Thursday, September 2, 2021

Cat And Culinary Adventures


The beauty berries are in their full glory again. I am not planning on using any for jelly this year as I did last. It was a noble experiment but we haven't eaten half of last year's jars yet. In the spirit of getting-rid-of and cleaning out, I should probably just dump that stuff and reuse the jars. 

It's nice having my husband home again. He was so very, very tired. He slept almost twelve hours last night which is absolutely unheard of for him. He was amazed when he got up. And pleased, too, I think. 

I had a strange experience in the night although he slept right through it and missed it. Jack was in the bed with me, cuddled up as he so often is, and Maurice came into the room. She made a big fuss of sharpening her claws on the part of the mattress that she can reach from the floor. She always does this before she jumps on the bed but last night she must have known that Jack was already on the bed and instead of making that leap, she started to vocalize. She was making her usual bitchy yowls and one of the sounds she was making sounded a little like "mer". Not so strange. Cats sometimes say "merawl" or something like that but it was close enough to "mer" in this case that I thought, "Wouldn't it be funny if she said, "MerMer"? 
And then she did. 
Clear and crisp as the first true day of fall. "MerMer!" 
Y'all, I am not making this up. And I was wide awake at this point because of her enthusiastic mattress scratching. 
I made an amazed face right there in the dark and said, "Kitty?" and she ran out of the room. 
I reached over to see if my husband was awake and had heard this but he was sleeping like a rock. I was tempted to wake him, but didn't. I checked the time and it was a little after two. 
It took me a few minutes to get back to sleep. I truly was astounded. Have any of y'all ever heard a cat speak English? 
I know that most of you are going to think I've truly turned the bend onto Crazy Lane but I've known several people who have heard cats speak. I'm one of them, having heard two different cats say things in human before. And let's face it- Maurice is an odd cat. I've never had a cat before that kissed me on my lips but she does. And no, she's not licking my lips with her emory-board tongue. She's kissing them with hers. 

Okay. I'll quit talking about that now. But. I am not making this up. 

I got a few things done today. The peas I'd shelled are blanched, bagged, and in the freezer. That didn't take long at all. Then I decided I'd pickle some more peppers but then I started looking at recipes and pepper jam came up and I thought...well, why not? 
I do love a good pepper jam with cream cheese or goat cheese on crackers. Either one. And I had so many peppers, some of them plain banana peppers and some the hot ones. I figured I'd just use them all and see what happened. 


I cut the stem ends off and seeded them, then cut them into smaller pieces and put those through the food processor. I got eight cups of those. I cooked all of that with vinegar, sugar, a tiny bit of salt, a little butter (which is what the recipe I was using called for) and also two nectarines and a large apple. I boiled it all down for awhile and it thickened up nicely. I got eight half-pint jars filled and it's quite tasty. I used a bit of one of the red flame peppers to bring the heat factor up and I think that worked well. 


I believe I'll start stringing the rest of those red flames for drying. 

Mr. Moon's gone to get tested for Covid and plans on getting tested again next week. He's so afraid of having gotten the virus and spreading it to the kids. And to me. He's also got an appointment for a booster shot next Tuesday which he qualifies for due to his neurological situation. So that's all good. He's acting out of an abundance of caution as we so quickly learned to say last year but in this case, it's also just good sense. God only knows what he was exposed to on his trip. 

And that's about it. Well, Maggie got a gold star today and Gibson got the highest score in his class on a reading test so HURRAY FOR THEM! And Jessie got notice of two more children in August's school coming down with Covid and took August out of school at least until after Labor Day. 
All of this is putting parents in an impossible situation. 
And finally, all of the pups that Jessie's been fostering have found homes. Here are the boys with the last one to leave. 


I can't believe how much those little doggies have grown in such a short time. 

And that is that. And here we are. Life going on all around us, within us, above us and below us. Some of it normal, some of it- well- not. 

Keep using an abundance of caution and be safe. There are so many precious people who depend on that, you being one of them. 

Love...Ms. Moon



36 comments:

  1. Oh! I totally believe that a cat could learn to say "Mer Mer" because I live with a parrot, and, well....animals are so much more than people give them credit for.

    I love the idea of your pepper jelly. I have the last bagful of jalapenos in the fridge because I tore down the garden the other day and have been too lazy to do anything with them. Sigh. I hope they'll still be okay to pickle slices in a day or two because I don't have it in me to do it tonight. It's been a crazy and not nice week. Mr. Moon is smart to test for Covid; several people I know, VACCCINATED people, have caught it this week and while not seriously ill, they feel like crap. This Delta variant is no joke. It's scary.

    Sending you a virtual hug tonight, Mary. Please stay safe!

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    1. Thanks, Jennifer. I'm so sorry that you had a lousy week. Those jalapenos will wait on you and even if they don't, it won't be the end of the world.
      I think you're right about cats.

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  2. Lovely pepper jelly, don't get me started..abd I swear I've heard real syllables from animals. They understand a lot of our language and a cat's vocal cords are designed for that mermer sound. So why not.
    Glad Mr m was eligible for the booster.

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    1. I'm glad he was eligible for the booster too. And we really do not want to get this and give it to our unvaccinated grands.
      Of course animals understand us and why we think that they don't mimic us is beyond me.

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  3. not a doubt in my mind that both cats and dogs cat speak! No surprise there....although 1am might not be an appropriate time to display this skill LOL! Pepper jam sounds lovely..... and looks pretty in your jars! I agree with the beauty berries. So lovely on the vine.....such a pain in the ass to do anything with other than admire them! And looks like August and Levon both hair spiffy haircuts!
    Susan M

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    1. I keep wondering if Maurice was crying out to me to get Jack off the bed so that she could come cuddle. Or, at least lay close to me which is how she cuddles.
      That pepper jam is SO good. I hope I can make some more.
      August didn't get a haircut yet but Levon did. Jessie is wondering if she should get August a mullet. Ha!

