Maddy is the BESTTT yo.

Oh hello there fiends of Quiche! This is the AMAZINGGG Maddy Gaiman and I have agreed to do a fabulous blog post on the blog of theeeee Fabulous Lorraine.

So at the current moment Quiche and my father aka "Boss" are having a conversation about Edward Gorey. I think they are going to buy something of his or something crazy like that. I'm not really paying attention to them though, since my full attention is devoted to this of course!!

Welllll, I have got to say I am having a simply marvelous Thanksgiving Break. I'm pumped that Kitty is here with Quiche because they are pretty much the bOmB dIgGiTy yo! fo sho! I'm not really sure if you guys are hip and cool and stufff but that means 'for sure'. OMG learn something new everyday right right!

Oh snap oh snap wellll umm I would just like to put it out there that I had a donut this morning. It was really good. I warmed it up in the microwave for approximately 22 seconds..ahhhh just like heaven! Quiche and Kitty picked a donut up for me and themselves because as I stated in the previous paragraph they are the bOmB dIgGiTy.

So that right there is my life story. Have a nice day. FO SHO :o) <<< cutest smiley ever to walk the earth not that it walks


Love and MaddyIsSoCool,
MADDY :D

And Now For Our Movie!!!!

I think the Licking the Chops photo of Selina Kyle there about sums it all up from yesterday. Still a lot of Fiends off and about visiting, and so I am sure there will be many more stories, the good and the bad, for us yet to come.

As you know, Kitty and I spent last night at the Spooky House, started with homemade from the Garden tomato soup, eaten at the table, complete, despite the risk of Cat Flambes, with Candles.



The first course being a bit too much for us, and it being rather late, we elected to do the second from the couch. Before we go into movie land, I believe it is important for our friends around the world to see the actual Can of Cranberry Sauce, in all it's glory....



And now, for our Main Feature Presentation! Mim's Thanksgiving!!

This was one of my first feature roles. I feel, as an actress, I brought a lot to my role. I play a women trying to keep her Thanksgiving dinner away from a Bengal!

My motivation was clear, and director/camera person Kitty was clear in her instructions tho I had a bit of a time explaining that Mim was not going to wait for her to call ROLLING, but this was an on-going process and she had better just jump in.
I
t is a fine movie! The drama! The chase! The hunt! Hot women in sexy PJ's! Bengals ripping and tearing into dead turkeys!!!! You can do a LOT in ten seconds!!!!

I give you, Mim's Thanksgiving!!!!!!



Love and Movies,
Lorraine

Death Cake!!!!!!!!!

I was walking around the grocery store and trying to think what to serve my Guest tonight for dessert, as obviously I do not have time (Or inclination) to MAKE anything.

Then, there it was. A Death Cake.

I laughed so hard. The store people laughed. I said "What the heck IS this? A funeral cake???? Something special for us Gothy types who can't let go of Halloween? Nothing screams Thanksgiving like a Death Cake!"

It was quite the Adventure, this Thanksgiving shop, check this out:



Au Gratin Potatoes! Says so right on the box! Who knew potatoes came in boxes????

And no meal would be complete without Hors-de-vors! (Hey, kitty requested them)



And of course, a full array of impenitents to cook them with.....



Now, back to check on the updates, I am loving this Fiendsish Thanksgiving! And very thankful of all of the Fiends!

Love and Death Cake,
Lorraine

Oh, Happy Day!!!!!!!!!

Thanksgiving is upon us, and it was a long day, so it's a quick post you are getting tonight. The Fiends are traveling, and cooking, and looking forward (or not) to seeing family and friends, and to coming back and sharing the adventures.

For me, Miss Kitty is coming! Which is Holiday enough at any time. And heightened by the fact I have promised her dinner that is not ordered from the local Pizza Place. It's funny, I am, if I may flatter myself, a really good cook. I made what may have been a nearly perfect omelet this morning for Boss, with Irish cheddar, and a side of avocados and tomatoes.

I love cooking Indian food. A couple weeks ago I did a surprise brunch for four, catered a soiree for 40, (with Bison Chili, tomato soup and baked potatoes) and followed it up with breakfast for 15. My nearly favorite show is Top Chef.

But faced with cooking at home I seem to turn into a dithering culinary idiot.

