I took a picture of myself to check my hair this morning when I was hanging out with the kittens (idea stolen directly from Nance), and when I looked at the picture, I was horrified at how BIG my hair was. And then I looked closer and realized that a lot of it was shadow rather than hair. Whew! Big southern hair averted!
Edited to add: Yeah, it’s TOTALLY Gumby, ain’t it? I can see that, though Kathy had to point it out before I realized it!
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Pet store kitty pics from this week (and last) are up. Lots of pictures of Jack Frost!
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Comments, answered!
This isn’t really a question but I think it would be so funny and cute to see a video of you saying “who ready for the yum-yums” and the cats’ reactions.
Please keep in mind that this is not anything NEAR my normal speaking voice. I don’t usually sound like such a dork, I swear it!
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I don’t want to know what make/model Fred’s SUV was, but I’m dying to know why on earth he didn’t ever want divulge what it was. I remember reading a couple entries from his site from years past where he alluded to the fact that he wasn’t going to divulge the make/model of his SUV, but I never found an original entry that explained why. So, my question is “Why didn’t Fred ever want to, and still doesn’t want to, divulge what his SUV was?”
Fred HATES unsolicited advice and at first he didn’t want to say what kind of SUV he got because he didn’t want to hear any of the “Oh, my uncle got one of those and they SUCK!” comments. But to be honest, after a while he kind of started having fun with it and kept refusing to tell anyone what it was because he likes to be an ass sometimes. Which is why he still won’t let me tell y’all what it was!
I was pretty surprised to find out that he was willing to let it be known that he got a Hyundai Accent, actually!
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How did you guys and Nance/Rick meet face to face? being that a lot of internet users are hesitant to actually meet?
First of all, Nance and I have known each other, online, for years now. I don’t know exactly how long it’s been, but a quick search of my site brings up a mention of her in April of 2002, but I bet it was really even before that, that we started emailing and occasionally chatting (back when I used to chat, which I never did very much, and don’t do at all anymore these days). We’d never talked on the phone due to my phone phobia, but we’d been trading birthday and Christmas presents for several years, too (we’ve recently stopped trading Christmas presents in the interest of destressing the holiday a little!). The first time, Rick had to come to Alabama for work, so Fred and I spent an evening with him eating barbecue and talking. That was in September of last year, and then Rick had to come BACK to Alabama (poor man), and this time Nance came with him. (Not only did Nance come with him, when they left they took Maddy with them. Suckerzzzzz!) Then they came back to visit in March of this year, and we had such a damn good time hanging out and talking and playing CatchPhrase that we can’t wait for them to come back. (I’m trying to convince Nance that the rule is, every time they come to visit, they have to take a cat home with them. She’s not buying it, though.)
The list of people I’ve met in real life that I’ve emailed with on the internet is a very small list. There was a reader who did the 3-Day in Atlanta (before I sprained my ankle and had to leave); there were Kinzie and her husband (from Atlanta), who bought our old weight-lifting machine; I’ve met the adorable Whitters who also volunteers for the no-kill cat shelter I volunteer for; and I’ve met Sarah and Pat, who are neighbors of my sister (well, Sarah no longer is, but she used to be!) and also readers of thishere journal.
Meeting people in person that you’ve only ever emailed with is very odd. When I meet someone who reads my journal I go into panic mode, thinking “Oh my god! They’re going to find out that I’m a blithering idiot and they’re going to tell the entire internet!”, and then I freak out (quietly, though. No one would ever know that internally I’m freaking OUT, man.) They’re invariably very nice and though they do find out that I’m a blithering idiot, they don’t tell the internet the truth, so my secret is safe with them!
(Unless there’s a secret “Robyn is a blithering idiot” message board somewhere, which is possible but – given that the world apparently does NOT revolve around me (even though it should), my blithering idiotness probably doesn’t occupy the minds of others the way it occupies mine.)
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Your cat Sugarbutt looks just like my Madison. Madison is about a year and a half now and she still looks so little to me, compared to other full grown cats I see. When do cat start filling out? How much should she weigh at her age? Maybe female cats are just naturally smaller? Maybe I have nothing to worry about? Thx.
