Puff Tiggy's Christmas Letter

Greetings, Suckers, I mean, Humans!  It is I, Puff Tiggy, the rapping kitty....

Bet you all didn't think I'd write this year!  Ha!  Despite rumors to the contrary, I am alive, and while not well, alive is something.

This year I celebrated my 18th birthday, and by celebrated, I mean I slept and the people brought me food.  For most of the year I lived in self-imposed seclusion in the master bathroom.  I went in one day, it seemed nice, so I stayed.  After a few days, the people felt bad for me (ha!) and moved my food up there.  About a month ago I decided to shake things up and have moved back to the pantry.  The family thinks it is because I missed them...but they will never know my real reasons (cue evil laughter.....).  In a few days I will celebrate 18 years of living with this family by sleeping in my custom made bed and eating kitty treats.

The family has been busy this year, doing things they always do (school, work) and some new adventures as well. (Keep reading)

The Girl played club volleyball last spring and summer and enjoyed it.  She did not play volleyball this fall, but kept busy with Honors 10 English and a fun photography class. The other pets and I got to hear "hold still!" many times.  She is thinking of running track this spring and is, of course, skiing this winter.  She has a nice group of friends who give me ear scratches when they come over.

The Boy continues to snowboard with a team--he won a couple prizes last spring and again went to Snowboarding camp in the summer.  He got to be a volunteer at Vacation Bible School this year and thought he was pretty cool.  He is a 6th grader this year and is enjoying being in the Middle School wing.  He continues to read everything in sight and especially likes graphic novels (comic books) this year.

Mr. IM's business continues to keep him busy.  In his spare time he enjoys working on his car, walking the dogs, and various home projects.  (Enjoy might be too strong a word for some of those activities).  He installed a new patio for the side yard to keep Morrison from digging holes and it is a favorite spot in the morning or evening for all of the people.

My person is still teaching--this is her 15th year at her school.  She keeps saying she never intended to stay in one place this long, but since she has, she might as well stay. She says that she loves her job and the people and kids she works with, but does occasionally fantasize about running away to a deserted area of Montana to raise goats (although I don't think she'd do it...it is cold in Montana and goats smell).

The rest of the pets continue to do what pets do...Alice quietly plots everyone's deaths, Liberty protects us (except for when I scare her by meowing ,and then she hides), Morrison digs holes...

The family's big adventures this year included a trip to Alaska in July.  (We pets stayed home with D and A and their dog, Emma).  The people were able to visit with Mr. IM's sister, brother in law, nephews, and mom and sightsee in Seattle.  The cruise was with my person's parents for their 50th Anniversary. My person's brother, sister in law and nephew went along too. You can read about the start to their adventures here.

The family also has acquired a seasonal rental (whatever that means) so they are gone many weekends (don't bother breaking into the house, I am here to protect it and there isn't anything valuable anyway).  Once in a while the whole family (including the dogs) does go to the apartment, but usually, it is just Mr. IM and The Boy--The Girl has an exciting social life.  My person says she will write a post about the apartment later (but she's been saying that for months, so don't hold your breath...)

That may be all the news from here--best wishes for a blessed 2017!
Happy New Year from Puff Tiggy and the rest of the family!

November 2016 Books

How is November over? (how has it been over for 2 weeks?!)
Here's What I read in November....

1.  Firefly Lane (Kristen Hannah)--Somehow I read the sequel first.  Knowing "what happened next" kind of ruined the story for me--this book seemed like it was supposed to end on a "high note", but since I know what happened next, it was one long bummer.  The sequel also did a good job recapping, so while there was some new material, there wasn't anything too surprising.  If you're going to read these, I'd read this first.
2.  Stars Over Sunset Boulevard (Susan Meissner)--Connects 1930's Hollywood through 1940's/50's and today.  A little about Gone With the Wind, a lot about the relationship between two life-long friends.  Good book.
3.  Building a Better Teacher:  How Teaching Works and How to Teach It To Everyone (Elizabeth Green)--It took me months to get through this.  It was good, had a lot about the research on how math in particular is taught today.  Good advice that boils down to "get into other classrooms and learn from each other".
4.  The Girl in the Glass (Susan Meissner)--Another Meissner book where she connects the past and the present, this time Medieval Florence and today.  Cute story, good read.

Apparently I was busy doing other things during November!

All good books, but none really contenders for top 10....

What I read, October 2016

Here we go....

