Murray: A Strange Habit

Murray is a strange cat, some people say, and he does have some strange habits.  He's got me so trained that I don't even think of them as all that surprising anymore.

When he first comes in from the shed in the mornings, he goes directly to the bathroom with me.  He hops onto the counter, and he waits.

I turn on the faucet - just a fine, steady stream.

And he drinks.

 Murray prefers fresh running water to that (often replaced) water in his dish.  He'll run into the bathroom - any one of them, he's not picky about location - and wait for me to follow him and turn on his water faucet.

 He does this throughout the day.  So maybe it's my strange habit as well, turning on the bathroom faucet for my cat.

Crazy cat lady indeed.

Beautiful

Sometimes I think I live in the most beautiful place on earth.  So I whip out my camera and try to capture it on film - or rather, on digital card.  And then I get to thinking, Have I just completely removed myself from the moment, by trying to capture it like this?  Maybe, just maybe.  But I do it anyway, and partly so you can enjoy the beauty I see.

First, I would like to admit that Midwestern beauty does not compare to the majesty of mountains or the awe of the ocean or the lushness of green, rolling hills.  But for a born-and-bred Midwestern girl like me, it hits the spot and nothing can compare for its honest, simple gorgeousness.  It's stark and expansive and clean, and I love it!

A little barb-wire fence, a little pasture, a little setting sun...

Even weeds are pretty when they're silhouetted by autumn sun like this.

"Blue skies... nothing but blue skies..."  Did you ever think dried-up somethings (I'm no horticulturist) could be so eye-catching?

Another silhouette.  Look at those incredibly fine fibers.

I like bark and I like barb-wire.  They make such a statement when you put them together.  Oh, and I guess they're useful, too.

Fluffy white puffs next to hard barb-wire and rough bark.  I like the juxtaposition.

And we'll end with a big-sky photo.

Marveling at the beauty that surrounds me makes the think of Romans 1:20 - "For his (God's) invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.  So they are without excuse."  That's us that are without excuse - we can't say we don't know anything about God, because we see a little what He's like in the gorgeous world He created, all for His glory.  And I think He also made it for our enjoyment and to give us reason to praise Him.

Well, that little sermon just popped out of nowhere.

I will admit that when the wind is blowing ninety miles to nothing, as it is today, I do not venture outside into this great wilderness around me, unless I absolutely have to.

Murray loves his status as a *sometimes* wild cat of the outdoors.

Let the Cat in the Bag

Give a cat a brown paper sack and he will amuse himself for hours.

Or at least fifteen minutes, and then he'll race around the house feeling quite brave and daring for the next fifteen.

Can you tell he felt dangerous?

The bag is now lying ripped on the kitchen floor.  Right by the two pairs of tennis shoes and the assorted grass, dirt and dust bunnies.  I should probably work on removing all of them...

Saturdays, Lazy Days

Sometimes this is how my Saturdays go.  Hours of prone laziness followed by bursts of intense activity.  I wish I had a patch of sunlight to lay in, and my morning would have been complete.

I have spent the last hour or so paralyzed by my hungriness (is that really even a word?!) but finally rousted myself from the computer to prepare the meal below.

Isn't that embarrassing?  For a girl who says she loves to cook, it's a sorry excuse for sustenance.

In my defense, however, I am planning on making several delicious items today:

BBQ Meatballs
Rice
Cowboy Cookies
Spinach Artichoke Dip

I am also going to clean our bathroom, wash our sheets (oops - and finish the laundry still sitting in the washer right now!), go to the gym, and at some point, take a cue from Murray, who is once again bathing, and I will take a shower.  And maybe throw away the Oreos that ended up at our house last night, because they are proving to be quite the temptation.

A Pretty Good Way to Start the Day

A little Bible, a little oatmeal, a little coffee.  Actually, I'd like to say a few words about oatmeal.  But I suppose it can wait for another blog.  I have Definite Ideas about oatmeal, and as one of its few outspoken supporters, those Ideas really need to be shared.

Okay, the coffee will be a continuing factor today.  The brew of the day is Moka Java, from the underestimated World Market selection.  It's strong, it's tasty.  It's described on the label as "medium roast, full body, complex and earthy with light and unique acidity."  Check it out.

And a little time with Murray, who, on this beautiful day, really just wants to be outside.  After his tasty little breakfast, he sat by the sliding glass door (add "clean windows" to my to-do list??)  and bathed before beginning his incessant cries of "lemme go outside, lemme go outside."  He's beginning to get that urgent, demanding look in his eyes in this picture...

The cat loves a brisk fall morning.  Do you see the hint of longing in th tilt of his neck?

So I let him outside.  And I'll let him in again as soon as I see him sitting by the door, once again meowing demandingly at me, "lemme in, lemme in."  I am a slave to this cat.  But again, that's another topic for another blog.  I think he just wanted outside for a little al fresco bathing.

While I was outside, I noticed my mums.  Remember them?  Lovingly, if haphazardly, potted earlier this fall?  Well, they have officially been frosted.

To be completely honest, they may have started to die before the frost got them, from lack of water.  But it is an undeniable fact that dried-up plants don't look like these; frosted plants do.

Soon it'll be time for me to trim them back and put them in the garage so I can plant their live little roots in the spring.  For now, though, their continued home is on our back deck, where we can enjoy the faint hint of color they're still giving.

Murray went sashaying off into the lovely day.

And I wanted to post this picture, just so I remember that there are beautiful-sky days in the fall, and even the winter!