Cottage Pie

Inspired by my new Joy of Cooking and Megan the Vegan, I concocted this Cottage Pie, the beef version of Shepherd's Pie. It was simple to put together and had plenty of satisfying carbs.

rc

Stop & Smell the Roses

rc

MisLeader- dream journal

I was driving to a conference somewhere. Mother and Mr. Clean were with me. We checked into the hotel, a nice room with a hot tub. I was running late & couldn't find the conference brochure to ask for directions. I drove to the fork in the road and took a left, then parked in town and started walking. Before long, several others looking for the meeting were following me. We went down a path lined with beautiful lisianthus. I commented on how pretty they were and my kindergarten teacher, who was following me, disagreed. "Who would want those old-fashioned, fake roses?" We continued on for awhile until I finally said, "If you people are following me, you should know that I have no idea where I'm going." About then, we came out to the biggest shopping mall I've ever seen on a dead-end street. The women decided that maybe shopping would be better than attending the conference after all.

Sronnoc Esor

Sweetness & Light

They change your life.

Rose

Cheered Up

We went for a picnic today at this lovely oceanside garden.
Rose

Truancy

I was awakened by an early morning (for me) call from Boss Lady at 10am. Her message said she wanted to "do something about the call-ins" because it really inconveniences her; she went so far as to suggest getting me "fixed". I took great pains to help her understand that when I call in sick, I am really much more inconvenienced than she, and furthermore I would rather go to work than stay in bed with the heating pad. She also suggested that maybe I should not be scheduled when I'm expecting my menses. With 27-46 day cycles, that sounds like a simple fix. I didn't tell her that the last surgeon who cut me open explained that there appears to be no reason for the pain. I also didn't tell her how it seems like a grand cosmic joke to me to have this reproductive system that makes me physically ill two days a month & can't seem to perform its intended function at all. I didn't tell her how frustrated that makes me sometimes. I didn't even tell her that it's her own fault she doesn't have enough staff. We finally agreed that I would remove myself from the schedule in advance if I know I'm getting my period soon. She assured me that she wasn't trying to be punitive, but I feel punished and picked on and mistreated and very tired.

rose

On the Lam- dream journal

I'm not sure that I was in my own body in this one. I was in a huge fight with some guy that I assume to be some sworn enemy of mine. I think we were supposed to fight to the death, but I really didn't want to kill the guy, so I just kept beating him senseless. Then he'd come to & I'd beat him up again. Don't ask me where this came from. I was looking for clean clothes to chage into and getting ready to leave when a third party showed up out of the blue and shot my adversary to death, dropped the gun, and left. Suddenly the butler was telling me that my clothes were gone. I ran down the steps and out the door. The next thing I knew, I was hitching my way west and warming my hands at trash barrels hobo-style.

Sronnoc Esor

The Prodigal Daughter

LOST

"SHADOW"

GRAY & BEIGE TORTOISESHELL

SEA-GREEN EYES

2 YR OLD FEMALE, 8 LBS.

I solemnly typed up this poster this morning at 3am. But I'm getting ahead of myself. You'll want the complete account. I called in sick for the usual reason. I was boiling some pasta for dinner. The steam produced by the pasta pot inevitably triggers the smoke alarm. This time was no exception. I waved the steam away from the alarm and pulled open the window six inches. jc, weary of the repeat performance, got up and removed the battery from the smoke alarm. I was already having my dinner.

Hours later, we went to bed and looked for Shadow in her usual place. She often settles down on the bed long before we do. She wasn't there though. We thought nothing of it, as she has many places to sleep. jc was soon snoring. I played on the computer and listened to music for a while, then made one last trip to the bathroom before bed. I looked for Shadow in all her beds. When I didn't find her, I began to worry. It was only then that I noticed the window that I had carelessly left open and realized what must have happened.

Shadow is afraid to go outside. She cries and cries if she has to go to the vet. But lately she has been boldly sneaking out onto the back steps and into the yard when she gets a chance. I put on my robe, got a flashlight from the car, and began to search. The house and shed are both elevated above a partially enclosed crawl space that she could easily access. I called and looked, but neither saw nor heard any sign of her.

Shadow is jc's little baby. Finally I had to wake him up and tell him what I had done. He joined in the search. We took her food outside and opened one of the wet food treats that she loves. jc rattled her food dish, a sound that always brings her running. We walked around the neighborhood. A kitty saw us and ran up an apartment stairway. I followed, only to find a black cat. We finally returned home and sat on the back porch steps with me sobbing and jc stroking my hair for a while before jc decided to go back to bed.

I went with him and took some hydrocodone for my increasing pain. I couldn't sleep though. I got out the laptop and typed in "how to find a lost cat", which resulted in several articles. They all said that house cats stay very close to home and hide, afraid to come out. I typed up the flyer, resolving to pass them out door to door first thing in the morning. I walked to the back door and chased a tailless yellow cat away from the food. I tried to go to sleep. I thought about how furious I would be if jc lost my cat.

