After we got in bed, the Ancient Cat came in to hang out with us. Apparently he missed us when we were gone overnight, because he not only came to me for pets and scritches, but repeatedly rubbed his cheek against Sophie's cheek!
I wish I'd had a way to unobtrusively capture the moment, because the look on her face was priceless - her little face went from WTF??? TERROR!!! to I WILL KILL HIM TO MAKE IT STOP! to I GUESS IT DOESN'T ACTUALLY HURT. I WILL TOUGH IT OUT BUT IT'S SCARY!! and finally to resignation - I GUESS IT'S OKAY BUT HE'D BETTER NOT MAKE A HABIT OF IT. Higgins rubbed her and purred for a good five minutes, and I petted both of them and reassured her that the kitty was okay and this wasn't a sneaky cat trick. (I hoped I wasn't lying to her - you never know with cats.)
After successfully freaking the dog out and possibly giving her nightmares, Higgins felt his work was done and he left to assume his usual sleeping spot on the back of the living room couch. It took Sophie another 20 minutes to unclench her muscles from frozen horror and curl up to go to sleep.
I woke bright and early feeling completely recovered, refreshed and energized, and launched on my search for ingredients for recipes I want to make this weekend.
I remember my father saying his family would eat black eyed peas on New Year's Day, which surprised me as his family wasn't from the South. I guess my grandmother picked it up from a friend or neighbor in Jersey City. We didn't keep the tradition when I was growing up (I don't think my mother liked black eyed peas) and I don't think I've ever cooked them in my life. Possibly I've used a can in a recipe, but from scratch, never. I decided to change that this year, and went browsing for a recipe. I thought this looked terrific, so it's on Sunday's menu. I don't have a pressure cooker so I'll be making the slower version.
I was so full of energy today that after the bank and grocery shopping and a tour of Petsmart and Target with Girlmama and Miss D, I went back out in the late afternoon to the Big Home Improvement Store to hit the garden center. I need plants. I don't need a yard, I don't want a garden, but a few herbs in pots and a couple of hard to kill decorative plants indoors, yes.
I remember my feeling of displacement when I visited a garden center in Asheville this time last year in search of houseplants, to find that houseplants were not available at all, let alone the herbs I wanted for my windowsill - I had to start them from seeds, and had a hard time finding those. Today I walked into a garden center just bursting with color - blooming flowers, tomato plants thick with fruit - I realized that a year away, even though I never left the South, made me appreciate just how different life is here. I had no problem finding a healthy little basil, rosemary and cilantro sitting on a rack outdoors in the sun, and found clay pots and potting soil and all I need to start a balcony herb garden. I also found a forgotten sweet potato sprouting in the pantry, so it's now in a glass of water - we'll see if I can grow a decorative sweet potato plant. That's as much nature as I need to interact with personally. Somebody else can fight the snakes and fire ants for me.
Tonight's dinner was a couple of recipes from Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes.
I tried "cauli-pots" (mashed potato and cauliflower combo made with almost no fat, very good) and marinated baked tofu (not bad, but would have been better if I hadn't been too lazy to make one of her suggested gravies.) The author is pretty much a vegan cooking goddess, you can explore her stuff at Post Punk Kitchen. I have the makings for this chocolate pumpkin loaf, but somehow never got around to making it before Christmas, because it was too warm to think of serious baking, I think. It's going to be too warm for that nonsense again this weekend, but next week we are promised actual winter weather - highs only in the low 60s! Okay, stop laughing. Anyway, if the promised cooler weather does arrive, I will have to take a shot at that recipe. Isn't there a New Year's superstition about spending the day doing things that reflect how you want your year to be? Mine will involve exploring new ways of doing the same old things.
There's a million superstitions about New Year's Day, so take your pick. But don't pick that one. Leave that little horror right down in the corner of the box, m'friend.
ReplyDeleteBlack eyed peas. I can't stand the smell or taste of them and it's probably the ONLY vegetable I do not like. We do the mid west Pennsylvania Dutch thing of Cabbage and Pork. It's for luck in the New Year. And, just at midnight, or the next morning, remember the first taste of the new year should be sweet. That's Swedish for luck, too. Gad, I wrote you a book and so I'll use an alias. Loved your post. Charming about the cat and the poor wee doggie. Cats are so darn sneaky. Hugs and Peace are wished you as well as lots of love!
L
Eh, it's a cheap horror, and if I don't like them I won't have invested a lot of time or money in the experiment. ;-)
ReplyDeleteHow funny about Higgins. Poor Sophie.
ReplyDeleteCannot stand to be in the same room with black-eyed peas- goes back to one of those horror stories of my mother trying to force me to eat them when I was about 5. I was still sitting at the table at 10 PM when she finally relented. We never argued about food again- I was free to starve. (yeah, like that's been a problem). I can tolerate most other kinds, including field peas, but not black-eyed peas. YUCK.
Kimmen
Being from the "belt" of the south, black-eyed peas are a staple. Best with hot cornbread and some chow-chow! Just wanted to tell you I've been following your blog for a few months now and love your sense of humor. Keep it up! Hope your new year is better than you even imagine!
ReplyDelete