Eureka! I've found the "Whatever" aisle!

I did it!  I've finally found that ever elusive grocery aisle(s).  Some of you may remember last year I posted a blog about wanting to find this particular aisle because of my two guys.  Frankly, I was getting tired of being told to fix "whatever" or get "whatever" when it was time to do the weekly grocery shopping.  I seriously wanted to find this hidden passageway where "whatever" lurked and I'll get to how I did it in a bit.  First, I'd like to thank, again, all those that stopped by last year's blog.  It was so nice to see I wasn't alone in dealing with picky eaters who thought "whatever" just magically appears to eat.  As you can see from my scribbled note that I've kept, I got some great food suggestions from posters.

I got a terrific calzone recipe for the DS; my biggest get "whatever" problem eater.  Plus, awesome advice on how to fix my sauce problem.  Since the kid eats so few vegetables, I asked for ideas on serving green beans.  I got several and 2 of them were deemed excellent by the kid and are still frequently served here.

Bolstered by the support I was receiving, I decided to get the teen involved in fixing some of his dinners last year.  He learned cooking takes some effort while preparing a chicken breast for grilling.

I gave him the opportunity to pick green beans to go with that chicken and use one of those great recipe suggestions.

He even tried his hand at creating his own recipes.  One of his personal favorites is hot wings so he decided to BBQ them with a side of seasoned steak fries.

I thought he was getting pretty inventive with the breaded proscuitto wrapped zucchini.  Plus, they really were good.

Now back to finding that veiled victual aisle.  Granted certain conditions presented themselves this summer so I can't really guarantee absolute success for anyone else but I still felt I should share what I found.  After all, those of us that didn't take the proper measures early on to keep our families from asking for "whatever" or giving those annoying half hearted shoulder shrugs when asked for dinner ideas need to stick together!  And I still highly commend those that have limited their family's choices to  "take it or leave it" and "starve or fix it yourself".  Maybe,  just maybe, I should have been more like them.

I probably should mention the three things that I really think made my discovery possible.  The DH got laid off so that left him with ample time on his hands this summer.  The DS worked at a snack bar and learned that not all people do food prep or buy foodstuffs like his mother.  I think, though,the most important thing was early in the summer I announced to both of them that I was going to have  weed free gardens for my roundup ladies to see.  Since the boys were sitting in the A/C most of the time, while I was slaving away in the scorching heat, I was going to give them the opportunity to discover the joys of cooking and grocery shopping.

Before we all piled into the car to go grocery shopping, I gave the DH the grocery ads and told him how much of our greatly reduced budget was available for food.  I gave him all of our on hand items in both pantry and freezer.  I also gave him several days to assimilate all this information.  Didn't want to give him sensory overlaod and short hin out too early in the summer.  The DS, I wasn't too worried about since the young seem to adjust to change more readily than the old.  This time gave them both a chance to watch extra FoodNetwork shows while I was busy weeding.  Frankly, I think the DH wasn't watching Giada for her recipes.  On the other hand, he found some keepers from the Barefoot Contessa and Guy Fieri.  He even got a good fish recipe from Paula Dean that didn't have a pound of butter in it.  The kid wasn't as interested in the cooking shows and slunk off to another TV to watch that survialist dude and Anthony Bourdain.  What he brought to the table to get fixed just goes to show even when they are 18, you still need to monitor their TV watching!

