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Kittens on the Kitchen Counter

I’ve mentioned before that the kittens are everywhere and getting into everything in our house. Unfortunately, their new favorite spot is the kitchen counter.

I had hoped that they might just not become interested in it.  Emma and even Clementine always left the kitchen counter alone.  But Anabel and especially Sally are VERY interested in the kitchen counter, the kitchen sink, and anything sitting on or in those places.

My favorite way to store fresh, store-bought herbs is in a vase of water on the counter.  Try it! It works really well for parsley especially. When it’s not too hot and you change the water regularly, stuff will last for a week.  And the bonus is that you get a happy splash of fresh greenery in your kitchen. So, the other day when I bought a bunch of parsley for shrimp risotto night, I just put it in a vase on the counter like I usually do.  I forgot that these are unusual times.

Sally wants to help make pumpkin cheesecake

My darling Sally seems to really have something against fresh greenery. That, combined with his bourgeoning leaping prowess, meant that he was incessantly on the counter getting after the parsley. The fastest way to get him down was to pull a stem out and use it to lure him onto the floor where he would chase after and attack it until he got bored and went back for a fresh sprig.  Anabel really likes to play “attack the parsley” as well.  As far as cat toys go, it’s not too bad.  Mr. Man looked it up and parsley is not dangerous for cats (unlike pretty much most any houseplant and several types of cut flowers).  And, a bunch is under a dollar.  That is days’ and days’ worth of kitten entertainment on a budget.

dinner on the counter?

I think that the parsley unfortunately turned them on to the fascinating world of the kitchen counter and now I can’t keep them off it!  They like to supervise when I’m doing dishes. And don’t think that Sally let’s me put his wet food in a dish and then put it on the floor.  He is right there the second that I crack the can. Even Anabel, who most days can’t even be bothered to get up when it’s meal time, has gotten into the eating on the counter act.

 

 

I tell you what, I know that I judge people who can’t control their dogs or children. And here I am with kittens running amok in my kitchen.  What’s the saying about casting stones?  Yes, that rock smarts when you have to throw one at yourself too.  Hopefully, if I remember to keep the parsley in the fridge, they will grow out of it/get bored with that part of the house…eventually.

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Back to the Bar (Method)

Last week, I headed back to the bar (method) for the first time in a few months. I love the Bar Method. It was the only workout that I did for five years and I enjoyed every moment of it.

I call Bar Method my “middle-aged lady workout” because everything about it is very civilized, elegant, and no-nonsense.  Bar Method studios are known for their spa-like atmosphere.  Every one that I’ve ever been to is calming feeling and nicely lit but my local Bar Method in Long Beach is for sure my favorite.

The workout is not easy but the classes themselves are also very civilized and elegant.  The exercises are designed to be very safe and very toning.  There is an focus on posture throughout the entire class that gives regulars a very elegant carriage. And there is stretching integrated all throughout class, which is something that tends to be given short shrift in a lot of other group exercise classes.

I credit Bar Method for ending the war that had been going on between my thighs and my bum for years.  You might know what I’m talking about: it seemed like my thighs were trying to grow their own bum at the top of my legs and my bum was doing everything that it could to hang down low enough to hide it.  One significant result that I noticed after doing Bar Method for just a short while was that my thighs and my bum went back to minding their own business (which was greatly appreciated).

I had been feeling like I needed a bit of a re-set.  What I was craving was a good stretch and to give my posture a tune-up. I found some time in my schedule that coincided with one of my favorite instructor’s class time and decided to pop in.

When I walked in to the studio, I was so warmly welcomed by the owner, Jo, Geanna, the instructor that I thought I was going to have class with, and SURPRISE! by Bar Method Master Instructor Heidi Revay (I don’t know if that is an official title, but that is what she is to me).  She was in town visiting and was going to teach class.  Wow! That was a fun surprise.

Pretty much every Bar Method instructor is toned and poised, but Heidi is more like a goddess. She is not only beautiful and elegant but she has this amazing energy that is loving and nurturing and demanding all at the same time. I feel like I work harder than I would naturally want to in Heidi’s class because she can see what I’m capable of and expects me live up to my potential.  Making the effort is my tribute to her goddess energy.

Part of what makes Bar Method so civilized is that you can have a really great workout without sweating your brains out. You’re not generally going to ruin your blow-out or your make-up. I tend to sweat pretty easily when I exercise, but I have never gotten as drenched in a Bar Method class before as I did in Heidi’s class that day.  It was not cute. Fortunately, I didn’t have a blow-out or any make-up to worry about.