1.  At the Water's Edge (Sara Gruen)--Like Water for Elephants, this book has a young female main character who is in a bad situation.  It is historical fiction.  The description on Amazon really doesn't tell much of what the book is about-I wasn't sure I wanted to read it after that description, but enjoyed the book.
2.  Finding Bliss (Dina Silver)--Recommended by a friend and ironically had a lot in common with At the Water's Edge.  I didn't love it, but it was a quick read.  I might have liked it more if I hadn't just read such a similar book!
3.  Orange is the New Black (Piper Kerman)--My mom kept recommending it and I was baffled...I mean, haven't all my friends told me what happens on the tv show?  Turns out the book and the tv show have little in common...same basic premise, but real life wasn't as exciting in most ways as the show is.  Book is about redemption and "finding yourself".  Good read.
4.  Blood on the Tracks (Barbara Nickless)--Intriguing book--about a female vet and her search and rescue dog who work in law enforcement in the US.  A sequel is due out next year.  I liked this book, I'm kind of curious about what "happens next" but not super curious.  Good book...waiting to see what happens next.
5.  Secrets of a Charmed Life (Susan Meissner)--I really like how Meissner weaves together historic (fictional) stories with modern (fictional) stories.  This time it revolves around two sisters, separated during World War II and a young woman interviewing a WWII survivor.
6.  The Winter Garden (Kristin Hannah)--Another story with a connection to WWII and a family secret.


Contestants for top 10 of 2016:
Orange is the New Black
Secrets of a Charmed Life
The Winter Garden

The December Birthday Dilemma...Chapter 12

So the Boy's birthday is this weekend.  When he was born, I had only accumulated about 4 weeks of leave. That combined with two weeks of Christmas Break and notes from both my doctor and the kids' pediatrician saying "keep that child out of daycare for one more week" meant that I ended up with just short of 7 weeks of leave--which made me very thankful that he was an "almost Christmas baby".
However, as he gets older, his holiday season birthday has created some interesting situations....like the year only one friend appeared at his party (because all the others had last minute visits to Santa, holiday events, etc.), or the year that 27 kids attended his Harry Potter themed party at our house (advertised as "We live 3 miles from the Outlet Mall....drop off ALL your children at The Boy's party and get your shopping done!!!").  Often he is a victim of "here is one big gift for both Christmas and your birthday" (I am guilty of this....) Every year we debate how many Christmas decorations are appropriate before his party (also influenced by if the birthday party is at our house or somewhere else).
This year since snowboarding is happening on both Saturday and Sunday, it may be months before The Boy actually gets a party (although there is a motion on the table to do something one day during winter break with one of his friends, who hasn't had a birthday party yet this year either...). And the Christmas tree dilemma...do we get it before his birthday? On his birthday?  After?  One year we picked up a tree for 75% off on December 19 because we had the party at our house that week and didn't want a bunch of little boys with lightsabers and a tree with ornaments together...
This year we will celebrate early with the family, before the boys go to the mountain apartment (The Girl has finals to study for...) so I made a cake tonight--it certainly isn't as impressive as some other birthday cakes (the jewelry box, the pirate ship...) but it looks like it is going to be delicious.. (and if I did it right, there will be a surprise when we cut into it...).  And I tasted the reject pieces and frosting and can attest that it is very tasty no matter what....

Impromptu Movie Reviews

Updated 12/5/2016
Gee...I feel like I have a lot to catch up on.  The short (long?) story is that after spending years driving 2+hours each way every Saturday and Sunday, we finally gave in and rented a "ski condo" (cue hysterical laughter).  I'll have to give it its own post...it is cute, very appreciated, and the right price (or at least close enough).  We've spent a couple weekend up there, cleaning, making it homey and practicing for ski season. Last weekend Mr IM and the kids went up right after school on Friday and I stayed home ALONE (well, except for the livestock).  I did some shopping, cleaning, reading, and watched five movies of my own choosing...leading me to publish this impromptu movie review issue of the blog....

Movie #1 (Friday 4:20 pm): Whisky, Tango, Foxtrot--from the library, enjoyed it.  Tina Fey is funny but it does a good job with serious content--there is a book that the movie is kind of based on that I just put on hold at the library.  I'll report on the book later.  Two thumbs up...

Movie #2 (Friday, about 7 pm):  Age of Adelaide--Another good one, "rented" for free from Amazon.  The Boy tells me I started watching it once before and didn't like it, but it was good this time...two thumbs up...

Movie # 2 1/2:  (Saturday, mid-day) Girl on a Train--Another from Amazon prime.  I wanted to like it, I thought the book was interesting, but I couldn't reconcile what was on the screen with what I remember from the book and ended up wondering if it was the same book that I thought I read.  I stopped it after about 15 minutes.  I'll try again some other time, maybe...

