Requiescat in Pace -- Kitty Carlisle

We lost our Kitty Carlisle today. She had been sickly for some time.

As you may remember, she showed up here right after I moved in.  Having two cats from D.C., I didn't want another one, but she was undaunted. She stayed close by all through the winter. The first warm day, I sat out in the sun. She climbed up in the chair and kissed me. That was it.

After numerous trips to the vet to make an outside stray and inside family member, she was still listed as "Cat" in her file. The vet asked me if I was ever going to name her. That day I heard that Kitty Carlisle had died. Cat and Kitty shared a lot of attributes so she became Kitty Carlisle. She was always regal, she always carried herself as though she was far superior to you, however, she never made you feel bad about your shortcomings.  She was a lady till the end. 

She will be missed.

Greetings From the Great Pumpkins

Happy Halloween!

Today is the third anniversary of the Halloweener cats coming into our home.  Trick (far left) and Treat (in the middle) joined Teddy and Kitty Carlisle in our little family.  Kitty Carlisle is far too dignified to dress up!  Even thought they were supposed to go to the kitty jail and be put up for adoption, they somehow prevailed in joining the family.   They have been fun!

Requiescat in Pace -- My Darling Clementine

Little did I know when I picked up this little sprite of a kitten, with ribs like fish bones that she would grow into the big bruiser of the cat she did. 

I've had Clementine for nearly 20 years, which is longer than most of the people in my life! 

She will be missed.

Another Reason Cats Don't Play Hide and Seek

OK, I'm hidden!

Trick AND Treat

Today marks Trick and Treat's second anniversary as part of our household.  You may recall the pair showed up on Halloween and though they were scheduled to go to the kitty jail in November, they never left my house.  

Excited about their anniversary, Trick decorated the kitty tower, though it would seem she failed to do dusting diligence.  The plan was to dress Treat up as my favorite cartoon character, Pepe Le Pew, and Trick would go as Penelope, his unrequited cat love interest.   However, when time came to take their photo, we couldn't find them anywhere!

Oh well, Happy Halloween and Happy Anniversary, Trick and Treat.

Tomato Toys

Who knew tomatoes made the best cat toys.  Even thought fall is upon us, our tomato plants are still offering up a few tidbits.  I set a basket on the table the other day and Kitty Carlisle extracted several of them giving everyone a new toy.  Teddy took the lead.

Usually shy,  Treat quickly figured out the game.

Trick took on a daintier tomato and after much tossing and batting...

was  quite dumbfounded when the cherry tomato broke into a juicy mess.

I got the green tomato and cleaned up the mess.  Yesterday, I noticed something on the floor.  It was a shriveled green pepper.  They,  too, make excellent toys.

I Can Has Cheezeburger?

There is a lot to worry about these days. Shootings. Government shutdowns. Mass shooting. The debt ceiling. Random shootings. And on and on.

So what have we been worrying about? We worry that people think cats are illiterate. We blame it on this one gray cat. It is his fault and we are holding him personally responsible.

We are willing to admit that "I can has cheezeburger?" is more funny than "May I have a cheese burger, please?" But enough already.

Now there seems to be a pervasive opinion that cats have some sort of patois that would make them sound illiterate with a vaguely Eastern European/Jamaican accent.

We don't know about these cats, but the cats who live here watch a lot of television, especially news. We think our cats would sound more like Anderson Cooper than Vlad the Inhaler's dumber brother.

They also watch an incredible amount of programming from the BBC and PBS, so if they did develop an accent, it would be British or Scottish.

While he might be cute, he appears to be stupid. At least this kitteh kitten seems to have manners.

If our cats did start talking and adding text to their photos, rest assured that would know the difference between "can" and "may." You CAN jump on the counter and eat the chicken, but you MAY not.

They would be well versed in "PLEASE" and "THANK YOU."

 

They would never use "DIS" and "DAT" unless they became jazz musicians in New Orleans or the spokescat for Zatarain's. They might say, "Hey, did you see Anderson Cooper DIS that cat that looks just like him?"

 

So please, if you love your cat, let him use spell check. Looking cute is really enough.

 

 

 

Kimchi

I decided to make kimchi.  The Korean condiment is everywhere, so I thought why not.  I was bolstered by a recipe I read in Edward Lee's Smoke and Pickles.  Lee is a New Yorker of Korean descent who has become one of the South's leading culinary lights.  He does a uniquely American blend of Southern cooking with Korean influence.  So I was drawn to a recipe he had in the book for a kimchi made of Brussels sprouts and green tomatoes. 

In my pursuit of kimchi, I read at least 1000 recipes and no two were alike!  I ordered several forms of gochujang a Korean spice necessary for kimchi; both flake and paste form.  I bought the expensive Red Boat fish sauce, favored by hipsters. 

I didn't have sweet, sticky, whatever rice flour.  Several recipes said substitute regular flour, but some folks said it made the kimchi "floury", and some recipes said make your own rice porridge with regular rice, and still others said don't bother, so I didn't.   One recipe said add an apple, and I liked that idea. I had a small wedge of cabbage, so I added that.