When I left the studio, I felt that I had gotten the re-set that I was looking for and a little bit more.  I’m looking forward to going again this week. It’s nice to be back at the Bar (Method).

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Halloween Decorating

What can I say, I like decorating my yard for Halloween! We live near an elementary school, so the effort totally pays off in appreciation from little children.

When I first started decorating for Halloween years ago, no one else in the neighborhood was playing along.  Nowadays I’ve got the next-door neighbors making a point of out-doing me and a good number of the houses all the way down the block getting into the spooky spirit!

Headless Mr. Man isn’t scared of vampire lawn flamingos

My cornerstone decoration is Headless Mr. Man.  He sits out on the front porch every year and probably startles me and my living, breathing Mr. Man more than everyone else (what is that guy doing on my front porch?!). Originally, Mr. Man did not appreciate the awesomeness of some of his old clothes stuffed with newspaper sitting in a chair, but one day a junior high kid walking to school let him know it was cool and since then I get slightly less grief from him about it.

 

I used to make a point of putting all my decorations out at once and then that was it.  This year, I’m taking it a bit slower because I don’t want to put out the gravestones until I get the witch who crashed into the wisteria bush fleshed out a little bit better.

 

 

 

Next door apparently has a giant spider invasion.  This guy will probably catch himself a kindergartener or two before the month is over.  Come to think of it, I haven’t seen my neighbor much recently.  Hmmm…

 

 

 

Now, I’m going to show you some photos of my all-time favorite decorations.  I thought this house was the BEST and would go out of my way to drive by as often as possible.  I mean, this shipwreck! You should have seen it at night!  There were lights and a fan – I mean the wind – that would whip through the tattered sails.

This was the next year:

Apparently Wyle E. Coyote lived here

I always wanted to stop by or send them a card letting them know how much I appreciated their AWESOME decorations, but I never did.  And they moved away. I still wish that I had taken a moment to let them know.

Maybe someday, I will have an incredible pirate shipwreck and sea monster in my front yard.  I’ll add it to my list of things to do in-between things.

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World Ballet Day 2018

I found out that October 2 was World Ballet Day and thought that would make a great excuse to talk about ballet today.

First, I had to find out what World Ballet Day is.  The first World Ballet Day happened in 2014. The original host companies participating were the Australian Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet, the Royal Ballet, National Ballet of Canada and the San Francisco Ballet participated.  2016 was the first year that it became a live Facebook event, the idea being that there would be 24 hours of dance content being presented via livestream. The livestreams include company classes, rehearsal, and other “exclusives.”

This year’s host companies were the Australian Ballet, the Bolshoi, and the Royal Ballet.

The Australian Ballet was established in 1962. Founding Artistic Director woman, Peggy Von Praagh.  She had previously directed Sadler’s Wells Ballet before returning to Australia. I found a fun, short video on their website of one of the ballerina’s prepping her point shoes: https://australianballet.com.au/tv/en-pointe-with-jade-wood.

The Bolshoi Ballet was established in Moscow in 1776. The Bolshoi style is described as “flashy” and “colorful” in contrast to the older ballet company in St. Petersburg (originally the Imperial Ballet, then the Kirov, it is called the Mariinsky Ballet these days) which is known for is pure, classical style.

The UK’s Royal Ballet, originally called Vic-Wells Ballet, was founded by Ninette de Valois in 1931. The company was granted a royal charter and its name changed to the Royal Ballet in the 1950s. Ninette de Valois had performed with the Ballet Ruses in the 1920s and credits Serge Diaghilev with teaching her everything she knew about running a ballet company. Alicia Markova and Margot Fonteyn were some of the notable ballerinas that were a part of this company.

I started watching a video of the Royal Ballet’s company class on their website and couldn’t tear myself away (here is the link to their website: http://www.roh.org.uk/about/the-royal-ballet *scroll down to almost the bottom of the page). I love ballet class. My feet are already mad at me for just watching the tendus.  However, my thighs assure me that I won’t be getting anywhere near a fifth position.

It turns out that World Ballet Day is not just for ballet.  Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater was among others participating.  I watched a bit of their rehearsal of Rennie Harris’ Lazarus on Facebook.  My first thought was, “there is a reason that rehearsal is rehearsal.” Then they got to a run-through of the work.  It was sharp! I haven’t seen Ailey perform for a while and the last time I did, I was starting to feel that they had come to rely on trotting out their greatest hits. I don’t know how new this work is, but it feels fresh and I really enjoyed. It had the signature Ailey feel without being derivative.

