Waiting For the Great Pumpkin...

...Or Fancy Feast in the bowl in the kitchen. Which ever comes first, it doesn't matter. Roxy enjoys Halloween. Hope your bag was filled with more treats than tricks. And you had a very happy Halloween!

Cat In A Bag

Makes me want to go out and buy a Happy Meal at McDonald's. No wait, that's the diet. But if they're handing out adorable 'live' toys in the Happy Meals in Japan, I'm on the next plane to Tokyo.

Queen Of The Frigidaire

Roxy's got a new trick. She likes to hang out on top of the refrigerator. There are so many reasons why she loves being up there. First of all, cats love to be up high. And that's where I hide the paper towel roll because she rips it apart whenever she gets her paws on it. So she can hang out up there and tear paper towel to her heart's content. She won't even get down when the freezer door is opened. I had to take a photo of her and send it out to my nearest and dearest. I told the Handsomest Man Alive that she looked regal atop her major kitchen appliance. "Yes," he replied. "Surveying her tiny kingdom while cold freezer air blows up her kitty a**."

No Cake, No Candles

I don't know if you've noticed, but I haven't been around for a few days. I was off celebrating the fact that I got a little older. I haven't actually said my real age out-loud yet. And I'm going to try to postpone saying it out-loud and having to deal with the reality of my true age for as long as I possibly can.


There was no cake for my birthday this year. I think in the future this birthday will go on record as 'The Year Without The Birthday Cake.' It will be followed closely by 'The Thanksgiving Without Stuffing,' and 'The Christmas Sans Cookies.' That's what happens when you're dieting. You become very frugal about the calories you expend every day and what you're using them up on. Last week I was eating stale cereal every day for breakfast. And I finally said, Feh! Ugh! I went out and bought a brand new box of very fresh Cheerios. They're tasty! When you're dieting, stale food is just not acceptable.

I did have a glass of wine on my birthday. It was a lovely Chardonnay served at a little bistro in Ojai that I've wanted to try for some time. I hadn't had a glass of wine for six weeks and I wanted to gulp it down and ask for seconds. I had to force myself to savor the sweet and crisp flavor. After lunch, all I wanted was to wander down to the end of the  Main Street Arcade to the ice cream store for a double dipper, but instead I crossed the street to the coffee shop and got a nice herbal tea. It's not the same, but it's nice to have less of me around.

Did you know that there's a new study that says drinking a glass of wine everyday will keep you thin? I'd like to volunteer to participate in that study. And I thought this was very intriguing too. I also read this excerpt from a book about old dogs. Should I get the book? Hmmmm...

Please Don't Feed The Bears

I may have failed to mention it here, but the Handsomest Man Alive and I have been on diets for five weeks. So far, we've been very successful. But I must say that I'd commit some acts of mayhem for a full picnic basket. Ah, well. Who wouldn't?

A Walk In The Woods

This time of year I often romanticize being in the northwoods of Michigan. I love fall. It's my favorite time of year. I love candy corn. I love apples. I love haystacks. I love hayrides. I love pumpkins and gourds and squash. I love Halloween. But sometimes I forget that Southern California is doing its best to put on a show for fall. It's just a lot more subtle than the Maple leaves of the north. Can you believe this photo was taken a mile from my house? I can. I'll be walking up that path tomorrow morning. Yay! And did I mention that there's a gourmet food truck festival in Valencia this weekend? Double yay!

It's Raining Balls Of Yarn

I honestly didn't think I'd have time to post today. It's Monday and it's been a doozy. And then I saw this video. I know it's just a television commercial (but it's from New Zealand.) Some of my favorite videos lately have been commercials. I fell in love with the little piggy who goes 'Wheeeee' all the way home in a Geico ad. And then there was there's the new Honest Abe Geico commercial. But this commercial really hit home, it's probably because I live with a kitten who truly believes that every day is Christmas morning.