Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Aches and Panes

This morning around 6:40, Nathan helped me out of bed to get me started on breakfast. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just the simple routine I am used to by now. Also something that is ordinary is for me to be groggy and slow. My stomach decided to have a bit of aches and kinks in it this morning, causing me to be extra slow. Looking at the time, I discovered that the clock read 7:15 and the bread wasn't buttered. I called to Nathan to butter it for me while I cracked the eggs into the frying pan. Nathan usually leaves for work every morning around 7:35 or 7:40. Breakfast is usually on the table by 7:10 or 7:15 at the latest.

While we were working on breakfast, Scrabble showed up meowing louder than usual and seemingly begging for attention. Not a big surprise to us. Nathan finished buttering the bread and sat on the floor Indian style to give her the much needed attention. After standing up, Nathan chatted a bit with me and all the while, Scrabble meowed as if to say she wasn't ready for all that loving attention to end. We talked to her and looked at her while she proceeded to talk and meow back at us and again, very loud! This was a bit out of the ordinary. I told Nathan she probably wanted him to hold her on his shoulder and walk around patting her back like she likes it. Nathan didn't have time for that and breakfast was nearly ready. In the meantime Scrabble continued meowing and rubbing herself against my legs while I stood at the stove.

Breakfast on the table, we ate quickly, Scrabble meowing the whole time, and pretended this was normal. After Nathan got ready for work, we exchanged goodbye hugs and kisses. Finally, I had the time to give her the special attention that I thought was all she wanted. I picked her up, cuddling her against my right shoulder and perceived that she was shaking! I realized something traumatic must have happened and patted her back while walking the length of the house.
During the second lap, as I walked closer to one of our living room sofas, I noticed the quilt had fallen off the back of the sofa in the right hand corner. I remember thinking it must have been Nathan who did it, if he had been reading in that sofa, but it wasn't an ordinary reading spot for him. Scooping up my furry bundle in one hand, I tossed the corner of the quilt back into place and at the same time noticing our storm window behind the sofa was covered in cracks and missing a whole chunk of glass.

Scrabble leaped onto the sofa again and meowed loud. I gave her reassuring pats and strokes while trying to figure out how this happened.

The best I can figure out is this:
Sunday night upon returning from Cashiers, we began opening up as many windows as we had wood support props. The last window we opened was the far right window behind that sofa. Later that night, before settling in bed for the night we lowered the inner window only and left the storm window as it was: the screen lowered and the glass pane that is on the outside of the screen, we kept up for when we wanted to open the window the next day.

Some time this morning, Scrabble was sitting in the window sill enjoying the morning breeze. Gravity had already been working on the window and the outer glass pane dropped to the down position, cracking the entire window pane while one huge chunk flew out of position and crashed on the pavement three stories below. This happened possibly while we were making breakfast, as I recall Scrabble racing into the kitchen meowing.

I imagine it happened while she was in the window because of the quilts state of array. I know for a fact that our cats do not race through the living room in the mornings and therefore it cannot be caused by the cats, but rather by gravity and it being an old window that often comes off its track sometimes when we raise and lower it. A heavy breeze may have caused it to fall off its track and plummet like it did.

Scrabble did get over it once she knew I had seen the window and reassured her it was ok. She has recovered well and is currently sleeping with Copper in the guest bed in safety. God is good to us and protected my cat from any harm. Through all this we got some extra giggles over Scrabbles behavior this morning and some extra cuddling time.


Friday, April 10, 2009

Bread Maker!


I bought myself a deal of a bread maker on Friday. Actually I left a check with my mother-in-law as Nathan and I were heading down to Ga to visit my family and former church for the weekend. And she paid the used furniture and houseware store for me and picked up my $30 clearance bread maker. Boy am I loving it!! I have used it nearly every day this week except Tuesday. Here you will see a picture of a roll I made using the bread maker to make the dough while I formed it into miniature herb bread loaves and baked it in the oven. Well, ok I lied, the picture is of me eating the roll.
I wish I could have taken a picture of the first loaf I made. It had arms and a head!!! Not a pretty one, that's for sure! My second bread was a banana bread. Then today I made four pizza crusts using the machine to make the dough and afterward I made a lovely smelling maple oatmeal bread. I am told that there is a bread maker cookbook waiting for me in Cashiers! Originally, the cook book that I discovered with the bread maker was dropped off at the store by a lady claiming that it "was too much work!" Whatever! Well my mother-in-law came back without the book and I began to wonder. This week she went back and the lady didn't seem to recall saying that it came with the bread maker. My mother-in-law went to pay for it and the lady gave it to her. Maybe she remembered my enthusiasm over a simple bread maker? Maybe she just wanted to be nice and give it anyway? Who knows, but I am ecstatic over everything bread machines nowadays and will have to remember to thank her for the bread machine cookbook.