Playing Throw

Many of you will scratch your head when you read the title of this blog entry.  What in the heck is “playing throw”?  Well, simply put, my friend, it is the opposite of playing fetch.  It, playing throw, is a game invented by my cat MoJoe.  He is very good at it.  Although MoJoe is a pro at playing throw, he does need a willing or not so willing human to be a part of the game.  He has tried it solo and it is definitely not as fun as when you include your resident human.

I have mentioned before that MoJoe likes the little tabs that you pull off the top of the milk jugs in order to be able to open the jub.  At any given time you can find two or three or sometimes four of these little purple tabs littering the floor of my apartment.  I know when he has lost them all because he will sit forlornly looking under the closet doors or the doors to the laundry area until I break down and retrieve them for him. 

MoJoe likes these tabs so much that he tries to share them with me.  I find them on my couch, in my glass of water, in my bed, and any number of other places.  I also find them in the water dish and the food bowl.  I used to find them in the now sadly departed fruit bowl that was on the kitchen counter.  MoJoe will drop these things in my lap while I am reading or watching TV. 

So, how do you play throw?  Well, you bring these little purple tabs to your human.  You get your human’s attention.  Then you wait for them to throw the thing so you can run and get it and bring it back to be thrown again.  I call it throw because he initiates the game.  If I initiated the game, it would be fetch.  But, MoJoe have very deftly taught me how to play throw.

MoJoe’s favorite time to play throw is in the middle of the night.  He will bring the tab up on the bed and poke me until I wake up.  Then he will drop the tab on my face for me to pick up and throw.  Being that I am barely awake and very perturbed, I will repeat this actions several times before I realize that as long as I am willing to throw the thing, he is willing to bring it back again.  The game absolutely will not end until either I quit throwing or McGyver gets into the game and takes the tab.

Once I get the idea that this is a never ending pleasure for MoJoe, I realize that to end the game, I have to abscond with the favored and prized article of the little purple tab.  I will fake a throw and put the dreaded thing under my pillow to remain until I get up in the morning.  Most of the time, it works.  However, sometimes he will not believe that I have thrown said tab and will bug me until I do.  Other times, he simply finds another tab and brings that into play.

I vow each night to collect them before I go to bed.  But alas, I am always very sleepy when I head towards my soft comfy covers and my vow to rid my floor of the throw tabs goes with Winkin, Blinkin and Nod….

Pilling the cats.

Since I have been snow bound for two days, I have been thinking up fun and exciting things to do.  So, yesterday, I decided it was time to worm the kitties.  No fun for them and loads of fun for me…. Yeah Right.  And, no, it was not punishment for the night before when they woke me a 2:30 AM by breaking one of my favorite glass pieces, a fruitbowl that my sister had given me.  It was something that needed to be done and since I was here and they were here.  Well, the opportunity presented itself.

Pilling a cat is similar to trying to stick you hand into a garbage disposal.  As long as it’s off, it’s safe….but if it is running….Well, you get the idea.  It is also an art.  One that you have to learn if you have animals.  Large or small, there will come a time when you have to administer some type of medicine that will require stealth, strength, and nerves of steel.  Doesn’t hurt if you have some of those gloves they handle raptors with.  But, then, it’s hard to get the pill in the cats mouth.

Those of you who have read any of my blogs, might be interested in going back a reading the one about Harry and Agnes going to the vet.  In that one, my unsuspecting then husband grabbed Harry and got a huge surprise.  See you have to know just were to grab them to remain relatively unscathed in your attempt to catch or administer drugs to a cat.

This is where cats and dogs differ.  Most dogs will go with you anywhere.  They will be docile enough for you to get a pill down there throat.  Heck, most of the time, you just hide it in their food and they never know the difference.  Not so with cats.  They watch your every move.  They may seem tamed and docile and loving.  But, try to catch them for a trip to the vet or to give them medicine and you see just how feral they really are.  If not ready for the attack from your furry friend, you can end up with wounds that may require medical attention of their own.  They simply don’t like to be messed with.