Probably by the age of one and a half, cats are about as big as they’re going to get. I think that Madison is probably about done with growing, and if she’s active and acts happy, I wouldn’t be too concerned about it. Some cats truly are smaller than others – Maxi and Newt are literally about half the size of our indoor cats, and I’m going to guess that that’s because they’re so much more active, able to run around and hunt at night while the indoor cats are locked inside. If Madison’s an outdoor cat, I think it’s especially normal for her to be smaller. If you’re really concerned, you could take her to the vet, but like I said – if she’s active and seems happy, I wouldn’t be too worried about it.
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When will you update the ‘cast’ page? You have lost a significant amount of weight since that picture was taken at the quarry (I think). How about the classic Farmer/Daughter pose in front of the ol’ homestead? Pitchfork included!
Holy cow – that cast page is seriously out of date, isn’t it? Not only have I lost a lot of weight since then, I have the spud listed as 16, and E’gar still listed as my car.
I suppose I’ll get around to it, but I don’t know when – I still need to get my site redesign done (I’m aiming for August 1st for that, but I might just be dreaming); maybe in the process, I’ll get my cast page updated as well.
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several years back, while you were visiting your parents in Maine, you mentioned your parents’ neighbors in a way that made it seem like there was some kind of story. You even said ‘more on them later’ but never followed through. So what about your parents’ neighbors?
I’ve been thinking so hard it hurts, but I cannot for the life of me remember any good gossip about my parents’ neighbors. If you could point me in the general direction (ie, the year if not the exact entry), I can re-read the entry and see if it anything comes to mind.
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That little bed looks like it’s falling off the big bed?
It’s tipping a little to the side, but it’s pretty solidly on there. I tried moving it to the middle of the big bed, but the cats got all pissy about it, so I had to move it back. They like a little bit of danger, it appears.
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I command you do at least one video entry.
I command that you keep dreaming, woman.
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Isn’t okra in gumbo, not called gumbo? Isn’t gumbo a Cajun dish?
According to this page, 0kra (Hibiscus esculentus) is also called “gumbo” in this country, although the latter term is more often applied to soups or other dishes which contain okra. Both of these names are of African origin. “Gumbo” is believed to be a corruption of a Portuguese corruption, quingombo, of the word quillobo, native name for the plant in the Congo and Angola area of Africa. I’d never heard that gumbo was another name for okra, either, which was why I was surprised enough to tell Fred about it. I don’t believe I’ve ever actually heard anyone refer to okra as gumbo, though.
On a side note, we had gumbo for dinner the other night, and it was pretty good (would have been better if the shrimp wasn’t old and freezer burned, though.)
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The next time you have a Question Answer day could you tell me if you are still using your treadmill. If so what kind do you recommend. Thanks in advance!
We actually haven’t had a treadmill in years and years. You might be thinking of our elliptical trainer. I haven’t used it in months, but Fred still uses it frequently and I think we’d still recommend it. It’s a Life Fitness X9i, and though it’s expensive, I think it was very much worth the price – it’s good and solid and easy to use.
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I didn’t know there was an Ethel Kennedy either! I’m 37 and keep up somewhat with the news. How did I miss her name?
Ethel Kennedy probably hasn’t been in the news since Bobby was killed most likely has something to do with the fact that so many of you have never heard of her. I swear I’m not obsessed with the Kennedys – I just have a lot of Kennedy trivia floating around in my brain. I spent a good part of my childhood in New England, and the Kennedys are big in that area of the country, as you can imagine.
(Side note: JFK Jr, Carolyn, and Lauren Bessette were on their way to Ethel’s daughter Rory’s wedding when their plane went down in July of ’99.)
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Hey, have you ever had Wickles? I think they sell Wickles down there in Alabama. They are spicy pickles. I never had them, but I wanna get me some!
I’ve never had Wickles – in fact, I’d never heard of them before – which surprises me, since the company is actually based in Alabama. After checking out their web page, though, I definitely want to give them a try, so I’ll be on the lookout for them.
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But speaking of spoilers, and Army Wives… did you know that series is based on a non-fiction book called Under the Sabers, by Tanya Biank? It’s a pretty good book, but I caution you to not read the book, because there might be some spoilers. BIG spoilers.
I did know that the series is based on a book – I think it says so in the credits – and I had considered buying the book to read it, but I don’t think I’m going to – I’d hate to read anything that would spoil the series for me. I really like that show!
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I bet you’re developing sweet knife skillz from all this canning prep work! Or maybe you’re just getting even more dangerous as all your bad habits become even more ingrained?
