Amber & Sniffing Sunshine

Nobody does it better.

I. Love. Him.

Amber & Put Away Your Cats

An important thing while at River House is to not throw out all of your regular routines.  You still have to remember to take your fish oil, for example, or to put on shoes when going into town.

And, even though there are no cubbies, you still have to put away your kitties when not in use.

Tiggy is best placed in a secure drawer, lined with pajamas and shorts, for maximum comfort.

That way, she will be well rested when next you need her to nap on your chest while watching a birds documentary on the couch at night.

Brothers should be, by all accounts, stored together.

A window nook is the perfect spot since watching the squirrels outside will keep them occupied until Pickles can begin his all-night mouse stake out.  (Don't try to photograph them from outside, though, as it will scare the puffy fur bloomers right off of Pickles when you pop up on the other side of the glass.)

I strongly recommend leaving your Woody on the back of the couch so you can pat him as you come in to take your bathroom breaks or refresh your beverage.

The key is that you want your cats put away, but very close and easily accessible for schooching.

Amber & How To Grill Pizza In 3 Easy Steps

1.  Make yourself a really nice cocktail.  For example, a Pimm's Cup with muddled fresh berries and lemon.

2.  Put the dough on the grill with some stuff on it like pesto and sundried tomatoes and cheese or wilted beet greens with pancetta and marinara sauce.  Grill it.  Maybe try not to overcook one ever-so-slightly because that damn yellow lab who is allowed to wander on the lane unattended keeps coming back to try to lick your serving platter and ingredients and even when his owner is there she is useless and there is so much chaos you actually can't take any photos of the grilling process.

3.  Eat it.  Maybe with a second cocktail (especially if nerve-calming is needed after dog incident).

Bonus 4.  Serve it cold with tray the following day with salami and turkey slices, bread, crackers, hummus, celery sticks, pickles, prosciutto bread, and olives.

Amber & Woodland Creatures

Situated, as it is, in the middle of a National Recreation Area managed by the National Park Service, the River Cabin is surrounded by woods.

This affords more forrest animal sightings than was possible in the old River House, although the old house afforded more guests with its more numerous bedrooms.  Upside/downside.

For example if we zoom in to the above snapshot of the house, what do we find?

A creature abundant around these parts known as Woody Paillard.

Just watch out, dear Woodland Woody, because stretched out like that, you probably look mighty tasty from above.

Amber & Conference Call Tray

I am on a conference call during today's tray. New features to the tray are fresh fruit (black berries, cherries and strawberries left over from last night's birthday dessert) and small bread share dinner rolls which are great dipped in the oil from the olives.

Amber & Birthday Tray

Birthday tray is like other trays, but with a pasta salad with sun-dried tomatoes, kale and pesto. And a giant serving of birthday cherries. And beers. And birthday. Happy Birthday, Nick!

Amber & Rainy Day Tray

Pretty much the same as yesterday, except indoors and with the addition of prosciutto bread and mustard.

Also, apparently, stuffed olives also include red pepper stuffed olives.

Amber & After The Rain

Tiggy is feeling very tentative about the outdoors after a very stormy night and morning left the ground saturated. She hasn't budged from her rock for the past five minutes.

Amber & First Tray of Summer

Garlic, sun-dried tomato, prosciutto, blue cheese and provolone stuffed olives, cracked green olives, cornichon, garlic sour pickles, pancetta, pepper-cured turkey, salami, pepper poppers, assorted crackers, fresh basil and mozzarella, fontina, cucumbers, marinated mushrooms and artichokes.

Amber & It's So Hot

It's so hot all I can think to do is eat my cat.

Amber & Home Movies

Oh!

And my mom must have recorded this lesson on our family Super 8 camera.




Miss Donna really cooked when she got really going.

Amber & From The Archives

I found this photo of me and my dance teacher, Miss Donna, from when I was around six.

I showed such promise, and Miss Donna was the best.

Amber & If and Then

If I survive this...

Issued by The National Weather Service
New York City, NY

Tue, Jul 19, 2011, 3:33 PM EDT

... EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN UPTON HAS ISSUED AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING.

* HAZARDS... EXCESSIVE HEAT WITH AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES OF 95 TO 100 DEGREES THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS.

* HEAT INDEX VALUES... UP TO AROUND 105 DEGREES THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND UP TO AROUND 110 DEGREES FRIDAY AFTERNOON.

* TIMING... THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENINGS MAINLY FROM NOON UNTIL 10 PM EACH DAY

* IMPACTS... POTENTIAL IMPACTS INCLUDE HEAT DISORDERS FOR CHILDREN... THE ELDERLY AND PEOPLE PERFORMING PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES DURING THE PEAK HEATING OF THE DAY.


...then I get to enjoy more of this.

Oh, lord, I hope I make it.

If the National Weather Service knows about Thursday's excessive heat on Tuesday, can't they do something to prevent it?

Amber & Where Have All The Irises Gone?

You find yourself with an amazingly cutie cat. And you may ask yourself, "How did Tiggy get so cute?"

And you may ask yourself, "Where did her irises go?"

Tiggy is riding high on pain meds these days.  Two Fridays ago, I woke up to discover she had somehow broken her canine tooth and it was hanging out of her mouth.  And, because the lower canine then had nothing to bump against, it was puncturing her upper lip and making that a bloody mess.  Poor girl!

Last Wednesday, she had some major dental surgery and lost the lower and (remaining stub of) the upper canine.  She was pretty darned sad.  She's doing much better now, and is going for her final pre-River check up and stitch removal on Thursday.

If you look closely at her mouth, you can see a tiny little string from a stitch in her gums poking out of her lip.  And, if you look closely, you won't see her fangs on the left side of her mouth.