So, back to the story.  Yesterday afternoon, while they were all nice and sleepy, I crept up on my prey.  I already had the pill in one hand while I was stroking the kitty with the other.  McGyver was first.  He rolled over and looked at me sleepily.  I stroked his fur and he stretched.  I rubbed his head, taking the whole thing in my hand so that I could give his ears a good rub.  (They both like to have their ears rubbed…Go figure).  While his mouth was open, I took the opportunity to force my fingers between the very sharp and very huge teeth.  McGyver immediately was on the alert.  He bucked and brought all four feet with claws extended up to my hand.  Quickly, I opened the mouth the rest of the way, forced the pill to the back of his throat, let him go, and hoped for the best.  He stopped, made and ugly face and shook his head.  No pill came back out….VICTORY!  He gave me a dirty look and moved away from me.

MoJoe was next.  Now, mind you, he had been watching the whole process with McGyver.  MoJoe is a little slow on the uptake.  That is why I did him last.  Doesn’t make him an easy mark….actually makes him more unpredictable in how he handles a situation. 

I preceeded in the same mannor.  Rubbing the tummy.  Scratching his chin.  Rubbing his head.  And, then I went in for the kill.  I got his mouth open and put the pill in as far as I could reach in his mouth.  He bucked, jumped up and made a face…and plop out came the pill.  So at that point it was Cats 1/Owner 1.

Anyone who has cats also knows that you very seldom get another chance at giving a cat a pill if you fail on the first attempt.  But, luck was with me and I grabbed MoJoe quickly before the “flee” reflex set in.  I once again got him in a hold and shoved the pill in his mouth.  He once again, bucked, coughed, shook his head and out came the pill.  Now its Cats 2/Owner 1.

MoJoe jumped off the bed and headed for the other room.  He realized his error as soon as it happened and tried to break back for the bedroom and the security of getting under the middle of the bed.  I was quick enough to catch him.  This time, I put him on the couch.  I got on top of him and clamped him between my knees with his head sticking out.  If there were cats at the rodeo I guess this would be one of the events similar to calf roping when you jump off your horse and wrestle the calf to the gound and tie three of their legs. 

Anyway, I pulled MoJoe’s head back.  Remeber, I have him so that his legs are useless at this point.  But, his teeth are right there as tools of death and torture.  Luck was once again with me.  I got his mouth prised open, dropped the pill in and obtained success.  This time when he shook his head, no pill came out.  VICTORY!  Cats2/Owner2.

For most of the rest of the afternoon, both cats avoided me like the plague.  But, around sunset, we made amends with each other.  The olive branch was offered and all was harmonious.  That is until two weeks from now when we have to go through the ordeal again.

Me, I remain unscathed for the time being.  No scratches or bites that require medical attention.  And the cats are no worse for the wear.

Crash, Bang, Smash!!!

It has been a while since I had a middle of the night story to tell.  Those of you who have read me before may remember that I had a few adventures with Ranger Dog while he was down with his injured leg.  He had a halo for about six weeks.  And, we were suppose to make sure that he didn’t over exert himself and that he did not get his halo caught on anything.  So, I ended up chasing him through the woods one night after he got away from me.  All I could see was the halo bobbing up and down.  I was only in a nightshirt and barefoot and was running over rocks etc…out at night in the dark with who know what crawling around on the ground.  Very funny….

Well, last night, I had another wonderful experience I need to share with you all.

I was sleeping soundly in my bed.  I don’t remember dreams of sugar plums but I was definitely getting some good REM’s in.  When all of a sudden, there arose such a clatter….(Wait, isn’t that suppose to be out in the snow and about Christmas?  Guess again.) I hear CRASH, BANG and SMASH!  I bounded out of bed thinking…well I don’t know what I was thinking but you get the idea.  I just knew that something BAD had happened and it somehow involved me.

I stood there for a second or two trying to orient myself.  I also did some listening to determine if the “incident” was inside or outside.  I was able to discern that the incident was definitely inside my apartment and that it had definitely involved the breaking of glass.  My next thought was that one of the cats was involved in this in some way. 

I came bounding out of the bedroom to see if I could figure out what specifically had happened.  My first thought was….”Wait! I am in stocking feet….If there is something broken, I don’t want to get a cut and maybe have to have stitches.”  Those thoughts led to hopping the cats were not injured in any way.  And, then my thoughts went to just how would I get either of us to a doctor or a vet if the need arose.

I cautiously stepped into the den/kitchen area.  I could tell that none of the windows had been broken.  That was a definite “whew” moment.  But, I knew that something had been broken and I had to see what and figure out what to do.  I could also see four sets of eyes staring at me (I had yet to turn on the lights.)  Neither of them were owning up to anything.  I guess they felt there was safety in numbers.