So the big grocery shopping day arrived and I have to say I felt vaguely uneasy taking everyone along.  Then the scene when Harry Potter has to get on the Hogwarts platform for the first time flashed through my mind.  Don't ask me why but at that moment Mrs. Weasley's advice seemed appropriate.  So I grasped the shopping cart's handle firmly, got a bit of a run at the doors and it happened.  Just like magic the family was pulled along in my wake and when we ended up on the other side of the doors it was as if a whole new world had opened up.  The "whatever" that everyone wanted was readily available, easily found and then purchased.  I'm telling you it was amazing.  I'd like to say the meals that came from my guys cooking adventures were all as spectacular as finding the "whatever" aisle(s) but I can't.  I'll give the DH credit, at least he tried while I was on hiatus from the kitchen.  It's amazing how fast the kitchen reins were thrust back into my hands once the roundup was over,though.  Now, the kid's attempt was another story and I know some of you might be curious as to how that all turned out.  So I will conclude with that incident and a link to Pippin's latest blog.
http://thesensiblyorganiccook.blogspot.com/2011/09/would-you-try-and-put-leash-on-lion.html
Both of these kids have been having fun this summer but Ryan's food "pick" had a wicked Eeeeeewwwww factor to it.  Yes, I was asking for snake recipes on the "buzz" because my kid shot what he thought was a rattler.  The child had been telling me that if he ever shot a rattler he wanted to try cooking it.  That will teach me to not encourage that boy to cook.  I do not like snakes!  In fact, if it hadn't been for Ryan's Grandma Jennie (she's an adopted grandma but who cares, she is still great)I'd still be killing all snakes that came near me.  She educated me about snakes, even got me a book.  I still don't like them. I think it is the sudden surprise factor they have.  Hey, I'm not as bad as my sister, I think she broke out in a cold sweat when I called her to tell her what I was grilling.  By golly, I was not going to waste that 4' long snake because I'd told Ryan if he shot a snake we WERE going to eat it.  Deep sigh! 

So there it was.  Ryan cleaned it and I googled.  YouTube is great!  I found a video of a guy cooking snake.  Evidently lots of people like snake  If it is ever up to me to kill another snake to eat or eat something else,  I'm eating something else!  Actually, once I stopped cringing like a 6 week old kitten that had just discovered a mirror and managed to touch the cleaned snake, it wasn't so bad.  Granted, I might have tossed back some of that whiskey the snake chef recommended to use in the marinade first.  Thank heavens I had some Beam on hand!

I don't think my child thought I would woman up and cook it while he was at work.  Good thing his father was in Springfield cause he wouldn't have tried it period.  I don't think the kid liked it as well as he thought he would.  NO, it does not taste like chicken.  It has a delicate flavor all its own but boy is it boney.  You can eat and pick your teeth at the same time.  Not to worry, I was not about to waste my first attempt at snake so I made these.

Veggie & snake filled egg rolls and snake & goat cheese wontons.  It took a long while to get all the bones out but it was worth it.  Like I said, snake has a definite eeewww factor but once stuffed and deep fried the kid sucked it down almost faster than  it came out of the deep fryer.

That's it for me today.  I hope everyone had a nice day and enjoyed a nice normal meal of "whatever" :)(:

Would you try and put a leash on a lion?

Seriously, would you walk up to a lion, slap a leash on it and say "hey, fatso, let's go for a walk"?  Didn't think so.  Now normally, I got a lot of love for MC but she did just that.  No, she didn't slap a leash on a lion.  She tried slapping a leash on me and taking me for a walk.  Why?  Cause she is worried about my weight.  Oh yeah, that whole "let's take a walk" idea went over big time with me. 

Not!

Oh sure, Doc told her after my surgery when he was taking my stitiches out MC would have to be careful with my diet.  Too much weight would be hard for me to carry around on 3 legs.  Little did I know she'd take that advice as gospel instead of as a mere guideline.

Let me introduce myself.  I'm Pippin and I had an accident that resulted in the loss of my front leg.  Mama Cat or MC for short, is the human I own and right now she is fixated on a diet and exercise regimen for me.  And it all started with her trying to weigh me cause she thought I was lying around too much.

The day of the great weigh in MC drags me into the bathroom and proceeds to plunk my butt down on her scales.  I filed a quick protest by backing off the scales and in between her legs.  I got to say once MC gets something into her head she is determined to see it through to the bitter end.  She got a better grip on my poor skinny (I might add) body, drug me forward and pu me back on the scales.  At least she tried to.  I filed another protest.  We probably would still be in the bathroom going back and forth if a certain someone hadn't gotten in on the action.  On the last push me pull me attempt, MC found she couldn't pull me forward anymore.  Why you might ask?  Cause my lovely long tail which had been behind MC's legs was now stuck in someone's mouth.  Yep, that foul breath fuzz faced beast of MC's had clamped onto my tail and was pulling my ass backwards.  Just look at this hideous face!  How would you like it pulling on your tail, I ask?

