Best buddies
Crazy kids.
I wonder…
what will happen
when I'm in school all day.
March 19, 2008
January 29, 2008
Puppy for adoption
Vivian is a four-month-old puppy looking for a good home. She has a sweet disposition, is outgoing and gets along with other pets. She was spayed yesterday, weighs 7.5 lbs and is not expected to grow much bigger than this.
Isn't she the cutest?
Our friend Jennifer is coordinating the adoption efforts so if you are interested, email me your contact information and I will pass it along.
It was hard to get a good picture of Vivian because she was so excited and wouldn't stay still.
Here she is hiding because of the cold.
I hope we can find a permanent home for her.
January 19, 2008
Wintering in the kitchen
…ovvero, Svernare in Cucina
All of a sudden it got cold again and Kelvin is glued to the heat vent. Let's hope he has learned from last year's fall, because there's no way to keep him away from there.
Si è fatto freddo di nuovo tutto all'improvviso e Kelvin è incollato alla ventola dell'aria calda. Speriamo che abbia imparato qualcosa dalla caduta dell'anno scorso, perchè non c'è modo di tenerlo lontano.
And while Kelvin is on the cabinets, Pipie is in the cabinets. Goofball…
E mentre Kelvin si arrostisce su un pensile della cucina, Pipie si incantuccia in un altro. Salamino…
December 21, 2007
House of bug
We've been a sick household for the past several days. So far the only one who hasn't gotten the bug is Ben and we are keeping our fingers crossed. I think I picked up the latest cold-flu bug last Saturday from one of our guests. The open house is always fun although I get stressed ahead of time and usually feel sorry afterwards that I don't seem able to talk to my friends much, but I hope they know that it's all part of being a host.
I am happy to report that my second torta di riso came out better than the first one. Getting a kitchen scale, a zester and a rectangular spring form made a big difference. I also made a couple of modifications to the original recipe. If Giorgio gives me the okay, I'll translate his mom's recipe (plus my adaptations) into English and post it here in the next few days. I've had requests already. :)
Everybody seemed to find food they enjoyed, including the cats.
Kelvin grabbed a filet of smoked trout, whiskered a bowl of crème fraiche, and tried at least a dozen laps, mostly clad in black trousers. Lint rollers were happily passed around throughout the day. Pipie got his face in the cheese bowl and ate several emmental cubes coated in cornstarch. If you were here, not to worry; that happened *after* the cheese fondue.
And now I'll go flop on the sofa and feel sorry for myself and Pipie (he's sick, too) 'til we beat this stupid bug.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!
Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo a tutti!
November 25, 2007
Knitting Progress
Yes, I have been knitting, and yes, there has been progress, but did you really want to look at pictures of shapeless gray stockinette? I didn't think so. Today, though, I thought I'd break the knitting radio silence to show all the pieces finally together at the yoke. I have about an inch done since I put them all together and am about to start the raglan decreases.
Nothing like cashmere under your feet.
It's all part of our in-house quality control testing,
and Pipie gets rewarded for doing a good job…
while Kelvin (aka String Boy, for his addiction to strings) tests PH reactivity by applying carefully metered quantities of saliva to one of the dangling ends.
Strings… yum!
I couldn't wish for better assistants.
A good job completed, Kelvin returns to supervising the world outside the window. A mean cat has been going around all day, messing with his mind.
If I had had my camera handy earlier this morning, I could have shown you Kelvin looking like a cross between a B+W watermelon and a giant porcupine.
October 23, 2007
Orange Glow
The closest fire is 30 miles from us and still the air is orange and we can smell it. We are the lucky ones. Some of our friends and family have had to evacuate their homes and we are waiting to hear what will happen.
For now, we only have an eerie orange glow in and outside the house.
I think the cats are sensing something is not quite right.
Keeping my fingers crossed.
September 13, 2007
Male bonding
Nothing like a good reading session. Kelvin is enjoying the latest Harry Potter book just as much as Ben. Maybe even more.
After Kelvin got settled in…
Guess who had to turn the pages?
May 19, 2007
The power of ice-cream
I was already at my computer after dinner when I heard a cry for help from the kitchen. Someone needed to have a cat taken off his back.
Kelvin has gotten into this habit of jumping on Ben's back when he opens the freezer, but only when he's about to take out the ice-cream. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?
I usually run to Ben's rescue, but this has happened often enough that this time I had the presence of mind to take pictures.
Kelvin was very pleased with himself, even though he didn't get any ice-cream.
April 26, 2007
A tale of two bandages
It was bound to happen. Mornings have been cool again and Kelvin has resumed his early morning position on top of the kitchen cabinet to roast his tummy and butt in front of the heat vent.
