Blog, this spring we could wait no longer to create an outdoor space for our cats that would permanently and completely thwart their escape attempts. While Cody is pretty well trained to stay on the concrete pad, and the girls are a bit on the lazy/homebody side, new resident Archie gave us no indication that he wouldn't take off after the first bird that appealed to his wild Tabbysinian breeding.
So, it was time to turn our patio into a catio! Well Blog, I puzzled and researched and found that there wasn't anything similar online to our situation that offered a good solution. You see, the Magic House patio is surrounded by house walls on two sides and an evergreen hedge on 80% of the hypotenuse of the space. All we needed was a way to make the hedge impenetrable, as well as a means of closing up the entry gap.
After much thought and deliberation, I determined all we needed was these four items you see on the left, and a cat gate. Not much expense at all from Amazon, and pretty simple! So here's how it went down, Blog....
After much thought, I decided the least visually obtrusive way to deal with the hedge was bird netting. I got a package of black Bird-X netting in a 7' x 20' piece. I started by cutting the piece in half the long way, yielding 40 feet of netting that was 3.5 feet in height. I took Makai's nylon paracord in a nice dark moss color, and wove it through the netting on the bottom edge. Yes, that was time-consuming, Blog.
I ran this netting under the hedge, as far back from the edge of the patio as it would go, and tacked it down with Dalen steel garden staples, keeping the cord as tight as possible. I got 20 staples for the approximately 35 feet of hedge we have, and I'm going to supplement them with another 20 just to keep that cord snug to the ground.
Lastly, I filled in all the gaps under the hedge with netting, by hooking it on branches and affixing it with green Velcro plant ties here and there to hold securely. Yes, Blog, that was also time-consuming. The toughest part was blocking the area between hedge and house. Naturally that weak point was the first place Archie tested the system, so I had to adjust it immediately. Naughty tripod kitty...well, can't really blame him for being curious on the first venture outside since he made his home with us!
The entry way to the patio was the final issue, and happily while I was installing the netting, FedEx delivered the new cat gate! I used a Cardinal Versagate pet gate because it is stable, has flexible side panels, and has narrow gaps between the bars to block small tuxedo and Tabbysinian cats. That was ALSO time-consuming, Blog--I can't really recommend this gate on the grounds of easy assembly. However, it did work out to be just the perfect design for the job.
So, now we have a catio where cats will be able to play and rest contentedly with minor supervision, and humans will no longer be required to watch with vigilance and give the felines timeouts when they try to sneak away. Spring weather has arrived late in Wisconsin, Blog, but we were prepared for that first 70-degree day so our guests and cats could party together in perfect harmony!
Hey Blog, did you ever have a stray hour or so of free time, and wish you could convert it to as much fun as possible? Well, this is what happened to me, and while pondering what to do with said 60 minutes, I had a sudden epiphany.
I invented the 10 Minutes o' Fun Game!
No--don't say a word, Blog...I can see on your non-corporeal face how eager you are to learn how to play! Hopefully our readers are too. Here's how it works: Think of a small thing to do, something you know you will enjoy, but won't take more than ten minutes. Do said thing, and after you're done, think of another ten minutes of fun and do that! Allowing for one or two of these ten minute things to take a little longer, you still should be able to do five--count 'em, five--fun things in your free hour!
I will demonstrate by sharing with you what I did with my hour:
10 Minutes o' Fun Thing #1: Estate Tour
"Touring the estate" is what my parents used to call looking around the yard at the gardens. Magic House is a condo so it has a small yard, but I still like to go outside on a summer night and just look at the plants and trees. I admired my new rock arrangement on the patio (rocks from our vacay trip around Lake Michigan), looked at the front porch and thought about sitting out there on the folding lounge sometime (new idea), and watered the east flower bed. Got to savor the outdoors in that smidge of truly quality time!
10 Minutes o' Fun Thing #2: Living Room Check
If you never just pause to look at your own stuff, before long you won't even see it anymore. I very frequently just walk around my house and look at the wall art and knick-knacks. This time I combined the experience with letting Selke sit on my lap and be cuddled. Bonus. In the process I noticed a book pile that looked uncool, and this led to...
