This Morning

I thought I heard a strange racket this morning while I was trying to wake up. What had that Kitten gotten into now? It wasn’t her usual “running through the house” noise. The closet door in the hallway was open. Now how did she do that? Oh well, I closed it.

A bit later, while I was checking email, there was more unusual noise and a shrill critter sound. Plus the dog was whining. Okay, okay, let me see what’s going on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is she up to?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She was very serious and not moving a muscle. Grabbed the flashlight and look what I found….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh my.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dang. How did that little critter get in here? Bet I know. The Great Hunter Kitten. She loves to bring in critters and let them go so she can hunt them in the comfort of her own surroundings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After several attempts to persuade Mouse Critter to leave the sanctuary underneath the bookcase and be captured by cat or dog, I gave up. I don’t know if Mouse Critter is still in the confines of our bedroom, but I wasn’t the only one to give up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She is such a bum! Prefers catching some zzzzzz’s in the sunlight rays over hunting. Let’s just hope Mouse Critter leaves the premises before bedtime or we are in for a night of stalking and pouncing.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Sometimes….

….in the middle of the night, when I get up to go to the bathroom, I look for that black, furry blog next to my side of the bed so I won’t step on her, but she’s not there

….when it’s time to leave the house I catch myself saying, “Doggies, go to the laundry room” or “Goodbye my doggie friends,” but there’s only one dog

….I feel the brush of fur against my leg as I sit at my computer, but it’s just Kitten

….I glance down at the empty water bowl and wonder why a certain doggie didn’t notify me, then I remember why

….as I walk by the bedroom window I see a little black dog running up the driveway and I wonder if I left the gate open, then I realize it’s just the neighbor doggie going back home

….when I arrive back home and there isn’t any barking, I wonder why, then I remember

….I open the hutch door and I see her food bowl still sitting there and I leave it, just because

….when I have to buy doggie snacks I realize I don’t have to get the senior dog biscuits anymore

Sometimes, I miss her more than other times.

Let’s Go Looking for Cranes!

When Cupcake was around 17 months old, we went on a little field trip to find the Sand Hill Cranes. After several trips to different locations, we were finally successful! It was my first time seeing them and it was a royal treat! As we drove to the top of a small hill, you could hear their “bird cry.” We all three quickly exited from the car and after a few short minutes of observing them, all the cranes took off in flight. Flapping their giant wings and calling to the others, “It’s time to fly now.” It was amazing!

Last year, around this time, we sought them out again and oh boy did we find them! There were hundreds of them. Some were already on the ground and others were circling in the air, then swooping in for a landing. Again, it was amazing and Cupcake was delighted.

This year the cranes migrated a bit early. I believe they felt the coming onslaught of our recent winter storms and decided to get the heck out of Dodge (or rather Wisconsin). So we decided to make this crane journey an annual pilgrimage with Cupcake. First we drove to the field where we found them at last year, but they weren’t there. Since we had some time, we drove out to the Hiwassee Refuge. We heard them, but couldn’t see them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We saw several cranes flying and we could see in a distance where they had settled into a small gully. We stayed around for a few minutes, until the cold got the best of us. Cupcake tried her best to see the cranes with her binoculars. I’m not sure if she was successful, but she did see them flying over and heard them calling in the distance. It satisfied her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wind was bitterly cold (not as cold as Chicago is currently experiencing) but still, cold. Cupcake was enjoying herself immensely! She was running around the observation deck, dispensing advice about hunting the cranes and cawing like a crow. Yes, crow cawing, and she is quite good at it. The cold didn’t seem to bother her too much, that’s for sure!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back in the car, we drove on a back road back to civilization. After several miles I saw an unusual looking animal to my left. And then as we crept along the side of the road we saw a group of other critters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a grand and glorious critter day! The cranes will be around for a bit longer, so hopefully we will have another opportunity to cruise into the Hiawassee Refuge by way of boat. That river journey should bring a viewing of a few eagles as well.

And for a parting shot……may I introduce Little Crow Girl!

A Date Night

Although The Captain and I are together every day and evening, it sure is exciting to actually plan a date night. It must be something about the anticipation.

In the early part of the week we decided to dine at a restaurant we haven’t been to before. From a choice of three we decided on the one. Alleia. According to our city’s website Alleia is a sister restaurant of St. John's and The Meeting Place. Chef Daniel Lindley's latest venture is a unique interpretation of rustic Italian cuisine utilizing fresh local ingredients to create handmade pasta dishes, neopolitan style pizza, as well as an array of antipasti, insalate and secondi.

Not only was the ambiance lovely, but the food was yummilicous! We started off with the Antipasto for two. There was an array of cheeses, meats/salami, bread, olives, and arugula. We also enjoyed a wood-fired vegetable salad with marinated mozzarella and balsamic vinegar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Captain’s main course was conchiglie (pasta shells) with lamb sausage, salsa bianca and ricotta salata, while I chose ravioli stuffed with butternut squash. There was a reduced sauce over the ravioli but I don’t remember what it was. It had a bit of a sweet taste. Both dishes were delicious and leftovers were yummy as well.

They sat us at the front windows facing the sidewalk. We found it interesting as folks were walking by trying to find the front door. The restaurant is not marked very well and the front door is a bit hidden (even we didn’t find it). Not only did we enjoy observing folks milling around, we also had a great time taking pictures with the point/shoot camera. The light from the the setting sun was delightful and then as the sky darkened, the candles and gas lights made unique reflections in the windows. We had fun trying to capture reflections with the point/shoot. Not an easy task.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looks like the wires are on fire!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Following dinner we jetted off to the movies to see True Grit. Since we arrived early at the movie we took a walk around the block then stood in the lobby watching the Popcorn Guy. I must say, it was rather amazing.  He was above the concession area and he made popcorn in that huge vat. He seemed to really enjoy his job nestled high above the crowd. After watching this event we indulged in a Diet Coke, small popcorn and some tasty Reese’s Pieces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This wonderful movie is nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including acting honors for Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld. After hearing several reviews, I went into this movie expecting it to be different from the original, but found that it followed the John Wayne version pretty darn close. Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin and Matt Damon were amazing, as usual, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld was outstanding. We both, as well as everyone in the theatre, enjoyed this movie immensely! We will certainly purchase the dvd as soon as it is released. We will also purchase the book True Grit by Charles Portis and the movie soundtrack. Awesome music!

I do think John Wayne would be proud of this remake! Well done Coen brothers! Well done! So go see the movie!