While I didn’t watch anywhere near 24 hours of ballet, World Ballet Day reminded me that there is a lot of dance out there and it’s not that hard to find interesting dance to watch online.  There are a couple of performances here locally in the next couple of weeks that I might manage to get out for.  If I do, I’ll let you know!

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Anabel and Sally – The Fix is in!

As I mentioned last week, my kittens had their kitten making equipment “fixed”. Even though it was scary to subject my little loves to surgical procedures, I am very glad that we did it.  All of us are going to be happier living without the things that come along with cat hormones.

Drop off was between 7-7:30am. The vet gave me strict instructions that they weren’t to have any food after midnight.  Since these kittens are used to a middle-of-the-night snack, they were very ready for breakfast, which they weren’t going to get either. I was glad to drop them off right at 7:00 so that I could escape my guilt of their being hungry.

The doc called later that morning to let me know that they were both out of surgery, awake, and playful. He also let me know that Anabel’s equipment had been nearly ready to go into business, so I think we got this taken care of just in time!

When I picked them up, I got a whole long list of instructions: use this recycled paper litter, pain meds for Anabel every 12 hours, wait an hour after getting home before feeding, only feed them half the usual amount then wait another hour, have them wear the cone anytime that they aren’t going to be supervised, minimize jumping and rough play (ok…um, is that possible?).

They were quiet in the car the whole way home.  When I opened the carrier, they took a while to make their exit.  It reminded me of the first time that I brought them home.  Sally came out first of course, he had to say “hello” and check out the new litter box situation.  Eventually Anabel joined us and we all hung out in the sunroom for a while.

Anabel was very in to the new litter. I kept hoping someone was going to take care of business, but they just wanted to play with it. Part of the interest was that we also switched from our fancy top-loading litter boxes to a regular litter pan to minimize jumping. The low-sided pan with this new stuff in it was a playground.

After everyone settled in a bit, I put out their breakfast (so it was 2pm, whatever).  It was clear that Sally was feeling his procedure.  They slept under the futon in the office rather than in the bed with us that night.  But by the next morning Sally was back to his friendly, lovey self.

Ok, did I tell you about having them wear their cones?  Oh yeah, that went well.  And by well, I mean not well at all.

The morning of day two post-op: Anabel wants to lick her incision.  Because it’s itchy. So, I put the cone on her like I’m supposed to.  Then she gets all riled up. Then Sally starts teasing her.  So, he gets the cone too.  I let Mr. Man know what’s going on and I’m off to the gym.  When I come home, Mr. Man is not happy. Apparently, they went even more nuts; there was crashing and thrashing and freaking out.  So much for that.

Also, about the not jumping thing.  Total fail.  They were back up in the window over the fireplace and everywhere else they wanted to go the very next day.

Despite our poor observance to the doc’s instructions, everyone is healing nicely, and we are pretty much back to our usual program now.  Anabel’s incision is pretty healed up, now we just have to wait to see how long it takes for her tummy fur to grow back.

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Jade Roller

I have a confession to make, I love a good skincare gizmo (even though I have a hard time rationalizing spending money on them).  I am completely devoted to my Clarsonic. When my mom sent me a T3 hair drier, I couldn’t imagine why anyone would ever spend that much money on a hair drier – until I tried it and my hair was suddenly smooth and shiny and bouncy and amazing.  I’ve been close to springing for the NuFace a couple of times but have managed to talk myself out of it so far.

When I heard about the jade face roller, I had to learn more.  Here is what caught my attention about this gadget: 1) it is very low tech, so no need to worry that it’s going to crap out before I feel like I got my money’s worth out of it; 2) two words: facial massage. I found one on Nordstrom but wasn’t feeling the $60 price tag and didn’t buy it.  Then it occurred to me to look on Amazon and tada!  You can get one for around $10!  That is a no brainer, buy! *caveat – a $10 jade roller may not actually be jade.

My gadget came with a bonus nifty scraper wedge thing but no instructions.

I’ve never searched for beauty videos online, but this seemed like the time.  I watched a few and found one that was reasonably instructive on youtube (here’s the link).

