June 1, 2016 by Andrea

Jessie

Reluctantly Bob and I said good-bye to our Jessie girl.

Jessie was my baby from the first day I saw her. She was the only dog in the shelter who didn’t bark, and from the moment she sniffed, then licked, my hand I was totally in love. She came home with me the next day (the shelter wouldn’t let me take her until they did a home visit) and we had almost thirteen years together. Jessie was with me through two moves – one involving twenty hours in a car with crying cats, several jobs, going back to school and getting married. Bob may not have been the one to bring her home, but he loves her (almost) as much as I do.

In November the vet said her kidneys were failing and we only had a few months. In true Jessie fashion, she lived twice as long as expectated. She insisted on her daily walks until last week and while she was slow, she still wanted to say hi to everyone and search for rabbits. This week was tough; she was very sick and in the end, we knew it was time to say good-bye.

I recognize that she is a dog and dogs are not people, but she was my little girl and she depended on me. She greeted me every day and was always happy to see me. Jessie taught me what really accepting someone for who they are, not who you want them to be, means. She curled up with me when grandmom died (she was NOT a cuddle me puppy); she sat with me through Patches dying and greeted the kittens with such enthusiasm that they have aways been more her kittens than mine. I like to think she was happy and that she had a better life with me than she would have without.

Even though she was generally quiet (she could bark and she had some very healthy lungs) the house is quieter. Her presence is missed. It will be strange to come home and not have her greet me, to wake up and not check to see if she is where I step out of bed and to eat pizza without her drooling for the crusts and giving new meaning to the phrase, “puppy dog eyes.” She was family and she will be greatly missed.

March 28, 2016 by Andrea

A Day Off

I had a plan. I had a schedule and then … I decided to take a day off of everything. No school work. No work-work. Just one day to relax and do things that I wanted and just made me happy. It came about in part because every time I went to do reading for school, Gracie or Tigger was laying on what I needed to read.

I hadn’t gotten down to Mom and Dad’s as much as I wanted over the last few months, so it was a nice way to start my day there. I had spent some time Friday with my cook books, so I had a list of veggies and such that I wanted from the farmer’s market. On that list was also some fresh herbs. I really miss having an herb garden, but I am letting the garden go fallow this year. So … pots. I had pots in the garage and picked up some herbs at the farmer’s market to plant in them. Bob and I went to Home Depot and I got some soil, and a few more plants.

Gracie really liked my idea. She especially liked the catnip I picked up in an attempt to keep Leia from eating my chives and parsley. Leia has been known to eat entire plants of herbs, so this was my hope. Leia has not tried to eat my herbs, but she also isn’t going for the catnip much, but Gracie … Gracie just really got into it.

So after planting my herbs, I actually made an experiment. I saw this recipe for squash and roasted garlic galette. Oh it looked pretty perfect, so I wanted to give it a try. I made a pastry crust, roasted butternut squash and garlic, and put together a pie.

The base has a ricotta and roasted garlic spread with some roasted butternut squash on top. I grated some sheep’s cheese on top and baked it. My only complaint was the crust – it needed to be just a little sweeter, so next time cut the semolina flour and add a teaspoon of sugar. I think that would work well. Because I thought it needed a little green, I served it with the cabbage and apple salad from the night before. It made for a really nice little dinner.

So one day of no school work, no work work and just hanging out at home and having a little fun. It was worth it – even if I am now off to get back on track with my school work.

February 22, 2016 by Andrea

Where does the time go?

It’s been a while since I’ve posted and with good reason. School, both the back in school and the work kind, are going well, but they are keeping me busy. I’m almost done the first class and am about to start the second. One good thing about the compressed format is that I don’t have time to obsess over every word I write. I don’t have time to restart a paper multiple times, so I draft and then edit the heck out of it. This is sometimes more difficult than it would seem.

Try writing with a cat half on your lap, half on the keyboard until you move the keyboard far enough that you have trouble typing. Gracie has a nack for being in the most inconvenient spot at the most inconvenient time.

I have managed to play in the kitchen, just a little. I haven’t made anything amazingly exciting, but I did do a homemade lo mein and a spinach lasagna. Both were pretty darn good.

Bob and I are off to a dinner at the cheese shop tonight. I love these and can’t wait. We are even taking Mom and Dad as Mom’s birthday present. It is close, good food and I have to eat anyway, so all the better.

Until next time.

July 14, 2015 by Andrea

Munich: Day 6, Part 1 – The Cat Cafe

If you read a lot of tourist information on Munich, and I did before coming over, almost everyone talks about the traditional foods. The snitzel come up, the bratwurst and the pork shanks. For someone who prefers less meat in my diet, I did some research to find some vegetarian friendly placed to eat. It turns out almost every place in Munich, including the beer gardens and the street vendors have non-meat options. However, I’m very glad I didn’t know this before I came over because I would have missed Cafe Katzentempel.

