sunday sun.

“Once you can accept the universe as being something expanding into an infinite nothing which is something, wearing stripes with plaid is easy.” Albert Einstein

Isn't it amazing that the first brave flowers of spring are delicate and pale? That is, until the tulips bloom. These lovelies were all I could find this afternoon.Spring has sprung in my neck of the woods, indeed. I think I made it!

Visit Camera Critters and Today's Flowers and for more signs of spring.

word-less Wednesday

What?

Always a little wary of taking photos of people's homes but I had to risk it to capture the expression on this watch-cat. He/she had a wonderful vantage point onto the neighborhood street from its regal tuffet. No denying the expression.

Below is my very own watch-cat in her many moods. . .only seen between naps.

See more important critters at Camera Critters, a great way to start the week. Thanks to Misty Dawn for her clever MeMe.

'God save Elizabeth'

While the earth sleeps, a bit of the cheerful color red can be seen if one really pays attention. These are random shots in my home at Christmas, around the bend and on a small, local lake in my neighborhood. In the photo below, in the upper left corner you can see a small hockey rink with lawn chairs for the 'audience' that has been cleared on the lake.

Visit Mary the Teach's meme, Ruby Tuesday for more glimpses of red.

The rose is red, the leaves are green, God save Elizabeth, our noble queen. Anonymous
Lines written by a Westminster schoolboy in the margin of his copy of Julius Caesar. Quoted in P W Hasler (ed) The House of Commons,1558^1603 (vol.1), p.474.

V is for veg

from the local Tuesday farmer's market. Right now there are lettuces, spring onions, snap peas, new potatoes for sale plus these small, vibrant Swiss Chard and their Asian cousins, baby Bok Choy who came home with me. Together with. . .

a box of fruit!

See many more V words at Mrs Nesbitt's meme, ABC Wednesday, now heading toward the finish line of Round 4.

I rest my case and my cash!

So, in spite of this recessionary period we're in, I'm feeling benevolent toward my little cat Bean. She has only one scratching post made for that purpose to her name. However, that doesn't mean she's above sharpening her claws on other random pieces of furniture. This causes Dave to threaten to have her declawed which in turn drives me crazyer. She is a tall American Tabby and has to stoop to use her assigned post. Long story short, I paid $6 for this little gadget which promised that cats love it and it will save my furniture. Even Erica's cat, who is a bit, shall we say, s.i.m.p.l.e. loves hers and uses it religiously.

Not so, Beanhead.

There is, incidently, no way of talking about cats that enables one to come off as a sane person.

Dan Greenberg

Happy Friday anyway!

'Beige! Just my color.'

The color du jour for True Colours Thursday is the ever present, ever lonely color b-e-i-g-e and at first I was ready to give up before even started this post. Like our fearless host of TCT, I'm asking, 'when is cream, tan, off white, etc. beige?' So, being the Queen of waffling**, I get to pick what looks like beige to me. . .hmm, waffles. . .yum!

I think I have covered all the angles--animal, vegetable & mineral as well as dubious cat traits. Hopefully your eye will catch a bit of beige lurking in each shot.

[title quote attributed to Elsie DeWolfe]

**

mysterious silver threads and a Finnish recipe

The color du jour for Favourite Things Thursday is silver--which had me wondering: when does gray become silver exactly? There's the silver in everyday utensils, paint brush ferules and palette knives, the bright sun on water, duct tape and so on.





two holiday fruitcakes or

soft sculpture or

the lackluster paint on the doors of my uncle's gray Chevy

Do these gray clouds over the Japanese Embassy have a silver lining? What about the gleaming silver guard hairs on this rabbit hiding in the rain? Rhetorical questions all.
Here's silver for sure--David's hair and beard. He's been sporting gray hair since he was in his 20's and now it has a luminous silver-white hue, inherited from his Irish grandma, Lucille Feagan. This photo was taken on New Year's Day and because we were sad our nest was empty again--and before I was to fall on the ice later in the day--Dave made Ropsua for breakfast. It is a baked pancake his mother always made on holiday and birthday breakfasts. The recipe below is a variation of her recipe and another I found on line. Its really easy and delicious but you have to eat it the minute it comes out of the oven...enjoy with butter and syrup.

Ropsua (pannu kaku)
Makes 1 large pancake

3 eggs, well beaten

3 c. milk (or new milk) Dave's mom uses part evaporated milk+water

1- 1/4 c. flour

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

couple Tbsp. sugar

Melt about 2-4T butter in 9 x 13 pan and put in hot oven (425 degrees) until butter melts and sizzles. Pour in mixture above not stirring, return to oven for about 30 minutes until set. It will puff up, then fall when taken out. adapted from Mojakka

Thanks to clever Blue and her fun meme, Favourite Things Thursday for giving me an opportunity to share this bit of our family tradition. By the way, only one of our two daughters likes Ropsua. Surprising?