The Week the Cats Escaped – Twice!
The kittens are getting bigger and smarter. They are spending a lot of time exploring now and a little less time sleeping. So this week, with beautiful weather in abundance, we opened all the windows including the ones in the kitchen, to let the air circulate. I am not a fan of air conditioning so will put off using it for as long as possible here in the Lowcountry. Therefore, fans and open windows are how we enjoy our days. The kittens decided that the open window shelves were a good place to view the greater outdoors and to watch the birds coming and going to the feeder. Somehow, one or both of them, pushed the screen out of the window. Hello, what’s this? We can escape and go out and view the greater world beyond our limited housebound lives. They went as far as our neighbors porch, peered in the windows of their house at their cat, and then wandered home again. John was outside doing something in the garden and discovered the two of them under the offending window, trying to figure out how to get back in. Our neighbor, in the meantime, had seen the kittens and taken pictures of them, then notified us that we had jail breakers. Too funny. We thought that might be the end of their big adventures but no, they discovered that the screen door on the front of the house sometimes doesn’t shut properly and leaves a bulge in the bottom of the screen that is just the right size for two little kittens to crawl through. They were once again discovered calmly sitting on the front walk wondering where to go next. Now we have the big ole’ dog gate in front of the screen door so they don’t push it open and we have closed the windows in the kitchen to a level that won’t let them sit there and push the screen out. Clever kitties!
Best Day Ever!
Some days are better than others and Tuesday of this past week was one of those really great days where everything we wanted to do got done and the timing worked out perfectly. It was a run from the time we got up in the morning. I went off to Zumba which is about an hour long class. Great fun. Then I picked up my pals Diane and Genie to go out to Fripp Island to walk on the beach. They were sitting on the steps waiting for me. We drove out there which is about a 20 to 25 minute trip, met my two walking buddies at the beach and walked for about an hour with the glorious waves crashing and the sand just the right consistency for walking under our feet. It put big smiles on our faces. We had golf tee times for 1:04 and 1:14 so we had to leave to drive back in time to change from walking clothes into golf clothes and grab a bite to eat. Made it with 1/2 hour to spare. We had two foursomes, the women in one group, the men in the other. We were about to tee off when the fourths arrived, right on schedule with not a minute to spare. We played 18 holes of golf, 9 of which were the best I had ever played in my life, which by the way is a lot of fun, glad it happened once in my life, and finished with just enough time to shower and change to join more friends for cocktails before the 10 of us went out for dinner at a favorite restaurant. What a great day! Our friends who were visiting from Canada figure this is how we live every day and they want to come back. I need 51 weeks to get ready.
A Road Trip to Asheville
I
t has been four months since we have been up to Asheville to see our daughter Margot and Hadley so we planned it to coincide with our friends leaving after being in Dataw with us for a month. I always love being there with Jack and Genie as I always have someone to walk with in the mornings, to play golf with in the afternoons, and to get together with in the evenings. Therefore, when they leave I am usually feeling somewhat bereft. So having this trip to look forward to really helped me to adjust. You know, change and all that. Anyway, we left Dataw and actually followed our friends up the road as far as 95 but then they took off and we didn’t see them again. They continued north on 95 we went off at 26 at Charleston to head west to Asheville. We left the kittens, with the windows secure from breakout but still open enough for fresh air, and took Winchester with us for our road trip. We stopped in Columbia and had lunch at Panera Bread which is one of my trusted sources for food on the road. I like their salads and with the dressings on the side, I can control how much I put on my salad. The ingredients are fresh and tasty and Panera has a commitment to fresh and whole foods which I like. Still not as good as eating at home but it is much better than many of the alternatives. We ate outside because we had Winchester with us and while sitting there one of the managers came out with a soup bowl filled with water for him. It was a kind gesture and one that makes me happy I live in this part of the world. Winchester was so good, just lay down next to my chair and watched as people and cars went by. He is a good boy and a good traveler. He was very happy to get here and to play with his buddy Brewer. Now they are of equal size there is a lot of running and chasing each other which is good exercise for both of them.
Kudzu and Great Food
We had a wonderful tour of wedding venues and also where we are going to rent a house next year for the girls’ wedding. Lots of laughs as we seemed to be driving in circles but we eventually got there. When we got home, for some reason, the great Kudzu cleanup was what got us going. We had stopped to buy me some new walking shoes – the kittens and Winchester had eaten one of my shoes when we were out on Thursday night – don’t ask but the shoe was finished – so I figured we would go for a walk when we got home. Well that’s not what happened. We ended up cleaning up the entire side hill of the property and ridding it of the dreaded Kudzu. What a job and of course the sun came out and it got hot. It was somewhat satisfying to pull the dead Kudzu off the trees, some of them trying to bloom despite the Kudzu and also quite satisfying when we found the main root and Margot got to hack at it with the ax and the shovel. We all got quite a workout from this unexpected yard work project but were very pleased with the end results. The girls borrowed a truck from a friend – one of the oldest trucks left on the roads in North Carolina – but it worked for what they needed which was to haul off the branches that had been cleared up. Should have taken a picture of the truck bed as they left. The area we cleared looks great and is ready for some plantings I think. We treated ourselves to a very special dinner out at a restaurant that is only open on rare occasions. The restaurant is the Buxton Hall Barbque but we didn’t eat downstairs we went upstairs to their new restaurant option called the Remingtin Room. This part of the restaurant is only open on Friday and Saturday nights and by reservation. The food was a total surprise. Limited choices but so unusual and so delicious. We had our great friends the Fishers join us and we experimented with different appetizers and main courses. It was a wonderful experience. Asheville is certainly a place to visit if you like to eat. This weekend is an 80/20 rule weekend for sure!!!
Hummus Recipe
One of my favorite lunches is hummus and fresh vegetables especially broccoli. I don’t always make my own hummus because I can buy it ready made from a company called Roots which has its home base in Asheville. It is wonderful, all natural and tasty. You can find it at Whole Foods or most health food stores. However, I want to make it myself because I believe that is always the best way to have your food so I am experimenting with various recipes. This week is a recipe from my favorite cookbook. Let me know if you try it and also if you can find the Roots hummus at a store near you.
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