Samson a.k.a Hitchhiker, Aug 2010 – April 6, 2011

Celebrating Mardi Gras

Last night Samson didn’t come home when I called him. I was busy making a pie, so I hadn’t paid much attention to his whereabouts, and didn’t look for him until almost 11 p.m. When he didn’t respond, I slipped on a pair of sneakers and headed out the door. I walked out the driveway to the street, and saw him, his mangled body lying in the road. He had been hit by a car.
No more purrs.
No more cuddling.
He will never again hit the other cats with surprise attacks as they come around the corner.
He will never crawl into the washer.

Or eat my salad
Or knock over plants

Hide-and-Seek

Today I buried him in the back yard.

All I have to show for my troubles are blistered hands and a broken heart.

I miss him.

Picture Gallery- Tamales from Start to Finish

I spent the day making traditional Mexican tamales. It took four hours of preparation and 2 hours of cooking. I now have delicious tamales to eat.

Yum!

Soak the corn husks and clean them

Soak the chilies and clean them

Tomatoes, onion, garlic, and chilies for salsa

Puree chilies for salsa

Add chilies to tomatoes

Add onion and garlic

Finished salsa

Add salsa to meat and add seasonings

Meat is ready

Ready for assembly

Fill the leaves with masa then meat

Roll the corn husk around the tamal

Assembled tamales, ready to cook

Put the molcajete in bottom of pot upside down

Add about an inch of water to pot, and cover the water with corn husks

Place tamales on molcajete, open side up. Don’t let them touch the water

Cover tamales completely with corn husks

Seal the tamales with linen

Steam for and hour and a half or so

Open and check and when done let rest for 30 minutes

Tamal is ready

Enjoy!

Great Marketing

I saw this at a hockey game and just had to take a picture.

What great marketing!

My year in pictures

January/February 2010:

March/April 2010:

May 2010:

June/July 2010:

August 2010:

September/October 2010:

November 2010:

December 2010:

All of the photos above are courtesy of morguefile.com

Blog post ©2010 frayedges and http://www.frayedges.wordpress.com.

Trepidation

Photo courtesy of morgueFile

December 9, 2010
“This is not normal. I’ll need to do a biopsy.”
A fear washes over me. Is it more cancer?

The doctor makes no promises.

I make my next appointment and leave the doctor’s office numb. The biopsy is Monday. The weekend looms before me.

On Friday the numbness gradually turns to fury. I try to contain it, but it slips out occasionally. I look for a distraction, but everyone is busy.  I take a sleeping pill and go to bed early. I just want the days to pass quickly. I need to know.

On Saturday I work. Depression sets in. I don’t call anyone. I don’t want to see anyone or talk to anyone. I stare at Netflix all night, then go to bed.

Today is Sunday. The rage returns. I want to throw something, hit something, break something, whip my body around in a frenzy until I drop exhausted. I want to roar my pain.

Instead I stare mutely, looking for distraction.

Tomorrow is the biopsy.

 

 

©2010 frayedges and http://www.frayedges.wordpress.com