Teddy helped with the Brussels sprouts.  Generally, one does not have to worry about cats and cole vegetables, but for some reason, Teddy loves them.  This summer I left a bowl of coleslaw on the counter, never thinking I should quickly sequester it away.  I walked back in to find Teddy on the counter in the slaw.  Trick was standing on her hind legs begging Teddy.  He took a big mouthful and dropped it to the floor, where he and Trick happily devoured everything but a single shred of onion.  So I should have known cutting Brussels spouts would cause a commotion.

I added the green tomatoes and the bit of cabbage.  Mixed it all together and let it sit.  To keep the kimchi submerged in the jar, I filled a Ziplock bag with water and used it as the weight.  Then I let the jar sit.  Of course, every recipe gave different directions for how long to let it ferment and long to leave it in the fridge and how long before you should eat it.   Mine sat out about 36 hours and has been in the fridge for several days.  We are thinking that Friday we will break out the jar and taste test.  We will not be leaving on the counter!

Cat Selfies

The cats heard "selfies" were all the rage. (I blame it on Anthony Weiner, but I digress...)

Alas, they soon found out that cat arms are not only too short to box with god, but they are also too short to get a good iPad selfie.    They need an app for that!

Crazy Cat Lady

While I love my cats, I swear I do not own that house coat. Get you very own Crazy Cat Lady Action Figure at Amazon. Amazon has everything but cats!

 

Kitty Grooming Day

Sunday is Kitty Grooming Day at Doe Run Farm.   We ALL have mixed emotions about it.   This Sunday, Trick decided to go with a new center part.  It looks quite lovely.

Squirrely in Shirley

Last week was squirrel hunting season in Shirley, but these two fine specimens seemed to escape.


As you might remember, last Halloween we came home to find this October surprise!

As usual, I refused to take them in until several weeks later when Treat got under the house and into the heating duct.  I found him peering up at me through the bathroom heating grate.  Ann vowed to come Thanksgiving and help me get Trick and Treat to the shelter.   She arrived with kitten chow, matching bowls and spay and neuter money.   The rest, as they say, is history. 


So to Trick and Treat, the Halloweener Cats...

Happy Anniversary 

and to everyone else...

Happy Halloween 

What's Wrong With The Picture?

It seems that unbeknownst to me, one of the chickens has been sneaking in through the cat door and laying eggs in the cat napping chair.  I found out last week when I noticed the eggs.  Yesterday, when I was heading to the laundry room, I found Kitty Carlisle napping with an egg.  You will notice, as I took the picture, the claws started to come out.  I wasn't sure whether she had decided to hatch the egg or eat it later.  Either way, she did not me to have it.

Cat Breading

Today's deep philosophical question it this:

What does it say about a society that garners great pleasure from putting loaf bread on a cat's head?

We do not have the answer but we do have these cute pictures!! Let me just say that Teddy is thrilled that there are new cats to suffer the indignities of humans. Treat seems much more interested in eating the bread than wearing it.

In fact, Trick, too, was willing to wear a slice of bread if she got to eat it after.


And, yes Virginia, there is a web site that is totally devote to cat breading.

Ideas That Didn't Work

Oh sure, ANYONE can have a live Christmas tree,

but not everyone can have live Christmas ornaments.

Much like live Nativity scenes, we thought perhaps, live decorations.

The idea was short lived.

But, definitely in the Christmas spirit.

Trick and Treat

Trick

Treat

This is one of those "swamped at the holidays" seasons. I have been running around wildly from Boston to DC and places in between. So last week I was chided for not mentioning the new additions to our family.

On Halloween, I returned home to find a little kitten "trick" on my steps.

Trick and Treat eating with the chickens the day after Halloween.

I was not amused. Later I was looking out the window and thought, that kitten didn't look that fluffy... of course, there was a Treat to go with the Trick.


Two nights before I left for Boston, I heard a kitten crying. It upset my cats, and the crying got louder. I investigated and found this little "Phantom of the Opera" face staring up from the heating grate in the bathroom. Treat had managed to get into the heating ducts. I removed the duct cover and he cam up into the house. The next day I got Trick in because I was leaving and didn't want a dead kitten in my heating ducts.

After I returned, I got the duct repaired and the crawl space covered. My friend Ann was coming out for Thanksgiving and I asked her to help me tame them enough to take them to the kitty jail. Ann arrived with a gigantic bag of kitten food, matching bowls and a bag of toys. Needless to say, they did not make it to the kitty jail.

Trick trying to get to the turkey.

So here they are. I am now gradually moving toward being the cat lady of Lucindaville.

Mummy's Boy

Happy Halloween

Teddy tries "dear" hunting

It has been very Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings here at Doe Run Farm, as a yearling has made the backyard her home, showing up every afternoon to munch on acorns and an occasional tree limb.

Recently we posted a photo of doe by the run, Doe Run, the name of the farm. Our reader, J.W., has been following Teddy's exploits as a hunter and wondered if he had tried to take down a doe. Well, J. W., recently he thought about giving it the old "college try."

As I was enthralled in taking fairly poor photos of the yearling, I noticed that we had company.

Teddy began creeping up, closer and closer.

I yelled at him and he retreated.

Acting all innocent.

Only to pick on Kitty Carlisle.

But our yearling was safe.