Movie #3 (Saturday, mid-day):  13 Hours in Benghazi--from the library--intense but very good.  I read the book and the movie does it justice.  Two thumbs up

Movie #4 (Saturday afternoon):  Bad Moms--actually the only movie I paid money for this weekend because I'd heard how great it was....if it had been free it might have received more praise from me...I was disappointed because I was expecting it to be hilarious stupidity (and it was) but the main premise was that a mom decides to be a bad mom, break up with her husband of 10+ years and start looking for a fling.   (Ok, there's more to it than that, and it was funny...but I'm disappointed that I rented it instead of getting it for free from the library later...)  One thumb?

Movie #5 (Saturday evening?):  Hot Pursuit--so here's the thing, I don't have any idea what order I watched any of these in, but it doesn't really matter. And I'll admit that I graded papers, and did housekeeping while watching some.  This movie was free on Amazon and it was entertaining--a good movie to "watch" while folding laundry!  Two thumbs up...

So next weekend, I may be home again, but The Girl will be here studying for finals, so it may be a book weekend instead of movies (or only what I can watch on my kindle with headphones!)

Late summer garden update

We didn't plant much this year, and so the updates haven't been very exciting.  We did finish one more small area with succulent plantings and a new patio and put in an arch to train the mystery tree to cover (A bird was in there yesterday and flew out right at Mr. IM's head...it was funny....)
The first frost is possible this week (forecast says low of 35...but that is pretty close to 32...) so it is time to start wrapping up this year.

I think the only crops this year were:
Cherry Tree planted this year--two cherries total
Peach Tree-3rd or 4th year since we planted--4-5 peaches (they were yummy)
Potatoes in a trash can--not harvested yet
Potatoes in the garden--planted for spring harvest, per internet advice...we'll see
Early lettuce--we ate it....
Scallions, onions, chives--harvested and eaten periodically.  All volunteer plants from earlier years..yummy
garlic--some volunteer and some planted using garlic that was sprouting in the kitchen.
Basil--Morrison keeps trying to kill it...but I did use quite a bit during the summer.  We'll see if it gets to come in for the winter.
Lavender--none harvested, because Morrison keeps pulling it up.  We'll see in the next few weeks if there is anything worth saving
Oregano--inside, on the kitchen window sill--will let it keep growing, use it occasionally
Sage--didn't use it much, also in kitchen window sill.  Will probably freeze what is left.
Asparagus--didn't get to eat any of it--it came in and flowered before I realized it was ready
Peas--rodents ate them all :(
Cucumbers--had quite a few--not as many as some years, but enough for a couple new jars of pickles and lots of eating.
Cilantro-planted it in the garden, it has gone crazy. Used it a lot this summer and will let it re-seed itself for next year
Mint:  As always it is going. nuts.  I need to harvest and preserve some before it frosts
Catnip:  Had a slow start, but is going nuts now...should harvest and preserve it as well!
Tomatoes--had a lot--many are still green, so we may have green tomato relish this year if it does freeze soon
Peppers--I think we planted green peppers and jalapenos, but I think they cross pollinated.  There could be some habaneros, too.  All the peppers seem hot.  We haven't had a ton, but have had steady production most of the summer.

I recently saw kale growing in flower pots as an ornamental object, so I think I might try that next year!

What I read in September 2016

Apparently I can't keep track of time well--since I last wrote, I participated in a yarn crawl (and won one of the grand prizes) and have been busy with life.

Here's what I was reading when I wasn't "doing":

1.  All Fall Down:  An Embassy Row Novel (Ally Carter)--I loved "I'd Tell You I Love You, But I'd Have to Kill You", Ms. Carter's series from a few years ago.  Well, at least I loved the first few books.  The last couple were strange.  So when she started this series I didn't jump and read it.  I was looking for a new series (and hanging out in the teen tower) and started reading.  It was good--probably top ten material.  About a teen girl who is the granddaughter of the ambassador to a European country,  It has some similarities to the Gallagher Girls series (spies, secrets, adventure) while staying pretty tame and PG rated.  Entertaining. likeable characters, etc.
2.  See How They Run (Ally Carter)--book two of the series--not as good as book 1, but the third book comes out in December, we'll see if it redeems the series.
3.  Fly Away (Kristin Hannah)--Another find in my search for "something good".  By the same author as The Nightingale.  Just found out it is actually the 2nd book in a mini-series, but I don't remember not understanding anything.  About an Oprah like woman who looses her best friend to cancer and how the choices she makes impact her and others.  good read.  I will probably read more that she has written.
4.  The Last Camel Died at Noon (Elizabeth Peters) on CD--always good in the car..
5.  Play Dead (Anne Frasier)-recommended by a friend and interlibrary loaned through the library.  It is a mystery/crime novel set in Savannah Georgia.  It was good, a little gory at times, but a good story.  If our library owned them, I might eventually read the others.  At this point I'll probably wait. This book centered on a detective who was sort of a voodoo priestess as well and how she solves crimes using her detective smarts and voodoo knowledge.