I’m as much a klutz with knives as I ever was – I manage to cut myself about once a week and it drives me CRAZY. I always think I’m being careful, and yet somehow my pinky just kind of slides in there and gets cut. I’m surprised I haven’t managed to completely cut a finger off, or really do any serious damage. I’m sure it’s just a matter of TIME, and y’all will have to start calling me Stumpypoo.
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one thing that has always bugged me and i’ve been afraid to ask (because i don’t skim, but i don’t know how i missed it… or maybe i forgot?) — why do you call it the back forty??? i’ve actually driven home at night to my condo and wondered “the back forty? do they have forty acres?”
I actually don’t think I’ve ever answered the question in my journal, so you didn’t skim past the answer! To answer, I’ll quote an email I sent a few months ago:
I’m not sure why we call it the back forty (and no, it’s not 40 acres – we should be so lucky! The land altogether is 4 1/2 acres, so the “back forty” is probably around 3 acres), it’s just something I picked up. I had to go looking for a definition and found this one:
remote, usually uncultivated acreage on a large piece of land, as on a farm or ranch.
That’s kind of how I mean it, so obviously it’s tongue-in-cheek!
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I have a question. I know it is after your colossal question answer day last week but, do you and Fred still have your exercise routines or are y’all getting all you need from maintaining the property?
Fred still gets up most mornings and exercises, and then works out in the garden when he gets home from work, but my exercise routine has become pretty much extinct since we bought this house. I honestly can’t remember the last time I exercised for real, and though I keep saying I’m going to get back to it, it hasn’t happened yet. I have the first disc of season 3 of The OC that I’ve had since April, waiting for me to take it out to the garage, pop it in the DVD player and get my ass on the elliptical, but so far I’ve successfully ignored the damn thing. I really do need to get my ass in gear, though. ::sigh::
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My trick to low-slime okra is to get it hot fast. Heat the pan med-high and get a little browning on the okra (which tastes so good anyway) and then get it out pretty quickly. I made okra and tomatoes last night by browning the okra about 3 minutes, then chucking in the tomatoes and then some sliced garlic as soon as the tomatoes started letting off some juice, and let that go another 3ish minutes. My grandmother swore by steaming okra by laying it on top of low-simmer black eyed peas. It was always remarkably non-slimy, you’d think steam would bring out the worst in them, but I have not ever tried it at home so I don’t know if it was grandmother-magic or if it’ll work for everyone.
Given that we have plenty of okra AND the black-eyed peas are starting to come in, I think I’m going to try to remember to give this one a try, and if I remember, I’ll report back on how it went!
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Since you have been talking a lot about canning and freezing and dehydrating, i thought i would tell you about something my sis-in-law gave me for my birthday. It is a jar of green tomato relish. I tried it at a catfish restaurant in Tennessee one time years ago and liked it and she remembered. It is durn good!
I don’t mean to sound like an idiot – I so rarely INTEND to, of course – but what do you do with green tomato relish? Is it like a side dish, or do you eat it atop something, or what?
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Have you ever tried pickled okra? Heaven! We like ours very spicy, but the milder forms are tasty, too!
I haven’t, but thanks for the reminder – I ran across a recipe at one point and thought that I’d like to try making pickled okra, but had forgotten. I’ve printed out a couple of recipes, and I think this weekend, when I’m making pickled jalapenos and tomato sauce and cucumber pickles, I’ll do up a batch of pickled okra as well.
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Did you like Damages?
I haven’t watched it yet, but I’m looking forward to it!
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Just a little tip on the okra…my mum pops in a squeeze of lemon or tamarind (used in Asian cooking) when stir-frying and it totally helps with the slime.
I’ll have to give that a try, too! (Though like I’ve said, I don’t actually mind the slime.)
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Have you tried dilly beans? Oh, so good. Here’s a recipe that looks pretty close to the one I’ve used in the past – you can leave the cayenne out if you don’t like the heat…
That’s another one I’d forgotten I wanted to try! Given that our second planting of beans has started flowering, I have a feeling we’re going to end up with more beans than any two people could ever eat in a lifetime, so I’m definitely giving the dilly beans a try!
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Well, here is my question for you. A number of times (OK maybe once or twice) you have said that you would like to visit Australia. Do you still want to do that?
Absolutely! I’ve been trying to convince Fred that we should go to Australia for our 10th anniversary – this would be awesome, I think – but he’s not seeming too terribly interested, at least not yet. However, someday I WILL visit Australia. And New Zealand. And Scotland. Among others!