10 Minutes o' Fun Thing #3: Scrapbook Repair and Perusal
In said book pile was the scrapbook I made of the aforementioned Lake Michigan Circle Tour trip that we took in June. The cover kinda came off recently. So I was inspired just then to fix the cover, and then just flip through the book again, and then put it away upstairs, making the book pile look better. You may be noticing a theme, Blog: during the course of your fun, you sometimes complete odd little tasks you've been putting off. This adds a sense of accomplishment to the game!
The Cloud Chair in its usual spot
10 Minutes o' Fun Thing #4: Foot Treatment
While I was upstairs, I remembered it had been a coon's age since I PedEgg-ed my feet. (That's using a PedEgg to get your feet all smooth.) I followed it up with a nice foot massage with shea butter. Now we're talking fun, mes amis!
10 Minutes o' Fun Thing #5: New Perspective Lounging
We have two Cloud Chairs (normal people call them papasan chairs) at Magic House, one in the living room. I had the sudden brainstorm that it would be fun to move the Cloud Chair in front of the sliding doors that lead to our patio, to catch the breeze and the evening view. With Selke looking on perplexedly, I dragged the chair over, and settled in in the dark room with my backlit Nook Tablet and a good book. What a grand idea this was! The chair barely fits there, but temporarily...why not? I'll be doing it again soon, I'm sure.
New spot for the Cloud Chair
I read a bit longer than 10 minutes, but all in all, these things took me about an hour and a quarter. And they were varied, so I felt like I'd experienced way more fun than 75 minutes' worth! I still had time to watch an episode of My Little Pony in bed before lights out!
I'm pretty sure the 10 Minutes o' Fun Game hasn't heard the last of me. Or me of it. Give it a try soon, Blog, and you too, readers! Let me know if you enjoy yourself in a disproportionate-to-time-spent way like I did!
Dear heavens, Blog, where have I been? I know, I know, my remissness blog-wise is inexcusable. But the excuse I can give for the past week is that I've been having a Birthday Week (currently on Day 7). And what more festive activity for Day 7 of my Birthday Week than to tell our readers how to have a Birthday Week!
Great decorating job, co-workers!
The foundation of a BW is your birthday itself, natch. Odds are in the busy and complex world of 2011, you are unable to celebrate the day with all your family and friends on the same day. Maybe you and the significant other are planning a romantic dinner, while your parents are hosting you a different day, etc. In my case this year, I had a fun lunch get-together planned with my dad on my birthday itself, a Thursday. Meanwhile, the dinner with husband, daughters, and daughters' BFs was planned for Saturday. So, take these occasions and build your BW around them!
Now, add to the mix any fun activities that happen to be scheduled during the adjacent week. I, for example, had a massage appointment set up for Tuesday. I haven't had a massage in like 10 years, so this definitely qualifies as a special occasion that makes my Tuesday a festive BW day. Maybe your activity is less thrilling, like grocery shopping day, but that doesn't mean you can't make it festive. In that case, you might splurge on a bunch of your favorite entrees, drinks, snacks, or desserts...you know, Blog, make it your dream food shopping spree!
It's the Domes Art Fair!
Another factor that will help you is the scientific fact that every week includes a weekend. And weekends tends to be opportunities for special activities. See what's happening in your town and make it a BW activity. For example, in Milwaukee this was the weekend for the 2nd Annual Domes Art Fair, at which my daughter Katie's boyfriend happened to have a booth. How exciting! And anything exciting is BW fodder, Blog. The early kickoff on Friday meant a checkmark by that day for me.
Taking advantage of fun adventures you always enjoy definitely counts, so Saturday I took a groovy trip to the Milwaukee Art Museum (yep, Saturday was double festive!), and Sunday went to lunch and shopping in lovely downtown Cedarburg.
"The 500 Fingers of Dr. T" rocks.
Sadly, you will still have some weekdays to fill, and at least one will require creative thinking. If your office observes birthdays with treats, bringing in doughnuts, cake or cookies certainly adds a celebratory air to your random Wednesday. And remember, you can have festive fun even in the evening in your humble home. Wednesday evening it was a fab French Silk Sundae from Kopps (an annual treat) and a beloved movie I hadn't seen in 40 years, "Dr. Seuss's The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T." It's a party!
