Friday Randomness
I’ve long done Friday Randomness posts, and Elisabeth’s FIG Collective fits in so well, so here are my Random Thoughts/Figs for the week.
Saturday – Time spent with friends. Ted’s BFF and his family moved away about 2 years ago, and I know that Ted misses him a lot. They were in the area for his MIL’s funeral. So it was a very sad occasion, but it was really nice to see them and spend some time together. After we came home, Ted was hungry, I was peckish, and Maya was not. So Ted and I walked over to a nearby hotel (which has a spa and is where I go to get my massages) and had dinner there. Ted had Beef Bourguignon, and I had Potato Leek soup. Delicious.
Sunday – Ted and I went for a nice walk on Sunday, and then we went downtown in search of a new electric tea kettle, as ours was on its last legs. After that we went out for a late lunch/early dinner. We shared a delicious spinach dish, and some Brussels sprouts, then I had the burger and Ted had tuna tartare. Then we wandered around our local bookstore. Maya went to a Galantine’s Day tea with a small group of friends, and I learned how to jump a car when she left the headlights on and drained the battery, and we had to go jump it for her. (We have 2 cars…one of them, the lights turn off automatically after a few minutes when you’ve turned off the car, but this one will just let them drain. Why? I don’t know. Draining the battery on this car has happened to all of us.)
Monday – We all had the day off from work for Presidents’ Day, which does not always happen. We went downtown to our local ‘Not My President’ protest, which was small but fun. There were about 50 (mostly older, almost entirely white) people (maybe 60 at the height of it) standing in front of our City Hall, waving and cheering when cars would honk or wave at us. Lots of Tesla drivers honked and waved. The woman in front of us said that she has a Tesla, and has a bumper sticker that says, “Tesla Owners Against Musk”, which was funny. Then we had lunch at a new Caribbean restaurant that we saw on a local TV station. Ted had an octopus salad, and I had a kale salad, and we shared chips and guacamole with roasted pineapple, which was delicious. Monday night was Maya’s turn to cook, and she made Mediterranean Feast, and then we watched the first episode of the new season of The White Lotus. Parker Posey! Yay!
Tuesday – Tuesday was a busy work day, then dinner was my favorite Tuna Melt recipe. Maya went to dinner after work with a HS friend who is in town for business, so she missed watching Flow with us. I loved this movie, and will be happy to watch it again.
Wednesday – Another day of mostly working, though I had a quiet afternoon so I talked to my cousin for a couple of hours, and then made my favorite new chicken soup recipe. This time I added a bit of arugula because I had it in the fridge and it wasn’t going to last much longer. Delicious. When I posted the recipe, Nance commented that she always uses turkey stock because it has more depth of flavor. Most stores around here only have turkey stock around the winter holidays, so I purchased Penzey’s Turkey Soup Base, and it was a definite winner. We enjoyed that while watching one of the very stupidest shows on TV, The Bachelor. Why do they always keep the troublemakers? Does the contestant actually have a choice? Seems like it’s for ratings.
Thursday – Our House Representative had a Town Hall meeting, to discuss Trump, Musk, DOGE, and what Congress is doing about it. We tried to attend, but so many people were there that we were turned away. (That’s a good thing, that so many people were there…I heard the man who was handing out QR codes to help people find it on YouTube say they got 1,800 people.) We watched on YouTube instead, and what he said was basically, “We are in the Minority right now. We can only do so much. You can, you can get out in the streets and protest, you can vote, you can fight within the rules, and peacefully.” They are introducing bills, but that takes time. The courts are involved, but that takes time. Bills and courts take time. It’s on us to show our anger, frustration, and discontent and put their feet to the fire, because really, they need to impeach him (again). We can encourage others to vote, so that 1/3 of the voting public doesn’t sit it out next time. I made my phone calls and wrote more post cards. I got through to my Senior Senator’s office and talked to a person for the first time today, which tells me that the call volume is likely down a bit, and I need to be better about calling every day. I find 5 Calls very helpful.
Friday – Once again, I’m posting this early Friday morning, before the day begins. Why do I do this? I don’t know. I could easily either wrap last week’s Friday in to my list of FIGs, or I could just post on Saturday. Regardless of these perfectly acceptable solutions, I’m going to stick with my schedule.
This is another Fabulous Friday, where I do not need to work. I may put in a few hours, we’ll see. There are no cats yet at the pet rescue where I’ve been volunteering, thought they’ve gotten a few in their veterinary clinic/central location, so soon. Maybe the kitty above will come to my location? She’s been brought in by the rescue, but I don’t know which location will have her. No name yet. She’s 10 years old, 23 lbs, and her human died. Poor thing, reminds me of when my mom had her heart attack and had to give up her two darling cats without getting to say goodbye. That broke her heart and contributed to her depression, though I think depression is pretty common after bypass surgery.
