Upside Down Cats

We have a couple visitors staying at our house. As guests go, they are the very definition of low-maintenance. They have made themselves completely at home in our extra bedroom. They occupy themselves all day while Scott and I are working. They are fastidiously clean, quiet and extremely well-mannered. They seem genuinely grateful for our hospitality and have proven easy to please where food is concerned. On top all that, they are every bit the cat enthusiasts we are...

Maybe that's because they are, well, cats.

Continue reading "Adventures In Catsitting" »

So, let's get right to the subject at hand. Here are the menus I've planned in advance for the week ahead...



Chicken & Stuffing Bake w/ Broccoli

Shrimp Lo Mein

Grilled American Cheese Sandwiches on Garlic Loaf, Coleslaw & Waffle Fries

Tostadas w/ Refried Beans, Beef & Cheese & Mixed Greens Salad w/ Cilantro

Almond-Crusted Tilapia, Rice Pilaf & Escarole Sauted in Olive Oil w/ Garlic

Bacon Swiss Burgers, Beer-Battered Onion Rings & Raw Vegetable Patter w/ Ranch Dip

Hash Brown Skillet w/ Chicken-Apple Sausage & Scrambled Eggs Topped w/Cheddar Cheese Sauce & Fresh Fruit Salad



I've got a busy week ahead of me at work, so I think the keys to getting all this cooked is pre-planning and pre-paration! I'll keep my fingers crossed that my hectic week doesn't pre-vent me from making these tasty meals!

Sat on her tuffet...



Or maybe it's The Princess and the Pea!

Whatever the story

Beemer's in her glory

And no one will cause her to flee!

Another week, another menu planned in advance for the upcoming week. Here's some of the meals I'll be cooking...



Beef & Cheddar Patty Melts on French Bread & Homemade Potato-Corn Chowder

Shrimp Scampi, French Bread & Mixed Greens Salad

Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches, Waffle Fries & Marinated Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad

Chicken Kiev, Steamed White Rice & Broccoli Sauted w/ Olive Oil & Garlic

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches on Whole Wheat Bread, French Fries & Broccoli-Cauliflower Slaw

Homemade Chipotle Macaroni & Cheese & Mixed Greens Salad

Bacon, Cheddar & Egg Breakfast Sandwiches, Hash Brown Potatoes & Fresh Fruit



Besides sounding rather tasty, this post is notable for another reason...

This post marks the date of my one year anniversary of blogging - my blogiversary - if you will. It is my 242nd post here at Upside Down Cats. It's been an exciting first year of blogging. I've had a wonderful time writing and learning to think like a blogger! I hope I've been an interesting and enjoyable read for you, my readers. I've met some lovely people who are kind enough to not only read me but to comment as well. I thank all my readers for stopping by. I hope you'll continue to do so as I embark on my next year of Upside Down Cats.

Bon Apetit!

it is not only creative, but colorful and fun - not to mention resourceful!

'Tower With Stuffed Elements'

By NZT Artists' Collaborative Effort

Yesterday I was faced with a long, boring car ride to Ravinia, a not-so-local music venue to see - well, to be honest - hear the fabulously entertaining Lyle Lovett. Scott's brother and sister-in-law gave Scott tickets to the concert for his birthday, and we had a wonderful time. We thank them greatly for a beautiful evening.

But that car ride is interminable! Thankfully I was merely the passenger, so I made the best of my ample free time by planning the meals I plan to cook this week. Behold the fruits of my labors...



Italian Chicken "Stirfry" w/ Broccoli Florets & Red Peppers over Penne Pasta

Beef Kabobs w/ Red Peppers, Vidalia Onions & Cremini Mushrooms & Couscous w/ Garlic & Walnuts

Hot Dogs, French Fries & Mixed Greens Salad

Sub Sandwiches & Homemade Potato-Corn Chowder

Orange-Honey Glazed Mahi Mahi, Rice Pilaf w/ Toasted Almonds & Oven-Roasted Asparagus w/ Garlic

Biscuits & Sausage Gravy & Fresh Fruit Salad



Not a bad use of some spare time, huh?

...on our house that reads - in Felinese:

This property is a designated "Cat Sanctuary."

Come one, come all and be safe

(and probably fed and eventually adopted, if you so desire).

Several weeks ago I saw a black and white cat outside one of the front windows on the lower level of our house. This in itself is not unusual. The unusual thing was that she was just lying there on her side, very still. The window was open and she was right below it, exactly where Cooper used to come to visit before he moved in. We kept checking on her during the course of the morning. She stayed for several hours, and then she left. I couldn't help but wonder why she just laid there. I guessed that maybe she was pregnant and needed a quiet place to chill out for a while.

She didn't return to the window, so I assumed she was just passing through. End of story.

Or was it?

Continue reading "There Must Be A Sign" »

Recently I noticed a new feature to a decorative birdhouse on our back porch.






















Apparently the plastic foliage fooled this butterfly so completely that she not only landed on it, but laid eggs on one of the leaves and on the window ledge this is sitting on!

She stayed on our porch for two days, leaving us with dozens of neon green eggs. Then she was gone.

I wonder what kind of butterfly it is. I am not adept at the care of butterfly eggs, nor am I certain this is really a butterfly. Maybe it is some kind of man-eating moth that has spawned on our porch with a plan to devour us first...and later the whole of humanity...

Or maybe I've watched too many bad '50s horror flicks.

Does anyone know anything about this butterfly...if indeed that is what it is?

It's like freakin' Wild Kingdom around here lately!!!

Do these jeans make my butt look big?

George Carlin and I share a birthday - well, the day, not the year. That fact has always made me feel a special kinship with him, as fellow members of the May 12th Club. It's silly, I know, but I feel the same connection to Emilio Estevez, Katherine Hepburn, Yogi Berra, Burt Bacharach, Tom Snyder, Stephen Baldwin, Bruce Boxleitner, Billy Squier, Gabriel Byrne, our dear friend Stacy and, of course, Florence Nightingale. It never ceases to amaze me how much I have in common with each and every one of these intelligent, charming and talented people!

George has been among my favorite comedians - and public people - all my life. What a multi-faceted talent! His blend of sharp, insightful and fearless comedy makes me laugh and think simultaneously. He is responsible for a large part of my sense of humor and world view. It should come as no surprise that he appears on the guest list for my fantasy dinner party along with a plethora of other fascinating people.

Continue reading "George On My Mind" »