Basically, you apply a serum or oil of your choice to help the roller glide better and it’s supposed to firm and provide lymphatic drainage (ok, sounds good). Conversely the jade roller allegedly helps the product penetrate the skin so that’s a win.

I think that when I use it, my skin is softer and it really is a nice little massage. I found that there is a lot of tension just above and along my eyebrows and I like to get after that (I’m sure that it will lift and firm my eyelids and help smooth out my elevens…or not, it still feels nice).  The little roller side is for use under your eyes. It’s nice and cool and I can see an immediate reduction in puffiness when I use it there (don’t press hard).

It hasn’t rolled away all my wrinkles, but it does feel firming. I think that if I bothered to use it every day for a week or a month or something that I might notice a difference. For the time being, I’m just using it for a little treat a few times a week.

Have you tried the jade roller?  What do you think? Do you know what the scraper thingy is for?

What is your favorite skincare gadget?

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Beach Day

An important standing appointment on my calendar these days is Beach Day Wednesday.  There is something wonderful about spending time contemplating the ocean, it really puts everything else in perspective. I particularly enjoy having beach days at this time of year, when there is a hint of fall. In California, you can tell that it’s fall because the quality of the sunlight changes, the hot part of the day shrinks, and the air feels heavier.

Hot sailboat action on the bay

When I was in college, we didn’t go back until late September. I came to really appreciate that period from mid-August to late September.  It’s been nice to be able to enjoy my favorite time of the year with those quiet beach days again.

Even when you don’t have somewhere that you have to be every day, it’s still important to have a schedule.  I still get up and go to the gym first thing pretty much every morning.  It helps me get my day going and I feel that I’ve accomplished something. Having my standing beach day appointment gives me a benchmark for my week.  Have I made progress on the things that I want to do this week?  It also gives me a break from feeling that I need to be doing something. When I’m at the beach, its ok just to be at the beach.

I like to pack a lunch, my chair, and my floppy hat. Then I head down to my usual spot, stick my toes in the sand and watch the world go by. If it seems like it might be a little cool, I will bring a sweatshirt. When I’m done, I head home; it’s not a big, day-long production, just a little break.  Beach day doesn’t even necessarily have to be on Wednesday. I don’t mind being flexible but I know that if I didn’t have something blocked out on my calendar, it probably wouldn’t happen at all.

I like to drag along friends who have free time, let me know!

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Belmont Shore Car Show

Earlier this month, Mr. Man and I took a stroll down the street to the Belmont Shore Car Show. This year was the 29th Annual event but the first year that a new organizer took over.  We don’t make it down every year, but it is always a fun time when we do.  I love the beautifully maintained classic cars and there is always a Lamborghini or two for me to covet.  Sometimes the cars have really entertaining set-ups, like the old-timey limousine with a chauffer mannequin behind the driver’s seat.

My favorite car at this year’s car show was Jolly. 

She had wicker seats and her trunk was actually a wicker trunk! 

I think that if you were driving a car like Jolly, you’d have to be in a good mood (unless it was cold or raining or you had to get on the freeway).

There was also this terrific turquoise Volkswagen Karmann Ghia that caught my eye.  This little, sporty car had this teeny trailer and a whole matching travel kit – fire extinguisher, gas can, cooler. I love me some matchy-matchy and this girl was done from top to tail.  What a beauty!

I didn’t take a lot of photos because we sort-of powerwalked the whole show in search of the Beerster.

The what?

The Beerster!  She is a custom, hand-built, open wheel roadster.  Mr. Man’s friend PeeWee built and owns her and PeeWee loves to take her out and show her off.

The Beerster always draws a crowd

A few fun facts about the Beerster:

She has a 1930’s era Buick straight 8 (fireball) engine that was salvaged from a school bus.

The Beerster was designed to resemble a P51 Mustang, the single-seat fighter that was used during WWII.

She got her name from the fact that the guys were drinking beers and designing/building a roadster at the same time.

PeeWee and Mr. Man took her on the Great Race (a timed, rally race) in 2015. Over the course of a week, they rallied from St. Louis, Missouri to the Santa Monica Pier on Route 66.

And NO!  Do NOT wear a scarf when you are driving or riding in the Beerster or any open wheel roadster.  Don’t you know what happened to Isadora Duncan?

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Anabel and Sally Climbing the Walls

Kittens sure grow up fast!  In these past few months it seems like they  reach a new milestone on a daily basis.  Its been fascinating to watch them develop literally before my eyes.  I mean, there have been days when they wouldn’t be able to do something in the morning but they had mastered it by 5:00pm.  Most of these “accomplishments” involve them being able to climb or jump onto something bigger and higher.

