Monthly Archives: December 2016

Dec31

I was Hornswaggled

Posted on December 31, 2016 by heretherebespiders

Cheated, hoodwinked, swindled, bilked, scammed, duped, schnockered, suckered.

I knew it was too good to be true. I knew deep in the part of my brain that wasn’t grinning with joy like the Cheshire Cat that had just tripped the Queen.

But it was so pretty! Hubby said when he saw the smile on my face as I gently hugged it close, he knew we would be buying it. At full price. Well, almost full price – he gets 10% off at this particular shop.

What got me, you ask?

A blue orchid.

Sigh.

Blue orchids don’t exist. Don’t get me wrong, this is a real, living orchid, and it is blue.

Nonetheless, it is a fake. The poor thing has cleverly been dyed blue. When it is done blooming, and blooms again, it will be a plain old white phalaenopsis or moth orchid.

Dammit.

The woman running the till also was in love with it, and hoped there was still one left the next day so she could get one, too. I definitely said, “I know, it’s so amazing, isn’t it? Almost looks like it was dyed!”

Yeah. Because it is dyed! Oh well.

Let my error be a warning to you. At least it is healthy and will be loved.

Dec24

Nollaig Shona Dhuit ó Lumi!

Posted on December 24, 2016 by heretherebespiders

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Happy Christmas from Lumi, in Irish.

Bit blurry but hey, he isn’t yet seven months old and is like a little furry rocket. Lumi-zoomie!

And he looks more like a clown than a Christmas kitten, anyway.

Happy holidays to all of you, whatever form they take for you. Love from Spiders, iDJ, Lumi, Lokii and Neko.

Dec21

Deth Nog 2016!

Posted on December 21, 2016 by heretherebespiders

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I have a good few amazing new blogger friends this year who have never heard about Deth Nog! Time to set that right.

My dad always made (and hopefully still does make) some seriously potent home made egg nog for Christmas. Of course as kids, we were only allowed a sip or three, as it was heavily boozed up.

We always bought milk in the typical big American gallon jug. Milk that was used for drinking, of course, and for everyone’s morning coffee (we kids had “coffee-milk” which was mostly milk with coffee splashed in – no concerns about caffeine being bad back then. And I’m glad. That drink was awesome, and it made us feel included in family rituals, and very grown-up).

So. One year, mom blearily added the eggnog (made in an empty gallon milk jug) to her morning coffee. I’m sure she had a great day at work! We had a great new tradition- labelling the jug to prevent accidental morning tipples.

Me being me, I’ve run with the idea over the years. Here are my efforts over the years I’ve been blogging.

2010, I think.

2011

2013? Lokii and Spot.

Definitely 2013. Maybe I made two batches.

2014.

2015. I think. Ah, who cares.

Freshly made tonight and finally labelled with the year so I don’t get mixed up again: crappy skulls on top of trees! Oh well, I tried. At least the trees look okay. It’s Sharpie marker – only one chance to draw.

And now to the important part: how to pleasantly poison yourself and your family. US and EU measures both provided.

US version:

(need an empty 1 gallon milk jug)

1 cup (1/2 pint) each of:

Brandy

Blended whiskey

Rum (not light or dark – do not use spiced rum, yuck!)
4-6 whole eggs – depends on how big they are, of course
2 cups (1 pint) heavy cream

1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (I think I hit about the middle between the two)

1/4 teaspoon each cinnamon and nutmeg (may need a bit more, I didn’t have the measure written down! Dad said start with 1/4 and add more if you think it needs it. I’ve used as much as whole teaspoon of each and it was fine.)
Beat eggs until smooth.

Add cream and a bit of the milk, doesn’t matter how much but not TOO much just yet!

Add all the alcohol. Add the sugar.

Stir until the sugar melts.

Add nutmeg and cinnamon.

Pour into empty 1 gallon jug, top up with milk until jug is full.

Shake well!

Not-US Version: Okay, same thing but converted into metric! Doesn’t matter if it isn’t perfect, it’ll be tasty.

(need two empty 2-litre milk jugs)

237ml each of:

Brandy

Blended whiskey

Rum (not light or dark – do not use spiced, yuck!)

4-6 whole eggs – depends on how big they are, of course

473ml heavy cream

4 to 8 tablespoons sugar (I think I hit about the middle between the two)

Beat eggs until smooth.

Add cream and a bit of the milk, doesn’t matter how much but not TOO much just yet!

Add all the alcohol. Add the sugar.

Stir until the sugar melts.
Add nutmeg and cinnamon.

Pour into empty jugs, try to put the same amount in each, oh how fun, and top up with milk until jugs are full.

Shake well!

Note: I can’t find ‘not light and not dark’ rum here; I just use the white or clear rum.

Please do let me know if you try it!

Dec18

Hope for Tomorrow

Posted on December 18, 2016 by heretherebespiders

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I have no idea if the Electoral College will do the right thing tomorrow. In theory, people like DJT are the reason it was created – of course other people have more sinister theories on why it still exists.

Until tomorrow, then; more Lumi. He has been my go-to-guy when I need hugs and cuddles. Since I last posted about him, he has learned to jump into my arms. This is something I’ve taught my cats for over 13 years. It is pretty easy to do – but kittens get over excited at first and jump when you aren’t asking, or looking, and sometimes it ends in a bloody back or legs. In any case, he and I have a routine now. When I get dressed for work in the morning, he launches himself at me and talks in my ears while purring madly. I have been late to work because he doesn’t want to let go!