Yeah, yeah he got in trouble after MC stopped laughing.  The woman has no heart somedays but she also gave up on trying to weigh me too.

To show her I forgave that lapse in judgement concerning my diet and exercise, I tried to help her with some crafty thing she was doing.  Look!  I almost got those scissors to work.

Can you believe she didn't appreciate my help?  Me neither.  So I thought maybe I should try yoga with her, after all cats invented yoga.  For some reason, she didn't seem to find my pointing out her own paunch problems by sitting on it while she was in reclined mountain pose amusing.  OK, so I didn't think that one through cause that motivated her to go get someone for me to play with.  Back on that exercise thing again.  I had previously cleared off MC's DVD thingy, in order, to better observe her workout sessions so I invited Gloves up for a bit of wrestling just to prove there is nothing wrong with my physique.  Gloves may have all of his limbs but I still won.

I proved I'm fit and was rather hoping this would get MC to relax on the diet thing too.  She feeds me downstairs.  Actually, she doles out pitiful sized portions during the day for me to eat.  For Pete's sake, that woman goes up and down those steps hundreds of times a day.  Which means I have to run up and down the stairs to see when she is putting out my miserably meager meals.  About all my wrestling bout achieved was getting Gloves stuck on a diet too.  Boy, is he a whiner.  Just look at him trying to get in the house so he can power nap safely concealed in the teen's room instead of taking a brisk walk around the yard.  Yep, that's the walking hairball on the table.  I have to perch on stuff just to keep that blasted beast away from my delicate fur so now it thinks it needs to sit on tables, too.  Notice even through the screen it is trying to invade Glove's personal space?  We keep telling her to send the thing back but MC just won't listen.

Remember my cleverly crafted inside tree?

Um, someone forgot to tell me the rope tied around the ladder was not for me to play with.  'Fraid I untied that sucker one day.  That wouldn't have been a problem but that blue-tongued pestilence panting in my face caused me to make a rather spectacular leap onto the tree.  I kind of hit the tree a lttle hard and caused it to all come crashing down.  MC came running to make sure I wasn't hurt and then told me she wasn't in the mood to fix my tree.  Not like she was doing anything important.  Look!

She is sitting there reading a book and drinking coffee while broken bits of my tree are surrounding her.  I tried to get her moving by turning the pages for her.

That didn't work so I thought I'd help her read it.  Still didn't get her moving.  I had to wait till she went to get a refill and take matters into my own paw.

When all else fails take a nap on it!  That got her going and I must say she did a fine job on the rebuild.  Made a nice little shelf for me to sleep on comfortably.  MC is still on this exercise kick though.  Instead of buying me toys to play with, the tightwad bought a feather duster for me.  I got to admit it is kind of fun to play with.

That's about all my news for now.  So everyone take care and remember-

Everything is difficult
until it becomes easy.

The Missouri Midwest Roundup: A Perfect Day!

The planning began the day after last year's roundup.  By the second week of June I had started the steps to have the perfect gifts, perfect flower filled and vegetable garden, perfect party atmsophere and a perfectly pristine house.  There is a definite sort of excitment in having a roundup.  Some might think exciting might not apply when welcoming strangers to your home.  As Lora/ Magnolia Blossom pointed out, you are not really meeting strangers because through All Recipes you do know them.  You chat with them on the "Buzz", read their blogs, use their recipes and with some you are already "e-pals".  You just might not have seen their faces, heard their voices or felt their physical hugs.  You may have gotten those virtual hugs which are great but the real ones are the best.

At this year's roundup the lovely ladies that came were Lora/Magnolia Blossom, Lisa/Mangel, Sheila/Mi Being Mi, Brenda/bhawk, and Nicole/Soup Loving Nicole.  Nicole also brought her husband, James, and Max, the dog.  We also had Janice, a friend of Brenda's, who made Lisa feel right at home.  I convinced my sister she should come too and she brought her husband.  Terrie who was here last year wasn't able to make it but she did breeze thru, drop off goodies and pick up some Almond Grahams aka "Crack" that Lisa was kind enough to make.  It really is an addictive recipe.

