Purr-fect Days

There are some days when really nice things happen and it just makes my heart giddy. Usually these things happen in 3 (as do the really crappy things). But this week was a nice one. These are the 3 things that made me giddy:

1. The son of a friend got engaged. It made me giddy to see the proposal pictures and see how happy the dad was of his son's engagement. He was so proud, grinning and couldn't stop showing me picture after picture. He also helped his son decorate the engagement spot with candles and that just made me so happy. I hope they grow into one big giant NJ family!

2. The weather has been as perfect as it could possibly be. I could live happily in NJ if it were fall all year long.

the red lentils reminded me of the orange trees outside 

These wild colors that are changing on the trees are enough to make me go for a crazy amount of walks just with the excuse to see the trees. Oh, but the thing that made me giddy with happiness was Bentley. My little Bentley is an escape artist. He longs to be an outdoor cat and rushes out of the house every chance he gets. Yesterday he was sitting longingly at the window watching the orange leaves gently fall off the tall maple tree in our front yard. The sun shone, the leaves rustled at it was the most heavenly day. I decided to take the little cat for romp on the front lawn and it melted my heart to see how much fun he had.

"What are these amazing things that fly?"

"Oh they are so crunchy!"

"There are more over here! Over here!"

Bentley pounced on them like a bunny. 

He rolled and rolled

He looked for another pike and tossed them into the air.

He rolled this way

He rolled that way.

It was the nicest thing I could do for Bentley and he loved every second of it.

 To be fair, I took Fatty out. The Fat One struggled in my arms to go back in the house. He is scared of being outside. But I insisted that he give the leaves a shot and see what they were about. So he gave it his best shot.

And ate the leaves. Why was I not surprised?

And ate some more. So we went inside before he gave himself a tummy ache. 

Bentley begged to go out for the rest of the day. 

And pouted when it didn't happen. "Mean lady..."

3. Manicotti and a new pizzeria. Baked cheesy pasta, need I say more? I enjoyed baking all afternoon yesterday and made some out-of-control manicotti.

mixing my cheeses

the easiest way to fill the pasta tubes: stuff in a zip-lock bag and cut the tip of the bag. 

top with some more cheese

yummmm

the mess

All cleaned up!

Today we discovered a new wood-oven pizzeria near our house and let me tell you, it was good. It is only about 15 minutes away and that will be dangerous in the wintertime since it is so close.

So those are the three giddy thing that happened to me this week. I could add another two but they were not giddy producing. They were just productive and make next week easier. I scrubbed and bleached the basement, aired it out and washed down the washer and drier. Now the basement is squeaky clean.


And the other great thing is that I am reading a book that I thought I would hate (for my book club) and I actually enjoy it! I am reading Steven King's "The Green Mile". I avoided to read it thinking that Steven King style writing would be kitschy, predictable and unbearable. I was hoping that having watched the movie would get me through the book club. Then I read in the Library Journal that Mr. Steven King replaced the roofs of 3 libraries and has donated a significant amount to public libraries over the years! Then I felt like I should hop onto reading his book when I discovered that "The Shining" is the new hot book out for book clubs. So I started to read "The Green Mile" and found that the style is poetic, lyrical at times and psychologically calm and compassionate. I especially like the chapters that describe the mouse Mr. Jingles. My professor...I won't name him... stated that most female authors were not worth reading nor anything published after 1860 (industrial revolution). I mostly agreed with the "literature" published after 1860 being fluff and had many a lost battle trying to convince him that Jane Austen was a genius. As a result, I have rejected modern literature feeling even a knot at the pit of my stomach when I order Nora Roberts and Danielle Steel for the library. I feel like I am doing literature and the patrons a huge disservice. However, I also threw Steven King in with the literary trash authors in my mind. Now, I repent (though King is no literary genius) and wonder which other "trashy" authors actually have what it takes to be on the shelves of the library? On the shelves at home? I don't think I will go plundering into the path of V.C. Andrews and read every trashy author out there but think that I made a mistake and should be a little more careful before I judge a book by it's cover.