Here's a little tip: Sometimes it can be fun to NOT plan a BW activity and just be on the lookout all day for some happy surprise the universe sends your way. In my case, my blank Monday was made festive when my coworkers surprised me by decorating my office while I was out having a long weekend. Sweet! And it made for a complete seven-day extravaganza of fun.
A couple more suggestions: Birthdays are yet another reason to join Facebook. It's so fun getting greetings all day from your friends all over the world. You don't have to thank each one individually, but I find that doing so just makes each gesture more meaningful. It's a cyberparty all day! Meanwhile, if you can line up your BW with some several-day fun time, like a trip or a visit, that week will rock all the more. I was lucky that my uber-friend Martha stayed with us four fun days.
And that's all there is to it! The added benefit of observing a Birthday Week is that it will teach you to look for fun wherever you are and whatever you do, Blog. It's amazing how having a party attitude makes party feelings materialize on the most ordinary days! And that's a bonus b-day present for sure.
I don't know about you, Blog, but when I think "patio," I think "catnip kicktoys." I'm lying, that's completely random. (I hope you're getting this, Randometer!) Nevertheless, a patio is a very good place to make catnip kicktoys, because you can spill the catnip and no harm done. Now, on to the burning question in the minds of our readers: How do you make a catnip kicktoy?
1. Find a patio. Ours works nicely. (Can you spot two cats?)
2. Gather your supplies: Some sturdy long socks (I used spa socks I found for $2 a pair at Michaels), fiberfill, catnip, needle, thread and scissors. Allow at least one sock per resident cat.
3. Fill the sock with alternating layers of fiberfill and catnip. Make it nice and puffy but also squeezable.
4. Do your best to keep your cat out of the catnip as you work. [Cody: Dude, this plastic lid is rocking my world!]
5. Don't be alarmed if your cat absconds with the catnip lid. [Cody: Man, this patio is awesome!]
6. Completely fill the sock with its wondrous stuffing mix. (So much better than Stove Top!)
7. Then, to paraphrase Devo, you must whipstitch it, whipstitch it good. Cats will not care about the color of thread or the neatness of stitches, so just make sure the opening is well sealed.
8. Proceed with remaining socks. Expect cats to try to climb inside the socks as you work...
...or start to nuzzle with the completed socks...
...or claim a sock before they are all finished.
9. Continue until all socks are completed transformed into catnip kicktoys. You are now ready to party!
Here, Alice demonstrates the actual catnip kicktoy kicking motion.
Some cats, like Alice, may also look at their new gift more as a catnip LICKtoy.
But see the drug-induced stupor love in her eyes? That will be your reward for the 5 to 10 minutes it takes you to make your beloved pet a catnip kicktoy.
I can think of no better use for a patio, Blog. No, I'm lying again. But still, we had fun!
Blog, winter weather in Wisconsin is no great shakes, but we do have our days when it's pretty darn cool. Wow, I could have done some punning there. But actually, I'm here to share the photos I took December 5 when a perfectly sunny day followed after our first snowfall of the year. Walk with me through the winter wonderland that is Tuckaway.
This is the back of our house, which is actually the front of our house. You had to expect something curious to be the case at Magic House, didn't you?
This is the path that leads through Windemere Estates, our section of Tuckaway. We do our best to seem like a cozy Tudor village.
This is a cozy Tudor squirrel.
More Tudor loveliness.
Gimme those good, old-fashioned mature trees.
The neighbor's birdhouse was so cute with snow on the roof.
That's our house in view behind the sign. We love our huge evergreen trees.
This is the front of our house which is really the back of our house.
Alas, patio party days are suspended till May. But it's still pretty.
Wanted to show you how nice the snowflake gel clings look on a sunny day.
So Wisconsin winter was worthwhile, for these couple days at least. Hope you enjoyed sharing the Tudor-y, winter-y coziness, Blog!
Blog, you may not remember that awesome Food Network show from about ten years ago, "Doorknock Dinners," hosted by UK-born Aussie Gordon Elliott. Gordon would pop in unannounced at a lucky home with gourmet chef in tow, and said chef would construct a gourmet meal out of whatever happened to be in the fridge.
Occasionally I love to indulge in the home game of this show, that is, peruse whatever I have on hand and try to make the fanciest feast possible out of the ingredients. It's more fun than playing Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock, Blog! And Davie likes it too because he gets to eat the results.
