Cat in the Box Part I

Prior to moving to our loverly new home, I was worried about my Puss.  She had accompanied us on two prior moves.  The first one, when I moved from the "Towson ghetto" -- which I thought was just fine and I wasn't actually aware of this reputation until after said move -- my Puss was just a year or so old.  On moving day, she was holed up in the bathroom with a litter box and some food, and she sat happily in the window sill.  She acted a bit wacky when we crated her up and took her to her new home, but later that night, she emerged from under the bed and seemed not to notice that she was relocated.

Move number two, the Puss was older (and wiser?), and she was FREAKED OUT by her new home.  She slinked about for nearly a month, sniffing around in a confused manner.  She seemed to recognize that the things around her were her things, but the dwelling was all wrong.

I attributed this to her age, which was about five.  I am more set in my ways at my ripe old age of 32, so I can relate. I figured she would be even more freaked by the house.

Turned out, I need'nt have worried.  Puss was more at home in the house than we were.

But now, it is summer, and the Beast wants O-U-T!  (We have to spell it, but I think she is catching on to that - I'd say she's a genius, but she was just in here a moment ago chasing her own tail for a spell and is likely puking somewhere now.  I don't think many geniuses do that.)  I figured all I would need to do is train her regarding the boundaries of the yard.  Stop laughing.  Seriously!!  She is (mostly) aware that she cannot jump on counters or dining tables, and I thought we could use similar tactics (squirt bottle) to teach her where she cannot roam.

OK, are you done laughing?

I'm waiting....

Well, HA!  I did teach her the boundaries of the yard through consistent reinforcement of the lines.  She is absolutely aware of where her yard ends, and the world begins.

What I hadn't counted on was that she just doesn't care.  She wanted out SO BADLY, that it seemed cruel not to allow her to go.  Who am I to deny a fellow mammal the joy of grass between her toes and blue skies above her head?  But, she was consistently vacating the premises.  I watched her pretty diligently, but invariably, I would turn my eyes away because watching a cat sniff for more than ten minutes can get surprisingly dull.  The instant I let my guard down, she zipped away.

Frankly, it was starting to get embarrassing.  I would be seen by many a neighbor, looking for the damn CAT!  One would likely be wondering why I kept letting her out.  But one would not know how she begged and wanted to be out so badly.

So, I bought a cat harness.

Oh yes, they sell these at Pet Smart.  For cats.  They also sell ties specifically for cats.  I did not buy one because it was only 10 feet long.  I got the 40 footer.  (Which, it turns out, gives Miss Puss the ability to walk nearly the width of the whole yard.  My property is very long, but not so wide.)  It also turns out, Miss Puss does not care for the harness.  Totally expected.  But I did not realize she'd be able to get out of it.  Apparently, cats do not have shoulder blades, and this allows them to dislocate their shoulders at will and without pain.  Also, their necks are thicker than their heads.  It is as though cats were designed to get out of harnesses.  Luckily, I can use the 40ft tie as a clothesline....

Veggie of the Day: Yukina Savoy

Today's veggie is the spinach-like leafy green, yukina savoy.  I wasn't able to find many (any) recipes for this wacky veggie, but lots of farms are growing them for CSA's, leaving many a blogger to pontificate on what the heck to do with it.  I just substituted it for spinach in a recipe for Lebanese Beef and Rice, and it turned out great! 

Check it out on my recipe page at http://www.nicolebaer.net/.  Click recipes, then Yukina Savoy.  I might figure out how to direct link...but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.

I am happy to report that this recipe did receive two thumbs up.  It has a great flavor, and the yukina savoy is subtly mixed in with a lot of meat so my live-in carnivore was not too resistant.  My only complaint is that it turns out a little dry since there is no real sauce for the meat.

A Birth Story

Yesterday was the anniversary of my entrance into the world.  (This is me about a year and 6 months after the event - with my great grandmother who passed away in 1988.)

Rather than read about my birthday, you have to read this.  It is the most real story of giving birth I have ever read.  It's funny, it's scary, it's a bit gross, and in the end, it's beautiful.

Veggie of the Day: Bok Choy

Today's recipe is Cashew Choy Chicken. (Picture by others).

Check it out on my recipe page at http://www.nicolebaer.net/.  Click recipes, then Bok Choy.  I might figure out how to direct link...but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.

This recipe got one thumb up from me, and a thumb down from Adam.  This is to be expected for most recipes involving green leafy things, so don't let it deter you.  I thought it was delish!

CSA, Week 1: Is There an Ap For That?

I thought joining the CSA was a well researched, completely thought out plan.  As usual, it turns out I had no clue what I was doing, so I am sure amusing blog-worthy stories will result.

I nearly forgot to pick up my veggies on Friday.  Amidst the stinky chaos of a crying pussy cat and the contents of her digestive system, I was driving home when I realized I had totally spaced on the CSA.  I cursed a little bit, for some reason thinking that pick up hours ended at 2pm instead of just starting at that time.

But, as luck would have it, I was able to swing by the farm on my way home.  With kitty in car, I rushed to gather 16 types of vegetables.  Sixteen?  Yes, sixteen.  I am not entirely sure we even eat sixteen meals in a week, so this was my first inkling that I may be in over my head.