Only 5 and I'm not sure that any are top ten material--maybe Fly Away or collectively the Ally Carter books...but not spectacular.  I have been reading a book called How to Build A Better Teacher for about a month as well.  While it won't make the top 10, it might get its own post--it is interesting material.

What I read in August 2016

I might be back on track...or not...

1.  The Shadow of the Moon (Susan Beth Pfeffer)--The 4th book in the series about the moon being knocked out of orbit.  This one follows another "secondary" character.  The main characters from books 1 and 2 (who were the main characters together in 3) are in the story, but are on the edges.  We find out what happens, but the story loses some of its momentum because the reader almost has to start over.  I've heard a rumor there will be a 5th book, I'll read it if there is, but this one won't make my top 10...
2. The Fifth Wave (Rick Yancy)--There are 3 books in this series and I read all three this month.  I really enjoyed the first, the 2nd was ok...I hoped the third would be awesome...it was ok.  A good post-apocalyptic read...but not top 10 material..
3.  The Infinite Sea (Rick Yancy)
4.  Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (JK Rowling and all)--Meh.  Glad I read it, but didn't hold up to the "real" HP books.  The characters don't behave as I expected they would.  Harry constantly doubts his parenting skills (and perhaps he should).  Oh, and there is time travel.  Meh.
5.  The Last Star (Rick Yancy)
6.  The Fold (Peter Clines)--Same author as "14"--good book, ending was almost the same..which I can't tell you about without spoiling both books.  Interesting read, definitely science fiction. If you love science fiction, you'll probably love it...
7. The Love Letters (Beverly Lewis)--Typical Beverly Lewis.  Entertaining, quick read...Amish girl has problem, problems get worked out, she gets married...its all good.
8.  The Last American Vampire (Seth Grahame Smith)--A sequel to Abraham Lincoln Vampire Slayer..enough said...if you enjoyed the first book, this is a good sequel.  If you thought it was dumb, don't bother.  What I like about both books is the author's (successful) efforts to imagine what someone from another point in history would think of American events.  The vampires and vampire hunters are a bit over the top at times, but the writing is good--entertaining and funny at times, horrifying at others.
9. The Forgotten Room (Whie, Wiliams, and Willig)--I kept expecting it to be science fiction (maybe because of all the sci fi I read earlier?) and it wasn't--it was a classic "three generations" story---stories of the mom, grandma, and "current" young woman tied together by their (not sci fi) connection to a house.  Good read.

So maybe no top ten this month.  Hmm.  I need to find another good series...

Day 11 Seattle to Denver to HOME

My folks left very early, so we didn't see them Sunday morning.  We had a good breakfast at the hotel restaurant--

Then headed to the airport and  back to Denver.  After a day of absolutely no adventures outside of the ordinary (Our car was right where we left it, the dogs were waiting for us patiently...)

We were HOME...
This, by the way, is what a week's worth of vacation laundry looks like on the laundry room floor!



It was a great trip--we are thankful we had the chance to go and to celebrate my folks 50th anniversary with them.  It is nice to be home though!

Time Flies

Today is the fifteenth anniversary of The Girls baptism.  It has always been a day of mixed emotions - while I remember Sept 9, 2001 fondly, I will always tie it  to September 11, 2001.
I will be forever thankful that our family who came for the baptism flew home on September 9 or (were scheduled for) September 12, no one was in the air on September 11.  I remember my new mom expectations, that we would light her baptismal candle every year  (we've done it maybe once).

Sept 9, 2001 was a beautiful, sunny day--very much like September 11--the beauty of September days just can't be matched. We took a lot of pictures on Mr. IM's uncle's deck.  We stuffed The Girl into a hundred year old baptismal gown and her great grandparents, her grandma, Mr. IM's aunt and uncle, and my brother held her for many photo opportunities.  Those are still some of my favorite photos-even though the quality isn't fantastic-but because the looks on the great grandparents faces are so wonderful (The Girl was the first great-grandchild). I have absolutely no memory of September 10--I assume I did new mom things--picked up the house a little, napped, took care of The Girl....