I finally got dressed, put on a hat and gloves, and took the heavy fleece blanket from the sofa, and went back outside to sit on the step. It started to rain and I moved the food under the eaves. I had the Shadow's fleecy bed next to me on the step. I dozed a little then woke up and called her softly. A cat looked out at me wildly from the shadows in the yard. I looked closely and saw that it was her. I called gently, and she came, and I bundled her up and carried her indoors calling to jc, "Shadow is home! I found her!"

R. Connors

Yogurt

My Salton one quart yogurt maker arrived yesterday. Upon reading the directions I learned that the yogurt I had frozen in cubes for culture is not recommended for starter as freezing can kill the cultures. Since that was all I had, I used it anyway. I scalded the milk, cooled it to a little over 105 degrees and left in the machine for 8 hours overnight. This morning's results were not quite as tart as I'd like and a little watery but still good. Next time I will incubate longer and might try added powdered milk for texture.

rc

a Gift from Dahlia Man's Garden

Dahlia Man presented me with this beautiful miniature rose from his garden today. It goes so nicely with the soapstone from Kenya that recently came back to me from Granny's estate.

Rose

Flowers from the Picnic

1) salmonberry Rubus spectabilis

2) sharptooth angelica Angelica arguta

3) northern inside-out flower Vancouveria hexandra

4) maple?

5) ?

6) littleleaf montia Montia parvifolia

7) Sitka columbine Aquilegia formosa

8) ?

A Picnic

May lily
picnic fare

moss-covered maple

little falls

rc

Stranded- dream journal

I was going along with a friend, presumably to see her off on a trip. Suddenly, I discovered that I was on an airplane and I had just missed my stop. Since I had just come for a walk, I had no identification or currency. I realized that I would be unable to catch a flight back without ID and unable to catch any other mode of transportation without money or credit. I explained my predicament to the female pilot who was unsympathetic. Finally, I wound up by the side of the road with my thumb out.

Sronnoc Esor

Happy Birthday to Me

For a little early birthday present, jc took me to town.

At Thai Thalay, I had this beautiful goblet of sashimi.

jc had the caterpillar roll: eel and avocado.

A feast for the eyes as well as the palate.

Rose

A simple image for a simple thought:

Our offer was rejected.

Rose

Identity- movie review

link

Every now and again, I like to watch a movie that makes you want to check the bathtub and under the bed for ghoulies at night. This one fit the bill. It's a classic whodunit on the surface. Ten people stranded at the same hotel on a dark and stormy night, they start being killed off one by one. Then the layers start coming out. I won't ruin it for anyone, and I'll give the disclaimer that there was one place where I had to hide my eyes from some gory scene, so I'm certainly no hard-core horror movie critic; but I got my fix on "scary" for a while and it kept me thinking.

Rose

Migration Continues

seashore lupine lupine littoralis native and non-migratory

California Gull Larus californicus

Also seen: Brown Pelican and Cliff Swallow

(Woke feeling positively rheumatic today; you might think I was an old woman.)

Rose

South Jetty

I hiked most of the way out the south jetty this afternoon. The day was warm and flooded with brilliant sunshine. It's slow going with big gaps and many canti-levered boulders making for unsure footing. Shorebirds were on the move. If you look at the full size image, you can see our town in the distance. After that I drove out to a little winter pond in the dunes where I saw many Dunlin and Sandpipers along with some Semi-Palmated Plovers and a few Short-Billed Dowitchers.

We submitted an offer on a little house today. The sellers have three days to respond.

Rose

Ouchie!

After my two regular nights of work, I woke up this afternoon with a persistent migraine and a sour stomach. I called and cancelled the voluntary extra shift I had been scheduled to work tonight, got out the ice pack, and went back to sleep. Later, I had jc drive me to Dahlia Man's for a nice dinner. I've never woken up with a migraine before, so I wonder what's going on, but I feel better. I'm now going to settle in with Monarch of the Glen for the evening.

Regards,

Rose

Evening Grosbeak

What a delight to see this Evening Grosbeak at my feeder, later joined by a female.

rc

Wetland

Friends have invited us to walk on their land whenever we wish. Today I saw Ring-Necked Duck, Great Egret, Red-Tailed Hawk, Double-Crested Cormorant, Turkey Vulture, Bufflehead, and Barn Swallow and heard others that I didn't take the time to see.

Rose

Today at the Beach

rc

for Nicolas

http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/213154

Weed Walk

I didn't find lots of shorebirds today so I photographed a few nonnative flowering plants. Here are my ID's from left to right, row by row. Click on any photo to enlarge.

1) unknown

2) lamb's lettuce Valerianella locusta

3) red-stemmed filaree Erodium cicaturium

4) dove's foot geranium Geranium molle

5) small hop clover Trifolium dubium

6) lawn daisy Bellis perennis

7 & 8) unknown coastal evergreen

9) American goldfinch Carduelis tristis

10) tiny gnat on my khakis (and everywhere else)

11) cold pizza at the beach while waiting for birds that didn't show

12) dunes

rc

What White Gull?

I'm no gull expert, but I can't tell whether this gull is Glacous or Glaucous-Winged. Anyone?

Rose