Monthly Archives: February 2011
Feline Friday: Lovely Terra,
My bear cat
Today is a sad Feline Friday.
My beloved family cat Terra passed away last Sunday, February 20th. Both my parents were with her and I am very thankful she was loved to the last few seconds of her life.
Terra was a stray cat that I took home to my parents the summer of my freshman year of college. I loved her the moment I met her when she tried to eat my burrito. I had to plead with my mom to bring her home, but once the family met her there was no turning back.
As a stray cat, she was always worried about her food supply. 
We named her Terra in reference to Scarlet at the end of Gone with the Wind saying:
“As God is my witness, as God is my witness they’re not going to lick me. I’m going to live through this and when it’s all over, I’ll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again!”
We never knew exactly what type of cat she was, but we though she may have some Maine Coon blood in her. I liked to call her my little Shetland pony for her cute little build and overall fuzziness.
Terra had a great personality. She was feisty, but very lovable. She only allowed you to hold her for a small period of time before she pushed on your arms letting you know she had things to do.
She loved to press her head on the inside of my hand covering her face. We assumed this had something to do with her upbringing and may remind her of her mother. She did this only with me and until the very end.
Terra answered when called by name with a little “nik nik” sound. She tolerated her sister-cat Aggie, but would rather spend countless hours hunting lizards in our backyard. She loved catnip and tuna.
The last few years were rough one’s for her. Overnight she lost her eyesight due to high blood pressure. I took her to the vet and an animal optometrist to get her checked out. They prescribed blood pressure medicine – 7 pills a month that had to be ground and mixed with tuna water for her to take. It worked quite well for about 9 months or so. Since then, her eye sight has been sketchy but she did quite well with it. She was still able to walk all over my parents’ backyard without trouble.
At 15 years old, Terra lived a long, loving life. She will be greatly missed. You were a great friend to all of us.
Rest in peace Terra. I will always keep you in my heart.
A what? Our Kumquat Tree
One of my favorite things about our backyard is our little kumquat tree. Kumquats are small, oval citrus fruit that have a sour sweet flavor. You eat the fruit whole – rind and all – minus the seeds. I think they are wonderful, but you have to enjoy tangy fruits to eat them raw.
To expand my knowledge about this little fruit, I have been researching on the old internet for some good kumquat recipes. It seems the most popular ways to use kumquats is in a marmalade, cocktails or in a glaze for a protein like chicken.
I’ve printed out a bunch of recipes that sounded the most intriguing to try including a vinaigrette, a hot tea, fresh juice, scones, grilled chicken, slaw, cookies, daal, a cocktail and liqueur.
I plan on starting with fresh juice and vinaigrette then moving to the main dishes. This weekend will be a perfect time to set up my liqueur.
I am in love with the Hoover WindTunnel
This month my first vacuum just met his demise. He had a tough life. Let’s just say he sucked a lot of bad, shag carpet over the years.
His replacement was an easier decision than I figured it would be. I was looking for a bagless vacuum that would have good suction on hard floors. I also wanted wanted a deal.
Amazon
Two days later the mighty WindTunnel arrived and the cats of course had to check out the new purchase.
I am amazed at this vacuum. I used it on what I thought was a “clean” area rug and it sucked up a half a canister of filth.
Other great features I am loving:
*Very quiet
*Retractable power cord
*Rinse and clean HEPA filter
Needless to say, I was impressed. I have read a few reviews about how this vacuum has issues a couple months in, so I will report back and give an update on how my love affair with the Wind Tunnel is going.
Our Front Living Room, February Edition
Ideally, I would have posted this yesterday, but I was having some technical difficulties with my SD card. So instead of calling this my Valentine’s Reveal, I am just calling it a good old February Update.
Our front living room now gets a ton of light from our new picture window so I closed the curtains to try and get a good shot.
For a seasonal spin, I created a very simple collage under the glass of my coffee table.
I cut some pink and turquoise paper hearts out of cover stock I had on hand. Then I laid gold curling ribbon down in a diamond pattern and placed the hearts before laying down the glass.
I love the look. It makes me smile when I arrive home from work every day.
Using some glass heirloom vases and punch cups, I arranged a few blooms from the backyard.
I am really enjoying the added punch of pinks, reds and purples to the room.
I may have to add something a little more permanent like some fuchsia throw pillows, perhaps?
The gnome and I will have to ponder this a bit.