I need to digress here for a second.  At night, in my apartment, especially after all the lights are off and I am tucked in, I feel like I live in the monkey house at the Bronx Zoo.  I have never been there but there can’t be more acrobatics preformed there as there is by the two furry things I live with.  They jump.  They bounce on and off the bed.  They run through the house.  I am very lucky that none of my neighbors have complained about me keeping monkeys in the apartment.  Even though there are just two kitties, they sure do make a lot of commotion.  I am getting used to all the boistrousness.  It will last for a little while and then they settle down for the night.  They usually sleep on the bed with me.

Now…back to the current story….Remember Crash, Bank, Smash….The two faces of kitties staring at me.  Well, I go back in to the bed room and get my slippers, so I won’t cut my feet.  I also made a trip to get my glasses so I could see what was broken.  I come out and turn on the light.   By this time, I am surprised that my neighbors have not started banging on the floor, ceiling, or the walls, demanding silence.  Or in fact, that someone had not come to the door to check on me.

What I saw when the lights came on….My beautiful glass fruit bowl was in pieces all over the kitchen floor.  The time….2:30 AM.  I am sure that this noise must have awakened the dead! 

The fruit, that had been in the bowl was strewn all over the floor.  Huge pieces of glass and also shards were everywhere.  (Good thing I had the forethought to put on my slippers.)  I reprimended the cats and began trying to pick up the pieces.  The whole time I am doing this, the kitties have given me distance.  However, soon, curiosity takes over and McGyver wants to see what’s happening.  By this time, I have collected most of the big pieces and am beginning to sweep up the shards.  The whole time, I am muttering under my breath and saying the occasional “Bad Cat!” out loud.  So, when McGyver gets too close for comfort….I swat him once with the broom.  After that, they both retreated to the bed room. 

It took me about 30 minutes to clean everything up.  I contemplated getting out the vacuum but decided against it.  I did not want the neighbors sleep to be disturbed and further.  I turned out the lights and headed for bed.  There I lay until my heart stopped racing and I eventually fell asleep. 

To add insult to injury….The boys wanted me to get up this morning, like they do every morning.  I guess for them, they had forgotten about the late night incident and wanted to begin their day like any other.  After trying to ignore them, I finally got up.  The world is a blanket of white outside.  Since it is still fairly early, I will wait until later to turn on the vacuum and try and pick up any stray pieces of glass that I may have missed.

I have yet to figure out who actually caused the demise of my beautiful fruitbowl.  It was a gift from my sister two Christmases ago.  I don’t have a replacement….will have to find one.  Maybe something unbreakable.

The boys…well they are chasing each other right now.  The monkey house fun is about to begin again.

The ears have it….

Just a  follow-up about the ears…I woke up this morning for the first time in almost a month without any pain in my ears.  I said a quick and thankful prayer up to God for that relief.  The Sudafed aparently is doing the job.

Right now, I am getting a little achy in the right ear.  So, more medicine to be taken.  I guess the 12 hour Suadfed has worn off.  Instead of taking 4 Advil at 800 milagrams, I am trying to cut it in half. 

I am hoping the pain will go away again.  Just waiting for it to happen.

I found out that my Dental Hygienist has the same issue with her ears.  We chatted about it today while I had my teeth cleaned.  So, I am not the only one out there that gets clogged eustacion tubes.

Meanwhile, the boys are rolling and tumbling all over like little tornados.  They plan sneak attacks on each other.  The ears go back and they do this dance similar to the Tarentella…One advances while the other retreats.  Every move is syncronized.  It is really neat to watch.  Then the hissing starts and the fur flies.  Literally!!!

I worry that one may feel that the other gets more attention.  I have never had two pets at the same time before.  So, I try to be a good owner and give attention to both of them.  One is always around me.  They some times act more like faithful dogs than cats.  The only thing they don’t do is bark when someone comes to the door.  The disappear instead.

In March, I will have had them for one year.  They have grown so much in that time.  It is hard for me to remember how small they were when they came to live with me.  They were about 7 months old at the time.  Now, they are bigger than my mother’s dog.  They have huge feet!

I know that my life was brightened when they came to live with me!  And, I think if cats could talk, they would say they like it here.  I am glad I adopted them.

Where does it hurt?

