Cats

Hi There!!!  This fancy kitty is Paris!  She just awoke from being spayed, or having her baby-maker removed, as the kiddies call it.

Paris is a very good natured kitty.  I believe she is less than a year old.  I know she looks grumpy in these next couple of pics, but those were taken right after surgery. 

Paris has hobbies that include playing with toys, hunting for insects and eating spiderwebs.

Before she was spayed, she would yowl for a mate often.  It got to be annoying fast, but her vet appointment was a couple days away.  To make it less annoying for us, and give Paris a chance for some fresh air, she spent a couple hours in a pen in the backyard.  (This is an important tidbit for later on in this story.)

All went well with Paris and her surgery.  She even got a tattoo!!! 

It wasn't long before she was back to her old self again, only without the frequent yowling's!  ;-)
Hmmm, which toy smells the most like catnip!

Paris did have a bad habit of sharpening her claws on the furniture!  To remedy this problem, I gave my girl a new manicure of artificial claw caps!

These little nail caps are awesome! 

Paris wasn't thrilled with me messing with her paws, but she suffered through the process like a champ.  They were actually pretty easy to glue on.

The first thing she did was examine them.  I was skeptical that the nails would stay on, but they did!

Paris doesn't seem to mind them at all.  She has kept them on for a couple of weeks now, and they have held up for plenty of groomings.

Paris is a bit of a health nut, as she is often on the treadmill!  Usually she is sleeping on it, but this time she happens to be in pursuit of a fly.  (It's hiding on the white bar of the treadmill!)

The Independent Cat Society (ICS), is a local organization that helps cats.  They currently have more cats than their capacity can handle.  That is why, I decided to help out and become a foster for them.



While I was awaiting a batch of kittens to arrive to foster, the kids found a helpless furball laying in the yard!

He was so skinny and in very bad condition, that I brought him to ICS.  They gave him fluids via IV and helped me put him on the path of recovery.  (ICS has a kitten that looks just like a smaller version of Snowball!) 

This kitty is France!

He is enjoying a bit of outside time!

No longer is he the skinny, sickly cat that he was when the kids first found him.

France is extremely afraid of being dropped and holds on for dear life when he is picked up!

Eventually, he is able to be petted  and soothed into chill mode.

I took France to the vet to get neutered, and he got a tattoo also! 



Here he is just waking up from surgery! 

So, as I mentioned earlier in this post, Paris was yowling outside, and then this guy shows up!  She called him.  Now that he is here, she grumbles and hisses at him!!! 

I don't know what his back story is, but I think he may have been a feral cat due to the severe malnourishment.  In fact, he was so badly malnourished, I thought he was a young cat not fully grown at first.  It turns out that he is over five years old, according to the vet.  Also, I was hoping he was just at the stage of his baby teeth falling out and his permanents coming in; unfortunately the poor guy is missing several of his permanent teeth.

He likes to be cuddles and petted.

Ive recently gotten him to play.  For the longest time he was just to ill to play.

Even now, his endurance is rather short, but he seems to be getting better everyday.

He sleeps a lot.  Show me a cat that doesn't!  Also, he seems to be loosing his fur.  It could be a side effect from the meds, or stress from what he has been through.

When France is not in my arms, he is usually in his second favorite place, a cardboard box!

Both Paris and France could use permanent homes!  If anyone reading this post is interested in adopting them, please get in touch with me!  :-)

Unexplored Territiories

I'm into spring hikes!  I used to call it morel mushroom hunting, but spring hiking is accurate. ;-)

I found me a cute little creek to follow.  It led to this cute little dam.  Of course, I couldn't resist dropping a line in, just to fiddle around. 

Hey--SURPRISE-- there is cute little fish in there!  This baby gill looked like a purple Easter egg, much more so, than the pic represents.

Holy Smokes Bass, too!  Who woulda thought!  Little bitty creek, little bitty fish!

I continued my hike.