I found a description of this almost vegan cafe on line and I told Bob we had to go one day. My only regret is that we didn’t fit it in earlier in our trip so we could have gone more than once.

The cafe is located in the University section of Munich, so it is a little out of your general tourist area. It is right on a main street and close to several public transportation stops. As soon as we got there, everyone, including a particularly cute cat, made us feel very welcomed and at home. We didn’t even need my very basic German as the (I’m assuming owner) immediately switched to English and talked through the menu with us and told us about the cats.

The important things first – the cats. There are six cats who live at the cafe. They are all rescues, including one former street cat who lost a leg. They all have a private area in the back and can come and go as they please. If they don’t want to interact with people, they don’t have to. All of the cats have decided to stay at the cafe and all of them are fairly social. The two Siamese were particularly playful as they seemed the youngest of the group.

The food. The food was quite simply fantastic. It’s not fancy but there is a ton of flavor packed into those dishes. I had the summer bowl with hummus and Bob had a sandwich and salad. The ingredients are clearly fresh and high quality, which makes a huge difference in the overall meal.

I really wish we could go back, but it was our last full day in Europe and we head back to the states tomorrow morning. If you do get to Munich and even kind of like cats, make the trip for brunch or dinner. You will smile the entire time you are there, and it will be one of the most memorable things you do. And definitely the most unique.

February 8, 2015 by Andrea

A Week In Review

I have to say, I’m not sure where the last two weeks went. I had every intention of cooking up something new and different (and hopefully fabulous) and posting it, but that didn’t happen. That isn’t to say I didn’t cook, but I stuck with old favorites and quick meals.

Super Bowl Sunday is, theoretically, the least attended day at Disney/The Magic Kingdom. Given this and my lack of enthusiasm for the game recently, Bob and I decided to go up Sunday and make a day of it. We didn’t rush, but we got there early enough to do a few things we had not fine before. Or at least that I had not done before. Somehow, in all the times we have been to Disney in the last few years, I have managed to skip Tom Sawyer’s Island and the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. How? Not sure, but we corrected this. The island was ok. I am not a fan of tight enclosed spaces, so we did have to skip the ‘cool’ parts of the island, but it was pretty and quiet and a slower pace than the rest of the park. … Which does bring me back to Super Bowl Sunday. No difference. None. If anything, it felt more crowded than most days we go. It wasn’t holiday rush time, but there were not any fewer people either.

We did have dinner with John while we were there. Sanna proved another great experience that almost rivals the California Grill. I loved watching the animals wander around outside, but I have to admit, the castle is still my favorite view.

As for the rest of the week … My Bougainville is blooming. A lot. But it has lost almost all of the leaves on one side. I’m not sure if this is due to the cold nights or my forgetting to water it on a regular basis. But it is still pretty and alive so hopefully it will bounce back.

Bob was in Miami for work this past week and he sent me the above picture followed by this next one while he was there.

That is a pork, kale and fried tomato sandwich. I know Bob got it for the pork, but I’m impressed with the amount of kale on it. This is also much more impressive than the dinner he had at home the following night.

Cheddar and chive buttermilk biscuits. I made scrambled eggs to go with them, and they were good, but I think his sandwich was way more interesting.

The cats have been cute. Really cute. Although I think Leia and Tigger had a little too much togetherness. Leia wanted to play; Tigger, not so much. The only saving grace here is that Leia gives it as good as Tigger does so they do end up playing and then he walk away. Unlike with Gracie who he just pounces on.

Nothing much exciting on the horizon. I am trying to figure out what to do with all of the rosemary that has taken over. I know I could go chicken or pork, but I’m still not that into meat these days so I’m trying to find a good vegetarian dish to use it in. If I find it, that will definitely be a post.

August 9, 2014 by Andrea

New Adventures

Sometimes I feel like it is time for a change. The last few years at work I’ve vacillated between loving my job – the kids, some of the people I work with – and hating it – some of the people I work with, the testing, the ever changing paperwork, the ever added work load. When I have the “I hate my job” days I look around at what else is out there. Sometimes it reminds me that I overall like what I do, but sometimes it reminds me that I can do something else.

Over the summer I decided to put a concerted effort into seeing what else is out there. I looked at district jobs, private sector jobs (not in education) other charter school jobs and private school jobs. I’ve looked at university positions and government positions and found there are a number of things out there. Most, being a teacher, I don’t qualify for, but the options were intriguing. The more I looked, and the more I left work at work for the summer, the more I did not want to go back.

