Swinging Weekend in the Cat House

Outside, the weather was cold & frightful. Ok, not really frightful but cold enough to freeze your ying yang off.

My black & white Oscar was on the top tier of the cat tree, relaxing & grooming. Stewart wanted to play, then went for the cat toy on a string.  My room mate's cat, Smudge, is the other B&W. First photo she was actually squinting at the camera from the flash.. smart kitty! Then Speedy, the 4th cat has a bit of washed out yellow eye that I've yet to learn how to fix in Photoshop. This is what a real cat house looks like on a weekend. Exciting I know. Note, I didn't post the pictures with adult beverages. We don't allow the kids to drink.

**To view full size, click on any photo**

Oscar's thinkin', leave me alone.

I mean it, buzz off. I'm not messing around.

Stewart playing with mice on a string.

Then Oscar got his nap.

Smudge is thinking, damn that's a bright flash on that camera, thus she squinted.

Still waiting for some food. Maybe if I ignore the camera broad.
Speedy near the furnace room, warmest part of the cold house.

P.S. Changed my mind. Here's a photo of my Irish Coffee from Saturday night. Oh, and I'm now experimenting with Seagram's 7. I'd lost ability to drink for years (Long story!) and am enjoying having liquor in the house again. I also think it causes me to take minutia photographs. Time will tell.

For Grandma

Discontinued NOISY Sunchips Bag

Ok, this bag was supposed to decompose in 16 weeks. Well, it only looks dirty with a few tears in it. Granted, some neighbor behind us added a privacy fence behind our pile (which added some extra shade time) and it's been a dry summer & we've not watered the compost pile. Still, we expected this 'unique green package' to disappear a little better than this one did.

Frito Lay has quit making it saying it's due to noisy bag complaints. Well, it was annoying but in the name of science, I had to share our experience in Ohio with this bag. I did not believe it from the get go. I also detest the fake "Green" packaging being bastardized in the same way the name organic/free range/cage free labels are basically lies, but I digress. Still I thought I would share our photographs.

The top one, has a log on it, as I dragged it out of the pile after six weeks for a photograph. Then the other photos were taken today. According to my calendar, this bag was supposed to completely break down by the 20th of October. Not gonna happen.

(Click on any photo to enlarge it)

So there you go. Sophia's experiment in the lies of packaging that is supposed to make us feel we are doing our part to make less garbage in landfills. Don't you believe it.

Just recycle the best you can, try not to waste things, and for goodness sake, enjoy your Sun Chips!

Cynical Sophia

p.s. And if you still buy plastic bottled water, shame on you! :) Get a reusable stainless steel one. They are really affordable these days and you can even find them at Kroger, Target, etc.

Squirrel & Cat Slide Show

My cats love to watch the squirrels & birds on the brick patio. There are three feeders, two bird baths in the yard, and a water dish outside the sliding door. It's true real HD tv viewing for the cats. Especially 16 month old Stewart, still curious about so many things.

First few photos are of the 'squirrel proof' feeder. See, if the squirrel doesn't trip the lever with weight, the squirrel can get some sunflower seeds. Hangs upside down to eat it! He worked so hard in the heat.

Stewart Video 1 yr later

I can see why I've gone one year between cat videos!!! Enough attempting cat video today with a webcam. Ya need a portable flip video for moving critters. And drugs...for the cat and the producer !--just kidding.

All I got was a bedspread and face full of fur for my attempt, though Stewart was purring his brains out. At one point he pauses the eyejot video & you can hear him purr---- have no clue how he did that, as he stepped on the keyboard! This is my first double-coated cat. Needs brushing/raking. It's hot. I'm done. This was the result. He was lying on the window ledge after this & now on side of bed, having grown weary of the fuzzy toy.

The video does stop abruptly with him looking lop-eared & bored (Though still purring) He meant to meow good-bye.

Next blog will be something easy to photograph..... my flowers. When it's cooler. Maybe October.

A Year +2 wks Ago Today New Boy

Here Stewart is now, and below, when I rescued him at Nine wks from a vet office near me!

Hueston Woods Slideshow

Remembering the cool weather break we had a few weeks ago, I escaped to Hueston Woods Lodge for the night. It was a pure nourishment of my soul for a glimpse of water, quiet & nature. The following is a slide show of pics with butterflies & some pics of the lake. Not all great photos but the clip of music is, Smetana's "The Moldau", one of my favorite pieces.

Slideshow of Critter pics From Yard

When Engineers Own a Dog

I am a cat mom but saw this on Twitter and found it very amusing. :)

Deer in Yard on Indy 500 Day

This deer came into yard before the race & again afterwards! Crazy. Some of the pics were thru the window so a little fuzzy in spots. But who can resist Bambi? Twice, in one day? Thankfully, I keep the zoom lens on the Nikon this time of year for bird/critter pics. The song is Glenn Miller's "Little Brown Jug".

Signed,
Sophia aka modern "Elly May Clampett" (she also loved critters!)

Tunes of Sister Rosetta Tharpe & others

Tunes of Sister Rosetta Tharpe & others

I'd never heard of Sister Rosetta Tharpe until I got a CD called "Shout, Sister, Shout" from the library with Maria Muldaur, Marcia Ball & others on it. Some great tunes. Rosetta did Gospel with a rock n roll beat in the 1930's. Also did some great Swing tunes which are part of this show I did. Midway the show switches gears to other songs by Dino, Glenn, Willie & Wynton & even a song by the Dead ...Ok, I'm a moody wench & somedays, have the attention span of a gnat. With my little music shows done from my little 'office bunker', ya never know what you are gonna get! I close with a favorite song "Canal Street Blues" recorded in Richmond, Indiana in 1932. It features Joe King Oliver, a young Louis Armstrong, Lil Hardin~~later she married Louis~~ & many other late, great musicians.