Prima o poi doveva succedere. La mattina ha ricominciato a far freddo e Kelvin ha ripreso la postazione d'obbligo in cima ai pensili della cucina per rosolarsi pancia e sederino di fronte all'uscita dell'aria calda.
This morning we were woken up by a car alarm that went on and on and on… so when I started making breakfast noises it was earlier than usual and Kelvin was still half asleep. He got excited at the prospect of breakfast — yummy chicken leftovers from last night — before he was fully awake, and rolled over without realizing he was on the kitchen cabinet. I heard him tumble and land on the metal bowls. Water and dry food all over the kitchen floor.
Questa mattina ci siamo svegliati grazie all'allarme di una macchina che non finiva mai e mi sono messa a preparare la colazione prima del solito, mentre Kelvin era ancora mezzo addormentato. Si è eccitato all'idea della colazione — il pollo della sera prima — che non era ancora sveglio del tutto e si è rotolato su un fianco senza rendersi conto che era sul pensile. L'ho sentito tombolare giù e cadere sulle ciotole di metallo. Acqua e croccantini sono volati dappertutto.
Then I saw blood, tried to check him for wounds, and he limped away from me. Quick, call the vet, get kitty in the carrier, drive to the office…
Poor Kelvin had torn a toenail in his front left paw and the vet removed some shards and cleaned the wound. Fortunately, she could leave the "quick" in, and the nail will regrow. Il rigatino (the little striped one) came home with antibiotics and a fashionable bright blue bandage that lasted all of twenty minutes. And that's not all.
Poi ho visto il sangue, ho cercato di controllare dove si era fatto male e si è allontanato zoppicando. Chiama il veterinario, infila Kelvin nella cesta da trasporto e corri fuori. Povero Kelvin… si era spezzato un'unghia e la veterinaria gli ha tolto le schegge e pulito la ferita. Per fortuna gli ha potuto lasciare la parte interna che permetterà all'unghia di ricrescere. Il rigatino è tornato a casa con un pacchetto di antibiotici e una benda di un bel blu brillante che è durata venti minuti. E non è tutto.
As soon as we set foot inside, Piper got very upset and started meowing like he's never done before and a couple of minutes later he was actually hissing at Kelvin. Hissing! You have to know that Kelvin is Piper's hero; he's the cool guy and Piper will follow him anywhere and put up with anything just to get his attention. And now he's hissing at him? Before we could figure out what was going on, Kelvin was licking furiously at his bandage until it popped off his paw, then proceeded to lick the wound with the same enthusiasm.
Non appena abbiamo messo piede in casa, Piper si è messo a miagolare come un disperato e dopo un paio di minuti addirittura a soffiare. Soffiare! Dovete sapere che Kelvin è l'eroe di Piper e Piper lo seguirebbe dappertutto e si farebbe fare qualsiasi cosa pur di avere un po' di attenzione da Kelvin. E adesso gli soffia contro? Prima che potessimo renderci conto di quel che stava succedendo, Kelvin si era messo a leccare furiosamente la benda finchè è letteralmente saltata via, dopodichè si è messo a leccare altrettanto furiosamente la ferita.
Quick, call for another appointment, explain situation, get kitty back in the carrier, drive to the vet… This time we came home with a darker blue bandage and a supersized hard plastic collar that will need to stay on for three days.
Chiama di nuovo il veterinario, spiega la situazione, metti il gatto nella cesta, salta in macchina… Stavolta siamo tornati a casa con una benda di un blu più scuro e un collarino di plastica dura che dovranno durare tre giorni.
If you think Kelvin was upset the first time, imagine now. He's the picture of despair. And Piper got even more upsest this time around, but now we know why. Cats recognize each other by scent, not by sight, and Kelvin was soaked in disinfectant and doesn't smell like his usual self. Fortunately, the vet had a suggestion. Fasten your seat belts…
Se pensavate che Kelvin fosse agitato la prima volta, immaginate ora. È il ritratto della disperazione. E altrettanto dicasi per Piper, ma almeno adesso sappiamo perchè. I gatti si riconoscono dall'odore, non dalla vista, e la zampina di Kelvin è stata immersa in un bagno disinfettante per cui lui non ha il solito odore. Fortunatamente, la veterinaria mi ha dato un suggerimento. Allacciate le cinture di sicurezza…
Get some vanilla extract (hey, I just happen to have some) and smear it on the nose and butt of both cats. Yes, the butt, too. That way, they'll both smell different than usual but they'll also smell the same. Well, it worked for a while, but I guess I didn't apply enough vanilla extract and Piper started to act aggressive again. This time he actually growled. So now Pipie is locked in the bathroom and Kelvin is miserable but at least won't have to deal with Piper for a while.
