I Wish I Were There

 In the Park in Buenos Aires.

Ribollita

Ribollita

There is nothing better on a cold snowy windy night than a big bowl of hot soup. Or a big bowl of pasta. Tonight I made the Best of Both Worlds .. Ribollita.
Instead of little noodles or shells or whatever shape noodle you might use in soup, ribollita is made with spaghetti.
I break the strands in half ..
Plenty of garlic, tomatoes and broth and I use fresh spinach .. boil, add spaghetti  and before you know it, you have the Best Winter Dinner Ever. Really. Ever.

8 to 14 inches of Snow

Minette just yawned when I told her.
I left her on the bed , having her morning nap   .. after  being so  busy  catching lint on the blanket. I went on a mad dash run for more water and food at the Supermarket.
It occurred to me this morning that while I have food in the house, I don't know how long it will take to get dug out, even after the snow ends.

Yes, I admit it, the people on the radio made me panic.

So I dashed to the supermarket that was bustling with other people who woke up and thought my exact same thoughts .
They were all in a very jolly mood.
I love the people up here .. good kind and friendly .. and most have a great sense of humor.
Or at least they pretend to think my bad quips are funny.

It is a pain in the neck to have a blizzard while trying to sell ones house.

It is annoying that the people that did my driveway last year didn't come by this year.

It is kind of sad as it was last year, to be snowed in, alone and wishing someone special was still here with me ...
Nothing scared me or worried me.. I  knew he would take care of everything.
Now that is the way Minette feels, I guess ...

So to quote the man on the radio

This could be a Whopper of a Storm.

Oy !


If you don't hear from me, I lost power/internet/went back to Argentina.

I will be fine

Blizzard Watch

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
953 AM EST SUN JAN 25 2015

...POTENTIALLY HISTORIC WINTER STORM TO IMPACT THE AREA 

FROM LATE  MONDAY INTO TUESDAY....

I don't know how to feel about this. 

On one hand I got a slight feeling of panic , worry , nervousness.
On the other, I am looking out the window at bright sunshine and  blue  skies, it is windy and there is snow on the ground, from the last snow we had.

So a Blizzard means ... what exactly?  .. it will be more windy ? we will get more snow ?

Last year we had something like 5 -7 snowstorms , one after the other ... constant snow.
When it stopped for a minute, people would run out and dig out their walks and driveways then rush back inside for the next few days or wind, snow, cold.

I have groceries, I have company ( well, as much company as a tiny kitten can provide  - which is surprisingly a lot )... I have plenty of candles and blankets. and a flashlight.

But truthfully, it is all getting to be tiresome .. a bit much already.

If my husband was here, we would just shrug our shoulders and know that we would snuggle in and read and listen to music and be content.

I was never afraid of anything when he was here with me.

I was fearless. I had him .. 

But now .. after last years non stop snow .. I feel sort of like, Ho Hum, more snow .. how boring, how long is winter again ??

Oh , and you people out there that are called Snowbirds .... I totally get it.

I think I will make some pasta and soup this afternoon and put it in the fridge .. you know, for Just In Case.
I have peanut butter and Nutella .. I will be fine.

Brilliant, just Brilliant

  Why Finnish Babys Sleep In Cardboard Boxes

This is just brilliant. So thoughtful and sensible and just brilliant.
  ...

When I found Minette.

AnimalKind

Katrine was understanding and kind and so very sweet to me when I walked in to Animalkind the first time. I was in my early days of grief after losing my husband and longed to have some small pet to cuddle and hold and to make me feel that I was not really the only person left on the planet.
The cold and very lonely planet.
The first time I visited, I walked in, looked around and left ... weeping.
It was too early yet.

A month or so later , I tried again .. the place was beautiful .. it is a very old Victorian house but the entire ground floor has been renovated into floor to ceiling glass "rooms '' for cats only.
They see everything and they are safe .. we see them and enjoy that.

Before I knew it ... this tiny little blue kitten came walking out of one of the glass rooms and walked up to me. That was It.
Everyone was smiling and someone said that I had been chosen.
I certainly was lucky that day.

It has been almost a year now... Minette is about a year old now... Life changed in so many ways so suddenly and while part of it was horrible, the part with Minette is wonderful.

And every day I tell her how much her Daddy would have loved and spoiled her.
That she was exactly the kind of cat that he wanted to get and that he always admired.
She likes it when I tell her that story before she goes to bed.