Actually, I need to start with the difference between “hurting” and “aching”.  When something hurts, the pain in not constant.  If you hit your shin on the corner of the drawer, it hurts.  If you have a sore throat, it hurts when you swallow.  Even though people say their head “hurts” it usually is an ache.  Because the pain is constant.  A back ache throbs…it hurts regardless of wheter you move or not.  A tooth aches…  You get the idea.

Well, for about a month now, I have been dealing with ear aches.  I have not had an actual ear ache since I was a child.  When I was small, I had my share of ear aches.  My mom would use something called “sweet oil”  that was in a blue bottle with a dropper to make my aches feel berrter.   She would heat it by holding it on the burner of the stove until it was good and warm, then she would drop a few drops in my ear and plug it with a cotton ball.  That warm liquid would soothe the ache and make it feel better.  I thought it was magic in a bottle.

I cannot actually remember what those ear aches felt like.  But, I can remember they felt pretty bad.  After I got older, I stopped having the ear aches.  I “grew out of them” as some people like to say.  Don’t know why….But, I didn’t have the for ages.

I have been trying to figure out the source of these aches for the past few weeks.  I have done some research.  No, I am not trying to self diagnos, simply trying to understand what might or might not be the source.  I know that tooth aches can cause ear aches.  The converse is also true…ear aches can cause tooth aches.  I kind of figured it wasn’t the teeth when both ears started aching.  That would be strange but not impossible.  And there is also something called TMJ that can be very painful.  It can be brought on by stress.  Those of you who know me know how stress free my life has been….YEAH RIGHT….  So, I was trying to educate myself on what might be going on so I could be better informed when I went to the Doctor.  Yes, we Southerners “go to the doctor”.  We don’t have appointments….we “got to the doctor”.

I paid a visit to my regular Doctor, Dr. Miller, for a blood pressure check last week.  While there, I told him about the ear aches and asked him to check out my ears.  He first questioned whether it was a true ache or did my ears hurt.  I told him it was definitely an ache.  He looked in them and said that he could not see any infection but that something, perhaps pressure, was pulling on the ear drum.  He asked if I could take Sudafed and I said yes.  So, he suggested a round of Sudafed to see if that would knock out the aches.

I still have the ear aches after a week of Sudafed.  I need all of you to understand that I have a fairly high tollerance for pain.  I am not a cry baby nor do I complain with every hurt or pain that I get.  But, these ear aches are getting to me big time.  I now understand why little ones cry so much when they have ear infections that cause their little ears to ache.  If I weren’t trying to “act like and adult”, I would be crying too! 

I am eating Advil like candy.  I am taking 800 milagrams at a time.  That dulls the ache…but it is still there.  The left ear seems to be better as it does not constantly ache.  So, maybe the Sudafed is working.  But, it needs to work faster!!!!

I am going to the Dentist on Monday for my 6 months cleaning.  He can check to see if there is anything going on with the teeth that would cause the ear aches.  I kind of doubt there is.  But, we will see.

Then what is left is to go to and ENT.  Dr. Miller knows a good one.  In the meantime, I am “suffering” (literally) through this.   Anyone out there that can offer some suggestions, let me know.

Being Led, Controlled or Directed….Which one are you?

Our minister, Mike Moses, has been speaking this month on walking in the Spirit.  Today, he touched on something I had not really thought about in the way it was presented by him.  Today, I found myself nodding along with his sermon.

I love the church I attend.  It is a wonderful place of love, comfort, thought, excitement, solace, and urging.  I guess there are so many other words that could be used to describe this place as there are people who attend.  Suffice to say this place is a piece of home for me.

We are growing by leaps and bounds.  Right now, we have three services on Sunday.  There is a lot of outreach to others and things for kids to do from the cradle to graduation and afterwards!  I cannot say enough about this place and how connected you can get if you just jump in and start swimming.

Well, today was on the above topic.  Although Mike did not used the exact words that I have above to describe his talk for today.  We have been learning that to walk in the Spirit, we need to surrender ourselves to God.  We can’t but He can through us.  We are to be led.  Not controlled or directed…although at times, I am sure we all feel that way.  See, you can’t get directions on how to live in the Spirit because everyone has a different path they walk.  And, following the “rules” or instructions don’t get you where you need to be.

Mike described the three terms above so well today.  Being led is like being shown the way.  If someone says, “follow me, I will show you the way”.  Much like following someone to their house in your own car following theirs.  Or when someone teaches you how to tie your shoes.  Showing is way better than giving directions.  Following someone you are dancing with.  You get the idea.  We are actually dancing with the Spirit…let it lead you where it goes.