Prendete dell'estratto di vaniglia (meno male che ce l'ho in casa) e applicatelo sul naso e il culetto di entrambi i gatti. Si, anche il culetto. In questo modo avranno tutti due un odore diverso dal solito, ma sarà l stesso odore per entrambi. Beh, per un po' ha sembrato funzionare, ma mi sa che non ne ho messo abbastanza e Piper ha ricominciato a fare il matto. Questa volta ha addirittura ringhiato. Così adesso Pipie è chiuso nel bagno e Kelvin è infelice ma almeno per un po' non deve aver a che fare col rompiballe.
I feel awful for Kelvin and even guilty because I think that if I hadn't started to prepare breakfast earlier than usual, none of this would have happened.
Mi dispiace per Kelvin e mi sento anche in colpa perchè penso che se non avessi cominciato a preparare la colazione prima del solito, tutto questo non sarebbe successo.
The stalker
And there he goes again! He almost killed himself getting up there, and I almost killed myself getting him down.
Ready to give up?
Temporarily resigned
Temporaneamente rassegnato
At least his butt smells of vanilla.
Almeno ha il sederino profumato alla vaniglia.
April 21, 2007
Bags!
Well, someone is having a grand time today for his birthday.
Now you see him.
Now you don't.
Why the little UK flag, you ask? Because Piper (a.k.a. Pipie, patatino, faccia da tortellino, and more…) is a British Shorthair.
Of course he has no clue about birthdays, but I like to make the day a little special by giving him extra treats and leaving around more bags than usual for him to play with.
Is it dinner time yet?
Tonight we'll have grilled salmon and he'll also get his tasty share along with his all-time favorite toy: the wine stopper. Not a bad way to celebrate turning four, no?
Basil & Co.
I am not sure how that happened, but there's shamrock in my rosemary pot and origano in my sage pot.
No basil-labeled pots, but plenty of basil. This one is anise basil I got the other day. And before someone tells me how well my herbs grow… ahem… they seem to do well because I keep buying new plants. Regrettably, my thumbs are anything but green and my herbs wouldn't even last a week if it weren't for Ben's continued efforts.
Italian basil, 'cause I can't stand the gargantuan kind with leathery leaves that is so popular around here. I like my basil thin and fragrant and fresh from the plant, though I've been known to use the "other" kind on occasion, but only in tomato soup, certainly not in salads. It's like chewing hide.
Origano.
Some pots awaiting new plants. I haven't been able to find thyme or sage plants in quite a while so these pots have just been lying there.
Okay, not a herb… this is Piper stealing Kelvin's breakfast. Today I let him because it's his birthday. Our little one is four today.
April 2, 2007
In the sun
Pipie's new favorite thing: squeezing between the etagère and the window to catch the sun and the occasional spider or gnat.
And while Pipie's catching the sun, Kelvinito is catching some zees.
December 27, 2006
Back to normal (almost)
When we got home the night of the 25th, half of our cats' hair was on the floor. Talk about holidays spirit. Our friend Ed took care of them the first two days we were gone and someone else came by on the 23rd and 24th to feed them, but they must have been upset at being left alone for those last 36 hours and took it out on each other. I feel pretty bad, actually, but there just wasn't enough time to make a better plan and I hate boarding them even more. At least this way they were in their environment. We'll do better next time. I am glad that they don't hold a grudge; as soon as we flopped on the sofa, we each had a cat in our lap. Fire, kitties, knitting… it was a good end to the day after all those hours in the car.
Here I was casting on my second sock the day before heading back home, and I am already close to decreasing for the toes. A doctor's appointment this morning meant a few more rows. Hopefully I won't have to go back, but I had two biopsies and chances are I will be back in a couple of weeks to have two moles removed. Yuk.
It was good to spend Christmas with family, but it's also good to be back home.
November 17, 2006
Kitchen life
While days have been ridiculously hot, nights have been rather cool and the boys, especially Kelvin, have switched to their winter routine. That includes spending more night time in our bed and more morning time in the kitchen.
The heating has been going on early in the morning and the kitchen has an air vent conveniently located on one of the cabinets. Kelvin parks his butt there at 6:30 am and doesn't move until breakfast is served. Pipie follows him everywhere so he's also in the kitchen but on one of the stools, preferably the one I use. As soon as I get up to do something, he takes my seat and then looks longingly at Kelvin high up on the cabinet. Pipie doesn't dare to make that jump.
