occupy dog bed

Mabel is invisible

one foot on the banana peel

I bought 5 bunches of perfectly ripe bananas that were priced at $0.89 per bunch last week - why?  Because frozen bananas are ingredient #1 in any smoothie - they act like ice cream - if you ever see a bargain like this, peel them before you freeze them and you'll have smoothies for months

Easter bear

I fell in love with this figurine I saw at a gift shop in the Grand Traverse Commons where we sell cheese on Saturdays.  It is a vintage looking bear wearing a clown hat, holding an Easter basket and a chocolate rabbit on a stick. Mine.  I got to thinking, though, about how far away collecting Hummels or Precious Moments could be when this stuff starts appealing to me.  

rooty

Farmers market trades from last Saturday: celeriac, a red cabbage, potatoes, onions, shallots, dried tomatoes, 20 year balsamic vinegar, and some gluten-free cookies

a couple of bags

ancient Polish tradition of applying pirogi to reduce under-eye puffiness

best Burn Night

January 25th is the beloved Scottish poet Robert Burns' birthday, and the evening is traditionally celebrated with 'Burns Night' gatherings.  My friends held a wonderful evening at the town hall in Lake Ann, Michigan.  Here are the vegetarian scotch eggs I made for the party - that's mustard dipping sauce in the middle

They boiled a real haggis - no thank you!

The handsome bagpiper Dick Flowers

shortbread

I brought my Mom as my date - she made delicious oat cakes

they played a great collection of vinyl records specially selected for the evening

the libation table

the spread of food was truly magnificent - there's Mom checking it out

partygoer Chelsea reading Burns Address to a Haggis, dirk in hand

animals are love

I posted about Raquel's amazing rescue of her wonder-kitten Freeway last month here - he is growing up and the sweetest most loving cat ever

Happy Birthday Robert Burns!

Oliver Pickles & Leroy

Dave's sweet kitties - this is Oliver

cat in the bag - Leroy hiding 

shwarma art

Cedarland Restaurant had some crazy 80s murals on the wall, including this one of ski racers

it was

fool for the fava foul

My favorite people, and a table full of some of the most delicious food I've had in a long time - mega chow down at Cedarland Restaurant in Dearborn, MI

Arabian Village

my partner in grocery shopping

I'm cray-cray for the kri kri

still gettin' my freekeh on

work it

a beautiful talisman

they sold bales of marijuana

beautiful selection of Middle Eastern cheeses, which I thought would be weird, but were surprisingly delicious and sophisticated

wall of vegetables

at Westbourne Market, Berkley, MI (my home town)

frosted

onion + garlic = shallot

farmers market trade: a bunch of perfect shallots

little prints

a bunny visitor left tracks all over the farm, including all over the back porch of the house 

love me do

It's taken  couple of years, but my barn cat Mama has discovered the joy of letting me pet her! Each day she will cuddle up to me, purring loudly, as long as I want to stay down in the barn with her.  I am so glad she has come around to my affection - she was a 100% feral cat, and is now as tame as my house cats.  I love it.

Hermits

what do I do when I only have the use of one hand? Bake cookies. 

cold war

Mabel and Rudy fight and hiss at one another daily, so finding them napping near each other was cute but strange

love you forever

9:10

910 was our street address on Larkmoor in Berkley, MI - the Kurta family home where my siblings and I grew up.  The house was knocked down many years ago to make way for a shopping area.  Through the years and to this day, I find I frequently find it to be 9:10 when I glance at the clock.  My folks say it happens a lot to them too - a sentimental number for the Kurta family

sky study #141

no filter used on this sunrise Monday, January 4th, 2016

lops with napa

the surgery

I had carpal tunnel release surgery on my hand yesterday - all went well - it's still feeling kind of numb this morning but no bad pain 

If you are grossed out easily don't look at this too closely: I asked if my Doctor would take a picture during the procedure 

the cat sack

hoovering

My new vacuum cleaner

my favorite detail from the instruction manual

etc from Wisconsin

Ullmers let me take a 1990 edition of Hoard's Dairyman magazine - a publication for the dairy cow industry - I love brown Swiss cows like the cover model

stopped at Seguin's cheese shop and picked up some interesting samples: "danger"-level ghost pepper cheese, a little piece of cheddar in the shape of Wisconsin, and smoked string cheese

graphic from a gas station in the U.P.

Dad napping

our room at the Bay Motel