7/10/12

Cooking and not Sewing

Whew!  It's been a busy, hot day in my kitchen.  And with the temperatures relatively warm outside, I couldn't have chosen a worse time to be running all my heat-producing appliances.  But before I get to that, I want to take a moment to thank all of you who have left such kind, loving, and heart-warming comments about George.

 

I'm sad to say, nothing has changed on the George front.  We've continued to search for him daily, but we have found not a single sign of him.  Early on the day he disappeared, he had wormed himself out of his shirt somehow.  I'm glad of that because if he hadn't, I'd be worried he was hung up on it somewhere.  Knowing he wasn't wearing it gives me some small amount of comfort.  I bring this up because we haven't found the shirt anywhere either.  It's a little strange.  I keep thinking that if we find the shirt, we'll find George, even though I know the two things have nothing to do with one another.  In any case, he's been gone long enough now that we are pretty much giving up hope that he will return.  We sure are going to miss that sweet face.


Here's something I've been thinking about:  We started doing battle with the squirrels the day George disappeared.  As I've said many times on this blog, we try to live in harmony with the critters that inhabit our property as much as possible.  But living in harmony is a two-way street, and sometimes the squirrels don't uphold their end of the bargain.  Recently, they've started eating all my flowers and they dug up all of my tulip bulbs and ate them.  Every. Stinking. One.  So we decided to trim the herd.  We bagged our first one on the same day George disappeared.  Mike and I have considered that this is our just desserts for going to war with the squirrels.  I half imagine that a gang of squirrels dragged George into their burrow where they have him tied up, gagged, and blindfolded.  I keep expecting to find a ransom note at the door step that says:

So far nothing.  I will, of course, keep you posted.  In the meantime, I sure am missing my snuggle cat.


So to pass the time, I canned another batch of blueberry chutney today.  Then, because I had leftover blueberries, I made a blueberry crisp.  Yes, it's comfort food.


I used a recipe I found in The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion, a new cookbook I picked up about a month ago.


Lots of good stuff in there.

And then I made the components for some strawberry ice cream.  I went to the grocery store, and they had strawberries for $1 per pound.  Pretty cheap, and they actually looked good.  They weren't Oregon berries, but I figured they'd work for strawberry ice cream, and I have had a yen for that too.  Sugar is my best friend while I mourn my kitty.


The custard and fruit are both cooked in my recipe, and so they'll have to sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours to cool before I freeze them.  That will be tomorrow's kitchen task along with making my zucchini relish.  I'll show you how I do the zucchini relish tomorrow.

For today, I'm ready to do some sewing.  I want to get into the sewing room and make at least one block before it's time to start dinner.  What have you been up to today?


25 comments:

Judy1522 said...

I feel so bad about George he is such a cute cat. I had been wondering if he was wearing the shirt when he disappeared and was so glad to know he wasn't. Maybe he knew it was his time and just went away somewhere to peacefully got to sleep. Even so it doesn't make it any easier for you.

Debbie said...

I missed the posts on George earlier....I am heart broken for you. I loved his sweet face. I may go bag a few squirrels outside as payback.

WoolenSails said...

It does seem strange that his shirt is gone too, maybe someone picked him up? I have heard stories of animals getting into trucks and ending up in another state, you just never know.

Debbie

Jocelyn said...

I am so sorry about George. Animals do sometimes wander off when it gets close to their end time. I hope you have peace about it all.

Teresa in Music City said...

Thanks for the update on George. I was wondering and hoping for a good report of course. I think I ate every comfort food known to man when we lost our Sable. I can think of lots of platitudes to share but none of them would help your heart where it hurts. Just know that we will miss him along with you =^..^=

Needled Mom said...

Darn...I was hoping he had returned. Our squirrels ate all of the apricots from our tree. I think they were after the pit because they ate them green.

Diane Wild said...

I was hoping to hear some happy news about George. I'm sorry. Wish I could bring him back for you.

On a brighter note, bring on that recipe for zucchini relish tomorrow. I have 4 bigguns in the fridge. Picked two this morning and found another one hiding under a leaf tonight.

Kate said...

I too was hoping that George had come home. I'll miss Captain Cattastic and his many adventures. Hope all your comfort activities bring you some measure of peace.

Anonymous said...