Being directed is giving someone directions.  Like a traffic cop directs you to turn here or stop.  Or being given a map and directed on where to go.  Or even verbally directed to do a certain thing.  Imagine how hard it would be to learn how to tie a bow if no one ever showed you how to do it.  Oh, you probably would eventually get a bow of some sort but it is so much easier after being shown.  Then you add your own little spin to it.  No two bows are the same just like no two dancers are the same.

Being controlled is when someone does it for you.  Mike described it like getting in the car and someone else is driving.  You sit back and they take control.  You get there….but under the steam of someone else and not yourself.  And, if someone always does “it” for you, how do you learn to do it?

John Denver had a song called “Follow Me”…Follow me where I go, what I do and who I know.  Make it part of you to be a part of me.  Follow me up and down all the way and all around….Take my hand and say you’ll follow me.

French Onion Dip

I had Community Group coming over last night.  For those of you who do not know what a Community Group is…Well, it is a group of people who get together once or twice monthly for socializing and Bible study.  I am part of the Empty Nesters.  We have a lively group of, dear I say this, middle aged people who enjoy each other’s company.  We have refreshments and discuss our favorit verse from a particular book of the Bible.  Last night it wasa 1st Peter. 

Well, in order to have the group over, I had to do some house cleaning and snack preparing.  The cleaning wasn’t too bad.  How dirty can a 600 square foot apartment get?  I guess if you are not inherently neat like me, it could get pretty messy.  However, since I know who usually is responsible for moving and putting up things, I am on top of putting things in thing in their place to keep the place relatively neat.  Run the vacuum and clean the sinks and move the pillow and blankie off the couch and I was pretty much done with cleaning.

I made the world famous Chocolate Cobbler.  It had the whole place smelling like I hope heaven smells.  (You know all warm and chocolately and nice) I chopped veggies.  We had celery, radishes, carrots and bell pepper.  I have been craving radishes for a while and took this opportunity to buy them to share with the other members of the group.  I am not really a celery fan but I found myself craving that too.

I also had some chips and dip.  You now the story, sweet, salty and fresh.  Then, you have the bases covered.  I had two Helava Good Dips, french onion and white cheddar bacon.  (They had a special…two for $3.00 that I could not pass up.)  Usually, I am not a dip person either but others like it with chips and we needed something for the veggies too.

About 6:00, I started setting everything out.  I placed the veggies on a platter.  I put the chips in a bowl.  I pulled the cobbler out of the oven.  I brewed some coffee.  I set out bowls for dessert and plates for veggies and chips.  I opened the dips and set them out.

I sat down at my desk to check emails and cruise for a little while before the guests started coming.  I heard a lapping noise behind me an figured the cats had decided to drink some water.  The, I realized that I had moved their bowls for the evening to keep someone from stepping into them while I had the group.  So, I turned around just in time to see MoJoe lapping like crazy at the french onion dip.

Now, I am in a delimma.  I do not know what to do.  I scat the cat off of the counter.  I check out the dip.  Sure enough, there is a spot where he had been licking.  My delimma?  Throw out the dip?  (Nope it only had a little spot where the kitty had licked)  Close the dip up and put it back in the fridge? (Could have but didn’t.)  So, what did I do?  I picked up a spoon and scooped out a section in and around where the cat had been licking.

Everyone got here.  We had snacks and settled down for the meeting.  As everyone was leaving, I got to feeling guilty about not filling in the others about the issue with the dip.  So, I shared with them that the cat liked french onion dip.  I hope I did not upset anyone or offend anyone by allowing them to eat the dip.  (A little too late to stop them now.)

I live around these guys all the time.  They are constantly sticking their heads in my glass to drink water.  At first I was alarmed by this until the vet I work with shared with me that this would not hurt me in any way.  All my other cats had never bothered any of my human food.  These guys are pretty good about not doing so either.  I guess the dip was just too hard to resist. 

I also grew up around animals.  We have pictures of me sharing my beloved bottle with my beloved pet dog.  He protected me with a vengence.  My brother who is the doctor used to eat out of the cat’s dish.  That cat was not as fond of my brother as the dog was of me.  The cat would lay in wait for my brother and jump on his back while he was crawling on the floor.  Evidently, cats don’t like to share unless they are the one benefiting from the sharing. (My mother used to have a “fit” when my brother would eat out the cat dish.  I think by the time I came along, as long as the dog did not bit the end off the nipple of the bottle, she was okay with it.  Of course, I was number three.  So, she had been through two others before me and knew we were more healthy and indistructible than she originally thought.)