For example:

Anabel on top of a rack of magazines. Sally wonders how she got up there. Mr. Man wonders why I have a rack of old San Francisco Ballet programs lying around.
Sally beats Anabel to the seat of the wicker barrel chair. Anabel decides that she must destroy the offending chair.

After about a month, it was time to give them full-time access to the whole house.

Up to that point, we were keeping them in the sunroom, then in the sunroom and office. I would bring them into the front room under close supervision only. We also practiced wearing their collars, which would make them nuts.  The day that I decided that they were big enough to have free reign of the house was the day that they needed to start wearing their collars full time.  They were so excited about exploring everything that they forgot to be annoyed by the bells. 

These guys still are very good at getting underfoot, but the bells give us a little warning.  It creates a sort-of background music when they are running amok in the house – hunting stuffed mice, attacking empty paper towel tubes, hiding loose change and hairbands, and attempting to destroy any other random things they can get their paws on.

Of course Anabel decided to climb the fireplace screen because there’s got to be something interesting inside the fireplace, right? Good thing that these kittens are so tolerant of being handled because I am not tolerant of her white feet being black (yuck!) and we had some washing up to do after that adventure. Sally followed her in there the next day.  Luck for him, his feet are black, so I never really knew how dirty he got.  Currently the fireplace has this attractive barricade system.

 

It was a big day when Anabel made the leap to the window over the fireplace.  This was Clementine’s favorite place and we knew that the kittens would love it there once they discovered it. There were a few oopsies before Anabel made it, but she is a determined and fearless girl. Once she had established her cool, new spot, Sally had to figure out how to get himself up there too. Now they can help me keep an eye on the neighbors (in-between naps).

This morning I dropped the kittens off at the vet to get fixed! I’ve never had to do this before, the last ones had already had that done before they came home to us. I just hope that the doc doesn’t accidently remove any of their sweetness when he’s in there.

 

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Wisdom, Kindness, and Love

My journey with yoga began twenty years ago.  Yoga is ubiquitous these days, but in 1998, it was just starting to become widely accessible.

I haven’t maintained a regular yoga practice but every so often, I find my way back to my mat for a period of time. I’m sure I would be much closer to inner peace and never having back pain if I could maintain a regular, daily practice indefinitely. That’s ok though, yoga welcomes me back every time and seems to give me what I need at that time.

I started taking yoga at the Bally Total Fitness in Huntington Beach.  The Sunday morning step instructor started offering yoga immediately after step class (yes, I was a step aficionado and I had the cankles to prove it). Gosh, I wish I could remember his name!  He was a very sunny and bright spirit who was in the process of yoga training and wanted to share his journey with us.

I loved the opportunity to stretch and move in different ways.  I studied Pilates in college as part of my dance studies so for me, my first exposure to yoga was evocative of that discipline (the intent and breathing is different but I’m sure that old Joe was influenced by ancient India somehow). For me, it was a non-threatening way to work on strength while retaining the flexibility and balance that I had developed through dance.

A few years later, my friend at work invited me to join her for a yoga class after work.  We headed WAY into downtown Los Angeles (this was in the days that no one lived downtown).  The class was a revelation, it was fast moving and energetic and transformational.  I felt like I was attacking my practice with a sense of fearlessness.  There wasn’t time for fear, you just kept moving and when you were finished, you realized that you had done things that you never would have thought you could.  The owner/instructor always closes her lessons with, “wisdom, kindness, and love. Namaste.” Wherever I find myself, I still like to always close my practice with, “wisdom, kindness, and love.”

About two years ago, I was procrastinating with making a decision, nothing life-changing, just a little thing that was important to me.  One day I decided to go to a random yoga class.  Somewhere in the middle of class, that anxious feeling in my chest that had been hanging around for months went away and I knew that it was time and that I was making the right decision.  How does yoga do that?

Currently, I do yoga at my gym. Usually but not always twice a week.  The class is billed  as “ yoga for athletes,” which is not a how I would describe myself these days and I was nervous to try it. But it was on the right day at the right time, and turns out is just right for me right now. The instructor is very straightforward and the class is only 50 minutes, which is long enough for me anymore. We don’t do inversions or crazy back bends or arm balances and I don’t need those things right now.  It is challenging and strenuous, but energizing.