Let's take a closer look at how yesterday's round of the game went down.
Scheduled on the weekly menu was tilapia. Other than that, I had a hankering to make use of the fresh cantaloupe I had on hand, and to somehow fit bacon into the mix. Why? Because everything is better with bacon, dudes! I also wanted to enjoy some of the gourmet olive oils we recently bought from Vom Fass. Yum yum good and good for you.
After some pondering and googling, I came up with this menu:
Bacon-Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia
with Cantaloupe Basil Salsa
Lemon Dill Pasta
Crusty French Bread with Garlic Dipping Oil
Scrumpt City USA, Blog. Proceed to dig the specific recipes....
Bacon-Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia
(serves 2)
1 - 1 1/2 pound tilapia fillets (5-6 pieces)
3 slices of bacon
1 cup panko or fine breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup flour
1 egg
Salt, pepper, parsley
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
Lemon
Fry or microwave bacon until very crispy; crumble fine. Mix crumbs, parmesan, salt and pepper to taste, and bacon bits till well blended. Beat egg with a teaspoon of water till well blended. Dredge tilapia fillets in flour, then egg, then crumb mixture; allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. Melt butter and heat with olive oil in large skillet or griddle. Saute fillets, turning once, about 4 minutes per side or until breading is golden brown and fish cooked through. Sprinkle with parsley and garnish with lemon slices or wedges.
Cantaloupe Basil Salsa
(serves 2)
1 cup cantaloupe, chopped
1/8 cup Vidalia onion, chopped
1/4 cup cucumber, chopped
1 T fresh lime juice
1/2 T fresh basil, chopped fine
Salt
Cayenne pepper
Blend all ingredients, add salt and cayenne to taste. Chill at least one half hour to blend flavors.
Lemon Dill Pasta
This one was a bit off-the-cuff: I whisked together about a quarter cup of fat-free sour cream with about 2 teaspoons of lemon olive oil and about 1 teaspoon of dry dill weed, and a little salt and pepper. Stirred the mix into about two cups of cooked and drained whole wheat spaghetti, and voila! So delish.
Crusty French Bread with Garlic Dipping Oil
Just that!
And for those of you who, sadly, missed getting to see the show, here's a handy video:
Meanwhile, I cannot help but also share, in the spirit of the mash-up (to which of course Blog and I are total slaves), hightlights from the "Iron Chef" episode of "Doorknock Dinners." It celebrates the good old days of the original, Japanese Iron Chef, with all its campy, "oh no! Ican'teatthatit'stoocharred!" glory.
So readers, is your cupboard a bit bare today? All the more reason to challenge yourself to a round of Doorknock Dinners!
Just ask Davie; I'm ridonkulously obsessed with outdoor living. Why? Two words: Wis. Consin. Sorry, Blog, that was pretty bad. But think about it: We live in one of the most beautiful states in the nation, but have to put up with snow and cold from November to April. No wonder I have the proverbial Royal Cow when 70s temps arrive. And no wonder I'm obsessed with our patio.
We found our condo in February of 2003, and even the gray skies and several inches of snow did not prevent me from recognizing how awesome our patio was. It's not large: it's a quarter oval of 150-200 square feet. And it's not like those spaces you see on "The Outdoor Room," with expensive furnishings, a stone floor, and a fish pond. But it has a couple really great things going for it: total privacy due to the hedge, and the beauty and shade of an overhanging maple tree canopy.
In my humble opinion, you don't have to be a millionaire to enjoy paradise-like outdoor living. There are a few key elements to making the most of whatever you have, Blog, and of course I'm here to share.
Thing 1, naturally, is flora. Like the flora you see above and to the left, which are actually in our perennial bed on the other side of our house. When I was little, in the summertime we had a family ritual. My parents called it "touring the estate," and it typically happened when my dad got home from work or after supper. We would just stroll around our house and check out all the gardens. You can tour the estate even if all you have is one flowerbed. I think one flowerbed is about all this inept gardener can handle, but it's fun trying out different perennials to see which will survive the Wondergeddon that is Wisconsin winters. I'm really pulling for this spiderwort we just put in. It has such fun yellow leaves and exotic-y blooms.
