StrangeRanger

Almost exactly 10 years ago....

...we had a minor ice storm.  A really small one, as these things go.  ChezRanger and the surrounding neighborhood kept power, which was welcome.  The main effects were felt by the bambo trees across the highway from us.

The other major effect was to send Maddie on a search for warmth.

Blankets and sunshine.  That's the way to go!

She got so comfy that she didn't even mind the photo session...

I always liked this photo.  And I always loved the perfect fur on her face.

HEY!  I have fur on my face, too, y'know!!

Yes dear, I know.  And I love it, too.

Have a great week ahead, all.  I must go soothe an affronted cat....

 

One last pic...

...from my recent sunpuddle series (the 55,000th series of supuddle pics, I know...)

And I lie.  I'll probably post another pic from the series next week.

All here are well. Daisy is doing splendidly.  The collection of winter birds hereabouts has taken to perching in our leafless bush at the dining room window.  Daisy enjoys watching her cat TV much of the day.

Have a great week ahead, all!

Kung-Fu?

I don't often go a month between posts, but I have recently.  Maybe I'm losing my blog-fu....

Daisy, however, has lost none of any of her styles of -fu.  She's even been working on perfecting a new kind of -fu.  No, not kung-fu.  She has mastered that and created her own style.  No, I'm talking about Sun-Fu.  

It's a challenging style, but I'll master it!

Challenging indeed!  She not only has to lie in the sun-puddle, she also has to manage to bathe in it!!

Challenge Accepted!

And Met!

Our cat is a martial wonder.

And also really really pretty!

We here hope that you had a good holiday season and send our best wishes for a wonderful 2023!

The Wubby

Daisy loves her toys.  I mean, really loves her toys.  She has a purple shaggy, sparkly ball on a string that she tosses around like an outfielder.  She has several rattling mice that perform generally the same function.  There are a couple of balls that she rolls around and tries (in vain) to stop before they roll under the couch.  There is, though, one toy that seems to have real sentimental value for her.  One special toy.

This is the Wubby.  It's a large, pom-pom-like ball of yarn on a long yarn string.  We've had it for ages, no real idea where it came from.  Maddie and Ivy both had a crack at it but didn't seem to really connect.  Daisy loves this toy.  It seems to function as a Teddy Bear or security blanket.  

There have been times that LadyRanger and I have left the house on an errand and have seen Daisy leap onto the back of the couch, watch us descend the front steps with the Wubby in her mouth.  Many and many another time we've come home to find the Wubby lying across the door mat just inside the front door.  Daisy will bring the Wubby to bed when she comes to check on us in the night.  Most of the time, it simply ends up in the doorway to the bedroom.  As I'm sure you can tell, The other evening, Daisy left it under the Christmas tree.

I'ma put this here so Sandy Claws knows what what sort of gift to leave.

Daisy loves her Wubby.

Have a great week ahead, all!

Catching Up

We've got a lot of catching up to do.  It's been a busy set of weeks here at ChezRanger.  Iffy in some areas, but not altogether bad. Not at all.

We had our traditional Thanksgiving soup, which is always a delight!

Squash soup garnished with avocado, jack cheese and walnuts toasted in butter.  nothing Finer!

The next notable event was the arrival of a visitor-cat!  Actually, we have lots of ferals, as well as a few indoor/otdoor cats around, so it's quite common to have a visitor (or, rather, a "Barbarian at the gate" according to Daisy).  What makes this different is that I actually got a picture.  Here she is.

Not as skittish as some we've seen, but she has absolutely no interest in making our acquaintance. 

Of course, the news that everyone comes here for is Daisy news!  I'm afraid our we3e gray cat may be growing up!  It's prime Sunpuddle season now.  Daisy has never been a cat to appreciate the Sunpuddle the way Maddie and Ivy did, but the other day Daisy actually lounged in it!  I was stunned.

What?

Gotta keep the tum warmed, y'know.  Helps with digestion.

And then, the most cat thing ever:  a wee bath!

Spent a while on that leg.

Oh yeah, looking sharp....

Whoa!  I have Got To work on that tail!  

And that occupied a decent part of her afternoon.  I can think of worse ways to pass my time, honestly.

Have a great week ahead, all!

No News, no New...

...and thus we get a blast from the past!  These pics are from 11 years ago, today.

I'm trying to see things from your point of view, but your point of view is stupid.

Yeah, I get that a lot.....

Also, you get to see Maddie's extravagantly furred feets!

