Saturday, July 31, 2010

Cat, chow

My work-away-from-home week came to an end Friday afternoon, and I dashed around town doing errands before heading home. I stopped by an animal art boutique to pick up a couple of my scratchboard prints which haven't sold, and met the owner's captivating cat. Meet "Grease," a Bengal cat, the first one I've ever seen and the perfect "shop cat"!
Grease is a retired show/stud cat, therefore a good example of the breed. He definitely had a "wild cat" look about him, and is so very personable and ssoooffft. What was really intriguing is that his pattern is only on the tips of his hair; underneath it is basically white - all over!

When I got home I harvested enough veggies (I already had a garden onion in the house) to throw together a pasta dish to take to church for potluck - angel hair pasta; onions, green (purple) beans, yellow crookneck and patty pan squash, basil and garlic sauteed in olive oil; a little kosher salt and a pint of fat-free sour cream. There was too much to fit in my covered casserole, so I had some for supper (Rick and Brian were still out on calls). YUM!

While I was in the garden, some dark clouds tried to move in and I even heard thunder. I hear you thinking, "Yeah, so?" Thunder is about as common as sultry summer nights here; it's news. (I miss the thunderstorms of the Midwest, but not the sultry summer nights!) After awhile I even smelled rain on the stiff coast breeze, but the clouds over Boulderneigh broke up. I headed down to do chores wearing a jacket.

Bodhran is back in with Barish, Blake and Barry now, none the worse for his touch-and-go surgery. All the boys dove into their hay:
I have two hay feeders in their lot so the smaller boys don't have to compete with Barish, who pushes them around sometimes. From the looks of Barish's barrel, he NEEDS a little competition!

I opened the front door and windows when I got home to let the wind blow through, and by the time I returned from chores, the temperature in what had been a warm, stuffy house was a fresh 59 degrees. Aaah; perfect sleeping conditions!

That's it for now at . . .

9 comments:

Sharrie said...

I will be happy when we hit the 59 degree temps in the evening. It is a typical mid-west day today. Your veggies are beautiful and tasty, I am sure.

Tammy said...

Grease is a beautiful cat--he doesn't even look real in that first photo. And I love the 'fleece sample' shot. ;-) Your garden bounty looks awesome. Pickings are still slim here. Lastly I do envy your cooler temps!
Tammy

Kim said...

Sultry is almost too sexy a word for the humid nights that still have all of the critters panting, even in the middle of the night. :)

I've never seen purple beans; do they taste any different from the green kind?

My sheep are keeping their "barrels" full too, on pasture. One would think they wouldn't have such an appetite in all of this heat! :)

Michelle said...

Kim, those purple beans turn green when you cook them -- and taste just like regular green beans!

~~Sittin.n.Spinnin said...

I think I've forgotten what 60 degrees feels like...

Sharon said...

That dish sounds absolutely yummy. And I can see why Grease is the perfect shop cat. He's stunning - seems extra poised.

Theresa said...

Oh yes, enjoying the cool down at nights here too. It's 41 degrees here this morning and I'm in a sweatshirt over my PJ's. Recipe sounds yummy, thanks for sharing. Love those purple beans.

Christine said...

What a cool cat. Interesting that the pattern only shows at the tips.

Kara said...

I grew patty pan squash in my garden this year and I love them! Everything looking good at Boulderneigh. :)