Let's start with the "perfect gifts".  Back in November I decided to have the roundup over my birthday weekend so I could ease into the idea being 50.  Geez when I was 18, 50 was pretty close to having one foot in the grave.  What a surprise to find myself at this rather large numbered birthday!  I didn't think it was fair to have the day just be about my birthday so I came up with an idea that I thought would  include everyone's birthday.  As with some of my ideas, the idea is sound but the execution is lacking.  While my guys were boar hunting, I started my presents.  Painted flower pots with herbs.  Simple idea but I went a few steps farther.  I used the zodiac to get the birthday girl's herb and color associated with the their month.  I also ran across sayings that went with their month so I figured I'd stencil their names, birthdays and sayings on the pots.  I thought the sayings were really neat because they seemed to fit.  Lora's- "I Dream, I Believe".  Brenda's- "I Feel".  Lisa's- "I Have".  Sheila's- "I Think".  Nicole's- "I Will".  That one is mine too and really seemed to fit because that's what I kept saying to myself while trying to get everything done for this year's roundup.

So what went wrong? To get the right colors I used the wrong paint on some and ended up redoing them because they ended up bubbling and looking warty.  Then since I tried to pick from the herbs listed ones the ladies would like, I started from seed.  Should have been a simple thing but all the pots got infested so I replanted 5 times.  Deep sigh!  Even then I had to change herbs and dig some out of my garden.  What should have been big bushy wonderfully filled pots of herbs as you can see weren't.  The ladies seemed to think it was a neat idea though.  Not everything is pictured here but the gifts the ladies brought were perfect and very much appreciated!

Also, All Recipes Elizabeth surprised us with bags filled with goodies.  From last year Lady Sparkle and What's for dinner, Mom?'s number 1 daughter had generously made enough gifts so I was able to give a washcloth and apron to Lisa and Nicole, our new attendees.  With one apron left that went to my sister in her favorite print.  So how perfect was that?!

Now the perfect flower filled and vegetable garden, yeah right.  Only in my dreams.  For what seemed like forever I weeded.  Those of you that I regularly chat with may have noticed a marked decrease in emails from me.  Don't think I forgot about you.  Thinking of each of you, wondering how you were and what was going on with you gave me something to think about besides the scorching heat, bee stings and all day weed annhilation.

Even poor Bane got fed up with me working everyday in the gardens.  That's my gardening glove in his mouth. 

For the perfect party atmosphere I thought a signature drink was needed.  One created just for us birthday girls and using fruits from Missouri.  Have I ever done this before?  Nope.  Certainly didn't stop me from trying though.  Let's just say it looks better than it tasted.  Again deep sigh!

The perfectly pristine house we are not even going to talk about.  Dear sweet Lora came in on Friday night and I listed what was again left to do.  She was all for getting up at 6:00am and helping and she did.  She even baked these delightful muffins for us to have for breakfast.  Did I mention I left to go to dog obedience class that morning for an hour?  Yep, I'm trying to be a responsible owner and get proper training for Bane and I.  We have a wonderful trainer but one of the classes was scheduled the day of the roundup.  Again deep sigh!

BBQ Dude was at his best this year.  Although, I believe he miss timed getting some stuff on the smoker because he was busy talking with Nicole's husband.  And perhaps an adult beverage or two.

It didn't matter.  When you invite cooks to your home you are going to get some wonderful food.  Not to mention a wonderful fleet of cooks willing to help on last minute food prep.  They are even willing to risk getting yelled at by the head cook who probably should have had an adult beverage by then instead of worrying about perfection.  Right, Brenda?

Just look at this deliciously ladden table.  All the leftovers from the feast prompted my teen to say this the next day.  "I have a different question for you tonight, Mom.  What don't we have to eat?"

