Sunday, December 27, 2009

Sunday Salon 12.27.09



This time last week I was watching snow flurries drift through the air and amass on the ground. It snowed for almost two days leaving Brooklyn covered with 12 - 15 inches of snow. Nothing compared to some parts of VA with 33 inches of snow! I can't even imagine that much snow....it's almost taller then me! I bet the snow drifts were! LOL I love snow especially when it first falls, it's clean, pure, it looks beautiful and it's always quiet and peaceful outside right after a big snowfall. Beautiful. Three days later is another story completely, especially on the side of the road were cars have been trying to park. The snow turns gray and dirty - blech! Was I ever surprised (and happy!) when I woke up this morning and the mounds of dirty snow lining the road outside were completely gone as was all of the snow covering the yard and sidewalk. It also felt like spring outside! This weather is so wacky! The cats were nuts this morning! Most of them weren't fans of the snow. They sat on the windowsills looking outside at it, wondering how to get around without touching it! When they discovered there was no way to avoid it, most of the cats stayed indoors. I've had a pretty full house for the last week. This morning it was like they broke free, there wasn't one cat inside! They were outside playing, running around, having a ball!. So cute!

I have been busy the last couple of weeks and very lazy about my blog! I guess I needed a break too. But I got a lot of reading done, some good books, some, unfortunately, not so good. I will be posting reviews...ummm...once I write them. lol I did say I've been lazy! I baked a lot of cookies thanks to some wonderful recipes from Kathy (Bermudaonion) that came with my Christmas Cookie Giveaway win! My husband's favorite so far has been the 7-Layer Bars. What's not to love of a cookie that combines graham cracker, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and coconut?!

I have some new cat pictures to post on the sidebar of my blog and I'll do that this week. Bob has become a full-fledged member of the family and spends more time inside than out. He's getting along very well with the other cats and they are teaching him how to play properly. At first, since he's so big, I think it looks to the other cats like Bob is attacking them when he tries to play. But he backs off quickly and shows no menace so they are learning how to play with him. It's very cute to watch! Sadie still gets mad at Bob frequently and hisses at him to keep him in place. Bob just looks at her and cocks his head to the side as if to say "Who are you & what is the matter with you"?!Sadie is so much smaller than Bob she just can't upset him! Betsy and Magoo have become the best of friends and play constantly. Magoo cleans Betsy frequently, too. At first she didn't like it or thought he was playing but now she settles down and lets him clean her.

We have another cat who has been staying with us during the bad weather. He was coming by once or twice a day to be fed. He used to have a home but no longer does, we‘re not sure what happened to his home. He never showed an interest in coming inside until it got very cold out and snowed and then he walked right in like it was his right...such a cat!. We call him Burke. He's a very chubby boy, black with white markings. He's very, very cute but not very friendly. He’s afraid of my crutch which I feel badly about but I know he’ll get used to it as all the other cats have. Hopefully one day he’ll rub his chubby cheeks on it like Bob, Betsy, Magoo and Sadie do! Burke is timid, shy and nervous and keeps to himself. But we're happy to give him a place to stay warm & dry. I'm sure after Burke gets used to us a little more he'll become friendlier. I worry about the stray, homeless cats when it gets very cold and especially when it snows.

I hope you all had Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas! It's strange to think that in a few days it will be 2010! I don't care for making a big deal out of New Year's Eve. I used to go to big parties but now I prefer a quiet night at home with my husband and the kitties or dinner with friends. Something like that! What are you all up to for New Year's Eve?

I should work on some reviews or my reading challenge lists which I have to finish in a day or two! No more laziness allowed!
Happy Sunday!

16 comments:

  1. I'm thankful that we don't get much snow. Our dog does not like it when we do get some, though, so I can totally relate to you and your cats with the snow.

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  2. Lazy is permitted! I've had a wonderful time at my parents' house. We had snow when we first arrived, but it quickly turned to sleet. We started to get fluffy snow on Christmas night, and now we have a pretty substantial accumulation. We had lots of sledding today. I love your cat stories. My parents cats are all outside cats, but a couple of the domesticated ones have been coming in a snuggling with us!

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  3. Nice to hear from you, Amy! It sounds like you have your hands full with the cats! It is nice to know that Bob is settling in nicely and I think it is so funny that Betsy is letting Magoo clean her! It is nice to have to man take over the cleaning sometimes.

    Welcome to Burke, if I know anything about your house, he will be at home in no time.

    We always have a quiet night at home for New Years. I make cheese and chocolate fondue for the kids and they stay around until they head out with their friends. If there is anyone left, we usually play a game like "Scene It".

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  4. Our New Year's tradition is to watch a whole night full of videos. We've done Twilight Zone and Star Wars and Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones. I'm guessing this year will be Star Wars Next Generation season one as we received many of these DVDs for Christmas.

