dark houses

In Salem, we visited the House of Seven Gables. I fell in love with these houses painted black. Even with their peeling paint, I think they’re beautiful, especially surrounded by bright green tree leaves. Perhaps they’re not so suitable for Los Angeles and its bright sun, but a girl can dream.

kittens!

You may recall a few weeks ago I posted photos of some adorable black cats and kittens. I discovered they were living under a neighbor’s apartment, and while they seemed to be in good health, I knew something had to be done. This past week, I caught them all, had them fixed and vaccinated and now they’re looking for homes.

Let me introduce you! There are two sweet black cats, one boy and one girl. Despite growing up outside, they are really affectionate and love to snuggle and be petted. They often purr when they eat and then will come and nuzzle me afterwards. They’re also very playful and love to do kitten things: playing with toy mice, chasing tails, all the cute stuff.

I don’t have an exact age for them but I’m guessing 3-4 months old (this is a total guess by the way) but they are definitely under 6 months. They’ve been using a litter box all on their own, natural instinct and all. They’re both fixed and vaccinated as I mentioned, they’ve also been tested negative for FIV and FeLV. Plus, they’re microchipped just in case.

Luckily, their little grey sister is going to go live with my mom. Her name is Cami. She is the most timid of the bunch and only half the size of her brother and sister. She was also the hardest of all to catch.

If you’re interested in either of these darlings, and live in the Los Angeles area, please email me at veganbakesale at gmail (or by clicking the email me link on the sidebar).

Last, but certainly not least, if you’d like to do something to help feral and abandoned cats please consider donating to one of the many organizations who help with adoptions as well as sterilization. I recommend Fixnation and Best Friends Animal Society.

UPDATE Both little Cami and her brother went to their new homes this weekend. Hooray! And the little girl? Well, read more here.

simple life

In our modern time of gadgets and things I find myself often wishing for a simpler life, something more serene and connected to each thing that I do. I also fully realize that this is pure fantasy, but a nice one nonetheless. We visited a Shaker village in New Hampshire and I was in awe of their lifestyle. Separated from the outside world, they spent their time working and creating. Despite living in a closed community, they were innovative and early adopters of new technologies, being the some of the first to have electricity and running water.

The Shakers were also highly organized: everything had a place and a number, everyone had a job and a schedule. I imagine some might find this tedious but I adore this sort of order. While on the outside it seems more complicated, it does make everything simpler. Order in every day tasks leaves room for creativity in other places.

I imagine many think the Shaker lifestyle is extreme, which is easy to say for a celibate community that separates men and woman in all things. Yet in their separation there was equality between the sexes, something that was much more radical in the late eighteenth century when they were founded, but is still lacking in our modern culture.

Visiting this historical homestead was enchanting and provoked much contemplation on more modern intentional communities. I wonder if there is a place for such lifestyles in the world today or if we will forever be relegated to cities and small towns.

stormy weather

One of the things I miss the most about summers in the North East are the unexpected storms. Los Angeles weather is usually the same all the time. I love the lightning and the intense downpours that start without warning and end soon after, nature in it’s full glory.

Almond Cake

I originally shared this recipe as a guest post on the wonderful Glitter and Ganache, but thought I should share it with you all in case you missed it. Mainly I just love this cake and think about eating it all the time. It’s a great summer recipe because it pairs well with fruit and coconut cream, but you could also have it with simple powdered sugar or frosting and chocolate ganache.

Vegan Almond Cake

1 cup almond milk
1 tsp vinegar (apple cider or white)
1 cup plus 2 Tbs all purpose flour
1/3 cup almond meal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp almond extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour your cake pan. Whisk the vinegar into the almond milk and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, oil, extracts and almond milk mixture. Make a well in your dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Stir until just combined and only a few clumps remain. Pour into the prepared cake pan and cook for 30 – 35 minutes, or until the edges brown and pull away from the pan. Let sit for about 5 minutes before removing from pan and letting cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy!