Bad Luck

I have bad luck. I just do. I must be getting paid back for some really bad karma. Now how can I have bad luck, you ask? I have a job, a home, a husband, food…all this…so how can I say I have bad luck? Well, it’s not the no job kind of bad luck. It’s the kind where you have a cat who catches lizards….and lizards just happen to be in the list of the top 3 things you really hate. They creep me out big time. There is a long history of my hate for lizards….I won’t get into the story of the one that was in my bed. But it was bad.

Ok, so Greg left to go to Vegas this weekend for a softball tournament. He left around 5:30pm. At about 6:15pm, I hear this loud bang on the screen door. I rush out to find Calvin, Greg’s cat, trotting into the kitchen with a lizard flailing around in this mouth. I scream and jump on the sofa.

Ohhhh……that cat realllllly pisses me off.

So with Greg safely out of reach, the cat nets himself a lizard from under the screen door. He does this all the time….tho he has not done it in quite a while. But he chooses today…when Greg is gone, to start up again. It was a big one, too. And interestingly enough, he always does it when Greg isn’t home. So….I had to do something….fast. Calvin has never let one get away from him…..of the dozen he has caught, but there is going to be a first time and it could not be today. So I gotta think fast. I dumped a small trashcan out on the floor and figure I can turn it upside down trapping the lizard under it while I come up with a plan. So I do that. Then I stand there looking at it for 10 minutes. The only option was to slide the trashcan to the door, open the screen and slide it out. So there it was….me scooting the trashcan across the floor with lizard running under it all the way to the door. We get to the door, I threw it out, lizard went flying, I screamed, slammed the screen shut and slammed the door closed.

Now the red trash can sitting in my front yard and I have no intention of going out there to get it anytime soon. It might be out there until Greg gets home on Sunday. And the front door is staying closed all weekend.

And that cat better watch his ass because his master is gone and I might just tote him off to the pound.

This is funny. It could take a while to load, but it is worth it. And don't click on any of the items ~ just wait and watch.

click here

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Plus, it's the first day of Fall! How exciting!!!

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And....a recipe! I didn't have raspberries, so it was just all plum.....but it was still really yummy. If you make it, be sure to use red plums.

Plum Raspberry Crumble

2 pounds red plums, cut in 1/2, pitted, and cut in 1-inch wedges
2/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 1/4 cups flour, divided
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 pint fresh raspberries
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds, plus extra for sprinkling

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine the sliced plums, 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar, 1/4 cup of the flour, and the orange juice and toss well. Add the raspberries and toss lightly. Pour into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish.

3. For the topping, place the remaining 1 cup of flour, the remaining 1/3 cup of granulated sugar, brown sugar, oats, and the salt in the bowl.

4. Cut in the butter and until the butter is the size of peas.

5. Add 1/2 cup of the almonds and mix well.

6. Spread the topping evenly over the plums, making sure the fruit is covered. Sprinkle with some extra almonds. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the fruit is tender and bubbly and the topping is golden brown.

Okay, so here is the thing....I like coconut but I don't love it. If a recipe calls for it, I usually only half of what it calls for.

So, I was hunting around the internet and came across the spot below for the show "Down Home With The Neeleys". The woman bugs me a little bit, but I can take her in small amounts so I watched it. What does this have to do with coconut, you ask? Why have I gone from telling you my taste preference on coconut to telling you the Neeley woman bugs me? I'm not crazy....well.....oh, just watch below and you will see link between the two....and why I am dying for a square coconut donut....

calendar girl

black, white and red all over
Originally uploaded by photo kitten.

I am overwhelmed with happy emotion.

I just got a call from the SPCA telling me that this photo of Abby won for the December shot of their 2009 calendar! Jenny, the woman who called me said it was a landslide vote....she didn't even have to count votes because Abby had clearly won it.

I'm so very happy.

I have a feeling the answer is no, but is anyone watching HBO's vampire show True Blood?

Last Sunday afternoon Greg asked me if I was going to watch it and I said no. I am usually very disappointed in vampire movies/shows so I wasn't going to bother. They are so......stupid. Nothing has compared to Buffy in my eyes. Until now. I really like this show. After I said no, I got a little curious. I found a trailer for the show. Just watching that had me hooked. So thanks to Greg for giving me the nudge.

Now, let me just say, I understand that just the idea of a vampire show sounds stupid. Trust me, I felt that way about vampire movies, shows....anything. Not to mention a show with a heroine named Buffy. Pretty stupid. But then one night I watched an episode. it really is good. I'm lucky I opened my mind to it because it was, and always will be, a great source of enjoyment and inspiration to me.

I think True Blood might do the same thing for me. It isn't like the movie Blade or that ridiculous show Blood Ties. It's just....good. It's quality. Something you don't see a lot of in vampire flicks and shows. True Blood is nothing like Buffy The Vampire Slayer.....well, except that it has vampires in it. It is very adult.....which you would expect because it's on HBO. They get away with things you will never see on non cable stations.

If you are even slightly interested, I think you can watch 2 aired epidoes on HBO's website.

Happy 40th Birthday Laura!

Sometimes it's good to be 40!
Originally uploaded by shutterBRI.

Happy Birthday Greg!

Greg's Birthday Cupcake
Originally uploaded by photo kitten.

I Love Weddings...

...but sadly, I don't know many people who have gotten married so I don't attend very many weddings.

Recently my boss was in a wedding and I got to view the photos....all 200+. The wedding was really lovely. A few things stood out to me. One was, the bride wore garnet colored satin shoes with rhinestone buckles on top. I know it may sound gaudy, but it wasn't at all. They were really beautiful shoes. So she is in head to hem white and then....POP....you get a glimpse of her shoes. The colors of the wedding were garnet & tangerine, which again may sound gaudy, but they did a good job of just splashing the colors here and there so it was not overdone. The flowers were red and orange roses with orange calla lilies. I just love the little things that people do....like the shoes. I think it was cool to get away from the traditional stuff and be different.

Other than that, I really have nothing of major interest to post. It's been hotter than a stolen tamale here. So we have just been laying around like sloths. I am eagerly waiting for Fall to arrive with it's cooler temps and hope for some rain. I cannot even remember the last time it rained.....far too long ago. My coats and scarves are calling to me from the closet.....

"Hey! Woman! You ever going to were us again? This closet is cramped and we need a change of scenery!"

So for my coats sake, let's hope we get some rain soon.

Happy Furry Friday!

cute
Originally uploaded by photo kitten.

The Last Song

Each time I hear Elton John's "The Last Song", I am touched in many ways. Simply said, the lyrics are....brilliant. The video is very well done and captures the true essence of the song.