But we're supposed to be talking patios, Blog. I say, get yourself a bunch of plant stands and as many patio plants as you can possibly afford. Our array this year cost a fairly typical $200, which works out to a couple bucks a day--well worth it for the joy they bring. Plus, you can defray your cost by asking for patio plants for Mother's Day like I did this year. That's how I snagged this beautiful dish garden you see in closeup below. I just adore the many shades of green and white, and the great variety of shapes and textures. Whoever planted this one (at Home Depot) knows whereof s/he dishes.
I bizarradore dish gardens, Blog. I guess because they showcase the variety of flora we enjoy here on Planet Earth, on a very small scale. There are as many colors in the leaves of this dish garden to the right as there are in the blossoms. Oh, and speaking of variety, let me point out the plant stand here. I really love this one, and got it on Super-Duper-Multiple-Discount last year at Kohls. Being on the lookout for cheap, awesome plants stands is a fun hobby in and of itself. Garage sales, late season discounts...there are lots of ways to get yourself nice stuff.
I should mention right now, Blog, the cool fact that I am writing this post on the patio! Another thing to keep in mind for Perfect Patio Living is technology (an optional but beneficial Thing). Nature and tech are not opposed, as I am proving right now: without our wireless network and my netbook, Coraline, I'd have to be indoors doing this! Hells to the no, Blog! If you have a network and a laptop, your patio living just got even better. Let's toast that idea with another dish garden!
Please note how we dolled up a commonplace wood plant stand with a rock mat. Obsessed as I am with rocks indoors, I certainly like to use them outdoors too. In fact, I incorporated some big art glass chunks in my new hens-and-chicks dish garden you see below. Yeppers, Blog, I actually made this one myself, in a way cool birch basket we had. You can see that rocks are Thing 2 about a cool patio.
And Thing 3 is a water feature. I can't emphasize enough the difference it makes having the soothing sound of splashing water a part of your patio ambiance. You don't have to put in a waterfall (although if I could I would, Blog). All it takes is an inexpensive table-sized fountain, like you can get for maybe 25 bucks at all kinds of places. If you want to go bigger, we saw a bunch on sale at Stein's this weekend, in the $100-200 range. Our fountain is a one-of-a-kind art piece that was the item I treated myself to with our wedding gift money, found at a shop in Door County, Wisconsin.
Now this is just a personal thing, but we've found the patio is a great place to get whimsical. That's Thing 4: whimsy. We have a Whimsical Sculpture Garden, Blog, and most of the items in it were bought for less than $5 apiece over the years. Our latest addition is this $3 moose, which rather than being under the hedge with the other sculptures, is using his rain gauge as a vase.
While we're up on the tabletop, let's talk about Thing 5: furnishings. These days people are going pretty nuts with the outdoor furniture, and I would too if I had the mega-bucks. But really, a quality umbrella table with four chairs is all you need. We've had ours six years and it's still good to go. You can add on more seating as the budget permits. Oh, and one other must, which I hardly need mention: a grill.
You'll see some more whimsy in my artsy shot below: that's Lisa-Bird you see in the background. Of course it's key to name all your Whimsical Sculptures.
And no discussion of whimsy would be complete without mentioning our cat-birdhouse sculpture, seen here with Cody. Yesterday Codes knocked that fork loose and you can imagine he freaked himself out a little bit. Speaking of Cody, I have to say it helps to improve the quality of your patio living if you can employ some fauna (Thing 6) with your flora. The participation of our cats definitely makes one feel more a part of nature. Below you see Selke and Alice respectively, au naturel as they say. Cats are great at creating a chillin' mood, but dogs will do in a pinch, too.
A few other things that can enhance patio living: An iPod with speaker(s) and a kickass playlist like my "Neverending Ubiquitous Patio Party Playlist." A simple radio broadcasting a baseball game. A thermometer and a clock. Candles. Hanging patio lights. And last but not least, a fabulously stocked bar like we have here at Magic House.
I'm not sure, Blog, if our readers stuck with this entire long post. But that's okay, I mostly did it for us. There are going to be days ahead when it'll be nice to come back here and remember when the patio wasn't in Snow Shutdown Mode...and look forward to the next season of patio enjoyment. Wisconsin may have long winters, but here's the nice thing about it: summer always shows up again eventually.
Let's close with a little video tour of the patio (taken earlier, so you'll note a few subtle changes)....