I got lucky this summer. I interviewed for a few jobs and found one that I thought would be really good for me. Then came the hard part – actually getting the job. After a few rounds of interviews, I was offered the job and decided to take it. Come Wednesday I will be back in the classroom full time, but this time in a private school.

Going to a private school was a little bit of a hard choice for me. I’ve always worked in public education in one form or another and still, despite everything, believe a strong, well funded public education system is the best chance at empowering the next generation and ensuring the continuation of a productive society. Going to a private school almost feels like betraying that belief but I know that right now, it is the right decision for me to make for me. I will still be working with kids and kids who need extra support academically. I’m still teaching, but I don’t have the extra responsibilities that were wearing me down or the testing requirements that eat up so much of the school year. I may actually be able to teach and that is worth taking the chance. I’m excited and I know it is the right move because once I turned in my resignation to my old job, I started breathing easier and sleeping through the night.

Since I also put this post under pets, I should give an update on the furry creatures. They are wonderful. The kitties went to the vet today and they are all in good shape. Tigger is weighing in at 15.5 pounds and Gracie and Leia are each 9.4 pounds. I thought Tigger would be a little bigger, but the vet said he is in great shape (and I didn’t get a lecture on his weight, so I think he is still good.) Miss Leia still surprises me by being the normal cat of the three (although she is the hardest to get in a carrier) and in great health. No sinus issues, no breathing problems and no surgery needed.

So things in our little corner of the world are going great. I’m excited about the new job (and without the need to move), the pets are healthy and happy and Bob and I can look forward to a (hopefully) quieter school year. We got our cheese box this week, so look for that post soon – it’s an Italian theme this month!

May 4, 2014 by Andrea

Catching Up

It has been a little bit of a weird couple of weeks. Work has been both great and horrible at the same time as it’s testing season. It’s horrible because all I do all day is test one kid after another and I can’t do anything else except think about all the work piling up on my desk. It’s great because I get to talk to my students a little more than I use to and I can avoid the computer and phone because … well … I can’t have access to either while testing.

So this means the pets have had to entertain themselves the last few weeks. Jessie is suffering from one walk a day syndrome and the cats … well …

they are darn cute but very needy. Tigger has been singing the song of his people at 3:30 am and Gracie remembers that she wants cuddles at 5 am. I adore them, I really do, but I actually slept in the other room the other night just so I could sleep. Yes, I tried closing them out of the bedroom, but between Jessie (who we let in) and Leia (who knew???) it was worse then the other two. So, I made use of the spare room and actually slept.

Which did not prevent me form getting Bob’s cold. He got the nasty-totally-drain-you bug and then lovingly passed it on to me, so I’ve spent the whole weekend in bed or on the couch, generally with two or three furry creatures surrounding me. I’ve managed to start planning the Chicago trip and have a few things nailed down and am now also looking at a Disney weekend since Miss Erin will be coming down (thank you Mel, you have my eternal gratitude for getting her to come down! Dinner is on us!) I’ve also picked up the iPad version of Hearthstone just because. It’s a card game of a sort and I was pretty sure I would not like it. Boy was I wrong. I’m hooked. Bob even joked that I was way more into it than he is and he’s right. It’s nice that I can sit and play for a few minutes between resting or for a few minutes here and there. Since it’s on the tablet, no strain on my shoulder and it doesn’t require money or long tine commitments. And really, it’s just kind of fun.

I’ve been going between my a HelloFresh and Blue Apron boxes the last few weeks. They really have saved my sanity for dinner prep. And while the picture above is a a HelloFresh dinner, it was so incredible I had to post it. Thai Beef Lettuce wraps. Substitute quinoa for the beef and you can probably make this a vegetarian version.

Lettuce leaves (I think they were butter lettuce) – for wrapping

Cook 12 oz ground beef in pan with 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce. Cook until beef is cooked through then add 1 small can of water chestnuts and two cloves of garlic, both chopped up. Stir to combine and cook about a minute.

While the beef is cooking peel a carrot and then use the peeler to make ribbons from the carrot. Cut into strips one red bell pepper. Chop about three or four sprigs of cilantro leaves; combine all of that in a bowl with the juice of one lime and a little salt and pepper.

For playing, fill the lettuce with a scoop or two of the beef mixture and top with the carrot mix and a few chopped peanuts. Warning, this is not first date food – it’s messy but oh so good.

I hope to be back to feeling better and cooking soon. Hope all is well!

January 19, 2014 by Andrea

Cats

Cats are the teenagers of the animal world. They are moody, needy, insistent little things that eat way more than their size suggests and they stay out way too late and become so very cute and cuddly when they want something.