I rushed back to the car with mostly leafy things, and found kitty to be perfectly at ease.

I planned to do some internet research on the wierdo things I got, but the monsoon of Friday night caused a power outage.

****
Completely unrelated sidebar:  Someone at work has a Droid.  You know, those google phones that compete with the iphone?  Adam wants one because he can program his own aps for this totally open-source platform.  How do I know someone at work has a Droid?  Because the sound you hear on the commercial, "Droid" is the default sound byte for the email alert.  And this guy at work gets an email every. five. minutes.  Thank goodness he is sort of new and he doesn't get emails every forty five seconds like I do.  I am hearing "Droid" in my head now, randomly.  It is like a bad song that won't go away.  Several people have asked him to change the setting, but he can't figure it out.  He said it goes off at 2am when spam mail trickles in, and it wakes up his dogs.  But he finally got it synced with his stereo system so he can voice dial... Me?  I would have made the "Droid" thing a higher priority.

But I digress (more).  Adam has been thinking up some very cool ideas for Droid aps.  I won't give them away here.  But trust me - he is a super genius.  And on Sunday, I thought of an ap, too:

I need to search the internet by picture.  Not like now, when you google in a known item and you get a list of images.  I mean you have a picture of an unknown thing, say, a green leafy vegetable from a CSA, and you search for the thing.  Wouldn't that be great??

So, if there's an ap for that, please let me know.  In the meantime, I researched "green leafy Asian vegetables" for several hours before figuring out what I had.  And then I researched how to use them. 

The results of my internet time were beneficial, and I have started posting recipe pages specific to these weirdo veggies for other CSA members.  These will just be links on the ole' blog - one thing I found is that if you're looking for useful info on how to cook misome, you ain't interested in the story of how I thought I had misome but actually had yukina savoy so sorry no help here.

The veggies I have:  romaine lettuce (trust me, it gets weirder), tat soi (see?), kholrabi, bok choy, green and red mustard greens, mizuna, yukina savoy, radishes, baby turnips, basil, parsely, dill, broccoli, and kale.

Looking forward to next week!

***If you are interested in joining my CSA, there are still spots available!  This is a great way to support local people, teach yourself and your kids about how veggies grow, and try new things.  Just Click Here to learn more.***

CSA, Intro

Welcome to my newest endeavor, CSA.  That's "Community Sustained Agriculture" to you newbies out there.  Perhaps y'all have known about and enjoyed a CSA for years.  Perhaps like me, you've been reading books and watching movies about the food industry in this country, and fallen victim to the hype of "the damn lib'ral hippies".  True, this is a liberal, hippie idea - and a good one. 

Basically, you pay a farmer in the beginning of the year for a share of his or her crops.  This gives the farmer some cash up front which can be used to purchase seeds, pay employees, buy equipment, etc - all the normal start up costs of a business.  Many CSA programs offer payment plans, and will allow you to work on the farm in exchange for veggies, which leaves lots of options for people without the income to pay up front.

I know, I know - I said that I wanted a yard so I could have a garden and this is still true. 

**Warning - round of excuses beginning.** 

I bought a gardening book which said I should start a garden in the fall.  I do not know the area I moved to and thusly do not know what is best method for hiring someone or borrowing or renting a tiller.  I was not certain how to start a garden from yard.  I did not have the proper tools.  and:  I did not know how much / what to plant.

**OK, I think I am done.**

So, I decided joining a CSA would help me learn what to plant and how much, and allow me to start a small garden on my own time this summer instead of Mother Nature's.  Because in January, February, and most of March, I was busy with house buying/moving/painting/decorating. 

I found my CSA through a really useful site called Marylands Best.  At first, I was looking for the Farmers Markets near my new house, so I sort of stumbled across this idea.  I tried valiantly to be a regular marketer last summer, but many Farmers Markets are held during weekday mornings.  Out of 20 markets near my old apartment, I had a list of three that were conveniently (enough) located and at a reasonable time which did not require time off from work or waking at ungodly single digit hours on a weekend.  Farmers Markets tend to operate using this crazy old fashioned currency made of paper and metal.  I hear tell the stuff can be gotten from machines, but I rarely remembered to visit one of these before the market, and this was another deterrent.

As I read about CSA's on a whim, I realized I need not alter my lifestyle for the sake of produce.  I paid in one lump sum, thus erasing the need for that paper stuff, and the pickups are once a week after work.  As a two person household, practically 1-1/4 since Adam refuses nearly all vegetables, I was looking for a reasonable share size that was reasonably priced and reasonably close to home.  I found all three!  Yippee!

A Little

Never ask if something can get any worse.  It can.

After writing my blog yesterday, I went out to the car to clean up the damage.  (Yeah, that's where my priorities lie.)

I was acting quickly, because the sky was ominous, and the thunder was nearing.  Just when I thought I had beat the storm, it rolled in to tell me otherwise:

This picture isn't great, so allow me to point out a few snippets.  First, I am soaked after the walk from my car to my carport, which is approximately two steps.  Second, the white lines behind me are not camera errors.  That would be rain, and lots of it.  Just behind me, in the grass, are three of the four car mats.  I figured I would let nature do the work.