The creek became larger, as did the fish I caught! I didn't take any pics of the bigger fish, as they were just your average gills, chubs and rock bass.

I've been exploring like a mad woman lately!  O'Hare Airport even made the list, as I went there to pick up Mom from her return from Arizona!  I didn't fish there.  The night sky had two moons the larger one in the center of the photo, and a smaller moon off to the right!  Who knew O'Hare was like being on another planet!?!
 

I've been exploring "new to me" creeks mostly.  On this day, I was hiking in the rain, going after steelhead.  The little milky covert, was a steelie parking lot!  Three big fish were up in there!!!

The weather is typical for an Indiana Spring.  It varies from day to day.  Some days a girl needs her winter coat, other days, no coat at all.

I am ready for nice Spring weather and FLOWERS!

I planted flower seeds.  I'm not sure what type they are yet.

Paris, my foster kitty, went to the vet to be spayed.  She has never had kittens before.  If there weren't so many kittens needing a home...

Troy invited me to an Art Show at the school.  His Eiffel Tower reminded me of SpongeBob's pineapple!

The school was a real jungle.

A jungle with a cave!

Of course, the jungle has fish! 

Many, many new areas I've yet to explore.  I shall keep Ya'all posted!  :-)

Strawberry Soup

I was intrigued by this recipe, so much so, that I had to try it.  It's one of my favorites now!

Fresh strawberries are mixed with lemon juice, zest, and vanilla for a delicious soup!

Plus, the soup is topped with a light, creamy, sauce that makes it awesome!

The cream sauce is a blend of whipping cream, mascarpone cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar.

The soup is very easy to make, the ingredients go into the blender and it's done!

The cream sauce is about that easy too, only I used a mixer to blend it.

This very unique dessert also includes a crouton topping, made of toasted pound cake!

It's DELICIOUS!!!

I can't wait for the black raspberries to come in season!  I am trying this recipe with them!

It's a light, refreshing dessert, with awesome flavors and textures!  I am sooo glad I tried this one!

Ingredients

• 1 quart fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (from 1/2 small lemon)
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons sweet dessert wine or apple juice
• Butter, for greasing the baking sheet
• 3 slices pound cake, cut in 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled
• 1/4 cup mascarpone, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons powdered sugar

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix together the strawberries, granulated sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon of the vanilla and the salt. Cover and let macerate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or ideally overnight.

Place the strawberry mixture in a blender. Add the wine or apple juice and blend until completely smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

For the croutons, spread the cubed pound cake on the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crispy, flipping the cubes halfway through, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, add the heavy cream, mascarpone, powdered sugar and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Using an electric mixer, whisk on medium speed until soft peaks form. Be careful not to over-beat.

To assemble, divide the soup into 4 teacups or small bowls. Place a dollop of cream on each one and scatter the croutons around the top. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

Tippicanoe Walleye

It was a beautiful March day!  I was ready to FISH!

When am I not ready to fish?  Anyways, it was a good day for a drive.  I decided to head toward the Tippy.

First stop, was the bait shop.  I thought this was an awesome display:

The river was rather high.

I had waders on and it wasn't easy to wade.  Lots of big boulders and logs, not to mention a fairly swift current.  The water was badly stained, so no chance of seeing where you may be stepping.

I wasn't having any luck.  No bites at all, so moving closer to the dam seemed like a good idea.

The rush of water coming out of the dam was neat to watch.

I preferred fishing on the other side of the river.  It was a much longer walk, but much easier to wade.

A fairly large jig, tipped with minnows, was what I was told those walleye liked!

Six folks, including me, were fishing that section and we all got skunked that evening!

It was terrifying and thrilling wading the Tippy at dark!  No fish were caught, no critters were seen, and I had discovered a new hole in my neoprenes (waders)!

I may not have had any bites THIS TIME.  Just wait, an Indiana walleye is on my list! ;-)