We were a decidedly lively bunch this year.  One of us started fairly early with the adult beverages which then encouraged some of the others to join in.   Lisa brought chocolate wine.  Lora made the sangria that she had at Maui girl's roundup.  Pretty soon the conversation was flowing and we were all acting like we had known each other forever.  And yes, the party lasted well into the night.  We talked about everything from food, pets and topics that, well, might be censorable.  We decided what happens in the garden stays in the garden.  Just like Vegas :)(:

I got 2 lovely and very thoughtful surprises yesterday.  One of them had me squealing like a kid who had a pony arrive at her birthday party.  I hope I didn't damage her hearing. 

Just as all of us ladies were proceeding on a garden tour, my son came to the door with the phone and said, "There's a woman on the phone for you and she won't say who she is."  Ok, so by this time I'd had some adult beverages too so I was really puzzled because everyone was here.  I answered the phone and the lady asked how the party was going and who all was there and then she said, "Do you know who this is?"  Well, no.  "It's Laurie."  That's when the squealing started.  Last year she had sent me the sweetest cross stitched birthday card.  This year has been so rough for them and so many others in New Zealand that I didn't expect anything from her.  To say it was delightful to have her call me from tomorrow and finally hear her voice is an understatement.  Some day I will see her in person.  Then we got another call.  This time from Maui girl.  Too cool!!!!

The next morning the ladies that were left sat in the garden talking and blowing bubbles.  We were supposed to do that the day before but we were too busy.  The window in this picture came from an old house and has 2 poems on it that I really like.  sueb gave me the idea for the starry windchime and I just had to have a picture of the bubbles floating past.

We discussed having the roundup at Brenda's next year so we could see her garden but she says she likes coming here.  She also thinks Sheila will be likely to spend the night too at next year's roundup.  Yep, the camper is that big.

So for all my imperfect plans what made the day so perfect?  The people, of course.  Those that came, called or were here in spirit.

I sincerely thank each and every one of you for my perfect day!

Are you game for a boar of a tale?

As some of you know, my guys plus one went on an out of state hunting trip last month.   I was excited to have the weekend to myself so I was talking about them being gone.   When I told you what they were going to hunt some expressed curiosity about it so I thought I’d share the results of that trip.  For those that have asked about Pippin, he has posted another blog if you’d like to drop in and check out his adventures-http://thesensiblyorganiccook.blogspot.com/2011/07/can-tiger-change-his-stripes.html  Also if anyone's plans have changed and they are interested in the upcoming roundup I'm having here, http://allrecipes.com/cook/13436831/blogentry.aspx?postid=233279 that's the blog if you'd like to read it and the email address is in it if you are interested.

My DH, Jeff, and his BF, Al, have talked about going elk hunting in Colorado for years.   They both have hunted deer for years but wanted to go after something bigger.   Either their jobs, lack of time or money kept them from doing anymore than talking about a big out of state game hunt.   Then early last year my DH started researching the possibilities again.   Plus, he thought it would be cool for his son to be able to go with them now that he was old enough.   So each Sunday he’d share what he had found with Al.   See, depending on the season Al comes up every Sunday to watch either the football game or NASCAR.   I fix a big lunch for them too cause Al always seems to help the DH with one project or another.   Usually it is a major project like cutting wood for the winter so I feel it is only fair I keep Al well fed.

After much consideration they decided to turn their sights on smaller game. Wild pig. Oklahoma is also a little closer to home than Colorado.   Since I did not opt to go with the guys on their trip, I’m relying on their version of events and pictures they took for most of my information.   I can, however, reliably share what I’ve learned about cooking wild pig.

If you do any scanning of the TV listings you might have noticed “reality” shows about the damage wild pigs are doing in various states, what is being done to round up these destructive creatures and what happens to them after capture.   The ranch the guys hunted on buy captured wild pigs from Texas.   When asked, the people at the ranch said those reality shows are a bunch of nonsense and the pigs are live trapped then shipped to places like theirs.

Here’s the first picture the guys were excited about showing me.