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I was reading an article yesterday in which NASCAR driver Greg Biffle spoke out rather strongly against that football player and dog fighting in general. He has a foundation which raises money for numerous animal charities. It seems like a very worthy organization. I’m glad when people use their fame to better the world we live in. I’m not a fan of NASCAR, but I liked what he had to say on his web site, so I thought I’d pass it along.
Definitely worth checking out!
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Which places would never interest you as a vacation destination? Other states, other countries, other continents — which ones would you never care to see, and why not?
This is going to make me sound like a complete snob, I fear, but I have little desire to visit third-world countries. If Angelina (Jolie) visits it regularly, I don’t particularly want to visit it. I’ve never wanted to visit the Middle East – nothing about that part of the world has ever appealed to me with the exception of maybe Israel. I have a huge fear of visiting non English speaking countries, some crisis happening, and being unable to communicate with the people around me. I don’t think I want to visit South America, though it’s a beautiful part of the world.
As far as states – to be honest, I’d love to visit every state in the union, particularly Alaska. I think it’s terrible that I’ve seen so little of my country, and if I had my way we’d visit a couple of new ones every year.
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Do you have a set workout routine you try to stick with? Do you ever get cravings?
As mentioned above, I haven’t worked out in ages, something I intend to remedy all the time, but haven’t yet.
Do I get cravings? HELLZ YES I get cravings. Lately (due to PMS, I think), I am craving the hell out of fried rice. Not enough to go get some (and besides, I don’t care for the gas most rice gives me), but craving it nonetheless. I’m a sugar hound, so I’m always craving sweet stuff. And this is going to sound like complete and utter “Are you craving potato chips? Eat a rice cake!” bullshit, but the Sungold cherry tomatoes we’re growing this year are so sweet that they will totally take care of a sweet craving. I’ve eaten a TON of them lately – with mozzarella and without; they’re best just plain, popped into your mouth.
Um. I had to go into the kitchen for a handful of Sungold tomatoes. What was I saying? Oh, right. Cravings. Yep, I get them as much as I ever did!
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I have multiple cats like you and one has decided that he likes the corner of my bedroom more then his litter box. Have you had issues like this and if you do, what do you do to stop it and get the stink out!
The only cat we’ve really had that issue with was Tubby, when he developed diabetes. We were never able to stop him from peeing inappropriately – he did it just a few days before he died, in fact. Spot has lately taken to peeing inappropriately upon occasion, and it’s always preceded by a visit from a strange animal. He did it several times when my parents were here with their dog, and he did it a few times after we let Maxi into the house. We’re lucky in that he never pees directly on the floor, but pees on something on the floor – that is, the bath mat in the spud’s bedroom (which I washed the first few times, then replaced completely), the blanket on the couch (which had slipped to the floor), and this morning I discovered that at some point he peed on the towel in the cat carrier. As long as we keep strange animals out of the house, we don’t seem to have a problem with him; at least we’ve identified what his issue is!
If you know which cat is peeing in the corner of your bedroom, your first stop should be the vet to make sure there are no physical issues going on with him. If there aren’t, then it’s a behavioral thing and you need to try to figure out what causes it. It might have been a one-time thing and now that the smell of cat pee (the most offensive odor in the universe, if you ask me) is in the corner of your room, it could be that the cat is smelling the cat pee, which makes him or her believe it’s okay to pee there. We’ve always used Axi-Dent Pet Odor Neutralizer on cat pee – it’s the only stuff we’ve ever used that immediately wipes out the smell of cat pee. If there’s carpet there, you should probably ask a carpet expert to come and look at the carpet. We had to have the carpet and pad taken up from the corner of the bedroom where Tubby was peeing, and replaced, but an expert will be able to tell you whether the carpet can be saved.
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My question: Lindsay Lohan?
Is it wrong that I feel sorry for her? She is completely messed up, that girl, and I’m not sure that there exists enough help to save her. I don’t know what the answer is, except to perhaps build a time machine and go back in time and stop her parents from allowing her to enter the entertainment industry. For every kid who acts and/ or sings and attains fame at a young age and comes out of it relatively okay (Christina Aguilera is the only one who comes to mind, but she’s still young), there are ten who spend years screwing up and never really seem to get to any level of normalcy (hi, Danny Bonaduce and the Coreys!). I think that the level of fame Lindsey saw at such a young age can be both addictive and scarring. If, when you’re a teenager, there are millions of people who hang on your every word, how can you NOT want to keep feeling that adoration, and how can that NOT fuck you up?