I like a slow start in the morning and in the past few weeks I've been using my breakfast time to study kanji. It's usually the language tapes while I work out or drive, and the written stuff in the scraps of time here and there. Here I'm making kanji cards. Not that I really needed more, since I have several sets, but I realized that none of the pre-made sets are arranged in a way that I find useful, so I am making my own. That way I can include or omit information based on my needs and then number the cards to suit my purpose. We'll see how that works out. If I'd put the same energy into learning any other language, I'd be fluent in three more languages by now. Oh well… as we say in Italian "Hai voluto la bicicletta? Pedala!". No one to blame but me.
Once the heating goes off, Kelvin moves down a notch, to the microwave oven. It's a good position to check what I'm doing (he likes to keep an eye on me to make sure I do things properly) and he hopes I'll turn the oven on. For some reason he seems to like that.
And now off to work… in the other room.
August 26, 2006
Assembled
The elliptical machine finally came and we spent last night assembling it. We were told it would take about an hour. Well, it didn't. It took both of us from 9:45PM to 0:45AM and that after we had already unboxed all the components, quite a job in itself with everything fitting very tightly as in a a three-dimensional puzzle.
The boys had a grand time through the whole event, especially the opening and de-puzzling of the box.
Cursory instructions and inaccurate legend made it harder than it should have been. But here it is. Medames et monsieurs: je vous présent the big thing in our bedroom.
We were so fried last night and early this morning that we still haven't even tried it. Today is half work and half errands, but I'll step on it before the day is over.
August 3, 2006
Office boy
I'm going to have to put Kelvin on payroll; he's become quite the office boy lately.
Hard at work testing my notebook.
Quality control is no trifle matter.
You have to test surfaces under a variety of conditions and for an extended period of time.
Can't rush these things. This is only the beginning.
I think the pink side wins hands down.
Tomorrow we'll test the blue and green sheets.
July 25, 2006
Black & White
Today I got up in black & white. Maybe it's the restlessness of a lingering night leaking into morning. Maybe it's the ennui of summer. Maybe it's the heat messing with my brain.
Everything feels slightly off, and I can't quite put my finger on it.
It's going to be another long hot day and we may lose power again. I am keeping all the blinds closed and trying to use as little electricity as I can. My G5 is on its last legs; the fan has been in overdrive for days now. Half the time the noise from under my desk resembles some kind of taking off. I am fastening my seat belt. Our connection is sluggish, too, with every online activity taking 3-4 times longer than usual.
The boys are conserving energy.
Only Pipie comes up to me every couple of hours or so, as if hoping I can fix the weather. I do fix his meals and clean the litter box, so he thinks I can do anything. I'll try, baby. Tomorrow. When things are back in color.
July 22, 2006
109° F = 43° C
As I was driving home from our guild meeting — fortunately in good company (thanks Theresa!) — I swear, my tongue and eyeballs were sweating. We had been without AC from 8:30AM to 2:30PM. It is now 4:30PM and the temperature in Glendale, CA, is officially 109° F. I saw people I really wanted to see today and I am glad I did, but I can't imagine wanting to do this again in August. Right now, that prospect is about as appealing as a root canal.
But it was lovely to see people I like and we had new members today, including a lot of guys, which is quite unusual because so far the ratio of men to women in the guild has been very low. Show-and-tell was pretty good, but I forgot to take pictures. I blame the heat.
I had my stranded-color sweater with me hoping to get some advice on how to handle the neckline from more experienced color knitters. I got lucky. Pam invited me to follow her home after the meeting, where she looked at my pattern and then some Alice Starmore books, and gave me just the advice I needed. She also invited me to borrow one of her books: Fair Isle Knitting. I am really excited about it, because the book is hard to find and only available at collectors' prices. Thanks Pam for lending me such a rarity!
At Pam's house I got to meet two adorable Bearded Collies, seen here in front of their own private fan.
I finished the green Antique Patch socks when the camera was in the shop and forgot about them until today. I haven't even washed them yet. Here they are next to a sock in progress that will never be worn, because I worked it too tight. I used the same needle size and yarn thickness as for all my other socks, but my tension turned out completely different working with two colors; it's only 2/3 of what it should be. I also don't have enough yarn for two socks, so this one will be a Christmas sock. For the first time, I made a picot edge instead of the 2/2 rib and I can't wait to see what it looks like when it's finished.
The temperature is now down to 108° F. Hey, things are looking up. Kelvin has found a relatively cool spot and is not relinquishing it.
Although he is changing position from time to time.
Everybody should have ceramic tiles to put their butts against. Hope you are staying cool out there in the rest of the world.