I hope to do another show on her down the road but had tech glitches uploading songs to the BTR switchboard. Stop by to listen to some tunes. Then go to youtube and google some video on her (but remember it's VERY old stuff, she was born in 1915 and died in 1973) and read on her life. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sister_Rosetta_Tharpe

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/sophiasplace/2010/04/28/sister-rosetta-tharpe-other-songs

It's been a long several months with medical issues keeping me from doing a show and reading things in small boxes, or reading in general. Sorry to be so inconsistent, random & intermittent with shows. Might consider a time change. I'll try to Tweet a new show or check the Blog Talk Radio site for updates, especially if you enjoy music from days gone by.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

To kick things off, since I don't really drink much these days except the occasional glass of wine or beer, I still remember with fondness a late uncle and his wife. I only saw them about 6 times in my entire life. But they were from L.A. and on one trip in the 1980's brought this great Margarita Recipe with them. So with that, I shall toast today, the Fifth of May!

Home Made Margarita Recipe

You will need Tequila (we used SILVER Label Hose Cuervo for mildness)

A good brand of Triple Sec

One Lime

Base:

1 cup limeade (in frozen foods)
3 cups Sweet and Sour Base (Good brand?!)
1/2 Egg White (If afraid, leave out but we always used it)

For Drinks

1 cup base mix (shake before measuring so the egg white is mixed)

1/2 cup orange juice, fresh or the NOT from concentrate variety

3 jiggers Tequila

1 jigger Triple Sec

1 cup crushed ice

Put in blender. Pour in glasses rubbed with a lime and dipped in Kosher or Margarita salt.

Enjoy and stay home or have designated driver if you go out and about. Ha!! :)

This may seem like quite the investment but I have never found anybody that did not like this recipe. But remember, it's only as good as the ingredients.

Enjoy!
~~~Sophia

Murals Transform & Other Minutia

Years ago, Fairfield had nationally known artist Eric Henn paint some murals on a boring modern post office building. The paintings are great and give a sense of nostalgia to the area as he remembers the history of the city. The different murals are of original landmarks of the city. I only captured a couple of them due to the traffic in the parking lot. There are five total. Check out his work from other cities here. http://www.erichennmurals.com/

Now the other photos are of cats in the house.The gray Stewart has a huge tail that is always fluffed out. He was looking at the day lillies in front of the house as he shared a hassock with Speedy, house mate's cat. As always, a cat will seek out the sunbeam. He has the finest, softest fur of any cat I've owned. Feels soft as a newborn chick. He has no idea how big his tail is and swings it into everything! :)



I am very conservative with the sunflower seeds this year for the birds, squirrels & chimpmunks. This squirrel kept coming to the sliding door for water and peeking in to see if I might hand out some more but I did not. In the second photo he almost seems miffed that I did not give him more snacks... I almost expected a one finger salute from him but he just moped away after getting a drink.



A few winters ago, another squirrel used to actually tap on the window to ask for food! My housemate found that funny and almost hard to believe until one winter morning, he witnessed the begging squirrel himself. I don't have that picture handy.

Until next time.

Cat & Ladder

Burned out lightbulb in kitchen ceiling. Young 9 month Stewart had never seen a ladder. He commenced to try and climb up it but, didn't quite have it figured out yet. The pictures tell the story. He sat up and enjoyed the view, then was hesitant to climb down. The walk up was precious but by the time I got the camera he'd gotten down but thankfully, tried again. This time quicker. (I need a Flip Cam dammit!) Click on the photo to see them full sized.

Not sure how this deal works, not like my cat tree with the carpet lofts.

Enjoying the view as he figures out how to start down the steps.

Hell with the steps, just leap downward.

*Click on any photo to see full-sized.

Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday Tunes

Forgot to blog I was doing a show. Listen in for about 40 minutes of great tunes. Some tunes by Lagniappe. Some by Willie Nelson, Wynton Marsalis, Original Dixieland Band & others.
Click on the box on the side of this blog for the show's tunes. Listen while you work, cook, or dance!

Merci Beaucoup!
~~Sophia

More Mardi Gras Cajun Tunes

Will start with some Cajun tunes and move into the city with traditional New Orleans jazz.
Meant to promote this two days ago but been resting my eyes...literally. So if you find yourself with a snow day, or just a blah Tuesday, and need some music to cheer you up. tune in. No adds, no talking. Quick 30 minutes or so, give or take, of tunes.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/sophiasplace

SnOMG!

Ok, using the old Olympus with no tripod. NOT taking out the NikonD as it's snowing a very wet snow. Just as the snow plow came by the stupid camera started beeping as if batteries were dying. It does this when it gets cold, too. Just like me, I beep when I'm cold :-D.

Sorry they are blurry, too slippery for the tripod, and flash doesn't work when it's still snowing at the lens, as you will see by the one photo. Be interesting to see how much we get as the ground is warmer, snow seems to be sinking into the ground but grass is now covered.
But honestly, all the hoopla on the tv screens are over done as usual. Imagine what tv is like in D.C. where 30 inches is being forecast!!!!

I'm not grabbing a can a Spam, a bottle of water and the family pets to gather under the bed for great Cincy's snOMG nonsense.