I had thought I might do, duh, Quiche Lorraine for Kitty, how hard can that BE? But apparently it is not a good make ahead of time dish and we are going to get home from the airport rather late. Fortunately, my French teacher, Le Proff, took matters into her own hands after hearing my somewhat stumbling dinner plans.

She bade me come over today, and sent me away with turkey, ready for heating she had made, and a tub of cornbread stuffing she had just made for me, AND proudly pulled out not one but TWO tins of cranberry sauce, the smooth and the chunky (Who knew????) and offered me a selection of potatoes and yams, should it be needed and asked questions like "You DO have a pot, don't you????"

Bless her. Kind of, for me, summed up what Thanksgiving and the Holiday ought to be. Kitty and I and the Bengals will dine on turkey, and eat ice-cream and clementines, and just be happy here at the Spooky House.

Here's a few pictures just to make this visually interesting and because I have a camera now and CAN...The Evening Adventures of Bengal Venus!



"Her feet! Her feet! Ah, the smell of them!!!!!!!"



"I know there are credit cards in there SOMEWHERE....Mmmwwwhahahah!"



And finally, proving once and for all that Benglas KNOW how to party in the winter!

I hope however and where ever you are, that your day is a fine one, and you are as happy as I am. A special hello and welcome to our recent de-lurkers! Be happy with us, and we promise not to let Adriandalen get too out of control, playing with new Fiends.

Maybe.

Love and cozy,
Lorraine

Among Other Things.."Grab The Skin And Make A Tent"

I warn you in advance, tonight's post is a seriously Cat Oriented Post, so if you are in any way not fond of the Wee Beasties, or bored by such, you must go elsewhere for your entertainment this night. Or morning. Depending on where you are. And when.



I have a lot of news on all fronts, Cat-wise, but the Gentleman who currently has Queen Mab and King Lear, sent me some photos today, so we are going to feature them, in the photo area. I should mention too, that this is not like the Jungle Loves, who came from a pretty bad home. This Gentleman has done everything possible for these kitties and tried to make it work, after adopting them from Bengal Rescue. When it became clear it was not working, he called back to the Rescue Group to find a solution. And he has done everything possible to help me in the transition.



Sometimes EG (Early generation) Bengal males get some odd ideas when they hit adolescence. Lear, it seems has been asserting his dominance, and after a visit from the Gentleman's father, peed all over the couch where the father sat, and then, when the Gentleman fell asleep on the couch, peed on his head. I would be tempted at this point to seek other solutions myself. Lear had no problems with his female foster Mom, and other than that used the litter faithfully.



Moving on to more cats....Selina Kyle (formally known as Kali, Kitty said she thought she might like a cat named for a crime fighting Superhero , to go with Batman, better than one named for the Goddess of Destruction) has come thru her Spay just fine.



Now for the hard bit. You have heard Boss speak of the Downstairs Library Barking Mad Cats, Pod and Hermione? They are 16 now, old ladies. When I went down yesterday, the library smelled pretty bad, which generally means one of them has some sort of bladder infection. A trip to the vet with overnight stay, proved the point, Pod is very sick and in kidney failure. Good news, this can be treated, and she is not ready for the Big Nap.

Talking with the vet, it came out that Pod will need weekly or bi-weekly intravenous fluids. I called Boss and told him to come to the vet and learn how to do this as OBVIOUSLY I could not.

(I fear many things, but I do not lie awake worrying I will ever be an intravenous drug user. I HATE needles or anything to do with medicine, despite being the daughter of a Doctor and a Nurse)

The conversation went like this:

Boss: No. Take her to the vet weekly.

ME: But that will be too traumatic for her, I hate that.

Boss: That cat is completely Mad and loves no one but you. She hates me. That is a three man job, and even then it will be horrible.

(It should be noted the cats had a pretty rough start in a NYC Animal Shelter, and simply could not adjust to a large home with other cats and a new baby, Pod lived in my room for several years..)

ME: You have a point.

A point I realized I would have to do this. Fods. Have you ever been in a situation where you knew you could not do something, but had to, as there was simply no other solution? I went. The vet told me what to do. And showed me. I chanted in my head "DO not pass out and I mean it. Do not throw up. DO not pass out."

"Grab the skin and make a tent, stick the needle into the tent horizontaly, check the flow, re-adjust the needle..."

I did it. Had to.

