Happy Holidays from Grapeshot

The Blog will take a 2-3 day recess for the holidays.  I hope your baking is done, gifts wrapped and the celebration started.  Don't forgot to look at the Google holiday "Google" logo in one hour.  Interesting that it came from a doodle from Burning Man. 


I'm happy to announce that my novel of technology and desire, first e-published in 2001 with a hard copy in 2003, is soon to be available on your Kindle.  So in 9 years it has made the rounds of technology from e-book, to POD and back to e-book.  The novel deals with information warfare and was inspired by a trip to Singapore.  You can get the hard copy (a trade paperback) from Amazon. See the reviews if you're wavering.  :)  The Shadow Warriors (see Amazon ad on this blog) or buy from Spenser's books in Andover. (mail order)T


In the Mall (Natick) for the first time yesterday all holiday season.  Too many people, too much stuff, everything on sale, (except Brooks Brothers) and total craziness.  A good lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. We ate the Salisbury Steak with onion and mushroom gravy, not a diet choice but I craved comfort food. 

  Always fun to visit the Crate and Barrel where I found the perfect gift.  Believe it or not, I have a while enameled pan with a lid that I bought at the first Crate and Barrel on Wells in Chicago about a million years ago.  It was a "second," and is still going strong, in use yesterday.  A bit chipped but still most functional.  


The cats have been good and not bothered the tree.  Amazing, since the new cat, the "Orange Outrage," has never seen a tree.  He is cool with it.  We have white on the ground in the great Boston area, always nice, without travel hassles so far. 


Signing off now.  Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and to all a bright  2011.  Can you believe we're so far past the millennium? 


Grapeshot 


Don't forget to feed the birds!!!  And there's always  the opportunity to revisit the 12 Days of Christmas cookies!

A report on the cats

Missed Cat Blog Day on Friday.  I have been gardening, swanning to the Cape and the Berkshires, cooking every tomato recipe in the repertoire and finding agents to query for the Burning Man book, Festival Madness. 

By and large, the cats are cool.  The orange cat is very cool, eating well, looking out the window, shedding all over the Calvin Klein down duvet, and wondering why the black and gold cat with the big stomach continues to give him the stink eye.  He gives her a pretty wide berth.  Usually.  

Said black and gold is cool unless the orange cat gets in her face.  A few days ago he wanted to play and made chasing motion, which set her off in a tizzy of hissing.  Sometimes she is caught eating his food and slinks off (guiltily) when reprimanded. 


Nonetheless, life is CAT is pretty calm.  Good birdwatching from the living room window, and chipmunk watching from the kitchen window.  Many places to nap.  Eats of schedule.  Plenty of petting.  What's not to like?

A Desultory Hiss

I spent a nice day on the home office couch, bathing and undisturbed.  Late in the evening, I ventured upstairs for food, water, toilet and meds.  The Orange Outrage was on a chair in the dining room.  I didn't even notice him at first, and when I did, I gave him a desultory hiss. He didn't bother to return my greeting. Standoffish.
 My mistress calmed me, as always, and I decided to watch the fireworks from the Esplanade in Boston rather than create some fireworks of my own.  A lazy day makes a lazy cat.  Meditation is good.
What does this mean?  Have I accepted the Interloper?  My mistress, who knows me well, remarked that there could be "setbacks," and "don't everyone get their hopes up."  Whatever can she mean?
Everyone went to bed and the orange outrage disappeared into his chambers in the guest room.  I continued my snooze.  Let's see what the morrow brings.  

Thisbe, who has somewhat calmed herself.  The picture is not of me, but of the dessert my mistress made.  Everyone ooohed and awwed. It didn't even smell like catnip or fancy feast or Atkins for Kitties.