King of the hill

This morning, I found myself playing King of the hill with my two cats.  Now, most of you who read this will wonder how a person can play King of the hill with two cats.  Simple, I would reply.  You are the hill and the two cats fight to see who is King….  Loads of fun to play when you are trying to catch those last few minutes of snooze time before getting up and your cats are determined to include you in their play time.

Playing King of the hill is only one of the many diversion that keep my cats busy when I am trying to sleep.  Unfortunately, though they are occupied, they also keep me from sleeping.  Do you think there is a plot here?  If you question the kitties, they would say “nope, just trying to keep amused until mom wakes up to feed us”.  If you ask me, I would respond with a resounding “yes”.

You see, it starts off simply enough.  About 4:00 in the morning, they both end up in bed with me.  Or I should say, I am in the bed.  They are on the bed.  At first, all is peaceful as we catch a few zzzz’s together.  They snuggle up next to me for warmth and we all enjoy the time.  However, that does not last for long. 

Around 5:00 AM, they start moving around.  First, it is “bath” time.  They are very clean animals and all parts must be washed.  This usually jiggles the bed slightly as they shift from side to side washing and preening.  Sometimes, they will wash my face for me, seeing that I am a human and in their opinion do not wash enough.  After bath time…if I am still not awake, well, they need to check the weather outside by getting behind the blinds in the bedroom and comparing notes about what the day might hold.  If that still does not do the trick, well they have plenty of other tricks up their sleeves…

First, they go into the kitchen and see if food has magically appeared in their bowl.  Then they run back into the bedroom and take a flying leap onto the bed to let me know that there is no food in the bowl.  They jostle around on the bed to decide who is going to let me know that there is no food.  Who ever wins gets to walk across my body several times checking the time on the clock and going back to tell their brother that they need to make a plan to wake me up.

One of the boys will even bring his toy onto the bed in hopes of enticing me to get up by offering to share it with me.  He will keep poking it at me until I wake up enough to grab what ever it is and throw it off the bed.  Not to be discouraged he will either bring back the same toy or select another one hoping that I will want to get up and play.  “Then they can get the food they want.”

The other one will start making commentaries about how they are going to starve to death if they don’t get me to wake up and give them some food.  He jumps on and off the bed trying to get me interested in “coming to see” that there really is no food in the dish. 

If none of these ploys work, they start burrowing under the covers.  This can have two outcomes.  One goes under and one stays on top of the covers.  The undercover one will find a hinding place behind my knees.  The outside one then repeatedly bounces on the under cover one until he comes out and they get into a farcus on top of me.  The other outcome is that they actually push the covers off of me and when I sit up to pull the covers back, they coax me into getting up.

Once I make it to the kitchen, they are both chatting about how hungry they are and would I please put food in the bowl.  So, I oblige.  I give them fresh water and food.  They eat a bite or two and are satisfied.  The “just wanted to make sure” there would be food if they wanted it. 

By this time, there is no hope for me getting back to sleep.  So, I brew coffee and sit down at the computer to check out the day.  What do the boys do?  Well, usually, they play for a while and then they take their morning nap.  Maybe I should go and wake them up?????

Chili and Chilly

Today is the warmest day here in three days.  And, we only got to 38 degrees!  That is saying a lot, or should I say, a little, for North Carolina piedmont.  We don’t usually see consistent days of coldness.  We have barely been above freezing for three days now.  I am getting Cabin Fever!!!!  I have not been able to really get out and get in a good walk.

Sure I made it to church.  And, I have ventured out briefly for appointments and errands.  But, the most people I have seen and interacted with in the past few days have been those few that braved the cold for the first service on Sunday.

Now, I am making chili.  It sits on the stove bubbling away filling the apartment with the delicious smell of spices and tomatoes.  Every now and then, I get up from my place here to go and stir the mixture of meat, beans, tomatoes, and spices…..It won’t be long till I settle down with a hot steaming bowl.  I am already salivating in anticipation much like Pavlov’s dog when he heard the bell.

Why is it that cold weather gets us to make chili, or soup or stews?  One would thing since we are basically sedintary during the winter that we would opt for lighter meals.  Not us humans!!!  We pack on the weight in the winter and then try to work it off for summer vacation.  Our 4 footed friends do the opposite…they pack on the weight during the spring and summer so that they can hibernate during the winter appearing in the spring nice and svelt.

