Meet the Kits- Molly, Naughty or Nice?

I know I always mention the kitties in my posts but I thought it might be fun for you to get to
know each one of them up close and personal. Today it's 10 year old Molly's turn.

Molly might look like an angel but that's an act.  She can be a little devil at times too. Her vet says she has a beautiful feminine face and I agree she is a real beauty.

I adopted Molly from a Petsmart in Tyngsoboro, MA.  She had been rescued from a trailer park in Hooksett, NH by an organization called Kitty Angels. Her name was Little Martha at the time and she was 6 months old.

Molly was my sole kitty for the first 7 years of her life.  We lived in a one bedroom apartment

with a wonderful screened balcony.  She spent lots of time outdoors on the balcony. It's the one thing I miss about that old fifth floor apartment.

Molly is quite the character.  She does not make much noise and in fact she rarely makes a sound.
Well, she likes to rip up newspaper and paper bags. I think she likes the sound it makes.

Since "the boys" moved in to the condo, Molly has one eye open at all times.

She never knows when she will be under attack. As the boys age, this will be less of a problem. Molly and I are patiently waiting for the juveniles to grow up.

Molly does have a mischievous side. She is the first one to investigate anything new at the condo.
She is a curious cat.

Occasionally she will mix it up with Oscar.  Percy tortures her and she does not want anything

to do with him.

After so much play and investigation, she is ready for her catnap. She takes several naps a day. Unfortunately, the boys have taken over the bed and she never gets a chance day or night to sleep there anymore.  It is quite sad that she has lost her status as the alpha cat. She still seems happy most days but still I feel bad for her.  After all, I am the one who brought the boys into the condo without asking her opinion.

I am still holding out hope that there will be peace in the household in the future.

Stream of Consciousness Blogging

Sometimes I do not have enough thoughts or opinions on a particular subject to create a good blogpost so I don't blog. I've decided to write sort of stream of consciousness just so I can keep in touch with my readers and blog more frequently. So here goes:

Today I had a pleasant surprise when I went to a coffee shop I rarely frequent. The baristas make beautiful designs in their lattes! This is my mocha latte and it was as delicious as it was pretty.Oh yeah, the shop is aptly named Creations.  They're located on Main Street in Wakefield if you are in the neighborhood.

I hate watching political debates. I usually like each candidate a little less after hearing them speak.

My love hate relationship continues with the hard wired smoke detectors in my condo.

I think I need to make my bed less comfortable as I am finding it extremely difficult to get up in the morning. Perhaps the cashmere flannel sheets will have to go. Sniff, sniff!

Most days I think I would rather work with animals instead of people.

I lost a follower, wondering who and why?

I hate to admit it but I watch The Bachelor. And this season's group of women are especially psycho.

I am ecstatic that the Patriots made it to the Super Bowl even though it was an ugly win.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Saturday snow

I woke up this morning to a pretty scene outside my window. Snow was falling. Our second small snowstorm this week.  This type of storm is perfect, more than a dusting but not too much.  I love how the snow sticks to the branches of the trees. It's Winter poetry.

Oscar enjoyed the subtle light streaming through the window. Nothing too harsh for a Saturday morning.

Oh, he is just so cute!  Those eyes get me everyone time. He has me wrapped around his little paw.

A lovely scene from my dining room window. When we have a gentle snowfall I like to take a walk around the neighborhood and photograph the snow covered old homes. I feel like I am in a Currier and Ives scene.

My attention was turned inside the condo as I spied Percy jumping on the couch and settling next to Oscar.

This usually means trouble. At least Molly was in the bathroom sleeping.  She's no dummy, it is the warmest room in the condo!

 And there he goes.  He likes to wake Oscar up from peaceful sleep. Doesn't it look like great fun?

He's not giving him a little brotherly nuzzle. He likes to bite Oscar's neck. Percy thinks he is a vampire! Oscar had enough and jumped off the couch.  This is exactly what Percy wants to happen because he wants to chase Oscar around the condo.

I'd had enough of the kitty shenanigans. So I went walking around the downtown area.  I decided to photograph the church next to the Town Common.

The common always looks so pristine when it first snows. And this church just screams New England to me.

The lanterns and benches complete the bucolic scene. If it hadn't been so cold I would have spent more time on the common.

Instead, I took my last shot of the church and ducked into the local coffee shop for a hot chocolate. Yum!

At night, I went over to my Dad's to celebrate his birthday. We dined on Italian food. Dad had veal parmesan and my sister and I had broccoli and penne. We had tiramisu for dessert. Delish!

My present to my Dad? A Netflix membership for the year. He really enjoys watching movies. Since we got him a bigger screen TV for Christmas I think this is a great gift!

I have my clothes ready for tomorrow. You know I am going to be parked in front of the TV to watch the Patriots play the Ravens.  And then of course I will watch to see the winner of the NFC Championship.
A full day I say!

Weekend R&R

So this weekend was a long weekend and I had three days of R&R. Sweet!

