Oh boy. I’ve really been living it up so far this week. Dinner last night: leftover Kraft mac’n'cheese with a veggie dog! Of course, I had a heap of homegrown broccoli on the side, as well as some of the pickle chips I made (which are flipping amazing, by the way — I will share the recipe when I get back home!), so that helped maintain some of my crunchy granola street cred.
Thanks to a text from my dad, I now know that there IS public radio reception here — it comes from Duluth instead of the cities, so it’s a different number. It also made a big difference to use an actual radio instead of trying to tune in with my phone (connected to iPod speakers through a cord that wasn’t really long enough to serve as an antenna). Breakfast might be the most important meal of the day, but it doesn’t mean a thing if you haven’t got coffee + public radio to help you wake up. In my view.
Yesterday afternoon, Beany and I took a proper walk through the forest — she was on her lead, of course. I was really surprised how well she did! She stuck to the path that my mom has cut through the woods, stopping every now and then to sniff things (and to jump up on every rock and fallen tree trunk we passed). Any time she seemed determined to wander off the path, I gave her the tiniest tug on the lead and said ‘c’mon’, and we continued on our way. Better than most dogs I know!
We’d got pretty far when the wind started picking up, and I could see dark clouds rolling in. Beany definitely sensed something too, and she let me pick her up and carry her halfway back to the cabin. I put her down again and we finished walking the rest of the way — and not even five minutes after we were inside again, it started chucking down rain. I was VERY glad not to be stuck in the middle of the woods with a cat in the rain.
I love that you take your cat out for walks in the woods. It justifies my cat-lady behavior. I tried taking my orange tabby to the beach during the off season and my husband thought I was crazy. He (the cat) loved it but was a little nervous.
Also, I’d love to get that pickle recipe when you get a chance to post it.
That actually sounds like a good meal. I have been eating out of my garden for weeks so it is tomato this and squash that. It is starting to get old.
Love your blog! Just stumbled upon it while testing whether a chapter can write itself…or if imaginary monkeys might type it out for me. I’ve never taken a cat on a walk in the woods, though our fat ol’ tabby used to tag along when i was a kid. Sounds like a lovely afternoon and that photo reminds me that the bilberries will soon be gone.