That being said, I am trying to be “good” by substituting ground turkey for ground beef.  I am also going to forgo the cornbread and the second bowl… Maybe then, I can add a little glass of wine.

Now for a bit of fact…American Indians used to keep dogs with them always.  During the winter, they would sleep with them for their warmth.  The colder it was, the more dogs that were added to the pile.  Hence the phrase, Three Dog Night….

Vegetable Soup

I sit here eating the last of the vegetable soup my mom sent home with me when I visited for Christmas.  It is one of my favorite things my mom makes.  When we were kids all of the vegetables and the tomatoes came from our own garden.  Now, most of it comes frozen and in cans but mom still puts it together and puts her touch on it.  There is nothing like this soup ladled over a bed of rice.  Add some buttered cornbread and a glass of iced tea, and I am in hog heaven.

As I stated above, the vegetables used to come out of the garden.  There was an assortment of butter beans, field or black eyed peas, corn, green beans etc…  Then there were the tomatoes that had been “put up” in mason jars.  And, of course, there was always some type of meat…sometimes ham off the bone of a recently served Sunday dinner, or stewed beef, not often, there might be chicken or turkey.  Anyway, all of this would simmer on the stove in a huge pot until it was time for dinner.  The rice would be in one of those pots that had a vent in the accompanying lid that would ting, ting, ting, as the water was evaporating and the rice was cooking.  The kitchen would get nice and steamy…This type of dinner was often served on rainy, cold, winter days….  Then the tantalizing smell of the cornbread would fill the air as the oven door was opened to check and see how much longer before it would be perfectly browned.  Boy, those are the things that memories are built on.

We always eat our vegetable soup over rice.  Never cook the rice and put it in the soup before it is served….  Each person was responsible for adding the perfect amout of rice to their own bowl.  Some liked a lot.  Some liked a little.  This rice was never ever nice and flaky, rather it would be kind of gummy and would release it’s gumminess into the soup that was poured over the top. 

That was another thing that was individualized, the ladling of the soup onto the bed of rice.  Some liked a lot of vegetable, little broth and some meat.  Some liked a lot of broth and little vegetables and some meat.  Some like a happy medium.  No one ever turned down the meat that was in the soup..that appeared in every bowl.  It brings to mind the Goldilocks scenerio where she samples all the porridges until she finds the one that is just right.  We all had our own “just right” none were wrong.

Then came the cornbread….It was nice and golden, moist with crispy edges.  Slathering on butter was a must for all of us.  Some split their cornbread in half to add it.  Some just put the butter on the top.  Regardless, it was the BEST!!!  Some even would dunk their cornbread into their soup.  Again….personal choice ruled.

The iced tea, always sweetened, would pour over the ice in the waiting glasses.  They were passed out around the table.  When a glass emptied, it was promptly filled again with that amber sweetness….For a while, conversation stopped while we all filled our stomaches with the food that had been provided for us. 

Often, we would tarry over the table after all had had seconds or thirds.  We would compare stories and tell anecdotes of the day to each other.  Some times, we would share memories of vegetable soups past.  Grandma’s soup always came with either pumpkin pie or apple crisps or some type of cobbler…. We would remember those days of running from the bus to the house in the cold pouring rain and smelling the wonderous scents coming from the kitchen as we neared the house.  I always had a hard time waiting for the pumpkin pies to set after coming out the ovens, it being one of my favorite pies.  Some times, we would have sweet potato pudding….I had a hard time waiting for that to set too.  (this isn’t really pudding…it is more like the filling of the pie baked in a pan without the crust)

Mom stated that this last time, her usual package of frozen vegetables was not available in the grocery store.  So, she had selected another one that seemed to have all of the “right” vegetables in it.  Imagine her surprise when she opened the vegetable mix to find not only the usual mix but carrots, garden peas, and UGH…okra and celery.  She said she went quickly to work to get rid of the okra and the celery…. (I don’t like okra.  My brother-in-law despises celery.)

The soup was still a hit.  We still sat around the table trading stories.  And I still got to bring some home with me.  Alas, my soup is gone and so my story must end.  We must all have favorite meals.  Some are probably complex…Some are probably very simple (calls to mind peanutbutter and jelly and a cold glass of mikl)  And all those meals come with countless memories.  Enjoy….