I have an awesome little red wool rug from Ikea next to my front door. It’s the perfect place for standing while kicking off wet shoes. For my cats, it’s the perfect place for taking a nap next to the heating vent – or in Lilo’s case, chewing on raw hide. (Even though the rug is wool, she’s … Read more
I was too sick to write up a wine recipe today, but Lilo wanted me to make a Fermentation Friday post anyway. She jumped on top of the kitchen cabinets and started posing with the backstock of homemade vinegars & brews I keep up there. So today is a photo post. Next week I should be feeling well enough to … Read more
When I first got cats, I swore that I was not going to get any hideous, carpet-covered cat trees for my abode. Then I realized that my cats had no way to see out the upstairs windows. What kind of cruel owner was I? I might as well put them in jail. So I looked for cat tree plans online (warning: … Read more
How I mended a felted-wool Banana Republic cardigan sweater after my neurotic cat ate a chunk out of it. Same method works for dog- and moth-eaten sweaters. Read more …
This is Lilo. I found her in the parking lot when she was a scrawny kitten of about three months old. She was darting back and forth under the cars, chasing a ground squirrel. The annual leases in the neighboring apartment complex had just let up, so my best guess was that someone dumped her when they moved. I put up signs … Read more
I was researching recipes for people with egg allergies at an old job when I found one for sweet potato cornbread. It sounded good, so I printed it out and tried it at home. I loved it except for the fact that I could taste the baking powder, which was used in large quantities to make up for the lack of eggs. Since I’m … Read more
In the past year or so, I’ve found at least half a dozen K-cup coffee makers sitting on the curb or next to Dumpsters on trash day. All of them turned out to be perfectly functional once I cleaned the hard water buildup from the works. My guess is that they were thrown out because the previous owners didn’t know how to remove … Read more
Sometimes you find cheap and easy solutions for things without even trying. Today I was over at a friends house where the cats’ favorite spots include a stereo equipment box that’s sitting next to the living room window. Note that the cat tree is sitting right next to the box (that’s what the pieces of carpet at the front of … Read more
Two months to the day that I last wrote here. I’m still being cheap, but I haven’t been very motivated to write about it lately. In September, I had an extended viral illness that limited my ability to go couponing and that also motivated me to start writing fiction again as a way to entertain myself. As I often am … Read more
As mentioned in a previous entry, mid-month was the major curb-shopping event in my town. It’s also known as “hippie Christmas” because the curb and dumpsters offer so many gifts, and I’m okay with that name even though I’m not a hippie. Renters who hate the idea of throwing away perfectly good stuff but don’t have time to get to … Read more