(Photodocumenation of canines by James)

And you may ask yourself, how did she break that tooth?



Farewell, canines of the Tigster. You will be missed every time the baby girl tries to eat dry food.

Amber & I Need A Vacation...With These Guys

Between sailing the choppy seas of major cat dental drama (to be explained later) and beginning an ascent of the alpine mountain of work needing to be done before River House, I almost forgot to stop in the snowy memory-filled woods and commemorate the birth of two of the finest beasts I have ever known.

Happy Birthday, Black Cat.

Although you may be a mewly beggar and cause mayhem underfoot (or on counter), no one is as silky or torpedo-like as you.  I remember when you looked like a bat.

And, congratulations on your twelfth year, Gray Cat.

You were super hard to photograph on your special day because you were being really into your security blanky.

I wish both of you boys a special, happy twelfth year.  You are honorable gentlemen, and I am pleased to know you.  I look forward to visiting you on Saturday when we are neighbors on the street known as River.

Amber & Grooming in Perfect Harmony

Wait until Woody sees this video.  He is going to be so excited.



Pickles and Ginger are impossibly shedding in the summer, and it's taking two groomings a week to keep them hairball-free.  And, there's no such thing as a "crazy dog lady" right?

Amber & Bygone Birthday Blogporunities

I may have remote blogged my sister's birthday, but I missed two other birthday blogportunities this week.

First, the lovely Tweetastic Amy Bee added another notch to her birthday belt on the same day as my sister.

And, then, on Monday, coin-counting star Alison celebrated another year of life.

These two are amazing cutie-animal image finders, make up recommenders and tutors, and delightful people to know and count among my friends.

Happy Birthday, Ladies With A-Names!

Amber & Tiaras

Candice is doing a sort of princess luau thing.

Amber & The Birthday Sister

Amber & Week 4 CSA Soup

I neglected to photodocument my week 4 farm share. It was the first week Jimmy was available to pick up and split the goods with me (his summer class just ended), and Kevin was there and I was being all social.

Bad blogging.

Instead I present this.

A soba noodle soup made in the Japanese style with farm share chard, turnips and greens, scapes and zucchini.  Plus, broccoli from last week and spinach.  And, an eggplant from Holland which is really the opposite of a CSA since Holland can really be in no way defined as part of my community.

Plus, those pretty flowers are one of the two bouquets I made from flower share.  And there was a currant lemon loaf seasonal delicacy, raspberries, and some other deliciousness I have already forgotten due to eating.

Amber & Late Spring Search Words

May and June was a popular month for our friends the cercopoithecoids and platyrrhines who occupy many of the top spots.  And, kinkajous now hold two spots stemming from that one ancient post, but #8 seems like a really, really bad idea.  Unless they meant the other kind of honey bear.

I am responsible for a few of the #2 on the list, as I am sure the other mentioned party is.  But, someone clearly is interested in my news coverage of that gentleman.

I don't dare look up #9.  I feel relatively certain I know what I will find.

Amber & Major Fate Tempting

What is wrong with that bird?

Amber & Strategic Laying On Stuff

Good thing I made this little beanie last night to address my aforeblogged hair error.

There was no way I was going to be able to wear the bandana I selected before my shower.

I went to move that sweet beast off my scarf, and he did this.

Let sleeping Gingers lie, after all.  This boy knows when to flop and be adorably relaxed.  For example, when your lady discovers you shredded yet another toilet paper roll?  Drop on the bath mat and stretch out your fuzzy underbelly.

Bonus cute points for the clenched back paws.  And if she still seems angry, make sure she is seeing that underbelly!

How could she resist?

What toilet paper?

Amber & How I Spent My Fourth of July

Jimmy and I got really American up on Independence Day yesterday and went to the Shake Shack for celebratory corn dogs.  I was scared off the corn dog by the "jalapeño batter," but Jimmy shared and it was mild and delicious.  I enjoyed my shack burger, but I had corn dog envy.

Anyhow, afterward, Jimmy and I were walking along West 77th Street along the side of the Natural History Museum and made friends with this pair.

Jimmy took this photo of our new friend Mud and his babysitter.  Mud was out for a stroll to get some natural light and delight passersby.  Also, from this photo I took, you can tell Mud was also out to enjoy a salad.

Then, I came home and comforted a very terrified Pickles.  I am unclear why we celebrate American Independence with REALLY loud explosions all night long, but I am 100% sure it is not good for sleeping.  Or Pickles.

And then, I cut my hair and had a Bad Thing happen.  And then, I made choices which seemed to be the only way out of a desperate situation.  And then, I sewed this head scarf.

And then I vowed to be unlike American and be less Independent and never cut my hair myself again.

Amber & Dianas I Have Known

I am pretty sure I have only known two ladies named Diana in my whole life, and all three of them are amazing and have had a giant, happy impact on my life.

There is of course my BFF for the few years her show was on the air before the PTA cancelled it out of jealousy, Miss Diana Prince.

And there is the equally charming and mysterious real Diana.

Diana is a kick-ass person.  She is smart, interesting, kind, compassionate (with well developed mirror neurons), and has a magical, warming smile. All types of creatures, including Shorty, should be glad to have her as a friend.

It happens to be this Diana's birthday today, and I want to express how infinitely glad I am that she was born.  If I had a watermelon, I would give it to her for her birthday.

Because she is super sweet and refreshing on the insides and cats like her.

P.S. If you are wondering, I am wearing my special birthday bonnet for Diana ALL DAY. And so is Pickles.

Amber & Secrets Captured! On Film!

Sink Hands 2.0?  It looks like this.

Why my back hurts afterward?  Bending at the waist, not the hips.  But, at least no one is tearing an anterior cruciate ligament.