I'm so sorry to hear that there has been no signs of George.

Jodi said...

Oh, poor you, the worry must be worse than the knowing. I hope he shows up soon.

Junebug613 said...

I just got home from a very long day and am sad to see that George has not emerged from his latest adventure. I wish there were some magical words to make you feel better. I wish and pray that George will show up. I even whispered to my kitties to tell George to come home. I feel so helpless for you. I'm glad you are keeping busy and keeping us updated.

Trina from We bee said...

Very sorry to hear about George! :( It's very hard when they have become a member of the family. Sending thoughts your way...

Lee said...

Having had a 12 yr old rescued feral that we tamed and loved disappear without a trace 2 years ago, I understand both your sadness and the hole in your heart, yet with the circumstances, as you said, you'd be preparing due to his health. My Monster would sleep on the bed all day but prefer out at night. One morning, happened to be the same day I went north for my annual trek 2 yrs ago, he didn't come back. Marty was home and looked for him, but no sign at all. We too feared he fell to a predator. {{hugs}} =^..^=

Anonymous said...

Oh George. You were such a fun and funny kitty, and we miss you and your quirky escapades so much. I bet Gracie misses you, too. You will not be forgotten.
Sharon-ssauser@dishmail.net

Meg said...

So sorry to hear about your cat - two things came to mind when I read about George. First after reading that his health has been declining, he could have went off to die (you know how we hear about that with our pets) - but then it does sound like he just didn't want to come in the last night you saw him and secondly - one of our cats disappeared and was gone for three days. One night I work up at 3:00 a.m. for some strange reason, went downstairs to the front door and there sat a thinner Sadie. She obviously hadn't eaten since she was gone. We couldn't believe it.

It's hard just not knowing - I have been through it with a couple other cats who just never came home.

Hopefully you will find some sign of him.

Meg Nelson - also you were one of my secret pals on quiltingboard.com a year or so ago.

Astrid said...

I'm sorry to hear there's no good news about George... Indeed, strange his shirt is gone too.. Could someone have taken him? The blueberry crisp looks so yummy! I didn't know squirrels are that bad!

kc said...

I'm so sorry about George; my heart aches for you all. Such a sweet kitty; I hope there's peace wherever he is.

Snoodles said...

Everybody misses you, George. Moses wanted to sniff your picture on the monitor this morning...I hope that you will show up at the door soon, tired, but ready to snuggle. But if you are in heaven, look down on your family and know that they miss you.
Love and hugs to you, Barbara, and Mike and Gracie. =^.^=

Denise :) said...

It makes me sad, too, that you've had no news on the George front. He was such a handsome bloke! Glad to know he'd at least managed a Houdini on the shirt. Your berries are beautiful, as is your blueberry crisp! Sending hugs your way. :)

KatieQ said...

I hesitated leaving a comment on the first post about George being missing. I was hoping to write a congratulatory note upon his triumphant return. I'm so sorry. I really enjoyed reading about him and seeing his pictures. I'm sorry for Gracie too. It must be hard for her not to have her friend around.

Mrs.Pickles said...

Oh no I must have missed your first post about George. How sad! I hope he comes home soon. We have had cats go missing for a couple of months return home. So iwill be praying that George just got a little lost and is on his way home asap!

LethargicLass said...

Even when you're sad you still make me smile... loved the kidnap note

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

I 'lost' the first dog that I'd had as an adult on Christmas Eve, shortly after we moved to Tulsa. He wandered off, and was deaf and half blind and we were already afraid that we'd lose him in the next few months. I drove around with 2 small kids in the back seat. I'd see the dog, get out and call, he'd not hear me and keep wandering. I couldn't just leave the kids in the car. We drove thru Tulsa earlier this week, and I still had that feeling of loss as we passed the field where I'd last seen him. It was a sad Christmas morning.

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

I am so sorry to hear about George, I saw your other post and was hoping he would be back. Your story about the squirrels did bring a little smile to my face though and here is hoping for a ransom note! Great looking blueberry crisp. Thanks for sharing.
Quilting at the River Linky Party Tuesday

Kathy Felsted Usher said...

I have been away from blogville for a couple days and just saw a post referring to George! Oh I hope he returns quickly. Once in awhile one of ours disappears for days on end. Sending prayers your way.