    Happy holidays!

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  5. It is hard to believe it is almost 2010 ... and this weather is NUTS!!! I never know what it is going to be like in the morning!

    Happy New Year!

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  6. It's been quite chilly where I live at night, but fortunately (for me) no snow. I keep hoping it'll rain again, but no such luck.

    I'm so glad to hear that Boo is getting along well with the other cats. I am happy too that Burke has come in from the cold. I hate to think of the animals out there in the freezing weather. :-(

    I hope you have a great week, Amy!

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  7. Sounds like you had a great week...good that you had time to read! I look forward to your reviews!

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  8. We live on the West Coast but we celebrate New Years on East Coast time so at 9pm we yell "Happy New Year!" and then hit the sack.

    This year we are taking a short trip to Palm Desert but we'll still be in bed well before midnight.

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  9. I hope you and your husband..and the many kitties had a nice Christmas. And a quiet New Years.

    I, this year, will be working. From 6 pm to 6 am...alone. So it will be quiet.

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  10. I'm so jealous that your snow melted so quickly! We've gotten over 27" in not quite 2 weeks and it's only going to get colder so we'll have snow for a long time. We have drifts that may not melt for a month even if the temp goes above freezing.

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  11. Bermudaonion: I'm happy for you & your dog that you didn't get much snow! It's very pretty around the holidays with the outdoor decorations but it's difficult to get around in especially for animals. I hope you had Happy Holidays!

    Sandy: It sounds like you're having some great winter weather at your parents. Nice for you since you'll return to mild weather! I am sure you had a wonderful Christmas and are having a great time visiting mom & dad! Enjoy! Happy New Year!

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  12. Kathy: Hi! Happy Holidays! It sounds to me like you've found a perfect way to spend New Year's Eve! Cheese & Chocolate Fondue, Yummy! And I love to play games! I haven't heard of Scene It so I'm going to look it up. I am a fan of many of the old favorites: Scrabble, Life, Monopoly, Clue but I like most games!

    The cats are a constant joy even when cabin fever sets in! I forgot to mention that we think Burke might be Betsy's Daddy although in cat world that doesn't make them close!
    Burke, we have discovered, just loves cat nip, especially if there's a box available for him to sit in and roll around while he gets high! Cats can be soooo entertaining.

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  13. Readerbuzz: That is a great way to spend New Year's! My husband and I love The Twilight Zone, the original episodes and we are also fans of Star Wars. We like to rent several movies on New Year's Day and watch them, especially if the weather is conducive to indoor activities! Thank you for visiting my blog! Happy Holidays!

    Jenners: Hello! Yep, this weather is crazy! It's freezing today after being spring-like yesterday! I hope you enjoyed your holidays!

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  14. Literary Feline: Hi! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! I'll keep my fingers crossed that you get some rain...I saw that CA is having severe water shortage problems. Schwarzenegger was on "60 Minutes" Sunday Night.

    I hope your kitties are doing well! Like you, I worry about the animals who don't have permanent homes, especially when the weather is bad. Once the snow cleared up, Burke chose to wander outside but he's been coming back at night and staying for a few hours. I'm happy he knows he has a home if he wants to stay.

    Kathleen: Thank you! It was a really nice week and continues to be. I am determined to finish up some of my reviews this week! I told my husband to start nagging me about them. He's not so good at nagging but he's trying! I hope you're having a good week!

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  15. Ti: How smart of you to celebrate New Year's Eve on East Coast time! You get to bed much earlier but still celebrate! I'd like to do that because the last few years I have fallen asleep waiting for the ball to drop & woken up around 2 in the morning! I have to watch re-runs of the Times Square celebration on New Year's Day! lol
    Enjoy Palm Desert and have a wonderful New Years!

    Lisa: Holy cow! That is a huge amount of snow! How do you get around - are you able to go out?! I'm going to pray for warm weather for you & no more snow!
    I hope you had a great Christmas! I am working on my Gilmore Girls challenge and will post it in the next day or two!

    Caite: The kitties had a wonderful Christmas - lots of food, cat nip & toys and so did my husband and I. I hope your Christmas was very merry & fun. Bandit's too. I'm sorry you have to work long hours on New Year's and alone. Although it sounds kind of nice to me, too!

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  16. I just can't believe that it's already going to be 2010. The time just seems to fly by so fast.

    I know what you mean by the snow. When it first snows it's so beautiful but then a day or so later when they grate the roads and put a ton of sand down because with it being cold here the roads are pretty icy, it just turns ugly brown and I don't like it at all.

    New Years is going to be quiet here; just a night in with my knitting, a book and my dog.

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