Well, a good part of this week Disaster Cat spent trying to be as invisible as possible. This is partly true and partly a family joke. When our house-mate joined our family, he had already been running a role playing game with his high-school buddies for a number of years. This tradition has continued with the addition and subtraction of a few people. As the guys get married, move away, move back again etc. My husband joined this motley band about eight years ago, but back then they use...
Well, today was bit different than we expected for Boxing Day. Usually my husband and I don't pay attention to much and its the one day of the year he will eat "Banger and Mash" (Sausages and Mashed potatoes." This year, I had already decided to skip that particular tradition; we still had left over steak, and I'm not all that excited about Irish sausage flavorings either. Last night we had a lovely grilled steak and some mulled wine before bed. We thought we'd do something similar tonigh...
Last night (early this morning actually) I told my husband that is was snowing in Houston. He went over the the window and said, "Why not here, SNOW MAKE IT SNOW!" I guess someone heard him? I woke up this morning to a land covered in white and green. It had snowed early in the morning hours and left a dusting everywhere. Husband had already put the dogs back outside where they could play (they are arctic dogs, snow is fun, freezing rain inside their coats is not). I heard the barn ca...
Well, today has been another fairly quiet day, although the howling winds are providing a nice haunted feeling. Which, I guess, is appropriate to a 200 year old house. At least with the boiler fixed, we have a nice warm house, though the temperature is starting to fall outside and a chill is starting to creep in under the old doors and windows. But its nothing like it was until last week, when we all felt like ice cubes. I'm keeping the turf ready though, because the way the winds are blo...
Well, after last nights excitement of library visits, tree trimming and Yule fires; we now have a decorated drawing room and a very quiet house. Everyone seems to have slept pretty well, I in fact, had another "missing" day by getting up at 2:30 in the afternoon. After going downstairs to clean up from the egg nog making and other fun, I filled the dishwasher and proceeded to go sit upstairs by Yule tree, with the best of the books I checked out yesterday. It was a real find, a book I used...
Well, I was supposed to spend tonight guesting at a "drumming circle" in Dublin. I have never attended this event, but it is supposed to be a Winter Solstice celebration of some sort. One with a combination of Native American and Celtic overtones. But, a a mix-up in times, trains and other stuff resulted in my being home instead. I gather that last night may really have been the longest one, or at least that is what the ancient time clock at New Grange Monument said this morning (...
Well, its that time of year again. The one where everyone knows just exactly what everyone else in the household is going to say, before they say it. At least on some subjects. I entertained one of our house guests by predicted the usual responses to such questions as: Question: "has anyone seen the tree stand?" Answers: "I think someone saw it in the workshop.." followed by, "why don't you try the turf shed," and "what does it look like?".... This year the winner (for the second ye...
Well, I did manage to get to sleep last night, eventually. Though its 2:30 am this morning, so I'm not sure how great I'm doing on the regular bedtime thing. But tonight I have an excuse, tonight (or this morning, which ever you prefer) I got distracted in a good cause. I was attempting to help out my husband's new jewelery business and explore my inner artist at the same time. Or, to put it another way, I got out my old archeology text books and tried my hand at making little wax Goddess...
Well, its that time of year here in Northern Europe. That wonderful season when you can almost miss the daylight if you forget to look out the window. Its not that it isn't there, its just so cloudy and dark, that you may not notice it. And, it doesn't last all that long. Sunrise (if you can see it) is about 9am and sundown is about 4 pm. Our friend from Germany says this is because Ireland is really in the wrong time zone, but I'm not sure about that. In Sweden, the sun rises at 10 am...
Well, things are slowly getting back to the 21st century here at Kilmurry House. First, we experienced the arrival of our wonderful, new, German Dishwasher mid-week. This miracle of engineering let me collapse three hours work into about 15 minutes. Which, since my foot still hates me, is a very good thing. Of course, most folks wouldn’t need three hours to do the dishes, but I had to include the hour of stove feeding it would take to heat enough water to wash them. Even with a dishwasher...
Well, Disaster Cat and her family just got back from Dublin having picked up husband and hopefully concluded part one of a long, involved journey. Otherwise known as: Buying a New Dishwasher. Easy you might think, what could be so very hard about searching for a dishwasher that an entire web blog could be written about it? Well, if you are a North American who has moved to either Ireland or the UK, you probably already know the answer. For the rest of you, I can fill you in. Compar...
Greetings everyone out their in Blog Land, I have been asked by several people, who only know me from this website, how in the world did a semi-hippie chick from California wind up in rural Ireland. Like most stories at Kilmurry House, this one is a bit strange, and has a short version, a long version and a even really longer version (for those winter nights when you are having mulled red wine and the power is out). I've decided to start with the more-or-less shorter version as the r...
Well, lets see, where to begin. I didn't post about this before, because I wanted to make sure this blog had a happy ending. And now that I am reasonably confident that it will, I can explain what Disaster Cat has been doing for the past week.... It seems that in one of those twists of fate that just seem to happen around here, about three hours after my husband left to go Boar Hunting in Germany I found his favorite cat, Hagan; barely alive in his office. Sometimes, I don't even check ...
Well, Disaster Cat has been off-line for a couple of weeks, due to the visit of her DH's mother. Now, my mother-in-law loves to clean and organize things. And those of you following the Disaster Cat story know that just before Disaster Cat had her foot surgery, she was experimenting with a web site that was supposed to help organize and clean your house. Or rather, help YOU organize YOUR house, a web-page that would actually clean your house for you would create the world's biggest net-tra...
Those of you following the Disaster Cat Saga the last couple of weeks, know that I have been laid up with a rather nasty post-operative infection in my foot. This has lead to a rather eclectic diet lovingly provide by husband and friends. A diet which has consisted of everything from frozen pizza to fresh killed chickens. Also a large share of store bought rolls, crackers, peanut butter, dried fruit and a complete absence of vegetables. While guessing what culinary marval was coming next...