And finally, I sight that I would give much to see again in life; my cat, asleep.

For the Daisy fans out there (and who isn't a Daisy fan, really?), Daisy is fine.  Her fur is growing back in pretty well and she is her normal, energetic, moderately destructive but incredibly charming self.

Have a great week ahead, all!

To the Moon

Well, not *to* the moon so much as *at* the moon.  LadyRanger and I got up early on Election Day and went out into the dark of the morning to gaze upon the Lunar Eclipse.

It was visible through the bare limbs and was distinctly red.  It looked a lot better in person than in my photo, but in my defense, this is the first time I've ever tried to photograph the moon.  Every time I see a lunar eclipse, it is a remarkable sight.

Then we came back inside and were forced to answer the inevitable question:

Why aren't you looking at ME?!?

I am now, dear.....

Have a great week ahead, all!

Working

I AM HAVING PICTURE ISSUES.  I'LL GET IT FIXED AS SOON AS I CAN.  DAISY IS WELL!

It's been a busy few weeks at ChezRanger.  Lots of stuff has been getting done.  We've got some more to get done soon but we're taking a break for a couple of weeks.  Thank goodness.

We have been without closet doors in the bedroom for a decade or more now.  The doors that were present when we bought the place 20+ years ago were old.  They took turns falling out of the doorframe and we'd just never seen the urgency in replacing them.  Then Daisy started climbing climbing up LadyRanger's clothes to get to the top shelf and start throwing down the contents.  Not only did Daisy start throwing down the jeans, but she started pitching the good wool sweaters.  On top of all that, Daisy's ladder to the shelf was usually the section of the closet that held LadyRanger's small but lovely collection of handmade, stylish silk garments.  Doors had to be found.

We got some of the classic bi-fold closet doors.  "Well," I said to myself, "How hard could this be?"  I got the tracks and brackets set up just right, but the darn doors would not fit.  And it was only about 1/16th of an inch, too.  Couldn't figure it out to save my life.  That's when I called in a professional.

 

There we go! All neat, tidy, secure, and absolutely un-openable by anyone without opposable thumbs!  Why were we putting these up again?

Daisy was ably assisted by Logan, and gentleman who has worked on our house many times in the past.  Indeed, one of the few people who we trust to work on our wee brick bungalow.

I've been doing a bit or work myself.  I have always been interested in woodworking so I'm taking a class at the local community college and am having a blast.  I've come back after each session with all of my fingers, so that's a win.  I've made a couple of primitive items that may be useful for keeping plants in.  The last session of the class, I started trying out tools I hadn't used before.  I was just seeing if I could get my cuts made correctly and accurately, and then see if I could put them together right.

 

It's not a real picture frame.  It might be a.....trivet??  Maybe?  I was pleased with how it came together and how neatly it all lined up.  I was pleased with how square ("skwar" as my instructor would say) the corners are.  And, of course, it serves to frame my dear wee gray cat. Until she moves...

Have a great week ahead, all!

 

Vintage Pic

I am lazy today. Enjoy a vintage pic of Maddie in the last of the sunpuddle...

We're at the start of sunpuddle season now, so perhaps Daisy will oblige us by posing.  Perhaps our kinetic little gray streak will settle down and have a nap?

Have a great week ahead, all!

Cooking

Cooking has always been something of a contact sport here at ChezRanger.  LadyRanger and I have always been in complete accord in the kitchen.  We spent a lot of Thursday there.  I made one of our favorites:  Suvir Saran's Grandma Hayes's Cornbread.  This is one of our go-to breakfasts in the fall.  And the winter.  And early spring.  We do tweak the recipe a bit.  We use frozen corn for the ease factor.  We also substitute a tablespoon of dried Aleppo Pepper for the jalapeno and cayenne.  Aleppo pepper has a much milder burn and a smokier flavor which we think is just perfect for this delicious bread.

You left out the bat...that's the most important ingredient...

Daisy always chimes in with helpful hints.  

That night for dinner we made Albert Bevia's Mushroom and Red Pepper Paella.  Another great hit!  We have liked every recipe we've tried from Spain on a Fork!

We made the paella in our new paella pan, too!

I don't often include links in this blog, but I had to make sure Suvir and Albert got the credit they deserve.  Go visit their sites and cook their recipes.  I know you'll find a new family favorite in there somewhere!

Enjoy this pic of Daisy, being the supervising force in our kitchen, as she is in the rest of our lives.

You're doin' it wrong.

Have a great week ahead, all!