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  4. I believe Maurice spoke to you, called you by name! Goodness we always talk to our furbabies ... just wait till Maurice comes out with a "fuck" ... and then you will know for sure she is paying attention! LOL
    Love pepper jelly but have never made it myself!

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    1. If Maurice says "Fuck" I will not be shocked. I would assume that's her favorite word.
      It was surprisingly easy to make the pepper jam.

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  5. I used to work with an herbalist friend whose shop carried all kinds of jellies. Pepper jellies were her specialty, and some went to five or six on the pepper scale. You were on your own with pepper jellies! She made jalapeno and one hotter. My b.i.l loved them, up to jalapeno.

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    1. I could definitely control the heat in my jelly with these red flame peppers. They are super hot. I like the way mine turned out. Such a good flavor.

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  6. We had a cat that would call my husband’s name, Arnold. Clear as a bell, aw-no!! So yes, I am a true believer that some cats can indeed talk. Hope Mr Moons test is negative.
    Your pepper jelly looks great! Cream cheese is perfect with it. Have you tried Jezebel dip which is basically apricot jam and horseradish atop cream cheese? Hot and sweet is a wonderful contrast.
    It is truly an impossible situation for parents right now, it scary how many kids are being hospitalized right now and our governor doesn’t give a shit.
    Xoxo
    Barbara
    Barbara

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    1. It is so heartwarming to hear y'all talk about how you've heard cats speak human. I thought everyone would just think I was crazy.
      I have not tried Jezebel dip but I think I'd like it. I do love hot and sweet.
      You are so right about our governor. The more people sick, the stronger he is in his anti-mask mandate position. HE'S the one who's sick. In the head.

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  7. I hope you, Mr. Moon and your kids and theirs will be safe. This state and our dickhead governor have a lot to answer for. Hugs! PS my cat talks to me all the time...

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    1. Our governor is a big ol' dickhead. And an asshat. And an idiot.
      Does your cat speak English?

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  8. Thinking of pepper jelly with cream cheese on crackers makes my mouth water. I haven't had that in ages.

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  9. Long ago our rescued feral, if he was confused and puzzled by finding himself in an unfamiliar setting (e.g., a vacation house), would pad about saying "How? How? HOW? how?"

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    1. Oh gosh. That sort of breaks my heart. Bless him.

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  10. Good that Mr Moon got that (clearly) much needed sleep, but too bad he missed Maurice calling your name (I'm a believer--oh, no, now humming that damn song--Monkees version).

    Congrats to Maggie and Gibson, but sorry to hear about the situation at August's school. How difficult for parents like Jessie. School just started here this week...

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    1. Oh, The Monkees!
      I hope y'all's schools do better than ours have been doing.

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  11. Did Maurice murmur MerMer?

    Good to hear that Rip van Winkle slept like a log.

    The death rate per million in Florida is now 2138 per million compared with the USA as a whole at 1989 per million.

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    1. She did indeed murmur MerMer.
      Yes. Florida leads the nation in covid. We suck the most.

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  12. Our cat Mister was in the carrier awaiting a trip to the vet and I swear he kept meowing "I don't want to" more than once. I've heard him "say" that before. He says "No" sometimes in answer to a question such as "Do you want to go out." He is the only one of our four cats that talks!

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    1. That is so interesting. If you google "can cats talk?" you hear a lot of cat owners saying they can and some experts saying we're imagining things. I don't think so. We know what we hear.

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  13. That is such a happy dog! I've never heard a cat speak, but I swear I once heard a peacock screaming for help. It sounded just like a person: "Help! Help!" Scared me to death.

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    1. Peacocks have crazy loud scary voices, don't they?
      That pup went to his new mommies today. Jessie was so sad to see him go but happy for him.

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  14. Pepper jam with cream cheese sounds yummy! I may have to try that. Hope you have a nice relaxing, fun weekend!

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    1. It is an awesome treat, Ellen! Definitely try it.

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  15. Those beauty berries are so beautiful they actually look artificial! And your pepper jam - I'm so jealous!

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    1. They don't quite look real, do they?
      The pepper jam is delicious. I think it's the best thing I've canned this year.

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  16. We had a cat when I was a child that would say out when he wanted to go outside.

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  17. I love pepper jam. Would you like my address to send it to? Lol

    We're home now so I've spent the day doing laundry and putting things away. It's our wedding anniversary so I'm making the big guy his favorite dish and we'll watch TV after supper. It's peaceful and we're home. Lovely.

    As for cats, ours doesn't talk but she does like to meow loudly at night. She's happy we're home, I assume:)

    I had very odd dreams that were very

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    1. I'm so glad you're home and happy. And happy anniversary!
      I bet your cat is glad she's home even if she doesn't tell you in English.

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    2. Apparently I didn't bother finishing my comment. What the hell!

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  18. oh, I believe it. we had a boxer growing up and at one point my parents built a dog pen for a dog that had been free range all her life and sometimes they would put her in it. don't know why when they could have just let her in the patio yard that had a fence around it if they wanted her outside but not roaming the neighborhood, or rather trotting off after us kids. anyway, the dog would cry and my mother swore the dog would cry 'mama'.

    my brother-in-law would make candied jalapenos to eat with cream cheese on crackers. yummy stuff.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.