Speaking of cats, this cat was at another location of the rescue, and I thought she was so beautiful. Her coloring reminds me of one of Stephany’s cats, Lila. She’s been adopted already, so don’t plan to fly to CA to scoop her up. I’ll run a couple of other errands downtown, and then go to Costco to get some lamb for Ted to make a delicious curry. We are celebrating his brother’s birthday this coming weekend. It’s Friday, so we’ll probably go out to dinner.
How about you? Any exciting plans for the weekend? Are you managing to stay involved politically, without driving yourself crazy? Any FIGs you want to share here?
35 Comments
Birchie
Ha ha I bet there was a flurry of people googling for flights to CA to meet that kitty. Those ears tho!
A few years ago my parents’ cat died and they didn’t want to get another one because of their age. Thankfully that didn’t last long and they decided that it would be OK to adopt a pair of older cats. Sadly one of the cats passed away so they just have one, but he is an Extreme Cuddler and I’m so happy that they have him.
J
Oh, adopting an older kitty is a perfect solution when you’re older yourself. Our neighbor recently got a puppy, and boy, she’s a hand full! I keep thinking about how I would have gotten an adult dog, but she seems really happy, so that’s a good thing at least.
Jenny
I’ll still fly out to get the older cat! That’s such a sad situation (and I feel so terrible for your mom, having to give up her cats like that.) This one is so beautiful- I’ll bet someone will adopt her.
I like the “Not My President” protest on President’s Day. NONE of us had the day off here (what’s up with that, anyway????) I’m glad you reminded me of 5 Calls. I have the tab open on my computer but still haven’t done anything. It seems really easy though- I just have to get started.
J
My company usually doesn’t give us Presidents Day off, but this year they did. I think my daughter’s company always does, but she hasn’t been there long enough yet to know. Her last company did not. My husband works for the county, so they get all Federal holidays off.
I will admit to not really enjoying doing the phone calls, but it’s SO EASY! Do it!
nance
Pretty tortie kitties! Marlowe is a tortoiseshell cat, and she displays almost all of their characterisitics. I love that you work with cats.
I’m horrifyingly jealous of your beautiful flowering tree and your weather. It’s snowing here AGAIN, and I’m almost grief-stricken. It wasn’t forecast (JUST LIKE YESTERDAY’S ALL DAMN DAY SNOW), and I feel like it will never, ever, EVER stop and I’ll never see grass again and I’ll never be able to go out without being cold and having my face hurt for the rest of my life.
SIGH.
Do you have, maybe, a small area in your home for me to stay in quietly, like perhaps a cupboard or nook under the stairs? I do not eat much and I will spend the entire day outdoors walking. Just wondering…
J
Nance, I think we’d be in serious trouble if I were volunteering with dogs! Ted’s allergy keeps us from turning into a house with 15 cats.
Come on out! We don’t have a guest room, and our closets and area under the stairs are jam packed, but you can camp out on our sofa!
PocoBrat
Love the photos… particularly that tree in bloom and that kitty whose ears are like petals themselves…
And love the little adventures, gastronomic and otherwise, you and Ted have been having.
A protest, a townhall, and a Penzey’s purchase? Yay!
We started the new White Lotus season too! Did you have strong reactions to the new theme music as so many seem to have had?
J
I’m sorry to say that I didn’t notice that the music was different…
Ally Bean
Just a few minutes ago I placed an online order for Penzey’s spices. I didn’t know they had Turkey Soup Base. As a consequence of the pandemic our local store closed and I miss going in to see what’s new. *sigh*
J
So sad when a favorite store or restaurant closes, isn’t it? The turkey soup base is really good.
Elisabeth
J, you’re making me VERY jealous with that picture of a flowering tree. You do realize outside my door is a solid sheet of ice!
And tuna melts. A good tuna melt is so delicious! We haven’t made them for a while; there’s an idea for an easy supper next week (the whole family likes them, too, and since I prep the tuna in advance, it comes together so fast at supper time). Some raw veggies on the side. Thank you for helping me meal plan
J
I love tuna melts, and this recipe is special because it’s not your standard tuna salad.
NGS
A 23-pound cat!! Poor baby. Her humans loved her a little too much, it appears.
My FIG of the day is that it is dead in my office today. I am excited to just sit and stare into space and contemplate the state of the world.
J
Oh, a nice quiet day at work is a lovely FIG once in a while!
