Catching up

Some updates:

Been to the beach and back. It was _great_. Beautiful sand and water, and super weather, and no crowds. I'm going to go again next year, I think/hope. Wish I could've stayed a month.

Also visited with some of our favorite people on the way home.

Got back and the cat had behaved badly again. This time? A cat-diarrhea covered bed and bedroom. augh! So I did what anyone would do, took everything washable outside, hosed it off, and then washed, several times, with lots of soap and some bleach too. Well, the wool blanket (originally a full/queen size) is now a throw, rather than a blanket. I guess I should be grateful we didn't have the winter duvet on yet...

She has been super snuggly since return: Probably some guilt and the cooler weather.

Had a really bad acupuncture session earlier in the week, and then a better one yesterday. I think it's helping my energy level, but that's not what I went in for. So sad.

Talked like a pirate on Friday, paid bills yesterday, did laundry and kitchen clean-up today. Am currently snuggling w/kitty, and cooking some kidney beans for chili later. We have again had a bounty of farm fare bestowed upon us, and I have tried to redistribute as much as I can't use for us, but we are sorely behind on the stack of potatoes. We never made it entirely through the last batch, and had another huge box show up this weekend. Still, we are making headway on the beans and beets.

Best easy way to cook beets that I've found? Wash and remove tips, leaving skin. Leave whole or cut so that the various beets are roughly same size and spread on aluminum foil on a cookie sheet. Cover with foil and fold the edges together. Put in oven at 350-400, and let them cook. For smaller pieces 45 minutes is fine, but I left them in for 2 hours yesterday because I fell asleep (kitty hypnotized me- wasn't my fault) and they were fine. Peel (the skin should slip off easily), cut smaller, and throw still warm into a large storage container and toss with red vinegar, salt, pepper. Yum.