September 11 is tied up in a mixture of horror and hope.  I've told the story before, but I was home, still on maternity leave, planning to have lunch with Mr. IM and his grandparents, when the horror started.  My reaction, as a new mom, and I guess as a human, was to grab my child and want to hunker down at home.  I called Mr. IM's grandma and expressed that wish and was  told something like, "I went out to lunch on December 7, 1941 and we're going out to lunch today...get dressed, lets go".  I will always have that idea of "we will get through this" tied to September 11 as well--and I am always thankful to Grandma M for "making" me go out to lunch. (That was also the day she taught me about which bathroom stalls to use, but that is a story for another day)

So on this, another September 9, I choose to remember the beauty and the hope.

Day 10 Seattle, again

Saturday morning dawned with us already docked, but not allowed to leave the boat yet.  We had some breakfast and finished packing up.

There were lots of hugs and then we headed off to the hotel with my parents while my brother's family headed for the airport.

About this time I tried to post "Back in Seattle" to Facebook.  I must not have had very good service, because it has "retried" about every 24 hours since I first attempted....And it shows up as a new post, as if I am currently in Seattle.  Grr. 

Back at the hotel--our view this time was of the "forest" near the lake.

We all couldn't get over how big our hotel room felt!  My folks headed off for the afternoon, and even though we hadn't planned on it, we called Mr IM's family to see if they were free.  They were, and came over for a couple hours to try out the pool and hang out.

After a swim and a couple stories, they headed off

Mr. Ranch had a short nap...we met my folks for dinner and then all fell asleep for one last travel day!

Day 9 Victoria

Ok, I'll apologize now--this is a long, photo heavy post--but Victoria was so lovely!  I also won't promise that the photos are in order, but at this point I'm not sure I can successfully re-order them, so I'll just do the travel-log thing...And there were just too many gorgeous photos to leave out any more than I already did...
We started the morning on the boat, noticing that we were headed towards land and it wasn't raining (whoo-hoo!)  We actually landed in Victoria mid-day and were due back on ship at 9pm, I believe, so we had a nice stretch of daylight time when shops, etc. were open.
We originally planned to do some geocaching, and although we had cell phone service, we were having some trouble with the GPS being accurate enough to get us where we needed to be. We ended up following a walking trail along the ocean, then cutting into town to visit the public garden and see some sights. We declined the trip to Butchart Gardens, and instead visited the city public park and the grounds of Empress Hotel--see photos below!

An out of order photo of almost the whole group one night at dinner.

Coming into port--we think this could be Mt. Ranier, but we were so confused because it is a different angle than we've ever seen before.

The breakwater around the Harbor

A walk along the beach--there was a paved path above the beach and fun things to explore on the beach.

Some photo ops...

Along the public walking trail

First discovery at the public park was this fantastic water feature--it was hot, we enjoyed taking a short break and playing with the local little children for a few minutes.
















The public park was incredible--these photos don't capture how gorgeous it was--we had to take a few photos!

Beautiful fountain with pond and water lillies...


















Look at the color of those flowers--really--just beautiful!


























We did briefly stop and observe a "Canadian playground" (not pictured...looks just like an American playground)

And read some signage about nesting birds and history of the park (it used to have a zoo...now just has a petting zoo). We took a few photos as we left the park and headed out for our next adventure...

Outside the Royal BC Museum--it closed at 5, but the grounds were open and fun to explore























We then headed towards the government building area and the Empress Hotel













Before having some delicious dinner at the (locally?) famous (and recommended by the nice young man at the Visitor's Center--Red Fish Blue Fish!  Dinner on the dock--lovely!

All the seating is outside and the kitchen is in a shipping container (with plants growing on the roof!

This is for the Boy--"3 Hour Sail.com"...he's a big Gilligan's Island fan and thought this was hilarious...

We walked back along a different public path along the water (other side of the harbor)--equally beautiful and different sights!

Sooooo pretty....



This "yard" was so incredible--my photo doesn't do it justice--lillies, a pond, really awesome...

Our ship was gigantic...but that is it, dwarfed by Princess and Holland America--wow!

Back to the breakwater..

These are from back on the boat in the late evening--a sign on the Carnival Cruise Ship docked next to us--stating "Security Warning:  Stay 15 feet back"...um, who exactly is five stories high closer than 15 feet to the ship?

And, overheard, a teenage girl (not ours) stating, "Oh!  Look at all those penguins!"  (Ummm...those are seagulls...)

Lights of Victoria as we left--Goodbye Victoria---wonderful day!