figs

Just like the last few days we had some glorious sun in the morning but clouds by 11am… today it didn't clear up again. It was a busy morning with some basic house cleaning, an 8km walk with June, gift wrapping, and then the long process of making a fig, date, and almond cake. By 3pm I'd mostly finished my chores but was too exhausted to go for a snowshoe - it was still -17 anyway, which is a few degrees colder than I like!

Next was the hardest task of the day - coming up with a story about Cato and Bailey! I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas!

Chapter 10 Cato and Bailey Taste a Fig

Cato and Bailey wondered what all the noise was coming from the kitchen. It wasn't supper time so Laura wasn't making their food. They knew that it was usually Carm who made their supper anyway. Laura seemed to be running some loud machine which she said was a food processor that chopped things up. They thought that they are also food processors but don't make so much noise.

It did sound a bit like a big rain storm which made them yell a bit.

Laura told them that she was making a cake for tomorrow's Christmas celebration. They were a bit confused as they remembered Christmas being just a month ago. They knew they'd been living with Laura and Carm for a while but didn't think it was long enough to be next Christmas. Laura told them they'd only been here for a few weeks so it wasn't even close to being Christmas yet. They'd have to have their birthdays first.

Then the house started smelling really nice and they wondered what kind of cake it was to smell so good. Laura told Cato and Bailey that it was a fig, date, and almond cake which they thought might be good to try but Laura wouldn't let them have any as she said it was for tomorrow. Laura did give them a piece of dried fig which they thought was weird. They put it aside to try later.

Then Laura played them a song about figs which they thought was fun. Maybe they'd try tasting it but it was so sticky. There were tiny little seeds that seemed interesting though.

https://youtu.be/u8MtS9RPCG8?feature=shared

Later in the day they wondered if Laura and Carm were going to dress up the dogs in their funny clothes to go outside again, but Laura said it was too cold and that she was a little tired from walking so long and making cakes.

Awesome!

"cake for tomorrow"

"dried figs"

"a long chat with June - lots of talk about our trip"

learning about snow

The sun shone again this morning, but like yesterday by mid morning the clouds had returned. I guess we have to be grateful for every minute of sunshine but gosh - a full day would be great!

I finished the movie that I started watching on the treadmill yesterday… usually I try for light hearted comedies but this one was not… it was sweet and heart-warming but one of the main characters died from cancer which is too close to what is happening with Cato & Bailey's 'mom'. The fact that it was the other character's sister didn't make it less emotional! Oh, and there was Alzheimer's as well, just for another level of sadness… Sobbing on the treadmill is 'interesting'! The ending was happy(ish), considering someone died, which only made me cry again! Dooh! I'll try for something better tomorrow…

Carm has had some stomach upset for a few days so I've not been doing any cooking beyond the bare minimum. We think he drank some milk that was slightly off - not even past the best before date. Thank goodness for simple soups in the freezer. We did gobble down a full block of tofu with our supper though! I've been making it a bit differently sometimes and it's definitely gobbleable. I break it into bite sized pieces - it's important to tear it because that leaves rough areas to crisp up - toss it with spices and cornstarch, and then roast it in my airfryer. It comes out crispy, perfect for nibbling straight from the pan.

Chapter 9 Cato and Bailey Learn about Snow

It was mid day when Cato and Bailey saw Laura run after Lupa. They could see something in Laura's hand but weren't sure what it was but they could see that Lupa didn't want whatever it was. When Laura finally cornered Lupa they saw that it was some sort of outfit that her legs went into and it zipped up the back. They wondered why Laura would do that. Then they saw Adia get a jacket on. This is what happens when people leave the house so they thought that maybe the dogs were going somewhere.

It was quiet in the house when Laura, Carm, Adia, and Lupa left the house. Cato and Bailey asked Grace where they had gone. Grace told them that sometimes they all go outside to play in the snow. They asked Grace what the snow was like but she told them she'd never been outside when there was snow. She didn't have an outfit and told them that it was too cold to go outside without a coat. Cato and Bailey agreed that they would run away like Lupa if someone tried to put clothes like that on them. In fact, they didn't like the idea of clothes at all.

https://youtu.be/x0oc3IR4qGQ?si=qPIunzEGPmNG_syU

It seemed that the house was quiet for a long time although the clock showed that only 25 minutes had gone by. It was suddenly a flurry of activity when they all came back inside. White stuff was stuck to Lupa's legs and they figured that it was snow that they saw. They didn't think they'd like to have their legs in snow and were grateful for the warm house. They thought about how cold it must be to freeze water and felt a little chill at the thought. Luckily it was time for glop which warmed them up even though they weren't really cold. They happily forgot about winter as they gobbled the warm glop.