July 14, 2006
Birthday chicken
Everybody is pooped; the heat is taking a toll. Even the birthday chicken was a non-event, with both Kelvin and Piper barely nibbling a juicy chicken leg.
I dread the idea of Monday, when we'll be left without electricity between 8AM and 3PM for repair work on our street. We may have to get out of the house with the cats like my friend Andrea had to do today, even if for different reasons.
Tomorrow I am going to Little Tokyo, where I haven't been in a while. Maybe I'll find some good Japanese sewing books. I've seen several book covers on other blogs and there's a couple I want to check out.
June 24, 2006
Siesta
Summer is here… I wish I wasn't. Too darn hot, and it's not just me. Pipie is stretching by the air vent in the dining room.
Meanwhile, my lovely library assistant does a shift on the knitting shelf to make sure no two books are aligned. He doesn't care too much for that neat look. Also, corners should be fashionably chewed and covers slightly messed with. It's the wabi-sabi look, baby. No, not shabby-chic, thank you. We don't go for that froufrou stuff.
All this work wears him out. Time for an office nap.
Followed by a bedroom nap.
If I'm nice, maybe he'll work on the lower shelf tomorrow.
June 16, 2006
Lazy Friday
Of course I am working. It's not like I need the whole keyboard.
And I remember almost a third of the notes under Kelvin's belly.
Besides, he does shift a little every half hour or so. Look, I just got the option key back, and E and R! Q and W still out of reach, but I don't use Q that often. No, wait! I got those back, too, and I certainly can do without the Tab key for a while.
And no interference from Pipie… yet.
Really, it's a good Friday.
June 2, 2006
Piper … and a cast of thousands
Loona Fish joins Mr. Ping and a cast of thousands. I only have to move the sofas, look under the fridge or open the linen closet to find Piper's toys. They all end up being Piper's, because he's the one playing with them, hiding them and then finding them again in the middle of the night. That's when he starts singing to announce his finds, usually between 2AM and 4AM. We try to take away the noisy toys before bedtime, but we are not always entirely successful, so sometimes we wake up to the thump thump thump of a wine stopper going enthusiastically down the stairs, over and over. Someone likes to drop his toys on the top of the stairs and see them bounce.
Rubber wine stoppers are the best; they are the size and color of a small mouse, their irregular shape makes them bounce erratically, and they are easy enough to carry in his mouth for Piper to drop them, carry them up and drop them again, ad infinitum…
One of those nights when he was doing his Pavarotti stint, we found Piper in the hallway with all the toys he could find around the house gathered in one spot. What goes on in his little brain when he does that, I have no idea. Any other cat waking me up for no reason would drive me mad, but Pipie just cracks me up. He's the funny one. Kelvin, with all his chunkiness, is a very agile cat who lands exactly where he means to. Piper is a little uncoordinated goofball. One time, I found him with his head stuck inside an empty kleenex box. Wish I 'd taken a picture, but it would have been heartless.
And if you can't eat them, squash them.
May 30, 2006
Helping out in the office
Memorial Day weekend was mostly a working weekend, although I got half as much done as I had hoped because of a spotty Internet connection. We started losing connection on Friday and it's finally starting to get better, but I am still restarting the cable modem and the router on an hourly basis. Better than 3-4 times an hour, but still bloody annoying. So I got all this work piled up and Kelvin decided to give me a hand. Such a good kitty… I'll catch up in no time.
If I lick the site plan, my mom's job will go faster.
There, I licked it real good.
Now I'll warm up the keyboard. Better?
May 17, 2006
Catnip!
Took a quick break from the computer and snapped a few pictures of Kelvin playing with Mister Ping, the latest catnip toy. I especially like this one.
Hmmm… I gotta get more of those Cheeky Squeaky Pets.
May 11, 2006
Kitty surgery
Piper had his teeth cleaned and scaled yesterday and I was a nervous wreck all day because they do it under general anaesthesia and you never know what can go wrong. He came home last night all doe-eyed, wobbly and bumping into things, purring a lot and generally seeking company.
Today, all back to normal. He's stealing food from Kelvin and eating like there's no tomorrow. If only I had his metabolism.
April 25, 2006
My boys
I live with four boys: my partner Ben, our housemate Ed, and two British shorthair cats – Kelvin, a classic silver tabby and Piper, a British blue. These pictures were taken about two years ago by our friend Vahe, a professional photographer specializing in outdoor photography. Check out his falconry pictures
Piper, a.k.a. Pipie, patatino, signor beanbag
Photo Vahedala
Kelvin, a.k.a. cicciottino, bombolombolo
Photo Vahedala