After I got home with the Kitties, I said to Boss I had 20 minutes before class and needed a cup of tea, Badly. He said "I am proud of you. Would you like beautiful tea in a beautiful cup?" And made me flowering tea in a glass pot. We talked about fear and what one could and could not do and drank the best tea I have ever had.

It got funny in French class when the last ten minutes Le Proff asked me did I want to do a little more work on reflexive verbs combined with adverbs, and I said "Normally that would thrill me but I have already learned how to IV a cat today and I think that's enough learning"

Le Proff replied" Well in that case you will all be glad to be dismissed early.."

Love and Stronger,
Lorraine

All Around The Spooky House...

I do recall saying at one point I would take you around and show you some Spooky House, once I had a camera, and so, while you won't get the complete tour, here's a preview. (Venus as you can see,thinks this very funny)



Here's the latest, coolest new Toy! The Water Thing! Mim remains un-impressed, but Venus is having some fun. Question: Why ordering Pizza seems like the best option....



Answer: Seems obvious. Kali, as you know is moving soon to LA. (She gets her Spay tomorrow, wish her well) We had thought to send her on the plane with Kitty, but she seems as happy in the box, so we are thinking Fed ex...



The new Fosters, Queen Mab and King Lear are going to reside, of course, in the Forest Room. It is the largest and so fitting for their Royal Highness's. The small couch will be replaced, of course, with a Cat Tree, suitable for their reclining pleasure.



The Cat Tree will be fun, but the Forest Bed also offers many opportunities for entertainment.....(Yes, that IS an Edamame Sushi Pillow.)






And just in case anyone wonders if I may have been exaggerating about the Poor Ficus....(if you look closely you can see the newly cleaned Poo-wheel in the corner)



Love and Spooky Home,
Lorraine

My Thanksgiving Spirit

I thought I was running out the door, but it seems I have another bit of time before my visit to Winter Romance, so we will do this now, and then come home later this afternoon with no excuse not to do the House Things that need doing.

I am not a big Holiday Person. I don't like the "One Must Do This" approach, where on Thanksgiving you HAVE to have THAT meal, and eat too much and be with people you can't stand. And Fod forbid if you don't have somewhere to BE....Excuse me, but let me point out that having an entire day at the Spooky House with nowhere I have to go and nothing I have to do and that I can do whatever I want with IS a Holiday, and I don't have many like them.

And here in the Midwest, there are some really scary not in a good way food customs.....Sweet Potatoes baked with sugar and covered with Marshmallows? CANNED green beans, baked with CANNED cream of mushroom soup and topped with French's dried onion things? Pumpkin pie with made with CANNED pumpkin? Jello and fruit mold? And pistachio FLUFF?? (no idea what that one is, I fear it...) Little weenies made with Fod knows what in a crock pot with a jar of BBQ sauce???? Not to mention a Turkey AND a Ham....

Not going there. Most years anyway. But this year, I am having People for Thanksgiving. Well, a Person any way. A Guest, for Thanksgiving dinner. Miss Kitty is coming. And I have to feed her. And me. I am good with ordering Pizza, which is what we usually do when she eats here, but the pizza places will all be closed. And I feel I should Make Dinner, it being a Holiday and all.

I don't have many people over for food. A lot of people get sort of faint of heart when confronted with Bengals at dinner. You have too choices here, they eat on the table with us, or we lock them up and listen too what sounds like Armageddon, as they yowl and fling themselves at the door in an attempt to let me know there has been an ERROR and they are locked away.

I only ever tried a Dinner Party once, with my Sister and her husband. We got nearly to the point of Dinner when Boss called from the other side of the world and desperately needed an introduction transcribed and sent over ASAP, so I had to nip into work, find it, transcribe it, and by the time I got back, my sister had fallen down my steps and sprained her ankle....

(to be fair to Boss, this WAS important and he did not know about the Dinner)

This will be different. I have come down with the Thanksgiving Spirit. And I am doing it UP for my Guest. I have been pondering the WHAT I am going to make, as her plane does not come in until 6:00pm, and it is a fair drive after that, so this dinner must needs be Ready to Go when I get back. Finally figured it out, and it is perfect. No,I am not going to tell you, you will find out on Thanksgiving, Kitty reads this, and I want her Thanksgiving to be Perfect. And a Surprise.

This is what a Holiday should be. Doing something that makes you happy, with people who make you happy, in a place that you love to be.

Love and Happy,
Lorraine