When I come home and change out of my work gear, he does it again. It’s a nice welcome home.

He does do ‘bad’ things – the TV is still a target, as are the plants in the bathroom (my gerbera daisies). He broke a Welsh pottery cat I had, but it was by accident. He does parkour, you see, but sometimes awkwardly.

Surprisingly, he hasn’t gone mental on the Christmas tree. I don’t know what it is about how I raise furry kids, but I’ve never had one that treated a tree like a climbing post. We only put plastic baubles or ornaments at the bottom of the tree, so they can remove them and play if they want to. After a week, only three balls have been removed. Lokii is just as guilty of that, in any case.

Zoomed in so not the best quality – but this is where he sits on a Thursday when iDJ is spinning his decks upstairs. Kind of funny – how does he know?

Kitten-bellah cures all ills. Yes, I stick my face in his fur and snorgle him.

Now, I haven’t put a picture of me up for a while – not since the accidental blogging disaster a few years ago. But I love this picture.

Lumi wanted hugs while we were getting ready to go out shopping yesterday.

I bought this Wile E. Coyote hat last year, and I love it to bits. Wore it all day yesterday, and made so many little kids smile. Even got a high-five from one little guy.

Hope some cute kitten-ness helps tonight. Those of us who have been literally nauseated since November need all we can get right now. Everyone else? Here’s a cute-ass kitten!

Dec14

Piggy Peggy

Posted on December 14, 2016 by heretherebespiders

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I have a “work cat” now. I’m pretty sure she has a home at one of the houses next to my workplace.

I go outside at lunchtime, weather permitting. I have a cozy spot outside of the warehouse where I can read and relax for a bit. It can’t really be too cold for me here, but too windy or rainy sends me elsewhere.

Two or maybe even three months ago, I had a visitor while eating. A black and white kitty had silently appeared in the parking lot and was watching me.

Of course I gave her some of my lunch!

And it became a ‘thing.’ She was very shy, always snuck into view without my seeing what direction she had come from, and would not get closer to me. But she had a great sense of when my lunch break was.

No kitty love? Good thing I’m persistent, and I do have chicken at lunch every day!

At the end of November, I saw her every day for a week. She finally let me pet her and gave me lots of head-butts and shared some drool. Aww. I started calling her ‘Piggy’ when she got very brave and tried to steal the rest of my lunch, too! Then I decided that was a bit mean, so I started calling her Piggy Peggy.

Once she allowed me to touch her, I looked and stroked her all over, to check her health. She was pretty clean, but had burrs in her tail and some evidence of ear mites (brown goo in the ears). It wasn’t a bad case, however – and no sign of fleas.

During the once-over, I felt her belly and found that she seemed to have mammary gland swelling. Oh no! Could she be pregnant this late in the year? This seemed evidence to me, along with the mites, that she isn’t being cared for in the best way possible. Maybe she was a stray after all, or had been dumped and was surviving on handouts.

I got worried when she went missing for over two weeks. I wasn’t there every day, but I looked for her and called for her whenever I was outside. Nothing. Dammit.

Today, she was back! And instead of silently appearing, she walked up to me shouting, ‘Where have you been?’ I was so happy to see her again. She kept her distance at first, but before long I was being drooled on again.

She loves my stinky boots. Except when I’m walking – then she is scared and that makes me sad.

After eating way too much of my lunch (which she doesn’t bolt down like she is starving, by the way – it’s just really tasty chicken my cats at home go crazy for, too), I got in some good loving and when I felt her little kitty boobies? Smaller! So she isn’t pregnant now, but had a litter in September or thereabouts. While I’m not happy that she isn’t spayed, at least I’m not worrying about her having a litter of kittens in the middle of winter with no shelter.

She’s a pretty and affectionate girl, I really hope she gets some proper healthcare.

Dec12

Update on Methos

Posted on December 12, 2016 by heretherebespiders

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Please, help Methos. My friend would never have asked for help herself. Someone else who loves her made the GoFundMe. If you can’t give a little, please share. I give my own guarantee this is a real person who honestly does need a helping hand.

alienredqueen

I’m just going to copy and paste the update I put on FB. This weekend has been exhausting and I am going to give the cat his meds and go to bed.

Yesterday was a long and exhausting day, and the outcome was not as positive as I was hoping. My beloved boycat Methos has an enlarged heart and fluid in his chest; essentially he is in early congestive heart failure, resulting froma condition called HCM. They put him in an oxygen tent to help him breathe better and wanted to keep him overnight, but ( I will be completely frank because I know no other way) we could not afford the $1000 deposit, so they gave him more oxygen and because his distress is only mild right now, they gave him lasix to help get rid of the fluid on his chest and they allowed us to take him…

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Dec10

Blogger’s Kitty Needs Help

Posted on December 10, 2016 by heretherebespiders

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Please help. My friend, met through blogging many years ago and now someone I would call a real friend, like so many of you.

Despite never having met in person, I love this woman. With all the hardships she has had over the last year with car troubles and housing issues – her cat suddenly becoming sick with no clear diagnosis is her top priority. Even a few dollars will help.

Guardian kitty.

Methos looking out for his new human. Guardian Kitty.

And now – same precious kitty and same beloved girl. They have been best friends for her whole life. Please help, even 5 or 10 will add up. She misses her friend while he is in the veterinarian hospital, trying to find out what is wrong.