Weetzie Cat
Remember those kittens we had for adoption? Well, they all found homes, a wonderful, rare, happy ending. It just so happens that one of them found her home with us. Her name is Weetzie Cat.
She was the first one to come up to me back when they were still outside and I became sort of attached to her. We didn’t plan to keep her, but it was always in my mind. She’s very sweet, loves to snuggle and play and explore. She loves to explore. I sometimes think maybe we should have called her dust bunny as she crawls through all the hard to reach spots (behind the washing machine, under the victrola) bringing fluff balls and cobwebs with her.
We’re working on making friends with Meeme and Mochi. Meeme seems fine, mostly ignoring this little meowing black furball, giving her the occasional sniff. I think they’ll be friends one day. Mochi on the other hand is none to happy about this addition to our home. There has been lots of hissing. Mochi, the sweetest and friendliest of cats clearly is much happier with humans than other cats (well, except Meeme). Hopefully time will ease this tension as clearly Weetzie just wants to hang out with the big kids.
New England Vegan
A few weeks ago we visited New England for a dear friend’s wedding (have I mentioned this already? I think perhaps I have). It was so nice to be out in the country and around trees and quiet. Mostly it was nice to spend time celebrating with old friends. We were able to drive around in the days following and explore a few states I’d never been to. I wasn’t too sure what the vegan choices would be like in more secluded areas, but we managed to find some great restaurants all over. Here’s a little round up of where we went:
First, we found the lovely Riverbend Cafe, conveniently located across the street from the motel we stayed at in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. We were surprised to find a spot with vegan french toast, not to mention bagels and tofu cream cheese. I had some super tasty oatmeal with peaches and brown sugar. The setting here was idyllic and the food was great. Plus we got to spend the morning catching up with Agatha which made the whole thing extra awesome.
Randomly, we stumbled upon a farmers market where there happened to be some goats hanging out. I love goats!
As our travels continued, Shawn once again proved he is the vegan pizza finding master. I had us routed to a spot in Northampton, Massachusetts which ended up being closed. He tracked down Pizzeria Paradiso which not only had vegan pizza, they used Follow Your Heart, which made me extra happy.
In Keene, New Hampshire we stopped in at Country Life, a Seventh Day Adventist buffet spot. Even though it was sort of vegan 1.0, it was really good, and felt really fulfilling. They also had a cute little market.
Concord, New Hampshire had some great vegan spots. First we stopped in at Hermanos Cocina Mexicana which, while not a vegan restaurant, had some superb vegan options. They had some spicy seitan for their burritos, plus all the fun stuff like soy sour cream and vegan cheese. I had some truly amazing enchiladas.
Also in Concord was Cafe Indigo. We stopped here for a great lunch and picked up a ton of sweets. A giant box of cookies, blondies and more for about $10. It was awesome. I had a wonderful ToFishy sandwich and Shawn had their infamous Rachael, a vegan reuben, both of which we loved.
Our last stop was in Boston. We ran into the Clover food truck and picked up some chickpea fritters and a soy BLT. It was a pretty good snack for a hot afternoon in the park.
Last but not least, we hit up a double whammy of vegan pizza and ice cream. First, Piece o’ Pie served us a fantastic margarita pizza with tofu ricotta, which kept me fed for our entire flight home. I think if we could have stayed longer, Shawn would have tried all the pizzas here.
Right next door was FoMu, a decadent vegan ice cream shop. It took forever for me to choose a flavor (I went with espresso) while Shawn went all out with a sundae. They had some really neat flavors and I wish I could have tried more.
Okay so there were a few more spots along the way, but this post is too long already! And yet there were still places we missed. I guess we’ll just have to go back.
tablecloths
One of the major points of contention in our home decor adventures has been the dining room table. When we found our dining set on craigslist, we learned that the table had been carefully protected through the years by the grandmother who owned it. The table top is in near pristine condition, shiny and smooth, without a single scratch on its surface. Ever since, I’ve felt some sort of obligation to keep it in this perfect state, which means keeping the custom table pads on top and covering it with a tablecloth.
The only problem is that I’m not particularly a fan of tablecloths, even though they can be quite pretty. Partially it’s that they aren’t so easy to keep clean, but mostly, I hate that they drape so low over the sides of the table. Not only does it hide a lot of the detail of the table, but the cats, who often sit in the dining chairs end up pulling it this way and that. For the past year we’ve had an oilcloth on top, which I’ve been fairly happy with, but Shawn did not like at all.
This weekend we finally found some fabric at my favorite fabric shop that we both agreed would make a great tablecloth and a few hours later we had a cute custom piece. It’s the perfect length, very short, and matches the room while still being cute and fun. I’m very pleased with it and also excited to make tablecloths for various holidays and occasions (I already have one for Halloween in the works). Maybe one day I’ll get over my need to protect the table and just let it be, but for now, I’m quite happy just making a plethora of tablecloths.
baby knits
Knitting is an activity usually reserved for the cooler months when you’re in need of both something to do on a rainy day and new scarf. Yet, I’ve been enjoying knitting up a few projects during this heat wave when it’s too hot to go outdoors. This little baby hat is for my cousin’s baby boy on the way. I used one of my favorite bulky cotton yarns, that I’ve made other hats and headpieces with in the past.
In doing research to find a pattern, I fell down a deep vortex of adorable baby knits and basically want to make everything. They’re all so cute and little, and being so small, fairly quick to finish. If you use Ravelry, you can find the pattern for this hat here. The hat came out a little bit bigger than I expected, but I also didn’t bother to check my gauge so that’s really more my fault than anything.
Now I just need more babies to make cute stuff for. In the mean time maybe I’ll make something for my cats. Do you have any favorite patterns for kids stuff?
work out
Let’s face it, I’ve gotten lazy. Lazy isn’t even the right word, as I’m often busy, often working on projects, often accomplishing things. The real word is sedentary. I spend most of my time sitting in front of a computer as I think the majority of us do. While previously I’ve had activity built into my life, bike rides and occasional hikes (see the above slightly dorky photo), all of that seems to have evaporated and I find myself just sitting almost all the time. It’s partially unavoidable in terms of getting work done but I am really starting to feel the toll on my body and know it’s time to take action.
The problem is that I am the worst at exercising. It’s not that I hate it or can’t commit, it’s just that I need clear routine and I can’t seem to figure one out. I might go for a jog for a few days in a row but without a plan I just stop. This might have some broader implications on my ability to focus on nonspecific goals, but let’s put that aside for a moment. For example, the circus classes I took last summer were awesome because they were for a set amount of time and had a goal of a performance at the end. Sadly, they are a little too spendy for me to take up again at the moment.
I wish I could say that I’m just going to incorporate more active stuff into my every day life, much like I have in the past, but I can see that I need to do something a little more proactive. A jump start if you will. I’m not looking to morph into an Olympic athlete but I wouldn’t mind having a few muscles again instead of feeling like jiggly-puff. I like yoga and cycling and most anything that doesn’t involve going to a gym. Also, jogging or running are great but I’m not gonna run any kind of race. I know there is something out there that is free (or cheap) that I will enjoy but I just haven’t been able to put my finger on it.
What works for you to keep active? Is there a yoga routine you do every day or a set number of days your run every week? How do you commit to including activity in your schedule? What do you do to keep it interesting?