Margaret
23 pounds, wow! Mari is only 9 pounds. She is a sleek creature. Those dinners sound great; I would be most interested in the potato leek soup. I’ve been spoiled by my last cars with automatic headlights. I run them on all the time but they turn off automatically; if they didn’t, I would forget for sure!
J
I wonder how big this cat is aside from her weight. Like, what would a healthy weight for her be?
Suzanne
Those cats are so beautiful!!!!
Your week sounds lovely and full of family, patriotism, and good food.
I am in love with the tree at the top of your post. Gorgeous.
J
I LOVE tulip trees. Their blossoms don’t last a long time, but they’re so beautiful. I really like walking around our neighborhood and seeing them.
AC
I’m glad you finished with cats because all I can remember is the last thing that you wrote. I’m just saying that Lacey’s human also died, and we adopted her 6 years ago. Six years this week.
J
Oh goodness, I’m glad you gave Lacey a soft landing!
Ernie
I’m allergic to cats, but that cat’s colors are so pretty. It sounds like you had a great week with some tasty meals out. We are going downtown tomorrow evening to hear the girls sing with their school choir. They will be down there most of the day singing, and I know they’ll enjoy that. I organized a bunch of books to donate, and Reg dropped them off for me which was great. Curly had a playoff game tonight. We lost, so her season is over. It’s a tough reality because that team was beatable. Sigh. She did score her 1,000 point though and they stopped the game to celebrate. Coach has a stomach bug, so unfortunately he couldn’t go to the game. I had a long phone conversation with one of my best friends on Thursday and that was a real pick me up. Babysitting for weeks and weeks when it’s too cold to take them on an outing is not my favorite thing, and that phone conversation was well timed.
J
A good talk with a good friend is so restorative, isn’t it? I’m glad you had that. I’m sorry that Curly’s team lost, but hope that the choir performance goes swimmingly!
Lisa’s Yarns
That cat is so cute! But she’s so big! 23 pounds! Our cat weighs about 14 pounds we always get comments of the vet about her weight. Feels very defensive and will say she’s very fluffy and has a lot of fur but the vets like, no I can feel her rolls here.
That flowering tree is gorgeous! We are a good 2 1/2 to 3 months away from seeing flowering trees.
J
It’s interesting with the flowering trees, how one can be just sort of thinking about blooming, while another is full on BLOOMING, and they can be a block apart or even in the same yard. This one is ALL IN.
Tierney
Overall, it sounds like a lovely week and full of life! It’s great to hear about empowerment through local politics, delicious meals, and family and friends.
J
Thank you Tierney! It was a pretty good week, for sure!
Stephany
Okay, now I feel better than Lila weighed 16 lbs at the vet this week. I do need to get her on a diet/exercise plan, though. She has gained a pound every year for a few years now. I want to get her down to 12 lbs, I think.
That cat DOES have coloring similar to Lila. She is sooooo pretty! I would steal her in a second!
We had President’s Day off for the first time ever this year and it makes me wonder if they’re going to take away the Juneteenth holiday (I’m guessing that won’t be a federal holiday for long now). For now, we still have it as a holiday but we’ll see!
J
Oh, interesting. We don’t usually have either Presidents’ Day or Juneteenth off, our company gives us 10 days and they spread them out. This year it happened so we got Pres Day. I’m guessing both my husband and daughter will have Juneteenth off, so maybe I’ll take it as PTO.
Daria
Pretty kitties!!!!!!!
I, too, would turn a house with at least four cats, but T said no. Le sigh.
Per your recommendation, we watched Flow this weekend, and omg, it was beautiful, and sad, and had life lessons. My 7 years old cried, and so did I. Such a well done animation! Thank you for the recommendation
J
Oh, I’m so glad that you watched Flow and that you found it moving! I really liked it a lot.
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Tobia | craftaliciousme
So good people are standing up. And you are doing so much to sway people into voting and being mindful and responsible. You go!
I am very anxious about our new government. I can not support the new chancelor and I am very doubtful that he is not cooperating with the right wing party. Fingers crossed I am wrong.
J
I too hope you are wrong, and worry that you are not. Our world is going in dangerous directions, isn’t it?
Anne
OK, that is a big kitty. On the other hand, who knows what her situation was like before?
I would really like a cat. My allergies, however, would make me miserable (I’m in the Ted camp on this, apparently) so sigh, no go.
J
She’s SO BIG, poor thing! She came from a house with 4 or 5 other cats, and the others are all a healthy size. She’s 10 though, and the others are younger. I sometimes try to figure the situation out, since the rescue says that all of her blood work came back as good. I hope someone adopts her soon, she must be lonely since her person died. Sigh.
I’m sorry you’re allergic, cats are great pets. Though they can be murder on your furniture if they decide to claw it instead of their scratching post!