IT'S SPRING

Hi everyone, it's me  Burnie.  It's a beautiful day here in New Jersey.  The sun is shining and everything is coming to life.

It's gotten nice enough for me to go to all the trouble of getting up onto the window ledge and look out.  The garden is coming along, there are some flowers and a few weeds (that won't make mom happy).  There are even some people out walking.

I haven't seen any dogs yet, maybe it's not nice enough for them yet.  Sometimes I think about going outside and playing with them, but mom says that cats are not supposed to roam the streets here.  I guess it's just as well, as I remember, it wasn't much fun dodging cars before I walked into our home in Queens. 

I had some really big dogs to play with there.  We used to run all around the house, up the stairs, down the stairs.  That's where I hurt my hip, trying to run as fast as those big dogs and beat them up the stairs.  Sometimes I fell.

Oh well, being inside is good and the best part is that there are no big dogs and no stairs.

CATHY & THE COOKBOOKS

Last week I tried my first new recipe.  It's from More Recipes Worth Sharing. 

I made Lemon Rosemary Chicken and as I explained earlier, I cook for one so it usually lasts me a long time.  I don't dare try a new recipe on my friends; I need all the friends I can get.

The chicken was very good, very moist and I enjoyed it two nights for dinner and three days for lunch.  There's still a little left, probably lunch tomorrow.  I enjoyed it even though there were four beady little eyes (Crash and Burn's) following my fork from the plate to my mouth, every single forkful.

It was very easy to make, all it took was one whole chicken, 3 lemons, 1/3 cup butter some fresh rosemary and olive oil and half of an onion.

While the oven was heating to 375 degrees, I rinsed the chicken, zested one lemon and cut the others into quarters.  Then I placed the butter inside the chicken with the lemon quarters, the rosemary and the onion.  Before I put the chicken into the oven I rubbed the outside with the olive oil and the rosemary leaves and lemon zest.  Then I sat down and read a book for 1 1/2 hours.  Surprisingly, it wasn't greasy.

I served it with rice and broccoli.  Of course I had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.  I never try a new recipe without a glass of wine, that way I know some part of my dinner will be good.

Collection vs Obsession

When does a collection become an obsession?  I fear that my cookbook collection is very close to becoming an obsession.  As of now, I have over 200 cookbooks.

In order to actually use these books and allow myself to continue buying more, I've decided to do my interpretation of Julie & Julia.  To refresh your memory, this was a book and movie about a young woman who decided to make a different recipe from the Julia Child Cookbook every day for a year.

I'm going to call my interpretation Cathy & The Cookbook.  I won't be able to post every day since most recipes cannot be reduced to fewer than 2 servings and there will be days for leftovers.

Today, I went to the supermarket to stock up on some staples and ingredients for a few experiments, and also to refresh my supply of frozen fruits for my latest love - fruit smoothies.  I just love them, they are sooo good and make wonderful breakfasts.

Because I bought so much, I filled my freezer.  Unfortunately, there was an almost empty container of ice cream which I was FORCED to eat.  There was simply no room for it, and it was delicious.

Now, it's time to decide on my first experiment.

Modern Technology

I recently bought a new scale that is supposed to track all kinds of information.  It must be connected or synced with my fitbit account.

It seemed like a simple procedure for setup.  All I had to do was remove one battery for 10 seconds, then replace it.  The scale would then be in setup mode.  Once that was done, I could go online and following the onscreen instructions set up the scale.

It didn't work, the connection couldn't be made.  I then proved the definition of insanity - doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.  I proved this several times.  This morning I contacted the company and together with their tech, we proved the definition again.  It was suggested that the problem might be my wifi equipment.  It wasn't.

I called the company this afternoon and they will send me a new scale.

I really wonder why I'm going to so much trouble to get this scale working when I will get angry with it whenever I step on it.  It just doesn't make sense.

Spring is Here!

I do so declare!

I have decided that winter is now over and have started decorating for Easter and spring.  I know that I'm giving myself many headaches considering what went on in the past.  A few years ago I started putting a bowl of plastic eggs and felt chicks as a decoration on the dining room table.  Well, the cats, mostly Burnie, would go the bowl and manage to take an egg out, send it to the floor and play with it.  He soon got tired of that game and discovered the chicks which he would fish out of the bowl and walk around with it in his mouth.  He, then Crash, loved playing with those little chicks.  This is eventually what happened to one of them.

 

This year I decided to try again since they're older and not quite as agile as they once were (aren't we all).  I filled two bowls, starting with some moss, then added eggs and chicks.  Some of the chicks are plaster, so I don't think they will be as attractive.  I did include some felt chicks, those that were left after the massacre of a few years ago.

 

This is what the decorations look like.  I need this photographic record in case they proceed to mess everything up again.

 

Burnie has already checked out the daffodils and decided they're not worth eating, they're silk.

 



ANOTHER TRAIN DERAILMENT

Another train carrying crude oil has derailed in Illinois resulting in yet another fire.  This is the second derailment in about a month.  I haven't heard whether or not any homes or water sources are in danger.

The last derailment in West Virginia resulted in a fire and oil spillage into the water supply of some of the neighboring towns.  There have been others, but these two are the most recent.

This highlights the necessity for the Keystone Pipeline.  It has been proven that a pipeline is the safest way to transport crude oil and transport by train is the most dangerous.  It also does not pollute the environment the way that trucks do.

I have noticed that the opponents of the pipeline have dropped their objections on the environmental issue and are now focusing on the question of jobs that would result in a pipeline.  Even if there were only one job provided, that would be one more person legitimately removed from the unemployment rolls.

I'm very disappointed that congress has not voted to override the president's veto of this pipeline.  Maybe those who did not want to override the veto should speak with the residents of that town in West Virginia whose water supply was contaminated by the leaking oil.

I wonder how many large cities are at risk because trains are carrying crude oil through them.  Until we have a safe way to deliver crude oil, every one of us is at risk in one way or another.

It will be many years before we develop a substitute for oil and until then, we should make every effort to deliver the oil in the safest way possible.  That way is the Keystone Pipeline.

Burnie here.  Today I'm not going to be talking about myself and my various and sundry problems, and there are many.  Today, I'm talking about Crash.

Mom says she's such a nag, I say she's very dependent and doesn't like to be alone.  Whenever she's awake, and that's often, she follows mom all over the house.  Sometimes she even tries to trip her.  One day she followed mom into the cold garage and got locked in there for quite a while.  She cried and cried her quiet cry until mom realized she wasn't around and went looking for her.  When mom realized she might be in the garage, she opened the door and Crash ran into the house.

She's really vocal whenever mom is on the computer.  Then she cries and cries and mom has to put one hand down so Crash can rub against it and pretend that mom is petting her.  Some times she plays a game where mom tries to pick her up.  Every time mom gets close, Crash walks away.  Occasionally she lets mom catch her and pick her up.

One day, Crash saw this basket on the floor (I guess mom was getting ready to throw it away).  So she decided to try to get into it.

 

It was a little tight, but she kept trying.

 

She tried and tried and finally curled herself up into the basket.



 

That was a lot of work and she was tired, so she went to sleep, all curled up in her little basket.