I mentioned earlier that the sky had clouded over this morning, well, as luck would have it the sun was blazing again this afternoon when we went out for a snowshoe! It was gorgeous but cold. Lupa ran the trails and had to be coaxed in after 30 minutes, but Adia was cold. We decided that we'd order her a snowsuit like Lupa's so dashed to the pet store in the local village to order 2 sizes. They should be here on Wednesday next week. Adia will look dashing in pink! The suits aren't lined but are windproof. If it was really cold we could layer one of her other coats on top. I think it will make these outings a bit warmer for her - goodness knows, Lupa doesn't seem to get cold at all in hers. The first time we started making our way back to the house, she zoomed out into the hayfield paths and stood waiting for us to follow.

The joy they bring is real!

Our favourite shwarma shop was right next door and since we hadn't had lunch and were starving from our frosty tromp, we succumbed to sandwiches. Delicious! It will be a light supper tonight!

Awesome!

"pink blush of morning sun"

"a tromp outside on the snowshoes again"

"Lupa's snowsuit"

"Lupa running up and down the trails"

enjoy some sunshine

A beautiful pink glow reached across the sky this morning. We got up out of bed a little bit earlier than we have been (before 8am! which I'm sure our working friends would think was a big sleep in). The trees across the field were gilded white with hoar frost with the blue sky the perfect backdrop. The morning wore the colours well. It was cold though - minus 25C!

Below my treadmill window was the lone track of a bunny - perhaps the one that likes to hang out under the bird feeder. The snow glittered like it had been sprinkled with a million tiny diamond chips. The beauty of winter was out in full force today. Although by 11:30am clouds had dulled the blue sky into a faint grey.

Chapter 7 Cato and Bailey Enjoy some Sunshine

The sun shone directly into Cato and Bailey's cages this morning - a glorious start to another cold winter day. They basked in the warm rays while patiently waiting for first breakfast - a bit of banana. Bailey gobbles big chunks down and then rushes to share with Cato, feeding her like he would if she were a chick. Then he plucks a few feathers from her head.

Cato and Bailey play on top of their cages but are keen to get back inside for second breakfast, a dish full of egg, grains, and vegetables. They dig in happily, eating their favorites first. Cato always eats egg first, unless there is a bit of meat (which is rare - Laura hardly ever cooks meat). Bailey likes the sunflower seeds and the cooked grains. He gobbles as much as he can. Someone says 'good' as they power through their food.

After breakfast they move to their favourite perches and preen, making their feathers pretty.

It's become a regular routine for them. They have gotten used to the long quiet days… no sewing machine activities to amuse them. They think that Laura and Carm are boring. But it's like a second home now and even the dogs have become part of the family. Cato likes to push food out of her cage for Adia, who stands by waiting for the treat. Cato remembers Gus and Sadie, dog family from when she was young.

Cato and Bailey wonder why the sun doesn't shine for them longer but Laura tells them that the sun moves across the sky and gets higher as the morning continues. They don't know why this has to happen but are happy that it's at least bright out.

Later, they watch with confusion while Laura seems to walk in one spot, on and on, sometimes singing. They like it when she sings even though they think they are better singers than her. They thought the song about the beautiful day was fun and true on a sunny day.

https://youtu.be/5SKS_xcBS5w?si=fRJ7TMAFirZZZUb1

We made another booking for our Rome trip today - a 4 hour walking food tour that hits 7 places! Excited for this! But not before dressing up the dogs for a 20 minute snowshoe outside! I dug out an 'outfit' that I'd made years ago for Kabira which has both front and back legs, however her back legs kept coming out so I ended up just tying it up on her back. Not ideal! I checked the pet store for a similar one to Lupa's but they are about $100… not sure if it's worth it… which is actually a moot point as they are out of stock everywhere! It was a bit colder today, or at least it seemed it was on my face, but the dogs didn't complain. Lupa was still running up and down the tramped paths and had to be called inside. They both had a grand time!

Awesome!

"pink blush of morning sun"

"a tromp outside on the snowshoes again"

"Lupa's snowsuit"