Tigger is a particularly interesting case. He is a rather large (yes, probably fat) cat, especially when compared to the other two. He is super friendly and cuddly with me – a regular lap cat.

When Bob and I sit on the couch he curls up with us and you can do pretty much anything to him. Mess with his ears, hold his paws, move his tail … he just rolls over and requests a belly rub.

He also does all the usual cute cat things like hiding in boxes

playing in trees

and just generally looking adorable.

But have company over? Have anyone including Mom and Dad in the house, and he hides under the bed. Look at Tigger when walking by him (or just walk by him) and he runs like his life depends on it. I’m pretty sure Val and Bill have not seen him in person as he is just the scared-y cat of the bunch.

I suppose that isn’t a bad thing in the grand scheme of things; after all he is a cat.

December 8, 2013 by Andrea

Oh There’s No Place Like Home For The Holidays

Sorry for the silence the last few weeks. We had company for Thanksgiving and while Mom did most of the heavy cooking, I did a fair bit of dessert cooking. With Aunt Dolly and Amilcar staying here, Bob and I took advantage of having guests who appreciate good wine and cheese and made dinner of the leftover cheese tray from Thanksgiving.

We loved everything on this plate. So much so the Bob and I did the same for dinner a few nights later and we will be doing the same tonight. Yes, we had leftover cheese and we are no letting it go to waste. We also now have a good selection of wine.

We got our first wine club shipment in and so far we are really pleasantly surprised. There are six different wines, two bottles each. We’ve tried three so far (and I’m keeping notes) and only one I didn’t like. It is actually a good wine, just too earthy for my taste. But the other two I really love. Balanced, longer finish and smooth.

I finished my Elizabeth 1class and signed up for History of Economic Thought for next semester. Val thinks I’m nuts, which in all fairness is the general consensus. But with this class I will have my recertification hours needed and will be good for another five years. I really enjoyed the class on Elizabeth, but I wanted something I had less experience with, hence the Economics class. I figure it has to be better than Microeconomics. Of course, just about anything is better than micro.

The house and the pets are pretty much ready for the holidays. Gracie helped put up the decorations and Tigger found the ornament Leia took for her own last year and brought it to me to add to the tree.

He was so proud of himself. I was pretty proud since he brought the toy that technically is an ornament. So the house is ready.

And the pets are ready.

This will be the first Christmas since I moved out of Mom and Dad’s house that I will spend in my own house. I am particularly excited by this and am looking forward to a low key, quiet Christmas. I will figure out something to make for dinner that day, but overall I am ready to relax. Gracie has the relaxing down pat.

August 24, 2013 by Andrea

It’s Been Crazy

The week teachers return and the first week with kids are always a bit hectic. This year it was a whole new level. New computer systems, lots of new teachers, lots of last minute changes (aka teachers deciding to not come back for a variety of reasons) and then 1600 middle and high schoolers descending. Oh, and did the afternoon thunderstorms that sprang up right about dismissal time every day. With all of that is it any wonder I haven’t cooked much the last two weeks? And I’m heading to England for about two weeks to help Brad and Emmie out after her surgery. All is going well. But an extra set of eyes, ears, hands and half a brain might make it a little easier.

I did manage two dishes I was pretty please with. The first used the shredded beef and I added potatoes, carrots and onions. I used a nice zinfandel with beef broth and herbs from the garden (mainly rosemary) for a stew. It came out really well. Lots of flavor. I know it is more of a fall dish, and Florida is still in summer season, but it was really a nice meal. It helped that I had a glass of the Zinfandel with it.

My second dish was a pork loin with grilled vegetables. Sounds simple and it was, but sometimes simple is best. Brown sugar, mustard, salt, pepper and graham Marsala. Coat the pork, and sprinkle the dame mixture over the vegetables (after tossing them in oil) and then grill. Both took about 20-30 minutes on the grill on half heat (but all three burners). Great, light summer meal.

My favorite work story for this week happened yesterday. To be fair, similar things happened all week, but this just struck me as the perfect snapshot of my week. I went to deal with a kid’s schedule and my boss wanted to talk to be about the next two weeks (out of the building but still working) so I am standing in the hall between the person making schedule changes trying to sort out the schedule, and talking to him about everything that we have in place for contacting me and certain issues that may arise so he isn’t blindsided by them. One of the guidance assistants comes up as I am standing in the hall between these two offices and asks about an issue with another student. We had three conversations, on widely different topics, happening at once and somehow everything got taken care of as it needed to be done. Multi tasking at its best.

It will probably be a few weeks before I post again, although if I manage to cook something really cool or take a walk and remember my camera I may post before I get back. Have a happy Labor Day!

Sixteen Paws

The random adventures of Andi, Bob, and four furry creatures

Category Archives: pets