Goes to show what they were interested in.   Yep, I’m afraid my requests for scenery pictures fell upon deaf ears and, yes, that is the family truck for the owners of the ranch.   When the guys told me how cool the place was inside and I asked if they took a photo of it, I got a blank look.   Deep sigh.   So the best I could do with that is include the website just in case anyone wanted to see other shots. http://www.reddirtboarranch.com/

I really did not know how the hunt was to be conducted but I was told everyone was guaranteed a pig. I know my guys when they hunt deer here in Missouri sit out on frosty mornings in carefully constructed and concealed deer stands for hours.   Usually only to come home wanting a hearty brunch with a “Nope, didn’t see a thing”.   It never fails to amaze me how thundering herds of deer can simply vanish when it is hunting season.   Same with those turkeys. I  can hear them gobble around here every morning till opening day.   I’ve even scared them out of the front yard but I have yet to cook a wild one.

Evidently it is no surprise where the wild pigs are.   The ranch is well fenced since it is against the law to let any of these creatures back into the wild.   This is also a working ranch so the wild pigs are fed and receive veterinary care to keep any diseases from infecting the domestic livestock.

These shots are taking from the stands the guys were in.   For those that feel this type of hunting isn’t sporting enough, I’m not sure if the guys knew how little hunting skill they would need to get their pig.   As with any game they have harvested over the years we do eat it.   That’s one of our rules.   You only shoot another creature if you intend to eat it or to keep it from killing you.   However, I do think living out in the wild receiving food and care is better than being in an overcrowded feed lot. Also if it were up to me to shoot meat for our table, I can guarantee our menu would be vegetable heavy with some fish every so often.

WARNING!!! Hunting pictures.

The next pictures are my two guys with their pigs. Jeff got a boar and Ryan got a sow.   Al got one of each but somehow I didn't get pictures of his or him.

Now on to what I learned first hand about wild pig.   After going to a meat locker that would process the meat we ended up with this size cooler full.   In it we had ground pork, 2 smoked hams, spare ribs and boneless pork chops.

Before the meat went to St. Joe, I took a bit of it just to see what it would taste like.   I fried it in a skillet.   The flavor is much stronger than domestic pork. Since I did nothing else to the meat it was tough.   I generally like any game and have never had a problem with a gamey flavor.   My sister SWEARS she can tell venison jerky from beef because of the gamey flavor.   Hmmm, wonder if that’s like the great beet and cilantro debate?   Either you like it or you don’t!

I was rather concerned that all the meat except for the ground would be much tougher than my DH was used to.   I believe I was right.   When the pork came back, I decided to try tenderizing and marinating some chops for the grill.   Again we both liked the flavor, not quite shoe leather was the consistency.   Now, Al did the same thing and left his overnight and claimed a successful grilling came out of it.   After having fixed lunch for him for almost 20 years, I know Al is not near as picky as my DH either. So my next attempt at the chops was the pressure cooker.   I love that thing now that I am no longer afraid of it!   I put my own dry rub on the chops, browned them in the PC and added ½ c water and 1 c white wine.   Cooked for 40 minutes under 10 lbs of pressure.   Much better
with an excellent flavor.   I do think I could have gone even longer  with the cooking time and if anyone reading this has more experience with the PC and game, please share your knowledge.   I’m guessing the other cuts will have the same type of toughness.   Something my DH doesn’t understand at all. He figures one pig, domestic vs. wild should be like the other.   Uh huh.   I’m guessing a crock pot or a LONG slow cook on the hams.   I’m not quite sure the best method for the ribs.   Something long and slow I’m sure.

I did have great success with the ground pork.   We grilled hamburgers over the 4^th and we all liked them.   The jerky was AWESOME!   The spice mix pictured earlier on the right was just so so.   I added more spices to it because it seemed rather bland.   The one from Cabela’s was purchased later so we can make more jerky.   I guess!   I barely had enough jerky hidden to take the photo.   The jerky on the right was made with the “Hi Mountain”.   Now if you are wondering why there is asparagus on the plate, they guys brought that back from the ranch.   Someone had left it down after their hunt and the owners told the guys they could have it.   Given they can barely eat anything green, my DH said, “I bet my wife would like that is it all right if I take it for her?”   It’s pickled with some kind of hot pepper.   Can anyone identify it?   I don’t grow that type and am not sure.   I’d also like to have a pickled asparagus recipe too.   Man that stuff is good! Almost too hot for me.   I’d go with jalapeno peppers I think.   Now for the jerky on the left, I used a mix that I had from previous years but I decided to add some of the spicy vinegar from the asparagus to it.   YUM!   That came out so good!