I hope someone figures out how to help her, and I hope she figures out how to help herself.
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I was wondering when all of your other cats have ‘real/official’ names that begin with “S” – why did you choose Tom Cullen? Are you moving up the alphabet or are the others just coincidence?
It was more Fred’s decision all along to keep the cats’ “legal” names starting with “S”, which I think is silly – I literally have to stop and think for a few seconds every time to remember that Mister Boogers is really “Stanley” and Miz Poo is actually “Scrappy.” Personally, I wanted to name Miz Poo Molly, but since Fred had “let” me get her, he got to make the call, and he insisted that her name start with “s”, since we had Spot, Spanky, Snoopy (Tubby), and Stimpy (Mr. Fancypants). When we had Tommy – after his siblings had gone to the pet store and he was still with us (he was limping the day I took his siblings to the pet store, so we kept him for a couple of days, and he wormed his way into our hearts), we were talking about names (before we’d decided to keep him), and got on a Stephen King theme. Fred said that “Tom Cullen” would be a great name, which made me laugh immediately. Later, when I was suggesting that we keep him, Fred said he’d agree as long as we could name him Tom Cullen. So we did!
It’s just a coincidence that Sugarbutt’s name starts with an “S”, but all the other “S” cats were on purpose, and in keeping with the theme.
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What kind of laptop did you decide on? I know you wrote it somewhere, but can’t find it.
It’s a ZT Affinity – this one – and at this point I do not recommend it at ALL. Not only are the USB ports upside down (very weird), it was slow as shit until Fred installed an extra 1 GB of memory, the internal wireless internet doesn’t work at all (we had to get a wireless thingy that you plug into a USB port), it’s got Windows Vista, which appears to be a bloated piece of crap, and I am completely unable to watch movies or videos on it. Fred’s still working on it and will be installing Windows XP at some point this weekend, so we’ll see how that goes. But again – I don’t recommend it. I said to Fred the other day, “For the price, I could have gotten a damn Dell”, but then again – I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone who has had anything good to say about a Dell (if you have a Dell and love it, feel free to leave a comment!).
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Tommy absolutely cannot come to visit the foster kittens without Spanky running over and getting all up in his shit. He thinks Tommy is COOL (it’s like a little kid wanting to hang with the cool big kid) and is always following him around, sniffing at him, and trying to start a fight. All Tommy wants to do is check out the toys, the view out the window, and the food. He has no time for the little kid.
Zombie kitty wants brains. Braaaaaains.
(Tons more kitten pics here. I wanted to clear off my memory stick today.)
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Yesterday I took Sugarbutt’s bandage off to look at his neck, and when I went to put it back on, the self-stick stuff wouldn’t stick. So I got another roll and put some on him, and it wouldn’t stick, either. So I pulled off a long piece and wrapped it around his neck twice, and it stayed. Until last night when the end came unstuck.
Fred says he looks like Fred from Scooby Doo. Hee!
Note on Sugarbutt: I took him to the vet today; he’s got to go back next week to have the spot biopsied, since it didn’t react to the steroid at all, so we can see exactly what it is. Poor Suggie.
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Previously2006: I look like a fucking Simpson!
2005: “I dropped my purse!” I lied.
2004: I’m a slug in a family of energizer bunnies.
2003: No entry.
2002: My primitive mind can’t grasp these concepts.
2001: No entry.
2000: I’m just not feeling very chatty today.]]>
Tommy absolutely cannot come to visit the foster kittens without Spanky running over and getting all up in his shit. He thinks Tommy is COOL (it’s like a little kid wanting to hang with the cool big kid) and is always following him around, sniffing at him, and trying to start a fight. All Tommy wants to do is check out the toys, the view out the window, and the food. He has no time for the little kid.
Zombie kitty wants brains. Braaaaaains.
(Tons more kitten pics here. I wanted to clear off my memory stick today.)
Fred says he looks like Fred from Scooby Doo. Hee!
Note on Sugarbutt: I took him to the vet today; he’s got to go back next week to have the spot biopsied, since it didn’t react to the steroid at all, so we can see exactly what it is. Poor Suggie.