One of my neighbors has indoor/outdoor cats. Some are primarily indoor cats who go outside when they feel like it and others are essentially strays that just use her house as a base of operation. I don’t want to feed the cats because a) she feeds them regularly, b) the cat food will also attract rats, c) my dog will eat any cat food that is left, and d) I’m sure a lot of other neighbors are feeding them already. But I want to encourage the cats to hang around my yard, so they can hunt the rats.

I started by giving them some cat treats that my cat doesn’t like. Just a piece or two to let them know they were welcome in my yard. That way anything they didn’t eat I could throw away immediately. One day Buddy the large black cat came over. I didn’t have any treats handy, but the catnip was right there.

“Oooh…” the cat said. Well, it was more like “meow” but I’m sure it translated to “Oooh…”. Buddy loved it. He rolled around on the ground and had a good time.

I went back to giving him (and the others) the treats and only occasionally the catnip (my cat likes it, too). Things progressed. Once in a while there’d be a dead mouse or rat in the yard. The cats still hung around. They would even stare in through the porch door once in a while, looking longingly and meowing pathetically.

Tonight two of them were out there. Normally it’s just Buddy (the big black cat). Tonight Armisted was also out there. I went out armed with treats.

They looked at the treats. They looked at each other. They looked at me.

They looked at me.

So I went back inside and got the catnip. Buddy and Armistead were grateful. They purred and rolled around and licked my fingers. Armistead meowed several times and I got the feeling I was being watched.

Two more cats showed up — Tippy (grey with white toes and tail tip) and a young cat that I believe is named Kush. At least those were the two I saw. There may have been more.

I threw catnip around the yard — especially close to where the rat holes are — and went back inside before they could go all “Children of the Corn” (Cats of the Nip?) on me.

Or maybe it’s more like “Dawn of the Dead”.

Anyhow, now all the cats in the neighborhood know I’m good for a nip fix. I should buy more this weekend. Summer’s coming and I have a feeling they’re going to be telling all their friends.

Miraculously the machine took both bills without complaint. I pressed the button. A 20-oz bottle of Coke dropped. My change didn’t. The “Sold Out” button was flashing. On a whim I pressed the other Coke button.

A 20-oz bottle of Coke dropped.

Seventy-five cents in change dropped.

I went back to my desk, clutching my spoils.

If anyone needs me I will be very sugared-up and highly caffeinated, so look up. I’ll probably be swinging from the ventilation system.

“The language was a little too British for me so I took off a star because not everyone knows that kind of British slang… but oh well.”

and

“Have now finished reading this book. Interesting cases. Only thing I don’t care about is the British vocabulary. As we in U S say on Elm Street, for example, this book says in Elm Street. Causes me to lose some concentration.”

Really? Really?! I do understand that some local slang is hard to follow. I’m a devout Anglophile and pretty much live on BBCAmerica and even I get confused by some terms (especially ones that are specific to a region or an age group) but then again I have the same problem with some American English slang. And generally, it’s not that hard to pick up from context. It also doesn’t take that long to look it up (later or at that moment (yes, that does take you further out of the reading, but only for a few moments and that must be better than sitting there frustrated, right?)), so when you encounter it again you don’t lose any time.

One does wonder how they manage with the cop lingo that occasionally turns up in the books. I’m also willing to bet the people who left these reviews (and the others like them) don’t read much science fiction and fantasy.

I bought one of the books that had such a review. It’ll be interesting to see how “hard” it is to understand.

After next week, I’m off lessons for two weeks — one because we’ll be just back from New Orleans, and then the next because my teacher has a prior commitment (her husband has a performance, which is unfortunately at five, so I don’t think I’ll get to go).

At work they decided that today was my birthday. They bought two large cookie cakes because I don’t really like cake all that much. I also got a gift certificate to KnitPicks. More yarn for me!

Kitti made “upside-down lentil shepherd’s pie” last night. Mushrooms, carrots, peas, veggie broth, lentils, turmeric, thyme, (vegan) Worcestershire sauce, and “Cauli-pots” (Mashed potato and cauliflower). The “stew” portion is supposed to have zucchini in it, but I don’t like it, so he left it out. Coulda used more carrots…

It took a while to make because the cauli-pots have to be done first, separately, and then the lentils take a while to cook. But it was SO worth it. I think if he made the “stew” portion and added crushed tomatoes it would be an awesome pot pie filling.

The cauli-pots are now going into the regular dinner rotation. We often have cauliflower and a baked potato, so why not just mash ‘em together?

This was specifically vegan and came from a vegan cookbook. It’s incredibly filling and loaded with protein. But you know… you don’t have to BE vegan to eat vegan once in a while (seriously, next time cauli-pots are on the menu, mine are getting cheese on ‘em). You could substitute beef or chicken broth, or add meat (or different veggies). I’d maybe cut back on the lentils if you add meat, though.

Recipes from Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes

Uphill.

In the snow.

Get off my lawn.

But then I was walking the dog and watching him stop to pee on places — the same places every time. The partner-in-crime said to the dog “You’re probably smelling your own pee, you know.” And I said “But that’s the point. To make sure he still owns it.”

Fortunately it’s been years since the dog peed in the house to announce his check-in, and I have never once peed on my desk.

About fifteen minutes later, when it came time to leave for work I put the greatcoat on instead of the jacket. Long, warm, wool, military surplus greatcoat. Thick, warm scarf. Walked outside and thought to myself “Oh, it’s not really that bad out. I wonder if I really needed this heavy coat after all.” Decided that going back in and changing coats would be a waste of time.

Three hours later:
Sitting at my desk working on something in Excel and a thought occurs to me — it hadn’t gotten much warmer in the short amount of time I was in the house; I was warmer because my coat was keeping me warm.

Mim’s birthday is tomorrow. She’ll be 65 years old and to celebrate we’re going to do one of the local Ghost Walks on Saturday. I’m hoping I’ll be able to get some cool pictures (not necessarily of ghosts, but in general). I’m also already thinking that it’d be more fun to do the walk again later in the year, when it’s dark out.

I’m very glad to see August go away and I would like it very much if it took the hot weather with it when it left. We got an email at work today reminding us that space heaters are not allowed. It’s 9:30 in the morning and already 86 degrees. Are space heaters really a problem already? Am I working with aliens? Is this building haunted? Where are these mysterious cold spots that seem to be bothering people, because I’m about ready to email someone and ask if heaters aren’t allowed, what’s the policy on moving my cube into a walk-in freezer.