Overall per pound, I’m sure the wild pig cost quite a bit.   I’m not even going to bother trying to figure that out because the guys had such a good time and really liked the ranch.   One other old friend was supposed to go on this trip but couldn’t due to his health.   What a shame.   Ryan is going into the Navy in Oct. so who knows when or if he will ever hunt with his father or Al again.   I swear everyone needs a friend like Al.   He is like a brother to Jeff so I’m glad they finally got to go on their hunting trip out of state.   Jeff is still laid off so it is a good thing he had put aside money to go.   It was a trip that was well worth taking.   Maybe not so much for the pig but for the three of them to have a weekend to remember for always.

Can a tiger change his stripes?

Absolutely!

My glorious set of sable stripes has certainly been shifted!   If you don’t know my story, my name is Pippin and someone shot me.  That caused the amputation of my right front leg.   Hey, I get around great and the human I own, Mama Cat or MC for short, has done some really cool things for me so I don’t feel like I’m missing out.   Toooo much.    Still I wish ole Doc had been a little more cosmetically considerate.   For pete’s sake, a boring tabby tan patch of fur has now taken the place of my beautiful black bands.   Ok, ok so looks aren’t everything but seriously how hard could it have been when all the cutting and stitching was going on to leave some of the glossy layers in place?   Having my armpit fur sticking out for everyone to see is tough to overcome even for a devilishly handsome fellow like myself.   I’m ok with my underneath being exposed when I’m rolled over napping like this picture when I'm trying to help MC.  See here I was rolling around helping MC sort her garden seeds something she didn’t seem to appreciate so much.   I got bored with that and decided a nap was in order.

Anyway, I do have new adventures to share.    I’ve broken them down to the good, the bad and the odd.   First, we will get the bad out of the way.   Although while I consider the “Great Escape” an excellent example of my extraordinary abilities some in this household do not.   I did not almost burn down the house that is MC’s muttering take on events.

The “great escape” took some careful planning to pull off but I did it!   Now, I wouldn’t have had to resort to such drastic measures if MC hadn’t sicced that purple-tongued pestilence on me.   Can you believe she told that stupid dog to sit at the door knowing full well he’d stay there and I wouldn’t get near him?!   Geez, you get anywhere near that drooling beast and you risk getting dog gakk on your fur.   And no, I’m not the slightest bit sorry I got the old buzzard, MC’s DH, in trouble.   His hearing is returning, not that he ever listened all that well to begin with so no harm done.   I can’t help he can’t tell one cat from another and I used that to my advantage.   There are three of us with similar stripes, granted the other 2 have all 4 appendages and are decidedly different sizes.  When the old buzzard opened the door to the garage and thought he was letting out my buddy Gloves I seized the opportunity for an overnight romp in the woods.   MC had been riding her horse and asked when she got back if I was downstairs.   She received an affirmative so off to bed she went.   It wasn’t until the next morning she realized I’d escaped.   Now would someone explain this to me?    How can a Mom go from all upset and teary to furious in a matter of seconds?   You should have heard her calling me as soon as she figured out I was in the wind.   She sounded so upset.   I decided to saunter out of my hiding place before she really turned on the waterworks.   Be my luck she would dry her eyes and blow her nose on my remaining stripes.   Eeewww!   You know it really is hard to muster a good swaggering step with only 3 legs but I thought I was pretty convincing.   I thought my “eye of the tiger” attitude would calm MC’s fears about my midnight excursion.   Nope.  She had to have a hissy after she got over being thrilled to see my wonderful self coming down the driveway. Took just a matter of seconds too!  The old battleaxe, I mean MC, is even more vigilant about me having unattended outside time.