I planned to stay home Saturday night and watch the Patriots- Broncos game by myself. Such a fan am I that I like to watch the game without distraction in the comfort of my own home. I guess I am a football snob.  I was invited to a playoff party at my friends Deborah and Roger's home. I accepted the invite and so I went to the party with my friends Kim and John.

We had a wonderful time at this small gathering. Great food and great company. They made sure I got a front row seat and I was in heaven. I had a fireplace with a roaring fire on my left, sandwiches and snacks on the coffee table in front of me, and a large screen TV with the game playing right in front of me. Football viewing perfection!

I just had to take a picture of Nathan's Tshirt. He is the youngest son of Roger and Deborah, Nathan made an appearance as Santa at my Christmas Soiree. I think his picture is on that post.

Kim and I were admiring the sleigh in the living room and Deborah told us the story of how they acquired it. Roger and Nathan thought they should get a sleigh for the front yard for the holidays. They looked at  a number of antique ones but this one is new and it can actually function as a real sleigh. The price was comparable to the antiques. It was made by the Amish and they only make 12 each year. It is magnificent!

On Sunday, still euphoric from the Patriots win, I decided to have a couple people over for coffee and dessert. I made an apple crisp and my sister made a lemon cheesecake out of lemon curd.

The four of us also had chocolate pizzelles and cornmeal ginger cookies. It was a nice

laid back evening.

I was excited to use my new lantern purchased after Christmas at Pier One. It gives off a nice warm glow.

I used the recipe from one of my Susan Branch cookbooks for the apple crisp. It is super easy and takes no time at all. I decided to rest it on my silver cakestand with the crystal drops. You can't go wrong with crystals and candlelight for simple elegance.

We drank tea and coffee out of little bird mugs. You can see them in the photos above. I love black and white toile. Each mug has a cover for keeping the beverage warm and a saucer to limit spillage. I don't  have many of the mugs so I can't use them with large groups. 

I had a nice relaxing weekend. How about you? What were your plans?

A gathering of friends

Last night was great. I attended a mini high school reunion at a friend's home.  My friends and I recently had a reunion with the entire class but of course you can't really catch up with everyone in a function hall atmosphere.  So some of us vowed to get together after the holidays for a more intimate evening.

We had such fun.  The dress was casual and we all gathered in a cozy living room to have drinks and appetizers. The conversation was easy as we caught up with each other's lives.

For hours, we talked about books, love, diets, aging parents, careers, our homes, hopes and dreams. We started out as one group with a single conversation and then broke into smaller groups as some of us went into the kitchen where side conversations emerged.

It was midnight before I noticed the clock. We had been talking for 4 1/2 hours! I paused for a moment and watched my high school friends engaged in conversation. I realized how lucky I am to be a part of this amazing group of intelligent, attractive, joyful women. 

We vowed to meet again this year.  We want to keep in touch after so many years apart.

A new coffee place

 Found a new coffee place this weekend thanks to my friend Kim. It's called The Biscuit and it is located in Somerville near the Cambridge line.

Actually the place is not new, just new to me. At The Biscuit, they make their bakery items on the premises. Such a selection of tarts both sweet and savory, breads, scones, cookies!

There was quite a selection of items to choose from.  I opted for the tomato and feta tart. Glad I chose it. I had it warmed and it was delicious.

The decor is simple and the coffee is fantastic.  I most confess I brought a few items home. I highly recommend the cornmeal ginger cookies!

2011 the year in review

Hello blog readers! I hope you all had a fabulous holiday season and I wish you a
happy and healthy New Year.

As always, I take this time to assemble a year in review mosaic. I love looking back at my previous years in review. My blog serves as my memory as I get older!

You will notice a lot of the photos are of familiar faces and places and I seem to gravitate to the same favorite locations year after year.  My friends will of course always be my friends, they are really more like family to me.

I visited Nubble Light in Maine and Rockport in Massachusetts again this year. I held a Christmas Soiree and a Harvest Dinner again. I reconnected with some high school classmates at my reunion this year and we are going to continue to keep in touch (a gathering is already scheduled). We had a lovely time this Summer at a wedding on the ocean. Nothing relaxes me like being at the ocean.  I attended the Bedford Polecapping for the first time (my sister was a participant).  Coffee continues to be my drug of choice and I love meeting my friends for a cup of joe and some good conversation.  My sister and I put our hearts and souls into rescuing little Miss Marble, our hearts were in the right place yet it ended tragically.  It still brings tears to my eyes to think about her but I do believe her best interests were always foremost in our thoughts. And I know she is playing and having a grand time in heaven. Percy grew up right before my eyes and he is settling in a little better with his brother and sister. In 2011, I thought the snow would never stop falling. Still, I love the sight of freshly fallen snow.  When the weather turned nice, I attended my first Red Sox game in ages and an Octoberfest and had my first but hopefully not my last blogger meetup.

Phew, I guess it was a full year after all.  So I am ready for 2012, my only resolution is to let it be and not sweat the small stuff. I stress entirely too much and I don't want to waste a single minute of my life on unnecessary worry.  Most of it is out of my control anyway.

Check out other Mosaic Monday posts here http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/2012/01/mosaic-monday-2011-in-pictures.html