Uh, about burning down the house.   Well, I didn’t but this little incident bought me indoor cage or garage time at night.   Everyone is so negative about this they are missing the bigger picture.   I can count!   And given some food I could have cooked.   You see, MC’s cook top can be locked.   You gotta hold down one button for 3 seconds to turn the whole thing either on or off.   MC turns the cook top off every night cause she is a "just in case" kind of person.   Well, MC got up one morning and one burner was blazing away.   So I forgot to turn it off.   The point is I held one button down for 3 seconds and unlocked the burners.   Then I selected a burner.   It beeped at me so I selected a temperature and away we went!   Might as well go for the glory right?   I turned her up on high.   MC might not have been so mad if I’d keep it on ultra low or if I‘d turned the burner back off.   I still think MC is choosing to look at this in a negative light.   It is not like all the buttons were in one place and there was counting involved.   I thought this spotlighted my obvious brilliance.   I know I’m not supposed to be on the cook top or the counters but don‘t I deserve a little lenience since the accident?   Locking me up at night so I can’t wander the house is a bit extreme don’t you think?
Ok, so everyone knows  the amputation is the reason I’m blogging.   I really am touched by the number of people and furred ones that have read my story and sent their best wishes but there are moments I wish I still had all 4 limbs.   Now speaking of that, this is the "odd" part.   Some days I’d swear my leg is still there. That fuzzed face idiot thinks it is still there too. The baying behemoth of  MC's  sticks his nose places it doesn’t belong and I swat at him every single time. Get this. I can use either leg, the one I can still see and use or the one that just feels like it is there and that stupid mutt will duck.   I still do my yoga pose, Upward Cat, with both legs too.   Odd isn’t it, that phantom limb?

Now for the really cool "good" stuff.   MC made me an indoor tree.   Granted I was prepared to resist using it cause I really want to climb a real one but MC knew what she was doing I’ll give her that.

I might still be protesting using the tree if it hadn’t been for that pea brained panting pooch.  He had  some nerve chasing me in the sunroom.   MC doesn’t allow him to chase us cats but if her back is turned the pea brain thinks maybe just this once we’d like a game of chase.   MC started to yell at the idiot but we’d just gotten near my tree and my tail was in jeopardy of getting dog slobber on it.   Yuck!   Therefore, I took advantage of MC’s engineering skills and up I went.   She really did a good job thinking of my needs and placed horizontal branches where I would need them.   She even put fresh catnip in the holes.   Did I mention she used mesquite branches to make the tree?   Pretty clever for a human she is.   She had gotten a bunch of mesquite branches from her Mom’s house.   Her Mom used to travel in the desert Southwest and brought home all kinds of stuff.   MC told me she figured the holes in the branches would help me climb.   They do!   She also said they’d be great for stuffing. Ooo yeah!   She had to alter some of the branches after I started using the tree.   I got a little goofy with the catnip and about rolled myself off.

That was another reason she used the mesquite, all the forks  make for perfect laying or napping perches, she just added a piece here and there to the original.  Works out great for me, I can observe my domain without that barking brute annoying me.

My friends like using the tree too. That is Houston. He has to check out anything new in the house.

This is the other cool thing MC has done for me.   She hates denying me the outdoors but she wants me to be safe.   I really do like my outside pen.

  Originally, it was built for the mutt but he is so high maintenance the backyard had to be fenced in for him.   Worked out great for me.   MC still needs to do some work on it but I have two potted trees and some potted catnip in it.   There are plants growing into the pen too so I can almost pretend I’m free.

MC puts Gloves in with me for company.   He doesn’t mind cause mostly he sleeps but it is nice to have someone to talk to and chase bugs with.

This last picture I couldn’t resist putting in.   I like to find new places in the house to sleep just  to keep my survival skills sharp but MC gets a little frantic when she can’t find me.   One day she looked everywhere.   Poor old dear, she's turning the big 5 0 soon and her eyesight is going.  If I do say so myself,  I blend so well in the teen’s room.   It is a great room to hide in.

Till next time.

“To be upset over what you don’t have is to waste what you do have.”
                                                                                      KEN S. KEYES JR.